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| Flamingos on Rabida Island |
Everyone boarded the pangas at 8 am to ride to the beach on Rabida which has sand that is very red in color from the island’s volcanic ash. The wet landing was very easy on the gently sloping beach. We walked along the beach then over to a small lagoon about 100 yards from the beach where seven flamingoes were feeding. There was one juvenile and several adults sitting on nests with eggs. We continued along the path where we saw prickly pear cactus plants that looked very different than ones we have seen on other islands. Rabida does not have tortoises and very few land iguanas so many of the cactus plants have parts that are nearer the ground. Cacti on islands with tortoises or iguanas frequently have their lower parts grazed off.
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| View from Rabida Island |
We came back down from the hill toward the brackish lagoon with the flamingos. Willo told us that young male sea lions congregate at the lagoon in the evenings because the larger sea lion colony with the alpha males takes over the beach front, so the younger males must find another place.
We took our shoes off and reboarded the pangas to return to the Galaxy Yacht. Marcelo had pound cake and juice made from blackberry and guanabana or soursop juice for us. About a third of the group decided to snorkel around Rabida although the weather was very overcast. Many of us opted to wait until the afternoon to see if conditions improve before diving.
Lunch on the Galaxy Yacht was a special surf and turf. The chef prepared langoustine lobster and petite steaks. The appetizer was lentil soup with cheese and dessert was meringue and fruit. As usual, an excellent meal.
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| Green sea turtle near Sombrero Chino |
During lunch the Galaxy sailed to Sombrero Chino Island, so we put our wetsuits on and gathered the snorkel gear to explore the coast of this cone shaped volcanic island resembling a Chinese hat. As we snorkeled along the rocky coast, we saw many beautiful tropical fish including king angelfish, green sea turtles, parrotfish, wrasse and several large white tip sharks. It was a great location to swim.
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| Our team on Sombrero Chino |
Marcelo had a warm beverage for us when we got back to the boat, and we quickly changed clothes for a wet landing and short hike on Sombrero Chino. We saw marine iguanas that were noticeably smaller than individuals that we saw on other islands. Several sea lions were lounging about including many pups that were less than one month old. The island looked very much like a moonscape with lava covering most of the terrain. A few hardy portulaca plants grew in places where the lava was cracked. Several shorebirds were in the surf as well as frigate birds and blue footed boobies in the air. When we finished our walk, we took the pangas a short distance on the island to see a group of Galápagos penguins. We still can’t get over seeing penguins on the equator.
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| Galapagos penguin |
We returned to the Galaxy Yacht with time to relax, start getting clothes dried and preparing for Saturday morning’s departure back to mainland Ecuador. The ship was sailing south toward Seymour Island and the sea was pretty rough, so we didn’t spend time on the sun deck. We were pleased to learn that our friend here found his passport in the nick of time to assure that his group could keep their travel arrangements intact.
Marcelo prepared a spiced drink for our 6:45 daily briefing in the lounge. Willo gave us directions for our bags and getting to the airport on Saturday morning. We were sad to see our Galápagos adventure coming to an end, but everyone seemed to have had a great experience.
Dinner was poached fish and octopus, beef cutlets, sausages, chicken breasts and salad for dinner. Cindy purchased several bottles of wine to share with the group and the chef made a celebratory cake for the occasion. We traded email addresses and headed to our cabins to finish packing and get a good sleep since we have our last island tour at 6 am on Saturday.
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