Back to San Cristobal Island and onward

Blue-footed with tiny chick under her breast

Yesterday was our last full day in the Galapagos, a wonderland of birds, sea mammals, and reptiles.  The previous night, we were underway most of the night in order to get back to San Cristobal Island where we snorkeled off a gorgeous beach and walked on a remote part of the island.

Stately brown pelican

Here, too, are blue-footed boobies and their babies, lots of iguanas, marine turtles, brown pelicans, sea lions with their babies, and frigate birds.  Some frigate birds were mating, so we were able to see a couple of the males displaying their wares in the form of bright red, ballooning throats.  Quite a fascinating attraction.

Friendly, curious sea lions swam with us while we snorkeled, sometimes bumping their noses gently into us and leaping out of the water in graceful arcs, impressing us with their athletic abilities.  A couple of people swam with a marine turtle who was much less interested in them than they were in her.  These are very large creatures who can stay underwater up to 12 hours.  From the shore and also from the Majestic, we could see their heads bobbing up through the waves, mixing it up with the playful sea lions.  The turtles are much less interested in the sea lions than the latter are in them.

Today, we are waiting for our much-delayed flight to Coca, a town in the Amazon Basin.  More on what we do and see in the coming days.

Male frigate bird showing off his red throat

Crew of the Majestic at farewell dinner

handsome iguana headed to the ocean to eat