Day 6 Galapagos (afternoon): Rabida Island

Diane: The approach to Rabida unveiled a red island against a deep blue sea. Check out the palo santo tree growing out of red lava rock.






Calliope and I hammed it up a bit for the photographer.

We were up on a small ridge for a great rocky shoreline view. We could see a small opuntia cactus forest wrapped in and amongst the palo santo trees, which we proceeded to walk through.

A couple of our favorite cruise mates, Jennifer and Mitchell, were in our group. Jennifer had a freewheeling attitude and smile. Like me, she liked kayaking and Scrabble. It was fun talking politics with Mitchell, because we pretty much agreed about everything. My Dad and Mitchell played a bit of bridge while aboard ship. And they both collaborated to teach TM the game. They spend 3 months wintering in Key West, so I’m confident we will see them again.

Between the sea lions, the sally lightfoot crabs, and the pelicans, it was hard to say who was the ultimate standout, as they clambored, perched, and sunned in sharp relief against the red sand.

Back at the beach, we hopped into our wetsuits. .






The snorkeling was spectacular. We saw blue starfish and anemone of every color. Some of the sea lions were playful, but there was at least one male patrolling his territory underwater. He showed no interest in us as he zipped past. The lava formed small hiding spots where the fish hid out and where it was easy to spy on them.

During dinner, TM and I headed up to the Discovery Lounge to meet with Alfredo for a salsa lesson. My Dad likes to rumba and samba and tango and just about all types of Latin dancing, but he wasn’t interested in learning to salsa. However, Calliope joined in and we had a blast. Even after a hundred repetitions of the same steps, Alfredo felt that we needed at least a week of lessons. We said we’d come back for another lesson tomorrow.

After our dance session, our cruise mate, Hannah led us in a trivia game concerning what we’d learned during our stay in the Galapagos. Hannah had been a teacher for many years, so this was right up her alley. You know how they jokingly say, “I hope you’re paying attention, because there will be a quiz at the end”? Well, we actually had a quiz. The previous night, Hannah solicited the help of her dinner mates to put it together. Tom, to no one’s surprise, was one of the winners.

Earlier, Hannah also put together a Friday night Shabbat service for anyone wishing to attend. She got the kitchen involved baking her challah recipe. What an inspiring figure!