We started on the western side of Isabella and visited a lava field at Moreno Point. This lava field was older than previous lava fields, which meant there was more life on it. This one contained a number of oases. A brilliantly colored pair of flamingos was in one oasis. On our return to the boat, Daniel, our dingy driver, took us near some of the rocks on the coastline. Here we saw a marine iguana fight, which was pretty cool.
Isabella is the largest in the archipelago. We sailed on to Urbina Bay and went to land for a hike. We saw a wonderful tortoise in the wild. He was walking up the hiking path that we were already on. It was amazing. There is no video or photo that can do it justice. We all know that these tortoises are big, but to see one walking around the wild is amazing. It reminded me of the time I saw an elephant in Kruger National Park. There were other tortoises sleeping in the thicket. This is the second and final time we saw land iguanas on the trip.
After dinner, we went to the common room and watched a movie called The Galapagos Affair. It’s a movie about a few of the crazy people that ended up on the islands, but this tale ends with murder. It’s about 2 European families who moved to the islands to flee civilization. A third neighbor, Eloise von Wagner Bosquet, shows up with her lovers and eventually disappears. Most think Eloise von Wagner Bosquet was murdered.
Want my speculation? I think one of her lovers, Rudolf Lorenz, killed her. He thought he was cool with an open relationship, but he became jealous and mad. The others on the island looked the other way because they found her to be a bit too libertine for the ascetic lives they were hunting.
Next: Isla Fernandina
Rarely Pure & Never Simple 