Puerto Ayora – Fish Market, Swimming and Giant Tortoises

These tortoise shells are from Santa Cruise and are much smaller than the 600kg models of other islands

Our last full day in the Galapagos was spent in Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz and the largest town in the Galapagos.  It is a start or end point for most cruises and almost every tourist passes through here as it is the closest town to the airport.  As a result the entire town is geared towards tourism and has a little bit of a Queenstown feel.  However, like Queenstown, the surrounding attractions make it a great place to spend a couple of days. 

We started our full day here with a trip down to the fish market.  The fishing boats come in early in the morning and pelicans and the occasional seal line up for an easy meal.  The workers are incredibly efficient in preparing and filleting and preparing the fish and the waiting animals are remarkably patient.  The previous morning we saw a seal get thrown a fish head and skeleton.  The seal caught in hopped to the edge of the wharf, threw the fish into the water and flopped in after it.  He obviously felt there was less competition in the water than on land.  We also saw a pelican swallow a whole fish carcass – it looked rather uncomfortable for a few moments as the fish was sticking out through his throat.

Note the Iguana on the fish carcases at the market

From there we headed to Las Grietas, a lovely swimming canyon.  On our guides recommendation we went early to avoid the crowds.  We had the place to ourselves and the 20 minute walk had warmed us up nicely.  It is such a great place to swim between the cliffs.  We scrambled from one pool to the next over very sharp rocks – sandals or shoes would certainly have been handy.  The place was filling up and the sun was just starting the touch the water by the time we left.  The walk and short water taxi trip back was enough to dry us out and warm us up enough to want a cold coconut when we got back to the main wharf.

After lunch we headed to the highlands to visit the Giant Land Tortoises at El Chato Reserve.  Just out of town we stopped at the Mirador de Tuneles

which had a huge but very short lava tunel before continuing on to the tortoises.  The first activity at the tortoise reserve was climbing into the giant tortoise shell.  This beast would have been 150 years old when it died sometime last century.  I was the first to climb in to get things started.  These shells are heavy and lifting yourself up on all fours is a challenge.  Then some of the others had a go and the guide showed them how to a haul themselves upright, giving them a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle look. 

From there we walked around the reserve and saw some of the tortoises.  There weren’t huge numbers around as many of the females had left for lower ground to make their nests.  The ones we did see were pretty muddy as they like to sleep in the mud ponds – about 5pm each day they haul themselves off to a pond to sleep for the night.  These tortoises are one of 2 species on Santa Cruz and there are about 3500 of them left.  The tortoise population was pretty decimated by pirates and sailors who took them for meat supplies as they can last without food or water for nearly a year.  As a result some species became extinct and some became extremely endangered.  The Tortoise breeding program at the Charles Darwin Centre has

raised and released thousands of the most endangered species. 

We finished the day with a great dinner on ‘Eat Street’ – a street that becomes a series of open air restaurants each evening.  It has a great atmosphere and wonderful food with very generous servings.  The whole fish was a particular winner.

Another great day.

Hazel

Devil’s Crown Snorkelling with sharks

Day 4 on the Galapagos and it was time to snorkel at ‘The best snorkelling site in the Galapagos’.We have had some amazing snorkelling so it was a big ask to be even better, especially after we had just swum with turtles at Post Office Bay.

We headed out to the Devil’s Crown and swam off the back of the boat.  It was easy to see how it got its name with the sharp, rocky remains of a caldera poking up out of the sea.  Within moments of getting in the water we were surrounded by huge schools of fish.  This was our first deep water snorkel site and the visibility was amazing.  We were in about 20m of water with a great view of the bottom and the many layers of fish. 

Suddenly someone spotted a Hammerhead Shark and soon we were following two of them around.  Fortunately they were cruising around on the bottom leaving plenty of space between us and them.  Next up was a Sea Lion that made the big schools of fish dance out of reach, creating great swathes of clear sea. 

Hiding under a rock were the first of many White Tipped Sharks that we saw, along with a

large Marbled Ray.  Later on we also saw another pair of Eagle Rays, gliding gracefully along.  Ross spotted a Skipjack Tuna that scampered as soon as it saw us.

We continued around the outside of the Devil’s Crown passing a huge array of fish of all sizes and colours.  We saw Parrot Fish, Trumpetfish, Reef Cornetfish, King Angelfish, Mexican Hogfish and a Guineafowl Puffer.

As we completed the circuit we entered the Devil’s Crown through a narrow passage with a strong current.  Hiding in a hole on the wall was a large Rock Lobster.  He was a real challenge to photograph as we would be pushed one way and then the other and the strong current washed in and out.  Also in the

passage and the inner part of the crown was an amazing selection of coral and starfish. 

Swimming against the current was enough to tire most of us out and we were all very ready for an early lunch.  This spot definitely lived up to its great reputation for snorkelling! 

Hazel

Dancing with Sea Lions

Day two and we danced with juvenile sea lions.  Yet another magical experience.  As we dived down and around them they danced and twisted around us and each other.  What majestic creatures!  They didn’t seem at all bothered by our presence and at times we were entirely surrounded by them.  Suddenly I thought someone was trying to get my attention by tugging on my flipper, turning around I instead found a sea lion nibbling on my flipper! The water was a very pleasant 28 degrees, so there was no hurry to get out.
We also saw a large group of Eagle Rays, which the seals seemed to chase away.  The Eagle Rays are similar to Sting Rays, but with a more diamond shape and white speckles on their back.  They are also majestic creatures, but without the same level of cuteness as the Sea Lions.
Experiences like this make me feel incredibly lucky to be here.  Visiting the Galapagos really is a trip of a lifetime, and being here for the third time is just phenomenal.  
Swimming here at Santa Fe was a much needed reprieve from the heat.  I was really struggling with the heat this morning.  By 7am it must have been 30 degrees and our early morning visit to South Plaza Island was a struggle.  I was hunting for the smallest spots of shade and not appreciating the iguanas and cactuses as much as I would have if I’d been a little cooler.  A good reminder to take some wet arm covers and an umbrella for the afternoon walk today.  We were lucky to see a Marine-Land Iguana cross and a Blue Footed Booby.  We also saw hundreds of Galapagos Shearwaters protecting their nests in the cliffs from the Frigate Birds trying to steal their chicks.
Santa Fe has an interesting dilemma in that the Iguana population has exploded and the cactus trees are under threat as one of their main food sources.  We saw several scraps over cactus ears with the winner scratching the spikes off and munching away.  It’s surprising how fast they can move when they want to.  The Iguana population explosion is the result of the reduced Hawk population on nearby Santa Cruz Island, caused by locals in the 1990s shooting them to protect their chickens.  They hope a Hawk breeding and release program will help restore the balance and ensure the long-term survival of both the cactus and the Iguanas.
South Plaza was nice this morning, but the highlight of today has undoubtedly been dancing with the Sea Lions.  What an experience!

Hazel

PS note the flipper in the second photo

Hatching Turtles

We had an incredible introduction to the Galapagos Islands today with the amazing and unique experience of seeing turtles hatching.  Our guide said that he had never seen turtles hatching on this island, and the last time he saw turtles hatching on any island was 4 years ago, so we were exceedingly lucky. 
We were about to leave Mosquera Islet when someone saw a tiny baby turtle. The guides found the nest and suddenly more started to appear.  They were about 10cm long and incredibly cute.  They were rather lethargic at first, but before long the first brave explorers headed for the water, slowly at first, then gaining speed as they got closer.  The first one to reach the water received a round of applause as he swam out into the sunset.  Before long an army of baby turtles was lined up at the top of the hill, gaining strength for the trek down to the sea.  Cheered on and thoroughly photographed they slowly began to move.  A few seemed a bit disoriented and were gently reoriented towards the sea.
By the time we left for the boat the majority of the turtles were on the move and several had already made it to the sea.  Hopefully the rest of them made it safely to the sea under the cover of the encroaching darkness.
An incredible experience on our first in the Galapagos.  You so have to come here.
Huge hugs
Hazel

Riding Chimborazo

Starting at the Refugio on Chimborazo at 4,800m in fresh snow with the Refuge behind

Today was my big challenge day.  Four years ago I crashed riding down Chimborazo and was off work for almost a year recovering from head injuries,  puncture lung and multiple broken bones. Today I was going to ride it again.

We left Riobamba in heavy overcast but at about 4,000m the mist cleared and we could see a fresh dump of snow stretching down to about 4,500m.  As we climbed in the 4WDs the snow got deeper and with difs locked we passed a ute that had slid off the road. We stopped to pick up the workers and food for the refuge before continuing to the road end at 4,800m.

After coffees in the Refuge 11 of us started down with much sliding and the odd tumble into the snow.  On the steeper bits riding the untracked snow worked well and we were all pretty cautious.

The rest of the riders joined us as the snow thinned

At a long stop we regrouped at the park entrance before continuing on a volcanic sand track that had once been the road.  This was the last memories I had of my previous trip and I realised how I had crashed.  This deceptively flat track had deep erosion cuts and I must have hit one while distracted watching the vicunas (llama like animals that live in wild herds on the mountain).

Catherine

After a short road spell we enjoyed some great clay/volcanic single track with deep erosion gullies.  Andre misjudged a leap and landed in a heap with a good hematoma from the handle bars but after a few moments of pain declared himself ready to continue.

The drizzle turned to rain and the route varied from deeply rutted 4WD to single track that everyone coped with remarkably well.  The cold was the biggest challenge, made worse by the stop/start nature of being a big group.

Sue and Jane F elected not to ride and had a great day learning about the region from their driver guide who had excellent English.

Peter at the finish

It was Catherine R's first ever mountain bike  ride and she was grinning from ear to ear.  I see a purchase coming up.

Everyone was covered in mud and pretty shattered by the end of nearly 2000m of descent, but very pleased with themselves.  The hotel concierge was unimpressed with the trail we left through the hotel, but I am not sure he was going to be impressed with anything we did.

As we were about to go to dinner Sangay Volcano erupted sending up a large ash cloud.  It is 50kms away, so no noise or ash here in Riobamba.

Layers of ash from at  least 30 eruptions.

There  are several other days to fill in - hopefully there will be time to explain the trip out of the jungle, Lake  Quilatoa, and walking up to the hot springs above Quinta Colorada.

Yucca Bread

Today’s main activity was a trip to a local farm to make yucca bread.  Yucca – manioak or cassava in English – is a type of very starchy root vegetable.  We started off by pulling up a plant, or Andrew did for us.  From there our local guide, Doña Carmen, showed us how to slit the skin and peel the outer layer off.  From there they were scrubbed and then the hard work began as we pureed them on a large metal grater. The mush was then wrapped up in a giant tube and wound up to wring out all the liquid.  The nearly dry powder was then sieved through a giant sieve before beginning the cooking process.  While we had been preparing the yucca, a flat clay disk had been heating over an open fire.  Doña Carmen showed us how to spread a heaped mate cup of yucca onto the hot plate and spread it around to form a flat pizza base with a broad spatula-like piece of wood.  The mate cup was then used to gently press the bread to bind it together.  Amazingly it was then possible to lift the bread with the spatula, sweep the clay disk with a bunch of leaves and flip the pizza base.

Once the first ones were complete we were invited to have a go.  The challenge proved to be not the technique, but withstanding the heat.  It was already well above 30 in the little hut, and standing over the fire to spread and then press the yucca was definitely an endurance test.

Once the cooking was complete it was time to start eating.  We had a savoury option of tuna salad and hot chilli sauce and sweet options of chocolate sauce and blackberry jam.  Both options were well received and yucca bread was considered a success.

On the way back to camp we stopped for a spot of fishing and then swam on the other side of the river – 50m from where we had caught four piranha, two of which we kept for dinner.

 Waiting for photo from non swimmer to prove swimming.

Hazel

Amazon Jungle camp

The safety briefing at our jungle camp was a little different from the usual “beware water may be hot”.  It included “there may be snakes on the way to your room – so always use the torch at night”, “Scorpions are not fatal but they are painful so when tucking in your mosquito net, pulling up the top sheet or putting on clothes or gumboots always look carefully for them”, “swim in the main river but not the lagoon as the still water has electric eels and sting rays amongst other things”. 

We are staying at Dracaena’s Nicky Lodge in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in Ecuador.  To get here involved a short flight over the Andes, a 2 hour bus trip and three and a half hours by motorised canoe (a 15m long by 1.2m wide boat with a 40 horse Yamaha outboard).  The ride in was probably the most uncomfortable part as we had torrential rain and the boat was uncovered and doing 30kmh.

As we turned off the Aguarico River into the Cuyabeno River we saw a pink river dolphin.  A few minutes later our guide Diego spotted a sloth.  It was on a bare tree trunk in plain site but we took some time to see it as it was so well camouflaged. Diego imitated the sound of a Harpie Eagle (which preys on sloths) and it slowly turned its head.  Slothful takes on a whole new meaning watching them.

The Amazon provides the ideal environment for life with plenty of water and sunlight, warm temperatures for growth and very little wind.  The result is intense competition for resources, fascinating defence mechanisms and some amazing examples of cooperation.  At a rare clearing in the forest we found lemon ants that exude a strong lemon acid that stops trees other than the one they live in from growing. This tree provides tunnels to protect the ants in exchange for the acid to give it access to sunlight.  The ants are small, have a strong citrus taste and I could not feel their bite as we ate them.  Walking trees travel up to 6m putting down new aerial roots and pulling themselves towards sunlight. Leaf cutter ants build a compost heap in their nest and rely on the fungus in the compost for their food.  Vines and epiphytes fight for the sunlight at a lower building cost by starting on an existing tree.  In the case of strangler figs the seeds start in bat droppings on the side of the tree before eventually killing the host.

These millipedes excrete cyanide when frightened
so I smelt almonds, it probably smelled fear.

Cruising slowly on the river in our canoe we spotted (with Diego and Andres’ help) numerous birds, squirrel monkeys, capuchins and howler monkeys and pods of pink dolphins accompanied by a solitary grey dolphin. The birds included macaws, toucans, parakeets, eagles, egrets herons and vultures.

On the night walk in the jungle we spotted tarantulas, bats, snakes, frogs and numerous ants and other insects.  Many of them we also found in our bathroom which with its very open format was occasional home to a couple of bats and a huntsman spider.

This all implies a high level of excitement and adventure and there were adrenalin moments, but there were also many very relaxing moments.  Cruising quietly on the river just drinking in the vegetation and enjoying the river flow was very peaceful.

Ora Pendula nests

There is so much more to tell (and to write in a much better way) but its late – so this is what you get today.

Ross