Bartolomé and Rabida
This morning we hiked to the summit of the small islet of Bartolomé before breakfast. No one was even the slightest bit angry with me for the 0600 wake-up call once they had ventured out into the clear sunny morning and climbed 370+ wooden steps to the top of this reddish volcanic island. The early morning light, the cool breeze, and having the island to ourselves at this time of the day were plenty of reason for the early start.
Our naturalists pointed out splatter cones and small lava tubes, explained plate tectonics and discussed shield volcanos; we had a lesson in geology with the examples under our feet! Some of us found a Galápagos snake, a thin constrictor that feeds mostly on lava lizards. From the top we gazed across at Santiago Island and an expansive lava flow that dates from 1897. The contrasting barren black lava, reddish volcanic cinder cones, green strip of mangroves and golden beach, plus the spectacular pinnacle rock, all made for numerous and wonderful photos. We hurried back down the steps and out to the ship for a well-deserved breakfast.
The second half of the morning was dedicated to either snorkeling or a beach walk. Many of our guests swam among schools of razor fish and damsel fish, some saw penguins and sea lions and everyone was glad for the opportunity to snorkel from the golden sand beach of Bartolomé.
I went with a few guests over a sand dune to the longer southern beach, and we were delighted to find at least a dozen shite-tipped reef sharks swimming in the shallows just off shore. Farther down the beach we found two mating pairs of sea turtles and a small colony of bachelor sea lions.
Lunch today was an elaborate and delicious tradition Ecuadorian buffet, and we sampled dishes from both the coastal and highlands cuisine. A siesta followed this great meal, and in the midafternoon we had several options to choose from: deep water snorkeling, kayaking or a walk on the beach of Rabida. The kayakers had a fantastic time paddling alongside sea lions and sea turtles and they had a helpful, brisk wind pushing them. The snorkelers found large parrotfish and a lone penguin and although the water was cold they enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
On the beach we watched the sea lions sleeping, patrolling and a couple pups nursing. A pair of oyster catchers paraded along in front of us probing the sand with their strong red bills. As the sunset the kayakers and snorkelers joined us on the beach. A huge brilliant moon lit up the sky as the western horizon glowed orange. We returned contentedly to the ship after yet another lovely day in these enchanted islands.
