Not having read up on the Galapagos, Jon and I had no idea what to expect. The Galapagos are volcanic islands 1,000 km off the Ecuadorian coast most famously known for where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution. Only a very small percentage of the national park is open to visitors. We were surprised to find out that some of the islands are completely desolate, not even having vegetation. The most amazing aspect of travel to the Galapagos is the wildlife. All of the islands as well as 40 miles off the coast are protected, even the crabs and fish. Many of the animals have no known natural predators and they are completely comfortable around humans!
Our days on the boat consisted of a large breakfast, morning walks and snorkeling, a large lunch, siesta, afternoon walks and snorkeling followed by a large dinner and highlights of the day as well as itinerary for the following day. Thee would also usually be snacks squeezed in there and the fact that the cook could produce such delicious food from a teeny kitchen was a feat in itself.
The first island we visited was Genovesa, which took 8 hours-overnight to arrive at. Here we were able to see the largest red-footed booby (get your mind out of the gutter, it is a bird) population in the Galapagos. The island is actually a crescent shape which is three-quarters of the top of a volcano peeking out of the top of the pacific. We encountered a sea lion up close and personal. We also saw a male frigate bird looking for a mate. Their red chest swells up with hot air as they strut around. I made a comment to Jon about how typical that was of a man and he responded with that sounds like a comment a middle-aged unmarried woman would make. Back-off ladies this sweet talker is all mine.
From top left: Our amazing and knowledgeable guide Victor who used to be a sky-diving teacher in the military, first sea lion encounter, up front is the red footed boobies, behind the black bird with the red chest is the male frigate.
The next day we visited the islands of Isla Santiago and Bartolome, both with gorgeous desolate beaches. The section of Isla Santiago we went to was covered in blackened lava fields with hardly any vegetation or animal life. Bartolome, right next to Isla Santiago, is famous for Pinnacle Rock a partially eroded lava formation that broke off and is now tilting like the leaning tower of Pisa. We did a hike to a breathtaking viewpoint.
From top left: Jon standing on the lava, view of Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome, Jon and I at the top of Bartolome with views of the islands and beaches in the background.
The third day we went to a desolate section of Santa Cruz where they are trying to reintroduce the Tortoise population. You could see straw like grass for miles. The afternoon was left for a leisurely cruise along the coast.
View of the eastern side of Santa Cruz.
The last day in the morning we did a walk in Islote Tintoreras on Isla Isabela where we had some of the best snorkeling and saw our first marine iguana.
Marine iguanas, and sea lion greeting us on trail.
We snorkeled twice a day on the trip in each of the areas we stopped. The up close encounters with marine life were unreal! It was so fantastic we did not even feel the need to dive as we were able to see everything we wanted from snorkeling alone. Scary moment is when a friendly white tipped shark swam right towards me. Panicking I splashed away, I don’t car how friendly they are. Some of the other passengers had wet-suits rented from their tour agency. As we were unaware of how much time we would be in the water we did not have wet-suits and instead froze after about 15 minutes in. It was still warmer than New England Water though.
Form top left: Jon and I snorkeling, white tipped sharks (Jon took this one), a sea lion swimming, Galapagos penguin having fun, a school of fish, and a picture of a beautiful pink and blue fish we saw a lot of.
The only bummer of the entire trip was on day 3 poor Jon came down with intestinal issues that only a prescription could cure. Thank god we had our pharmacy with us. I happily went on the excursions while Jon stayed gloomily in the room. For $400 a day (cost per day of boat for 2 of us) I probably would have popped 10 Imodium and put a plug in it but then again I am the type that has a hard time wasting a penny or feeling like I missed out on something.
Journey with Christina 