Retrospective
On the visit to Santiago and Bartolome Islands I saw, for the first time, lava that actually looks like what I imagined lava to look like. The Galapagos are incredibly different from the volcanic lands of Iceland. A large area is covered by black streaks and swirls of lava flows. For contrast, heaps of iron-heavy rusted red ash sprout out of the field. From not-so-far away the field of rock appears to be a river flowing between the hills.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Elsewhere along the island we saw a pair of penguins on the shore when we were out on the panga. The penguins jumped in the water for a little bow-chica-wow which lasted an instant. We soon came ashore and took a swim with them. The penguin is very slick, dashing underwater after the fish.
Bartolome Island was the one place we had a chance to walk up the volcano. In general the walking areas are very restricted. Here there is a boardwalk. The views just before sunset are gorgeous, featuring pinnacle rock, a tall pointy formation at the coast.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Black volcanic rock formations along the shore have pools and bridges, so that the waters coming up into the tidepools look very much like geysers preparing to erupt. Marine iguanas, crabs, and, here, a few fur seals line the rocks. The fur seals are difficult to tell apart from sea lions.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
We spent a good part of a day while the boat was moving watching carefully overboard for turtles. The sea creates many illusions, but we spotted several, as well as a couple shark fins and many of what we thought were trails of blood. The guide later told us they were red algae.
On one snorkeling outing, I turned a corner and faced a pair of sharks swimming by. A girl from the cruise was next to me. We looked at the sharks, froze, and looked at each other. We turned for another glimpse at the sharks before pulling our heads out of the water to look around for the guy with the camera. He was swimming straight toward them and was on top of the spot in 10 seconds. He never saw them.
Costs
Crew and guide tips and snorkeling equipment prorated.
Daily cost: $26.67
Cumulative cost: $4,167.44