What a wonderful day we had today.
Early in the morning we disembarked on Urbina Bay at Isabela Island, the largest of all islands in the Galapagos. This visitor site is surreal. We believe it was uplifted in 1954 by a magmatic chamber which raised the seafloor, allowing new species to compete and conquer new grounds. Land and marine iguanas call this place home. We were very lucky to have a close encounter with our enigmatic reptile, the Galapagos Tortoise. We walked over two miles from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. under the Ecuadorian sun seeing different lava formations, texture as props for plants and all kinds of wildlife. We even had an opportunity to visit the beach.
Back onboard as our Captain John Zurita repositioned the ship to our next visitor site, we shared our experience over our well-deserved lunch. When we arrived at the next site, expedition leader Paula Tagle announced our many different options: kayaking, snorkeling, Zodiac rides, long hikes or all of the above.
Water activities were great. Visibility can sometimes be low here, but not today. We were greeted with all kinds of creatures in this realm: turtles, rays, flightless cormorants, penguins, sea lions and fish delighted our snorkelers. Calm ocean waters, the colorful shoreline and solitude were perfect for our kayakers. Landscapes and wildlife sightings excited our Zodiac riders, and our long afternoon walk was wonderful.
The sun sets once again to let us know this was the end of another wonderful adventure in the islands, a day which will mark our hearts and minds for a lifetime.
Meanwhile, we have our recap, briefing, dinner and finally our stargazing session right in front of the bridge under the celestial sphere. Tonight we had no light pollution and were able to see the Big Dipper and the Southern Cross to mention a few.
Now we are all in bed sleeping to get ready for another wonderful adventure at our next destination.
Our expedition has reached its peak and we have all bonded with each other. And through respect and coexistence we have bonded with all creatures of the Galapagos.
I hope to see you one day, my dear reader. I hope you will be touched by this unique magical feeling of the “Enchanted Islands.”
