Galápagos!

Never in my life have I had so many issues with time as I did during my week in the Galápagos. Because the islands are an hour behind the mainland, there were at least five mornings in which we woke up, got dressed and were ready to go an hour earlier or later than we were supposed to and it was hilarious. The best example was on the island, Isabela, when Quena, Averina, Michelle and I discovered our error while standing in the middle of a very dark and deserted road at 5:30 AM with all of our luggage and feeling completely disoriented. Despite these minor setbacks, Galápagos was hands down my most incredible trip thus far. We arrived in Santa Cruz on December 1st and returned the 8th, so there was plenty of time to explore the islands, see amazing wildlife and to soak up the “10+ EXTREME UV Rays” (according to the weather channel) that were beating down upon us.

We spent the first day of our trip on Santa Cruz, which is the most populous island of the Galápagos. There, we visited a tortoise reserve and took the rest of the day to shop around the port. My friend Katy and I were completely obsessed with the “I love booby” t-shirts with pictures of these adorable birds called boobies that look kind of like ducks, but have bright blue feet! Santa Cruz was fun, but the weather wasn’t great, so we were all excited when it was time to move to the next island. On Sunday morning we took a three-hour ride to Isabela on the most miserable boat I´ve ever experienced. Everyone got sick because there were horrible fumes pouring into the boat, but the transition to a new place was wonderful. The roads on Isabela were all covered with coral white sand and the sun was just setting over the water upon our arrival. The cherry on the cake was getting a beachfront cabin with kitchen, living room and hot water! 

One of the main attractions on Isabela is a volcano called Sierra Negra, which is home to the second biggest crater in the world. In order to get there, we had to take horses for the first hour and then hike an additional 45 minutes through various forms of cacti and fairly new lava flows. The scenery was beautiful and I loved the hike, but HATED the horse ride. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t accidentally been placed with the “advanced” group, which galloped the entire way! By the time we finally dismounted, I was terrified, exhausted and in pain from the metal trinkets on the saddle that had been digging into my thighs. Also, my face was caked in dirt after only ten minutes of riding due to the stampede in front of me. At least it was an experience and I must say that I formed somewhat of a bond with my horse, “Flaco” by the end.

Tuesday on Isabela was much more relaxing and definitely my best day of the trip (maybe one of the best days of my life)! After breakfast, we paid $8 each to take a small boat to an island nearby where there were TONS of animals and a great spot to swim as well. We saw iguanas, seals (including the angry “alpha-male”), boobies, other birds, turtles and sharks all in one place! The rest of the day was spent lying on the beach by our cabin and then indulging in a delicious $3 meal and ice cream to top it all off. Although it was a fabulous day and evening, we were all a little sad because our boat back to Santa Cruz (the same evil boat that took us to Isabela) was leaving really early in the morning so we could snorkel on Thursday.

Snorkeling, similar to horseback riding, was another one of those bittersweet experiences for me. Although it was phenomenal in some respects, i.e. being on a beautiful boat, seeing our first penguins and a huge stingray leaping out of the water, there were some downsides as well. Namely, my wetsuit was too big so it filled up with water and I was actually freezing the entire time and couldn’t really enjoy anything that I was seeing. It got so bad that my lips were turning bright blue (the color of my suit) and my right calf started cramping whenever I attempted to move my flipper. Needless to say, after Thursday I was over the snorkeling scene and was not looking forward to a second day of it on Friday for an extra 70 bucks. Instead, Katy and I ditched the group to chill on the famous “Tortuga Bay” beach with our Pingüino ice cream bars. It was the perfect way to end our vacation and we couldn’t help but feel a little validated in our decision when everyone else got back and told us about how the “best snorkeling spot in the world” (according to our professor), turned out to be a complete dud with nothing to see and currents so strong that some of them were pushed into the jagged rocks and forced to move to a different location.

Even though the trip was magnificent and glorious and all that other good stuff, I was ready to get back to Quito by Sunday. This is such an exciting time in my study abroad experience because I’ll be completely done with school after Tuesday and will have the entire month of December free to figure out where I’m going to live spring semester, to travel around with family (who are coming on the 18th!), and to get ready for my internship with CARE international that starts in January! It’s also a sad time, and I know that I’m going to completely break down one of these days in the near future, because pretty much all of my friends were only staying one semester and are heading back to the States in the next couple of weeks. Thus the first chapter ends and another is soon to begin. I’m looking forward see how it all will work out! ¡Hasta Pronto!