Early in the morning, National Geographic Islander anchored in the most southern of the Galapagos Islands, the mysterious Floreana. The island is famous for its natural richness and because of human history.
Post Office Bay has the famous post office barrel. Starting in the 17th century, pirates left letters and messages in the barrel so other visitors could take them all the way to their recipient. Still today, people from around the world use this barrel (of course it is a new one) to leave their letter, hoping that somebody will take it and deliver it to the hands of the person intended to receive it. Guests of National Geographic Islander enjoy writing postcards and leaving them in the barrel.
Snorkeling off the coast of Champion Islet this morning was amazing, and playing with the sea lions was delightful.
An afternoon hike at Punta Cormorant was easy and exciting, as we encountered Galapagos flamingos in a brackish water lagoon. The flamingos were eating their favorite food, Artemia salina, a tiny shrimp that gives the flamingos their characteristic pink coloration. At the end of the trail, we found a wonderful white sand beach, a favorite nesting site of Pacific marine turtles. We were lucky enough to find a baby marine turtle making its journey to the ocean.
