Galapagos Islands
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - 27 days of independent journey
Anna's entry:
I
always wanted to explore the Galapagos, but do it in a different way -
no cruises, no packages, no groups, and no constraining itinerary. This
special part of the world deserved exploration in its own special way,
plus I felt that independent approach would allow us to see and
appreciate the real Galapagos. To do it right, I postponed our trip
there for a number of years, and finally, through the collected
"Galapagos DIY" research, we were finally ready to give it a try. The
approach proved to be the solid choice, and our 27-day independent
exploration of the Galapagos Islands turned out to be one of the most
memorable and invigorating adventures to remember. Below, is a humble
and understated recollection of that magnificent part of the world...
Isla San Cristobal
We
arrived on San Cristobal Island (our first of three) after a sleepless
night on cold tiled floor at the Quito International Airport. After
landing on San Cristobal, we picked up our backpacks at a local tiny
island airport located very close to beach, and began walking to the
town center. Some roads were paved in otherwise
desert-felt-and-looked-like landscape, cacti seemed to be the only
option of greenery along the roads. Our very first impression of
Galapagos was not exactly what one would expect of the fairyland animal
kingdom one reads about... About half a kilometer into the town center
though, we began hearing loud animal noises along the waterfront trail -
when we got closer, we realized that our neighbors would be a large sea
lion colony, and that was our first true introduction to what was about
to come...
We stayed at a local family-run hotel with large windows facing the harbour. We purchased all our breakfast supplies from local limited grocery stores, and in the morning we would enjoy watching sea lions and pelicans dominating the waterfront in front of us. In late afternoons, there seemed to be a tradition of chairs brought up along the main street for older ladies to sit down and catch up on the local gossip. One morning, fishermen brought out their catch to the waterfront pier to cook an impronto BBQ, and dozens of large pelicans collected around them in hopes for left-over treats. I took this opportunity to photograph the birds at short range. I had never got so close (at arm's length) to the wild pelicans, so that type of wild-life photography was a real treat. Fishermen seemingly appreciated my joy, and they began smiling and started offering me soda drinks. During our evening walks, we got quite familiar with several sea lion families occupying the beach next to our place. They seemed to have gotten comfortable with us as well - sea lion babies would play and show off in front of us, while their mothers and "nannies" would leisurely stretch for a snooze...
We chose to spend our first 8 days on this island. Normally, I describe our experiences in a narrative form, however, there was so much happening that I thought a diary might give a more complete picture. Here is the synopsis of our typical daily activities.
We stayed at a local family-run hotel with large windows facing the harbour. We purchased all our breakfast supplies from local limited grocery stores, and in the morning we would enjoy watching sea lions and pelicans dominating the waterfront in front of us. In late afternoons, there seemed to be a tradition of chairs brought up along the main street for older ladies to sit down and catch up on the local gossip. One morning, fishermen brought out their catch to the waterfront pier to cook an impronto BBQ, and dozens of large pelicans collected around them in hopes for left-over treats. I took this opportunity to photograph the birds at short range. I had never got so close (at arm's length) to the wild pelicans, so that type of wild-life photography was a real treat. Fishermen seemingly appreciated my joy, and they began smiling and started offering me soda drinks. During our evening walks, we got quite familiar with several sea lion families occupying the beach next to our place. They seemed to have gotten comfortable with us as well - sea lion babies would play and show off in front of us, while their mothers and "nannies" would leisurely stretch for a snooze...
We chose to spend our first 8 days on this island. Normally, I describe our experiences in a narrative form, however, there was so much happening that I thought a diary might give a more complete picture. Here is the synopsis of our typical daily activities.
DAY
1 (arrival) - Walk along the beach with sea lions followed by the
sunset from top of the lava-formed hill with cacti silhouettes above the
ocean.
DAY
2 - Snorkeling with sea lions (in Las Tijeretas and Playa Mann) - one
sea lion was particularly playful and kept bringing (what looked like) a
sea urchin that was tossed to us like a water valley-ball; marine
iguana decided to rest on the rock right next to our bags and snorkeling
gear, this was also the first time I got introduced to the iguana's
spitting (which I learned later on was the clearing of salt water from
marine iguanas' bodies).
DAY
3 - Spent morning with giant tortoises (at La Galapaguera), walked 4 km
down and then another 4 km up the hill (not counting high elevation
view point walks) to Puerto Chino where we spent afternoon with a colony
of sea lions; took a public bus ride through the island's highlands.
Communicating with locals was a little odd experience at first - I had
not used my Spanish for almost 10 years, and a big part of our recent
travels was spent in Indonesia - so, I kept mixing my Indonesian Bahasa
(language) with Spanish words which caused very puzzled looks on faces
of locals...
DAY
4 - I hiked to a local harbour La Loberia, and kept hiking along the La
Loberia's coastal trail. That would turn out to be our top favourite
spot on Isla San Cristobal. Numerous marine iguanas, breath taking
ocean views from the cliffs, and best interaction so far with sea lions'
colony. I did not have my snorkeling gear that day, so I just enjoyed
watching the nature above the water. Sea lions playing and drifting
along the sandy shore. A baby sea lion on a beach kept following me and
trying to get his nose into my camera. To my surprise, adult sea lions
did not interfere and allowed the baby lay down right next to me - it
was so hard to resist an urge and not to pet him, but I declined the
temptation (sea lion mothers are known to reject their babies if there
is a
stranger's scent on them). One sea lion adult joined me and the sea
lion baby, then 3 more adults joined in, then we were surrounded by all
4. They kept one (opened) eye on the baby sea lion next to me (the
other eye was used for napping, I think). Then the baby sea lion began
giving a show - flipping his fins, rolling in the sand, digging his nose
in the sand, winking and nodding at me. It was super cute and
endearing. A yellow canary bird was jumping next to the stretched out
sea lions, white-cheeked pintails and frigates were soaring above our
heads - there was such a sense of freedom in the air... I knew we
should come back to this spot and spend more time with its wild
residents.
DAY
5 - Returned back and snorkeled at La Loberia - spent a looooooooooong
time playing in the water with a juvenile sea lion, who kept bringing a
long green kelp piece to play with. Then, I picked up a red kelp string
as another toy to use, sea lion was so excited - kept swimming under me,
around me, on his side, straight face to face - I could see his eyes
looking straight at me and his exhaling bubbles right into my mask. It
was an incredible connection on the nature's terms... Then I swam with
large sea turtles (about 20 of them in total); one of them brought me to
an eagle ray - I swam with that gracious creature for a long time
around the harbour. At once, I could sea 4 large turtles, 1 eagle ray,
and 2 large sea lions. Rob also had his share of fun - he played in the
water with 2 sea-lions, and one of them accepted him as his play buddy
and gently was nibbling on Rob's fins. When warming up on a shore, a
bird kept resting right on my knee like a tamed pet, while sea lions
casually were strolling by our feet.
DAY
6 - Morning was spent snorkeling with sea lions at Las Tijeretas after
the morning "photo-shoot" of wild pelicans on the pier by our hotel;
afternoon was spent snorkeling at Punta Carola with 9 giant sea turtles
and several sea lions - visibility was poor, I almost sat down on the
giant sea turtle when putting my fins in the water; a sea lion swam
under me and above the rocks - we all three had a near-collision - this
is what you get when the waters are teeming with marine life! Another
large sea lion colony was enjoying the beach about 3 meters away from
us. I didn't even realize that a sea lion mother and her baby were
patiently waiting for me to finish my photo taking process so they could
pass - I did not see them behind me until Rob got my attention to look
behind. Evening was spent strolling along the beach near our hotel with
yet another sea lion colony. One super-cute sea lion baby wanted to
play with us - kept following us, chewing a stick, rolling on his sides,
just like a little puppy! By now, adult sea lions have gotten used to
us, and were totally OK with us being there. The special connection
with animals and nature was absolutely incredible!
DAY
7 - Spent afternoon snorkeling with sea lions, giant sea turtles (over
25 in total, four times observed a group of 4), and a sting ray. On one
occasion saw simultaneously a giant sea turtle, sting ray, and sea lion
all together in one group. That afternoon a cruise group came to the
same beach - felt sorry for them - they had only one hour to enjoy the
nature, then gotta gotta go - expensive ship is waiting... Wow - what a
sorry way to see the Galapagos... Conversely, Rob and I continued the
afternoon surrounded by sea lions, frigates and marine iguanas. Walking
back to town, I spotted a yellow canary, it started jumping towards me -
it got so close that I had to use a "macro mode" on my camera - the
bird was less than two feet away. In the evening we climbed to the top
of the hill to enjoy another sunset over the lava forest surrounded by
the ocean below, and on the way back down bought a freshly grilled
chicken skewer from a lady-seller on the beach.
We also, developed a special connection with one family who had a small restaurant serving in the evening pollo y pappas (fried chicken and french fries, served with a special spiced up mayo and a salad). The food was expensive on Galapagos, but this basic establishment had a very inexpensive and finger-liking meal and a great attitude - we ended up eating nearly all our evening meals with them. At some point, we even were invited "behind the scenes" into their kitchen. The day before our departure from the island, the lady owner brought us gifts to take back home - soft toys of sea lions and blue-footed booby. We were so touched by the genuine connection - there is absolutely no way any tour-package or cruise group could experience that! Staying on the island gave us an opportunity to get close to its all residents - both wild-life and the town locals, and most importantly - it was done on genuine interaction terms, which was incredibly important to us. Now, months later, we still keep in touch with that local family, and every time I look at those gifts, the beauty of the island and connection with its special residents resonate inside of me in a very special way.
DAY
8 - We dedicated this final day on Isla San Cristobal to our
favourtie spot, La Loberia. And, what a way to finish the island
exploration! Great snorkeling - spent about 30 minutes snorkeling side
by side with a large eagle ray, it was as if he came back to bid his
farewell. At times, the eagle ray and I passed right over several giant
sea turtles families, and then we were joined by a Peruvian torpedo
stingray and several giant turtles; then 2 large sea lions came so close
that I had to be gentle using my fins not to touch them; then another
sea lion and a sea turtle interacted with our swimming group. I felt so
fortunate and grateful to be there and experience the incredible marine
life encounters! We were ready to leave the beach, when the entire
"kindergarten" of baby sea lions - about 15 of them - showed up right in
front of us. They were playing, rolling over each other, chewing each
other's fins, rolling upside down on the sand, AND, as always, were very
curious about our camera - they kept coming VERY close to us. The
adult sea lions seemed totally fine with all of it. Unbelievable
memories to finish San Cristobal island. When we were ready to leave,
one baby sea lion sat down on the beach sand and began moving his fin up
and down - almost like he was bidding good-bye. So touching... I will
never forget this moment!We also, developed a special connection with one family who had a small restaurant serving in the evening pollo y pappas (fried chicken and french fries, served with a special spiced up mayo and a salad). The food was expensive on Galapagos, but this basic establishment had a very inexpensive and finger-liking meal and a great attitude - we ended up eating nearly all our evening meals with them. At some point, we even were invited "behind the scenes" into their kitchen. The day before our departure from the island, the lady owner brought us gifts to take back home - soft toys of sea lions and blue-footed booby. We were so touched by the genuine connection - there is absolutely no way any tour-package or cruise group could experience that! Staying on the island gave us an opportunity to get close to its all residents - both wild-life and the town locals, and most importantly - it was done on genuine interaction terms, which was incredibly important to us. Now, months later, we still keep in touch with that local family, and every time I look at those gifts, the beauty of the island and connection with its special residents resonate inside of me in a very special way.
Isla Isabela
We
took a 4-hour speed-boat ride to our next island in the Galapagos -
Isla Isabela. While leaving San Cristobal island, a National Geographic ship was doing their story on the Galapagos - it was not the first time we encountered NG in the same locations we were in - it was a nice endorsement of correctly chosen adventures, except we had one advantage - freedom of time...
We had to make a stop-over in Puerto Ayora in between islands to wait for our connecting boat. While waiting, we had our self-catered breakfast on the main pier surrounded by sea lions sleeping on the public benches.
We had to make a stop-over in Puerto Ayora in between islands to wait for our connecting boat. While waiting, we had our self-catered breakfast on the main pier surrounded by sea lions sleeping on the public benches.
DAY
9 (Arrival) - Isla Isabela felt different from San Cristobal. There
was only one paved road leading from the pier to town, other roads were
all sandy. The atmosphere was sleepy except from one beach strip where
resorts were trying "to get into action in Galapagos" with over-priced
restaurants, dive shops and dull (and spoiled) tourists on their
daily-packaged tours. Instead, we settled in a peaceful town center in a large,
but mostly empty hotel owned by a local lady and her talkative smiling
manager named America. Because I had kept in touch with the hotel owner for
months prior to our arrival, for our 9-day stay there we were given a
very special rate in the best room they had. Our large corner room was
on the top floor adjacent to an outdoor terrace with hammocks and
sweeping 360 degree views. We also had an access to a guest kitchen,
which allowed us to cook our own breakfasts and helped to keep the food
budget cost reasonable. After disqualifying all over-priced (and
tourist-oriented) restaurants, we stumbled upon a small joint catering
to locals that had a terrific set dinner value - $4 meal included a
soup, an entree, and a glass of juice. Menu varied almost every night
and was quite tasty. For lunches we would pick up bananas (which were
surprisingly very scarce to find) and freshly made empanadas (savory
pies) staffed with melting cheese - from another local
eatery that cooked them only in the afternoons. They were super
delicious accompanied by a cup of fresh coffee and enjoyed in a hammock
on our open air terrace...
DAY
10 - Morning hike to salt lagoons with flamingos - our very first
encounter with those beautiful birds. Afternoon snorkel in Concha de
Perla lagoon (saw 6 giant turtles, 2 swimming marine iguanas, sting
ray). New encounters with sea lions - these ones adapted to living
around mangroves and wooden walkways. One sea lion loved sleeping under
the bench on the wooden platforms where we would change into our wet
suits and snorkeling gear, on several occasions we almost stopped on his
nose, which seemingly he grew accustomed to.
DAY
11 - Morning snorkeling with 9 eagle rays (at once), 2 turtles and
pelicans flying right above our heads. On the way back, sea lions
blocked our boardwalk by stretching out all across, I had to jump off to
a mangrove (and had to pee) - all of a sudden, I heard loud snarling
right behind me where I was squatting - it was a large sea lion sleeping
under the boardwalk who I almost peed on, and obviously, who did not
care for it... ONLY in GALAPAGOS this story would make total sense!
In
the afternoon, went to meet the sunset with flamingos, watching them
for a loooooong time, with large marine iguanas lounging near by. This
was the first time we saw flamingos taking off and flying in their group
with their powdery pink feathers tenderly illuminated by setting sun's
beams. Long walk on the beach back to our home.
DAY
12 - Spent about an hour in the morning swimming with 5 eagle rays.
Snorkeled through tunnels (lava rocks). Marine iguanas and sea lions
swimming around. Had to share AGAIN the boardwalk with sea lions.
Lounging in hammocks on our breezy terrace with a wild yellow canary
swinging on the hammock with us. Enjoying views of volcanoes scattered
around us. Were lucky (they go fast!) to locate more of fresh bananas at
a local store, cooked fresh "organic" eggs and real bread toast in our
guest kitchen. Observing the "REAL" local life and customs by living on
the island v.s. "STERILE" cruise ship approach. Sunset. Free hot
chocolate at a local street celebration.
DAY
13 - Boat Trip to Los Tuneles. On the way there and back had a viewing
of 20-30 giant manta rays (which happens VERY rarely) - some came very
close to the boat, their gigantic wings' span near the water surface was
absolutely incredible! During 2-hour snorkel had a close-up encounters
with 4 eagle rays; 15+ giant sea turtles; 8 Galapagos sharks sleeping
together in a cave; 1 white tip reef shark; sea snake; 2 sea horses (one
was likely pregnant). On land saw baby heron in a nest; Naska Boobies;
2 Blue-footed Boobies (male and female) at a VERY CLOSE range (2 feet) -
male Booby was performing his dance. Returned back to Isabela in the
late afternoon. Witnessed an incredible sunset from the dock - the
largest sun image we've ever observed.
DAY
14 - In the morning took a 12 km hike along the beach and hidden ocean
lagoons with herons, pelicans, flamingos, marine iguanas and their
nesting areas, crabs, etc. Hiked through mangrove lagoons with various
birds (many sightings of mockingbirds) and pristine hiking trails around
La Playita and Playa del Amor. Explored various inland salt lagoons -
one had a very unusual magenta colour to it. Had an encounter with the giant tortoise in the wild. In the afternoon explored
the town's beach and Concha de Perla for possible Galapagos penguins'
sightings - this time around no luck, but enjoyed the show put up by a
young playful sea lion. The sea lion put his head into the water (while
stretched out on the boardwalk steps) and was blowing bubbles under the
water, then periodically was looking at us and winking his eye as if
saying "Come and play with me!" Pelicans soaring close, canaries. My
goal for the next few days was still try and locate those Galapagos
penguins. One local guy (after observing my numerous efforts to
"interrogate" the locals with all these penguins' questions) suggested
that I would "camp out" on the pier with a book since I am so determined
to find them. Not sure about the book, but that pier location sounded
like a good starting point.
DAY
15 - My efforts paid off! Finally saw 4 Galapagos penguins - the
special residents of this particular island!!! Watched them for a long
time playing and hunting in shallow waters close to the beach and
mangroves. Then had another show - a young sea lion trying to play with
a marine iguana swimming in mangroves - he tried to chew iguana's
propelling tale, which (as you can imagine) the iguana did not care
for. In the afternoon went for another snorkel with 2 sea lions, 4
eagle rays and 1 octopus. Spending many hours in the water at that
location, we could by now identify individual eagle rays in that group -
we also noticed they gave each other a turn to lead the group, possibly
in attempt to keep the family harmony at peace or maybe learning those
leadership skills.
DAY
16 - This is the 2nd successful day for finding Galapagos penguins -
watched 3 of them interacting with each other and sea lions. Snorkeled
with 3 eagle rays and a large female sea lion. On land - my brightly
coloured bag (and me attached to it) got chased (not normal) by
an irritable young sea lion, who "selfishly" refused to share the public
boardwalk (the only way to and from the dock in the mangroves) and kept
blocking it - while other sea lions were casually and peacefully
snoozing near-by. At the same time, another young sea lion had no
issues with sharing (quite normal) a resting rock with a marine
iguana. Enjoyed leisure time in hammocks on our breezy terrace
overlooking the town and volcanoes' cones on the horizon. Finished the
day with our usual $4 cena (supper) at our regular local eatery -
hearty crab-veggies soup, salad, rice with beans served with garlicky
crispy fried chicken, and a glass of cold orange juice.
DAY
17 - Explored giant tortoise center, hiked back to the salt lagoons to
watch flamingos (along with a large marine iguana stirring up lots of
mud with its tail and bugging and confusing poor birds). Beach-comb
walk. Rob encountered another Galapagos penguin. Spent the rest of the
afternoon on the terrace talking with our only neighbour at the hotel -
a very interesting fellow of the Ecuadorian-American descent, who
shared with us his experiences and life upon returning back to his
country of origin - Ecuador. Got a lot of local gossip, and learned
about what is REALLY happening around this town, and peculiar local
"customs and attitudes" which probably best not to expose on this
website. Had our "last supper" on this island prior to moving the next
day to our third island in the Galapagos - Isla Santa Cruz.
Day
of departure - similar to our final day on the previous island of San
Cristobal, our departure from Isla Isabela was also very special. By
now, we have located, encountered, and interacted with pretty much all
wild-life available on Isla Isabela. Just a couple hours before our
departure sitting at the long wooden pier, we were treated to the grand
finale "performance" by local Galapagos penguins. This time around,
several families of penguins showed up to the harbour, and we watched
them for straight 2 hours. Sometimes, penguins, sea lions, pelicans and
large turtle would be interacting at once! Just right under our dock, 6
large eagle rays swam by followed by a sting ray, and then we spotted 3
Blue-footed Boobies on the rocks near by. It was truly a wild-life
fairy-tale, it felt almost surreal... When we boarded our boat and were
ready to depart, all of a sudden 2 Galapagos penguins showed up from
nowhere and spent their time right next to our boat until we departed -
again, it felt as if they were bidding their good-bye. I am aware it is
totally my interpretation, but I was nearly in tears (again)
recollecting all the magic moments on the island... Isla Isabela - we
will always remember you and your incredible inhabitants!
Isla Santa Cruz
DAY
18 (Arrival) - After several hours of crossing and a bumpy speed-boat
ride we finally reached our last island of Santa Cruz. We disembarked
in Puerto Ayora, and were met on a wooden pier by a large white-headed
pelican. The town was quite a bit more developed (which I had known in
advance from the prior research) with more package tourists (who usually
started and/or ended their over-priced cruises here), more food options, a
real well-stocked supermarket, better bakery, and red wine on offer.
Having spent prior 17 days in more isolated REAL Galapagos locations, we
took advantage of the rest of afternoon to settle in and enjoy a nice
meal ($5 set-dinner menu served on the street under the night sky)
followed by hearty Chilean red wine and delicious cake (both purchased
from the supermarket) which we consumed on the pier enjoying the harbour
and lit-up boats in the distance. We settled in for 9 days at another
local family-run hospedaje, and were fortunate to get our own
private bungalow (about $40 a night) surrounded by bright flowering
shrubs, fruit trees, flowers and a hammock area. We even had our own
satellite huge screen TV - we had to slowly get re-acquainted with
modern luxuries because after our Utopia-like lifestyle in the Galapagos
we would be heading to the mainland Ecuador with very different views,
attitude and lifestyle. But, for now we still had 8 days ahead of us to
enjoy the Galapagos we came for - the nature and wild-life away from
the crowds.
DAY
19 - In the morning, took a local boat and then hiked to the unique Las
Grietas for snorkeling through a long crevice/canyon - mix of ocean
salt water and underground sweet water. Saw large parrot fishes and blue
moray eel. Snorkeling through this unusual canyon did not offer a wide
variety of marine life, but it was a very unusual geographic phenomena
that also happened to be very pretty. Then, in the afternoon continued
on trail along volcanic cacti forest to reach other lagoons. Snorkeled
in mangrove lagoon (at Playa Los Alemanos) - saw a young black-yip reef
shark followed by a sea lion and a small sea snake. Witnessed a kayak
"drama" - 1 kayak used by some tourists capsized, 2 other kayaks drifted
away. In the evening enjoyed our $5 cena (supper) - lobster
soup (!) along with an entree consisting of the usual rice-beans-salad
and freshly fried piece of fish. Finished up with our usual dessert
from a supermarket bakery - delicious cake (large puff pastry filled with cream) consumed on a breezy waterfront park pier. ALSO - this
was the night we discovered dozens of young black-tip reef sharks coming
at night right to the pier! We enjoyed watching them for a couple of
hours right under us circling and hunting - along with two large
pelicans. Sharks were swimming close to the surface - right under our
feet and under the floating platform we were standing on. Bright light
from the pier lanterns was shining into the ocean water, and we could
see clearly their perfect silhouettes right next to us. So Beautiful!
Sea lions were casually sleeping on pier benches - the sight we have
gotten so used to...
DAY 20 - Hiked to Tortuga Bay through cactus and lava forest. Snorkeling in placid lagoon at Playa Mansa - that day we saw 6 baby white-tip sharks; 5 adult white-tip sharks (3 were sleeping next to each other, so I was able to take time and try to assess their size using my own dimensions - 1 was quite large, about 6 feet); 3 GIANT eagle rays - 1 came so close that his wing span almost brushed my shoulder and his long tail went right in front of my eyes - the water visibility was poor so I was lucky to avoid a collision with that eagle ray; on the way back saw a large number of marine iguanas in the surrounding areas. In the evening after our cena, we enjoyed observing again dozens of young black-tip sharks circling in clear waters under the lights around the pier harbour - so peaceful to watch them! While viewing the sharks, saw 1 mustard ray (NEW for us) swimming near them.
DAY 21 - Explored the Charles Darwin Research Station along with its tortoises, land iguanas (new); on the way back walked through town and a hidden ceramic garden (no - not a tourist trap attraction, but a real garden built by real local people creatively utilizing ceramic pieces for designing the walls and landscape); watched sea turtles, marine iguanas, and red rock crabs from a beach. Visited a local fish market - where sea lions and pelicans are hanging around the market sellers and fishermen waiting for their scraps. Unfortunately, there were cruise-ship tourists with their simplistic views and ugly behaviour - beautiful giant lobsters were being sold and chopped up into pieces (while still alive) for Western tourists to photograph and purchase... Tourists thought nothing of it, so what could have been an interesting market day turned into observing a slaughter house... So sad...
Afternoon - enjoyed delicious freshly baked dessert from a local supermarket (and another one in the evening on the pier; and another one - ice cream cone - from a family run store (hoping for the best - questionable water/ice used; but all turned out OK). Spent another evening watching graceful sharks and mustard rays at the pier.
DAY 20 - Hiked to Tortuga Bay through cactus and lava forest. Snorkeling in placid lagoon at Playa Mansa - that day we saw 6 baby white-tip sharks; 5 adult white-tip sharks (3 were sleeping next to each other, so I was able to take time and try to assess their size using my own dimensions - 1 was quite large, about 6 feet); 3 GIANT eagle rays - 1 came so close that his wing span almost brushed my shoulder and his long tail went right in front of my eyes - the water visibility was poor so I was lucky to avoid a collision with that eagle ray; on the way back saw a large number of marine iguanas in the surrounding areas. In the evening after our cena, we enjoyed observing again dozens of young black-tip sharks circling in clear waters under the lights around the pier harbour - so peaceful to watch them! While viewing the sharks, saw 1 mustard ray (NEW for us) swimming near them.
DAY 21 - Explored the Charles Darwin Research Station along with its tortoises, land iguanas (new); on the way back walked through town and a hidden ceramic garden (no - not a tourist trap attraction, but a real garden built by real local people creatively utilizing ceramic pieces for designing the walls and landscape); watched sea turtles, marine iguanas, and red rock crabs from a beach. Visited a local fish market - where sea lions and pelicans are hanging around the market sellers and fishermen waiting for their scraps. Unfortunately, there were cruise-ship tourists with their simplistic views and ugly behaviour - beautiful giant lobsters were being sold and chopped up into pieces (while still alive) for Western tourists to photograph and purchase... Tourists thought nothing of it, so what could have been an interesting market day turned into observing a slaughter house... So sad...
Afternoon - enjoyed delicious freshly baked dessert from a local supermarket (and another one in the evening on the pier; and another one - ice cream cone - from a family run store (hoping for the best - questionable water/ice used; but all turned out OK). Spent another evening watching graceful sharks and mustard rays at the pier.
DAY
22 - UNBELIEVABLE and unexpected snorkeling surprises at Playa Mansa.
GIANT 5 Peruvian torpedo rays with wings' span about 2 meters - their
torso size was equal to ours. The rays looked like large "carpets"
swimming graciously under water. Then, 8 large mustard rays together -
they "stacked up" on top of each other forming a large swimming triangle
like the ancient Roman army. Then, several young eagle rays and
sharks, and 1 LARGE shark. I saw fishes jump above the water surface
creating their own "wave" - there seemed to be thousands of them, they
kept coming from all directions... I thought "it's either several
"somethings" or one "something large" hunting after them - it was the
latter... Rob and I had seen hundreds of sharks by now, but none seemed
as BIG as this one. Awesome snorkeling and a little spooky due to
challenging water visibility in parts - we could only guess if there may
have been more of these BIG ones swimming right under us.
Evening
- enjoyed our street supper consisting of hearty fish soup served with
fresh deep-fried fish, rice, beans, salad, hot garlic sauce and lime
juice drink (all inclusive $5 set menu). During our meal, a line
developed around our table - apparently, famous Ecuadorian football
players were visiting and everyone wanted a photo with them. Finished
evening with ice-cream and creamy puff pastry on a pier (YES, travel
life is good on Galapagos!), followed by observing the (regular by now)
"nightly show" of numerous young sharks swimming under the pier. Some
sharks we could recognize by now - they had unique features on their
skin (one had a boat propeller's scars on its back - reminder that
Galapagos is not immune for taking nature for granted).
DAY 23 - Possibly the BEST snorkeling day for VARIETY. I went back by myself to Playa Mansa (7 km round-trip
strenuous hike through cactus and lava forest and then along a pristine
long (and hot) powdery white-sand beach - but definitely worth it!).
Had a better water visibility. Saw the following - 3 GIANT torpedo rays
(about 2 meters length including the tale); 2 small (about 80
centimeters) Peruvian torpedo rays; swam together with a large golden
ray, then together with the largest (to-date) eagle ray; then came
across 9 (!) sleeping in a group white tip sharks - the largest (about 2
meters) began circling around me as if asking "Are you dangerous, OR
are you something to eat?" After confirming that I was neither of those
things, sharks calmed down and went back to form a group. They behaved
very calmly, but kept their eyes on me. I spent some time observing
them - their eyes were pretty and had a blue tint to them. How often
one has a change to gaze peacefully into the eyes of a shark in a wild?
Made me feel very special! A medium size (about 1 meter) ray was
sleeping right next to the sharks. I continued swimming further and
came across another group of 6 white tip sharks - these were quite
active, four of them made several circles around me. I tried staying
calm (they were also large, about 2 meters), and then sloooooowwwwwwly
swam further, and saw 2 more baby sharks sleeping between rocks. So,
that day enjoyed a total of 17 sharks!
Afternoon
- finally found reasonably priced mangoes and bananas. Feels great to
have a healthy snack and a cup of tea in a hammock after an awesome
experience with marine life one hour prior! Took a boardwalk around
mangrove forest lake. Saw a couple of old ladies trying to climb (!) a
tree for a better photo. I said to them "Mui Buen!" and gave them a big
thumbs-up. They started laughing being caught "in the action" and gave
me a big toothless smile - super cute old ladies. Walking back to our
place, I kept having associations with South Korea - street walls made
out of stone (coral in this case) and large wooden gates... And,
sometimes, streets have a Mediterranean look to them. Also, Puerto
Ayora has nice modern bike lanes (completely separated from traffic).
Evening
- after supper, Rob and I enjoyed our "pier tradition" - cake (tried a
new one tonight - tasted like Russian Napoleon cake - yummy!); watched
sharks, AND a nice treat to finish the day with - a large and a medium
EAGLE RAYS went right under us!
DAY
24 - Back to the sharks! Saw at least 9 white-tips congregated
together, then 4 more swimming in a group; then 4 more sightings of
individual ones. Snorkeled with 4 GIANT torpedo rays (about 2 meters)
and 4 medium rays; encounter at arm's length with a Blue-footed Booby
sitting on the rock in the middle of the lagoon. Having hiked to and
from the lagoon over the course of several days, officially made
acquaintances with Jorge - the National Park ranger. He was very
impressed with our commitment to the nature, and every time upon return I
gave him reports how many sharks and other creatures we'd seen that
day.
Afternoon - Had uve
(grape) ice-cream for dessert. In the evening, still high tide at the
town pier - could only see a few black-tip sharks in deep waters. Saw
another Golden ray swim by there too.
DAY
25 - Morning hike to Lava Tunnels - nothing special, but saw 2
tortoises in the wild. On the way back, picked up mangoes and bananas from a local
market, plus humita (local specialty of corn paste and cheese baked in leaves - tasted a lot better than a Mexican tamale), made fresh coffee at our "home casa" - enjoyed a great breakfast in our hammock area surrounded by blossoming trees.. Afternoon
- snorkel at a local town beach Playa de la Estacion - nothing special,
saw only one eagle ray. Enjoyed another nice dinner and a bakery treat
on a pier. That night, the tide was quite high, saw only 1 shark near
the pier. Lot more Western people in town for their "Christmas
cruises". After our special experiences with the nature and local
people, the tourists are nothing but annoyance.
DAY
26 - Morning boat ride to "the other side". Final swim in Las Gietas
canyon. When other people left and true silence descended on the
canyon, I could hear droplets off my fins reflecting echo off the rocky
cave walls. Last look at blue moray eel and large parrot fish peacefully swimming
in crystal clear waters along mystic canyon walls. Last hike around
lava forest and salt lagoons of unusual red and magenta colours, last
board walk around the mangroves, and last boat ride across the
harbour... The next day we would be departing the Galapagos...
We picked up food supplies for upcoming flights and a night at the Quito International Airport. Had our last cena,
cakes and wine at the pier in the evening. We finished on a peaceful
note by watching pelicans' and sharks' silhouettes near the dock where
we had spent so many hours by now. Great journey, incredible up-close
encounters with wild-life, living among the locals, experiencing the
beauty of the unique nature, and memories of a life-time. Our
independent journey in the Galapagos was most definitely worth the wait,
and having experienced the islands independently and freely has turned out to be one of the most rewarding travel adventures we will cherish.
Transit Isla Santa Cruz - Quito International Airport
DAY 27 - Final day on the islands, and not your usual departure...
DAY 27 - Final day on the islands, and not your usual departure...
We
took an early morning bus through the island's interior - sunken
volcanoes, several sightings of wild tortoises along the edge of the
road. Rob noticed farm areas were a blurry border with National Park's
boundaries. We wondered what furture waiting for the Galapagos in years
to come... We decided to spend a couple of hours at a ferry dock on
Balatra Island versus rushing to wait at the airport located a few
kilometers away. We were still surrounded by beautiful clear ocean
water. We settled on a pier bench and had our breakfast - Ecuadorian
granola cereal and milk (which we made on a spot from a dry whole milk
powder and which was surprisingly decent), crackers and chocolate. Two
sea lions came by, lots of Galapagos red crabs were making their way
around the rocks, and then a Great heron landed on a near-by boat. I
got very close to the beautiful bird and it allowed me to take a lot of
close-up shots - it almost enjoyed "modelling" for me.
Eventually,
time has come to make our way to the Balta Airport surrounded by desert
and ocean in the distance. We had a very nice flight from Baltra to
Quito and made acquaintances with two lovely Ecuadorian flight
attendants Alexandria and Sabrina, who gave me the whole large bag of
Ecuadorian coffee to take home because I liked the flavour of it so much
during the flight.
Landing
in Quito during the sunset felt almost surreal - incredible images from
the height of the plane - sun beams penetrating the clouds below us,
which looked like snow peaks and mountains above the actual mountains
under us - the nature almost looked upside down, it all merged into one
continuum, it was hard to tell where there was beginning and where was
the end. It was breath-taking to say the least. We had taken a lot of
flights, but this one stood out of them all...
We had a 12-hour (night) connection at Quito International Airport - the second time around, almost like a deja vu of sorts. We had our submersible heater with us - so we made spicy-noodle soup, and along with crackers, banana chips, peanut butter, granola cereal and milk, we were set for a looooong night at the airport and then another flight afterwards. We found two comfy club-type chairs, and we were in biz! We had many night hours ahead of us to recollect our fantastic Galapagos adventure and other experiences prior. Both Rob and I occasionally go though raw emotions dealing in the recent past with our siblings' resentment and their clashes with our life choices. Being a "divergent" is very rewarding, but in our case, it also produced cruel rejections (among other things) by a few others. I thought family members are supposed to be supportive of each other?! While contemplating about the obvious differences, I thought to myself - they can take away the love and family connection, but they can never take the memories and great experiences... Did I mention that it was a day before Christmas? Adventure does have lot of facets to it - obviously, but so does life...
We had a 12-hour (night) connection at Quito International Airport - the second time around, almost like a deja vu of sorts. We had our submersible heater with us - so we made spicy-noodle soup, and along with crackers, banana chips, peanut butter, granola cereal and milk, we were set for a looooong night at the airport and then another flight afterwards. We found two comfy club-type chairs, and we were in biz! We had many night hours ahead of us to recollect our fantastic Galapagos adventure and other experiences prior. Both Rob and I occasionally go though raw emotions dealing in the recent past with our siblings' resentment and their clashes with our life choices. Being a "divergent" is very rewarding, but in our case, it also produced cruel rejections (among other things) by a few others. I thought family members are supposed to be supportive of each other?! While contemplating about the obvious differences, I thought to myself - they can take away the love and family connection, but they can never take the memories and great experiences... Did I mention that it was a day before Christmas? Adventure does have lot of facets to it - obviously, but so does life...
posted by Rob and Anna @ 1:04 PM
2 Comments:
Anna -- you are a great travel writer, and your pictures are divine.
Folks who have the time, resources and mostly interest to do what you and Rob are doing are very lucky indeed.
Well done and thank you very very much for the travel log. We should all be so lucky.
Thank you very much, Don, for your feedback! Galapagos Islands are truly a unique place, and we felt privileged to be there and explore the fascinating fauna independently. I sure hope that this region, one of the last remaining nature's refuges, will continue to stay protected. Best wishes, Anna.
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