twangster

This is were good polarizing sunglasses come in handy as they take the glare off the surface of the water allowing you see more clearly below the surface. The sheltered water of this lagoon was teaming with rays and even some small sharks. The wingtips of the rays were occasionally breaking the surface. It was pretty magical.

Next we boat off to a sheltered lagoon in search of something different. It doesn't take long until we find something other than Penguins and Iguanas. The Lava Heron. But wait, there's more.

Beware I'm about to go overboard with Penguin pictures! How often will I chance like this to be so close to true wildlife?

The afternoon zodiac tour was another boring event with nothing but sun and water. NOT!!! You be the judge of this excursion. We start exploring the coast where we see cactus unlike we have seen so far at our other stops. The volcanic hills in distance are a constant backdrop for this tour. It isn't long until the zodiac captains find us some wildlife to see. Penguins! And of course Marine Iguanas. But let's face it, Penguins are a lot cuter. The markings on their chest are unique to each individual like a fingerprint.

My kit for this trip is a Sony A7R4 with three lens. The 70-300mm has shot the bulk of the photos so far. The 14mm f1.8 was used for the Milky Way shot and some other wide angle shots. The 24 - 105mm f4 is usually my go to travel lens but I wanted something with some extra reach for this trip. So while I brought the 24-105mm I have not used it that much, instead I carry a Sony RX100M6 for portability when I need something wider than the 70-300mm offers. I could probably do the whole trip with the RX100M6 but it's a little cumbersome changing things like EV and manual focus. I have both a 200-600mm and a 60-600mm but with a full frame body those lens are so heavy I left them at home, instead leveraging the extra resolution of the A7R4 to crop which effectively turns the 70-300mm into a longer lens as long as I pay close attention to focus. The thing is I didn't want to be carrying extra lens around in the field so the 70-300mm is my workhorse and the RX100M6 is in my right front pocket for when I need a wide angle shot. Weight was a big factor considering the weight limits for LATAM from the mainland to the Galapagos. The funny thing about my water photos is that I couldn't find the factory battery door for my GoPro having replaced it with one that allows an external battery for long mountain bike rides. That alternate door isn't watertight. When I couldn't find my factory battery door combined with the weight limits I've come very close to exceeding I decided to leave the GoPro at home and I'm using a waterphone case for my phone as my water camera. That's been a PITA since it's so hard to control a touchscreen device underwater in a phone case, it's really been a pain, but something had to give without going way over my weight limits. My Samsung S22U phone has been used to fill at various times and for shooting menus but I'm not a fan of it's color profile - it really over emphasizes blues when outdoor. What I should have done is bought a waterproof housing for the RX100M6 and left the 24-105 at home to manage the weight budget.

After snorkeling it's lunch! I have a little time before the afternoon zodiac tour so I enjoyed the magnificent views as we slowly sailed to our next stop. Out here on the Western end of the island chain the volcanoes are not dormant. Compared to the islands that have slid to the East these islands still look the part from their volcanic origin. Given that we are at the Equator basically, note the shadow from table. It's almost straight down.

The thermoclines were very strong and at times it was like someone smeared vaseline on the mask the water was so distorted. This made picture taking a challenge. Despite this it was a very enjoyable snorkel. After 45 minutes it time to leave our snorkel buddy pups in the sea and return to the ship. There is nothing like coming back to warm bathrobes... ... and hot Ecuadorian chocolate waiting for you.

After a short break it was snorkel time. Today the water was noticeably cooler being where we were on the Western end of the island chain and the Cromwell current that brings nutrient rich cold water up from the floor of the sea to the West. Eventually we came along some Penguins on the shore. Despite our best wishes they stayed on the lava. That's okay because apparently we had been ignoring the playful Sea Lion pups who swam in to steal the show. We weren't giving it enough attention so it made a point of swimming right up into our face several times.

With that we had to say goodbye and head back to our Origin. And to think I was anticipating a boring zodiac run down the coast see nothing but rocks and waves. It was anything but that. It was a pretty amazing excursion.

Finishing up with a few last photos of our new best friends.

I've got to take a break from posting the morning session. An excursion is departing. Back in a bit.

Check out those blue eyes.

Our guide points out a Galapagos Hawk in the trees. And then a Sea Turtle pops up for a breath. Crab! Back to the Hawk. Wait... another Hawk arrived. There is wildlife in every direction. "Hey, over here! Forget those birds! I'm right here! Look at me!

Our guides points and says... Penguins! There are two flightless birds in the Galapagos. The Flightless Cormorant and the Galapagos Penguin. The American Oystercatcher.

Look at those blue feet! From a distance it's a lava rock. A little closer and it's alive. Marine Iguanas are everywhere. The Flightless Cormorant. "Over here! I'm right here! Look at me!"

Today consists of zodiac tours morning and afternoon with a deep water snorkel in between. When I first heard that we would only see the Galapagos today by zodiac without stepping foot on land I thought it would be some rocks and birds flying around. I was so wrong. It's hard for me to whittle down the pictures from our first zodiac tour so here is a photo dump from the morning session. Another group from our ship. Galapagos Pelican Sea Lions pups love attention and throughout this morning they are constantly trying to steal the show. "Look at me!" Sally Light Foot Crab.

Almost time for breakfast. Time to head downstairs.

A couple of the Expedition team guides were hosting an event in the observation lounge overlooking the bow of the ship. Frigatebirds were doing Frigatebird things. Including trying to steal a meal from another bird. The pirates of the skies maintained a lookout above the ship.

There were a number of Frigatebirds gliding above the ship. There were dozens and dozens of Galapagos Shearwaters skimming the service. Then the sun made an appearance.

Day Four - Punta Mangle and Punta Moreno First we have a Galapagos sunrise in the Bolivar Canal Crossing. I stepped out on my balcony early and discovered the makings of a new day. Time to head up to deck eight forward. Even in the darkness it was easy to make out the silhouette of a Frigatebird soaring above the ship. I could see a mist in the hills of the islands all around us.

Dinner menu. Before dinner was a lecture followed by the destination talk for tomorrow. The lecture was about the currents that prevail in the Galapagos Islands and it really helped to explain so much about the Galapagos Islands. The Finch beverage (look it up on the bar menu posted earlier). We cross the Equator four times on this itinerary (the yellow dotted line). Given the different currents we learned about, this means at times, depending on the currents, we can experience some motion. It hasn't bothered me yet and I'm pretty far forward but if you are sensitive you'll want to explore motion remedies before you depart for any cruise and this cruise is no different. Tomorrow will not involve a landing on the island. There will be zodiac tours of the coast in the morning and afternoon with a deep water snorkel before lunch. Spoiler alert - I'm writing this post on day four after dinner having experienced what this destination talk highlighted and wow! What a day. But more on that later... This has been awaiting us each evening in the suite. I've been collecting the Chronicles for another time. Picari chocolate is a premium Ecuadorian brand I learned about at the Cocoa museum in Guayaquil. There have been different flavors for us on the bed each evening. All I can say is...it's good, very good,

Back on the ship and you know you are having a great day when Pinnacle Rock is framed in your suite window.

If you had asked me before about a hike on some lava I would said yeah, okay, sure. Now? Just wow! So different from our other stops, and that is the magic of a Galapagos Islands cruise. "Can we get an Uber for ten please?" Just another example of pictures don't do this justice, you have to come here and experience it.

The patterns of the Pahoehoe flow are mesmerizing. Or maybe I've been out here too long and the heat is getting to me. I think I'm going to find one of these pictures to blow up and put on my wall at home to remind me of this trip. It's basically like art.

A lava lizard is spotted darting around the lava flow. These large cracks show the make up of the flow. I spotted a cold cerveza in the distance. Pinnacle Rock like a beacon to guide us home. Lava cactus is another sign of the lava flow coming to life.