Month: June 2012

Yesterday, the last purebred Pinta Island giant tortoise, Lonesome George, died at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Seeing as I’ve been blogging about the Galapagos and had a chance to see Lonesome George in captivity at the beginning of June, here’s an R.I.P. photo homage. They say he was over 100 years old, although his exact age (while alive) could not be determined. He was found in 1971 and another of his sub-species has never been located.

Rest in paradise, Lonesome George!

Added: If you’d like to learn more about Lonesome George, the guide for my Cormorant Cruise, Harry Jimenez, has a new blog with a substantial entry about L.G. Click here to read it.

Ecuador: Day 9.

Galapagos: Day 4.

The pirates do tell a tale of long-ago featuring the Mysterious Black Lichen. The Mysterious Black Lichen can be found in bathtub drains, on the backs of white coats, and wherever the Great Formidable Being (upon whose scalp lurks the Mysterious Black Lichen) happens to be walking around, dropping the MBL like fleas. One would think the Great Formidable Being would be bald by now. But the GFB grows the MBL at a rate usually only found in the wilds of British Columbia (think Sasquatch) or in Harry and the Hendersons starring John Lithgow. In the Galapagos Islands, the Mysterious Black Lichen is neither endemic nor in need of conservation. Indeed, the Mysterious Black Lichen is generally restricted to Those Dumb Enough Not to Bring Along a Bathing Cap.

In the afternoon of Day 4 of our Galapagos cruise, the Mysterious Black Lichen made yet another appearance whilst (nice British word) our group was snorkeling in Urbina Bay, Isabela Island (we had crossed the Bolivar Channel during lunch). The MBL has a brother and a sister, of the names Es (short for esquire) and T (short for T). Es and T happen to be married, which the MBL questions in this day and age. The MBL is not married to Es or T, but could easily be mistaken for a sibling of either—because of all that freaking dark hair all three of us possess. But Es and T were smart enough to: (Es) have short “man-ish” hair and (T) wear aforesaid bathing cap, or snorkeling cap, or swimming cap, or whatever she wants to call it.

It only took three snorkel trips before Es and T took pity on the Great Formidable Being and advised her to wear her baseball cap backward while snorkeling. That would take care of things. And it did!

Confused yet? Me, too. But consider this Travel Tip: If you have hair long enough that it swirls around your face while you’re snorkeling, thereby obscuring your view, yet it’s short enough that you can’t put it in a ponytail, for pity’s sake, buy a bathing cap before you leave! Or bum one off T and let her mysterious black lichen obscure her vision for a day. She’s accommodating like that. Then, when she leaves at the end of Week 1, beg to borrow the bathing cap for Week 2, promising to return it upon your return to Canada. Then return it if you wish or keep it—it’s not like T is going to chase you into the wilds of British Columbia to get it back, is she?

Rather trusting, that T.

Snorkeling photos! Urbina Bay, Isabela Island!

Yes, my husband looks quite accommodating, holding my hand like that, doesn’t he? But he’s an adventurer, and there were times when he would just…let go. The nerve. So I was swimming along and at one point thought I saw an octopus. However, I couldn’t be certain because I had been conditioned growing up (by my imagination) to believe that octupi were huge monsters with 25-foot-long tentacles. Also, for those of you who’ve followed my recovery from laser eye surgery in December and have listened to me whine on my blog that my distance vision isn’t as good as it was supposed to be…well, I couldn’t quite be sure what I was looking at because my distance vision isn’t as good as it was supposed to be! And it hadn’t occurred to me to invest in a prescription snorkel mask because (a) I was told my vision might still improve and (b) I didn’t know such items existed.

Travel Tip! If you need to wear glasses in order to ascertain the existence of an octopus while snorkeling, get the proper equipment before you go.

When I was gazing quizzically at the octopus, no one else happened to be around me. This is because, left to my own resources, I will drift with whatever fish happen to be around, or I’ll splay my arms and legs and close my eyes and consider what it would be like to drown in the ocean. I can tell you that it feels like, once you’ve accepted your fate, it could be quite peaceful. And don’t look askance at this blog post. Writers are allowed to think about such things. It’s not weird. It’s research.

Thanks to BIL, I later realized I had been looking at an octopus! Here it is:

Here’s a funny story about Es (short for Esquire). Sometime during Week 1, the crew aboard the Cormorant came to believe that Es and I were brother and sister. This was not only due to our similar hair colors, but because I started heckling Es from Day 2. I am pretty sure I was nice to him on Day 1. Don’t ask me why I heckled Es. He seemed to deserve it. Next thing I knew, he started heckling me back. One snorkel trip, while returning to the catamaran, Es and I were sitting across the panga from each other and the guide was at the very front of the panga. The catamaran crew knew that (1) a brother and sister were traveling on this cruise, but they could not seem to figure out that my husband and my sister-in-law were the brother and sister. This was made worse by Harry J., the guide, asking Es and myself, “Are you brother and sister?”, to which I answered, “No,” and to which Es shrugged and said, “Yes.” You can see why Es annoys me just like an honorable brother should. “NO,” I had to repeat and then asked Harry, “Why?”

“Just trying to figure out the family relationships,” Harry J. said. “So how do you two know each other, then?”

“We met in the airport.”

Yes, I like to heckle practical strangers. If they take to it kindly, they are allowed, allowed, I say, to become my friends.

“Ah,” said Harry J. “Cormorant family.” To which Es and I nodded.

If you are lucky, you will form bonds with your traveling companions. These bonds might not extend beyond your trip, or they might. Hopefully, Es and T are still speaking to me after this because I might be in need of a room at their place sometime next winter. Ahem.

Oh, and honorable brother, thank you for the secret bottle of wine you and T bought My Liege and Moi (even though I don’t drink red wine, still kind of you) your last night on the boat. I know you bought it because when I went to pay our bar bill for Week 1 and asked the bartender why the bill wasn’t as large as we were told it would be that afternoon, his response was, “Your brother paid for a bottle.” Yet my biological brother was, all along, esconced safely back in British Columbia. Agh!

After the snorkel, we hiked along Urbina Bay, which has this cool dark sand. I’d show you a picture, but the one I have, of 3 of the Group of Four sitting with our guide, really, and I mean really shows off SIL’s legs. Good thing she has great legs! Just to show you the sand (keep your eyes off the legs):

She was wearing a bathing suit beneath that cover-up. It is decent. Don’t tell me it’s not. And it’s not like you can see her face. For all you know, she’s from Australia and is named Midge.

During this hike, we encountered a few giant tortoises in the wild:

Interrupted mid-snack. He is ready for his close-up:

Or you might encounter cool yellow land iguanas. Apparently, the largest in the Galapagos can be found at Urbina Bay.

Honestly, I apologize for the Dr. Doolittle effect. It’s not like I have any control over it.

Our next Galapagos blog post, appearing sometime during the next millenium, will take us to Espinosa Point back on Fernandina Island. Yes, we crossed the Bolivar Channel yet again. And if you think the appearance of the Mysterious Black Lichen is weird, just wait until you meet the Marine iguanas. It is a “Take Me to Your Leader” Spec-Tac-U-Lar.

I’ve reached another level of brilliance. I know, hard to imagine. But note the new titling method of my Galapagos posts. It’s Day 9 of our Ecuador trip, but Day 4 of the Galapagos cruise. That should help those of you are easily confused. Or at least help me!

The first week of our cruise pretty much went back and forth between the back side of Isabela Island and Fernandina Island. We would make a stop in the morning on one side of the Bolivar Channel, and, in the afternoon, we would be on the other side. This is truly a gorgeous area of the Galapagos, and we saw so much in one day that was unique to the Western Islands (Fernandina and Isabela) that it deserves two blog posts. This entry, you’re just getting the morning of Day 4.

But first, I forgot to include, from Day 3 of the cruise, the wonderful meal we were served after our morning snorkel. Usually, we would take our meals in the dining room, and those meals were always amazing, thanks to the “Gastronomic Engineer,” Javier. But on one day of each of the two weeks, we enjoyed a barbecue on the upper deck. I”m not a seafood lover, but these barbecues are incredible. It is said that when planning your Galapagos cruise, to choose the best boat you can afford, because it can make a difference in the food, among other things. I can’t imagine the food being any better than that which Javier whipped up for us, along with his helpers in the kitchen. There was always so much to choose from, but the barbecues were something special.

From Day 3:

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled Day 4 of the Galapagos Islands. If you can tear your eyes away from BIL’s plate, that is.

Our panga trip to Mangle Point was very similar to our Panga ride at Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island, from Day 3. Both trips were incredible. You don’t get out of the pangas. Ie. you don’t “land” anywhere. The drivers and guide take you into the red mangrove forests via panga. Click on red mangrove forests (previous sentence, dippy) to find out more about them. It’s great fun, and because the water is so shallow, before you know it you’re standing up and taking pictures and videos. Our guide, Harry Jimenez, was great about letting us know when it was safe to stand up and when it wasn’t.

Here is one of our two pangas venturing toward the red mangroves:

A close-up of the incredible root system:

There is so much wildlife in the water by the mangroves and also birds flying everywhere above you, it’s incredible. Rays swim alongside your panga, and sea lions follow you around. Evidence:

But you can’t look in the water all the time or you might miss something, like this fellow:

Next thing you know, someone’s telling you to look down!

Look at his shadow? Isn’t that cute? Also gives you an idea of how shallow it was. BIL just stuck his camera underwater while sitting in the panga to capture this great shot.

Now, you already know I love sea turtles. They were also in abundance. Honestly, if you love wildlife, the panga trips around Fernandina Island are not to be missed.

Tortuga!:

And here’s another sea lion:

Well, I don’t have anything that necessarily shakes, S.L., but thanks for asking.

“De nada.”

And off he goes to tussle with his buddies.

I’m pretty sure this is a Lava heron, which is endemic (unique) to the Galapagos:

I am not kidding. all these various forms of wildlife were spotted during ONE panga ride. “Wandaful!”

Finally, the Galapagos Penguin, a cute little guy:

Travel Tip: Don’t give your guide trouble about the small size of the Galapagos Penguins. The penguins get quite incensed and might report you to the Galapagos National Park Service for size discrimination.

You want giant penguins? Go to Antarctica. (Travel Tip!)