After another early morning security line and speed boat ride,
our little group, along with other passengers, alighted on the rugged
shores of Isabela Island.
An example of most of my breakfasts on this trip.
Fruits, breads, cheese, yogurt and granola, coffee and juice.
Sometimes there was an egg dish. Often plantains.
Many of them were buffet style, letting you choose what
and how much of whatever foods you liked.
I chose to ride on the upper deck of the speed boat ride this time.
It was surprisingly not too turbulent.
And I was more awake, so I could watch and enjoy the ride.
After breakfast, and sorting away what will go into our hotel
rooms and what we needed for a hike, we got into a small group
of heavy duty pick-up trucks and headed inland to the top of
a volcano.
Sierra Negra
One of the most active volcanoes in the world,
last erupted in 2018.
More altitude to mess with my stamina.
Down into the caldera
Down below the cloud line
Into a dinosaur world
No cell service here.
Lava flow.
sulfur spring
This vent is still steaming.
The yellow means sulfur
It was stinky like sulfur too.
Hard and jagged.
It was a hike to the sulfur spring, then an equally
tough hike back to the top of the caldera.
Where we ate our packed lunch and watched finches
flit around between the trees.
Back in the village, we visited the island's flamingo flock, then had
a free afternoon to do whatever we liked.
I'm not entirely sure what everyone else in the group did, but
my roommate and I both wanted to go for a swim in the ocean.
Woohoo!
Glad I'd brought my swim goggles.
Had a great time splashing around in the Pacific waves.
And the skies were a bit overcast, so I didn't have to be too worried
about sunburn.
Before heading back to the hotel, I stopped to climb a platform
to see some marine iguanas and a small group of boobies.
The boobies are fun to watch.
They dive into the water with their bodies compressed
into a tight arrow shape, then after a few seconds they resurface,
hopefully with a fish in their beaks.
On the steps of the platform were a bunch of iguanas.
I was careful to watch my step and move around them.
When I saw the platform the next day, you couldn't even use the
steps, there were so many iguanas.
I watched one climb up the steps.
Adorable.
Mainly dirt roads, some paved.
The village on Isabela is the most rustic of the villages I've seen on the islands.
Still, there were restaurants, bars, small shops, bakeries, snorkel rentals, and anything else
one might need on a desert island.
Our evening ended at a nice restaurant to celebrate the birthday
of one of our tour group members.
Some interesting conversations with my new travel friends and some
interesting food (including a birthday cake).
On the walk back to the hotel, I met one of few
of the island cats. She was very friendly.
I didn't see many dogs or cats at all amongst the islands, actually.
There may be a reason for that.
Locals may own a few tightly controlled pet animals,
but, after a quick internet search, I've learned that pets, including
service animals, are entirely prohibited from entry with tourists and visitors.
Leave your poodle on the mainland.
No comments:
Post a Comment