Isabela and Fernandina Islands
By six in the morning we were nearing Albemarle Point, the northeastern most tip of Isabela Island. The brightening light that comes with the sunrise allowed us to identify many seabirds that happened to be in the vicinity. We saw large flocks of phalaropes, abundant Galápagos petrels, a couple of Franklin’s gulls, a Pomarine jaeger, and of course all the frigates, which were having a good feeding off the fish that appear with abundance at the surface. A bit later, and for at least forty minutes, a pod of some 500 long-beaked common dolphins came to bow ride with the National Geographic Islander, giving all of us a delightful moment. Seeing them jump as much as twice the length of their bodies out of the water was really amazing. We were to find another pod later, of the same kind of dolphin but in lesser numbers.
The sunlight was intense by midmorning, and we took advantage of it for a couple of activities—a great Zodiac ride and a fantastic snorkeling session. Just at the moment we were disembarking, we were visited by a big Orca whale male that was just few feet from the Zodiacs. It was amazing!
In the afternoon, Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island was a very touchy, spiritual experience. Finding a Galápagos snake was a great chance to see a very skittish, more than that—shy endemic reptile. A couple of hawks were flying over our heads and perching on the branches of the mangrove trees that have colonized this place. The male marine iguanas have started to define boundaries, to hold territories where they could begin a new cycle of perpetuation.
By the end of our visit we found a spot along the trail where we sat for a moment and, leaving all the anxieties and excitements behind, we perceived the surrounding nature using different senses than the voice. It was absolutely Chi.
