Santiago and Bartholome, Galapagos


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Click on the thumbnail to see a map of Galapagos, showing our route

Click to see full sized map.

Our last day dawned clear and hot. We landed on the beach and set off for a gentle stroll along a shortish trail. We saw a pair of Galápagos hawks driving a juvenile away, but sadly I was too busy taking photographs to watch them properly, and then completely failed to get a decent photograph!

We saw lots of other birds, of which I've included a few photographs. There were many ground finches feeding in amongst the rocks, which Walter said was unusual, and suggested conditions were pretty tough inland. I gather they don't normally feed so far down the foreshore.

At the end of the trail someone spotted a brown Galápagos racer snake which was much too fast getting under its rock for me to photograph. My notes say it was about 50cm long and rather less than a centimetre thick.

Back at the beach the snorkelling did not proceed as smoothly as we'd have liked. I had trouble with my fins and made a good attempt at reducing sea level while I sorted them out. Then Jen's snorkel and mask were never right and after several attempts at fixing them, she gave up. She'd been feeling poorly with a tummy bug for a several days and had finally got some antibiotics from Dr Paula, but this meant her resiliance when things didn't go perfectly was lower than usual.

I carried on alone and it was definitely worth it, though most of what I saw was familiar from previous excursions. The prize, however, was a turtle which swam slowly by me. Having got covered with black, volcanic sand as I got out, I dumped my snorkelling kit and went back in for a dip. It was lovely just floating there, the high salinity making just drifting on my back really easy.

After lunch I started to feel less than perfect, so took to my bed for the afternoon while Jenny joined the others climbing the 365 steps to the summit of Bartholome. I didn't wait as long as Jenny to get the medication, not wanting to suffer the symptoms while flying home!
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The Beach
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Acacia
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Sea Lion
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Beach Morning Glory
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Petrified Boiling Mud
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Whimbrel
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Rock Pool Garden Feature
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American Oystercatchers
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American Oystercatcher
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Lava Lizard
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Marine Iguana Trail
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Lava Lizard
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Sea Urchin
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Fur Seal
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Ground Finch
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Morning Glory
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Storm Petrels
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Storm Petrel
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Bartholome Anchorage
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Bartholome Anchorage
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Pinnacle Rock
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Cinder Cones
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Cinder Cones
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Bartholome View

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