It was a day with a lot of choices, and probably one of the toughest ones was whether or not to wake up in time to do the early morning walk at 6:00 a.m. or to sleep in until breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Several explorers decided on the early morning wake up. As we boarded the Zodiacs a cool breeze touched us, and after landing we started the walk along this relatively easy trail. On one side four flamingos gracefully walked on the brackish water lagoon, their heads in the water as they constantly pumped water to obtain their food: the brine shrimp Artemia.
At the end of the walk we reached a white sandy beach that is used by marine turtles to lay their eggs. Several pelicans rested along the coast while a frigate bird hovered above, probably looking for some hatchlings. The frigate was not lucky as probably most of the baby turtles left the night before, judging from the broken egg shells next to the nests.
After returning back onboard and having breakfast it was time to get into the sea and snorkel among the beautiful Galápagos marine life; sea lions, angel fish, and sharks, all in the same place. Others decided for a more relaxed time and enjoyed the sea life but from the glass-bottom boat. Several sea lions decided to join the snorkelers and swam around the group. There was no need to ask how it was; the expressive eyes of the divers getting onboard the Zodiacs could tell the whole experience.
During the afternoon as we visited Post Office Bay and mailed some postcard and letters that hopefully, following the old tradition established by the whalers several centuries ago, will be hand delivered to their final destinations. After this we did a Zodiac ride along the coastline, with the beautiful light hitting the rocks on the shore. Several sea lions played in the water while two young pelicans were preening their wings as they perched on a mangrove tree.
We still had a surprise during this day, when our Zodiac driver skillfully navigated between the shallow channels and took us to an isolated rock in the middle of the sea. As we got closer a very distinctive shape began to materialize - a Galápagos penguin, the most tropical penguin in the world. Its little figure stood on a rock, proudly looking towards the horizon as we took our cameras out and started taking pictures. As expected the sea lions nearby decided to get some attention and began to swim and roll in the water around our Zodiac.
The sunset was spectacular, with the sun moving right between the clouds and slowly diving into the sea. It was just another day in paradise, and by the way: welcome to my “office.”
