Galapogos - Day 1

Boats in the bay
My flight landed at San Cristobal and we were met by the crew and headed off to the boat. While
walking to the jetty where we would get out dingy to the boat which was anchored in the bay, there was the first glimpse of the Galapagos sea lions. There were quite a few on the rocks around the jetty and in the water. Some of the sea lions had taken over the smaller boats anchored in the bay. On the white sandy beach on the other side of the jetty, sea lions were also seen lying on the beach.  Looks like there is no shortage of sea lions in the Galápagos.
The first look at a marine iguana was also seen on the walk to the jetty. On the rocks right next to the jetty, the first three marine Iguanas were seen. Looks like the Galapagos islands unique wildlife will not be difficult to spot!
We got our customary life jackets on a headed for the boat - Coral 1. I have described the boat in detail in a different post.
The tour guide
After the first briefing on the boat and once we had settled into out cabins, and we had sorted out our snorkeling gear for the trip, it was time for the first shore excursion. So, life jacket back on, back into the dingy and back to the jetty. There was a bus which took us to the Interpretation centre and my first real look at the Galápagos Islands. They are very, very dry. The black volcanic rocks which were testament to the birth of the island were everywhere to be seen.  Interspersed in these rocks were various cacti species and an interesting dead looking white trees. The guide informed us that this was the dry season and after rain the trees sprout green leaves. The contrast between the black rocks and white trees with no leaves was very interesting.
Volcanic rocks with white trees and cacti
It was not very long before the first real special of the trip for me, a Darwin finch, was seen. As I mentioned in a previous post, these little birds got Charles Darwin thinking about his theory of evolution. The Galapagos cotton plant is endemic to the Islands and this is an important part in the nest material for the Darwin finches. These plant had flowers on and there was some cotton.
Galapagos cotton
The trip also including a climb up Tijeretas hill. This offered beautiful views of the island and Kicker rock. This is a small rock outcrop which is reported to be a great dive site where hammer head sharks are often seen. Next time -a diving trip!
After an enjoyable visit to the Interpretation Centre, we were given about an hour and a half to get "stuff" in the shops on the island. This would be the only opportunity to buy stuff. I went off to look for the customary fridge magnets, which were, like everything else on Galapagos, very expensive. Never the less, a fridge magnet from the Galápagos was essential.
There was a very nice looking pub overlooking the beautiful bay and as it was approaching sunset, and as it was pretty hot, I decided to use my time at the shops to have a beer. Much to my surprise they had a few local craft beers which were brewed on the Island. The brewers at Kovsies brewery make a pretty good stout. The coffee stout brewed on San Cristobal was just as good.

We headed back to the jetty, got our life jackets and headed out to the boat for the first dinner on board. The end of a good first day!
View from the pub
Nice local craft beer.
Coral 1 at sunset.

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