Our Galapagos Adventure

Our flight got in pretty late last night, but we made it to the hotel and got a good nights sleep. Woke up and had a leisurely breakfast- the Guava jam was amazing- I don't think you are supposed to just eat it with a spoon- but I did anyway. My high school spanish is coming back and everyone seems patient with me practicing. We decide to take a cab to 'Old Town' and walk around. It's sunny and clear; warm in the sun, but a little chilly in the shade. The building architecture and watching what the street vendors are selling keeps us entertained. We eventually decide to walk back to the 'Basilica'- a huge old church we unexpectedly passed in the cab on the way to old town. The gargoyles are ridiculous! From there we walked to the National Museum- which had a good collection of Ecuadorian archeology and Spanish/English descriptions. In the afternoon we found a park- I shot a dart gun at a display of candy and money- I only won candy- but it was Ecuadorian chocolate. We made our way back to the hotel- my nose is a little pink even though I put sunscreen on the morning. I decide I should probably put on more than SPF 15 tomorrow. We decide to be lazy and eat at the hotel- the 'papa de locro' is excellent. We meet an Israeli who is just getting back from Machu Pichu and on her way to Galapagos too. It sounds like we'll have to come back to go to Peru too.

Got up pretty early, back to the Quito airport, flight to Baltra. Our tour guide, Richard, was waiting for us and somehow picked us out of the crowd. Within minutes we were in a truck and headed to the boat ferry to take us to Santa Cruz Island. Then we headed up to the highlands, but stopped at a lava tube first to explore. I noticed the change in vegetation as we made it up to the highlands- there was more moisture in the air in the morning. We suddenly stopped on the side of the road and saw a couple of Holsteins- being a native Wisconsinite I wasn't too impressed until I saw the 400 pound tortoises five feet away wallowing in the mud and eating scrubby plants. I think I could have watched them for hours-it was amazing to be in the presence of these living dinosaurs. Richard explained the differences in the shells- smooth without white lines to pick out the oldest. We made our way to town- Puerto Ayora- but not before picking some grapefruit from the side of the road. The hotel looked just like it's picture and it's resident sea lion was lounging in a chaise by the pool- a couple of iguanas and a pelican were poolside too. We quickly changed and got in our inflatable ocean kayaks. We made our way along the coastline and in and out of little inlets- we saw multiple sharks and rays through the clear water. Back to the hotel for a dinner of very fresh fish. I can't believe we did so much in one day and we just got here.

We got up early for a hike to a local beach- we ate our grapefruit we picked the day before on the way- no sugar needed! We saw multiple finches and started comparing beaks- just like Darwin. After breakfast at the hotel- I can't/won't stop eating fruit we head to the Charles Darwin Research Station. We are lucky enough to arrive at feeding time- the tortugas busily chow down. We learn about the breeding program and the efforts to rebuild the different subspecies populations. We 'awww' as we learn about 'Lonesome George' and the unsuccessful (so far) efforts to breed him. We take a small plane to our next island- Isabela- the largest island. We head into town for lunch at a local restaurant- Richard orders for us. It is customary to start with soup- with popcorn in it. Next is my first encounter with octopus- it tastes good, but I can't quite get over the texture- a little too chewy, but the shrimp are excellent. We take a small boat out and see penguins- I forgot they could live at the equator! We get out at a bay and cross the lava rock, closely watching my step on the sharp rocks- I suddenly realize a 40 pound marine iguana is waddling in from the water two feet from where I stand. I hold still as the iguana continues to walk by- within inches- without giving me a second thought. We put on our snorkeling gear and after Richard tells us where to go- we see a dozen sea turtles hanging out. We head back to town and get our bikes. We head to the Wall of Tears and learn about the history of the island as a penal colony. Of course we see random tortoises as we walk around. We head back to the hotel for dinner and a stroll on the beach after. A beach bar opens out on a pier- the lights are inviting, the pina coladas and mojitos make a perfect ending to the day.

Another early morning- somehow I don't mind getting up when I'm not getting ready to go to work. We go for a walk on the empty beach and watch frigates, boobies, and pelicans dive. We meet up with Richard after breakfast and fill our water bottles. Then we head up to the highlands for our hike up Sierra Negra volcano. We take the horse trails up and pick/eat guava on our way. When we make it to the rim the newest lava from the last eruption is clearly visible- fog starts rolling in off the edge into the crater- we feel like we are in the clouds. Lunch in the highlands is chicken, lentils and plantains- very simple, but very good. A walk around the little plantation offers more tastes of red bananas, oranges, and my new favorite-passion fruit. We head back to town and explore to find the post office. Dinner is a little disappointing- they probably think we are sick of ridiculously fresh sea food and chicken- and serve us spaghetti and meat sauce. The dessert makes up for it.

Sleep in a little and get breakfast. I think I am getting used to the little garbage cans for toilet paper and bottle water tooth brushing. We head for the Isabela tortoise breeding center via the beach and a raised walkway through a wet land area- hoards of marine iguanas sit on the black rocks. Richard and I notice my boyfriend hanging back and then vomit over the edge of the walkway- I worry about him contaminating the environment, Richard worries about how sick he is. My boyfriend assures us he is okay and we arrive at the breeding center- we make it for feeding time again! We head back to the hotel and make my boyfriend drink some Gatorade. He makes it through the small plane flight to San Cristobal Island with the 'air sick' bag in hand, but unused. San Cristobal is by far the biggest 'city' in Galapagos- one of the streets even has a traffic light! My boyfriend takes a nap and misses the passion fruit ice cream- unbelieveable- at lunch. We have a low key afternoon and go to the 'learning center' and learn more about the history of the settlement of the islands- from Charles Darwin to the pirates, to the prison colonies and the first settlers. We head to the beach and watch sea lions lounge and play. My boyfriend feels well enough to eat dinner- fish; and we explore the boardwalk area. The locals are out too and so are the sea lions.

I don't think the sea lions woke me up, but they are definitely up early too- barking like hoarse beagles. My boyfriend has his appetite back. After breakfast, we take a small boat out- to Leon Dormido- starting as a small dot on the horizon until we are right next to it's completely vertical sides. As we are drawing near, Richard yells for the captain to stop- there are sea turtles mating in the open ocean. We circle Leon Dormido- an 'ash pile' which looks like a huge rock with a crack at one end. Home of many birds- the surface is mostly white from poop- making a good backdrop for photos of blue footed boobies. As we don our snorkeling gear, the boat drops us off at one side of the channel, Richard tells us the boat will pick us up at the other end- we see multiple sea turtles, fish, and sharks swimming below us- even though we were assured the sharks were 'vegetarians' I probably swam through the channel a little too fast. We get back on the boat and eat a boxed lunch- mixed sea food with rice and Oreos. We head to another snorkeling spot and see a frigate with his red breast puffed out. The sky has become more overcast as we get into the water again. Swimming along, I try take underwater pictures of the sea lions, sea turtles, and fish- but I realize that I am getting really cold, I try to ignore that and try to find more animals, but I soon start to shiver. I look up to find the boat and make my way toward it. I get out of the water and start shivering uncontrollably. I shouldn't have told the tour guide I went swimming in Lake Michigan when the water was 50 degrees when I was a kid. My lips turn back to their normal pink color and we head back to San Cristobal. We walk out of town to a popular surfing beach- no one is out today, but we explore and find iguanas 'hiding' on the black rocks. We see a sea lion who just gave birth- unfortunately the pup is still born. We head back to town and snack on wild cherry tomatoes we find along the way. Back to the beach by the hotel for a couple of beers and watching the big football game between Ecuador and Argentina- Ecuador won!

Got up early again without the alarm clock and took our customary beach walk before breakfast. After meeting Richard, we took a water taxi out to a small boat carrying our ocean kayaks- we went out along the coast again- to the Charles Darwin monument. We got in our Kayaks and followed Richard up the coast. The water was rougher than along Santa Cruz and definitely rougher than Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, but we quickly learned to maneuver our double kayak perpendicular to waves. We saw sea turtles and sea lions swimming along side us. After loading the kayaks back on the boat and heading back- I couldn't believe how far we actually kayaked- several miles. We had lunch back at the hotel and then headed up to the San Cristobal highlands for a hike to the only fresh water lake. We watched a frigate circle and dive repeatedly to take a bath. We picked wild blackberries and saw more finches. Another tortoise breeding center ended the afternoon. We made it back to town in time for the parade by the local school children honoring the various countries of Central and South America. After dinner we went out to local bars- and I probably drank a little too much- but the surf instructor who was born in the Andean rainforest and spoke perfect English was just too interesting.

Good thing all I had to do today was wake up and catch the flight back to Quito. Very sad to leave Galapagos; already trying to plan when I can come back again. I'm glad we have more day in Quito before going back home. Definitely the adventure of a lifetime. Fortunately, I have plenty of pictures- not that I will ever forget Galapagos.