second day cruise

We sailed dduring the night to Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos, which has 5 active volcanoes...

In the morning we took a panga ride to Tintoreras island. Tintoreras is the Spanish name for the shark that lives there. The island is mostly made up of solidified lava stones and there are lots sea iguanas  living there among the stones. 

This next photo is not mine. I saw it in a book and was fascinated by this family portrait. But these are actually lland iguanas, not marine iguanas. I just had to show it to you. 

The landscape of these volcanic islands is fasciinating. You walk oon solidified lava which has all kinds of bizarre forms. We walked around for 1,5 hours, photographing iguanas and birds. On the way we met this cute Galapagos pinguin standing on the rocks. 

that's what the solidified lava looks like here

and this is a lava lizzard. 

There are hundreds if not more  marine iguanas on the rocks, warming each other after they came out from the water.

There is also a beautiful beach there with mangrove trees but you are not allowed to swim there because somme birds or marine iguanas are nesting there, I think. We even saw sharks swimming in a canal where they seem to like the warm water. You can snorkel here with the sharks, they don't attack people. Carlos, our very cute and excellent guide said the galapagos sharks are vegetarian.

and here another cute pinguin on the way

Afterward we went snorkeling at a bay with fantastically clear turquoise water. called Concha de Perla, but I only got to see a few fish.

in the afternoon we drove to a place where they hatch little land turtles to try to increase the population. Scientists think that in the 15th century, before people first landed on the islands, there was a population of more than 300.000 of these giant turtles, there might eve have been a million inthe past, now there are 35000 . They brought several large ones so they could multiply and take care of the little ones until they are 10 years old, then they liberate them. Such a turtle may live up to 180 years. The old ones are huge.

In nature many of the babies don't survive as they are eaten by rats and other animals which have been imported into these islands by pirates and other ships. 

Then we had 2 hours free time in puerto Villamil the little town on Isabeela, so we could support the local economy.

In the evenings people go to sleep here real early. I love to sit on the deck , feel the swinging of the boat on the waves.