Tuesday,
February 5, 2019
We dragged ourselves out of bed at 6 am to make breakfast at 6:30, only to find out breakfast was not until 7 am. Drat!
Today we did 2 stops on Floreana Island. Floreana Island is 173 sq km and was the first island to be inhabited. An Irishman named Patrick Watkins was the first person to ever inhabit the Galapagos, and lived here from 1807-1809. Ecuadorians started living here in 1832.
Today we did 2 stops on Floreana Island. Floreana Island is 173 sq km and was the first island to be inhabited. An Irishman named Patrick Watkins was the first person to ever inhabit the Galapagos, and lived here from 1807-1809. Ecuadorians started living here in 1832.
imagecredit:https://www.vacationstogo.com/cruise_port/Isla_Floreana__Ecuador.cfm
Floreana
was also the first capital of the Galapagos. It is where Charles
Darwin met the Governor of the Islands. This is why Floreana is also
called Charles.
Floreana
is one of the few populated islands (population 100). Most of the
locals make their living by farming. Water is scarce, the only source
being a pond that fills with fresh water during the rainy season.
Transportation can also be challenging, with a boat arriving from
Santa Cruz about every 2 weeks.
imagecredit:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floreana_Island
In
the 1600's, Floreana was inhabited by pirates and whalers, and then
used as a penal colony. It was a short-lived penal colony (no fresh
water!).
In
1842, the crew of the Essex (the real Moby Dick crew) landed on
Floreana and took another 60 tortoises, despite the 300 they had
already taken on Española.
As a prank, one of the crew members set a fire on the island, but it
quickly spread as it was the dry season. The crew ran through flames
to get back to their ship, and after a full day at sea, they could
still see smoke. Shortly after this, the Essex was crushed by a
giant sperm whale. The crew was forced to abandon ship, and drifted
helplessly in lifeboats for months before turning to cannibalism to
survive, at one point drawing straws to see who would be killed and
eaten next. Of 20 crew members, only 8 survived. Seven were
cannibalized. If you like this stuff, watch the movie In the Heart
of the Sea.
imagecredit:https://fineartamerica.com/featured/moby-dick-james-edwin-mcconnell.html
For
many years, Floreana remained a blackened wasteland, and the fire is
said to have been the cause of the extinction of the Floreana
Tortoise and Floreana Mockingbird.
Regardless,
all the human disturbances and introduction of non-native seeds and
animals wiped out all the native flora and fauna on Floreana. There
is an island restoration program on Floreana which aims to eliminate
introduced mammals and return as many native species as possible. The plants we see here now have all floated over from the mainland. We saw a lot of mangroves along the beaches and the "incense tree".
The Floreana tortoise went extinct 150 years ago. Recently, scientists found 19 tortoises with partial Floreana ancestry on the island of Isabella. The theory is that sailors may have taken some of the Floreana tortoises on board their ships to bring along for meat, but changed their minds and released them on Isabella. In 2018, 67 tortoises hatched from the first nesting season of the new Floreana tortoise breeding program. Nesting runs from January until June. Rangers control introduced predators which include pigs who eat the eggs, and feral cats who eat the hatchlings.
The Floreana tortoise went extinct 150 years ago. Recently, scientists found 19 tortoises with partial Floreana ancestry on the island of Isabella. The theory is that sailors may have taken some of the Floreana tortoises on board their ships to bring along for meat, but changed their minds and released them on Isabella. In 2018, 67 tortoises hatched from the first nesting season of the new Floreana tortoise breeding program. Nesting runs from January until June. Rangers control introduced predators which include pigs who eat the eggs, and feral cats who eat the hatchlings.
imagecredit:https://www.galapagos.org/newsroom/floreana-tortoise-species-resurrection/
In
the morning we had a wet landing at Cormorant Point (7 am to 1 pm). There
are no cormorants on Floreana Island: this spot was named after a
military ship.
Our
excursion included a long easy walk to the flamingo lagoon. They say that Floreana is home to the pinkest flamingos in the world. Although we saw pinker ones in Kenya.
Some Vermillion Flycatchers followed us from tree to tree as we walked. They were sweet.
We went to a sea turtle nesting beach. We could see a lot of holes where the nests are (parents do not incubate the nests) and some baby turtle tracks.
We stood a watched a pair of sea turtles mating in the water. Wouldn't this be easier for them on land? There was another turtle behind them waiting for his turn.
Everyone is encouraged to pick up any plastics and garbage we find on the beaches. There are "collection centers" for the garbage. Tracy found a child's shoe.
The
north coast of the island has 2 contrasting beaches. The first is
Flour Beach, with sand that is made up of shells, coral, etc from the
sea.
Some Vermillion Flycatchers followed us from tree to tree as we walked. They were sweet.
We went to a sea turtle nesting beach. We could see a lot of holes where the nests are (parents do not incubate the nests) and some baby turtle tracks.
We stood a watched a pair of sea turtles mating in the water. Wouldn't this be easier for them on land? There was another turtle behind them waiting for his turn.
Everyone is encouraged to pick up any plastics and garbage we find on the beaches. There are "collection centers" for the garbage. Tracy found a child's shoe.
imagecredit:https://straightoutofbelco.wordpress.com/2013/12/06/floreana/
This was our first real sighting of the famous Blue-Footed Booby.
There
were a lot of Sally Lightfoot crabs running around the rocks.
We
got a chance to go snorkeling off the beach. It was a much better experience today because Frankie got a mask that fits. Apparently her face is too narrow for a regular snorkel mask. The naturalist called her a Baby Face.
They call this a Chocolate Chip Starfish:
We saw a huge stingray burrowing into the sand:
After lunch, we started with a 45 minute zodiac ride around some small islands, through lush mangroves and coves.
There was a colony of sea lions, it was fun to watch the babies play. There was one rather loud alpha male:
We saw a huge stingray burrowing into the sand:
There was a colony of sea lions, it was fun to watch the babies play. There was one rather loud alpha male:
The zodiac ride took us in the waters around the Baroness' Viewing Point (La Loberia). It was
named after Austrian Baronesa Eloisa Von Wagner who lived here in the
1930s and who enjoyed watching ships who were approaching the island.
imagecredit:https://uncover.travel/baroness-lookout/
The
Baroness seems to have been an interesting character. But first a little history:
As Hitler was rising to power, a German Dr. Ritter was the first to
arrive on Floreana Island in 1929 with his lover Dore Strauch.
Interesting side note: Dr. Ritter did not want any dental
complications here, so he removed all his teeth and wore
stainless-steel dentures. Our guide said they both had their teeth removed and shared the dentures.
imagecredit:https://filmmakermagazine.com/85234-she-said-she-said-the-galapagos-affair-satan-came-to-eden/#.XDzSclxKiUk
Shortly afterwards, a German couple, the Wittmers, arrived. The 2 families avoided each other, until the Baroness arrived with her 2 lovers, Robert Philippson and Rudolf Lorenz. The Baroness paraded around the island in skimpy clothing and a pistol on her hip, and assumed ownership of the island. She wanted to build a 5 star hotel here.
imagecredit:https://www.gadventures.com/blog/the-dark-side-of-the-galapagos/
When
the Baroness took a preference to Robert over Rudolf, the jilted
lover took solace in the friendship of the Wittmers. This caused
further tensions between the Ritters and the Wittmers. On March 27,
1934, the Baroness disappeared with Robert. According to Rudolf,
they boarded a boat and left the island. Strauch claims there was no
boat and says she heard a scream. Did the jilted lover murder them?
Unknown, but they were never heard from again. And Rudolf was in a
big hurry to leave the island afterwards. He never made it to his
destination, and his mummified remains were found on another island
months later. And to make the story even more sinister, Dr. Ritter
died a few months later from poisoning. Many believe that his lover
Strauch poisoned him. Strauch returned to Germany and was admitted to
a mental institute. The institute was hit by a bomb during the war,
and she was killed. The island deaths remain a mystery to this day.
imagecredit:https://www.zazzle.com.au/cartoon+magnifying+glass+accessories
After the zodiac ride, we had a wet landing and walked along the beach. There was a manta that looked like he was grounded on shore, but he eventually made his way back out to the water.
Just a bit inland, we stopped at Bahia Post Office, established around 1793. When whaling ships passed through this area in the 1700s, they left letters to loved ones in a wooden barrel. The letters were picked up by other whaling ships headed in that direction (no postage required). Tourists have continued this tradition. You can leave a postcard and look for one to hand-deliver once you get home. Our group went through over 100 postcards, and we were disappointed that we did not find one to deliver to someone in our area. Over 1700 people have left cards over the years. We thought it would be fun to leave a postcard to ourselves and see if it ever arrives. Our home is not always easy for people to find.
For excursions, we are given a briefing the night before about the next day's options, and you have to sign up for what you want. Then when you meet on deck, you take a number and that is the zodiac you are assigned to. They are pretty strict about everyone in your party being present before you take a number. We waited for Laurie, so ended up in the last zodiac to leave. The plus side is that there are always fewer people in the last group (we were in the last group for the walk yesterday as well). The down side is that some groups get back to the ship an hour before you do, and you are rushed to take showers and make it to the presentation.
Yippee! When we got into our stateroom after dinner, there was a note that said everyone on deck 3 could get a bag of laundry done for $30. This is a pretty good deal when just a pair of socks normally costs $3. The bag is pretty small, but gosh darn, we are going to stuff that there bag FULL!!! Maybe the cabin stewards are getting tired of seeing our underwear hanging all over the cabin????
Just a bit inland, we stopped at Bahia Post Office, established around 1793. When whaling ships passed through this area in the 1700s, they left letters to loved ones in a wooden barrel. The letters were picked up by other whaling ships headed in that direction (no postage required). Tourists have continued this tradition. You can leave a postcard and look for one to hand-deliver once you get home. Our group went through over 100 postcards, and we were disappointed that we did not find one to deliver to someone in our area. Over 1700 people have left cards over the years. We thought it would be fun to leave a postcard to ourselves and see if it ever arrives. Our home is not always easy for people to find.
For excursions, we are given a briefing the night before about the next day's options, and you have to sign up for what you want. Then when you meet on deck, you take a number and that is the zodiac you are assigned to. They are pretty strict about everyone in your party being present before you take a number. We waited for Laurie, so ended up in the last zodiac to leave. The plus side is that there are always fewer people in the last group (we were in the last group for the walk yesterday as well). The down side is that some groups get back to the ship an hour before you do, and you are rushed to take showers and make it to the presentation.
Yippee! When we got into our stateroom after dinner, there was a note that said everyone on deck 3 could get a bag of laundry done for $30. This is a pretty good deal when just a pair of socks normally costs $3. The bag is pretty small, but gosh darn, we are going to stuff that there bag FULL!!! Maybe the cabin stewards are getting tired of seeing our underwear hanging all over the cabin????
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