Hitchhiking Birds

                                                   Smart Birds

    I saw a lot of neat animals and numerous birds when in the Galapagos Islands.

     We left Santa Cruz Island in the evening for an all night cruise to Tower Island. Our guide sent us to bed with the promise of a surprise in the morning.

     When I walked out on deck, with my first cup of coffee in my hand, the next morning I suddenly stopped, mesmerized by the sight of two red-footed boobies perched on the boat ‘s bowsprit. Their red webbed feet held tight to the rails and with the wind blowing in their beautiful faces, the birds looked very regal.

    They sat there in all their splendor for a very long time. My son had been up for some time and had taken pictures. He walked very slowly over to me and said, “Aren’t they wonderful, Mom?”

    We all were very quiet, speaking in hushed tones and moved very slowly, if at all. We learned that red-footed boobies feed far out to sea in deep waters. After a night of fishing and feeding the birds often hitch a ride back to shore on boats that sail the islands.

    The birds posed like it was expected of them. We were all excited and enjoyed the birds’ company for a long time. Everyone had a chance to get their photos and to enjoy the up close encounter with the red footed boobies.  What a way to start the day!

THE ACCIDENT

                            WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

   

     At the halfway mark of our time in the islands, 650 miles off the coast of Ecuador, we looked forward to a full and busy day. At dawn opening our cabin curtains I could see that we were anchored right off Pinnacle Rock at Bartholome Island.

     At 5:30 A.M. we loaded  the pangas to cruise slowly around the island shoreline looking for penguins. We were not disappointed and the mating pair was especially exciting. Although the girls had swum with penguins a couple days before that was a much different experience than seeing them early in the morning on the rocks where they blended in  with the lava rock. During the next hour we also saw marine iguanas, crabs, heron, pelicans, oyster catchers, sea lions and manta rays, before heading back to the Boat for a hearty breakfast.

     After getting prepared for a dry landing at a pier by the beach we were off again to climb up to Bartholome lighthouse. Our guide  told us it was 400 steps up, but did not mentioned there were many long planked pathways in between. It was not a strenuous climb, and once at the top the views were fantastic. I was especially cautious at the pinnicle as there was a lot of loose rock and it doesn’t take much to go sliding on that.

      Back to the boat we prepared for a wet landing at a coral-colored beach for swimming. We were walking on a narrow one-person wide sandy path through a mangrove thicket when I stepped on a sand covered rock. The sand shifted and in less than a blink of an eye I was on the ground turned around, It did not take an expert to know I had broken my leg---just didn’t know in three places,

    Then the unfortunate  experience began! Thankfully there was no blood, no compound fracture and I had not hit my head. The boat crew was summoned to the island with a backboard. I never realized how narrow those backboards are! I made it to the beach without falling off the board and without getting all scratched up from the brambles. The crew decided it would be easier to balance me and the board on the gunnel of the zodiac than to lift me down inside! It was a slow but  short putt putt back to the boat. It was a jostle and tug to get me aboard the boat and then up 6-7 steps to the main lounge/saloon.

     My older granddaughter asked for a first aid kit as she was looking for an ace bandage, She went to her cabin and retrieved her newly purchased Ecuadorian beach towel to use as a splint. After that I was comfortable and all was well---until I needed the restroom. There was no head in the lounge but I managed to have enough handholds to hop from the couch to the cabin door. Anyone familiar with boats knows that all hatchways have a 3-4-inch lip that must be stepped over. Thirty years ago it probably would not have been a problem for me to give one big hop and  I’d be over the threshold. But not at 84!With a little teamwork and a bit of a lift I made it out onto the deck where I then had the bulkhead on one side and a hand rail on the other to hobble to my cabin.To this day I’m  grateful  I requested the cabins I did as they avoided all ladders/steps. But I stayed in my cabin for the rest of the day where I could manage from the bunk to the head.

     It was safe to delay hauling anchor until the swim was over and all had had lunch. It was a 3 ½-4 hour cruise  to Santa Cruz to a doctor and hospital. An ambulance was waiting for me on the dock  at  Puerto Ayora to take me to a facility for X-rays. It was well after working hours but someone had convinced a really sweet Xray tech to stay open and wait for me. The facility was super clean, the equipment new and in no time my  X-rays were on the computer!

On to the hospital ER. 

WONDERFUL BIRDS

                                               Surprises All Day

Besides the animals we had many surprises in the Galapagos Island. After a visit to the Darwin Research Center and museum on Santa Cruz Island we checked out the giant tortoises. They were in all stages of growth. The babies were in pens. When they get a little bigger they are placed in large enclosures, and the adults were lumbering around the grounds everywhere.

More memorable than the Center was the delicious lunch we had up in the highlands where it was considerably cooler. The tropical landscaping was gorgeous and the view magnificent.

On the way down from the highlands we stopped to walk the rim of a sink hole. Our guide instructed. “Sit quietly for awhile and listen to the songs of the Galapagos doves and watch the vermilion flycatchers.”

 We did, and the birds’ songs were the only sound that broke the absolute solitude of this quiet place. Wonderful!

Later we visited a large lava tunnel. Some of the younger people descended the rough trail to explore its depths. It was a bit rough for my old joints to say nothing of my claustrophobia, so I stayed in daylight and enjoyed the scenery.

We left Santa Cruz Island late in the evening for an all night cruise to Tower Island. We were sent  to bed with the promise of a surprise in the morning.

When I walked out on deck the next morning with my first cup of coffee I suddenly stopped short, mesmerized by the sight of two red footed boobies perched on the bowsprit. They sat there in all their splendor for a very long time. My son  had been up for some time and had taken pictures. He slowly walked over to me and said, “Aren’t they wonderful, Mom?”

Later we learned these birds feed far out to sea in deep waters. They usually hitch a ride back to shore on the boats that sail the islands. By being quiet and moving slowly everyone was able to take pictures. The birds posed as if it were expected of them. It was a wonderful surprise and a great way to start a new day!