As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
Man, even though things were so amazingly relaxed with nature all around, we were already on our sixth day of our luxury cruise of the Galapagos. Time seemed to zooming by. This day would be about two lovely beaches.
The first would be a wet landing on Puerto Egas, located at the west side of Santiago Island. Morning aboard the Evolve was relaxing as always.
That’s Cerro Pelado in the background of my morning cup o’ joe…..
Because I usually woke early; I’d head up to the deck and relax and just take everything in before folks starting coming up for breakfast.
After breakfast, we boarded a panga and headed off the Puerto Egas. The black sand beach here is striking.
As are the cliffs and rock formations.
And soon we headed off on the trail.
Which featured all of the usual suspects.
Red Throated Lava Lizards.
And of course, we were always under the careful supervision of the land iguanas.
But there was one main creature to see. While we’d seen our share and even encountered a very curious sea lion. The Galapagos Fur Seal can be quite elusive. These small seals prefer shade and rocky grottos, like those at Puerto Egas.
It was relaxing watching these little ones just floating along enjoying life….like we were at the moment.
For some reason, they just brought smiles to our faces!
After watching the water ballet for a while we headed back to the beach. With this lava lizard “pointing the way”…..
Were we donned our snorkeling gear and did a session from the shore.
And actually saw a shark……which was so cool!
Back on board it was a quick shower and then time for lunch!
After which we took a short siesta before heading off to our next stop. Which was a beach that was even more spectacular!
These rocky cliffs toward the northwest on Isabela Island in the Bolivar Channel is where, according to what Fabrizio told us Pirates and Whalers used to anchor. And so, we did anchor and folks could do SUP….which the Missus loved and hadn’t done since we had been in June Lake. I did some kayaking…..we could even see names etched in the stone along the cliffs of the cove….sorry, too busy paddling to take photos.
Once done, we freshened up, then boarded the pangas, which took us along the cliffs. You can see some of the graffiti along the cliffs below.
The pangas took us to an area to do some snorkeling.
And this is where the Missus and I would have one of the most unforgettable moments in our travels. While just enjoying the clear ocean I felt like something or someone was watching us. Soon enough, an adult male sea lion started following us. He would dart between us and around us.
Showing off his “skills”. He seemed quite curious.
He apparently enjoyed the attention. Twice, when my attention got diverted, he came by and gave me a little “bump”, as if to inform me that he was the “star of the show”! Remember that you can’t approach wildlife and are supposed to stay at least 2 meters away. But what do you do when a sea lion going at like 25 miles an hour under water zooms toward you?
Several times he went to the rocks for a few seconds….I think he expected us to follow him? Because a moment later, he’d stick his head into the water looking for us!
Seeing us, he’d dive back in!
He just ignored the other folks snorkeling. Maybe he was curious about Asians? Anyway, this went on until we were back in the Panga. Fabrizio was quite surprised at this; he’s been a Naturalist in the Galapagos for almost 20 years and had never seen this behavior by an adult male sea lion before. The pups are very curious as was noted when that little fella tried to board our panga on Isla Plaza Sur. But this was a new one for him and of course, we’ll never forget this experience!
We got back to the Evolve and washed up. The day wasn’t over yet! We boarded the pangas and headed off for a tour of the coast. And we quickly came across an inhabitant we hadn’t seen yet on this trip.
See the little one “striking” a pose? Here’s a closer look.
Yes, it’s a penguin! The Galapagos Penguin is the only penguin found North of the Equator. And is only found on Isabela and Fernandina Islands. You just had to take a bunch of photos of these cute little ones.
And of course, there were Blue Footed Boobies!
Among all the other wildlife.
But for most of us; it was all about those penguins.
This one is enjoying the afternoon sun!
There was so much to see along the cliffs of Tagus Cove.
There are many caves along the shoreline here.
And we visited several.
It was quite stunning. Each day was a new adventure that seemed to top the experience of the day before! We almost didn’t want to head back to the Evolve!
Back on board we had a nice predinner snack and aperitif.
Watching the sun set in the horizon.
Before heading to our briefing for the following day by Antonio.
We were given this while having our little snack.
Which meant that we would be dining at the Captain’s table this evening. Yikes! Well, we did dress a bit better than on previous evening! We had a wonderful time chatting with Captain Jhon.
Man, that Guariche Crab Cake; made from blue land crab was super tasty….so much crab!
The Pork in Guava Sauce was also delish….almost like something I’d get back “home” in the islands.
Usually, the Missus and I would get one each of the appetizers/main….but on this day, these dishes sounded so good.
Dinner went well and we got back to our cabin….it had been quite a day, right?
But it was not quite over yet. Around 830pm an announcement came over the speakers for folks to head on over to the bridge. So, of course we did.
What was going on you may ask? Well, at this moment we were at Latitude 0°!
Even though we had already done Intiñan Equator Museum and Latitude 0° there, this was still quite exciting! Man, twice in two weeks!
After viewing the amazing eruption on Fernandina, the Evolve sailed back to Isabela Island while we slept. Isabela Island is the largest of all islands in the Galapagos. It was noted that Isabela is larger than all of the other islands of the archipelago combined.
As the sun rose, I headed up to the deck. As always the view was beautiful.
There was another Ecoventura Yacht in the bay as well.
Some of the other passengers were out having morning coffee; checking emails, etc….
There are quite a few little islets in the bay…each looking like its own little world.
An hour after a light breakfast, we boarded the pangas and headed off to Elizabeth Bay. We saw a sea lion doing his “pose” for us along the way.
As this turtle swam by……
There would be no landing on this tour as Elizabeth Bay is known for the mangrove forest that adorns its shores.
And all the interesting wildlife that can be seen.
Like this school of Golden Cownose Rays that glided past us.
We went further into the bay lined with vegetation.
Sorry to say that I don’t have a ton of photos, since we made good use of our binoculars to view wildlife.
Though I did enjoy taking this photo of a sea lion hanging out on the branch of a mangrove tree.
It was very peaceful, serene, and relaxing. Seeing the school of Spotted Eagle Rays passing us in what almost seemed like a choreographed water ballet just seemed to fit right into the ambience.
As we headed back, we saw that the sea lion had settled in for a morning nap.
Time just seemed to slip away as we headed back to the Evolve.
When we were all aboard, it was time to pull up anchor and head to our next destination.
We had lunch…which included some really nice lobster tails.
Then had a nice post lunch siesta/break.
Our next stop would be Tagus Bay, where the Missus and I would have one of most memorable experiences…well….ever!
We did a smooth wet landing. Apparently; this bay really didn’t exist until 1954, when a tectonic uplift caused the seabed to rise over 16 feet, creating an additional half mile of coastline. We were told to keep our eyes peeled as the largest known land tortoises, the Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise, named after the volcano in the area and some of the largest land iguanas live in the area.
We started seeing the giant tortoises immediately after the trail edged away from the newly formed shoreline.
There was one large empty tortoise shell from one that had died a while back.
And then we started seeing the land iguanas in the scrub.
And yes, they looked very large and well fed.
We ended to walk a bit early and were told that we were going to make a detour for something special.
So, while folks settled in, our Concierge, the wonderful Jocelyn said she had set up something for us and directed us to the a small door. Thru the door was the tiny galley. The couple of days before, both the Missus and I had noted how much we had enjoyed the chimichurri that was served. Jocelyn had apparently been overhearing the Missus and I chatting about our meals during the trip….were we that obvious? Sheesh….
Anyway, we were led into the phone booth sized galley and met the chef. And then he went thru making the chimichurri.
Jocelyn explained that they serve a “smoked” chimichurri…that is, once the chimichurri has been prepped, two hot stones are placed in the sauce to create a deeper, smokier flavor!
Pretty cool, huh? This little “excursion” really gave me an immense respect for what was being served….it all came out of this tiny kitchen!
From here, while the Missus freshened up, I sat on the deck, having some liquid refreshment….
While watching our “escort” to our next destination.
As we got back to Fernandina, it became clear what our destination was going to be…..
No, you can’t see it here….but….
You see what I see?
Yes, La Cumbre Volcano was erupting!
The lava getting to the ocean made for quite a dramatic sight!
Especially as the sun started to set…..
Lest you think this is an everyday occurrence…..even the crew wanted their photos taken. This is Farley and Luiz, two of the amazing bartenders/staff……
As night settled in; the view got even more dramatic.
And for most people; this would be a once in a lifetime view.
After visiting Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill), having dinner, and our evening briefing we had a wonderful night’s sleep. Our stop the next morning was to be Punta Espinoza (Espinosa Point), on Fernandina Island, the western most and youngest island in the Galapagos. Doing a bit of reading, I realized that Punta Espinoza is the only one visitor area, and the island is uninhabited, which for some reason piqued my interest.
Upon waking and heading to grab a morning coffee, I saw Fernandina Island……
It looked quite lovely.
After a light breakfast…..
We boarded the pangas and did a dry landing on Punta Espinoza.
As we landed on the lava rock…the usual Marine Iguanas were there to greet us.
As I’ve mentioned before, because humans cannot approach the wildlife in the Galapagos, many of the creatures have minimal fear of us. And so, we get to observe, some sometimes “interesting” behaviors…..
Like this Lava Lizard, who seems to be helping this Marine Iguana as a “look out”.
Or these two “best pals”……
Though along with the charming vignettes; there were those scenes of “real” life…..
There’s an active volcano on Fernandina Island (more on that in my next Galapagos post)…..and it’s an interesting walk on the old lava flows. Something that harkened back to our wonderful trips to the Big Island and Volcanoes National Park.
It was interesting to see the plant life that was actually starting to grow on the flows.
Fabrizio, one of the Naturalists, was quick to point out the Flightless Cormorants, which can only be found in the Galapagos, and only on two islands; Fernandina Island and Isabella Island.
They are among the largest of the species and the only that have lost the ability to fly. I actually love their “T pose” which they strike to dry off their feathers.
It was a fun walk…..
And then we were brought to an amazing site on the lava rocks……
Yes, an honest to goodness whale skeleton.
This was supposedly the exact spot where the whale washed ashore and has never been moved!
It was an awesome way to end our walk on Punta Espinoza!
We boarded the pangas and headed back to the Evolve. Lest you think the morning was over….well, it was not!
Next up was some deep water snorkeling. We’d done some snorkeling the day before, but it was nothing like this. It was amazing watching the Marine Iguanas and Sea Turtles in their habitat.
Not paying us any mind…..just going on with their daily life!
You get a totally different view of things from below…..
Digital Camera
Man, it was quite a morning! I was kinda disappointed to have to reboard and have lunch!
But was quite happy to note that we still had the afternoon and evening ahead of us. And it was going to be quite the afternoon!
After relaxing until we reached our destination, we did some snorkeling off the pangas.
Before heading back on board to refresh. After a short break, we headed on board the pangas and did dry landing at Cerro Dragon.
This is Dragon Hill the namesake of the area.
We did a nice hike/walk which got to enjoy the diversity of the Island. Both Marine Iguanas…..
And Land Iguanas….
We were taught to tell the difference. Marine Iguanas have blunt noses and long rudder like tails. Land Iguanas have that yellow-brown color, pointed noses, and some major claws.
If you see an Iguana “blowing snot”; it’s a marine iguana which has a special gland that allows it to “sneeze” out excess salt they get from ocean grazing.
Land Iguanas have sharp teeth and a really tough mouth which allows them to eat prickly pear cactus whole without injury!
It quite picturesque.
We ran into this band of Land Iguanas on the trail. You can’t interfere with wildlife, so we just slowly strolled down the trail.
We were told that in the mid-70’s the Land Iguana population was almost wiped out by packs of feral dogs. This initiated a program by the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park to reintroduce land iguanas and ensure their survival which was a success.
As we continued to walk, this Galapagos Mockingbird decided to stroll down the trail with us!
It displayed no fear, no hesitation as it “joined” the walk! Amazing!
We came across two lagoons, which sometimes houses Flamingos, but none were present on this day.
Even though there were no Flamingos; there were interesting things to see…..
Always under the watchful eyes of “you know who”!
We were back on board by 6pm. After a break while we set off to our next destination, I headed to the deck to have a “cold one”. I enjoyed this American Ale Brewed in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.
Low IBU, very clean and refreshing. A great beer to have while watching the Sunset.
Soon after, we had our destination briefing for the next day and then it was dinner time. Like I mentionecd in my previous posts, every night was different….we started really gaining an appreciation for the efforts of the kitchen.
On this evening, we enjoyed the Seared Duck Breast, though not so much the Citrus and Grape Sauce and also the tender and super sweet-oceany Grilled Prawns with Garlic Aioli.
I think this was when the Missus and I really started getting into the rhythm of things onboard.
Just in time for our next stop; Fernandina Island!
To be totally honest; when I read that we’d be spending the morning at Bachas Beach, which is on Santa Cruz Island, I wasn’t too thrilled. You see Santa Cruz Island is the most populous in the Galapagos, with the village of Puerto Ayora being the most developed and touristy. Though I should have known better as the only way to Bachas Beach is by boat.
And after breakfast and a short break, we did a wet landing on the beautiful white sand beach.
After our visit to Santa Fe Island, lunch, and a post lunch break we headed off to the east of Santa Cruz to the small island of Plaza Sur. We had to make several detours because of the Avian Flu outbreak on Genovesa Island. The island itself is tiny at 3/4 of a square mile. Don’t be fooled; there’s a lot to see and unique to this island.
We did a dry landing on a cement dock.
And proceeded with our nature walk. First thing I noticed were all the tall and stately cactus.
Plaza Sur is also known for another thing. Because of the size of the island, this is where one kind find what they call “Hybrid Iguanas“. That is where Male Land Iguanas have mated with Female Marine Iguanas creating a Hybrid. These were first noticed in 1977 by Howard Snell, a Biology Professor Volunteering with the Peace Corps. We were told to keep our eyes peeled.
The Marine Iguanas are black-grey, with webbed feet. Are we saw those first as we disembarked. And then we saw all the Land Iguanas. Because of the size of the island; these were on the smaller size, though quite colorful.
This fellow was hilarious. Having no fear of hoo-mans, he decided to cross the path. And of course, we could not approach wildlife here. We stood still and he strolled…and I do mean strolled past us.
The island features some dramatic cliffs.
Which of course means more wildlife. Like Swallow-Tailed Gulls, which are nocturnal feeders.
And since they are year ’round breeders; we even saw a couple of chicks with their parents.
And of course with all the volcanic rock; those Sally Lightfoot Crab really stood out.
They call this the “Light House”.
Not sure if these were actually “Hybrids”….I forgot to ask.
But we saw them on the walk back to the dock.
Speaking of dock, as we boarded the zodiac, this little fella’ cut in line and tried to get a “free ride”.
It made for a humorous moment….especially since you can’t approach or touch wildlife here.
Finally, after a short “discussion”, the little understood that there were no free rides being given out today. You can tell it was a bit disappointed!
Back on board everyone had some time to relax. After a shower and a short break I headed to the deck and had myself some liquid refreshment.
And a nice sunset…..
And then dinner was served.
This Prawn Bisque was really good. Not fishy in the least, creamy, nice oceany flavors, a hint of sweetness.
For some reason, I enjoyed the cous cous.
And the Missus enjoyed dessert.
We had our usual briefing. And retired to our cabin. About an hour or so later, there was an announcement to head to the aft deck. We headed on out and saw these sharks following the Evolve, looking for handouts I guess!
This was a wonderful exclamation point for an awesome first day which started on Santa Fe Island. Little did we know that each day would be full of wildlife and adventures!
Our first day was supposed to be spent exploring Genovesa Island, famous for the abundance of birds and the Prince Philip’s Steps. The island however, was closed due to a outbreak of Avian Flu. So, the Evolve instead headed first to Santa Fe Island.
I woke early and got a nice cup of coffee on the deck. I started getting a hint of “who ran things” around these parts!
After which we got our gear on and boarded the Zodiacs.
And we headed to Barrington Bay. Santa Fe Island used to be named Barrington Island after Admiral Samuel Barrington. During our briefing the night before, we were told that the island is considered the oldest by many at over 4.5 million years old, and there’s a specific species of Land Iguana only found on Santa Fe Island.
Fabrizio, the Naturalist in our Zodiac mentioned that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in the bay and also pointed out the first Blue Footed Boobies of the trip!
They are so cool looking, huh?
We did our wet landing and being told that there’s a large colony of Sea Lions in Barrington Bay was a bit of an understatement!
You are not allowed to touch any of the wildlife and not approach and try to stay 2 meters away from them. It was amazing to visit a place where the wildlife has no fear of humans.
The sea lions would look at you and then “bust a pose”.
And having no fear of hoo-mans meant that if you weren’t paying attention, sometimes they’d catch you in some interesting situations.
We started our nature walk and Fabrizio quickly pointed out some lizards.
These were Santa Fe Lava Lizards. The ones with the bright red throats are the females.
The island is small, just 24 square kilometers and yet, it is an amazing place to visit.
Walking along the trail we came across a Mockingbird. It was just not phased by our presence. This is of a distinct sub-species endemic to Santa Fe Island.
Can’t you just see how Darwin would have been affected by this?
And then Fabrizio pointed what we’d been waiting to see.
This is Conolophus Pallidus, more widely known as the Santa Fe Land Iguana. Endemic to Santa Fe Island……which covers just about 9 square miles! Amazing!
It just stared at us; knowing it ran the place. You know, like “get off my front lawn?”
It was so amazing to see creatures totally not fearful of humans. This male Lava Lizard was doing “push ups”, trying to attract a possible mate.
We boarded our Zodiac and headed back to Evolve, where lunch was waiting for us.
Tables set, the Concierge, Joselyn, introduced us to the Chef, and lunch.
Which we enjoyed.
After which we headed back to our room for a break before our next stop.
**** I realize that I’m waaaay behind on these posts; so I’ll try to minimize the verbiage after this post.
Being born and raised on an island is something that has stayed with me. Islands and island life fascinates me…..and of course there are those amazing places to visit. We’d already done Easter Island like almost a decade ago now. There are places that this bookworm had always dreamt of visiting. And one of them was the Galapagos. With wildlife found nowhere else in the world, where a young Charles Darwin‘s observations would lead to the theory of Evolution. Well, ’nuff said, right?
While looking at different ways of visiting, it became clear that being on a cruise would work out the best for us. The problem being that the Missus is not into cruises as a whole. Then I did some research and discovered Ecoventura, a company that does “luxury cruises” with no more than 20 passengers on board! The reviews I’d read were mostly super positive. Yes, it’s not cheap…like 10k per person double occupancy…but you only live once, right? One we decided to go with Ecoventura, we had to choose which seven day intinerary we wanted. Was it the Southern Route, with beaches, bays, and water life. Or the Northern route, the volcanic soul of the archipelago? You know which we chose, right?
We were met at the airport and transported to the dock where we to meet our Zodiac to the Evolve. Check out the Sea Lions hanging around the harbor.
This one is having a nap!
Once on board, we were greeted and shown to our suite…and yes, it was a suite. Very comfortable, with nice amenities.
The views from the room was amazing. We got our own personalized water bottles and there were kettles and Nespresso Machines in the room as well. The dining area also had all these amenities. We were also provided binoculars.
Even better was that good WiFi was also provided. Rooms were also made up each day while we were out on our tours.
Everyday, there would be an itinerary posted.
This being the first day, folks would be arriving at different times, so there was a buffet lunch available.
And the view was wonderful…..
And it gave me time to explore the yacht a bit.
It turned out that there were 17 passengers on this voyage of the Evolve. There were 13 crew. The standard tour ratio of Naturalists to guests in the Galapagos is 16 to 1….we had two Naturalists on this cruise.
Soon enough we were underway. We’d find that there was always more than enough space for one to relax and contemplate the beauty we’d see.
We had requisite emergency drill and protocols reviewed and then were fitted for our snorkeling gear.
Soon enough, our destination for the evening was in sight. And the Naturalists met the guests at the rear of the yacht.
And the lessons would begin! Man, I could written like several volumes for this trip!
That’s Leon Dormido aka “Kicker Rock”.
It’s name; Leon Dormido means Sleeping Lion which is said to resemble. Others say it resembles a foot, thus the name Kicker Rock.
It’s a volcanic Tuff Cone that has been eroded thru time, thus there’s that little channel in the split area.
FOY’s might know of another tuff cone…..named Diamond Head?
It was awesome sailing around Leon Dormido. From the sheers walls…..
To the little bays…..
It’s supposed to be a rather popular diving spot; but we’d be doing that several times along other islands during our trip. It’s quite stunning to watch as the sun sets…..
It was a great way to start our adventure!
After sunset, all the passengers met in the lounge and the crew was introduced to us by the Captain and we had a cocktail. Then we had a briefing of our destination the next morning.
We would have a briefing on our upcoming destination every evening.
And then it was dinner time. So, this being a “luxury” cruise, with under 20 people, there would be an ever changing menu each evening.
How was it? It was a mixed bag; though we appreciated the effort. With two choices for appetizers and mains, the Missus and I would get one of each every evening.
Nice presentation, but nothing particularly stood out to us during this dinner. Still, this was not typical cruise dining, right?
Tomorrow we’d be visiting Santa Fe Island and Plaza Sur.
