Floreana Island
Gorgeous, gorgeous day. When I made the optional wake-up call at 6:45 am this morning, I first took my mug of coffee out to the teak deck and looked up at the wakening sky. Sunrise was about 20 minutes away and the low, soft-shaped clouds were starting to shimmer in silhouette, but the sky above was clear. Just the very brightest stars were shining as the dark turned light. Right off the stern, and still fairly high was the constellation of the Southern Cross, which we searched for diligently the evening before, to no avail because low clouds had hidden the constellation until after everyone had gone to sleep. Unfortunately within minutes daylight had taken over and we lost the stars, at least for another 12 hours.
While the early birds visited the barrel, a Zodiac with crew took off in the opposite direction to go shopping in Puerto Velasco Ibarra, the tiny port town on the western coast of Floreana Island. No shopping center or grocery store however, but a local resident from the highlands who provides us with oranges (in season), pineapples, yuca (known also as manioc or cassava), and our suckling pig (for lunch). As much as possible we like to resupply with local products and work with local people. Not only does it bring fresh produce and help the local populace, but the less we have to import from the mainland by cargo ship or plane, the smaller the opportunities foreign species have for arrival and establishment.
I just found out of a new arrangement we have with a the local fisherman, Richard, who regularly provides us with fresh fish. He needed a new engine, but didn’t have the funds nor would the bank give him a loan. We wanted fish. He now owns a brand new eco-friendly four-stroke engine and is paying us back in fish.
Water temperatures in the high 70’s have resulted in waterlogged snorkelers who can’t get enough yet have to come back to feed, rest and escape the hot sun for a while, then return for another round at Devil’s Crown in the afternoon. Glass-bottom boat outings traveled over crystal waters and thousands of fish. Bird-watching tours in search of feathered flyers of many species returned victorious. An extraordinary lunch of national foods, siesta, more swimming and snorkeling (best thing to do in this hot sun at this time or year), and a leisurely walk in the afternoon when the sun hunkers down a bit more in the sky. Flamingo chicks huddled on sharp lava between incubating nests while marine turtles waited patiently for the sun to set. Bioluminescent dolphins escorted the ship on our way north.
Gorgeous, gorgeous day. When I made the optional wake-up call at 6:45 am this morning, I first took my mug of coffee out to the teak deck and looked up at the wakening sky. Sunrise was about 20 minutes away and the low, soft-shaped clouds were starting to shimmer in silhouette, but the sky above was clear. Just the very brightest stars were shining as the dark turned light. Right off the stern, and still fairly high was the constellation of the Southern Cross, which we searched for diligently the evening before, to no avail because low clouds had hidden the constellation until after everyone had gone to sleep. Unfortunately within minutes daylight had taken over and we lost the stars, at least for another 12 hours.
While the early birds visited the barrel, a Zodiac with crew took off in the opposite direction to go shopping in Puerto Velasco Ibarra, the tiny port town on the western coast of Floreana Island. No shopping center or grocery store however, but a local resident from the highlands who provides us with oranges (in season), pineapples, yuca (known also as manioc or cassava), and our suckling pig (for lunch). As much as possible we like to resupply with local products and work with local people. Not only does it bring fresh produce and help the local populace, but the less we have to import from the mainland by cargo ship or plane, the smaller the opportunities foreign species have for arrival and establishment.
I just found out of a new arrangement we have with a the local fisherman, Richard, who regularly provides us with fresh fish. He needed a new engine, but didn’t have the funds nor would the bank give him a loan. We wanted fish. He now owns a brand new eco-friendly four-stroke engine and is paying us back in fish.
Water temperatures in the high 70’s have resulted in waterlogged snorkelers who can’t get enough yet have to come back to feed, rest and escape the hot sun for a while, then return for another round at Devil’s Crown in the afternoon. Glass-bottom boat outings traveled over crystal waters and thousands of fish. Bird-watching tours in search of feathered flyers of many species returned victorious. An extraordinary lunch of national foods, siesta, more swimming and snorkeling (best thing to do in this hot sun at this time or year), and a leisurely walk in the afternoon when the sun hunkers down a bit more in the sky. Flamingo chicks huddled on sharp lava between incubating nests while marine turtles waited patiently for the sun to set. Bioluminescent dolphins escorted the ship on our way north.
