Wed 8 Feb 2012

Wed 8 Feb 2012 Slept fitfully – awake at 3.30 reading! There was an earthquake at about 5.50am, while we were in breakfast. They said it was 5 point 5 on the Richter scale, but I did not feel anything. I sent a text to Mandy which should have said “Earthquake today, the earth moved but, true to form, I missed it” However the “I missed it” was changed by my predictive text to read “pissed it” !!! Caused gales of laughter when I told my fellow travellers! Left the hotel at 6.45 for 8.30am flight. Flew out to the Galapagos Islands via Guayaquil as all other flights had been cancelled. On landing there we could see lots of standing water round the airport and egrets in the grass alongside the landing strip. Landed on Baltra Island – not much there other than stalls selling touristy things and an army base. Got the bus then small ferry across to Santa Cruz Island. Saw our first iguana near the ferry. Went to Rancho Primicias where there were lots of giant tortoise (2 mating – though he had positioned himself at her side, rather than at her rear and was bellowing in frustration, trying to turn himself round, but only succeeded in turning the wrong way!!!) Also saw my first Yellow Warbler and some Yellow Paper Wasps in a nest. Turtle shells at the farm. We were taken for lunch in a restaurant in Puerto Ayora and saw sea-lions and pelicans cadging food from the fishermen in the fish market. Then we went to the Darwin Research Centre at Fausto Llerena to see the Giant tortoise breeding project and heard how all the eggs failed in the first 10 years of collection, as it was not realised that they had to be kept upright and handled gently, inn order to preserve the umbilical chord.