The ever present Monday “blues” takes on new meaning when you are on a boat in the middle of the Galapagos. We started out the day with an amazing breakfast and then we were soon off! We started off our morning adventure by riding in a dingy along the rocky edge of a small island. We boated though an opening in the island’s cliffs where the walls created an illusion of being in a large cathedral. We spent a total of three hours walking a beautiful white sandy beach. We then went snorkeling off the beach and watched sea lions swim under and all around us. Swimming with sea lions was a treat, but definitely we cautiously enjoyed the moment as they seemed quite large. We enjoyed a quick boat ride around Kicking Island (named so because it is shaped like a soccer cleat!) where we saw the island we had seen from the distance. We saw the craggy cliffs and enjoyed watching the nesting birds. Lunch with the girls at one table and the boys at another was a fun change of pace where the girls chatted about a variety of interesting subjects and the boys talked about sports. Single minded lot that they are!! Then it was time for a siesta where Kathy fell promptly asleep listening to a lesson about dinosaurs.
Three o’clock was soon here and the next snorkeling adventure was on Sea Lions cove. Dave opted to go with Chris, Elena, and Katya while Kathy hung out with Elizabeth and Ed on the upper deck. Dave swam with several playful sea lions who thought Dave’s camera was a food treat for them. He also got some good footage of a sea turtle swimming and a sting ray at the sea bottom. Of course, there were also plenty of colorful fish and sea cucumbers. Afterwards, we all reunited at the boat and got ready for another land expedition. We went ashore on Sea Lion cove and saw many marine iguanas, and nesting frigate birds and blue boobies. Dave got some footage of a mother blue-footed booby trying to feed her young’n. While the baby had its head in the mom’s beak feeding, a frigate bird swooped down and tried to take the fish away. This is why the frigate bird is sometimes called the “pirate bird.”
At dinner, we went back to enjoying meals with our respective spouses. It was another good meal topped off with a dessert of cheesecake (that was almost like a custard cake.) After more lively discussion, it was time to repair to our cabins, where Kathy promptly fell asleep, leaving Dave high and dry!