13 Pictures of Española

Anybody know how to get the little curvy Spanish thing over the n?

We sailed over night from Santa Cruz to Española. Talk about a bumpy ride! We were only just getting used to the motion of the boat, and didn’t sleep well. But it was worth it when we arrived.

1. We started the day at Suarez Point where we snorkeled and hung out on a beach with sea lions.

2. Then we went around to Gardner Bay for a hike. Again with the sea lions. There are a lot of them in the Galapagos.

3. It was a pretty rugged hike.

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6. Check out the sea iguanas. I count nine of them in this picture. They have a strong tenancy to lay around looking like rocks. I nearly stepped on one more than once.

7. Blue Footed Boobies, a mated pair right in the path.

8. There are tons of tourists coming off various ships and hiking around the same paths, but that doesn’t bother the animals any.

9. Sea lions again. Sometimes we’d find them in groups, and sometimes off by themselves. They’re a versatile lot.

10. Spiny sea urchin. The ocean is full of them. This is our official, government sanctioned tour guide, George. He and/or Hernand went with us every step of the way.

11. The urchins tend to drop off their spines. It happens so much they fill the beaches.

12. Several times I looked down to find I wasn’t standing on sand, but on shells.

13. Albatrosses like to nest on Española. It’s flat on top with a nice drop off to the sea making it easy to take off and land.

Well, that brings us up through Day 2 of my trip. More to come.

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