Floreana Island
This morning we were woken up to get ready for a pre-breakfast visit. With our post cards in our hands we landed on Post Office Bay to visit the oldest mailing system in the Pacific ocean. Wow! What a unique way to deliver your mail, a combination of a wooden barrel and an honor system. No money for stamps and all the time in the world for letters to be delivered. It could have taken two years for letters to reach their destination about one hundred years ago, but now with people going there everyday it might prove to be faster than regular mail.
We moved to Champion Islet to go on a Zodiac ride. We were very lucky to be able to see some of the mocking birds on the cactus trees digging into the yellow flowers. There are only about one hundred individuals on the island and we saw a few. The tropic birds were showing their long tails as they flew in their nests, which were small lava tubes that broke off into the cliff. The same islet was the scene for our snorkeling adventure. Most of us took the deep water option, and as soon as we went in the water the white tip sharks greeted us. The slow current took us to a shallow area and there was much to see. We found a lobster, an octopus, many king angel fish, parrot fish and the constant visit of the sea lion. As always, the snorkeling was an invigorating activity.
There were two groups that signed up to kayak at two and three o’clock in the afternoon. There were turtles and penguins and that made the kayakers very happy. As soon as everyone got back on board, the loud speaker announced that the wet landing on Punta Cormorant would be in ten minutes, no time to rest, we are in paradise!
The flamingos gave us a show as they walked, fed and nested in front of our eyes. Without being told, we all kept silent until we felt like we had blended with their environment. We made it back to the ship in time for a sunset drink on the top deck. It was a great day.