Galapagos
Well, the Galapagos was absolutely amazing. I really hope to go back one day with my family, because it really was incredible. We flew into Baltra and arrived in the Galapagos around 11:30 or so, after taking the flight from absolute hell. There was a group of probably about twenty 13 and 14 year old kids, who were SO loud—yelling, playing clapping games, walking around the entirety of the two flights. I wanted to scream. Anyway, we finally arrived on Baltra and were met by a guide (Bolivar) who took a whole group of us by bus to boats, that cross to the nearby Island of Santa Cruz, where we were taken on another boat out to our actual cruise ship, Estrella del Mar II. We met this couple from California, who were grandparents and just really cute. We originally thought that they were going to be on our same ship, but there were two that had the same destinations, owned by the same company. This couple was on Estrella del Mar. When we got on board, we immediately ate lunch. The food throughout the entire trip was REALLY, really good. We had fish, chicken, spaghetti, filet mignon (the last night) and always had soup before the meal and usually, dessert was fruit. It was great! We were then briefed by our guide, Fabricio, about the plans for the day. We had the opportunity to visit the Darwin Center or to go to the highlands. The problem was, he couldn’t guarantee that we’d see wild turtles, so Katie and I went to the Darwin Center. This German couple was there, and the husband was throwing a fit, saying that one of the reasons he went to the Galapagos was toe see turtles and it was basically false advertisement and he was “very disappointed.” I could tell. :) Anyway, so Katie and I layed in the sun for a couple hours before visiting the Darwin Center on Santa Cruz which is responsible for breeding land tortoises and iguanas to put them back into their natural habitats. The german man I talked about earlier was really rude to me though at one point. He was trying to video tape an iguana, and by accident, I got in the way when I was trying to take a picture. He scoffed at me and said, “When you do that, all I get is rubbish.” Jeeeeez. Bolivar was our guide and just a really cute old man. He was really short, and had these burns on his chest and face that he explained was from many years of researching volcanoes. It was sad that he had those, and crazy HOW he got them! Well, that first night (March 2nd), Katie and I went onto the Santa Cruz Island with Fabricio our guide, who is ABSOLUTELY hilarious. First off, he told me that we could solve all of our problems if I just married him. (He’s a divorced father of 3, age 40-something, haha). Well… we went to a bar called “La Panga,” and Katie and I had these delicious drinks called Bahamas Mama. We took a “panga” (little boat) back around 11 pm. Katie and I were craving popcorn (canguil) and the only that we could find was microwaveable (sooo gross after having popcorn here… it’s just SO good here, I don’t know why!) Anyway, the cook had never popped a bag of microwave popcorn.. IT was really cute, he put it in for only 20 seconds and asked if it was done. Katie had to show him how to do it, but once she did… he was like “ooooooh… canguil!” He was SO cute. Throughout the whole trip, he would smile and say hi to us. I think he liked us because we would talk to him in spanish! ☺ Fabricio, our naturalist is really, really intelligent. He was telling us about all of these projects he has, including a series that is going to start in May about protecting sharks and other ecological issues. He has been the naturalist for Bill Gates, Michael Forbes, Elizabeth Taylor, Mariah Carey, George and Barbara Bush, etc. Once he is the guide for one famous person, they recommend him to others… Pretty cool. ☺
March 3rd
March 3rd we went to North Seymore first and saw blue-footed boobies, sea lions, land/marine Iguanas, frigates (which have these red pouches near their necks and they are inflated when they are looking for a mate,), and this seagull that is the only nocturnal seagull in the world!! It has red eyes and a red fluorescent mouth so that they babies can be fed at night. We learned that birds use oil for their feathers in order to be water resistant and that frigates take food from others or catch surface fish. They even try to steal from their own kind, especially babies. What they do, is try to make the baby frigates regurgatate their food so that they can get it. Rough, huh? We then went to “Cousin Rock” and snorkeled, and were swimming with sea lions which I thought was really, really fun. We then went to Bartolome and Katie and I went diving, for the first time ever… Our naturalist Fabricio is a dive instructor, so he gave us a brief run-down of what needed to happen… We did a practice session in the water, and just went for it. I’m not going to lie, it was a little bit scary, but it all turned out ok! ☺ When we were underwater, we saw stingray, tons of fish, a REALLY bright starfish, and the coolest thing of all was seeing a white-tip shark, and being about 5 feet from it. Diving cost $70. Other couples went 5 or six times—seeing at least one shark every time. The coolest thing I thought was that they saw hammerhead sharks… ☺ It was totally worth it. After our dive, we saw PENGUINS (they are soooo cute!) and we hiked around Bartolome up to this point that had an extraordinary view—there was lava cactuses, and you could really see where lava flows had been before. Before dinner, there was popcorn sitting on the table (the cook did it for us because we had told him how much we liked it, isn’t that so sweet!!) That night, Katie, David, Marvin (those two work on the ship and are 20 yrs old) hungout. David told me I had a face like a doll, lips like an angel, and kept calling me “Mamí and estrellita.” (Mommy and Little Star) BARF. I went to bed around 10:30… I had had enough of that guy, haha. --Let me tell you, those pick up lines will NEVER work.
March 4th
We went to South Plaza (Isla Plaza) and Sante Fe. South Plaza was pretty bare with one side that had a bunch of cactuses, but the otherside didn’t, because it was hit with the salt water, and wasn’t able to resist the salt. There were TONS of iguanas everywhere… Really shiny/slippery rocks from sea lion/iguana urine. They called it Galapagos marble, hehe. On South Plaza we saw “Bachelor’s pt” which is where a bunch of male sea lions climb up this really high, huge wall (I honestly don’t know how they get up there) and hangout—Sea Lions are very territorial, so if there is one bull on a beach, he will fight the other males off. So, these less dominant males (the really young ones, really old, weaker, etc.) hangout on Bachelor’s Pt. It was really sad though, because Fabricio told us that there were 5 or 6 deaths off of these cliffs. The most recent one was a suicide (a guide) because he had split up from his wife. The others were usually accidents, which happened while they were talking. How horrifying to see your guide die and/or commit suicide? I CANNOT imagine. Que horrible! Next we went to Santa Fe, which had absolutely clear blue/green water, and TONS of sea lions on the beach. They allowed us to get right next to them, it was really fun. We walked around the island and saw a few more iguanas (this island though, they are much harder to find because they are a lot more spread out.) Afterward we snorkeled, and we saw a lot of fish, but this one was rainbow colored and sooo amazing. We also saw sea turtles!! Katie and I then jumped off the top of the ship which was about 20 ft high. It was really fun, but a HUGE rush. During dinner that night, there were DOLPHINS swimming alongside our ship. I got some really great photos. Katie and I were giddy as two 6 yr olds in a candy store. We couldn’t stop smilling. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to see dolphins alongside a ship. Ahh it was amazing… One was jumping and splashing, trying to show off. It was so awesome. We arrived at the port (San Cristobol) and for dinner, they had this ceremony where all the workers dressed up really nice, and we presented them their tips in an envelope. They gave us cocktails and for dinner we had fliet mignon and cake for dessert. It was fabulous. Afterward, we took a panga onto San Cristobol. There were sea lions in unoccupied rafts, it was really cute. IAfterward, we went to a restaurant/bar and Katie and I each got batidos (I got naranjilla which is REALLY really good). We went back around 11pm and headed to bed
March 5th
So our last day in the Galapagos was on San Cristobol and we visited the Interpretation Center. It was interesting, just giving the history of the start of the Galapagos. Katie and I spent a long time talking to Ian and Hally, the American couple from Vermont. They are the CUTEST couple ever, and really, really sweet. Ian has his own business writing software for Macintoshes. He started doing it for fun during his master’s program… (I think he majored in biology and got his Master’s and/or PhD in Botony). Anyway, his business has done so well he just sells software now. Hally works at a school and has an organic garden and provides vegetables and fruits—trying to promote organics. They have a large garden in Vermont, and Ian was telling us how they make homemade yogurt, saurkraut, etc. We shopped around a bit, I bought a diving shirt and these really cute shorts that say the Galapagos. We looked EVERYWHERE for log books (for our first dive), but couldn’t find them anywhere, so Fabricio told us that he’ll mail them to us. We went to the airport to find out that our flight was to be delayed a few hours, so we went back into town and ate lunch. (a salad—the FIRST salad since I’ve been here because lettuce is dangerous to eat b/c of bacteria and a mango batido—it was DELICOUS). Our flight ended up being about 3 hours late. So, I got home around 7pm, had dinner with my family, and then had to finish my 6 page analytical Spanish paper.
This was an absolutely incredible experience, I don’t know how I got so lucky.
I absolutely recommend the Galapagos—I would suggest at least a 5 day tour though, because we didn’t get to see Isla Isabella which is supposed to be amazing… I can only imagine how beautiful it is, because I thought everything else was unreal! ☺ I also suggest our naturalist—he’s really, really smart. I learned an incredible amount of biology/ecology/etc. It’s fascinating. So, if you ever go to the Galapagos, be sure to ask me for my naturalist’s name, haha.
This past week was really busy, as today I did a grop presentation (30 minutes) over a paper that we wrote. (a 45 page paer on Inequality and Health). It feels GREAT to be done. We had to present early because a girl in my group won't be here next week. So, I'm going to relax and hangout with my family this coming week, and I leave here in 9 days to see my parents and brother!! Today is el dia de la mujer. (Women's Day). My mom here gave me this book about a "world of friendship" and a poster saying MUJER in big letters with sentences... I haven't even read it yet, becasue I couldn't this morning. I thought I might start crying!! Anyway, life is still great. I will really miss this country.
Check out Ian’s software! (the guy we met on the boat!) www.iggsoftware.com
It looks pretty cool!!
March 3rd
March 3rd we went to North Seymore first and saw blue-footed boobies, sea lions, land/marine Iguanas, frigates (which have these red pouches near their necks and they are inflated when they are looking for a mate,), and this seagull that is the only nocturnal seagull in the world!! It has red eyes and a red fluorescent mouth so that they babies can be fed at night. We learned that birds use oil for their feathers in order to be water resistant and that frigates take food from others or catch surface fish. They even try to steal from their own kind, especially babies. What they do, is try to make the baby frigates regurgatate their food so that they can get it. Rough, huh? We then went to “Cousin Rock” and snorkeled, and were swimming with sea lions which I thought was really, really fun. We then went to Bartolome and Katie and I went diving, for the first time ever… Our naturalist Fabricio is a dive instructor, so he gave us a brief run-down of what needed to happen… We did a practice session in the water, and just went for it. I’m not going to lie, it was a little bit scary, but it all turned out ok! ☺ When we were underwater, we saw stingray, tons of fish, a REALLY bright starfish, and the coolest thing of all was seeing a white-tip shark, and being about 5 feet from it. Diving cost $70. Other couples went 5 or six times—seeing at least one shark every time. The coolest thing I thought was that they saw hammerhead sharks… ☺ It was totally worth it. After our dive, we saw PENGUINS (they are soooo cute!) and we hiked around Bartolome up to this point that had an extraordinary view—there was lava cactuses, and you could really see where lava flows had been before. Before dinner, there was popcorn sitting on the table (the cook did it for us because we had told him how much we liked it, isn’t that so sweet!!) That night, Katie, David, Marvin (those two work on the ship and are 20 yrs old) hungout. David told me I had a face like a doll, lips like an angel, and kept calling me “Mamí and estrellita.” (Mommy and Little Star) BARF. I went to bed around 10:30… I had had enough of that guy, haha. --Let me tell you, those pick up lines will NEVER work.
March 4th
We went to South Plaza (Isla Plaza) and Sante Fe. South Plaza was pretty bare with one side that had a bunch of cactuses, but the otherside didn’t, because it was hit with the salt water, and wasn’t able to resist the salt. There were TONS of iguanas everywhere… Really shiny/slippery rocks from sea lion/iguana urine. They called it Galapagos marble, hehe. On South Plaza we saw “Bachelor’s pt” which is where a bunch of male sea lions climb up this really high, huge wall (I honestly don’t know how they get up there) and hangout—Sea Lions are very territorial, so if there is one bull on a beach, he will fight the other males off. So, these less dominant males (the really young ones, really old, weaker, etc.) hangout on Bachelor’s Pt. It was really sad though, because Fabricio told us that there were 5 or 6 deaths off of these cliffs. The most recent one was a suicide (a guide) because he had split up from his wife. The others were usually accidents, which happened while they were talking. How horrifying to see your guide die and/or commit suicide? I CANNOT imagine. Que horrible! Next we went to Santa Fe, which had absolutely clear blue/green water, and TONS of sea lions on the beach. They allowed us to get right next to them, it was really fun. We walked around the island and saw a few more iguanas (this island though, they are much harder to find because they are a lot more spread out.) Afterward we snorkeled, and we saw a lot of fish, but this one was rainbow colored and sooo amazing. We also saw sea turtles!! Katie and I then jumped off the top of the ship which was about 20 ft high. It was really fun, but a HUGE rush. During dinner that night, there were DOLPHINS swimming alongside our ship. I got some really great photos. Katie and I were giddy as two 6 yr olds in a candy store. We couldn’t stop smilling. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to see dolphins alongside a ship. Ahh it was amazing… One was jumping and splashing, trying to show off. It was so awesome. We arrived at the port (San Cristobol) and for dinner, they had this ceremony where all the workers dressed up really nice, and we presented them their tips in an envelope. They gave us cocktails and for dinner we had fliet mignon and cake for dessert. It was fabulous. Afterward, we took a panga onto San Cristobol. There were sea lions in unoccupied rafts, it was really cute. IAfterward, we went to a restaurant/bar and Katie and I each got batidos (I got naranjilla which is REALLY really good). We went back around 11pm and headed to bed
March 5th
So our last day in the Galapagos was on San Cristobol and we visited the Interpretation Center. It was interesting, just giving the history of the start of the Galapagos. Katie and I spent a long time talking to Ian and Hally, the American couple from Vermont. They are the CUTEST couple ever, and really, really sweet. Ian has his own business writing software for Macintoshes. He started doing it for fun during his master’s program… (I think he majored in biology and got his Master’s and/or PhD in Botony). Anyway, his business has done so well he just sells software now. Hally works at a school and has an organic garden and provides vegetables and fruits—trying to promote organics. They have a large garden in Vermont, and Ian was telling us how they make homemade yogurt, saurkraut, etc. We shopped around a bit, I bought a diving shirt and these really cute shorts that say the Galapagos. We looked EVERYWHERE for log books (for our first dive), but couldn’t find them anywhere, so Fabricio told us that he’ll mail them to us. We went to the airport to find out that our flight was to be delayed a few hours, so we went back into town and ate lunch. (a salad—the FIRST salad since I’ve been here because lettuce is dangerous to eat b/c of bacteria and a mango batido—it was DELICOUS). Our flight ended up being about 3 hours late. So, I got home around 7pm, had dinner with my family, and then had to finish my 6 page analytical Spanish paper.
This was an absolutely incredible experience, I don’t know how I got so lucky.
I absolutely recommend the Galapagos—I would suggest at least a 5 day tour though, because we didn’t get to see Isla Isabella which is supposed to be amazing… I can only imagine how beautiful it is, because I thought everything else was unreal! ☺ I also suggest our naturalist—he’s really, really smart. I learned an incredible amount of biology/ecology/etc. It’s fascinating. So, if you ever go to the Galapagos, be sure to ask me for my naturalist’s name, haha.
This past week was really busy, as today I did a grop presentation (30 minutes) over a paper that we wrote. (a 45 page paer on Inequality and Health). It feels GREAT to be done. We had to present early because a girl in my group won't be here next week. So, I'm going to relax and hangout with my family this coming week, and I leave here in 9 days to see my parents and brother!! Today is el dia de la mujer. (Women's Day). My mom here gave me this book about a "world of friendship" and a poster saying MUJER in big letters with sentences... I haven't even read it yet, becasue I couldn't this morning. I thought I might start crying!! Anyway, life is still great. I will really miss this country.
Check out Ian’s software! (the guy we met on the boat!) www.iggsoftware.com
It looks pretty cool!!
posted by Mariah at 2:04 PM
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