We've had a full couple of days
exploring different parts of the island. Friday, we went to the lovely
Maracas beach and swam, dived into waves, and ate a local sandwich of
sorts: a bake and (fill in the blank--shark, shrimp, cheese, veggies). we
had plenty of sun and loads of fun.
Yesterday, we
first did a lovely hike through rainforest, ending at some falls and
picturesque swimming hole. We swam and played water frisbee. We
then headed to Matura beach to see the leatherback sea turtles come ashore to
nest. This was an extraordinary experience: the turtles, weighing in at 900
lbs, haul themselves up on the beach and conduct an elaborate ritual of
prepping the sand, digging the nest, laying the eggs, and burying them.
It's quite astonishing and beautiful. The kids were completely
enthralled by this, and we were all surprised by how many turtles came up on
the beach that night--I saw 7 in the time we were there. And all in
a full moon!
Today is a lazy Sunday, but we are heading out after dinner to hear some traditional Pan music. And next week, service starts again. Everyone is engaged and looking well. We hope all is well at home! (From Shan)
Today is a lazy Sunday, but we are heading out after dinner to hear some traditional Pan music. And next week, service starts again. Everyone is engaged and looking well. We hope all is well at home! (From Shan)
We started from CFS on Friday morning...of course, despite our constant pleadings, some of the crew showed up with enough stuff for the crossing of the QE2! We divided into two cars; Bryce, Elisabeth, Jennifer, Darius E., Matthew, Will, and Abe in one; Philip, Erin, Celeste, Cara and Darius H. in the other. The drive to Norfolk took longer than we had anticipated, we hit some really driving rain and wind (we got 100% of the 20% chance). When we arrived midday in Norfolk it was about 55f and raining...by the time for our two o'clock harbor tour, some sun was peeking through and the temperature rose to about 60f...slight winds. The harbor tour of Naval Base Norfolk, the largest base in the world, was two hours of of water views of the most amazing ships in the US Naval Fleet...the tour began with a view of the Battleship Wisconsin (which seemed huge) and ended with the Big E and the George H.W. Bush aircraft carriers...The Bush is the newest, has two very large nuclear reactors, carries about a 7000 crew, and more planes, fuel, food and equipment than one could imagine. BTW, a carrier like the USS Bush is about a 27 story building high and its deck area is about the size of four football fields...with room for the fans! (the USS Wisconsin no longer seemed so big). In between start and finish, we saw many of the world's most advance ships...tankers and fuelers, amphibious landers of many sorts, and Egis (the world's most sophisticated and advanced weapons system) cruisers and destroyers...including the USS Cole that was struck by terrorist in Yemen).
We left Hampton early Saturday morning and took the back way to Annapolis. That route, 13, took us across the incredible Chesapeake Bay tunnel complex, up the Eastern Shores of Virginia and Maryland, across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and into Annapolis. We think a lot of bridge and tunnel phobias were tamed by the awe, beauty and mutual hand-holding at some of these engineering marvels. We came into Annapolis the back way which brings you over a hill and presents you with an amazing view of the United States Naval Academy...bathed in sun and simply stunning...Darius H. in now considering that he might like to attend it! (From Philip)
We all held our stomachson the ferry to Isabela. It was certainly a challenge. Everyone loves Isabela. We have a playground by our hotel and the athletes of the group are enjoying connecting with local children playing soccer etc. Our meals are amazing and a standard to try to replicate when cooking for ourselves in Puerto Ayora.
Yesterday, we walked one side of the caldera of Sierra Negra. When we first looked over the vast caldera it was shrouded in mist and, as if someone opened the curtains, the mist just blew away to give us a perfect view. Bob was in geologist heaven and was so excited when we walked out on the fresh lava flow from 2005 eruption and tried to interpret the complex scene. We sat for about thirty minutes looking over a flow towards Volcan Alcedo with Fernandina Island to the west. We were awed by the power of nature!
Today we visited the site of The Wall of Tears, constructed by prisoners between 1946 and 1959. It is an incredible wall built of loose stone at this Penal Colony. Most exciting was to see the surrounding wildlife with many wild giant tortoises, some pulling down pads of Opuntia cactus and munching with satisfaction. We also appreciated the many Darwin finches, seeing Tribulus seeds (Beak of the Finch readers will understand their significance), mockingbirds, several nests in giant Opuntia, Orchilla lichen, etc. On the way back to town we watched Galapagos flamingos feeding in a lagoon, and visited the giant tortoise hatchery. This afternoon the menu includes, snorkeling, observing both very young marine iguana hatchlings and young sharks out in the bay and then visiting the penguin colony as they settle for the evening. It is fitting that our first encounter with penguins was when we stepped off the water taxi in Isabela and it will be our last before we travel on to Santa Cruz very early in the morning. The ferry leaves at 5:00am. (From Frances)
We are now chilling out at our hotel in Puerto Ayora, having
been up at 5:00am to catch our ferry from Isabela to Santa Cruz, We saw
lots of blue-footed boobies diving into the ocean on our journey. It is
quite an extraordinary sight. I'll see if I can get some of the group to
write a few words..................................
I am having an amazing time, seeing all these different species that make the Galapagos a diverse place, up close. It is so much better than what we see in a textbook or film. The boat ride into Puerto Ayora was smooth and calm. I slept for much of it... a great improvement from the one to Isabela Island.
-Tyler Keel (senior)
It's incredible what different characters the different islands have. Obviously, the diversity of species is part of what makes this place so amazing, but the towns also feel very different. We've stayed in both touristy and extremely rural areas. We've played soccer, frisbee, and basketball with local kids and explored a caldera and old lava flow. We've swum with sea lions, giant tortoises, sea urchins, and the kind of brightly colored fish you usually only see in aquariums. We're getting the chance to do and see things many people put on their bucket lists. It's been amazing.
-Clara Hazlett-Norman (senior)
I am having an amazing time, seeing all these different species that make the Galapagos a diverse place, up close. It is so much better than what we see in a textbook or film. The boat ride into Puerto Ayora was smooth and calm. I slept for much of it... a great improvement from the one to Isabela Island.
-Tyler Keel (senior)
It's incredible what different characters the different islands have. Obviously, the diversity of species is part of what makes this place so amazing, but the towns also feel very different. We've stayed in both touristy and extremely rural areas. We've played soccer, frisbee, and basketball with local kids and explored a caldera and old lava flow. We've swum with sea lions, giant tortoises, sea urchins, and the kind of brightly colored fish you usually only see in aquariums. We're getting the chance to do and see things many people put on their bucket lists. It's been amazing.
-Clara Hazlett-Norman (senior)
No comments:
Post a Comment