Bartolomé & Puerto Egas
It couldn’t be sunnier! At six thirty it was already bright. Nonetheless our guests were expectant since Bartolomé is an island that speaks on its own; and speaks a lot. Understanding how the pioneer plants survive such a hostile environment is fascinating (in fact it makes one feel ashamed for not being fit enough) and it is worth every single calorie we burned walking all the way to the summit of this small volcano.
The sea was inviting and at mid morning we all set foot on the orange colored beach. It was a matter of two minutes for all of us to get into the tepid waters of Bartolomé. In spite of how warm it is now, there has been no variation either in numbers of individuals nor in numbers of species of the underwater creatures. Everything seems to be in order and of course everything was a great discovery for our guests and for us also.
At noon it was time to leave this shockingly beautiful island just to go somewhere else to keep having a deep communion with nature so, to Puerto Egas on the island of Santiago we headed, seeking for more to learn and experience.
At Puerto Egas we found some soft and pleasant rain. That didn’t prevent us from going to the beach and enjoying some snorkeling while some others were having fun kayaking. After these activities were finished, we set out on a hike that gave us great satisfaction. Lots of marine iguanas were returning from their feeding activities as sea lions swam around. Striated herons, oystercatchers and ruddy turnstones were picking around the coast while a Galápagos hawk scanned its territory from the top of a palo santo tree.
All of the sudden it was time to leave. The sun was setting and darkness was coming upon us. We left knowing that the promise of a new day of fulfillment was to come. We need to wait, no rush, no need to run; nature is walking towards us.
