Galapagos
Plus $100!
I considered the Galapagos to be my first real adventure after disembarking the plane on to South America. I laid low in Lima to help build my confidence on traveling solo, but I was ready to go full steam during the next 5 days on the Galapagos Islands. I took an early flight out of Lima and landed mid-day at Seymour Airport, on Baltra Island. As I sat next to the window and peered outside, the view as we landed was spectacular; the sparking blue ocean glittered below as the strong rays of sunshine illuminated the landscape. I had two young vacationers sitting next to me on the flight, and they were eagerly snapping photos of the picturesque island, stretching their short limbs in front of my face. I kindly offered to take pictures for them and began snapping some of my own.
We had a smooth landing, and after paying my $100 entry fee and getting the coolest passport entry stamp ever (a little turtle!), I found Nelly, my Airbnb host, in the airport lobby. Nelly's place was on Santa Cruz Island in Puerto Ayora. Since I landed in Baltra Island (the main airport in the Galapagos), we had to take a bus and ferry to get to the coast of Santa Cruz. Nelly only spoke Spanish, so our conversation was limited to "the sea is beautiful!" (el mar es muy bonita!) and "look at the fish!" (mirar a los peces!). I'm sure I even butchered those sentences. After we reached Santa Cruz Island, she led me to her truck in the parking lot and we found 4 boys sitting in the trunk and 2 girls in the backseat. Nelly's son, Ronny, was visiting his mom during college holidays and he brought his friends Juan, Uriel, another Juan and his girlfriend Carla along with him. Nelly's husband and daughter were also in the truck so it was a full truck. It was about a 40-minute drive from the dock to the city of Puerto Ayora, but on the way, Nelly stopped at a turtle conservatory so we could see turtles in their natural habitat. We found some huge turtles there and after everyone took some cute snaps with them, we left to go to Nelly's place in the touristy city of Puerto Ayora. Instead of renting out rooms in her house, she actually rents out rooms from the hotel she owns. So to my (happy) surprise, I had a spacious room with a personal kitchen for the next 5 nights.
Spot my plane!
A little on the dryer side. I was worried the whole island would be arid. But as soon as we took the ferry to Isabela Island, I was surrounded by plush greenery.
During my first day in the Galapagos, I joined up with Juan, Juan and Uriel to visit Tortuga Bay (in my mind we were venturing off to the pirate haven Tortuga featured in Pirates of the Caribbean). In reality, Tortuga Bay is a gorgeous beach on Santa Cruz Island and is only accessible by foot. The starting point is in Puerto Ayora and it is a 45 minute walk on a trail in the scorching hot sun before you reach this paradise. But it was worth it. This beach is tucked away in obscurity so it was pretty empty. And the view was spectacular; gazing out into the ocean, I saw gorgeous hues of blues and greens, expanding out into the horizon while exotic looking lizards scampered around me in the crystal white sand. Juan even saw some baby sharks swimming in the shallow part of the beach, so I spent a good amount of time splashing around the water trying to get a decent video of the little guys.
After exploring the beach for a couple hours, we grew extremely hungry and decided to head back into town. I wanted to see the Galapagos night scene so I had dinner by the docks. After dinner, I walked around a bit and tried to find exotic animals hiding in the nightly shadows. It was a Saturday night and there was a live band performing on a park stage while dancing couples surrounded them. Nearby a group of young boys were battling it out in a game of soccer, all showcasing their ball maneuvering capabilities. It was truly a picturesque night.
Santa Cruz is the most populated island in the Galapagos and tourists were bustling all around me. Prices were pretty steep, especially since South America is generally inexpensive, but the unique experience was worth the extra expenses. I spent the next couple of days exploring the island of Santa Cruz and figuring out which company I would scuba dive with. Galapagos is famous for its wildlife and the main reason I ventured so far from the mainland was to dive there. I was excited to see some unique animals and the adventure-seeker in me wanted to see some sharks. Once I figured out the company I would dive with and where (Seymour Island and Daphne Minor - the scuba guy obviously assuring me that I would see some sharks), I was free to check out the rest of the famous spots. While walking along the ocean I captured a magnitude of breathtaking views, often one more beautiful than the last.
On my fourth day there, I joined up with Ronny and company to take a tour of Isabela Island. Isabela Island is the largest island in the Galapagos but is much less populated than Santa Cruz. Known for its natural beauty, the crowds that frequent Isabela Island tend to be tourists on day trips while the inhabitants are mostly the people running the activities. It was a bumpy hour boat ride from Santa Cruz to Isabela but on the tour, I met a couple other American girls and hung with them the rest of the day. It was refreshing to be able to speak in English rather than my extraordinarily choppy Spanish.
Once we reached Isabela Island, our first stop was a sobering one. Some of Isabela Island's earliest inhabitants were secluded prisoners sent to the island to build their future prison. We saw what remained of the structure, aptly named "The Wall of Tears". Many prisoners died from heat and work exhaustion and the operation was shut down shortly after it began when the remaining prisoners revolted. Part of the structure still remains today as a reminder of the island's dark history. The view from the top was pretty spectacular, but the immediate landscape that laid before us was forever marred by the sad history. Fortunately after the first stop, the rest of the tour was considerably merrier. We had an authentic Ecuadorian meal, visited a turtle conservatory (where we saw turtles getting busy making more turtles), and lastly lounged on a gorgeous beach. After heading back to Santa Cruz Island, I was exhausted from being in the beating hot sun all day and passed out very early. I had one more day left in Santa Cruz and it was primed to be my favorite.
On the last day, I woke up around 5:45 AM to get ready for my upcoming dive. I was so excited but a little tired after barely sleeping the night before. Against my better judgment, I decided to Google "shark attacks in the Galapagos" when I awoke in the middle of the night. That obviously spiraled into learning about shark biology, shark psychology, shark politics and any other ridiculous shark-related concepts. So after my sleepless night, my alarm went off and I got ready and headed to the docks. From the docks, me and a couple other divers boarded a little bus and drove to the north side of the island, where we would be departing. When we finally reached northern Santa Cruz, I, along with 14 other passengers, excitedly boarded the Nautilus yacht and headed out to the expansive sea.
It was about an hour and a half boat ride to Seymour Island, our first dive destination. After about an hour, we began donning our scuba outfits. In the blazing hot sun, our black skin suits were very uncomfortable but the party didn't stop there. By the time everyone completely suited up with all of our heavy gear, we reached Seymour Island. One by one, we climbed off the yacht and onto a little boat that we'd be diving from. Once we were all snug on the boat, our divemaster gave us a rundown of the area one more time. Then he counted "3, 2, 1...", and we all plopped into the ocean, inflating our vests in the process. Bobbing up and down in the ocean, fully aware that sharks were beneath me, I started to get very anxious. My heart was beating fast and I was breathing heavily into my regulator. When everyone was off the boat into the water our divemaster instructed us to descend. I started to sink underwater, freaked out and bobbed back up to surface where I could breathe again. The divemaster saw me panicking and emerged from the water to assuage my fears. We took a couple deep breaths together and he assured me that everything would be okay. After a couple seconds, I nodded. Time to go down.
Our descent was about 30 ft. We slowly sank into the depths of the ocean, my heart still beating fast. When we finally landed on the ocean floor I took a moment to gather my bearings, getting ready for an adventure. Alright, I made it down. Then I looked up. A straight shot ahead of me were the creatures I had been fearfully excited for this whole time. We had descended straight into a shark cave.
I could feel my heartbeat pulsating through every inch of my body. I was in the classic fight or flight situation but willed myself to remain still. One of the best things about scuba diving is the ability to transcend into another world, to float among the creatures that have evolved from organisms that existed 500 million years ago. It's an incredible thing. But as I gazed at the many sharks in front of me, nestled in a cave, I realized something else. I was conscious of every breath I took, every moment I experienced. I realized why I was so enamored with diving. It brought me to the moment. I was experiencing life how we all strive to: I was in the now.
Don't get me wrong, I was breathing so heavily that my air supply was diminishing much faster than my fellow divers. I was still scared, but I pursued on. After a couple minutes, as we departed from the shark cave, I realized the sharks hadn't even taken glanced at us. This was their world and we were just floating in it. We moved on but abruptly stopped. Our divemaster signaled us to look up and symbolized "hammerhead shark" with his hands. I knew what the symbol meant but felt myself wishing it was not true. I looked up. There was a massive hammerhead shark swimming towards us. Then without a moment's notice, it abruptly stopped, turned around and raced away with intense speed. I remembered one of my google finds the night before: apparently hammerhead sharks are scared of the bubbles created when we breathe out of our regulators. They really are more scared of us than we are of them!
I was much more calm the rest of the dive and saw so many animals: seals, otters, turtles and exotic fish. 45 minutes rolled by and it was time to ascend back up. Time flew! We all steadily made our way back to the surface and back onto the little boat that we left from. I looked at the air supply I had left and it was really low. Like abnormally low. Apparently I need an extra tank of oxygen if you surround me with sharks.
After our second dive at Daphne Minor, with other notable creatures, we had lunch and headed back to Santa Cruz Island. It was a spectacular day and I faced one of my biggest fears (after seeing Jaws as a child). When I got back to Nelly's place, it was already evening and I was exhausted. Some of Ronny's friends were also leaving the next day, so we enjoyed a lavish meal together filled with laughter and smiles. The next day, I left mid-morning for Cusco, Peru. While heading back to the airport, I reflected on my time spent at the Galapagos. I had lived to tell the tale of diving with sharks and officially kicked off my round the world travels in the bravest way possible.
After my first dive at Seymour Island with the sharks. No big deal.
DAY 5: DIVING THE MAJESTIC SEAS
DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO PUERTO AYORA
DAY 4: ISABELA ISLAND DAY TOUR
Aka El Muro de las Lágrimas. Beautiful view from atop.
Can you count how many are actually standing on one leg?
I asked the tour guide how long these turtles live, expecting some outrageous number like 150 years. Instead the tour guide chuckled and said, "They live until they die". This is a typical response from a Galapagos native. Gotta love these guys.
While walking through the Charles Darwin Research Station, a stone pathway led me to an ocean lookout. I stumbled upon this beauty and was instantly awed by what laid before me. Apparently I wasn't the only one.
After exploring the Charles Darwin Research Station, which holds a variety of animal observatories, I joined up with Juan and Uriel and hung beachside for a while.
DAY 2-3: TORTUGA BAY & PUERTO AYORA
