Galapagos Diary: Day Three - Isabella

Isabella, the largest of the islands with five active volcanoes, was not a disembarking point for us. Rather, we viewed the western side of the island from our pangas. This side of the island was marked by steep cliffs and large volcanic boulders.

One of my companions in my panga, at left.

I was fascinated by their strata and veins, and by a strange formation.

At right below, we get our first glimpse of Galapagos penguins. At left a brown noddy perches on an outcropping.

The only time we interacted with animals was when our panga made a group of Audoban Shearwaters take to the skies. We were forbidden to touch the animals, to feed them (a difficult proposition since we were also forbidden to take food to the islands), or to scared them or make them react in any way.

Below right, the panga ahead of us enters a shallow cave (every trip, it seems, has its Disneyland moment). View from inside the cave below left.

After our return to the ship we relaxed with drinks on the sun deck (it being too late and cool for the jaccuzi) and swung past a shattered caldera, the remains of the volcano Ecuador.

After which, I'm afraid, the conversation "degenerated" into singing and dancing. ;-) (At right below, our captain sings for us. We actually had two captains, one for the first half of the week, and one who commanded the rest of our voyage, and at whose table I sat.)