AMAZON AND THE GALAPAGOS DAY 12 - BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

We wake up, disappointed.  Surly this trip has already peaked.  This is our last full day in the Galapagos.  Last day on the boat.  We can’t imagine there is anything left.  We, of course, are wrong.

Breakfast is with 14 of our new closest friends.  The conversation is easy, the laughs are plentiful.  We realize the joy of the group.  There is no other iteration of the multiverse that we are together, but here we are, bonded by shared adventure. (sniff, sniff) I’m gonna miss these guys when they’re gone.

We arrived at Santiago Island overnight, more in the center of the archipelago, and our first venture is a wet landing at Puerto Egas.  We all expertly jump from the tenders like well trained marines and storm the beach (at least in my mind that’s how it looked… the videos may tell a different story).  First order of business is a hike to explore this new place.  We’ve gotten good at understanding the differences of each island, and the different areas of any given island.  We did not expect that a piece of land this small could have several different climates. 

We also understand how Darwin got his inspiration.  How can islands this close together have vastly different flora and often very different species of an animal or entirely different animal populations altogether?  For example, we encounter a pair of the tiny Galapagos lava lizards and a Galapagos flycatcher bird for the first time here on Santiago.

A little Espanola mockingbird decides that he needs to make us feel welcome.  He comes right up, addresses me with a cheep! then starts dancing around and nipping at the yellow logo on my sandals.  He and we were all fascinated, so we all just let him do hit thing for a few minutes.

On the far side of the island, we explore the lunar-like surface and have some fun watching the sea lions in the water under the natural bridge.

After our hike, we return to the black sand beach where we landed to regroup and go for a snorkel.  To our left, there is a lava field jutting out into the ocean punctuated by a monolith rock formation.  We wander out to onto the lava to see if we can’t get some more pictures of the illusive blue footed boobies, but quickly change our idea.  Inside the two garage door sized openings in the rock are an entire colony of sea lions, enjoying the cool respite of the damp shady place. 

 

(Mandy notices later how much this looks like the Yoda cave in Iceland!)

A mama tries unsuccessfully to coral her pup who waddles in a tidal pool.  Mama gives chase and they both end up splashing around for a few minutes.  Satisfied that Junior is safe, she heads back right past us, pausing briefly to make eye contact and give me a nose bump on my leg as her way of saying “you know how kids are”.  It’s like we’re friendly old neighbors and she’s embarrassed at her child’s behavior. 

Just a minute later, Junior swims over to us, pops his head up and bleeets! like a lamb as his way of saying hi.  Then he climbs up towards us and plops right on my feet.  Remember when we thought this trip couldn’t get more special?  This is one damned magical journey.

We break away from our new buddies, pull our wetsuits the rest of the way up, and do our flipper-waddle down the beach and into the water.  (It’s just as sexy as it sounds, ladies.)  This time we have as much fun on the surface of the water as below.  Another friendly sea lion, this one a big male, stops by for some antics.

Topside, a nearby pelican is lunching as we’ve seen every day.  But this time a brown noddy – a small, dark sea bird with a white cap - literally lands on the pelican’s head and tries to steal fish from the pelican’s gular pouch.  By way of defense, the pelican holds his catch underwater, causing the noddy to flap and fuss like an animated hat.  This slapstick routine is the funniest natural animal behaviors we have ever seen, something out of a black and white cartoon from the 1920s.

The animals are not the only ones making the day extraordinary.  Back aboard the Sirius, the chef has a treat in store, too.  He’s scored some VERY local snapper (like rod and reel over the starboard rail) and is doing a fish ceviche demonstration as a first lunch course.  It’s ridiculous, as is the rest of the meal.

After a bit of rest, we’re back out for the last snorkel of the trip.  The current is strong, but this dive is, in its own way, as extraordinary as every other one has been.  We get washed this way and that with the turtles and sea lions, then I spot the most beautiful fish I have ever seen.   He’s teal, but in an electric neon way, standing out like a beacon in the churning water.  Later when I show our guide the video, Fernanda tells me it is a blue chin parrot fish, but a very rare find.  Most of the species are green-turquoise-pink but only a very few super males develop this radiant color.  In her 15 years as a guide, she has only seen one live.  Damned magical.

We finish today’s trek with a zodiac exploration of Buccaneers Cove.  We motor directly to the large rock formation jutting up 100 meters from the shore.  It’s here we first encounter the other booby.  Sure we’ve seen the first booby.  Of course, you know the other booby is there, but it doesn’t mean you’re not surprised when you finally get to see it.  This is the Nazca booby, white plumage with a black mask and wingtips, plus an orange-pink beak.  The larger females squawk while the smaller males whistle, and since there are a hundred or more Nazcas here, it’s a cacophony of sound. 

We’re watching and photographing and generally marveling all these big boobies when Fernanda points out the little booby.  There, up high, being tended to by its mother, is the fluffiest fluff ball on god’s green earth.  It’s a baby booby.  The entire zodiac, including the salty-dog panga pilot, awwwwwwwwwwws all at once.

A little further around the rock, on the lower tiers, we’re introduced to yet another character, the swallow-tailed gull.  Gray and white with a black head, this bird sports a riveting red eye ring, that glows like the colored halos guys put around the headlights of their custom jeeps.  This is a very busy rock.

Breaking away, we putter along the coast admiring the colors and formations, very different again from anywhere else we have seen.  This shore’s most conspicuous feature is a 100’-tall rock monument.  As we go around the prominence it morphs from one creature to another.  Our boatmates start calling out the figures we see… a standing and kneeling pair of Indian goddesses; a praying man in African garb; Picasso face; an elephant; a cartoonish guy with a pompadour, bulbous nose and a beer belly and more.  It’s a fun way to watch the sun go down.

Tonight is our last dinner on the ship, so the captain helps us celebrate with some espresso martinis for the whole lot of us (although I did notice the captain and the pilots were sipping mocktails – safety first! 😊).  After a spirited toast with a lot of Latin hip movement, we retire to the dining room where we guests drink in the last of our time together.  No one wants it to end, so this night does go long with plenty of after dinner cocktails and even more hugs.