Swimming with Orcas

Well today started out like any other day in the Galapagos: a short walk to see some super pink flamingos, followed by another walk to a beautiful beach which is famous for its turtle nesting area. Then back to the boat and prepare for another snorkel. It was then all hell broke loose as a pod of orcas was spotted just in front of the ship. Everyone immediately jumped into the zodiacs for a closer look. The orcas were about 2m from us when most of the people jumped into the sea to swim with them. They orcas were munching on a still bleeding turtle (or as Alice called them “orca biscuits”). We followed them around for a while, took some more photos and then went to our spot for the snorkel with the most playful seals of the whole trip. Our final afternoon was spent at Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. It got its' name in 1793, by Captain James Colnett, who installed a wooden barrel that served sailors’ as a post office. Seamen dropped-off letters there, for another sailor, who would be headed back home, to take the letter with him and deliver it to the recipient. Nowadays, the tradition is still alive and tourists leave behind postcards, with the hope that other tourists will take them, for free, back to their country. The delivery time can take days, weeks or even years! Of course we sent our postcards back to Australia (so it'll be interesting to see if they ever arrive!) We did check through the large pile to see if we could deliver some ourselves. However the highlight of today was the orcas. It'll be something that we never forget.