Galapagos: Santa Cruz (Round 3)

We headed back to Santa Cruz to spend 3 more days in Puerto Ayora. 

Awesome turtle car driving back into Puerto Ayora. 

Frightening tequila shots! :] [Liv, Kara, Brett]

Kara, Forrest & Brett.

Group photo for the night.

Jam session with some of the locals. 

Beach day at Garrapatero beach.

Extremely blurry, but had to share. Every weekend they have this caterpillar ride from the main square. So of course as we were on it the canopy over Brett, Liv, Joe and Kara's car broke and they had to stop the ride. Then right after this picture was taken the attendant squeezed in and held it the rest of the way. Being in my unbroken car I found it very entertaining! :)

Our last full day on Santa Cruz we went to El Chato, which is a tortoise reserve. Obviously our group is great at following the rules! 

  

This is where we walked knee deep through swampy water to see a tortoise. Even our guide Migel didn't walk through it. I'm sure he thought we were crazy.

Said tortoise. 

Muddy muddy feet!

Tortoise lounging in the mud.

We got up early the next day to head back to Ecuador. Thankfully our travel day went on without a hitch and before we knew it we found ourselves in the cloud forest! :) Post to follow. 

Galapagos: Yacht Darwin Day 7-8

Day 7: Bartolome Island

Bartolome is a very young island, thus it has very sparse vegetation.

Lava cactus.

Daphne major and minor in the background.

Those red rocks used to be islets off the coast until the lava flow encircled them and incorporated them into the main island. 

Jaz & Joe.

Lots of stairs to the top.

At the top.

View from the top with pinnacle rock on the far right.

Galapagos Hawk.

Panorama from the top of the island.

Galapagos Hawk.

Galapagos Hawk.

We got to swim with penguins! :)

Titanic moment on the boat. [Kara & Liv]

Pillow lava.

Joe doing headstands on the lava. This can only be defined as the "lava crazies."

 

Our boat & Pinnacle Rock.

Day 8: North Seymour Island

Gorgeous sunrise for our last day on the boat.

Male frigate bird. They inflate their gular (giant red sac) to attract females.

Male frigate bird. 

Female frigate bird. 

Male frigate bird. 

Male frigate bird. 

Daphne Major. 

Sadly this was our last stop on the boat! After we departed we headed back to Santa Cruz to take in the Galapagos for a few more days! Post coming soon! :)

Galapagos: Yacht Darwin Day 4-6

Day 4: Floreana Island

 Flying flamingos. 

 The majority of our group. 

Since the 18th century people have been putting their mail into a barrel on Floreana. They would put in mail that needed to be sent, and take any mail that was addressed to where they were going. Today the same system is in place, but with postcards of visiting tourists.

 

Putting in my postcards. Hopefully they will make it to their destination!

Liv writing on our sign.

Left my mark on the barrel. 

Group sign that we left by the barrel. 

Forrest going into the lava tunnel. 

Stack of washed up treasures. 

Olivine beach.

Heron.

Flamingos in the lagoon.

[Kara, Brett, Liv, Sara]

Joe with the sting rays.

Sea turtle feeding on algae.

Day 5: Santa Cruz Island (Round 2)

Collapsed craters. 

Epiphytes on the trees.

Second lava tunnel. Deb crawling between two caverns.

Outside the lava tunnel.

Dome tortoise.

In a tortoise shell. 

Kara.

[Brett, Kara, Liv]

Day 6: Santiago Island

Marine Iguanas.

Marine Iguana.

Marine Iguana.

Brown Pelican.

Sea turtle surfacing.

Collapsed lava tunnels.

 

Collapsed lava tunnels.

  
Elise and a heron.

Playing soccer with the crew.

Ghost crabs.

This is what being stuck on a boat together looks like! :)

 

 

The Monk.

  

Tips of a Manta Ray.

 

  

Frigate bird.