San Cristobal, Puerto Ayora, Bartolome

Third day San Cristobal

Today I had to change hotels as I made the reservation from the 17 somewhere else a month ago and I was really sorry to leave Eco Lodge Cucuve. I flew to Galaapagos 2 days earlier than planned, tht's why I stayed thhe first 2 nights somewhere else. Alfredo (his name is Allfredo, not Fernanddo, I am already starting to forget!) brought me to my hotel and after he left and the receptionist asked for my passport I started searching for it and could not find it. I emptied my backpack and my suitcase but it was nowhere. I called Alfredo to ask if I had forgotten it there and he came right away. It wasn't there either. He and his wife were soooo nice. They travelled with me around town for 2 hours to all the places where I had been, even to the airport, to see if I had forgotten it somewhere. Then we went to the police station and the policeman explained me I had to download a form from the internet, fill it out, print it, go with it to some government office here to confirm the loss, then to go to the Austrian embasssy in Guayaquil (I doubt there is one) etc. And he also suggested to go to the local radio station and pay for an ad so they say in the radio that if anyone found my passport he should bring it to the police. We went to the radio station and there was another tourist there also reporting the loss of a document. While we waited I remembered I had one pocket in my little backpack where I had not looked, where I actually never put the passport. I looked inside and there it was!!!! I think I am getting senile. i was soooo glad. When I showed it to Alfredo he was so happy too that I found it that he gave me a kiss on my head, so sweet. All the family rejoiced with me. They are the nicest people you can imagine. 

Puerto Ayora

On March 20 I took a boat from puerto Baquerizo Moreno in San Cristobal to Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz. It takes about 2 hours. It iss a smmall boat where most of the people sit in a U, close together, but there is a bench with 2-3 seats up right behind tthe captain and I was able to grab a seat there. It is so much nicer. Santa Cruz is a much larger island, actually the main island with the largest city in the Galapagos. The color of the see here is absolutely amazing. Between green and turquis, such a fantastic color.

Close to the beach Pelicans , blue footed boobies and fregate birds fishing. The boobies dive down vertically with an amazing velocity when they spot a fish

and here a frigate bird preparing to take off

and here a pelican preparing to take off. It looks so beautiful.

The place I loved most so far in Puerto Ayora i the fish market. You can see lots of customers there waiting for fish!

on both sides of the counter

and sometimes they get some leftovers

sealions are also regular customers

they are just too cute. I can stand there for hours and fotograph them. 

In the morning the fisherboats arrive with their fish. Have a look at that one! 

this one isn't bad either. It can still be carried. 

and here my favorite customer.

they never give up. and end up getting something. I guess they become too lazy to fish with time. 

tthey even stand very disciplined in a row, sometimes. 

Puerto Ayora, the part close to the sea, is very pretty and very touristic. I am staying at a cute cheap hotel which has the disadvantage of a very loud airconditioner which does not let me sleep and without the heat does not let me sleep. So I decided today to have a look if I can find anotheer hotel for the next 2 days.

I passed near a nice hotel, and had no idea that it is one of the most expensive on this island. I went inside, the receptionist was talking on the phone and a nice young man standing near him asked me if he could help me. I asked him if he had a single room available for 2 nights and what it costs. He looked at me with a big smile and said: you are Israeli, you have an Hebrew accent. I was puzzled and said: not exactly but I speak Hebrew and lived in Israel. He said: I love Israelis. I am merried to one. Come, sit down. And he showed me the rooms and the prices which are about $400 a night. I said- oh thank you, but that is much above my budget. I am staying at a hotel for $30 per night I had no idea it is so expensive here. He looked at me, smiled and said: OK, I'll make you a special price, I'll give it to you for $100. Take a mashkanta and allow yourself some luxury for 2 nights. He doesn't speak much Hebrew but he knows what a mashkanta is. I had to laugh and accepted his offer. We sat and talked for an hour, he was so happy to talk to an Israeli. He said, before Ecuador had Dollars many Israelis used to come becaue it was cheap, now it is much more expensive and hardly any come. He was born in the Galapagos, he is not Jewish. He was working as a tour guide and so he met his wife when she came to the Galapagos 8-9 years ago. And he is happily married ever since. He has 3 children and he is so happy they are jewish. He loves Israel, lived there for some time, his parents in law helped him build this fantastic hotel and now they live here part of the time but he visits Israel and loves it and loves the people there. He went with me to the receptionist, told him to give me the best room with sea view and told him to charge me the special price of $100 instead of $400 and told him- she is family. He embraced me and gave me a kiss before he had lo leave. So I am moving to this luxury hotel tomorrow for 2 nights before I go on my luxury cruise. Isn't that just too funny???? Oh, i forgot to mention- I had no intention at all of making a cruise in the Galapagos, because they are outrageously expensive and I thought, in 22 days , if I stay a few days in each of the 4 habitated islands, I'll get to see most of what I want. I was convinced of the contrary by some people who had made a cruise,  I found a cruise in a first class yacht for 1/2 price as a last minute offer and let someone convince me to take a 8 day cruise to get to many of the places which I could never visit alone. As it is my birthday this week, it is a nice treat tto spend my birthday on a first class yacht sailing in the Galapagos.on a good ship. It is a small yacht for 16 passengers.
Today I made a one day excursion to the island which I believe is the most beeautiful from the scenery. it is called Bartolome. Here some pictures to get an idea. (notice the ship on the right side of the so called Pinacle rock)

the scenery is otherworldly. 

We first went snorkeling at Sullivan bay, where there were supposed to be sea turtles, sea iguanas, pinguins etc. swimming in the water, but all I saw were 3 beautiful fishes. But it was nice swimming, the water is delicious. One girl saw a pelican fishing. There were too many people there, 7 boats anchored in the bay. The Ecuatorian president wants to make galapagos much more expensive, allow only luxury hotels so that only rich people come here. What a pity. lucky I made it in time, it is still expensive enough now!
The scenery on Bartolome is stunning. Here some more of it.

and the color of the sea is unbelievable

The luxury hotel where I stayed in Puerto Ayora has a swimmingpool and there is sealion that adopted this place as his home. He usually sleeps on the bench near the swimmingpool and when he gets too hot, he slides elegantly into the pool, which the guests love but the owner not so much.

and when he has had enough he gets out of the pool

and back on his bench,

There are more visitors at the pool. Here a big blue heron, drying his wings. Isn't he gorgeous?