A Last Look Around Galapagos

We have seen plenty of turtles and tortoises, sea lions, iguanas, Darwin's finches, frigate birds, pelicans, herons and various other birds and lizards to last us for a good long while. Almost to the point that we are taking all this nature and wildlife a little for granted. It takes a lot to catch our attention these days. Even the black tipped reef sharks swimming under and around our boat here at the anchorage don't have me running for my camera any longer. Shameful to admit how easily we get spoiled.

But, knowing we will soon be leaving these enchanted islands has me feeling a little melancholic. I can't help but take a last trip to the Darwin Center for another look at the place where Lonesome George spent his last days. And to see the colorful land iguanas basking in the sun

The harsh environment that these creatures endured and prospered in is a difficult one to tame. But even people have managed to carve a life out of the volcanic rock landscape and luckily the highlands have given them rich soils and enough rain to raise cows and plant small farms. Farms that produce good sized watermelons, cabbages, pineapples, tomatoes, and many other fruits and vegetables.

The very touristy town of Puerto Ayora with its dive shops, souvenir shops and restaurants has been getting a facelift. The main street is looking better every day with the addition of a bicycle lane, covered benches and trees. By far our favourite attraction is the fisherman's wharf. The local fisherman arrive with the catch of the day and proceed to gut and filet the fish. It is also the main attraction for all kinds of creatures hoping for a scrap including the sea lion, iguana, pelican and heron, not to mention those of us there to watch and perhaps buy a filet of wahoo for the nights dinner. It is interesting to observe the pecking order for the fish scraps. Sea lions rule, but the pelicans are fearless. The frigate birds show their true colors as the 'pirates of the sea' and will dive in and steal from almost anyone while the heron staidly stands back seeming too proud to beg but hoping a piece will slip his way. But the fisherman have the final say and sometimes when the greedy ones get too close they resort to using the wooden stick. These animals know the stick and just the act of reaching for the stick has them backing away a step or two.

So, a few last photos. Caution to readers, there is an x-rated photo below. Jens and I were caught up with a little turtle porn the other day. I guess the rain got them feeling a little frisky and the only one that seemed a bit embarrassed when I took out my camera was the poor gal at the bottom. Try as she might, she had nowhere to hide.

We also discovered that the cactus trees in the below photo only grow here on Galapagos. They are quite dramatic looking don't you think. Yet another species endemic to Galapagos together with the Galapashark, Galapaguanas, Galapaturtle, Galapafinch and Galapaseal. Oh yes, don't forget the Galapaguin and the very famous Galapatourist idientifiable by the ranger gear complete with floppy hat, long sleeved khaki shirt and matching pants, but not to be confused with the Common Gringo that usually stick to the mainland.