Sunday 3rd November 2013
Ballena Bay (Whale Bay)
After a hearty breakfast at we jumped in the pangas to see what we could find on the coastline around the bay. On the way we saw a sting ray (no pic unfortunately). After seeing shop after shop with t-shirts exclaiming ‘I love boobies!’ above a pair of blue webbed feet we finally caught a glimpse of a few blue-footed boobies.
Later on in the morning we went snorkelling in the bay and saw sea turtles along with a whole host of weird and wonderfully coloured fish.
Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill)
The boat worked it’s way west along the coast to Dragon Hill (named after it’s most prolific resident, the land iguana). After lunch we jumped in the pangas to head to the island for a walk. Here there is no pier, the pangas dropped us on some lava rocks which sit alongside the white beach. Inland the earth was a deep rusty red colour which comes from the oxidised iron in the lava. Here I learned that the trees which looked lifeless on the way to Tortuga Bay were in fact not dead. They are deciduous trees called Palo Santo and appear silver-grey in the dry season and flourish with green leaves in the wet season. They produce a deep red-purple sap which makes them look almost like they are bleeding and is used to make dye. I could only imagine how different the landscape would look in the wet season. On the way we came a across a lagoon with flamingos.
Galapagos is officially desert as it rains less than 200mm per annum here. There is only one island where fresh water can be reliably found year round, Floreana. Life on the islands has evolved to deal with the harsh environment. Giant tortoises can go for as long as 18 months without food or water, they hydrate themselves by eating the cactus which store water; marine iguanas drink sea water and ‘spit’ the salt from their nostrils.
Ramblers Rumblings 