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Punta Espinosa, Fernandina Island, Sunday morning 6 November

Lulu had fun getting each of us with a boobie on our head


The Galapagos trip ended up being a saga rather than a post.  For links to the whole trip please go to the first Galapagos post.
This post will focus more on the photos, and less on my commentary.  And if you want to just look at the pictures, just click on one of the photos and a slide show will magically appear.
 
Kay with a tortoise

Urbina Bay was our introduction to the Land Tortoise, land queen of the Galapagos. Saving these magnificent creatures is what it is all about. Here also we meet the land iguanas. Most of this post will be their photos. I have tried to pair distance photos with the close ups. We were close enough that we could have touched them, but no touching is allowed….that is unless they touch you.


Poison apples

Poison apple tree
 As we gathered once we disembarked, one of our group decided to move off the approved trail (a big no no). This is when Lulu told us about the Manzanillo, the Poison Apple. This stuff has a bunch of survival mechanisms. It causes contact dermatitis, as well as being rather lethal if ingested.

A feral kitten.
This poor thing was a starving kitten we found feasting on a dead pelican. There are no feral cat rescues here. They must be removed from the ecosystem. It is rough, but that is the reality here.
Fortunately for the gentle hearts in our group, Joel was not able to catch this one.

At one point, Lulu told us all to get on the right of the path. The Queen was coming thru, and we had to wait, being very, very still. The queen decided that Lulu’s toes were interesting. A possible snack? Lulu decided that moving away was a good idea.


 
Tortoise bones
  
Tortoise poop.

















Marine Iguana
  
Marine Iguana




















Marine Iguana, swimming
 
Not Rocks
Marine Iguanas, a bunch of them

Marine Iguana

Marine Iguana
They match the rocks so well


                                                  



   
In mating colors

 
 
Marine iguana bones






                                                                                                                                
Geomarker 
A geek moment for me
  

This marker is similar to one on each of the islands.  

Essentially it says “This Island belongs to Equidor” meaning “Back off you stupid Europeans.

 It is ours.” You might think they had had issues with this in the past.




Lava Cactus
 
Fragment of a tortoise egg shell

This pile of bones has a great story. A whale died on the shore several decades ago. The locals buried it because the smell was so bad. A scientist “discovered” it many years later. How disappointed he was to find that he had not made a great discovery. All of the people wanting to take photos of it was wrecking havoc on the beach, a nesting site for several kinds of critters. So the park guides hauled the thing up on the rocks and reassembled it.


     

Land Iguana
  
Land Iguana




Little lizzard




Lulu had us do a 5 minute meditation every day

After all of this, we went snorkeling.  I really love snorkeling, Except for the part about getting back on the panga.







Then we had lunch.

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