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19. day - 07/06/2007 - , Turtle BayWe went to fill up our propein bottles. We could not fill them up in Ecuador before as they had not got European standard to fill. We were happy that they could load it up, altough we had 3 full bottles still left. Now we can cook and bake as much as we want.
We went to the Turtle bay today which was around 3 km from the centre. On the way there was a cactus forest. We found white sandy beaches in Turtle bay. The first beach was for the surfers and in the second beach we could snorkeling. We saw turtles and sharks here. It is very scary when a big shark swimming towards, however these creatures do not care about the tourists. They swim very calmly. There has not been any shark attack at the Galapagos yet.
On the beach we met a Swedish Swiss couple Lina and Paul. We had a good chat with them and we invited them for a dinner on board. They brought the wine and the desert. We had a very pleasent evening with them. . | | | | Tree | Cactus | Waves | | | | | Turtle Bay | Turtle Bay | Dinner with Lina and Paul | | | | | | |
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20. day - 08/06/2007 - Today we have got a poem from one of our readers. I will not translate it.
In the evening we had a Dutch couple as a company on our board. We had a nice chat with them. |
21. day - 09/06/2007 - , Isla Bartalome | | With a Crater | | | Looking back | | | Dolphin | | | Tour Boat |
Most of the cruisers believe that you cannot know Galapagos if you do not go to see at least one of the islands. Others believe that the whole Galapagos is like a zoo and there is nothing else to see only animals. We believe that if you love nature you cannot really know Galapagos in a short time but if you do not have enough time you have to at least go under the water. It is true that the main attractions are the animals, but we should not forget that they came to these islands before humans and this is their natural, undisturbed environment until we do not start to disturb them.
We were curious about the islands and first we went to see Bartolomé, which is north of Santa Cruz. Due to the fact that we had not got permit cruising around the islands we went on day tours. You can visit many islands from Santa Cruz, which offer different things to see, so it is hard to choose from them. The tours happen with a biologist and with a high speed motor boat. You cannot walk freely on the islands only on the signed pathways not to the disturb the environment. And you do not have to walk to the animals they are very friendly and come to see you. You just have to wait for them.
The island of Bartolomé is not as famous about animals as other islands. But here is the most famous and frequently photographed vista on the islands. The volcanic stones make the island unique. We could see the track of the former AA lava flows (called in Hawaii) on the island. This means inaccessible stony track. In this environment only the lava cactus, tequilia flower and lava lizards are able to live. It is interesting that the female lava lizard has red face. Also the lava stones sometimes contain air and it makes them spongy and easy to carry though they look big. Everybody can show some acrobat with these stones.
Going back to sea level we could see the creatures for we came here this island. The Galapagos penguin lives here. The water is very cold here. We went to snorkel with the penguins and sea lions. The sea lions came so close underwater that they nearly touched our nose with their nose. The sea lions protect their family on the land but they become very friendly and playful in the water. We were not sure whether we visited them or they visited us. On the other side of the island there was another beach with full of sharks. The sharks came to the shore very close (1-2 meters) and only a pelican dared to swim with them. They did not pay any attention to the pelican at all.
| | | | Chéf | Lava Lizard with Tequilia Flower | Showing some Acrobat | | | | | Lava cactus | Vista | Stop | | | | | Vista | Vista | Vista | | | | | Penguins | Hello | Mating Penguins | | | | | Eva with Sea Lions | Sea Lion | Pelican with Sharks | | | | | | |
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22. day - 10/06/2007 - , Isla Seymour | | Beach | | | She is not our mother! |
Our next tour was to the Island Seymour. We chose this island because here is the biggest bird colony in Galapagos, however there are other interesting creatures too. Here we could find the marine iguana, which can dive even below 10 meters underwater and can stay there for around 1 hour long. It eats mainly mosses. Contrary the land iguana eats cactuses.
This island shows an internal harmony among the species that occupied it. It is like in the Paradise.
The male frigate bird was just attracting a female. It blew up its bright red flap of skin hanging under their necks which size is like a balloon. They are mating all the year around. They build their nests on the trees or bushes. Their wingspan can reach even the 2.3 meters.
The blue footed boobies dance in the mating season by picking up their blue foot. They make their nests on the ground. There are usually two chicks with 3-4 days differences between each other. Their feet start to be blue when they reach their 2nd years. When the sun turns they turn around their nests opposite way.
The 2 months old sea lions relaxed their body in a shadow of a bush or at the beach meanwhile their parents were continuously fishing.
In the afternoon we arrived to a snorkeling place to a white sandy beach with black lava rocks on it. The visibility of the water was not as good as the day before though we have seen many colourful fish.
| | | | Land Iguana | Land Iguana | Be Aware of the Waves! | | | | | Male Frigate | Mating Frigate | Mating Frigate | | | | | Baby Sea Lion | Chain Reaction | Booby Chick | | | | | Female Frigate | Female Booby with her Chicks | Come on brother... | | | | | Blue Footed Boobies | No pictures, please! | With a Baby Sea Lion | | | | | | |
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23. day - 11/06/2007 - , Preparation for the Big JourneyWe arrived to the point when we decided to leave. The longest part of our off shore cruising will begin. We need to be prepared before this journey.
Early in the morning we helped to Aron again, but we could not succeed. It was not possible to raise the mast because of the rolling boat on the sea. So we went to the fruit and vegetable market to by the staffs that we usually by before the long journey. This time we bought a banana branch of a tree too. The seller told that it would be eatable piece by piece so we can pick some from it everyday. Going back to Rotor we were watching the sea lions, which occupied some boat in the harbor. I can imagine that one day we open up the door of Rotor in the morning and a sea lion could sit before it. It could be as the sea lions walk on the boats here as a cat on the roofs.
The neighbouring dutch couple invited us for their boat in the evening. We were really happy about the invitation as they will sail on the same route as we will so we can keep in touch on the radio. We met their freinds too from a German boat. | | | | Our own Banana Tree | Sea Lion on a Boat | Sea Lion on a Boat | | | | | | |
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24. day - 12/06/2007 - , Clearing outReparing the motor of Arons boat the boat should be lifted out from the water. This time Marc a German cruiser (we met him the previous night) helped us to tow Carina to the shore. He had a strong outboard so he could easily navigate among the rocks.
We cleared out from the islands and bought the rest of the necessary fresh food.
The last sunset was really amazing.
. | | | | Towing Carina | In the Town | Last Sunset on Galapagos | | | | | Last Sunset on Galapagos | | |
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