I SAW WHALES

The other day Chuck, Nancy, Jim and 6 other people from Cuenca took a whale watching tour. We left Cuenca at 7AM and after several stops, including a nice lunch stop along the Pacific Ocean,

Arroz Marinero

arrived at Puerto Lopez 7 hours later. 

Puerto Lopez

The next day we set out on our adventure.  Our trip included a visit to Isla de la Plata, known as the poor man's Galapagos.  We were a mixed group, folks from the US, Britain, Jamaica, Germany, Ecuador and Moldavia. 

 What we didn't know is that it was an hour and 40 minutes of pounding boat ride to get there.  About half way across we were rewarded with our first whale sightings.

These are humpbacks on their annual migration.  The warmer waters off Ecuador are ideal for raising their calves.

We were all pretty excited about seeing these magnificent creatures but we did have to move on and continue to Isla de la Plata, or Silver Island.  There are differing explanations for the name - one is that Sir Francis Drake hid a treasure here and another is that there is so much guano the island glows with a silvery light.  In any case, as we approached we saw hundreds of Splendid Frigate Birds circling in the air and Green Sea Turtles circling in the water.

My main objective on the island was to see the Blue Footed Boobies.  I didn't realize it would be quite a hike up, and include over 100 uneven stairs.

Did I mention that it was 90+ degrees? 

We did get visits from the Longtailed Mockingbird along the way.

And, having toiled up the hill we were rewarded with Blue Footed Bobbies EVERYWHERE.  This is their nesting area and we walked right past countless nests, some with eggs,

some with two-day old chicks,

some with juniors,

and some just hanging around doing their foot-stomping mating dance.

After this 2+ hour hike in spectacular scenery, we were all pretty hot and tired, and ready for lunch.

Back on the boat we had a swarming of Angel Fish, thanks to our guides throwing bits of their lunch in the water.

And, finally, on the way back to Puerto Lopez we were treated to a most joyous display of whale breeching!  The picture I didn't get was two breeching at once.  Such a magnificent sight!

We all felt these whales were putting on a show just for us and the long, bone-jarring boat ride was worth it.

Audrey