ON THE ISLANDS
Day 3

After breakfast, we headed out to Urbina Bay. It is located on the western coast of Isabela Island, in a newly uplifted area. Once part of the ocean floor, it is now the home for Galapagos reptiles. We had a wet landing here onto a grey sandy beach. It's sometimes a bit difficult to exit the panga with your gear when you have a wet landing. It depends entirely on the sea conditions at the time.

We visited the islands during the mating season, which is absolutely the best time to be there. Watching the mating rituals is so very impressive. We were able to see the endemic land iguana, and the Galapagos giant tortoises in this area. The tortoises are considered teenagers until they are about 30 years old. Once they have reached adulthood, they climb high up the mountains to breed. The land iguanas have bright yellow coloring during mating season.

It was not only interesting to see the iguanas and tortoises, but the very young vegetation. We saw the poison apple trees, the cotton plants, and the Galapagos sunflowers and the Darwin's asters. All flowers are yellow on these islands. The sunflowers do not resemble what we identify as a sunflower at all, and after many years, grow into very large trees. The Darwin's asters also do not resemble asters as we know them, but they certainly are interesting to see.

We returned to the Santa Cruz for lunch and a brief rest, as we would do each day after the morning's activities. After lunch, we went to the sundeck to bask in the hot tub. We noticed a small fishing boat approaching our ship. We watched as this fishing boat loaded a fresh supply of fish and lobster onto our ship. We had that wonderful seafood for our dinner that evening.

Shortly after, we were loaded into the pangas again and on our way to Punta Moreno, which is surrounded by two massive volcanoes, Cerro Azul, and Sierra Negra. The shoreline here is covered with mangroves, and endless views of black lava flows. There were blue footed boobies just covering the rocky coastline, as far as we could see. They dive into the water after their food, appearing like torpedoes with their great speed and precise diving skills. This is such a beautiful coastline. There are many intriguing coves, where the water washes in and out with such force, that it appears as hundreds of small waterfalls wherever you look.

We had a dry landing on a rocky coastline. We walked over what seemed to be miles of ropy lava, although I don't really know how long the hike was in actuality. There are wide crevices in the earth here. You must walk very carefully, always looking down before you take a step.

After a period of time, we arrived at such a peaceful area. There are several lagoons where seabirds frequent. It is a beautiful, pristine area. We just sat on the lava, and took in the gorgeous view. I was mesmerized by it's beauty and tranquility.

It was here where an engine from a Swedish ship that sank many years ago, came to surface when the volcano rose from the sea. Looking at this engine caused me to loose myself in thought. I thought about those people who were on that ship when it sank, long before most of humanity ever heard of the Galapagos Islands. I'd wondered if they had the slightest notion that their engine would miraculously surface someday, causing people to speculate about their fateful journey of, oh, so many years ago. Soon it was time to head back over the ropy lava to our panga.

After returning to the Santa Cruz, we showered, and prepared ourselves to attend the usual evening briefing, complete with complimentary cocktails, always held about one hour before dinner. After the briefing, we moved into the dining room, and were being served our dinner, when our ship started to pitch and yawl. The seas were growing rough. Within a few minutes, our waiter was beginning to look "green", as were other folks in the dining room. The staff quickly began to open all the portholes in the room to allow as much fresh air to flow as possible. Our waiter, and many passengers, quickly became seasick. The staff put out a large supply of motion sickness tablets, but they were consumed as quickly as they supplied them. The rough seas increased, and continued throughout the night. There was little activity on the ship that evening, as most people just laid in their bunks, trying to keep their stomachs down.