Happy Birthday to my daughter Alexandria, have a great day, so much to look forward to.....give it back !! xx love Dad
In Remembrance to Kit Thompson, Mum and Dads neighbour, a wonderful woman who sadly past away last week. Kit was a morse code expert during the war who kept in touch with agents behind enemy lines. Incredible stories, we'll miss her.
11.04.13
Arrived in Quito and booked into the hotel Anston. Got the bags packed for our trip to the Galápagos Islands and headed off out to explore the new city area and have a meal in El Arabe, a Lebanese restaurant recommended by the "rough guide". It was superb, freshly made houmous and shaslick, a beer and back to the hotel for an early night.
Finally one of the major highlights for me of this trip has arrived, The Galápagos Islands. It's somewhere I've always dreamed of coming too,never imagining I would finally make it. Well lets see if it stands up to my expectations.
Got up at 0345 and headed for the airport where booking in was effortless before Geoff and I treated ourselves to a BLT sandwich with real bacon. It may not sound much but when you haven't had real bacon for five months believe me it tasted wonderful. We boarded our flight a spacious A320 airbus to Guayaquil then onwards to The Galapagos landing on Isla Baltra. The first short flight of 35 mins turned out to be a right laugh. I was bored and looking around for something to do I thought I know I'll get Geoff back " for his stolen camera episode" We each had our own individual tv screens with the usual films, music and information but although you could see the pictures there were no headphones available until the longer second leg of the flight. We also had an individual credit card phone on a lead which pulled out from the seat in front, nothing to do with the tv. Music video selected I pulled the credit card phone to my ear and started to gently jig in time to the music, obviously hearing nothing, aware that Geoff was looking around. Out of the corner of my eye I'm aware Geoff has now turned his tv monitor on and has now got the credit card phone to his ear ha! ha! bait taken. He starts pressing the numerous buttons and keeps raising it to his ear. This goes on for some time and he eventually asks if mine is working. Yeah fine I reply, gently increasing my rhythm, desperately trying not to laugh. Further pressing of buttons and a gentle tap of the phone and back to the ear. I'm bursting but manage to hold it together. This continues until we land to collect further passengers. Phones back in place we chat and stretch the legs. We're now on the second longer section of our flight and I immediately turn on the tv screen and pick up the phone and resume my rhythm. Geoff is back at it trying to make his work. I see the air hostess coming down the aisle handing out the tv earphones so quickly replace my phone and casually pick up and read a magazine. She reaches Geoff and asks "earphones sir" he looked up slightly confused, credit card phone in hand, the penny dropped, looked round at me reading my magazine and let out a torrent of abuse and we fell about laughing. Infact we kept laughing all the way to the Galapagos.
Baltra Island was the base of the US airforce who occupied the island during World War II after they blasted an airstrip into the rock so planes could be mobilised to defend the Panama Canal. It's now obviously the first island tourists fly into before picking up their tour boat. It's covered with stunted scrub and cactus, is very dry and is in the process of having a new airport building finished off.
We were met at the small airport where after a short transfer down a lane to the harbour we boarded our boat the " Darwin " our home for the next five days.
Our guide Omar delivered a comprehensive briefing and introduced us to the crew. The Darwin only takes sixteen which is great as the smaller the group the better, unlike some boats that hold one hundred plus. After a lunch on board of grilled tuna, broccoli, cauliflower, and salad we headed for our first stop Las Bachus ( Bachus Beach) where we hit the ground running. No sooner had we hit the pristine sandy beach on our dinghy and disembarked we were met with incredible wildlife and birdlife in the form of frigate birds, blue footed boobies, brown pelican, marine iguana, Sally lightfoot crabs, terns, storm petrels, a pink flamingo and a turtle. Five brown pelicans flew above us so closely you could almost touch them, one dropping his load all over Robin and his white teach shirt. He was covered and it stank. Someone declared that it was lucky ha! ha! what's bloody lucky about that !! We had an incredible walk along the beach just not knowing where to turn next, the wildlife was so prolific and came so close. What an amazing start to our trip. It got even better after dinner as the rear spotlights were illuminating the back of the boat and the crystal clear waters enabling us to watch three brown pelicans hunting their dinner in the form of small flying fish which in turn the sea lions were hunting which in turn three sharks were hunting. What an incredible spectacle which I enjoyed watching for at least two and a half hours. I took about 30 shots with only one turning out to be the money shot, a pelican with his beak and gullet so full of fish and water that he cant get back onto the boat. Then to bed, our twin cabin in which I ended up with the top bunk which has about a foot and a half clearance from the ceiling. If I've sat up once and cracked my head I've done it a dozen times much to Geoffs delight. The cabin is comfortable, if a little tight, but has an en suite shower and toilet, is cleaned daily and after all it's only to sleep in as there's so much to see you don't have time for lying about. At 0300 the anchor is raised and we motor to our next destination, South Plaza Island. Up at 0545 for our next adventure.
Buenos noches mes amigos
Tony x
1-3. Flight into the Galapagos
4. Living my dream
5. Up the Reds, Stevo and Karen
6. Geoff
7. Departing our harbour
8. Ensconced in our bunks, our pits for the next few days
9. Yours truly on the bow
10. Geoff
11. Our route around the east side of the Galapagos
12. On board mess room
