Close by Punta Cormorán on Isla Floreana there is a flamingo lagoon a short walk from the beach. Only about 500 Greater Flamingo are resident in the Galápagos, and just after sunrise some thirty or so were sharing the lake with White-cheeked Pintails and Black-necked Stilts. From here we skirted a volcanic tuff cone to reach a white sand beach on the eastern shore where turtles lay their eggs on the dunes; it must be an amazing place to visit at hatching time. Contrasting brilliantly against the black rocks at the water’s edge, hordes of scarlet and orange Sally Lightfoot Crabs scurried around foraging for their breakfast. At Post Office Bay in 1792 whalers set up a barrel behind the beach to act as a primitive post office for sailors who often spent up to five years away from home. For over two hundred years, sailors have continued to leave mail here to be picked up and delivered by others heading in the direction the mail was addressed. Surprisingly, there was nothing waiting to go to London. Perhaps less surprisingly, nothing for Singapore. Later we took the pangas through some picturesque lava fields and mangrove bays to another beach, watching Galápagos Green Turtles sunning themselves in the shallow water. A beach landing led to a climb up to a 30m-high observation point, with beautiful views in all directions – particularly into the centre of the island blanketed with a ghostly forest of grey-barked Palo Santo trees.