Travelogue

Hike up to Darwin LakeDuring the night, the captain navigated south along the western shore of Isabel Island and anchored near Tagus Cove, a natural harbor with steep cliffs.

Everything we had seen so far in the Galapagos was so pristine and untouched by man, so it was a surprise to find these cliffs covered in graffiti, painted or carved into the rock. Some were current, but many dating back to the 1830s were done by the crews of whaling ships. Does older graffiti make it history rather than vandalism?

After a dry landing, we set out on a 2-kilometer, somewhat strenuous hike through a steep gully to a wooden staircase and then along a gravel track to deep-blue Darwin Lake, an eroded crater 12 meters deep. The water has a very high salt content from seawater seeping in through the porous lava rocks beneath the surface, so there is no life in the lake.

Darwin Lake and Tagus CoveFrom there we continued up to the lower lava slopes of Volcan Darwin, where there was a spectacular view of much of the island and Tagus Cove, where the Tip Top IV was patiently waiting for us.

We went back to the boat to get ready to go out and snorkel. As much as I hated missing anything, I decided to take a pass today as I wasn’t feeling that well - really tired and stomach cramps.

Snorkeling with the penguinsAs Herb left, I told him I was going to just lay down for 10 minutes and then go up on deck to relax and read a book - you know, like real vacationers.

Well, that didn’t exactly go as planned. I laid down for my 10-minute nap, which I awoke from when someone knocked on the door. It was Herb, back from snorkeling. I had passed out for an hour and a half. I definitely must have needed it.

Apparently I missed the snorkel of a lifetime - diving flightless cormorants, sea turtles, penguins zipping by, colorful starfish, and on and on. Even Tui and Monica, who have snorkeled here dozens of times, were raving about what a day it had been.

Chocolate chip starfishThe starfish were amazing - some of them more pentagon-like than star-like. My favorite was the chocolate chip starfish, no explanation needed.

The “chips” were actually conical black spines, arranged in lines radiating outward on the upper side of its body. They are meant to give the animal a threatening appearance so predators will leave them alone. Over time the protrusions erode and become more blunt, making them look more like the chips on a cookie than spines.

There were lots of other starfish in an amazing range of colors - reds, oranges, even white with red dots (or “chips”).

Serious looking pelicanThe action in the water was crazy, with flightless cormorants diving and penguins zipping by so fast that they were gone before you knew it. But then another one would zip by.

I was so sorry that I missed it, but fortunately Herb got some good underwater photos, so I could feel like I didn’t totally miss it.

After lunch, we had a choice of a panga ride or kayaking in Tagus Cove. Herb and I, and one other couple, chose to kayak. Everyone else went in the pangas.

Galapagos Sea TurtleThe problem with kayaking, and the reason we only did it one day, is that the stronger kayaker (Herb) is in the back, and I was in the front - they were double kayakers. This meant that Herb couldn’t really photograph all the wildlife we were seeing along the cliffs, because he was keeping the kayak in control.

We saw pelicans, herons, blue-footed boobies, and penguins all hanging out and doing their thing on the rocky ledges of the cliffs. Penguins always look like they are having a lot of fun.

My absolute favorite capture was a short video clip of three penguins. I kiddingly urged them to “do” something because this was video. The middle wiseguy, right on queue, leaned over and shot poop out of his butt. I still look at this video and laugh. I could have gone home at this point and declared the trip a success.

Sunset in the mangrovesLater that afternoon, we took a panga ride to Elizabeth Bay, a mangrove inlet with lots of green sea turtles and stingrays. There are no landing sites here, so we stayed in the pangas, exploring a beautiful secluded cove, lined with large red mangrove trees.

After an hour or so of chasing sea turtles and rays, we cruised out to a few rocky islets called the Marielas, home to the largest colony of Galapagos Penguins.

The rocks were covered with a menagerie of penguins, flightless cormorants, and Sally Lightfoot crabs.

Another great day in Paradise!

Recap of wildlife we saw today: flightless cormorants, penguins, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, sea turtles, and a variety of starfish