00:57.48S 090:57.9W - The Wonders of The Galapagos
Irene IV - World Adventure
Louis Goor
Fri 11 Mar 2022 09:43
The wonders of the Galapagos are famous. Nature that has evolved so uniquely
due to the isolation of this stunning archipelago of islands but quite how
remote the location is possibly a little lost until you venture into the
four flights, overnight stay and multiple road and water taxi's it takes to
reach the islands from Ireland.
One too many David Attenborough programmes had led me to believe, naively,
that when my great mate Danni and I joined the current crew of Irene IV we
would be among just a handful of people exploring the treasures of this
extraordinary place. This could not have been further from the truth with
the islands attracting over a quarter of a million visitors each year.
To arrive in the bustling town of San Cristobal where the seafront is lined
with a myriad of restaurants, souvenir shops, grocery stores, hotels and
budget accommodations was truly a surprise. As we exited the taxi however
the sight of sea lions snoozing on boardwalk benches, iguana's posing like
Kate Moss for photographs and coral red crabs crawling on black volcanic
rocks were confirmation that we were in the right place.
The quickest thing you learn is that the sea lions may look adorable but
they command the utmost respect. Their vast numbers on the beach, spilling
out into pedestrian areas makes the hunt for 'prime snoozing space' a
fiercely competitive activity and if they deem you too close, or indeed just
walking where they would like to walk, you can find yourself sprinting at
full steam, from a standing start Usain Bolt would be proud of, with a large
male or female in hot pursuit baring teeth even the most seasoned of dog
dodging postmen wouldn't mess with.
The tanned crew of Irene IV welcomed the winter white visitors who arrived
soaked to the skin in the middle of an Ecuadorean downpour. Once onboard we
proceeded to unpack the shopping list of goodies and essentials that had
been requested ....wooden clothes pegs, homemade jam, a pen knife, Maldon
salt, makeup, teaspoons to name a few of the more frivolous items but also
crucial parts for the water maker which urgently needed to be fixed before
the long passage on departure from the Galapagos.
Life onboard for the hard core crew is busy and they continued to beetle
around us sticking religiously to routines and rota's in place that keep
everything ticking like clockwork. Irene IV however has many creature
comforts and it's fair to say that the boys are very much spoilt by Sabine
who not only cleans up around them but produces delicious meals and snacks
made with fresh local produce on a constant basis, bakes brownies and has
run out of thread from fixing sails and holes in socks and shirts on top of
all her other tasks.
Details of each of our day trips will be blogged in more detail by others
however it is true that there can be no other place like this on earth.
Each island has its own unique landscape and vegetation sometimes so
different between islands that if you were to only look at photographs you
could truly believe that they could be continents apart such are the
extremes of their diversity.
My favourite landscape was the lava tunnels on the island of Isabella. A
web of centuries old lava tunnels running into the sea that have partially
collapsed in places leaving rivers and lagoons linked by natural red lava
rock bridges. These bridges gives you a birds eye view only a few feet from
the surface of the crystal clear sea which has filled the voids where
hundreds of different fish busy themselves and sharks meander along keeping
to the shadows of the rock walls. The famous Blue Footed Boobies make their
nests in the rock and various Galapagos finches can be seen around. It's
truly a breath-taking place to be and just watch.
Not every island is inhabited but those that are only allows residents in
one township so there is no sprawling mass of housing. The 250,000 tourists
to the National Park, which encompasses all the islands and waters between,
are allowed access to just 3% of the islands land mass which, both an
indication of how proactive Ecuador is at protecting this extraordinary
place both land and water.
Sadly my trip was cut short with one of our children contracting Covid in
Ireland so back onto the four water taxis, road taxi, 3 planes and near 48
hours travelling to get home but my head is swimming with memories from an
unforgettable trip and one of the most magical places I will ever visit in
my lifetime.