Floreana Island
Early this morning we anchored in Post Office Bay surrounded by calm waters. We woke up with a cozy warm, gentle breeze around us, and as we prepared to go ashore before breakfast we notice several sea turtles swimming close to our ship.
We went to visit a place well known among whalers in the late 1700’s famous for a wooden barrel used as a mailing box. The system was simple and very effective; those sailors who wanted to send letters to their family and friends used to leave their mail in the barrel; those on their way back home picked up the mail and hand-delivered it. We love to follow this tradition; it is amazing to find letters going to so many places around the world. We found some letters were left here just the day before, and someone is already taking them to their final destination to be hand-delivered.
Once we accomplished our mission of taking our letters to and from Post Office Bay, we left to Champion Islet. There we explored the coast from our Zodiacs and looked at birds in full flight. We were astonished to see Nazca boobies, Blue-footed boobies, brown noddy terns, red billed tropic birds, and also the most unusual birds, up on the cacti a group of Charles mockingbirds singing and feeding on flowers.
We returned aboard and got ready for the best snorkeling of the week with thousands of fish surrounding us. We were also astonished by the sighting of a Hawksbill turtle that was resting at the bottom.
In the afternoon we had a marvelous time at Punta Cormorant. There we found several ground finches beginning their breeding season. A peaceful lagoon behind the beach is the habitat for a small population of American Flamingoes. Here, they find enough nutrients in these brackish waters, mainly the tiny Artemia shrimp, which provides them with their pink coloration.
At the end of the trail, one of the most beautiful beaches awaited us. This one happens to be one of the main nesting sites for the Pacific Green sea turtles.
This was a successful day in this paradise of the Galápagos Islands.
Early this morning we anchored in Post Office Bay surrounded by calm waters. We woke up with a cozy warm, gentle breeze around us, and as we prepared to go ashore before breakfast we notice several sea turtles swimming close to our ship.
We went to visit a place well known among whalers in the late 1700’s famous for a wooden barrel used as a mailing box. The system was simple and very effective; those sailors who wanted to send letters to their family and friends used to leave their mail in the barrel; those on their way back home picked up the mail and hand-delivered it. We love to follow this tradition; it is amazing to find letters going to so many places around the world. We found some letters were left here just the day before, and someone is already taking them to their final destination to be hand-delivered.
Once we accomplished our mission of taking our letters to and from Post Office Bay, we left to Champion Islet. There we explored the coast from our Zodiacs and looked at birds in full flight. We were astonished to see Nazca boobies, Blue-footed boobies, brown noddy terns, red billed tropic birds, and also the most unusual birds, up on the cacti a group of Charles mockingbirds singing and feeding on flowers.
We returned aboard and got ready for the best snorkeling of the week with thousands of fish surrounding us. We were also astonished by the sighting of a Hawksbill turtle that was resting at the bottom.
In the afternoon we had a marvelous time at Punta Cormorant. There we found several ground finches beginning their breeding season. A peaceful lagoon behind the beach is the habitat for a small population of American Flamingoes. Here, they find enough nutrients in these brackish waters, mainly the tiny Artemia shrimp, which provides them with their pink coloration.
At the end of the trail, one of the most beautiful beaches awaited us. This one happens to be one of the main nesting sites for the Pacific Green sea turtles.
This was a successful day in this paradise of the Galápagos Islands.
