Floreana Island
What a great day! We started early in the morning using the first Ecuadorian Post Office, established by Captain James Colnett in 1793. He had the idea to set a barrel on Floreana Island because the whalers and sailors were away for several years, and this would allow them to remain in touch with their families. The ships sailing back to England would stop at Post Office Bay, take the pertinent pieces of mail left inside the barrel, and later on hand deliver them to their owners. Nowadays, this traditional mailing system is an efficient maker of friends, and it’s free because it doesn’t need stamps. We dropped our postcards in the cosmopolitan Post Office barrel as the whalers and sailors did in the past, and now we are part of the Galapagos human history.
Our water activities at Champion Island were wonderful with a variety of colorful fish schools. The richness of the Galapagos marine ecosystem is always a new adventure with lots of action. The sea lions were playing around, coming right up to our faces and almost kissing us. There were some friendly sharks, rays and sea turtles that passed close, but they ignored us. The prickly pear, Opuntia megasperma, was in bloom with big yellow flowers that turn orange when they age. Some elusive Floreana mockingbirds (with an estimated fragile population of 140 individuals) were feeding around the area as well.
In the afternoon, the flamingos were foraging peacefully. The bright pink color reflected in the calm brackish lagoon. We spotted some chicks and nests as well. Flamingos lay one single egg in their nests of mud that have a volcano structure. The sea turtles were resting in the breakers close to the beach, waiting for the nighttime to lay their eggs. After the hike many of us jumped in to cool off. It was a refreshing way to end the day!
What a great day! We started early in the morning using the first Ecuadorian Post Office, established by Captain James Colnett in 1793. He had the idea to set a barrel on Floreana Island because the whalers and sailors were away for several years, and this would allow them to remain in touch with their families. The ships sailing back to England would stop at Post Office Bay, take the pertinent pieces of mail left inside the barrel, and later on hand deliver them to their owners. Nowadays, this traditional mailing system is an efficient maker of friends, and it’s free because it doesn’t need stamps. We dropped our postcards in the cosmopolitan Post Office barrel as the whalers and sailors did in the past, and now we are part of the Galapagos human history.
Our water activities at Champion Island were wonderful with a variety of colorful fish schools. The richness of the Galapagos marine ecosystem is always a new adventure with lots of action. The sea lions were playing around, coming right up to our faces and almost kissing us. There were some friendly sharks, rays and sea turtles that passed close, but they ignored us. The prickly pear, Opuntia megasperma, was in bloom with big yellow flowers that turn orange when they age. Some elusive Floreana mockingbirds (with an estimated fragile population of 140 individuals) were feeding around the area as well.
In the afternoon, the flamingos were foraging peacefully. The bright pink color reflected in the calm brackish lagoon. We spotted some chicks and nests as well. Flamingos lay one single egg in their nests of mud that have a volcano structure. The sea turtles were resting in the breakers close to the beach, waiting for the nighttime to lay their eggs. After the hike many of us jumped in to cool off. It was a refreshing way to end the day!
