Flying great frigatebirds
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Great frigatebird shortly after taking off from our boat.
22nd July 2025 at 07:56 - Damian
Tiquilia nesiotica (grey matplant)[1] is endemic to the Galapagos. It survives the dry volcanic environment by capturing moisture in its hairy leaves. Its tiny flowers attract insects which in turn feed lizards who feed hawks. Etc, etc.
Grey matplant. A pioneer species.
Sally Lightfoot picking at things on the rocks.
22nd July 2025 at 07:27 - Damian
Here's a juvenile Galapagos hawk eating a lava lizard. Unfortunately missed the bit where it swooped past our legs to pounce on the victim.
No shortage of snacks for these guys!
A Galapagos hawk having lunch.
22nd July 2025 at 07:05 - Damian
Snorkeling off Isla Bartolomé today. I didn't take any photos so relying on those others took.
Absolutely incredible abundance of life.
A couple of penguins and a surprise stingray.
22nd July 2025 at 00:20 - Damian
Our first excursion was to a tortoise sanctuary on the southeastern side of San Cristóbel where they're having great success with a breeding program.
After that we had beers in the main town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno followed by welcome cocktails and dinner on the boat.
We slept like logs last night despite the fact we were on the move to Isla Bartolomé most of the night.
A giant tortoise just chilling
A lava lizard
The bedroom
The shower and toilet with a view beyond our balcony.
21st July 2025 at 06:57 - Damian
We've made it to our home for the next week or so. The Grand Queen Beatriz. Accommodates 16 passengers, 8 crew and one guide.
We're starting from Isla San Cristóbel.
On the way to the tender on the wharf we saw sea lions, great frigates (of the bird variety), a pelican, a turtle, a lizard of some kind and heaps of Sally Lightfoot crabs. The place is alive!
Our boat, The Grand Queen Beatriz.
The bird up in the sky is a great frigate.
20th July 2025 at 23:39 - Damian
Yesterday we transferred to our new hotel in Quito for the start of our Intrepid Galapagos tour. We met 9 of our fellow travellers who we'll spend the next 10 days with and went out to dinner together last night. We'll meet 4 more once we get to the boat.
Everyone seems nice. Mostly older than us. 4 Kiwi, 4 Aussies, 1 Singaporean/Chinese and 2 Canadian/South Africans.
Right now we're at the airport. A bit touch-and-go this morning with Sally being a bit ill before we left. Probably food-related but seems to have gotten better now.
Fancy hotel room which is included in the tour for the first night in Quito before flying to the Galapagos.
19th July 2025 at 12:21 - Damian
Guinea pig for dinner tonight. Sorry Aimee!
It was a fiddly meal and tasted like a cross between chicken and pork. The skin was effectively thin pork crackling. Quite fatty. The meat was hard to get at but it did have two tiny eye fillet strips which were tasty.
I wouldn't eat again.
Crispy skin guinea pig
19th July 2025 at 06:48 - Damian
This knock-off hat from the markets in Medellín was 1/10th the cost of the official version in NZ and I suspect will last the same amount of time with my propensity to sweat and no hair to absorb it.
Do I feel guilty paying $6.10 for a hat? Not in the slightest.
A knock-off New York Yankees hat.
19th July 2025 at 06:42 - Damian
There's a gondola that takes you to the mountains above Quito. It's a 1000m rise to 4000m.
If you're up for it you can continue on foot to Pichincha[1] which is an active volcano at 4784m. We weren't up for it and opted for a gentle stroll and swing instead.
Sally on a swing. For the Insta likes.
Snakeroots? https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/64116-Ageratina
Gentianella cerastioides? https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/339485-Gentianella-cerastioides
Bidens andicola? https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/448195-Bidens-andicola
Paintbrushes? https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/49340-Castilleja
Us at 4900m on Cotopaxi. My with my "Kiwi passport" and socks/sandals combo. Stylin'
18th July 2025 at 10:04 - Damian
Today we climbed a bit of the flanks of Cotopaxi[1]. A 300m stretch from the carpark at 4600m up to 4900m. The highest we've ever been on foot.
The mountain is 5897m so quite a long way from the summit.
Thin air and windy with icy shards made for a breathless slow trudge.
I was the only person on the mountain in shorts. "The Kiwi passport" as my Argentinian friend says.
Afterwards we cycled (rolled, mostly) down to Laguna de Limpiopungo.
Cotopaxi viewed from the plains below.
17th July 2025 at 08:57 - Damian
The Quito Metro is only 1.5 years old. For US$0.45 you can go anywhere in the 22km system. It's new and shiny.
The entry to the Metro at San Francisco station.
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