Friday, November 16, 2012

The Galapagos

I know this post has been long awaited (or at least my mom has been bugging me about it), but I am finally dedicating an entry about my fall break in the Galapagos.

The Galapagos Islands are especially famous from Charles Darwin's research on island Finches.  It is one of the strangest places I have ever been.  The wildlife is fantastic, there are so many tropical fish, sharks, turtles, whales, manta rays and sea lions that you can swim in the water with. On land, there are thousands of varies of birds, including Blue Footed Boobies, who actually do have bright blue feet.  There are land iguanas everywhere, and all of these animals (though they're not domesticated), you can essentially just walk right up to them and take a photo with them.  Though it's discouraged to get too close.

Unfortunately, with all of the tourism, a lot of the natural habitats have been destroyed, or are being damaged.  My guide book even informed me that just with the introduction of goats, about 8 species has gone extinct.  I can only imagine the number of species we've lost with all of the livestock, people, rats, cats and dogs that have been introduced.  Though, people are pretty strict about what you can and cannot bring into the Galapagos.  I first realized how serious they were when we were on the airplane.  We had just landed, and I heard a voice on the intercom say:

"Excuse us, as we will now spray down the cabin and all of the luggage with pesticides."

I was pretty surprised by this, and I was wondering how long it would take to spray the cabin with pesticides.  I wasn't sure how long I could hold my breath.

Needless to say, the flight attended came around with a single spray can and just sprayed the bags.  It was definitely an interesting experience.

My second impression was a reaction to the scenery. When you first arrive, it looks kind of like a desert, with lots of cacti and brown, dusty plains.



After we went through the customs, we had to take a boat to the main part of the island.  The water was the most blue/green color I have ever seen.  Later that day we went to a Giant Tortoise Reserve.  We also explored a little cave near by.  Then we went into the town of Santa Cruz and went to the fish market.  It was really cool to see the fishermen pull up in the boats, unload their fresh catches, and then see the butchers clean and flillet the fish right there.  They attracted a lot of birds, too.

The next day we went snorkeling with colorful fish, sharks, manta rays, sea lions and turtles.  Afterwards, we went to Tortuga Bay, which is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.  The sand was the whitest and softest sand in the Pacific Ocean.  It certainly beats all of the Oregon beaches.

The third day we went to Floreana Island.  It's the only island in the Galapagos with natural fresh water.  We hiked around, learned about it's history and went snorkeling again.

The fourth day was a relaxed day.  Sam and I went shopping and planned the rest of our trip.  On the fourth day, most of the group we came with left, but it was definitely worth staying a few extra days. We planned our trip to Seymore Norte, which was definitely the most beautiful of the islands. We went snorkeling again, but the water was much bluer and warmer on this island.  We also got to walk around and see all of the baby blue footed boobies and baby sea lions.  I have never been so close to sea lions before.  The last day we didn't have much time, except to have a nice breakfast and catch our flight to Guayquil.  But it was definitely a trip that I'll never forget.

I'll post pictures in a few shorter separate blogs, as every time I do it with this blog, there's too many and it freezes.  But pictures are on their way!