I started the morning with a cup of coffee, a view, and some quiet time to do some photo editing before we went to breakfast in Darwin's Restaurant which was buffet style.
We headed out for the early excursion which included a long walk on Rabida Island, known for its red sand beaches, and then a kayak along its coast.
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| Leaving the ship to go to shore for the walk - the kayaks (shown in the background) would be brought to us later. |
As we approached the beach, our naturalist spotted a Galapagos Hawk just sitting in a tree that we would get to see up close.
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| American Oystercatcher |
Just past the beach is a saltwater pond that often has a flock of American Flamingos. We didn't get a chance to see many and they didn't stick around but there were a couple there including a chick that wasn't quite as shy. Supposedly, sometimes there is a huge flock that you can get quite close to.
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American Flamingo Chick
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White-cheeked Pintail
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| Lava Lizard |
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| Galapagos Dove |
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| Ground Finch |
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| Lava Lizard |
We made our way back to the beach and then boarded the zodiac. The Galapagos National Park does not allow you to kayak from the beach. So we had to get on our kayaks from the zodiac which isn't quite as difficult as I expected. They are double kayak's and you just have to coordinator with your partner to shift your weight onto the kayak at the same time. Everyone in our group managed to stay dry and upright. Our guide has given us the option of two locations to drop us in the water - one would allow us to travel with the current, the other against the current. When no one spoke up, I suggested going with the current which I think was a good decision as we were plenty tired when it was over. Our zodiac stayed with us in case anyone needed help. We also had our naturalist with us in a single kayak.
It was a neat experience and we saw some wildlife but your focus is more on kayaking so we didn't take advantage of any future kayak opportunities.
Back on the ship, we had lunch at the Beagle Grill and then went back to the cabin to relax.
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| This became my favorite spot to edit photos. |
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| The Celebrity Xploration was anchored near us. |
In the afternoon, we had signed up for the long walk on Santiago Island, known for its black sand beaches. Just as this morning, this was a wet landing on the beach.
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| Galapagos Sea Lion |
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| Galapagos Sea Lion |
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| Sally Lightfoot Crab |
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| Semi-palmated plover |
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| Whimbrel |
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| Marine Iguana |
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| We each got one of these water bottles with our name on it. |
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| American Oystercatcher |
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| Semi-palmated Warblers |
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| Lava Heron |
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Least Sandpiper
(I originally confused this for the sanderlings that look so similar except the color of the legs) |
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| Marine Iguana |
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| Galapagos Sea Lion |
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| Yellow-crowned Night Heron |
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| Galapagos Fur Seal |
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| Galapagos Mockingbird |
The Captain gave a toast at our nightly briefing. We would later find out this was his last week on the ship before taking a vacation. Dinner was again in Darwin's Restaurant and was an enjoyable experience. Wanting a bit more privacy for dinner than we got the night before to be able to unwind, the staff quickly found us a table in the back corner of the restaurant that would become our table for the rest of the week. This is where we met Yuri, the server who would take care of us each evening along with Victor and Juan who were both also around for breakfasts and lunches. They all were so wonderful.
We again didn't stay up for the documentary. I did wake up though in the middle of the night (about 4:30 a.m.) and something called me to the balcony (figuratively - I wasn't actually hearing voices). The stars were so numerous that it was hard to make out individual constellations. It was truly a magnificent sight to see. And then a pair of gulls started soaring and playing along side the starboard side of the bow. They were just white whispers in the night. I later would learn that they were Swallow-tail Gulls that often followed the ship at night looking for squid which come to the surface at night.
Looking straight forward over the bow all I could see was pure darkness. It was a moment that took my breath away. I tried to go back to sleep after that but couldn't so returned to the balcony where I laid on the lounger and just enjoyed the moments until the first lights of sunrise began to appear and then I went back to bed.
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