Travelogue

Seljandafoss before the crowdsReykjavik had been great, but we were anxious to set out on our journey along the Ring Road. We decided to go in a counter-clockwise direction, which meant we would be doing the highly touristed sections along the Southern Coast first before getting to the quieter and more remote Eastern, Northern, and Western sections of the island.

SeljandafossSo today, we would see two beautiful waterfalls and a lovely black sand beach with basalt columns and sea stacks off the coast before settling in for the night in a campground in Vik, the southernmost village in Iceland

Our first stop along the Ring Road was Seljalandsfoss, just 1 hour and 40 minutes from Reykjavik, so you have to get here early to beat the tour buses. As you can see from me being the only one on the trail, our 9:00 arrival was good enough to get the falls to ourselves, if only for a brief period.

The most distinguishing feature of Seljalandsfoss is a pathway that stretches from the front of the waterfall around to the back, where there is a cave-like rocky overhang where you can see through the falls.

Behind the fallsIt’s very wet back there, but fortunately we had on rain pants and rain jackets. I, however, had no protection for my phone, so I had to let Herb be in charge of behind the waterfall photos.

The source of this lovely waterfall is the river Seljalandsá, which has its origins underneath the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. This is the glacier that erupted in 2010, sending a plume of volcanic ash over 9 km into the sky, disrupting air travel across all of Western Europe for almost a month. Volcanic activity is a real thing in Iceland, sort of like hurricanes are in Florida, and wildfires in California, a natural disaster that people have learned to live with.

Another interesting fact is that the tall cliff that the waterfalls flows over once marked the country's coastline. The sea is now located across a stretch of lowlands visible from the waterfall.

So, we learned our first Icelandic word today: "foss," which means waterfall, and there are over 10,000 fosses in Iceland. With a population of only 372,000 people that means there is a waterfall for every 37 people. Imagine that in the U.S.

Oh, and one last fun fact. This waterfall, along with a multitude of South Iceland’s most famous natural attractions, can be seen in Justin Bieber’s music video for his song ‘I’ll Show You’.

Next stop - Skogafoss.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival, Laugardalslaug, and getting an overview of the city

Our home for the next 2 weeksAfter arriving on a red-eye at 8:00 am Iceland time, we stopped in the duty-free store to buy wine and vodka, saving us about 30% on what we would have to pay for it in a liquor store. Liquor is very expensive in Iceland.

We then got a cab, which brought us the short 4 miles to McRent to pick up our camper van, where we were given an-hour long instruction on both the van and what to expect in Iceland. It was the same model that we rented for our travels through Spain in 2019 and the Alps in 2017, so we were very familiar and comfortable with it, but I can imagine that there are a lot of mishaps with first timers.

For us, this van was the perfect size - not too big for the narrow streets of Europe, but big enough to be comfortable in and not want to strangle each other. I highly recommend camping as a means to explore Iceland and immerse oneself in the landscape, culture, and local people of a country.

Herb's feelings about Iceland's weatherOne thing we did learn from our briefing though was that Iceland can get very, very windy, especially along the West, so much so that they told us they would text us when it got bad enough for us to stop our driving for the day, or at least slow it down to under 20 mph. We did get a few texts from them, but fortunately we were not in the high wind areas at the time.

Before driving to our campground in Reykjavik, we stopped at a Bonus grocery store (which is the biggest supermarket chain in Iceland) to stock up on supplies for the trip. It’s always difficult food shopping in a new country for the first time, as the food choices can be quite different and nothing is where you expect it to be. However, the employees were extremely helpful.

Then it was directly to our campground in Reykjavik for a well-needed nap.

Iceland, the land of delicious Pylsurs (hot dogs)Reykjavik is where most people start their Iceland vacations, so it was a very well-equipped campground with ample restrooms and showers, a nice cooking and dining facility, and electric hookups.

It was also right next door to Reykjavik’s Laugardalslaug, the town’s public thermal baths and swimming pool complex. Every Icelandic town and village has a pool. I think it’s important for the residents because it is often very cold and rainy here and in the winter there is very little daylight. Plus, the endless geothermal energy makes it possible to provide hot water at little to no expense. Unfortunately, we didn't think photos were allowed in the pool, so we have no pictures.

The Harpa Concert Hall from the Old PierThe thermal bath is an Icelandic norm that can be traced back to the early years in Iceland. Icelanders are very passionate about their pools and their hygiene in the pool. Therefore, they have very strict rules before you can step foot in them.

Step #1: Take your shoes off before entering the dressing room and either leave them out front or put them in a locker.

This is where I made my first mistake by trying to shove my entire backpack into what was only meant to be a shoe locker. It locked when I closed it, but when I tried to re-open it to get my bathing suit out, my wristband didn’t work. A very lovely Icelandic woman informed me that I had a blue wristband, which was for lockers in the dressing room, while the shoe locker required a black band to open it. I must have looked really upset, because she volunteered to run to the front desk for me and get a black wristband. I thanked her profusely and told her if she was ever in San Francisco and did something really stupid, I would be happy to help her out.

The Þúfa (th-oo-fha)I wasn’t even up to the difficult part of the process yet, and I had already messed up.

Step #2: Get undressed in the dressing area and lock your clothes and belongings in your locker. Take your bathing suit, towel, and shampoo with you (this is a naked shower), and wash every body part with soap before putting your bathing suit on.

Okay, I almost handled this one, but realized I left my bathing suit in the locker

Little hut with dried fish (harðfiskur)Rule #3: Don’t even think about stepping back into the locker room if you are wet, because this will make the floor slippery and upset the locals. Since I had left my bathing suit in my locker, I had to totally dry myself with my little microfiber towel, which took another 5 minutes or so. By now, I was sure Herb was wondering what the heck happened to me.

Finally, I joined a perplexed-looking Herb in one of the hot tubs. “Don’t ask,” I told him.

Rule #4: Don’t pee in the pool

Okay, I got this one.

By the time we got back to the campground, our friends Hilda and Paul had arrived in their camper. Also, Herb has an Icelandic college buddy (John) that spends his summers in Reykjavik, so he came over to the campground as well.

Enjoying Íslenski BarinnJohn offered to drive us around Reykjavik in his car to give us an overview of the city and then grab dinner in town.

We got the lay of the land on our drive with him, which made our self-guided walking tour the next day much better.

While most of our time was spent in the car, we did get out at the end of the Old Harbor pier to see one of Iceland’s largest artworks called the Þúfa (th-oo-fha). Created by artist Ólöf Nordal in 2013, it is a large grassy mound constructed out of 4,500 tons of gravel, with a winding path circling it all the way to the top and a tiny wooden hut on top.

Herb and his Icelandic college buddy JohnAfter making our way to the top, we peeked inside the little hut, where we saw dried fish (harðfiskur) hanging. Hardfiskur has been a very popular and healthy snack with Icelanders for centuries. It's full of protein and nutrients.

Afterwards, John brought us to one of his favorite restaurants, Íslenski Barinn, a cozy yet lively pub-like setting serving traditional Icelandic food. I was surprised to see puffin on the menu as an appetizer. I very much wanted to see puffins this trip, but not on a crumpet.

As per John’s recommendation, I had the GRATINERAÐUR PLOKKFISKUR (Traditional gratinated fish pie) with cheese, onion, Béarnaise sauce, rye bread & butter.

Herb, the less adventurous eater, had his go to fish and chips. We both thoroughly enjoyed our dinners.

Day 2 - Exploring the city on foot

Sun Voyager sculpture

We had set aside the whole next day to do a self-guided walk of the city. Reykjavik is a beautiful city - clean, safe, and renowned for its culture, history, and natural beauty. There are tons of excellent restaurants serving fresh lamb and seafood, a dozen museums, galleries, and cafes. And you can see an awful lot in a 6.5-mile walk.

While strolling to town along the Sculpture and Shore walk from our campsite, we came to Reykjavik’s famous gleaming steel “Sun Voyager” sculpture, which resembles a Viking long-ship. Vikings, as well as trolls, are a very big part of Iceland’s history and mythology and we would be encountering them (or references to them) all along our journey.

Harpa Concert CenterWe continued on to the beautiful Harpa Concert Hall, home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Opera and Reykjavík Big Band, which hold regular concerts throughout the year.

Harpa was designed by the Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects in co-operation with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. The structure consists of a steel framework clad with geometric shaped glass panels of different colors, made to look like the crystalline basalt columns commonly found throughout Iceland.

Glass panels of the Harpa CenterThe facade is constantly changing, depending on how the light hits the panels. Reflections of the city and the harbor also often appear and disappear with the light.

Reykjavik has 11 museums devoted to history, art, culture, and Vikings, but for some reason we wound up at the Icelandic Phallological Museum. I don’t know how that could have happened. In all fairness, it is the 2nd most popular museum in the city.

Wow! A whole museum devoted to the study and appreciation of mammalian penises. I have no comment.

Lolo enjoying the Phallological MuseumThe museum, which is also commonly called the Penis Museum for obvious reasons, began as a private collection in 1974 of a man named Sigurdur Hjartson who taught at a school near a whaling station in West Iceland and always seemed to be coming across maritime penises. As a joke, his friends at the station started giving him more. By 1997, when his collection reached an impressive 62 specimens, the Icelandic parliament gave him a grant to establish a public display. What a country!

Today, there are over 300 penises from almost all land and sea mammals in Iceland, from a tiny hamster member to a 6-foot-long specimen from a sperm whale.

It’s definitely not just about giggling at penis jokes (although we did have our fair share of that), but actually a serious science museum whose mission is to advance the “ancient science” of Phallology, which examines how male genitalia have influenced history, art, psychology, and literature.

Enjoying a wiener at Bæjarins Beztu PylsurIn addition to the approximately 300 penis specimens on display, there are also historical artifacts, oddities, and artwork. I went there expecting just to giggle, but I actually learned a lot.

Continuing with the wiener theme, we decided to have our first Icelandic Pylsur (hot dog) at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, made famous when BIll Clinton had a Pylsur here in 2004. You can’t make this stuff up.

An Icelandic Pylsur is no ordinary hot dog. They are made mostly from Icelandic lamb, along with pork and beef. And not just any lamb, but organic, free range, grass fed, and hormone free. Before becoming a hot dog, these sheep literally roamed the countryside munching on berries and leaves. They pretty much have a better life than us; that is, until they don’t and find themselves in a bun with fried onions, ketchup, mustard, and remoulade.

Icelandic Street ArtMoving on from wieners, we continued our walk down Laugavegur Street, Reykjavik’s main shopping area with plenty of trendy restaurants, bars, and shops for high-end Icelandic designs and fun souvenirs

It also was a great place to see some examples of Icelandic street art. Because of its relative isolation, street art was slow to come to Iceland, but it has certainly made up for lost time. Starting in the 1990s, artists began covering city buildings, walls, and alleyways with amazing works of art. Many of them can be seen along Laugavegur, the main shopping street.

Rainbow StreetMy favorite was one called “Ode to Mother,” which totally covered the surface of a shop on Laugavegur 23. Although I would like to pretend that my sons painted this in my honor, this mural was actually painted by Belgian street artist Cara To and inspired by a song of the same name by the Icelandic band Yija.

Another interesting one, also on Laugavegur, was inspired by a famous medieval Icelandic saga called Laxdœla Saga, which means that the monster in the mural isn’t a vampire at all; it’s a kind of Icelandic undead creature called a draugur that sucks the will out of its victims.

Hmm..sounds like the dementors in Harry Potter to me.

We continued on to Skolavordustigur, another one of the main streets in downtown Reykjavík, famous for the fact that it has been dressed up in the colors of the rainbow to celebrate Reykjavík Pride. It is a symbol of the Icelandic people's joy and support for diversity.

HallgrimskirkjaIt leads to the beautiful Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church, Iceland’s tallest church. Its beautiful exterior was designed to look like basalt columns to reflect Iceland’s volcanic origins. It really did look like many of the basalt cliffs we would see later in our journey.

The statue on the right is Leifur Eiríksson, the best known hero of Viking age and the first European to arrive in America.

We took an elevator to the top of Hallgrimskirkja’s 75-meter tower where there were panoramic views of the city. In the upper right, is the Harpa Concert Center with the Þúfa hill behind it.

Reykjavik's Recycled HouseOn our way back to the campground along the Sculpture walk, we decided to continue a bit further, eventually coming to an inviting narrow dirt pathway to what turned out to be one of Reykjavik’s hidden gems - the Recycled House, probably the most unusual site in the entire city.

As we stepped onto the premises , we were greeted by creepy figures in the tall grass.

Once we passed the guardian bogeymen, we came to the Recycled House. It was created by the locally renowned filmmaker Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, who initially purchased the house while he was looking for a workplace to create props for his Viking movies, but later transformed it into an unconventional medley of scrapped metal, timber, and other materials, all of which were incorporated as part of his now redesigned home.

The Recycled HouseOriginally, every metal sheet that was incorporated into the house featured a lustrous hue. However, following an extended period of time where the building was completely exposed to the elements, exceedingly so due to its proximity to the ocean, most of the metallic color was replaced by orange rust which in turn became the place’s most prominent characteristic.

Despite the house’s iconic and unusual appearance, the city council of Reykjavik didn’t embrace Gunnlaugsson’s creativity at all, treating his residence as an eye sore that needed to be removed.

Dinner in the Campground Cooking FacilityGunnlaugsson still lives in this house that he worked so hard to create. I only realized afterwards that he is actually sitting in a chair huddled in the doorway.

I am so glad we stumbled on this hidden gem.

That night, back at the Reykjavik Campground, we decided to use the cooking facility to make dinner. It was quite fun, mingling with the other campers, each of us struggling to get the burners started. It seemed like everyone else there was half our age. Traveling in a camper van around the country definitely seems to be something done by millennials and not seniors. I’d like to think that we are as hardy and adventurous as millennials.

Travelogue

Pre-dawn landing on Mosquera IslandThis was our last morning waking up on the boat. It felt weird to think it was over. We had gotten so used to our routine and the wonderful people we were spending time with.

However, we had one more fun stop before getting to the airport on Baltra Island.

While it was still dark, we loaded up on the pangas for a wet landing on tiny Mosquera Island, so small that I almost couldn’t find it on the map.

Here comes the sunIt’s located between Baltra (where we would fly out of) and North Seymour Island, which we had visited on our first night arriving in the Galapagos. We had seen and experienced so much over the last 10 days, that that felt like months ago.

It’s basically just a long, narrow sand spit with a large population of sea lions, plus some marine iguanas and Sally Lightfoots.

Hey buddyAfter a wet landing, they let us loose to run free on the beach. We looked as excited as kindergartners being let out for recess.

The sun hadn’t even come up yet when we arrived, so we got to watch the animals wake up as well, many of the sea lions looking pretty sleepy. I could relate.

Warming up with the sunWe saw our old friends, the marine iguanas, draping themselves over a beautiful white rock, trying to catch the first morning rays to warm up their cold-blooded bodies. Their black against the brilliant while of the rocks made for a nice contrast in the early morning light.

Sally LightfootWe too stood on the shoreline watching the sun make its first appearance above the horizon. Herb captured it rising between my outstretched legs as if I was some sun goddess willing it to rise.

The sea lions were very cute, playful, and friendly, some of them even coming up and touching us - not the aggressive male bulls, but the cute little ones. They rolled in the sand, played in the surf, and even posed for us.

Well-timed rainbowThe Sally Lightfood crabs were out and about, busy scurrying around the shoreline. Two of them looked like Sumo wrestlers about to do battle. I saw my first one running down a hill - he looked quite different from his more dignified stationary pose.

We even saw some spotted stingrays swimming along the shoreline.

When the time to leave approached, a beautiful rainbow crossed the sky over the sea - a magical ending to a magical vacation.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: sea lions, marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs

Travelogue

Hike up Punta PittThis was it. Our last full day in the Galapagos. Tomorrow we fly back to Quito and then home. It seemed like we had been here for a very long time, but still I didn’t want it to end.

While we slept, our trusty captain moved us from Espanola to San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the archipelago and also the provincial capital. It was the site of the first human settlement in the Galapagos and the first island Charles Darwin visited in 1835.

Blue-footed boobiesThe island was formed by four large shield volcanoes fused together by successive lava flows to form a single island.

We began our day with an early morning wet landing on Punta Pitt, a volcanic tuff formation that serves as a nesting site for many sea birds - all three types of boobies, both types of frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, and storm petrels.

Red-footed booby in flightFrom the beach, it’s a fairly strenuous hike uphill (two hours round trip) to the top of tuff, where it flattens out into a beautiful landscape of tuff cones, colorful vegetation, panoramic views of the sea, and seabirds everywhere.

There were lovely views along the way and once on top the red vegetation and rocky cliffs over the sea were stunning.

View from top of Punta PittIt is the only site in the Galapagos where you can see all three species of boobies (blue-footed, red-footed, and Nazca) and two species of frigatebirds (Magnificent and Great) nesting in the same area.

Since the boobies have very different nesting preferences - red-footed boobies nest in the bushes, Nazca boobies nest in the cliffs, and the blue-footed boobies in the middle of the trails - you won’t find them next to each other.

Snorkeling with the sea lionsAlso, since there is no competition between them for food, they get along just fine when they do meet, because they don’t have to compete to survive.

We came across our old friends (and my personal favorite), the blue-footed boobies, playfully, dancing, flirting, and nesting right in our path.

View of Kicker Rock from Cerro Brujo BeachThey have such personality and attitude that it’s hard not to anthropomorphize and think you know what they are thinking.

The red-footed boobies were much harder to find, because they nest in the bushes, and there is inevitably a branch or more blocking their cute little faces. Or, they were flying through the air, just close enough that we could detect their red feet.

Cueva del BrujoWe found two out of the three species of boobies - the Nazca boobies were nowhere to be found. They build their nests in cliffs, so I have a feeling they were down near the beautiful volcanic cliffs overlooking the sea.

It was a lovely hike, one of the nicest we had done this trip.

Back on the Tip Top IV, we switched gears, donned our wetsuits and headed out on the pangas to hopefully snorkel with the sea lions, as Tui and Monica thought was a strong possibility.

Farewell Party on the upper deckBoy, were they right. We spent an hour with literally dozens of sea lions doing acrobatics in the water, zipping between our legs, swimming upside down, and so many other entertaining things. It was crazy and so exhilarating!

Later that afternoon we went for a panga ride to Cerro Brujo, a beautiful white coral sand beach and lagoon. It was one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin in the 1830s.

From the beach, we had our first view of Kicker Rock, one of the Galapagos’s most iconic landmarks, and one of the things I most wanted to see. It is the remnants of a vertical tuff cone formation that rises 500 feet above the ocean. It is striking.

Circling Kicker RockThe sheer walled volcanic tuff cone has been eroded in half with a narrow channel in between, giving it its characteristic shape of a sleeping Lion (Leon Dormido).

After strolling the beach for a while, we went back out in kayaks and the pangas to Cueva del Brujo, an arch through which there is a great view of Kicker Rock.

We also cruised into an inlet that ended with cliffs hundreds of feet high surrounding us on three sides.

Happy CoupleIt was quite the day, but it wasn’t over yet. Tonight was the big farewell party back on the ship. Tui surprised us with a bottle of rum and some guava juice, which we thoroughly enjoyed on the upper deck, while the ship slowly circled Kicker Rock as the sun went down.

It was probably one of the most amazing sunsets of an entire trip full of amazing sunsets. The sky went from yellow and reds, to bright red, to orange all in a span of 45 minutes.

We laughed, we hugged, we took photos of each other. We had become quite the family over the last 10 days.

It was going to be tough going home tomorrow.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: Blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, sea lions

Travelogue

Landing on Punta Suarez,After cruising through the night, we woke up anchored off the island of Española, the southernmost and oldest island in the Galapagos.

This island is famous for being the breeding site for waved albatross, an amazing bird with a 2.5 meter wingspan, known for their less than graceful landing, where many of them just fall over when they hit the ground.

Christmas iguanaUnfortunately, we were a month too early for their arrival. No reason for complaint though, because March is one of the best months to visit the Galapagos as so many other animals are mating then.

We started our day with a 6:00 a.m. dry landing on Punta Suarez, on the western tip of Española, where we were greeted by sea lions, also starting their day.

Christmas Iguana and his little buddyFrom there, we took a trail inland across to the other side of the point.

It wasn’t too long before we met the Española marine iguana, who during breeding season (which luckily for us was now) turns a bright red and green, earning it the nickname Christmas Iguana.

All the many marine iguanas we had met to date on the other islands were black, but on this remote island, the marine iguanas have evolved in their own distinct way. It is thought that their coloring might be the result of eating algae endemic to Española.

Lava LizardThey look like contestants in an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest, except theirs is quite unique and beautiful.

They obviously liked climbing rocks and sunning themselves.

Continuing inland along the trail, we came to a series of tall rock formations where a colony of Nazca boobies was nesting. The Nazca Boobies are the largest of the Galapagos boobies, so they nest on high rocks to give themselves a bit of takeoff assistance from the wind.

Nazca Booby feeding her hatchlingNazca boobies just recently graduated to being their own species. They were previously thought to be a subspecies of the naked booby, but they were differentiated from the masked booby due to its larger size, breeding range, and bill color.

They are beautiful white birds with black feathers on their tales. The males have yellow or orange beaks, while the females beaks are a paler pink. Somewhat unusual for the animal kingdom, the female is larger than the male. Unlike the more flamboyant blue-footed and red-footed boobies, Nazca feet are gray.

Nazca Booby nesting areaThe white, fuzzy little hatchlings were adorable, but I later found out that these little fuzzballs had a dark side and practiced what is known as obligate siblicide.

Unlike the other boobies, Nazca boobies often lay two eggs, a couple of days apart. One of the hatchlings then proceeds to kick the other one out of the nest to avoid competing for food. It gets worse. The mom does nothing about the situation - no scolding or “time out” for the bully sibling. She doesn’t even acknowledge the unwanted chick and it quickly dies from either starvation, temperature change, or predation. Her excuse: she only has the energy and resources to raise one chick.

Serious Nazca boobyThis process might seem cruel, but I guess it is an evolutionary adaptation that helps the survival of the Nazca booby species by only allowing the fitter ones to grow up and procreate.

Another interesting fact about the Nazca boobies, which I’m kind of glad we didn’t see, is that they are prey to the vampire finches, who peck away at the Nazcas and feed on their blood. The boobies hardly even take notice.

Wow! It’s not all sunshine and roses in the Galapagos, but that’s what evolution is all about - adaptive behaviors and traits to survive.

Blue-footed booby nesting in the trailLater along the trail (and I mean literally along the trail), we saw blue-footed boobies incubating their eggs. They could care less about our presence.

So, just when I thought we had seen it all, we got to meet two new creatures: the Christmas marine iguana and the Nazca Booby.

Snorkeling with sea lionsThen it was back to the boat to get into our wetsuits and get back in the pangas for our late morning snorkel, which I think was near Turtle Rock. We saw lots of sea lions zipping about, Mexican hogfish, Giant hawkfish, King angelfish, and more.

Back on the Tip Top IV, we had lunch and were given some free time. Herb and I immediately headed to the upper deck to claim two lounge chairs, where we spent a delightful, relaxing hour reading and snoozing before the ship bell rang calling us back into action.

Cuddling sea lionsWe all piled onto the pangas and cruised over to a beautiful crescent Beach on Gardner Bay with a sea lion colony.

Once on the beach we were able to wander among the Sea Lion colony, while they rolled in the sand, played in the surf, lined up to take a nap in what looked like a long line of sausages, and other cute things.

Black-tipped sharks feeding frenzyWe did have to remember to give the males a wide berth though because they can be a little defensive if you get too near them or their territory.

Another good day, but there was one more bit of excitement still to come. After our evening briefing and dinner, we are all usually so exhausted that we retire to our cabins and pass out.

Just as we finished our dinners, a crew member called us to come quickly outside onto the deck. He said something about sharks.

Flying fishHe wasn’t kidding. Dozens of black-tipped sharks were churning up the water in a feeding frenzy. One of the crew members held up a flying fish that had landed in the boat when trying to escape from the sharks.

And to think we snorkeled with these guys - although those were much smaller.

We all stayed up way past our bedtimes watching the frenzy. For all we knew, it went on all night.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: sea lions, Christmas marine iguanas, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, sea lions zipping about underwater, Mexican hogfish, Giant hawkfish, King angelfish, and more.

Travelogue

Cruising into Puerto Ayora on Santa CruzBright and early (as usual) we got on the pangas and cruised over to Puerto Ayora, an actual city with people in it, on Santa Cruz Island.

Santa Cruz Island is the center of Galapagos tourism. About half the island’s 18,000 residents live in or around the town of Puerto Ayora.

Giant Saddleback TortoiseI must say, it was a bit of a shock to see man-made structures, cars, and so many people again.

For the last 7 days, we had been as isolated from civilization as Charles Darwin and the crew of the Beagle had been in the 1830s - no interference from the outside world, no man-made anything - just us and the delightful wildlife in a quiet, pristine world.

I’m not sure I was ready for this.

Giant Saddleback TortoiseWe spent the morning visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station, established in 1959 with the mission of the preservation and conservation of the plants and animals of the Galapagos Islands.

At the Visitor Center we saw “saddleback” tortoises, which are very different from the “domed” tortoises we saw a few days back on Isabela Island, or the ones we would see later today at the Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserve.

The domed tortoises have more rounded carapaces (shells), while the saddleback carapaces are flatter with an upward curve to the front, which allows them to stretch up to reach higher growing plants.

Hatchling being raised at the centerSaddlebacks tend to live on arid islands and feed mostly on cactus - that’s why they need those long necks, while the domed-shell tortoises live on more vegetated islands and feed primarily on grass.

The Charles Darwin Research Station became quite famous in 1971 when it became the home to “Lonesome George,” the last remaining Pinta Island giant saddleback tortoise. Scientists and researchers rushed to find him a mate, but George simply was uninterested and no offspring were ever produced.

Lolo and Lonesome GeorgeSadly, in 2012 Lonesome George was found dead in his corral at the Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center, marking the extinction of the Pinta species of tortoise.

Because of his fame, George was frozen and shipped to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to be preserved by taxidermists. Not sure when, but he has been returned to the Charles Darwin Research Center, where he has been placed in a specially designed building with a cooling system to preserve him.

As we solemnly stood before his taxidermied remains, I honored him by stretching my neck as far as I could. After all, imitation is the highest form of flattery,

Lolo empathizing with a tortoiseOk, so if Pinta Island saddlebacks are extinct, what were we seeing wandering around the Breeding Center? Was this some kind of Jurassic Park? Well, maybe close. Based on much googling, I think scientists were able to find tortoises on other islands with DNA showing that they were hybrid Pinta tortoises. Maybe these guys are the offspring? - but don’t take my word on that.

The Research Center also supports a program of collecting tortoise eggs from various islands where they have been threatened to extinction. The eggs are then incubated and hatchlings are raised for several years until they are ready to be reintroduced to their native Islands.

They all had numbers on their back, which I assumed identified which islands they came from so they could be re-introduced to the right place.

Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise ReserveMy favorite was #15, a feisty little fella with big dreams who wasn’t going to let a little ledge get between him and his buddy. I could almost hear him thinking, “I think I can, I think I can.”

Unfortunately, his dreams clashed with reality and the result was a face plant.

Our final activity at the Research Center was me, trying to empathize with the tortoise, by crawling inside a tortoise shell. Getting in was a lot easier than getting out.

Next we all piled in a van and drove us to the Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserve, located up in the Santa Cruz highlands, where we would be able to enjoy giant tortoises in their natural habitat.

While wandering the grounds, Tui started running towards some rather loud and weird moaning and groaning sounds in the distance. You can never go wrong following Tui, so several of us started running behind her. Unfortunately, Herb was nowhere to be found.

Mating Giant Domed TortoisesMarch is a great time to visit the Galapagos as it is the mating season, so there is lots of interesting action going on.

Sure enough, there was a male giant tortoise climbing on a much smaller tortoise, which was the female. We couldn’t even see her head. I think she might have had it tucked in. After more moaning and groaning, he rolled off her and walked away. What a romantic. I’m sorry Herb missed it.

After lunch at the Preserve, we returned to Puerto Ayora and were set loose to explore on our own.

Herb enjoying the Santa Cruz BreweryWe’re not big shoppers, but we do like to come home with something to remember our trip by. We knew exactly what we wanted - a little blue-footed booty, hand-carved out of cedar wood, which we bought at a wood-carver’s studio called Hera’s Art Gallery.

Civilization isn’t all bad. We spent the remainder of our free time in Puerto Ayora enjoying a beer (or two) and the Santa Cruz Brewery, sitting on the balcony watching the activity in the harbor. It started to rain really hard (our second and final rain of the trip), but fortunately, we were covered and cozy.

Okay, now let’s get back to our critter-only, pristine little world on the Tip Top IV.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: Humans, Galapagos Giant Saddleback tortoises, and Galapagos Giant Domed Tortoises

Travelogue

Flamingos on a salt lagoonSometime during the night, we said goodbye to Isabela Island, cruised around its southern tip, and headed southeast to Floreana Island, one of the most southern islands in the Galapagos.

It was the roughest passage we had had so far, but still more of a rocking-us-to-sleep type motion than anything causing sea sickness. March is one of the calmer times, which is one of the many reasons we chose to visit this time of the year.

Morning sun lights up the flamingosWe began our day with an early morning wet landing on Punta Cormorant, a beautiful olivine green beach on the north side of Floreana Island. The green is from olivine crystals, which are volcanically-derived silicates of magnesium and iron.

From there we hiked for about a half mile to a lovely saltwater lagoon where flamingos and other wading birds hang out. The particular species of flamingo in the Galapagos is the American flamingo, and it can usually be found in these salty lagoons during the nesting period, which lasts from March to July.

This lagoon is a great habitat for flamingos for several reasons.

Flamingo running across the surfaceFirstly, it is hypersalinic, meaning that it is even saltier than the ocean. This is because the lagoon is quite shallow, so as the water evaporates, the salt becomes very concentrated. Since pink shrimp love this very salty water, so do flamingos because that’s what they love to eat.

It is that diet of pink shrimp, which have a carotenoid pigment, that gives flamingos their characteristic bright pink color. The more carotenoid they ingest, the pinker they get.

Getting ready to danceSecondly, in order to mate, flamingo colonies need shallow water to perform their synchronized courtship dances, which they actually were doing this morning.

It’s an amazing thing to watch. Although they have 136 different dance moves in their repertoire, they usually use just a few. Things usually get started when the tallest male in the group stands up very straight and starts swinging his head back and forth, trying to get the rest of the group to join in. This is called head flagging. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. However, when it does, it is incredible - dozens of flamingos stepping along together as if in a parade, heads turning side to side, bobbing up and down - all sizing up their fellow dancers to evaluate their moves.

Synchronized courtship danceFun fact: a group of flamingos is called a “flamboyance.” I can’t think of a more appropriate name.

Unfortunately, for me at least, the flamingos were all the way on the other side of the lagoon. This is where those long telephoto lenses that everyone else in the group had came in handy. I, however, did surprisingly well with my trusty Google Pixel 7 Pro.

But until I saw Herb’s photos, I didn’t even notice that they had black-tipped wings.

Sea Turtle nestsWe continued along the trail to the sea on the other side of Punta Cormorant to a very pretty, soft sand beach.

About a 100 yards back from the water there was a large nesting area, where dozens of female sea turtles had used their back flippers to dig nests in the sand where they laid and buried up to 100 eggs, which incubate in the warm sand for about 60 days.

Sea Turtle crawling to the seaOnce she has buried them, she slowly drags herself back to the sea.

This was exactly what we were witnessing. For the next 15 to 20 minutes, we watched in awe as she crawled up and over the mounds of sand created by their nests and then slowly but surely made her way across the open expanse of beach. We felt like cheering when she finally reached the sea.

Eventually, when her eggs hatch, the little guys would have to make the same journey, but under much more dangerous circumstances, as predators, such as cormorants, gulls, hawks, and even crabs wait anxiously for them to hatch and consume most of them before they ever reach the sea.

Finally she's thereWow! Not exactly what I would consider good parenting, but then again I am not a sea turtle.

On our way back to the panga, we passed by the salt lagoon again just as it began to pour - our first rain since we had been in the Galapagos. They were literally dancing in the rain, head flagging, bopping up and down, and twisting their bodies around.

Of course, this made the flamingos even more photogenic, so we couldn’t possibly leave. Instead, we stayed a good half hour getting soaked and hoping our cameras stayed dry under our attempts at waterproofing.

Back to the Salt LagoonIt was worth it. The photos were absolutely stunning.

After lunch and a brief siesta, we went back out in the pangas for a wet landing at Post Office Bay, the closest thing to civilization we had seen in over a week.

It’s one of the most historically famous island locations in the archipelago. Its origin dates back to 1793, when whalers began the practice of leaving mail in a barrel for homeward-bound ships to collect and deliver.

When they got home, the crew members collecting the mail would then hand deliver the letters to the intended recipients - both as an act of kindness and in the hope that the favor would be returned when they “mailed” something from the Galapagos.

Dancing in the rainToday, the tradition is carried on by tourists, such as us. I had purchased some postcards to send home to our sons and neighbors, which I placed in the barrel, in the hopes that some future traveler from the great state of California would collect it and hand deliver. I did not have high hopes, but what the heck.

Floreana's historic "Post Office"In return, we were told to select some to hand deliver when we got back home. Everyone kept handing me anything with a California address on it, but I stopped with 6 of them. There was no way I was hand delivering one to San Diego, so I was going to take the more modern approach of putting it in an envelope with a stamp and mailing it.

On the way back to the ship, we cruised over to an area called the Mirador de la Baronesa (Baroness’s Lookout), a rocky shoreline, where there is a sea lion colony and penguins like to hang out. I’ll get to that later, but first, a little history of the Baroness.

Sea Lions playing with a lava heronThe Baroness was a real person that lived on this island in the 1930s and was a central figure in much mystery and intrigue, and even murder. Today what happened on Floreana Island is referred to as “The Galapagos Affair.”

Without going into too much detail, Floreana Island was first settled by a German physician named Dr. Ritter and his lover, Dora. They were soon followed by the Wittmers, who gave birth to the first baby on the island. Dr. Ritter, who wanted his privacy, was not happy about their arrival, but they learned to get along.

Fun Fact: The Tip Top IV is owned by the Wittmer family, descendents of the original inhabitants on Floreana

Mirador de la BaronesaHowever, a few years later, a woman, who claimed to be an Austrian Baroness arrived with her two lovers, Robert and Rudolf, who were actually her sex slaves. She wanted to build a grand hotel and transform the island into an adult-themed bacchanalia. Calling herself the “Pirate Queen of the Galapagos,” she would strut around the island scantily clad, with a revolver strapped to her leg, and a whip in her hand.

She would also sit on the rocky shoreline, which we were now at, watching for passing ships. Often these ships would deliver supplies for the Ritters or Wittmers that never found their way to them after the Baroness first got her hands on them.

Time to head homeObviously, the Baroness was not very popular on the island.

Things got worse and worse between the island residents and strange things began to happen. In 1934, the Baroness and one of her lovers just disappeared, leaving behind all their possessions. According to Margaret Wittmer, they left on a strange yacht, but no one else saw this boat and they were never seen or heard from again.

A short time later the Baroness’ other lover left the island on a fishing boat heading for Guayaquil but never arrived. His corpse was found on the deserted island of Marchena.

A few months after, Dr. Ritter died of a mysterious poisoning. According to the Wittmers, he said before dying that his lover had poisoned him.

End of another incredible dayTo this day the disappearance of the Baroness and her lover and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of her other lover and of Dr. Ritter remain a mystery.

My point for digressing with this story, besides the fact that it is quite a story, is that this lovely spot where we were watching the sea lions and penguins play was where the Baroness used to sit for enjoying the panoramic views and watching for visiting delivery ships.

Now it’s just a playground for playful sea lions and seabirds.

The sun was setting. Time for the panga to take us home.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: flamingos, Galapagos Giant Tortoises, sea lions, lava herons, blue-footed boobies

Travelogue

Our first Galapagos Giant TortoiseThis was our third and final day anchoring off of Isabella Island. It’s the largest of all the islands in the Galapagos so there was lots to explore.

We started our day, like most others, with a panga ride to a shore landing to hike and meet the critters that inhabit that area. Every day we thought we couldn’t possibly see something new, yet everyday we did.

Galapagos Giant TortoiseOne of the first things we saw after our wet landing was the skull of a whale.

Continuing inland on a trail, we had our first encounter with a Galapagos giant tortoise, who was blocking our path.

After a photo shoot, where this tortoise got as much attention as a movie star on an Oscars red carpet walk, we tiptoed around him. He really could have cared less about us.

Land Iguana digging his burrowThese creatures are the world’s largest tortoises, weighing up to 500 pounds and growing to 5 feet in length. They males are significantly bigger than the females. They can live to be 100 years or more.

Of all the wildlife, it is the giant tortoise that most symbolizes the Galapagos Islands. In fact, Galapagos means “tortoise” and it is his face that appears on the official insignia of the islands.

Much more gravitas than calling the archipelago “Booby” or “Sally Lightfoot.”

Land Iguana being a bit defensiveThere are 12 different subspecies of giant tortoises in the Galapagos. Their total population is approximately 15,000. Basically, their carapaces (shells) come in two shapes: dome-shelled, like the ones we met today, or saddle-backed, which we would meet later on Santa Cruz Island.

Although they might look scary, they, like iguanas, are herbivores. They are known for their ability to fast for long periods of time, which was almost their downfall, as buccaneers and whalers would carry them off to their ships and keep them in the ship’s hold without food or water, until they became fresh food for them.

Snorkeling with the sea turtlesNext we came across a land iguana digging away at the ground, kicking sand and dirt up behind him. We had seen plenty of land iguanas already on the trip, but never this type of behavior. We learned that they are burrowing animals, and the shallow tunnels they dig out provide shelter, shade, and a nesting place for their hatchlings. The quality of his burrow is also a draw for the ladies, so he works very hard at making a nice home

My favorite photo of a land iguana though was one where he was opening his mouth wide enough for us to see his tongue and tonsils (if he had tonsils).

Cow-Nosed RaysI later researched why he might be doing this, and found that it is generally a sign of aggression or defensiveness, which made sense, because he might not have appreciated us getting too close to his burrow.

The article further went on to say that “it’s best to give your iguana plenty of space and allow it to settle down.” Firstly, this was not “my” iguana, and secondly I had no intention of invading his personal space at this time.

So, we had seen a new creature today, the Galapagos Giant Tortoise, and two new land iguana behaviors: digging a burrow, and showing us his tonsils.

Spotted Eagle RaysDuring the snorkeling session later this morning, which I skipped because I still wasn’t feeling great, Herb saw and photographed lots of Sea Turtles.

I looked up the difference between turtle and tortoise and found the following: Tortoises spend most of their time on land, while turtles are adapted for life spent in water. As a result, tortoises have more rounded and domed shells, while turtles have thinner, more water-dynamic ones.

Pelican with her two babiesLater that afternoon, we went for a panga ride to Punta Moreno and entered a grove of mangroves, where blue herons and penguins are often seen.

But first, we spent our time trying to get closer to the schools of rays we saw in the water.

Tui and Monica were very excited when we came near a school of Cow-Nosed Rays swimming along the surface, where we could get a look at them. They are also called golden rays because of their mustard color, and their noses do actually look like those of a cow.

We also saw a school of beautiful Spotted Eagle Rays, named for their spots When two of them flapped their wing-like fins above the surface, we were able to better see their white spots against their black coloring.

Penguin with flippers outThe birdlife in the mangroves was wonderful as well. We saw a pelican mom with two baby chicks in her nest. I took a video of them also, with them loudly squawking away, and mom somewhat indifferently ignoring them.

There were beautiful blue herons nesting in the mangroves. Their necks are so long and thin that I can't imagine how a fish fits down there.

As we left the mangroves, we came around a rocky islet where penguins and flightless cormorants hung out.

Flightless cormorant drying his wingsI love the penguin cooling himself off by holding his flippers out, but the dejected one heading right out of the photo stole my heart

It looked like the flightless cormorants were getting ready to settle down for the night as well, but first a little wing drying. Their wings don’t produce enough oil to waterproof them, so that’s why you often see them holding the short stunted wings out to dry.

They looked beautiful silhouetted against the sunset.

I hate to keep repeating myself, but what another incredible day.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: Galapagos giant tortoises, land iguanas, sea turtles, cow-nosed rays, spotted eagle rays flightless cormorants, penguins, pelicans, and blue herons

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