blue footed boobies – whatmamathinks

One thing about the Galapagos was that we never had bad weather. I would open my eyes, look out of the window of the hotel and be dazzled by clear blue sky, a few errant fluffy clouds, and golden sunshine.

On the fourth day, our morning was free as we were going to meet our guide for Los Tuneles snorkeling tour at 11:20 am at our lobby. The tour agency who had arranged our trip suggested we take the morning to go visit flamingos in Flamingo Lagoon which was no more than 10 minutes walk from our hotel. So we did and were rewarded with a body of water filled with these pink, long legged, graceful birds either looking for food or just being – still, stoic. Just standing there looking at the flamingos and the stillness evoked a sense of calm. There was no one around us, not a sound. It was just the three of us and a lagoon full of birds.

We met our guide for the day, Carlos. at the dock who took us on a boat and explained to us about dry landing and wet landing before we started our journey to the lava tunnels under water where we were going to be snorkeling to see the various species of marine life of the Galapagos. Before we went to the dock, we were taken to a store to get wet suits and snorkeling gear. I am not a swimmer and very uncomfortable in water but I was determined to try snorkeling so I took my gear as well. Again, after an hour or so we arrived at the tunnels, the captain cut the engine and Carlos asked us to suit up and jump in.

I jumped in after Sean and immediately suffered a panic attack. It was in the middle of the ocean. I am claustrophobic. I had never snorkeled in my life and when the snorkel clamped my nose my brain panicked. I climbed back on the boat while the others went away from it to see the various forms of life under water. A universe that exists with all its splendor but we don’t get to see it unless we go on such snorkeling or scuba diving trips. The group was gone for more than 45 minutes and when they came back their excitement was palpable. They swam with sea turtles, dance with sea lions, and ducked way down to see white tip sharks at the sandy bottom. Even stoic Ryan kept saying “That was something else.”

While I was waiting for them on the boat, I saw a few sea turtles lazily swim by me. The most fun to witness was how a sea lion was playing with two snorkelers right next to our boat. Two young men were bobbing up and down near us, looking out for the sea lion. The sea lion popped up near them, turned its head to see where they were and slid under water again to encircle them. It was so clear that he was playing with the two humans. When the group was gone I sat by myself on the boat, lamenting my lack of confidence in water but I looked around me and gave thanks. I was sitting on a gently rocking boat in crystal clear, aquamarine water, under a brilliant blue sky. Everything was quiet, still. I could hear my thoughts and the occasional birdsong. Sea turtles floated by gently, gracefully. Colorful fish came close to the surface, perhaps to show me their beauty as a consolation prize. I felt lucky.

When the group came back, we had lunch on the boat. The lunches on the boats were very basic, somewhat plain so that folks with sea sickness had no trouble when the boats sailed. The fare was again plain rice, salad, boiled potatoes, and sautéed tuna steak with fresh lime. But before lunch, the boat took us to another spot for snorkeling only 15 minutes away from the first spot.

After lunch we went to see the lava rock formation on land. We all embarked from the speed boat and made our way on the sharp lava rocks. The Italian family who were with us on the boat said the lava tunnels resembled the bridges in Venice. We looked at the tunnels again and agreed. We looked down at the clear water to see more sea turtles gently gliding away, colorful fish, of course. The cutest, however, was a baby blue-footed boobie whose feet had not turned blue (it had not eaten enough fresh fish containing the pigment carotenoids) but it was just a matter of time. The baby sat there very close to us and our guide kept reminding us not to get too close to it. The baby exhibited no fear for the humans, which made me very happy. The parents sat a little distance away, perhaps to take a break from constantly feeding their very hungry baby. We also saw two Great Blue Heron siblings in a next, their necks extended, awaiting the return of their parents. They looked at us as we passed by them with relative calm. That is the ambiance I remember in the islands – in the people, nature, animals. Even when the sea lions fought with each other for a better spot on the docks to sleep, their fights lasted for a minute or two before they fell into deep sleep again.

I am an anxious person with constantly tight shoulders. On the islands, amidst this stillness, I felt my shoulders relax.

After the walk on the lava arcs, and the unforgettable experience, we were dropped off at our hotel. We strolled along the streets of beautiful Isabela island after dinner, taking in the daily lives of the islanders. We came across a small stadium, brightly lit up and packed with people, cheering on a two teams of senior volley ballers. We learnt that soccer and volley ball were the two major sports in Ecuador along with cycling. Volleyball definitely attracted the islanders as men, women, and children came together to cheer on the teams. We took the long way back to the hotel, looking at the twinkling lights of the restaurants that were away from the main thoroughfare and some tourists like us who were sitting at the tables looking at photos of their days on the phone.

On the fifth day we went kayaking.

On the second day on Santa Cruz island, we met our guide, Meriam Leon in front of the Tortuga Bay on Charles Darwin street and got on a tour bus for about a 40 minute ride back to the Itabaca Channel to board the Espanola Yacht for our day long Seymour tour. We sailed for about 45 minutes to North Seymour and boarded a dinghy that took us to an arid island inhabited only by frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, seals, sea lions, land iguanas, lizards, swallow tail gulls….

The walk, according to our guide, would take no more than 20 minutes but she wanted us to take it all in and not hurry. She did say that we should not be on the island for more than an hour so that other groups can have their opportunity to visit. We ended up staying for a little longer, and went back with images of male frigate birds displaying their vibrant red-throat pouches to attract the ladies, baby frigates peeking out behind their mamas showing us their fuzzy heads, a single blue-footed boobie, colorful lizards darting along the trail and iguanas moving like dinosaurs turning to look at us with stretched lips that almost looked like grins. I have never witnessed such a scene- birds and reptiles relatively unafraid of human presence. We were respectful. We were visitors on their land. We kept our voices down, we did not divulge from the marked trail and we kept respectful distance from the birds and animals.

As we headed back to the dinghy, Sean told me to stop moving, Ryan started laughing and I got nervous. Sean started taking photos of me while saying “Don’t move! Don’t move!”

“What is it? Do I have a bug on my head? Is it a tarantula? Oh my god, what is it?”

The others in the group also stopped in front of me and started wowing. Finally, I saw the photos and realized that I was the chosen one. A lovely grasshopper perched on my head. I actually held still till it flew away on its own accord.

I want to mention the delightful lunch that the staff at the yacht prepared for us. Once we returned to the yacht, we were offered lunch which constituted of white rice, boiled potatoes with queso on top, a simple salad of cabbage and tomatoes with fresh lime, and delectable tuna steak sautéed on a pan. For dessert there were slices of sweet watermelon. This simple fare was immensely satisfying and although we ate many good meals during our 10 day stay in Ecuador, I still fondly remember this lunch.

After lunch, we headed toward a beach for snorkeling. The water was crystal clear but I heard they couldn’t see much as people kicked up the sediment with their flippers as they swam. I did not snorkel since I don’t know how to swim and I am uncomfortable in water. While the group snorkeled, I went for a walk by myself till I came to a quiet inlet. There I saw a solitary flamingo deeply focused in getting his food. I stood there awhile, surrounded by sand, water, greenery and a solitary flamingo. That particular moment is ingrained in my head – a moment of communing between me and a bird that I will never see again. The flamingo was not even aware of my presence and I felt humbled to have the chance to stand there watching him.

The island of birds and reptiles, the crystal clear, aquamarine water, the flamingo in that quiet inlet, a heron sitting completely still; a stillness that very few of us can imbibe within us…. all these have stayed with me. I worry that memory may fade away with time so I am documenting it here. Maybe, in a few years, if I read this blog, I will relive the moment again.

On the 3rd day, we went to see the Charles Darwin Center and learned about the conservation work that many scientists are doing. We also saw saddleback tortoises and the baby tortoises that the staff of Charles Darwin Center are raising to release in the wild when they are five or six years old. But that blog is for tomorrow.