I just got back from the Galapagos and it was amazing! It was probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. We left Saturday morning and satyed until Wed. The whole country of Ecuador had work and school off monday tuesday and wednesday because tuesday was El Dia de los Muertos and wednesday was la Independencia del Cuenca (the 3rd largest city in Ecuador). Our flight left very early Saturday morning. We had a short layover in Guayaquil and then we arrived on the island San Cristobal. We checked into our hotel, had lunch, then went to a research center and our guide gave us an overview of all the Islands. We then spend the rest of the afternoon on a white sand beach that was covered in about 150 Sea Lions. We played with the Sea Lions and watched the sunset. The weather was nice but it was a little chilly so most of us didn`t go swimming.
We had dinner then walked around the very small town for a while then went to bed. At dinner, our guide asked if we wanted sea sickness pills because we had a 2 and a half hour boat ride to the next island in the morning and we all looked over at the ocean, saw how crystal clear and calm the water was, and declined the pills. The next morning, we woke at 6, ate breakfast and boarded the boat. The boat was pretty small and it had a very powerful engine. As soon as we got off shore, the waves got huge. It was fun for the first 15 minutes when the boat was pretty much jumping the waves and flying, but after about 20 minutes, 12 our of the 16 of us got very sea sick. We spend the next 2 hours with green faces, our heads between our knees, and barf bags in our hands. It was a miserable 2 hours. We finally got near the island, in calm waters, and went snorkling! The water was pretty cold so we all wore weat suits. We saw giant turtles which came so close could pet them, an octapus, penquins, and sea lions. The sea lion was swimming right next to me doing tricks in the water!! We then arrived at a small island called Floreana where we saw tons of giant iguanas. They were all over the rocks along with more sea lions and giant crabs.
After lunch and recovering from the sea sickness, we hopped on a wooden bus and drove up a mountain in the center of the island to go see giant turtles and hike. We saw a beautiful view of the rest of the island and of the surrounding ocean. Our guide then fed us all sea sickness pills (thank god!) and we got back on the boat for another two hour ride to the biggest island in the galapagos called Isabella. The pills made us all very tired so we slept the entire boat ride. When we got to the island, we went to the beach for an hour.
We swam in the waves for a while even though it was pretty cold. After dinner, we all went to sleep pretty early because we were still drowsy from the sea sickness pills. The next morning, we woke up very early again and went on a 10 mile hike to a beautiful volcano. The hike began in clouds so it was cold and misty but we emerged out of the clouds and it was very dry and sunny. The volcano was beautiful! The colors were amazing and we the view was spectacular.
The hike took almost 6 hours and was exhausting. Our guide gave each of us a peach and a bottle of water and we were all starving by the time we got back! Also, the part that was sunny was very dry and dusty so we got covered in dust. Then we went back into the cloudy, misty part and the dust turned into mud. It was pretty gross. After the hike, we had an amazing lunch (we were all famished) at a tutle preserve place. Then we went to a marshy area with flamingos and another beautiful white sand beach.
The next morning, we woke up early again, had breakfast and then went on the boat again to another island, called Santa Cruz. We went snorkling again on the way and saw giant fish and lots of cool coral. We got to the island, had lunch, and then went to see some more turtles. We also saw giant twin craters and climbed in a giant laval tunnel. We spent the rest of the afternoon on yet another beautiful beach that was about a two mile hike away.
That night, we had a big last night dinner. We sat down at dinner and they brought us soup. Then they put giant platters of pasta, salad, french fries, and pizzas on the table. Then they brought each person a plate with half a chicken, an enormous steak, sausages, and potatoes. There was sooooo much food!! I couldnt even eat half of it!! After that, we went to a club on the island and then hung out by the dock for a while. We watched fish and sting rays swimming around. At about 3 in the morning, my friend tried to ride a bike that was way too big for her and fell off of it in a cactus. She was rooming with me and my friend nora so we spent the rest of the night picking cactus spike out of her arm and leg with tweasers.
The next morning we woke up and went to the Charles Darwin center and saw Lonesome George. George is the only one left of his species and it between 100 and 120 years old!!
Then we went to the airport for a 10 am flight home to Quito. We were all very sad because it was a beautiful sunny day (the other days had been mostly cloudy) and all we wanted to do was spend the day on the beach. When we got to the airport out flight was cancelled but they wouldnt let us leave because they didnt know when our flight would be. unfortunately, we ended up waiting 5 hours at the airport and we could literally see the ocean from where we were sitting. It was frusterating.
But overall, the trip was amazing! My only complaint is that we saw too many turtles and didnt spend enough time on the beach. Also, the weather wasnt as warm as I expected. The galapagos gets water currents from 3 different places at different times of the year. At this time of the year, the galapagos is getting their currents from the south pole which affects the weather.
Here are some more turtle pics:
