We had an early start to visit Caleta Tortuga (Turtle Cove) in the dingies, leaving the boat just after 0600. The red mangrove lagoon on Isla Santa Cruz was amazingly tranquil and an excellent way to finish our trip, sailing around the lagoon in the dingy spotting green sea turtles and the odd shark in the clear waters. Pelicans, herons and hundreds of egrets were in the trees as we headed into the narrower waters. We could hear what we thought was a dog howling some way off, only to be told it was a male sea lion. As we headed back to the boat we passed a colony of blue footed boobies and watched huge flocks of them heading back to shore. On board we had breakfast and finished packing, reflecting on what a wonderful trip we'd had. It really is a very special place and the fearlessness of the wildlife is staggering. Access to the islands is quite restricted, for good reasons. We never did get out in the kayaks always opting to snorkelling which we'd both thoroughly enjoyed and will hopefully do again at some point before the end of our travels. The group we were with were excellent company and we were sorry to be saying our goodbyes to them. We took the dingies to the port and bus back to the airport where we checked in for our flight to Quito via Guayaquil along with Daphne, Peter, Corine, Klas, Karen and Luis. We said our goodbyes to Billy and headed through to departures. Our flight was the first to leave and after saying our goodbyes to Michelle and Becky (who had very kindly given us their deet, which you can't buy here, and a lens cap for Diane), Janet, Jerry, Patricia and Ralph we boarded our flight. At Guayaquil we said our goodbyes to Corine and Klas who were heading back to Sweden. We landed in Quito just after 1430 and after saying our goodbyes to Daphne and Peter jumped in a taxi to our hotel, Portal Del La Cantuna, in the old town. The taxi driver drove like a maniac and we covered the 37km in no time. After checking in and dropping off our bags we walked into Plaza San Francisco to get a drink. Despite being back on dry land we both felt like we were swaying a lot. After several weeks at sea level we were back up at 2850m although didn't feel any effects from the altitude. In the evening we walked to La Ronda, a busy pedestrian street full of bars, cafes, restaurants and artisan shops, and had dinner in a very quiet but nice restaurant. We headed back to the hotel looking forward to a peaceful nights sleep.
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| A beautiful sunrise on our last day on board the Beluga |
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| Getting ready for our last trip |
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| Heading towards the lagoon |
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| Green sea turtle |
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| And one swimming under the water (honest!) |
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| Blue footed boobies returning from feeding |
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| With their weird feet |
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| Enjoying our last breakfast on board with Corine, Karen, Klas, Michelle and Becky |
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| Our bedroom for the last 7 nights |
nice to be in the company of so many ship mates you can now count on as your friends. It's quite a strange experience when back on dry land and still having the swaying motion. I expect you were pleased to get a quiet nights sleep once again. You certainly had such a wonderful few days, and the snorkelling must have been extraordinary, great experience. Have enjoyed your tales of the Galapagos islands, thank fyou for sharing your experiences. Been great.
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