Friday
This place is really unbelievable. It just continues to get better – today was an incredibly active day. The days are so full – we’re up early and just going from one activity to another!
It is also very hot. Just about everyone is a little sunburned! Even slathering it on we are so busy snorkeling & hiking that you don’t notice how hot the sun is.
In the morning we went to Floreana Island. It was terrific. We visited Punta Cormorant. Different than the other islands we have visited so far. They call it the mystery island as there is a story about a baroness and her two lovers came to live on the island as well as two other couples. Their stories & disasters are shrouded in mystery as are their deaths.
We went for a little hike to a small lagoon hoping to see flamingos, there wasn’t any but we did see their nests. We hung out at a small beach after where there were lots of sea turtles as it was a nesting site. We didn’t go in the water & we couldn’t go over the hill as that’s where the turtle nests were. They called this beach the flour beach because the sand is so fine.
We sailed for a little ways and then went snorkeling off the boat. It was so amazing! We went to a place called Devils Crown, which is a volcanic crater. We snorkeled around one side, going with the current & then got back in the boat to go through the middle of the crater & then snorkeled around the other side, again going with the current. It was so beautiful! It was a little hard as the current was strong and quite a bit colder but the sea life was unbelievable. Quite a few people didn’t try it.
We went to Post Office Bay in the afternoon. I am having such a great time!
I was able to leave some post cards for my nieces & nephews, I hope that they will be able to get here one day. It is just so beautiful and peaceful. It is an old pirate stop – I will attach a photo. There is no one there as, like everywhere else no one lives on the island. At the ” post office”, you leave a letter or a post card. You look through the post that has already been left by other sailers, if one is close enough for you to hand deliver then you take it and hand deliver it, if one is close but not that close you can take it and mail it from home. If you choose this option then you add your e-mail address to the bottom of the letter or post card so the recepient may contact you. The final option is for you to leave a post card or a letter that is to be picked up in person at a later date in the future and then the next set of sailers looks through the post and does the same thing.
It is a great idea and it was certainly fun to look through the post cards and letters that were there! People leave such funny messages. I asked that the post cards I left not be mailed – my nieces & nephews will have to come and pick them up in person one day!
At Post Office Bay we were able to hike down a volcanic lava cave! It was amazing. Certainly not for those claustrophobic people – some people in the group didn’t even try. It was hard, I don’t have a flashlight as mine is still in my luggage but I was able to get along without one. When we were down in the cave it was really just like the movies with a tunnel of water leading out to the sea, deeper at high tide, shallow at low tide.
Later in the day we sailed to the northern part of the island where we landed on a green coloured beach. The sand is green from olivine crystals from the volcanoes.
After dinner each night we have been hanging around a common room, it has a tiny bar with music. We have been laughing uncontrollably – such a good time. The crew is fantastic & our tour guide just wonderful.
I am having the best time ever!
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