BOOBIES!!

After another day chilling at the Secret Garden we were ready for our close up with nature that was the Galapagos Islands tour. This was the "big thing" in South America that we ahd been getting excited about for a few weeks...and the animals didn´t let us down!!

We started the experience in a rather nice hotel in Quito where Cath and I both bathed in asses milk...well it was actually the free bottles of bubbles but luxury none-the-less. We got an early night and in the monrning were whisked off to the great islands, but not before being accosted by a school full of kids friom Quito whose teacher had suggested they practice their English. This would have been fine for a few minutes but they swarmed around us (there were about 30) for an hour and a half before our flights were called...guess where they were going!!! Yup, high fives all the way down the aisle as we boarded and lot´s of excited oohs and ahhs as we took off and landed.

I won´t go through each days events as so much happened but touch on some real favourites...and then I have some other stories to bore you with when we get home!!

A good trek to start off with was on our first day on Santa Cruz island where we walked out to Tortuga Bay (Tortuga means turtle but only as this is where they lay their eggs!) We cought our first excited glimpse of Marine Iguanas fishing and sunning themselves, some Pelicans who despite their gangly nature on land are rather graceful when cruising the sand dunes and some Sally Lightfoot Crabs which Cath spent the whole trip trying to photograph.


Pensive


Our first Marine Iguana

The absolute best (and Cath is nodding frantically) was swimming with Sea Lions, we were initially sceptical as we hadn´t seen much on that particular day apart from some birds and were not in a hopeful mood as the weather was looking bleak over lunch. Once we had put our togs on though the clouds parted and we dove off of the back of our boat and followed the directions of our crew to some rocks. Mum was first to check us out, she came up and blew bubbles at Cath which we took as a form of approval as there then followed 5 pups who tumbled and turned all around us. I tried to copy some of their moves, think underwater Justin Timberlake, and was rewarded with a couple of close encounters as they started copying me!! All in all this was magical and we spent a good 45minutes mucking about before being called back for our next voyage...not before Cath joined the crew in jumping off of the 7m high roof of the boat!!


Non-swimming pup

When you go to any of the souvenir shops on any of the islands you cannot get away from the t-shirts with any number of Boobie gags!! Blue Footed Boobies are one of the unique (sub) species that evolved on some of the Galapagos Islands and as their name suggests they have bright blue feet that the males use in a dance to prove their worth to future mates...a bit like a night down the Roxy!! They also collect sticks to build nests but instead of creating the conventional nest type shape they simply move the sticks around the floor in a bit of a half hearted effort.


Dancing Boobie


How blue?

The Frigate bird also uses a bright colouration to attract mates with the males puffing out their red breasts and shaking thier wings about in an exuberant display for the females. Sadly once used this pouch then retracts leaving them looking like old men with wrinkly double chins.


Puff Daddy

We paid a visit to the Chalres Darwin centre where the most famous resident, Lonesome George, remains as the last of his kind of Giant Tortoise. Despite numerous attempts to get him to mate he seems to be destined to be the last in his line, a sobering thought when you think that the reason for this was the trade in tortoise shells and oil when the islands were first discovered. When we visited there were even 2 lady tortioses in his pen to try and get produce some little Georges...but they seemed more interested in each other than the old fella.


Not George but nearly

As a backdrop to all of this was the hugely varied landscapes that the siesmic activity continues to throw up. We sailed from pancake flat islands, to volcanic cones, moonscapes and dense forests with each being a perfect environment for the endemic speices that now inhabit them.


Cactus o´clock


Moonscape

We also met some cool people who helped us get over the next travel hiccup when the plane we were due to take back to Quito was ruled unfit to fly, meaning a 5 hour delay and much homemade fun!


Kym´s impromtu performance

Oh yeah and there were finches everywhere!!! They looked like the LBJ´s that you see in UK but were a source of great interest for everyone.