Santiago & Bartolome (& my birthday)

So, our last full day in Galapagos, and my birthday to-boot - what an excellent place to spend it in.   Our final day was to be spent on Santiago Island and its near neighbour, the smaller Bartolome. 

Espumilla Bay

Our previous night had been spent anchored in a sheltered bay which was a relief after the rough passage the previous afternoon and evening.   At 7 am the sea was relatively calm and as we had our breakfast the captain sailed a little closer to our first landing of the day - a wet one once again!

Ghost Crabs

Now although we had been warned that it could be a little wetter than previous landings it wasn't until we were actually approaching the beach that we realised how interesting this would be.   Our first clue should have been that there were two boatmen on each panga (rather than the usual one), when Juan jumped from one panga to the other to ensure that we were happy with how to land it dawned on us that this could be a very wet landing!   With an active swell an orchestrated landing was required.  Carol and I sat at the back at of the panga and would be the first to jump off.   After a couple of aborted attempts our guide decided that it was safe to go in.    Basically, Carol and I had to sit with one leg just over the side of the boat and on the word of the boatman we had to jump out and move up the beach allowing the rest of the party to do the same.    It was extremely wet and I got soaked up to my thighs - good job I put shorts on that day!

Mangroves

It was some minutes before the waves and swell were correct for the second panga to attempt a landing but eventually everyone was safely on the beach.   Espumilla beach is a long smooth glistening stretch backed by mangroves, and covered in ghost crabs.   Normally the crabs run to their holes the minute they feel the vibrations of human movement, but today they were all clustered against the rocks at the far end of the beach and they gave us a real treat with their sideways scurrying into the water.

What no birdwatchers?

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Also
We followed a well marked trail up past a dry lagoon where there was one loan whimbrel, small and large ground finch and a galapagos mockingbird.   Plants were more easy to identify with button and black mangrove, euphorbia, galapagos tomato to name but a few.   Here we saw the largest incense trees on our travels and Juan took some of the sap for us to smell.   After our round trip it was back to the beach where we saw a dead baby turtle jammed into a ghost crab hole - the crab usually pulls the helpless turtle down the hole head-first then eats that as it is the easiest bit to attack (sorry to any squeamish folk out there).

Shorts drying in the breeze

The boatmen approached the beach for us to go back to the boat, but after a couple of attempts they decided that more help was needed so one panga returned to collect the captain.   He soon assessed that if we walked to the other end of the beach a bit of protection from an outcrop of lava might just be enough for us to climb in.   Whilst it was possible, it was not easy.   I got soaked to the waist as I waded out and climbed into the panga with water spilling over the top as the swell crashed into the front of the panga.

looking from Bartolome to Santiago

As we ate lunch we sailed on to our final landing of this trip with the wet clothing drying off the rigging at the back of the boat.   We anchored just off Bartolome where we were promised a dry landing - we were a bit sceptical but hopeful.

Bartolome is attached to Santiago island by a narrow strip of sand, lava and mangroves.   True to their word it was a dry landing - slippy but dry.   We stepped onto concrete steps which were slimy with algae and seaweed.   The wind caught Juan's baseball cap and scarf and dumped them into the sea about 20 feet away.   The cap was recovered but the scarf was never seen again.   One of the party also had to retrieve their cap from the lava flow just off the trail.

Lava Cactus

As we walked the decked path we noticed a galapagos dove sheltering from the wind on a ledge.   Sally lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas and lava lizards greeted us.   As we climbed the 300+ steps a strange volcanic landscape appeared.   Lava bombs, tunnels, ash and dust fields were all around us and there were many spatter cones and eroded craters.   One one side it was described as Lunar, and as we continued a Mars landscape appeared.   On the slopes were three types of euphorbia which are the first vegetation to take hold on this inhospitable environment.   Several painted locusts were seen, they always seemed to fly just as the camera came out.    Lava bombs were left by the side of the path and we practised our weight-lifting with varying sizes.   As they were mostly air holes the weight was negligible but it looked good.

Lava Flows

From the summit there was a tremendous 360 degree vista with Santiago, Baltra, Daphne Major, Daphne Minor, and Isabela in view.  After our decent we took a short ride in the pangas along the coast back towards the strip which connects the two islands, in a cove we saw galapagos penguins, sealions and had great close up views of pinnacle rock.

As soon as we were back on board the Cachalote moved off once more for our last night's destination.   Before dinner we had time to pack, relax or just enjoy the last evening of sailing along.   Before dinner the captain and all the crew came to say their goodbye's and accept our heartful thanks and congratulations for a great trip.  



Happy Birthday to Me!

 A birthday cake was produced for dessert, this time a chocolate one with icing and candles.   What a special end to a trip and birthday!