Our trip to the Galapagos, Ecuador and Peru - Day 4

A close up of a marine iguana

We saw this ship quite often.  I think it might be called the Galaxy and be the National Geographic ship.

I love this photo of himself on the other side of the zodiac from me.  There were 14 other people lined up along the sides with the driver at the till and the naturalist guide at the back also.

This was our Guide of the day.

I believe this is a small lava lizard.  We walked along the board walk at the Interpretation Center where there were a few birds and animals to be seen.

Some of the wall within the Interpretation Center.  I took photos of some of the history information but none of them turned out very well.

A spider seen at the Interpretation Center

Another little lizard.  I am not sure what the name of this one might be.

This sea lion was basking in the sun in a boat.  There are many of these animals and birds.  They are all protected and so are quite tame.  We are not to touch them or feed them, of course.

Some of the boats in the harbor at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on  San Cristobal Island.

My first photo of a brown pelican

A marine iguana from our walk in the afternoon on a trail with stones along it.  The iguanas like to come out of the sea and get warm while basking in the sun on the boulders.

A closer view of the Iguana

sleeping in the sun

I believe this is a red footed booby.  Correct me if I am wrong.  :-)

Blue footed booby.  I never did get a really good shot of one of these birds.

At the beach.  I was using my ND filter and had my exposure compensation set back a few stops.  The sun was very bright.  We wore sun block all over and hats, sometimes long sleeves and long pants..  I did not get much tanning but I never got burnt either. I did not put sun block on the edges of my nostrils and this area is still peeling from the sun burn.

Just shy! 

Another bad shot of the blue footed booby

The sea lions seemed to have a coating of sand sticking to their wet fur.  I call this one my sand abstract.

Marine iguana

Nazca boody

a baby nazca booby

This lava lizard is molting

Our ship, the Xpedition beyond the lava rocks and surf

a view of the rocky cliffs of San Cristobal Island.
Celebrity Cruise's Explanation of our activities of the day:

Kicker Rock and San Cristobal Island:  In the morning, at approximately 7:00 am we will have the opportunity to see Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido in Spanish) or Sleeping Lion.  This island is found off the northwest shore of San Cristobal Island and it is a massive angular rocky block, the Galapagos version of Gibraltar.  Its size alone is impressive, but even more interesting is the cliff that splits the rock into a narrow passage.  We will bring our Zodiacs down and we will circumnavigate the island for picture taking.  After this visit we will sail for the island of San Cristobal, arriving at approximately 9:00 am.  San Cristobal is the fiftth largest and the easternmost island in the Galapagos Archipelago and one of the four islands that Charles Darwin visited aboard the HMS Beagle.  Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is a city somewhat sleepier than Puerto Ayora which we will visit on Saturday.  The town is stretched out along a small harbor.  On one side of the harbor is a military base, and on the other side is the dock where we will disembark off the Zodiacs.  The streets are cobbled and there is a pleasant waterfront park with benches and nice plantings extending along the main street - Charles Darwin Avenue.  In the town we will have the chance to visit the Interpretation Center, which is financed by the government of Spain and offers a journey through the history of the islands from the context of man, nature, and conservation.  We will learn about the characteristics of the natural area that you have started visiting and understand the natural processes that have made the Galapagos such a unique place in the world.
Afternoon Activities:  Espanola Island  is the southernmost island and a favorite of many visitors.  It is approximately 4 million years old and by far our oldest island here in the archipelago.  Suarez Point is where we will land this afternoon, which is found on the northwest tip of the island.  This visit has a high concentration of wildlife.  We should have the opportunity to observe Sea Lions, Galapagos Hawks, Blue-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies and a red variation of the Marine Iguana.  These strange creatures are found only on this island and are often massed on top of rocks for great group photos. The trail is approximately 3 kilometers long with medium sized boulders the entire trail.  The high intensity trail leads to the very edge of the dramatic southern cliffs, where an impressive blow hole is visible below and water gushes up to 16 meters / 50 feet into the air, similar to a geyser.

My travel journal notes:  Pat was up at 7:00 to see kicker rock while having coffee on board.  I had to sleep.  Breakfast and then our 9:00 am zodiac ride to the dry landing at the dock.  A bus takes us to the interpretation center where we spend time reading the history of the islands.  We walk back to the dock and shop a bit on the way.  I get a much needed hat.  Back on board the Xpedition for a scrumptious Oriental lunch.  Then we pick up our snorkelling gear (mine is not a good fit, of course)  I don't think I will be doing this after sitting in on the explanation of how to use this equipment.  Next to our cabin to nap a short while.  We go on the 'short walk" at 3:45.  We sign out when we get on the zodiacs and sign back in when we return. The short walk was a dry landing on the rocky shore and hike through big boulders - treacherous - but lots of good photos - blue footed boobies pelicans, iguanas, nasca lizard, sea lions, surf.  Valerie and Harvey on the zodiac  - to appear on the next blog post....:-))  We get back to the ship but skip the Pina Calada party and rest.  We next, go to the briefing on the next day's activities and then to dinner.  The friend of one of the ladies we had dinner with (open seating) had suffered a fall on the Long Walk and was not able to be at dinner.  Pat is not feeling too well and has no appetite.

We have had a week of some very nice weather.  I have not been out in the garden  much but have been spending too much time on my computer on the new site, Megashot.net and on tweaking photos, going shoppijng, out to lunch, cooking.  .  Its all good! 

Garden Nursery Visit - Brentwood Bay

Licens, mosses, grasses and red rock plants covering these rocks by the shore. I did not want to crawl around on the rocks as this appears to be a fairly fragile ecosytem, easily harmed by careless shoes or dogs.
Some of the picturesque driftwood and rocks with barnacles along the Songhees shoreline.
Another long shot of the painted dragon just a little bit along the walkway from Spinnakers Pub. I believe the little Harbour Ferry docks stops here. That arbutus tree is outstanding!
This is a telephoto view of West Bay Marina; taken from the walkway while shooting for the Victoria Grid Project.

Easter was a quiet day for us, with a duck for our Easter Sunday feast. It was a fine day.

Pat had a delivery of a door prize for the car club to make in the Brentwood Bay area. It was a lovely drive and we stopped at Brentwood Bay Nursery on our way home. This is my favourite nursery but I seldom get out here any more, as my garden is full. Also I get free delivery from Cannor with my membership (also 10% off all plants). Cannor is much closer also. But Brentwood Bay is a real treat to visit. They have many rare and specialty plants. I get alpine plants every year at the Club show and Sale, too, so have not had an urgent need to shop at Brentwood Bay. But, of course, I found a couple of little plants that I could not resist. A cyclamen coum (not really rare - but I could use one or two more of them) and a Daphne x rollsdorfi Wilhelm Schacht which had to come with me. The Daphne tag says: Dark green, thick foliage, dense growing evergreen shrub to 12". Very fragrant purple-pink flowers. A beautiful and choice selection. Zone 6. This time my Daphne is going in a pot, where I can take proper care of it and keep an eye on it. I must research its care, as I have managed to kill a few Daphnes already.
I found a good source of information on growing Daphnes. They need good drainage and yet do not let them dry out.

Just as I had found these two choice plants, the sleet and hail began bucketing down. It really got cold in a matter of minutes. The lady at the nursery was loading wagons with precious plants and getting them under cover in the green houses. This hail/sleet kept up until we were half way home and it turned to rain. We must have been a pocket of cold air. Freaky weather.

My big white phalenopsis is still in bloom. There are African violets in bloom also. Its all clean and looks good. I love my new room and the kitchen. Life is good! We are so very fortunate.

I read quite late last night, so am not very alive today. As well as reading 'Arminius" (which is pretty tough going at times) I am reading Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden. Its about Genghis Khan and the invasion of China. This history is not as old as I had thought it was. There is a date of 1211 AD on one of the chapters. It is a very good read. This author has done a Roman series of books as well as more of the Mongols.

I had some very exciting news from Cyrus about his new photo upload/sharing site. Two months, maybe!! I can hardly wait. All of the features and design look just terrific!