Santiago
I gave what I hope was a cheerful wakeup call at 0600 as the Captain had our crew drop anchor off the long, low beach of Espumilla. Two groups of hikers disembarked with Naturalists Jonathan and Aura for a lovely hike. They ducked under mangroves and skirted along a shallow dry lagoon then climbed into a mature palo santo forest. Birds were abundant and the view was fine; this was a nice way to begin our day!
Another group of guests paddled away from the ship in the cool fresh air of early morn, with Naturalist Jan. They paddled below the impressive cliffs of Buccaneer Cove, where centuries ago pirates careened their ships on the sand to make repairs.
After breakfast we had some free-time to edit photos, read and relax before we wiggled into our wetsuits and boarded the Zodiacs for yet another deep water snorkeling outing. Today the water was chilly and both the visibility and the marine life sightings were superb. Highlights for the snorkelers were several rays, many schools of fish and cool clear conditions.
Those who did not wish to plunge into the chilly waters this morning, opted instead for a Zodiac ride along the weather beaten and eroded coastline. We spied pelicans, boobies and swallow-tailed gulls resting on the lava cliffs. We admired tall pinnacles and rock piles that we could imagine as the shape of an Indian and from another angle, the head and hands of a priest at prayer. We particularly enjoyed watching several fur seals stretching and grooming and moving in and out of cool caves among the lava boulders. We entered a low cave because the ocean was dead calm and there was just enough space for us to turn the Zodiac to come back out.
After a splendid buffet lunch and a short siesta, we gathered in the Lounge for kid’s activities. This afternoon some of us worked with beads made of recycled paper tightly rolled and then shellacked. One important joint Lindblad and National Geographic project involves supporting and training for local island artisans; they are the ones who have made hundreds of beads for us to use. We also tied sailors’ knots and did various other crafts.
Our afternoon walk began with a wet landing on a black sand beach at Puerto Egas. The walk along the coast was fabulous and we were entertained by shorebirds feeding, an octopus chasing crabs, several herons hunting, sea lions and fur seals and other interesting species hiding out in the tide pools. We returned to the ship as the sun set and dinner tonight was a delicious barbecue meal on the Sky Deck.
