Las Bachas

Today was another 8:00 excursion call, which meant another early breakfast in the Seaside Restaurant before getting our tender number for our beach walk. We hooked up with our normal band of merry men and women to get on the same tender to Las Bachas Beach and another wet landing.

Maria Jose led us along the beach, which was tougher to walk on then the lava flows as it was soft white coral sand. We saw more Sally Lightfoot crabs and prickly pear cacti as well as tracks that would lead to the sea turtle nests, but sadly, it was not the right time of year to see baby turtles. We passed by the abandoned U. S. Army barge buried in the sand which helped give the beach its name (locals used the term 'bacha' for 'barge'). The barges had broken away from their moorings in the 1950s and run aground and were slowly being reclaimed by the island.

There were no flamingos out at this lagoon today, but Maria Jose did say the population was rising on this island as well. We did see some more iguana and a playful sea lion flapping around in the surf.

Dolphins

After our return to the Flora, we had snacks and coffee and Coke Zero and then went to lunch, which today was "Spanish". There did a much better job with the Spanish theme than the Creole, with paella and other Spanish dishes. We were beginning to navigate around Daphne Major island so we went upstairs to our room to watch the view out the window. Daphne is a barren, tree-less island that is the remains of an extinct tuff cone whose rim rises some 400 feet above sea level. The crater floor is an important breeding site for blue-footed boobies.

Janie took a small nap and then the Captain came on the radio to say a pod of dolphins had been spotted near the ship. J. R. went upstairs to get a closer look, saw they were on our side of the ship, and went down to wake up Janie. We opened our window and watched the dolphins swim alongside.

Since Janie was done with snorkeling, we had the afternoon to ourselves. Unfortunately, J. R. started feeling the effects of the gastrointestinal illness that had stricken several of our traveling companions already this week. After revisiting the beef tenderloin from the night before, he decided to head to bed while Janie went down for the tender ride and rocky trail walk excursion.

North Seymour

Janie did the walk with Rusty and Sandy on North Seymour, which was formed by the same volcanic process of uplifting of undersea lava. North Seymour was the site of one of the earliest conservation experiments in the Galapagos. In 1934, a group of land iguanas were moved there. They have since thrived, and there are now well over 2,500 on the island. The biggest attraction of North Seymour is its colony of Blue-Footed Boobies and frigate birds. These species are often found together because frigate birds rely on the boobies' fishing prowess by actively stealing the boobies' catch.

Dinner

J. R. missed the Yellow Warbler drink of the day but came down towards the end of trivia to get some peppermint tea. He still was not feeling well so he skipped dinner and Janie headed off with the group to the Seaside Restaurant while J. R. went up to deck 7 while the room was being cleaned. The fresh air seemed to help and he was much better by morning.