Galapagos Port Towns

So we are going back to 2011 in November when Geordie and myself were in the Galapagos.  There were many port towns that were fun to explore and they were stunning from the water. Below is Puerto Boquerizo Moreno from the boat.  Generally we would moor in the harbour and than take tenders to shore.

Below is the Fish market in Punta Ayora. Those are very expectant brown pelicans hoping for fish scraps from the fisherman who are gutting and cleaning a catch from earlier in the morning.  Sea gulls would skull by low to try to steal a piece. Bad birds.

 The Galapagos Sea Lions behaved much like pigeons do in North American cities.  Basically they are everywhere. Including on this park bench not giving a damn about Geordie and I having our picture taken next to it.  This is in Puerto Boquerizo Moreno where sea lions were rampant along the sea front. Much like gulls, pigeons and Canadian geese are in Vancouver.

Hundreds of Dolphins!

Geordie and I got to scratch one off our bucket list the week of July 10th.  We went on our annual pilgrimage to Telegraph Cove to see friends, beautiful scenery and gorgeous wildlife.  Out with Stubbs Island Whale Watching there came a report of a super pod of Pacific White Sided Dolphins, so we set out to find them.  To count them try to estimate how many you see out of the water at once and them multiply it by 3-5.  There were over 200 in this super pod which is rare for this time of year as it is kind of early.  The photos do not do them justice.  Video is forthcoming.

They were very active. They went all around the boat. Mating, half breaching, tail slapping, jumping and as the fellow below is doing: popcorning.  Just like popcorn popping he shot straight into the air near vertical to land on his right side. He did this repeatedly in about the same spot.

 

In addition to the above activities they were also bow riding.  Pacific white sided dolphins often engage in play with boats and boat wakes.  The wake of the boat gives them surf to play in.  The wake at the side and the push wave at the front gives them a speed boost which must be extra exhilarating. Putting the hydrophone down got us some extra great vocalizations as well.

Happy Canada Day to You All

 Canada Day has come once again and while Kathryn was spending a sizeable day out whale watching, I took a chance to brave the crowds and take some pictures of the locals celebrating our great nation in all its weird and wonderful ways. Like these two chaps below, happily posing for pictures with passersby and generally being weird looking but absurdly patriotic at the same time.

 There are always street performers of many kinds with musicians, skateboarders, buskers and mascots among them. This year I chose this photo of a person dressed as an inukshuk to highlight the weirdness and neat costumes that fill the streets on July 1st. A worthy second place goes to the women wearing dresses made of cans that were arranged like drums and were encouraging passersby to play their drum dresses.

 

I always like to wander through the area around the old Olympic Torch by the convention centre on Canada Day since it gives you a neat perspective above the crowds. I have infact posted panoramas from this very spot in years past, but not with my weird little planet tweaks, so here's a new look on an old favorite to round out the day.