Exploring Isabela Isl. in an open air safari truck
Trip Start
Feb 06, 2012
1
33
41
Trip End
Feb 29, 2012
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Day 7 of Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands tour
Rise and shine. This morning I got up quite early and by 7:00am, Michel and I were both having a very pleasant walk along the beach's shore. The ocean’s surface was very calm at this hour of the morning and with the powdery white sand and endless views across the horizon, it was a perfect morning to be strolling and enjoying ourselves in the Galapagos Islands!
After a nice and delicious breakfast, we left the lodge around 9:00am heading for our day’s adventures. Once again, we both sat in the very last row of the open air safari truck even though it was bumpier sitting there; we had at least the entire bench all to ourselves!
Our first stop of the morning was at the top of a very small hill where below, we could admire and observe pink and white flamingos in the shallow end of the lagoon. With their long necks all bent down, they were eating whatever little living creatures they could find in the dirty water. There might have been around fifteen of these gorgeous birds but since their shadows reflected perfectly on the calm surface of the water, it made it appear as if there were even more! The view was stunning.
Next stop was at the "Centro de Crianza de Tortugas Terrestres" a breeding center where we saw tons of turtles of various sizes and ages being well taken care of. It was quite interesting because they were all separated in groups depending on their age which gave us the opportunity to observe their growth pattern till maturity before being released in their natural habitat here in the Galapagos. Well, it became quite obvious why the Islands here were called “Galapagos Islands”! It meant in English the islands of turtles!
We then began a drive out of town along a beautiful white sandy beach lined with emerald green palm trees everywhere. Considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire Galapagos Islands, this particular area stretched 3 kilometers before the National Park boundaries. Sighhhh! I wished I lived here!
This brought us to the “Muro de las Lagrimas” (Wall of Tears) where we walked on a trail where many lava lizards and flora were seen. This path brought us to a unique construction site built by the backbreaking labor of prisoners of a penal colony centuries earlier. The idea behind making this wall was to keep the prisoners busy. Many perished doing so under the very hot glare of the sun.
On our way back to the lodge for lunch, our guide was nice enough to stop and make us walk towards a few of the lovely beaches where views were to die for! With the hope of spotting boobies, unfortunately none were seen! It just wasn’t my lucky day but at least I got to see and admire the incredible landscapes!
Monique :-)
