Galapagos Reflections
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Day 9When I awoke we were still traveling, and shortly after breakfast we arrived at San Cristobal. Specifically we were by Punta Pitt on the northern end of the Island. To get to the beach on the island we hopped in a zodiac and were dropped off on the beach. This area was mostly ash and stunning rock formations right up to the beach. We saw some Galapagos Sea lions and marine iguanas, as well as the San Cristobal Lava Lizard. After we hiked up to the top of Punta Pitt we reached an area where the landscape was also barren but it offered a beautiful view of the boat anchored off shore. It was so hot that day. I made sure to coat myself in sunblock every single day I was in Ecuador, but in the Galapagos I took extra care in making sure to reapply often. The heat continued to rise and all I could think about was swimming in the inviting water. The searing heat was amplified by the volcanic rocks. I tried warning everyone to put sunblock on, but by the end of the day it was noticeable that they did not heed my warnings.
After this excursion we returned to the boat and the crew had a snack and cold drinks ready for us which was a very nice touch. Next up on the list of activities was snorkeling. I was a little nervous to snorkel in the ocean being adrift in the currents but it was an incredible experience. There was a completely different world underwater. There were so many fish and so many different colors. Blues, pinks, oranges, yellows, blacks, almost any color you could imagine was present in the reefs. Soon I saw something really big swim by me, and after I stopped having a heart attack, I realized it was a sea lion, a big bull sea lion watching some pups. Now sea lions on land are about as acrobatic as group of drunk college kids on spring break, but in the water they were like watching cirque du soleil. They would twist, turn, and dive all around me blowing bubbles to get my attention. It was honestly a magical experience. While they were swimming in the ocean with us I did not feel like I was a person and this was a sea lion, I just felt like we were a part of the sea, and a part of the earth. The oceans around the Galapagos must be the closest thing to an ocean before people have existed on this planet. With the creation of the Galapagos marine reserve I hope these areas can stay like this for many more years to come. After snorkeling and lunch, we sailed south to Cerro Brujo, where we landed on another beach, with sand that was as soft as sugar. The sand was white and soft, a perfect nesting ground for iguanas and sea turtles. We then went for a swim off this beach in the turquoise waters and while we were swimming we watched blue footed boobies dive for sardines right in front of us. It was really interesting to see all of the different landscapes in such a short amount of time. The vegetation here was more abundant than Punta Pit, and the beach was of different composition. Even the rock formations were different. This is due to the stark differences in micro climates across different islands and across landscapes among larger islands. Precipitation on San Cristobal greatly increases as you travel south. After we left Cerro Brujo, we sailed around Leon Dormido, a rock formation that used to be part of San Cristobal millions of years ago until the land between the two was eroded away by the powerful sea. It rose up 1000 feet from the surface of the sea and was a place where many sea birds hung out. We also spotted a humpback whale and tried to get good pictures of it. I had never seen a whale in person and it was incredible. That night we anchored off shore of San Cristobal and we left for the Island of Santa Fe at around 230am. |
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Day 11
Our final morning on the boat arrived and we took the zodiac to Black turtle cove. This cove was lined with many mangrove trees which provided an excellent breeding ground for sea turtles. The name black turtle cove came from the black pacific sea turtle, however due to habitat loss around the world the turtle no longer comes to Galapagos to breed. There were many pacific green sea turtles mating in the cove and they did not seem to be bothered by our presence. There were also some golden rays swimming in the cove. After this short boat ride we were dropped off back at Baltra, and then eventually made our way back to Puerto Ayora. We spent one more day and night in the Galapagos and we visited a ranch where they had giant land tortoises. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I was finally able to walk amongst these gentle giants. The tortoises can grow up to 600 pounds and they are massive. They can live over 100 years and go without food for an entire year and no water for a few months. They certainly did not disappoint. We arrived at our hotel, the hotel north Seymour and it was quite beautiful and spacious with an outdoor courtyard. We also went snorkeling around Santa Cruz and visited a part of the Island full of marine Iguanas. We then went to Las Grietas, a volcanic fissure that later filled with sea water. We swam in the cool water between these two large cliffs and there were no fish in it other than these large parrot fish that ventured in from the sea. It was like swimming in a land before time. The Galapagos has left me wanting to come back for more, and I am hopeful that one day I will be able to return and visit some of the other wondrous places.
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