I’m feeling a little blue, a little out of sorts today. All because of a 200-pound tortoise, estimated to be between 80 – 100 years old, who passed away in the Galapágos Islands on Sunday. At first glance, you might wonder at the world’s affection for such a slow-moving, plant-chomping, independent-minded creature. But Lonesome George […]
Santa Cruz Island
Land of the Iguanas
Can you spot the marine iguanas in this photo? With the night of choppy seas behind us, our morning dawns bright on the youngest of the Galapagos Islands, Fernandina. For me, this is the most other-worldly island of all . . . From our dry landing at Punta Espinosa (Espinosa Point), we set off on […]
Lonesome George, Phone Home!
Six hours after our midnight departure from Española, we’ve anchored at Santa Cruz Island for our day visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the land of the giant tortoises. In fact, the Galapagos Islands were so named because the shape of the tortoise shells resembled the Spanish word for “saddles.” Just how giant are these […]