Floreana
i've updated my map on the right of my opening page ...
showing my move from San Cristobal to Santa Cruz ... and also the Day Tour i took today to the Island of Floreana :)
i am visiting Floreana on a Day Tour because i could not find a Cruise that included it, along with the other islands i wanted to see. i had a make some choices. the Day Tours don't go to the same sites as the Cruises go to; but this was the best i could do. i was early at the Travel Agency, and asked to make sure we would have an English-speaking guide, .... yes, si, .....so i went to get a 'jugo', juice ... and tried the naranjilla (persimmon) like Will made for us at Hacienda .... it was good but Will's was better :) ..i need to try it at the place Will recommended.
we got on a small water taxi to take us to our larger boat ... about the same size as the one i took from San Cristobal; but not as crowded. the Captain said it was a new boat and it's first voyage to Floreana! ...is that a good thing? ... it sure was nice and new :)
2hrs later, over smooth seas again, we could see the island .... it is very GREEN ... and looks like rain :( ......
Floreana ...
they are known for their Marine Iguanas being very colorful ... red and green/turquoise; ... because of the type of algae they eat here. i wanted to see Red and Green Marine Iguanas ... right on the pier there was the largest one i've seen so far .. and he was red, but no green ...
i got a photo of these two as well, before i was reprimanded for crawling on the rocks .... :(
when he got me off the rocks, he said that when we came back from the Walking Tour there would be more of them .... yes, i'd see them ....
so we walked to this 'bus' ... flat-bed truck with wooden seating for 20 ... 5 people could also get on TOP of the bus ..... i wasn't thinking, and crawled up there .... it was like being on an African Safari ... except that it started raining :( ...i had everything with me and it was all getting wet, including camera. i hung over the side, banged on the truck and yelled for them to stop. ...eventually they did, and we all squeezed into the dry bus ... getting everyone else wet in the process :)
we drove up into the Highlands in the rain .... ok, so after spending 5 weeks in the Highlands on San Cristobal, and the fact that the island looked 'green' ... you would think i would expect rain. but it's strange how the mind works. after spending 5 days in Santa Cruz under full blue skies and blazing hot sun ... i just assumed it would never rain again :) .....i also think that the Travel Agency should have told us there would be a possibility of rain. (and i told him this when we returned--he agreed)
so there we were, walking in the pouring rain, while my the nice expensive Patagonia rain jacket that i 'sprang' for, specifically so i could walk 'comfortably' in the rain on tours, sits in my room :( ...no one else had rain gear either.... they did let us put our bags in the truck while we walked so they would stay dry (although mine was already wet) ...enough bitching :)
well, maybe not quite ... tours in the rain, just pain suck. you can't look around you, because you are constantly watching where you are putting your feet on the muddy rocky trail.
the Guide was in front of course, and when he got to the next destination, he just started talking ... while most of the group was still navigating the trail. i made that fact known to him, and after two reminders, he got the point.
the English-speaking Guide ... was more 'Spanglish' ... there were a few English words and a few Spanish words. i basically got no information out of the tour. ...something about a family that arrived here, then another one, and this was their home .... or something ....
i think this is how they collect rain water .... and i think maybe they still use it today ? .... i'm not sure .....
the only thing i got was that this was where the pirates stayed and stashed their 'treasures' .... and then maybe the early inhabitants used it to ??? .... notice the smile on my face ... trying to enjoy being 'in the moment' .....
and i don't know who or what this is ..... except a nice photo opportunity ... nice hair, huh ? ....
then we went to the area where they have the Giant Tortoises .... i don't know what he said about them either .... something about this being a research center for science, and they have to keep them here so the can study them ...
it was feeding time ...
and they all knew it ... and came running .... well .... slowly walking ... but steady ..... and on target ... i have some video that shows the 'March of the Giant Tortoises' ....
i don't know how that one got so MUDDY on the top of it's shell ....
i talked with the Guide a bit on the way back and told him about my volunteer work at Hacienda ... his eyes lit up and asked if i would like to do some volunteer work here, feeding the tortoises, etc ...... i sure would have .... but not now anymore .... i think i could have had a 'job' here ..... sad there isn't anyway to find these things out before you get here ... although who knows if he even has anything to do with it ... i didn't investigate further ...
the reason for having a Guide is so you can learn ... i was very disappointed in this .. and makes me wonder about the Guide i will have for 8 days on a very expensive Cruise :(
when we got back down to shore, the sun was shining, while we had a wonderful lunch. 2 nice-sized pieces of grilled fish, rice, and cole slaw; with fresh watermelon juice (haven't had watermelon juice since i left Caye Caulker).
there were no Marine Iguanas on the pier when we returned to get on our boat for snorkeling :(
the snorkeling was nice, .... and i saw lots of .... turtles :)
snorkeling is a matter of timing and luck ...... 2 of the guys saw a large Black Tipped Shark ... but all i saw were ..... turtles .....
i got to sit on the bow of the boat on the ride home, and it was really really nice sitting there ....
so, that was Floreana .... i have to say i am disappointed ..... so far, San Critobal wins the prize for snorkeling ...
got cleaned up and walked to the other end of the Malecon, stopping at the Fish place and found out that those red fish with the bulging eyes were Scorpion Fish .... they are so well camouflaged and don't seem to move ... i can't imagine how they can catch so many of them !
we to a nice restaurant that was playing ... not loud spanish music, ... not the soccer game with the screaming announcer ... but nice soft jazz. it is called Las Tintoreas and i had a wonderful Chicken Breast with Curry and Coconut Sauce, with nice fresh cauliflower and bright green broccoli flowerlettes and slices of carrot that were all cooked to perfection in real butter! ... the best meal i've had here yet! ...and they had WiFi ... that actually worked!
stopped for a coke, for my rum and coke before bed :)
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