I'm spending my last full day on the Galapagos Islands as I write.
To be exact I'm in a a town called Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, the most
populous island of the archipelago. My time in Galapagos has been 13 at
its entirety. Tomorrow I will fly out of Baltra Island back to Quito before
returning to California.
I can't believe my trip is almost over. When I first started this
trip, it seemed like it would take forever to get to the Galapagos.
Needless to say, Galapagos was the main reason why I came to
Ecuador. Now that I conquered the islands, I'm (shamefully to admit) ready to
go back home to continue where I left. I'm eager to return to my internship and
resume my thesis. I'm also tired, achy, and my head hurts.
When I first arrived in Galapagos, I met up with Heather and
stayed on Santa Cruz Island for 2 nights at Hotel Gardner. A private room with
bathroom cost us $25 together. It was a steal considering that everything on
the islands seems to almost double in price compared to the mainland. Food here
is not that great. Western style restaurants are severely overpriced.
After spending our 2 nights in Santa Cruz, we took a ferry to
Isabela Island where I stayed for 2 more nights at Hostal Jungla before heading back to Santa
Cruz to board my cruise. Heather stayed there for a few more days.
I spent a total of 7 nights on the cruise. The tour itself was
amazing. But the the water was horribly choppy and not forgiving toward my
small cruise ship. September brings the worst sea conditions around the
islands. The upside was that prices are lower, and mating season is in full
swing for most animals.
Whenever the boat moved, I would take a Dramamine and go straight
to my cabin for a siesta. I'm prone to sea sickness and did throw up once.
Luckily I made it to the trash bin.
After getting off the cruise I was happy to return to sleeping on
land.
My cruise visited the southern islands which consisted the
following: Espanola, Floreana, San Cristobal, Santa Fe, North Seymore, Baltra
and Santa Cruz. My favorites were Espanola and North Seymore.
After doing the Galapagos, it will be hard to top my next travel.
These islands are a privilege to visit and it's rare to meet people back home
who have any idea on how to get here. There's nothing like the Galapagos
anywhere else in the world. It's like another planet. I have so much more
respect for the evolution of wildlife than I did before. Although many species
of flora and fauna have been decimated or eradicated due to invasive species introduced by
humans, many other are thriving. It took hundreds of years to recognized
Galapagos' meaning to the world, but finally it's getting the protection it
severely deserves. It's so hard to describe the feeling, especially now that
I'm so exhausted from the cruise.
More posts to come about my Galapagos travels!
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