twangster

Behind the cone of lava rock we find an oasis of growth, at least for a volcanic island. Over thousands of years vegetation has taken root. We are in the western or youngest part of the chain of Galapagos Islands. In thousands of more years this island may look like some of the islands we saw in the beginning of this trip. This is just a start. We continue after a water break. Back here we find an area where the lava flow stopped in its tracks having run out of magma for this eruption. Looks like a photo op! Onward back onto the black lava towards our Origin. A cactus has taken root. Where the hill has broken down from exposure indeed we see it too has a black lava base.

Paúl offers to take pictures with our phones. Fashion has gone out the window, I'm all about protection from the sun. Doh! I should have smiled. It's not a hike with a very much of an elevation change but you do have to watch each step as there is loose broken lava bits with many cracks and crevices. It would be easy to catch a toe and stumble so it's all about watching where you step. Our trail will take us around the back side of that brown hill pictured above where we will circle around and loop back to the start. Compared to staring at black lava the hill appears to be dirt but it too has a volcanic origin so it's really lava rock that has been discolored by centuries of exposure to the elements compared to the relatively young lava flow we have been walking on at around 125 years old. In another couple of thousands of years the black lava probably won't be as black. This lava rocks reminds me of what one might find in a gas grill back home, at least the small bits.

Today's nature walk will take place on a relatively young lava flow. But first, now that we are all zodiac masters, we take to the sea. The short ride in from the Silver Origin. Pinnacle Rock is another icon of the Galapagos and it looks very different from what we saw from the ship. They offer walking sticks for this hike. It was hot and the sun was bright. Walking on black lava contributed to the effect. This lava flow is from an eruption in 1897 which in geological time is pretty much yesterday. Once again pictures don't do it justice. This is Pahoehoe lava named from Hawaii which roughly translates to rope like. Paúl our guide provides all the details for this hike and encouraged frequent water breaks.

While at lunch we started underway to our second stop of the day... Sullivan Bay. I knew a Galapagos cruise was all about visiting the islands of the Galapagos but the scenery today was unreal. You can't do it justice in pictures. The slow cruise through the passages to reach Sullivan's Bay was breathtaking. When we arrived the unloading of the zodiacs began.

This never gets old. The Silver Origin is such a beautiful ship. It's so prefect for the Galapagos.

Our second excursion for the day was an advanced deep water snorkel. A basic snorkel/beach excursion was also available. A benefit of these snorkel trips is being able to see the coast up close. Time to snorkel. The waves and current were a little stronger today leading to more sediment reducing visibility compared to yesterday. It's the ocean, it is what it is on the day of your visit. A Starfish. The waters were still full of life. Approximately 30 feet down on the seafloor were a number of white tipped sharks. Unfortunately I didn't get a very good picture of them. Later our guide said he counted nine of them in different places along our route. So many fish. You can see why so many birds breed here due to an abundance of food. The Origin was never far. After 45 minutes it was time to get back on the zodiac and return for lunch on the ship.

These male Magnificent Frigatebirds are mostly likely younger males who have matured enough to have the inflatable red chest. So impressed with their new capability these young male birds inflate their chest and take flight only to discover how awkward it is to fly with a fully inflated chest. Older males who have been around the block a few times probably know better. With that it was time to head back to the ship.

As we continued along the trail we came to a beach albeit a rocky one. Sea Lion family. Mangrove Finch A young Booby.

Another male Magnificent Frigatebird showing off his chest. A Blue Footed Booby near a nest. North Seymour had many Blue Footed Boobies. Along our trail were three sets of Boobies who appeared to going through mating rituals. "Look at my blue feet!" They were so close we had to walk around them to maintain some distance. Absolutely no fear of us. Pictures don't do this justice, you have to experience it right in front of you. Check out those blue feet! This guy had a slight turquoise hue to his feet which he continued to lift up and down to make sure she saw them. Quite the moves. She must have been impressed because it looks like success!

Nesting Frigatebird. A Frigatebird with a young chick. Time to warm up. Gotta show off that big red chest. A Blue Footed Booby with a chick. A resting Frigatebird. Where there is cactus, there is... Not much farther down the trail.

Our guide has found something. Can you spot it? Cactus is a favorite diet of a species of land Iguanas found on North Seymour so where there is a cactus, there is likely an Iguana protecting it. Overhead several Magnificent Frigatebirds were soaring above us.

Day Three - North Seymour and Sullivan Bay This is a pretty great way to start the day... Basecamp is where all excursions depart from. Here the "Green" group is departing. The Blue group that I am in will depart 15 minutes later on this occasion. Team Blue on the move. It's a short ride over to the shore. At this point we are all "zodiac pros" like we've been doing this for weeks.

Some housekeeping items... literally. I'm posting this so those that come after me will know what they don't need to bring or make the determination if you had better bring something. The included water bottle has worked quite well for going to shore. Filling station in the bathroom or other places around the ship. Destination talk time. The Cerro Dragon (see bar menu posted earlier). North Seymour tomorrow morning followed by snorkeling and Sullivan Bay in the afternoon. Day two dinner menu.

At the same as this tour an optional complimentary Sea Kayak excursion from our ship was exploring the coast. More variations of finch. A Yellow Warbler. Researchers have discovered that the finch can evolve with one generation. Pretty remarkable. A young Booby close to our trail watches us with curiosity. If it's nesting in the trees it must be a Red Footed Booby chick. Who brought their pet dog? Oops, just another Galapagos Sea Lion. With that it was getting close to sunset and time to return to the ship.

Our guide takes us in the shallow tidal pool among the mangroves. What pictures can't portray are the sounds of the various birds in the mangroves calling out to each other. A number of Red Footed Boobies are at various heights in the mangroves. It was basically like a Booby condo. Can you find the Booby in the mangroves?

Our third excursion of the day was a nature walk starting with a wet landing on the beach of Genovesa. Sea Lions were resting on the beach when we arrived and they completely ignored us. A pair of Swallow-tailed Gulls. The red ring around the eyes is only present during mating season. A young Frigatebird waits on the nest for a parent to return with food. Along the beach more Sea Lions are resting. This is a male Sea Lion along with... ... A female Sea Lion nursing a pup. A Nazca Booby with a chick. Another group from our ship is greeted by a very playful Sea Lion pup who was zooming around the sheltered tidal pool and posing for pictures. A Lava Gull was checking us out. A juvenile Frigatebird. A female Great Frigatebird An adult male Great Frigatebird. A Lava Heron. Looking back towards the Origin in the distance with a large group of Swallow-tailed Gulls on the rocks. Another Lava Gull.

Time for a bite to eat, and an Ecuadorian beer. Not a bad view at all.

Our guide points out some Manta Rays mating on the rocks below. Then along comes some Sea Turtles. Further along our guide finds another Sea Turtle resting in the rocks. They can stay down for several hours when resting like this. The waters were teaming with life. Another curios Sea Lion swims past. After approximately 45 minutes it was time to head back. It was a great experience.

Mid-morning were snorkeling excursions. A beach excursion with snorkeling for beginners was offered along with an advanced deep water snorkeling excursion. If you are not into snorkeling you could simply go to the beach. As a certified diver I chose the deep water excursion. A Sea Lion joined us. We would snorkel along the edge of the cliff face. Our guide wore a red bandana so we could easily spot him. Once again Prince Philip's Steps we used earlier. A resting Sea Lion.

Not bad as our first expedition excursion but it was time to return to the ship going back down the steep set of stairs roughly carved out of the rocks. Our guide explains how best to proceed. Silver Origin waiting for us. This is considered a "dry landing" as we don't get wet getting in or out of the zodiac. Looking back at Prince Philip's Steps. The short ride back to the Origin.

Boobies and a dove living side by side with each other as they each do their own thing. A finch looking for seeds. Nazca Booby tending to a chick. A young Frigatebird. Galapagos Dove. A Nazca Booby chick attempting to get a meal from an adult. A Booby using it's feet to keep an egg in the nest incubated. An adult Frigatebird.

Our walk takes us closer to the edge of Genovesa where we hope to see an Owl that is not nocturnal as most owls have become. The Owl is the top of the food chain here since there are no hawks on Genovesa. Consequently they hunt in the daylight. There are hundreds of birds in the sky in every direction. Everywhere you look there is a bird. And of course more Marine Iguanas. A Finch and an Iguana ignore each other as they don't compete in any way. Mockingbird. Lava Cactus.

Marine Iguanas have adapted for life on the Galapagos islands. Their food source has become algae on rocks in the sea and they excrete excess salt their cousins on the mainland don't have to worry about. Everywhere around us Boobies are nesting. A Galapagos Mockingbird.

Day Two - Genovesa Three excursions today starting early with an advanced nature walk. After a short ride in the zodiac we climb a set of steep stairs to reach the top of Genovesa. A Frigatebird. The path is clearly delineated. Our guide talks about the nesting grounds we are about to explore. There are birds nesting just about everywhere. These birds have no natural predator in the Galapagos so they are not afraid of humans. Juvenile Red Footed Booby. Later in life their feet will become red. A very young Booby waits for it's parent to return. There are a couple of Finch varieties in the Galapagos. A juvenile Frigatebird. A Nazca Booby with a chick. The Red Footed Booby. Red Footed Boobies are the only Booby that nests in trees.

A credit card dispute is not a silver bullet that one can engage when you are not pleased about a charge you agreed to. Royal may not have to justify anything. They said there was a fee and they agreed to pay it. Justified or not, they accepted the charge and used a credit card to satisfy their debt. That is why I'm interested in how this plays out.