Written Tuesday 8 April
Lonesome George's widows, Galapagos penguins and baby turtles were probably the highlight today - David Attenborough eat your heart out! Hit the breeding centre in both Santa Cruz and Isabela where they breed tortoises and release them into the wild to boost numbers; and in Isabela we saw a teeny tiny baby turtle which was too cute:
N'aww! Learned today that these tortoises - which move between 600 and 800 metres a day - were described by an explorer way back when as the ugliest creatures he had ever seen with a back like a galapago (old Spanish for saddle). The islands became known as the Islands of galapagos, which for commercial purposes are now called the Galapagos Islands. In fact, the proper name is the Archipelago de Colon. Also saw two of the 'widows' of Lonesome George and found out his shell is currently in the Natural History Museum in NYC, so I'll get to see it in May! Saw a few pink iguanas which was cool also:
After spending the morning in Santa Cruz, we took a (calmer) water taxi to Isabela, which is without a shadow of a doubt the most beautiful island of the three. The shimmering, shallow turquoise waters are teeming with life; within the first five minutes we'd already spotted a sea turtle, 3 tiny Galapagos penguins bobbing on the water like ducks and some cheeky sea lions chilling on the empty boat of an unwitting owner. It's a hard life...
We also stopped off to see flamingoes...
...before strolling back to the hotel. Hotel! No more damp, insect-ridden tents for a little while! As soon as we'd dumped our bags, Daria and I changed into bikinis pronto and made a beeline for the ocean. Waded straight in, no messing around - it was so warm it was like taking a giant bath. The silhouettes of the palm trees set against the deep orange sunset made swimming in the Galapagos all the more exotic. Gorgeous evening although can barely keep my eyes open now (it's only 10.45pm!). Sleep time!
Side note: Wasn't sure where to fit this in but apparently there are actually more red-footed than blue-footed boobys, but the former live in the more northern and less visited islands...fun fact of the day!
