We were soon off to the Galapagos Archipelago landing at Baltra.. Immediately, it became apparent the Galapagos is in its own world, remote and almost untouched. The Ecuadorian government is working hard to preserve this environment.
Baltra was a US military base which provided protection for the Panama Canal During WWII. Everyone begins their Galapagos adventure here.
We took a short bus ride to our boat and another short ride to the island of Santa Cruz and headed to the town of Puerta Ayora. Puerta Ayora is the most populated town of the islands claiming 20,000 of the 30,000 total inhabitants. If you are not a Galapagian (as of 1997) you may only stay no more than three months and never buy land. Galapagians are also citizens of Ecuador, and can fly to the mainland at a greatly reduced airfare for yearly medical care and to see family.
The older generation had iguanas and turtles as pets which is no longer allowed. They may have dogs and cats but they are not allowed to be loose and must be kept in the house or on a leash. All pigs, cattle, horses and donkeys must be fenced in or they are deemed feral and can be hunted with a permit. It is always open hunting season on the islands and they do hunt feral cattle!
Once we were on Santa Cruz we made another stop at a local cafe for lunch. Open air and delicious food. We ate swordfish - and I'm not a fish eater!
Outside the cafe was a ficus tree - this large tree was planted as a seedling only 28 years ago!
Turtle shells may not be sold but if a tortoise dies on your property you become the proud owner!
We then boarded another boat for a two hour ride to Isabella Island. The sea was rough even for the experienced but hubby and I made it through without any mishap.
Stepping onto Isabella Island was everything we thought the Galapagos would be. We were greeted by sleeping seals and iguanas EVERYWHERE!
Seals have two flippers and a tail. They eat only fish and octopus. Sea lions have four flippers and can weigh up to 500 pounds. Males usually maintain a harem for three months. They either lose to another male in a fight and leave or die. These sea lions can jump up to nine feet onto decks.
We again hopped on our tour bus and headed for the jungle and to the beautiful lodge we would call home for the next few days.
We ate and had short meetings in the lodge but slept in our own safari tent. They were beautiful, hard wood floors and garden showers!
We took daily trips around the island, hiking to see the iguanas and swimming with the sea turtles.
Baby sea lions are left by their mothers along the shores and inlets for three or four days while she swims into the ocean hunting for fish. Vocalization is how the pair reunites. The babies nurse for 1-3 years. If the mother doesn't return and they are less than six months old the baby will die. Other mothers will not adopt and there is not a recovery program for the baby sea lions.
We found this baby sea lion happily nibbling on the fins of Tintorera (sharks) while waiting for its mother to return. The Tintorera sleep during the day and hunt at night. They eat fish, lobsters, and octopus, NOT iguanas and seals.
Sea iguanas arrived on the island 10 million years ago. They are reptiles not amphibians.(In fact, there are no amphibians on the Galapagos - they cannot tolerate the saltwater and would not have the right food to sustain life) Females lay four eggs per season approximately four meters deep. The eggs incubate four months and when they hatch the young iguanas hide and eat only along the shore, They are vegetarians and eat algae.
Adult iguanas can dive up to 30 feet deep. They developed a gland to spit out salt resulting in their white heads because once they are out of the ocean and sunning themselves they spit out the salt which blows back onto their heads and dries. They have flattened faced which allows them to gather algae. Sea Iguanas go into the ocean 2-3 times a day for algae but can only stay in the water 15 minutes because of the water temperature and they need the warmth of the sun for energy.
Male iguanas turn red or green depending on the algae they eat. Males can live for 30 years and females live 25-30 years. Many young die because they are a favorite food for many animals.
Predators catch iguanas by the tail and sometimes the tail will fall off or break. They will not grow back and so if to much of the tail is gone it will cause a problem when they swim and consequently in getting their food.
Another highlight of our trip to the Galapagoes was seeing a group of Blue Footed Boobies. There are
about 7,000 on the archipelago. They usually lay 2 eggs but for some
reason are now only laying 1 egg a year. They eat sardines and
anchovies. The young one do not have blue feet until they are about a
year old. Females are larger than males and have larger eyes.
In the Galapagos Seals reign supreme!
Bits and Pieces:
School children go to school until 12:30 everyday. There are no school lunches but they do eat a large snack once they arrive at school. Mothers pack a snack for them to eat on the way home. The half day school is proving hard for families. Usually both parents work and often no one is home when the children return home.
The average income is $380 per month in Ecuador, however, employment related to tourism is double that figure.
There are four endemic mammals:
fur seals
sea lions
rats
bats
They arrived on large natural rafts.
Baltra was a US military base which provided protection for the Panama Canal During WWII. Everyone begins their Galapagos adventure here.
The older generation had iguanas and turtles as pets which is no longer allowed. They may have dogs and cats but they are not allowed to be loose and must be kept in the house or on a leash. All pigs, cattle, horses and donkeys must be fenced in or they are deemed feral and can be hunted with a permit. It is always open hunting season on the islands and they do hunt feral cattle!
Stepping onto Isabella Island was everything we thought the Galapagos would be. We were greeted by sleeping seals and iguanas EVERYWHERE!
We again hopped on our tour bus and headed for the jungle and to the beautiful lodge we would call home for the next few days.
We took daily trips around the island, hiking to see the iguanas and swimming with the sea turtles.
We found this baby sea lion happily nibbling on the fins of Tintorera (sharks) while waiting for its mother to return. The Tintorera sleep during the day and hunt at night. They eat fish, lobsters, and octopus, NOT iguanas and seals.
Adult iguanas can dive up to 30 feet deep. They developed a gland to spit out salt resulting in their white heads because once they are out of the ocean and sunning themselves they spit out the salt which blows back onto their heads and dries. They have flattened faced which allows them to gather algae. Sea Iguanas go into the ocean 2-3 times a day for algae but can only stay in the water 15 minutes because of the water temperature and they need the warmth of the sun for energy.
Predators catch iguanas by the tail and sometimes the tail will fall off or break. They will not grow back and so if to much of the tail is gone it will cause a problem when they swim and consequently in getting their food.
Bits and Pieces:
School children go to school until 12:30 everyday. There are no school lunches but they do eat a large snack once they arrive at school. Mothers pack a snack for them to eat on the way home. The half day school is proving hard for families. Usually both parents work and often no one is home when the children return home.
The average income is $380 per month in Ecuador, however, employment related to tourism is double that figure.
There are four endemic mammals:
fur seals
sea lions
rats
bats
They arrived on large natural rafts.
Comments
Post a Comment