Iceland - Summer 2005

A geologically young land, Iceland is located on both the Iceland hotspot and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which runs right through it so the island is highly geologically active with many volcanoes, notably Hekla, Eldgjá, Herðubreið and Eldfell.

The volcanic eruption of Laki in 1783–1784 caused a famine that killed nearly a quarter of the island's population. In addition, the eruption caused dust clouds and haze to appear over most of Europe and parts of Asia and Africa for several months afterwards.

Iceland has many geysers, including the eponymous Geysir and Strokkur, which erupts every 8–10 minutes. With the widespread availability of geothermal power, and the harnessing of many rivers and waterfalls for hydroelectricity, most residents have access to inexpensive hot water, heating and electricity.

NB: On 21 March 2010, a volcano in Eyjafjallajökull in the south of Iceland erupted for the first time since 1821. The resultant ash cloud brought major disruptions to air travel across Europe and made our trip to the Galapagos less crowded!

Day One
Hired a car for our trip to Glasgow Airport - IcelandAir to Reykjavik... (Actually flew into Keflavik and picked up our Suzuki 4x4). Found Reykjavik OK but the hotel (Foss Hotel Baron)



took a bit longer! It's not far from the sea - near the Viking Ship sculpture.



We wandered around the world's northernmost capital town - had a cake and a coffee - which gave us an intro as to how much things cost!


We were amused at a sign that instructed you not to bring tractors into Town!



And the four laid up whalers on the same pontoon as a whale watching trip ship!

Also caught the "Faces of the North" - an exhibition of photos by Ragna Axelsson - capturing lives of the people of the Faroes, Greenland and Iceland.





We had an excellent meal at the 'Tveir Fiskar' (see photo below) the first night (lucky I had booked as in this 60+ seat restaurant we were the only ones in until 10pm!). Owner was Gissar Gudmundsson (Chairman of the Icelandic's Chefs' Association - and meant to be one of the best chefs in Iceland - he won Chef of the Year in 2003).



Reykjavik ("smakey Bog") seems unremarkable - except that 190,000 Icelanders live in the town - & there is only about 300,000 of them! Dominating the skyline is the cathedral or main church - "Hallgrim's somehow well named! (the proper full name is Hallgrímskirkja - its a Lutherean Church!)



Cannot remember the rest of the trip in terms of when and where but we certainly ...



... walked along the beautiful black sands of Djúpalónssandur beach

... marvelled at Goðafoss waterfall (the Waterfall of the Gods).



It’s said that into this 30 metre wide, gently curving waterfall, a pagan priest called Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði symbolically threw the idols of the Norse gods in the year 1,000, signifying Christianity becoming Iceland’s official religion.

... stayed in Husavik and and did some whale watching.



It's near the capital of the north, Akureyri which is the second biggest town in Iceland (though that is not a big boast!). Not far is the stunning Lake Mývatn and surrounding area of Dimmuborgir (Dark Cities). A lot of geothermal activity is in the area, resulting in numerous hot springs and Mývatn Nature Baths.



... travelled across Modrudalsoraefi - the highland desert



stared at the renowned for its stark beauty to Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, located in the majestic Jokulsargljufur canyon - Europe's mightiest cascade.



watched awe-struck as 96,500 gallons of water flow through it per second, often black from sediment, and it’s so powerful that the vibrations can be felt in the nearby rocks. The falls are 100 metres wide, with a 45-metre drop down into the craggy shores of Jökulsárgljúfur canyon below.



The Eurasian and American tectonic plates may now be pulling apart in Thingvellir National Park, but over a thousand years ago this was the site where Iceland's first parliament came together



Þingvellir National Park is home to the Parliament Plains. Þingvellir was the location of Iceland's first parliament, founded in 930 and ostensibly the world’s oldest, and is the location of the Silfra fissure, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart.



The resulting gap is partly filled with fresh water and is clearly visible. Near here we went to the Geysir geothermal area, and checked out the Strokkur Geyser – we got a thrill when the geyser swelled with water before erupting and shooting a cloud of steam & water some 20-30 metres in the air. We were spellbound by the immense beauty and sheer power of the Gullfoss (Golden) double waterfall on the Hvita River.

Santiago and Bartolome Islands

Santiago - also known as James, and/or San Salvador - was a favourite island for pirates and whalers, and had a long human history - near Puerto Egas, not far from where we landed, salt mining operations were attempted. Great effort was put into extracting salt from the crater though little profit was made and the venture was abandoned. We wet-landed on a black sand beach following a longish trail, seeing lots of land and marine iguanas, cacti as well as Darwin's Finches - see later blog on these specifically, Galapagos Doves
(Zenaida galapagoensis)

- its curved beak allows it to feed on seeds picked from the ground, mainly of the Opuntia cactus. Cactus pulp forms part of their diet and is probably their main source of water as the dove is found in the more arid parts of the main islands. The dove is most commonly seen on the ground where it forages for seeds and fruits. Even when disturbed its reluctant to take to fly off. One lovely fact - it seems 'Natural Selection' has given rise to softened cactus plants' spines, allowing the dove to pollinate the flowers - remember there is only one hard working bee in Galapagos ...

the Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa darwinii)!

Galapagos lava lizards (Microlophus albemarlensis),which feed on beetles, spiders, snails and insects such as ants. The male Lava Lizard may have two, three or more mates in a harem, and they can be very aggressive in defending their territory and will stand with front extended, on all fours, usually sideways to their opponent to maximise their apparent size; extend the scales on their backs, and bob up and down.




We reached the seal grottos, where Tim Guiness lost his camera case briefly! We watched the Galapagos Fur Seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis - see footnote) play and then we returned for breakfast, cooled off and then went to the beach for a snorkel, Margaret too.

After lunch I went deep-water snorkelling, along the cliff and the famous tuff cone. Enjoyed the company of turtles and penguins!

Then it was time for our climb up the staircase to take in the famous viewpoint, with plenty of opportunities for photos.



Footnote on Galápagos fur seals. They live in large colonies on the rocky shores. These colonies are then divided up into territories by the female seals during breeding season which is Mid-August to mid-November. Every mother seal claims a territory for herself and breeds her pups here. This seal has a longer nursing period than any other species of seal. Females have been known to nurse up to three year old pups, but usually it takes somewhere from one to two years before the pup leaves and lives on its own. The reason some pups take longer than others to develop is because when there is a shortage of food, which can be caused by El Nino, the mothers can not properly nourish their young. El Nino has a devastating effect on the fur seals of the Galápagos. During El Nino years food supplies can drop extremely low, causing many seals to die from starvation. This is because El Nino raises the temperatures of the waters around the Galápagos, causing the seals’ food supply to migrate to cooler water. During the nursing years, females will leave for up to four days at a time to forage for food. They then return to rest and feed the pup for just one day and then return back to the sea and repeat the process. While the mother is away, the pup must be careful because other female seals are extremely violent against pups that are not their own. Female seals will defend their territories to the death. They do not want to lose their area because they will not be able to breed then. If a pup wanders into another female’s territory, the female sees this as a threat and will attack or may even kill the pup. The Galápagos fur seal feeds primarily on fish and cephalopods. They feed relatively close to shore and near the surface, but have been seen at depths of 169 meters. They primarily feed at night because their prey is much easier to catch then. During normal years, food is relatively plentiful. However, during an El Nino year there can be fierce competition for food and many young pups die during these years. The adult seals feed themselves before their young and during particularly rough El Nino years, most of the young seal populations will die.

North Seymour 29th April

Margaret stayed at the hotel, reading Michael J Fox's autobiography and got her swimming in ahead of the visitors.

For my part it was another early start, on a hot and cloudy day. We left from the usual moorings at Itibaca ferry, and headed up to North Seymour Island, (north of Baltra).



We dived La Punta - on the east side of the island with a rocky, sandy bottom gradually sloping to deeper waters. The dive begins in a sheltered area and then as we moved out and down, we hit the current. I spent just over an hour bottom time, no deeper than 19 metres deep, in water that at the surface was 24 Centigrade. Saw White-tip reef sharks, green sea turtles, a manta ray, and reef fish.

The second dive, El Canal, just before lunch saw us drop to less than 18 metres - this was memorable because of the garden eels, Heteroconger cobra, is a conger of the family Congridae, found in the western Central Pacific from Honiara, (as well as the Red Sea apparently). They occur in colonies, on sloping sand bottoms. They are known to be very frightened of humans: when one is spotted, the eels will dart back into the holes they live in.



Back at the hotel Margaret and I had an early dinner .. than bed.

Peru and Ecuador (Galapagos) April/May 2010

• Monday 12th April 2012 we flew out, at 0600, of LBA International (Paul’s Taxis didn’t turn up!) to Schiphol to transfer for our flight to Lima on a 777-200. We arrived at J. Chavez International Airport at about 16:00 and thanks to ‘Freddy’ were transferred to our hotel – a Hilton – El Pardo, Independencia 141 Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru.

We arrived on a partly sunny / partly cloudy day. Around 79 degrees Fahrenheit. We didn’t think much of Lima (including the traffic!) though we only saw a small bit. We were tired – Lima is 6 hours behind the UK and we hit the sack at 21:00, which was 3:00 am UK time! Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central coastal part of the country, in a valley on a prevalent desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima Metropolitan Area.(it's the fourth biggest place in South America!).

• Tuesday 13th April saw us back at the airport, (after an early breakfast), thanks to Freddy and the driver. We flew out the next day to Cusco. We were met and transferred to the hotel, (thanks to ‘Mr. Max’ & ‘Umberto’!), which was Novotel Casa Real, San Augustin 239 Esquina Pasaje Santa Monica, Cusco, Peru.

The hotel was in an historical centre. We liked Cusco – green and pleasant though very high – about 11,500 feet above sea level – which was v. noticeable. The hotel had a very agreeable aspect – a central courtyard was covered to form an atrium – and our room was in the old part of the former Nunnery – with high ceilings and shutters on the large window that was kind of a balcony. It overlooked the street outside so was rather noisy during the day. We eat out that night but Margaret felt faint so we left quickly (the food was OK though a bit pretentious!).

Our hotel’s lobby always had some coca tea handy, which Margaret liked. It is also called mate de coca. (Just for her to note too - the leaves of the coca plant contain alkaloids which, when extracted chemically, are the source for cocaine base. However, the amount of coca alkaloid in the raw leaves is small. A cup of coca tea prepared from one gram of coca leaves - the typical contents of a tea bag - contains only approximately 4 mg of organic coca alkaloid. In comparison, a line of cocaine contains between 20 and 30 milligrams. But - owing to the presence of these alkaloids - coca tea is a mild stimulant; its consumption may certainly be compared to consumption of coffee or tea and the coca alkaloid content is such that the consumption of one cup of coca tea can cause a positive result on a drug test for cocaine!). Margaret drank it at least twice a day!

• Wednesday 14th April saw us up and breakfasted by 0900 when driver Mr. Max – who was to be our driver all the time we were in the Cusco area - and our guide – the lovely Hilda Jimenez or ‘Ilda’ - who was to come to Machu Picchu with us, met with us. We did a half-day tour of the city and area – first Sacsayhuaman (a.k.a. Aksaq Waman, Sacsahuaman or Saxahuaman),

which I think translates as “House of the Sun”? Located on a steep hill that overlooks the city, it contains an impressive view of the valley to the southeast. The best-known zone of Sacsayhuaman includes its great plaza and its adjacent three massive terrace walls. The stones used in the construction of these terraces are among the largest used in any building in pre-Hispanic America and display a precision of fitting that is unmatched. The stones are so closely spaced that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in the area. It seems it was a fortress and a meeting place (or market) as well as used for storage, by the Killke people – who predated the Incas. A later find suggests it also had a religious use. We then visited the impressive

Coricancha or Qorikancha -from the Quechua words Quri Kancha meaning "Golden Temple", (it was named originally named Inti Kancha or "Temple of the Sun" or even Inti Wasi meaning "Sun House"). This was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God. It was one of the most revered temples. The Spanish built the Church of Santo Domingo on top of it! Nearby is an underground museum, which contains numerous interesting pieces, including mummies and textiles as well as sacred idols from the site, which now also includes the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo. At lunch we were dropped off at a small but pleasant café and had a pizza / beef. Then walked back to the hotel for a quiet afternoon and a meal in town (Margaret had a pancake!). Next day – armed with our rucksacks only for a two-day trip – we drove (thanks to Mr. Max) to some Inca ruins at Pisac.

We took the long way as a bridge was still out, thanks to the floods. Pisac is a small town or large village on the Urubamba River, (a tributary of the Amazon, called firstly the Vilcanota River, then - from Písac to Ollntaytambo - the Wilcamayu (or Sacred River - before merging, with the Apurimac, to form the Ucayali River. We visited ‘Inca Písac’ initially - Inca ruins from around 1440 A.D. that are separated along a ridge overlooking the entrance to the Sacred Valley. The hillside was crammed full of terraces, which must have allows the Incas to produce food at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet! The overall site seems to have been a military, religious, and agricultural significance as well as being a kind of country estate. Its defensive position on the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley, allowed it to control the route, which connected the Inca Empire with the border of the rain forest region where key supplies could be obtained. The site was taken and destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadores around 1530 A.D., following which the foundation of the modern Písac was built down in the valley.

There’s a market regularly in Písac – a bit of a tourist thing – but there are fruit & vegetable stalls too – so there is a local need. We bought a painting by local artist Teofilo Quilca Turpo – plus a decorative gourd, not too mention a silver llama! Everywhere we went people were trying to sell things to us. Some hand made – many not. We had buffet lunch together in a restaurant on the way to Ollantaytambo. This is a town with an Inca archaeological site that was believed to be the royal estate of the Emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region, and built the town as well as a ceremonial centre. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance. Nowadays it is an important tourist attraction on account of its Inca buildings, one of which we visited. We also made a visit to a house in the town, which was very similar to what it must have looked like long ago. It was built of stone with a tiled roof but a clay floor with the hearth inside without a chimney – just a hole in the roof. It was in a courtyard with others. Inside it was blacked with smoke and on the rough ground some ducks, chickens, cats, dogs and guinea pigs were all running around “free”. Apparently the guinea pigs were served up if unexpected guests arrived!

The Sacred Valley of the Incas or the Urubamba Valley is close to the Inca capital of Cusco and below the ancient city of Machu Picchu. It is referred to as the "Valley of Yucay" in Spanish colonial documents. The valley is generally understood to include everything between Calca and Lamay, Písac, and Ollantaytambo and was formed by the Urubamba River, (also known as Vilcanota River or Wilcamayu - or Sacred River). The valley was appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities and was one of the empire's main points for the extraction of natural wealth, and one of the most important areas for maize production in Peru northwards from Pisac.

• We were dropped off that night at Sol & Luna Lodge & Spa Fundo Huincho Lote A-5, Urubamba 069, Peru. There we met, without speaking to them John and Nina Maynard, and had a meal and then went to our room (slow service in spite of only six diners!). Our room was in a small on suite-bungalow, (with a huge bed), in a glorious setting surrounded by flowerbeds full of good coloured plants. The shame was we left early having arrived late!

On Friday 16th April we were up early though breakfast seemed slow, so we didn’t get a lot to eat and left at 06:15 to have plenty of time to reach the Peru Rail train to Machu Picchu – the Vistadome train.

As some of the track was washed away with recent floods we boarded further down the normal rail. A lot of transport was therefore travelling down (& up) this road causing huge amounts of dust for the locals.

We went into the town - Aguas Calientes (which in Spanish means "hot springs"). This is sometimes referred to as Machupicchu Town, and is directly on the rail track just above the Urubamba (or Vilcanota) River. It is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu, which is about 4 miles away. It is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu, which is about four miles away uphill! There are many hotels and restaurants for tourists, as well as natural hot baths. We went up on a coach to Machu Picchu and got a really detailed personal tour by Hilda. (See separate blog for details of the complex). Though it was wet and rather cold we had a terrific tour, even though Margaret found some of the steps a little intimidating.

We came back down to Aguas Calientes for a late lunch-time at one of the restaurants – it was wet day. (They are mostly wet – we were in a cloud forest anyway). Hilda joined us for lunch and then went back into Cusco. We spent the late afternoon at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, which was very different and really enjoyable. It was rather chilly but they upgraded us to a room that had a real fire! The whole place seemed to have stunning views of the rushing Vilcanota River. and I had a massage! That night we had a meal in the restaurant spoilt a little by a group of noisy Americans. Margaret got a tummy upset and felt lousy during the night so stayed in most of the morning – apart from breakfast with me.

• Saturday 17th April I got up early and went bird watching in the grounds with a guide. There were only us two! It was raining and early but great fun – saw three Torrent ducks in a courting ritual – one female two males. The winner went off with the female. It was fabulous to watch. Afterwards I went to look at the Spectacled Bears. Glad I have seen them but they are doomed as a species in spite of the hotel trying to save them. Stayed with Margaret in the afternoon waiting for the train back – Mr. Max was waiting for us to take us on the long drive back to Cusco. We past lots of obstacles – kids, dogs, cattle, taxi-bikes and piles of bricks in the middle of the road etc. let alone the darkness. Back at the hotel Novotel in Cusco, I had room service and Margaret felt a bit better after a bath and an early night.

• Sunday 18th April - We were up early for Mr. Max and Umberto to take us to the airport for our flight to Ecuador. Check In was a bit slow but all was well. (Took a camera for a David Noakes, a Metropolitan client who had left his camera at the hotel). Giovanni met us and transferred us to the hotel - Hotel Patio Andaluz, García Moreno N6-52 Quito, Ecuador. (It’s at 9,350 feet and it’s located in north-central Ecuador on the eastern slopes of Pichincha an active stratovolcano in the Andes).

The hotel was fine – with another internal courtyard/atrium too. We had a short walk into the centre of town – to a square but Margaret found it a little intimidating with lots of local people milling around (I thought there was a political protest on), doing plays etc. We had a snack at the hotel bar – the tapas were excellent. (Quito's origins date back to the first millennium, when the Quitu tribe occupied the area and eventually formed a commercial centre and were conquered by the Caras tribe, who founded the Kingdom of Quito about 980 AD. For more than four centuries, Quito was ruled under the kings (Shyris) eventually being narrowly defeated in the epic battles of Tiocajas and Tixán in 1462, by an army of 250,000 led by Túpac Inca, the son of the Emperor of the Incas. After several decades of consolidation, the Kingdom of Quito became integrated into the Incan Empire. In 1534, the Spanish conquered them).

• Monday 19th April – The day dawned fine but not too warm, happily. Breakfast was not so good and afterwards our Quito guide, Bonnie, picked us up in the lobby. She was a middle age devout Catholic woman who spoke English OK (not as good as Hilda’s nor was she any where near as good!). We walked to a few churches and official buildings (the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace plus the Carondelet Palace, as was the Church of San Francisco – though if we did others I can’t remember the). We had a short break for coffee and a snack of plantain stuffed with cheese (though I gave that a miss!).

Then we drove up to the ‘Virgen de Quito’, built in 1976, the Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras was commissioned by the religious order of the Oblates to build a 45 metre tall aluminum monument of a Madonna, which was assembled on a high pedestal on the top of Panecillo (- in Spanish “a small piece of bread” – which is a 200 metre hill of volcanic origin). It is made of seven thousand pieces of aluminium and the statue was engineered plus erected by Anibal Lopez of Quito. We finished and went back to the hotel and I went out to look for a camera charger successfully. We had lunch in the café of a famous hotel down the road – the Paza Grande – I had ceviche.

Then back to the hotel and it rained for 2 hours! After a rest we went strolling with a view to buy some wool for Margaret – without luck. John & Nina Maynard, from Bournemouth, who were staying in the same hotel – and flying out at the same time to get on the same boat in the Galapagos! They are leaving the boat after a week to come back to look at Cotopaxi! At this time we sent a £100, (plus tax) donation in memory of John Bamforth to Lee’s effort at doing The Three Peaks, and sent a Facebook message to Karen.

• Tuesday April 20th – we were up at 07:00 to be picked up and taken to the airport – the service was amazing – straight though – everything taken care of. The journey was OK – though warmish! At the island airport (Baltra) we got a bus to take us to the pangas, which took us out to the Yacht Isabella II.

The purser gave us a short speech of welcome and about the boat, we unpacked in our cabin and then we had a buffet lunch … all very good. We had a safety drill at 15:30 and then made a dry landing on a beach at North Seymour Island, (Norte Seymour), using the pangas – seeing some blue boobies, swallow tailed gulls, sea lions, marine iguanas and of course some frigate birds. Back to the boat for drinks and to watch the sun go down. We met John & Nina (again!), Beryl & Roger;

Angela & Reg, (Reg seemed to be a bird expert); Willian & Marian (Dutch, and then had a talk from the two naturalists – Socrates and Edison about the place and tomorrow. Afterwards it was dinner with Nina & John and Roger & Beryl.

• Wednesday 21st April. We had a roughish night crossing to Espanola, (Hood), as Margaret would have it. We were up at 07:00 for breakfast (very good), wet-landed on Gardner Beach (white coral), Then Margaret went on a glass bottomed boat ride whilst I deep water snorkelled. Back to the ship for lunch (excellent) whilst we sailed to Punta Suarez. Then we had a long nap! At 15:30 we went back to the island, landing – dry - at Punta Suarez and saw some sea lions and mockingbirds and noticed some finches – but not sure what sort. Though we saw the famous blowhole ...

...and saw a colony of noisy sea lions the best was watching waved albatross do their mating “dance” - entrancing.

There was a slight sea breeze, which made it pleasant even though it was hot. We went back for tomorrow’s briefing, dinner and then we watched part of the BBC’s “Galapagos”! We slept well!



• Thursday 22nd April – It was All Earth Day – quite apt? Up at 0600 to breakfast and then away at 0630 for a walk on Floreana Island (or Santa Maria or Charles!). We wet landed and walked inland to a brackish lagoon where we watched… Flamingoes!

At the beach at the other side we saw some stingrays in the water and trails of egg laying Green Pacific Turtles (no eggs, no turtles – just tracks!). Back to the ship for lunch as we sailed to Post Office Bay.

There I went on the glass-bottomed boat for a change as my leg backs were red from yesterday and Margaret stayed aboard and read. At about 17:00 we landed at Post Office Bay beach & learnt about the pirates and whalers. There were no postcards or mail we could take though we left some for Alison & Peter. Then on the way back in panga we saw some penguins (!) and a leaping dolphin. By now it was usual to have the briefing, dinner and retire to the lounge/bar for more of the “Galapagos”.

• Friday 23rd April - We cruised over to Santa Cruz island (the main inhabited one, formerly known as Indefatigable!) and made a dry landing after breakfast to get a bus on a wet & humid morning to an inland “farm” where they have lots of giant tortoises. We got wellies on and did a gentle walk through differing vegetation and muddy fields, finding five of the beasts on the way. (Whilst getting the wellingtons we saw a bloke – not in our Party – get inside an empty “shell” which gave one an idea of how large these giant tortoises really are!). Back on the bus to a lava tunnel to see lava flows etc. (not that thrilling but of interest) and then back into the main Town. We walked, (a fair distance!), to reach the Charles Darwin Research Centre to see the breeding programme and learnt something of the islands and especially the Giant Tortoises – including poor old Lonesome George; (who died in 2012!).

It was very hot so Margaret & I sheltered in a rest place and had an ice-lolly to cool down. We got a ferry to the Eco Finch Bay Hotel (where we were going to stay when our cruise ended). There we had lunch with Mark (the Canadian) and Beryl & Roger. Back at the boat we did not want to go back to Town to shop so we stayed on board and read. Then we had the briefing after discussing the Galapagos and the giant tortoises, then dinner and the last part of “the Galapagos”. Slept well!

• 24th April was a Saturday and we had motored North, to Tower Island, (or Genovesa), crossing the Equator during the early hours. I watched at 6:30ish, entranced as we entered the collapsed caldera of a volcano – unbelievably impressive anchorage. We then had breakfast at 7:30 and made a wet landing at a beach full of lovely white sand. The bird life was amazing … Red footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Frigate birds … there was thousands it seemed.

We could get really close, as they had no fear of us whatsoever. I went deep water snorkeling (in a 'T' Shirt again!) and Margaret stayed on the beach with Mark and Nina – and had a swim in a fantastic sea. Back on board we saw a Manta Ray swim past – all huge and elegant. A talk by the naturalists on geology and then a Ecuadorian lunch (potato soup, avocado & cheese, prawns, suckling pig, beef, chicken, figs in syrup, cookies and sandwiches with fudge(?) in them! We also got introduced to the kitchen staff. Margaret then had a nap and I went to the sun deck for a read. Afterwards, in the later afternoon, Nina and Margaret got their own private panga ride along the cliff edge – spotting amongst other things a yellow crested night heron, whilst I went up Prince Phillips Steps with the others. It was a dry landing (just) for a steep (ninety feet) climb up some stone steps to a level walk for about a mile where we saw lots of Nazca boobies, Storm petrels and Red-footed boobies that are perched on branches of Palo Santo trees. There were great frigate-birds, Red-billed tropic birds, Swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls, marine iguanas,

Yellow crowned night herons, Galapagos doves as well as spotting some large ground finches. However it was the sneaky Short eared owl we had come to see and was not disappointed! We caught sight of two and one of them we could watch hunt (from a distance). I later found out that they ambush petrels at the burrow entrance were these birds nest – as the owl has no chance of out flying them. Amazing! Back at the ship we had our briefing and then dinner. We went on deck – the plan was to star gaze but it was too cloudy. So we retired to the lounge and watched “Dragons of the Galapagos” and then retired.

• Sunday 25th April saw us sailing past the top of Isabela and down towards Fernandina – the youngest island in the group, which had a stunning shaped volcano – La Cumbre.

We moored off Punta Espinoza beach and made a dry landing for a short walk … it is really barren but lots of marine iguanas and sea lions with Sally Lightfoot crabs.

We saw a Galapagos Hawk and later on a panga ride saw twenty or so penguins swimming along as well as Flightless Cormorants. After this I went snorkeling, seeing twenty-four or so Green Pacific Turtles and sea lions plus penguins.

During lunch (on the sun deck bothered by flies for the first time but luckily not ones that bite), we sailed the short distance across the strait to Isabela. Later in the late afternoon we made a dry landing at Tagus Cove seeing lots of marine iguanas again, together with turtles, flightless cormorants – back to the ship to see a breathtaking sunset. Dinner was not so good – the duck was quite tough. We all went up to the bridge later on to “celebrate” crossing the Equator (again) as we sailed around the top of Isabela to head for San Salvador.

• Monday 26th April 2010. We got up early - at 06:00 - for a quick drink and then to do a wet landing on San Salvador (or St James’ Island), on a black sandy beach. We did a fair walk and saw lots of marine iguanas and passed over lots of tuff and lava flows. We got back as the day got hotter and had breakfast – then we went back to the beach to snorkel. Margaret did some and was good.

We had lunch as the ship moved on to Bartolomé (named for Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan – who was originally a lieutenant on HMS Beagle - and unique it seems, as it doesn’t have a different name!). This island offered some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago and consisted of an extinct volcano and a variety of red, orange, green, and glistening black volcanic formations.

Bartolomé has a volcanic cone that is easy to climb and provides great views of the other islands and is most famous for its Pinnacle Rock, (an eroded tuff cone), which is the distinctive characteristic of this island, and the most representative landmark of the Galápagos. I snorkelled just underneath the Pinnacle – with Galapagos Penguins and Green Turtles everywhere it seemed. Margaret stayed aboard and spent the early afternoon talking to John Maynard. At 16:00 we all got ashore – a dry landing – and traipsed up to the summit - on wooden steps – to the top of a once active volcano and got a terrific view (a panoramic view of Sullivan Bay) and some group photos in spite of it being cloudy (this kept the temperature down luckily!). Then back to the ship – down the steps seeing lava formations and spatter cones and lava tubes. Then we had a farewell cocktail - or two - and dinner.

• Tuesday 27th April. We had breakfast, packed and got off the ship for about 09:30. We were taken by bus to the airport and then a bus to the ferry where we got a car awaiting us to take us to the hotel.

• Eco Finch Bay Hotel where we got an upper ocean-view room straight away - with a queen-size bed, a verandah and two rattan chairs complete with a vista over the water plus wooden blinds, a black-out curtain, tile floors, air-conditioning and a private bathroom. We had lunch by the pool and then I went into town to sign up for my diving at Scuba Iguana whilst Margaret swam in the pool and read. I was back at 17:00 on a hot but cloudy day and we had dinner in the hotel restaurant (it was OK – Margaret had Fish & Rice and I had Spaghetti Bolognese). We slept fine.

• Wednesday 28th April – woke to a noisy start at 06:00 as people were leaving. I got an early breakfast and set off for my first day’s diving leaving Margaret to have a leisurely breakfast and walk, (on which she got slightly lost!). The tide was out and the beach a bit messy – it needed a tidy-up according to Margaret. It was a cloudy day thankfully for her and she lazed around in the hammock and had a tuna sandwich for lunch at around 1pm and watched the rain that came then – whilst a duck took advantage of an empty pool and swam around for a while! Margaret read all afternoon whilst it rained and then walked to the jetty at 17:00ish to see if I was back – which I didn’t do until 18:30 thanks to rough seas – but she had seen a Yellow Crowned Heron, a Blue-footed Boobie, a finch of some sort as well as a sea-lion – not bad eh, For a small walk?

Margaret had Spaghetti Carbonara that night in the restaurant, and I had steak and we slept well until 5 am! For dives I had done an hour at Cousins (Rock) in the morning and an hour at Bartolomé in the afternoon! Located on the east coast of Santiago Island near the island of Bartolomé, within 90 minutes from were the boat was moored at the Itabaca Channel, which is on the North side of Santa Cruz – reached by an interminable seeming truck transfer. Under normal conditions there are no strong currents, and diving is on a shelving reef, with many endemic black corals on the walls.
It was a cleaning station too. I saw pacific seahorses, barracudas, sea lions, Galapagos shark, white tip shark, green pacific turtles, reef fish, stingrays, spotted eagle rays, and a variety of invertebrates and molluscs.

• Thursday 29th April 2010 – I was up early again – quick breakfast and then over to Scuba Iguana. Margaret got up to a cloudy day, had breakfast and in the lounge she read Michael J. Fox’s experiences with Parkinson’s. There were lots of people (from some of the ships?) over for lunch so Margaret had a swim before they arrived and did without lunch. She walked to the jetty again at around 16:00 but I didn’t get back until 18:15. I dived La Punta at Seymour in the morning and El Canal at North Seymour in the afternoon. North of Santa Cruz Island, these two dive sites were located only 30 minutes or so from the Itabaca Channel which is on the North side of Santa Cruz Island. The site was OK for all levels of divers, although sometimes there can be strong currents. There were platform reefs with a diversity of species. Saw sea lions, green pacific turtles, reef fishes, stingrays, eagle rays, Galapagos eel, barracudas, and a variety of invertebrates. Margaret had soup and I had steak again for dinner; then we read and turned in early.

• Friday 30th April 2010. I didn’t dive to day. It was noisy early on (about 05:30/06:30 as people were booking out I guess. We got up at about 08:00 and had breakfast and checked e-mails. Clare wrote to tell me Auntie Jo had died last night. We stayed put in the lounge and read – Margaret did a few swims. Germans from Isabella II came for lunch. I had a burger (Margaret had nothing!). That night we went to the Angermeyer Restaurant down by the jetty. There was a power cut while we were there but that was OK – the setting was awesome … just by the water with candles etc. The trouble was the service was poor and my lobster was tough! Margaret’s rigatoni was good though – although over faced her with the size of the portion. We think we left owing them some money … !!! We slept OK but had noisy neighbours who woke us leaving – at about 06:00.

• Saturday 1st May 2010. We had breakfast – but service was rather poor as the staff seemed too busy on the computer/web than to serve coffee. We got the hotel boat into town and walked slowly in the heat to buy two hats, a bracelet, tow pair of earrings and a bag plus ten pictures & three collages – oh, and two T Shirts for Rory. We caught the hotel boat back and had lunch after Margaret had a couple of swims. I had a burger for lunch and Margaret had a sandwich. There were quite a few children in the pool today, (they seemed to be the staff’s kids!). In the afternoon we packed and read. Dinner was in the restaurant where Margaret had potato soup and I had steak (yet again!).

• Sunday 2nd May 2010. We had breakfast at 07:30 and then checked out. We were picked up from the jetty and ran out of petrol in the boat! After refilling quite quickly we got a taxi to the canal and took the bus to the airport. It was very busy and only a little wooden building with a verandah of sorts. All hectic, rather warm and disorganized. Still the loos were good and we soon got on the plane. The safety on the aeroplane is laughable compared to Europe – all laid back with low seats, no worries about seat belts, mobiles switched on as soon as you land, laying on seats…. We were met at Guayaquil and put in the V.I.P. lounge ahead of our flight to Lima. Margaret bought some chocolate for Diane for doing our post. The plane was on time and fine – a 767 – and we got in on time to Lima. Picked up from the airport by Freddy and went to the hotel in drizzle – and slept!

• Monday 3rd May 2010. Up at 07:30 for breakfast and then walked into Miraflores area to do a bit of sight seeing. Lima was grey – and all the buildings had tanks or cisterns to overcome the water shortage that plagues this city (lots of drizzle/fog but little precipitation!). We visited Miraflores, renown for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks and beaches – all overlooking the Pacific. It is one of the upscale districts.

I bought a Baby Llama pullover here. We went into a gold museum expecting it to be a bit dull but it was really interesting (though most of the artifacts are now assessed as being fake!). We also visited Huaca Juliana, (or Huaca Pucllana'), which is a great adobe and clay pyramid, built from seven staggering platforms.

It takes its name from the Quechua word “pucllay,” meaning “game,” which in its entirety can be translated as “a place for ritual games.” It served as an important ceremonial and administrative centre for the advancement of the Lima Culture, a society that developed in the Peruvian Central Coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD. It was built at the behest of some elite ‘clergy’, who politically controlled several valleys in the area. They used it as a demonstration of their capability to control the use of all the natural water resources - saltwater and freshwater. As a whole, the structure is surrounded by a plaza, or central square, that borders the outer limits, and by a large structured wall dividing it into two separate sections. In one section there were benches and evidence of deep pits where offerings of fish and other marine life took place in order to attain the favour of the gods. The other section is an administrative area.