"Ecuador direct" from the BBC

I stumbled across this on the BBC news website today. For anyone who is as fascinated as I am by Ecuador, or even if you're just slightly interested, this page is as diverse as the country itself. You can read about the political stability of Ecuador and the popularity, or otherwise, of the president Rafael Correa - or the last iceman in Ecuador, living at the foot of the Chimborazo volcano... take your pick!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-22442688

Tortuga bay

Today, I got up really early and went to Tortuga bay. I love this beach at 7 in the morning when it is completely empty. It's walking distance from Puerto Ayora but once you get to the entrance, you have to walk 2.5 kilometers along a stone path through vast vegetation filled with Galapagos giant cacti (opuntia), other interesting plants, and the odd finch. You arrive at the largest of two beaches where people go to surf and turtles nest. Further down, this beach teems with marine iguanas and you can always find the odd one swimming in the small lagoon at the end of the beach. Today I found a shark though. I'd rather have found an iguana. Then you turn the corner and come across the most tranquil and beautiful beach you have ever seen (in my opinion and early in the morning before it becomes swamped with tourists). There is often a lone ray swimming about and blue-footed boobies and pelicans share this spot too. A friend of mine, Sandro, rents kayaks at the end of this beach to explore the area around the mangroves and rocks on the other side. I took one out today, and besides burning myself to a crisp, saw some turtles and some huge sharks (well at least two metres long I'm sure). I was glad to be in my kayak and not the guy snorkelling out to the middle...

Tour de bahia

On Wednesday, I joined a tour of the bay with a company owned by a friend of mine, Chamaco (Chamacuss Tours, Lancha Express One). These tours leave twice a day, morning and afternoon, and take you to la loberia, where you can snorkel with sea lions, la playa de los perros (dogs' island - incidentally named after a species of crab that used to be found there, and nothing to do with dogs), el canal del amor (the channel of love), el canal de tiburones (shark channel), salt marshes, and las grietas (in this case grieta means crack i.e. a geological formation created in the volcanic rock) where you can swim in the sometimes transparently clear water or jump from the rock ledges above. You can see a huge amount of wildlife on this tour: sea lions at la loberia, iguanas on the playa de los perros, sharks in the canal de tiburones, and if you're lucky, turtles on the way back. Not to mention the sunset over Puerto Ayora if you go on the afternoon tour. It's a great way to take in many of the sites close to Puerto Ayora and the guides are excellent. Chamaco can be found close to the pier from where the boat leaves and you can contact him at  marcelo21_06@hotmail.com

happy couple

sea lion at la loberia

las grietas

blue-footed boobies

sea lion

canal del amor

another happy couple

iguanas on playa de los perros

salt marsh

canal del amor

sunset over Puerto Ayora

on the way back

Galapagos boat

sunset over salt marsh

sunset over Puerto Ayora

Charles Darwin, Galápagos, Ecuador

Friday 11th May, I flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador, for a flight the following day to the Galapagos islands. I'm not here as a tourist in the sense that I'm lucky to have been here many times, so I won't be doing any luxurious cruises or island hopping. I'm just making the most of spending time with close friends and a family who has a special place in my heart. I'm staying with them in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island.

On Sunday, there were huge celebrations for Mother's day all over the town - Ecuadorians (and probably all over Latin America) do this really well - and I'll take this opportunity to wish my mum a happy Mother's day! On Monday, I took the children to the beach at the Charles Darwin Foundation after school. And the following day, I did something I have never done here despite having visited many times, and that is actually go to the Charles Darwin Foundation! The foundation is an international non-governmental, non-profit organisation financed by donations and  founded in 1959 for conservation and scientific research purposes and also promotes awareness of the special environment of the Galapagos islands. The research station is really fascinating and provides a huge amount of information about the Galapagos islands and the conservation and development programme. Charles Darwin arrived here in 1835 after the Galapagos islands had been officially declared part of the republic of Ecuador in 1832. He developed his theory of evolution observing the characteristics of finches on each of the islands and noticed how they had evolved differently according to their specific habitat, into 13 different species of finches that differ specifically according to the size and shape of the beaks. Many plant and animal species on different islands are in danger of becoming extinct over the years as a result of the introduction of other species that are not endemic to the islands and the Charles Darwin foundation works with the Galapagos National Park service to try to prevent these species from becoming extinct, and also to eradicate introduced species that endanger the heritage of the islands. The Charles Darwin research station also contains a breeding centre for tortoises and land iguanas from specific islands, where they are bred and raised to a certain age and then are reintroduced into their original environment. For more information, look at: www.darwinfoundation.org

Guayaquil

one of the Galapagos islands!

Galapagos islands

Galapagos islands

beach at Charles Darwin research station

my favourite Galapagueñas

 

Española island tortoises

tribute to Lonesome George