Dragon Hill & Chinese Hat
The Galápagos Islands are amazing in many different ways because of their geographical position and some other factors. This morning we were able to experience the balance in between the two seasons that exist here.
Considering the position of the islands, we should be a tropical place, maybe surrounded by coconut palms, some orchids and, why not, parrots! But for half of the year we have colder temperatures in the waters. Responsible for this are the cold currents of Humboldt and Cromwell. This last one remains almost untouched until it arrives to the basaltic flow of the first islands to the west and produces an incredible upwelling full of life.
For now we have to adapt ourselves to the temperatures above 40 Celsius on some excursions; however, the land iguanas we saw this morning are not worried about the situation. In fact their major concern goes around protecting their feeding ground which is full of cactus and some great yellow flowers at the last place you as a human being would probably like to use as home. But nothing here is wasted and every resource is recycled as it must be.
After walking for a little more than one hour we came back in a hurry to get ready to snorkel. This took place in the Guy Fawkes islets. The visibility was so good that for the very first time in four years I recognized the rocky bottom of the ocean in this place. Some sea lions came up to us to delight our friends with their acrobatic moves underwater. It was a great experience to see them all attracted by the fish and some other creatures that hung over the submarine cliff.
The afternoon visit also offered good snorkeling between the Island of Santiago and Chinese Hat, where we saw penguins and sharks. Some also observed the iguanas feeding underwater at this place.
