FRIDAY
Everyone was a little melancholy Friday morning, knowing it was our last full day in the Galapagos. We had several activity options on San Cristobel Island, formerly known as Chatham. (All of the Galápagos Islands, incidentally, have multiple names. They had native Ecuadorian names, Spanish and British names. Some have additional names, from privateers and other visitors.). San Cristobel is the Galapagos island furthest east, and is home to the capital of the Galapagos provence. . It’s the first island that Charles Darwin visited while exploring these islands on the Beagle. Around 7,500 residents live on the island today.
This morning we landed at Punta Pitt, a volcanic point with an iridescent beach. You could see the sparkle from flakes of tiny precious stones in the sunlight.
Those of us who took the hike up a dry stream bed to the plateau at the top were rewarded with incredible views of the volcanic landscape and close encounters with nesting birds. Good walking shoes and physical fitness were recommended for the hike, which involved climbing over and around some boulders and sometimes slippery slopes. Once again, I was glad to have my walking sticks.
This is the only area in the Galapagos where one can sometimes find all three species of boobies. They co-exist by having nesting and feeding habits unique to each species, so they are not competing for food and breeding space.
Red-footed boobies nest in bushes, sometimes on the flat areas but often hanging over the edges of ravines. They are striking, with light gray and white feathers, and a face that Picasso could have created during his Harlequin phase. The black eyes are surrounded by an intense blue, the bill is pastel blue, and feathers around the bill are salmon, black and white.
As with all wildlife we’ve encountered here, the birds were aware of but unconcerned by our presence.
Nesting red-footed booby, shifting for a more comfortable position on her egg
Showing off their red feet.
Nazca boobies nest on the cliffs, like blue footed boobies, but away from the shore..
Blue footed boobies build their nests in the sea cliffs, and fish by dive-bombing deep into the ocean.
Despite the name of the point, there were no Brad Pitt sitings. That would have been the icing on the cake.
After the hike, some people went swimming or snorkeling off the beach, but I returned to the ship to write and to ponder packing.
In the afternoon we stopped at another pristine beach, at Cerro Bruno. The dramatic late afternoon light highlighted sea caves along the base of the adjacent cliffs.
As the sunset rapidly progressed (as it always does near the equator), we cruised up to the Sleeping Lion (also known as Kicker Rock) formation we’d spotted from our anchorage at Cerro Brujo. This eroded cone of an extinct volcano is one of the most sought-after diving and snorkeling sites in the Galapagos. As with most sites here, you cannot visit alone but make arrangements for a day trip by boat with an authorized guide.
We passed very close to the 500 ft high formation, which seemed to radiate light. We stood on the top deck, our 5-deck little ship dwarfed by the sheer cliffs which rose above us. It was a stunning close to our last day in the Galapagos.
The rocks hosts blue-footed and Nazca boobies, tropicbirds and frigate birds. The narrow channel between the rocks is the ideal habitat for Galapagos and Whitetip sharks, sea turtles, reef fish, sea lions, etc.
SATURDAY
On our last morning, we transferred by zodiac to the pier at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal. Everyone, that is, but Greg. While the rest of us were ashore before 7 am, Greg had a 10 AM private transfer to the pier and then the airport. His Galapagos experience, well, wasn’t much. Except that a sea lion had hopped aboard his zodiac and had to be encouraged to disembark by the driver. That’s as close as he got to an animal (except walks we were able to take together on our first full day in the Galapagos).
The rest of us walked on a seaside road and boardwalk. One would think we’d all be tired of sea lions by this point, but they never cease to enchant. I watched a nursing pup just below my feet, saw a newborn pup wriggling by its mother, and was amused by a bachelor group of males proclaiming their dominance on a little beach oozing with testosterone.
Newborn pup - the uncropped photo is below, to show how much bigger mama sea lion is.
We were taken by bus to a little pleasure area with a covered picnic pavillion, nice gardens for a stroll, and an outdoor gift shop. We were presented with box lunches (though, having just had breakfast, no one was particularly hungry) and wiled away a couple of hours. We decided that’s the way the ship got us all offloaded as early as possibly so they could prepare for the next group of guests, who would be arriving on the same plane we’d take back to the mainland.
We were transferred back to the airport to catch our flight to Guayaquil. And, happily, there was Greg! I did get one photo to prove he had, indeed, been in the Galapagos.
Fun fact: Panama hats are made in Ecuador, not Panama.
