Our flight from Miami was delayed an hour but it wasn't that big of a deal as there was internet in the airport so we caught up with people at home while we were waiting. The flight was like any other 4 hour flight and soon we were in a different continent. We landed in Quito and queued up with all the other passengers to go through customs. First up was a temperature check to see if we were carrying swine flu which involved standing in front of a heat sensing camera. Alot of people were wearing surgical masks in the queue for passport checks but most of them seemed to be in one large American group. As soon as they were through to baggage collection nearly all the masks were gone. Baggage collection was a bit of an experience - the carousel was so narrow that when bags got to the end of the line they had to be taken off and left on the floor to prevent them blocking the opening and causing untold baggage chaos. We found our bags and headed through to arrivals which was thronged with drivers and family members. We headed through the crowd and got a taxi to our hotel.
Since we had booked so many tours with USIT they gave us a voucher to use for accommodation in between our various tours so we were able to book a 4 star hotel for the price of a hostel. The first thing we noticed when we got to the hotel is that it is right in the middle of the bars and restaurants which were alive and kicking it being a Saturday night. We checked in and headed up to the room. First things first, I had to check the toilet since we had crossed the Equator (just about) and yes, it did flow backwards. Quito is at an altitude of about 3,000 metres so we were warned about altitude sickness which we kind of experienced as the night wore on. We both had dull headaches and felt kind of queasy so we took it easy and headed to bed as we had an early flight to the Galapagos the next morning.
The alarm went off and we were down at reception by 6.30 to get a taxi back to the airport. The streets were clear and we got a better view of the city than the previous night as the sun was up. First impressions were that the city is quite run down and dirty but we have a good bit of time when we get back to check the place out and get a real feel for it. We got to the taxi with no hiccups and headed into the terminal. As we did our accents were recognised straight away and a girl piped up "Oh, you're Irish". We got chatting to Jen and found out we were on the same flight to the Galapagos so we checked in together and had a great chat along the journey to Baltra Island.
I was happy to see all the restrictions and checks they perform before you actually get to step foot on the Galapagos Islands. First we had to have all our bags x-rayed and tagged before check in. We then had to register our passports to recieve a card to use to get our parks pass in the islands. On the flight all our hand luggage was sprayed with disinfectant and finally all our checked luggage was checked by sniffer dogs before we could collect them. With the luggage collected we met up with our crew mates for the next 8 days. On the flight there were an awful lot of grey haired Americans and both of us were worried that some of them would be on our cruise but we were relieved to find out that all the other 14 passengers were 20-something backpackers visiting South America. There was an Aussie and an Italian couple, 2 Swiss girls, 2 dutch couples, 2 guys and a girl from Isreal and a girl from England. Our rucksacks were taken for us by the crew and we got a bus down to the port where dinghy's brought us to our home for the next 7 nights - Guantanamera yacht. Our bags were already on board and lunch was ready so we sat down and got to know some of our crewmates.
After lunch we were allocated rooms and I was delighted when we had one on the main deck - there were three below deck which didn't have windows and neither of us wanted that. We had a bit of settling in time before we had a short sail to a bay very close to Baltra Airport. During this time we both got snorkelling gear as they were to be daily opportunities to go snorkelling which we were both very happy about. Also, the rocking motion of the boat won the battle with my belly and I had my first bout of sea sickness - I'll be going with the motion sickness tablets for the rest of the trip. In this bay was Bachas Beach which we took the dinghys to and had a wet landing at. A wet landing basically involves reversing up to the beach and hopping over the side when the tide is going out. Timed poorly and you have wet shorts for a while. We left the snorkelling gear by the rocks and went for a short stroll. Marvi, our guide, pointed out the various wildlife along this walk. The first thing that struck us was the shear abundance of it and how placid they were around us and as we took photos of them. All along the shore we had loads of blue footed boobies and pelicans flying overhead. In addition to all the birds overhead there were an incredible number of colourful crabs on the rocks and plenty of marine turtle nests which we saw at the end of the trail along with a couple of pelicans. We walked back and then went snorkelling from the beach during which time we saw a multitude of colourful tropical fish - too numerous to mention here. After snorkelling for a while we chilled out on the beach and continued to get to know people before heading back and grabbing showers. I took a motion sickness tablet straight away, Emer hadn't yet fallen victim to motion sickness (Go ME!!). Before dinner most of us were on the sun deck where we continued to chat and share travel stories. Alot of people had come from where we are due to visit so they gave us advice and increased the excitement of the coming weeks. After dinner we had welcome cocktails, met the crew, introduced ourselves and did some slasa dancing. We had a great time having the craic, dancing (some of us better than others) and getting to know people before heading off to sleep.
We stayed in a bay with relatively calm water for the night so we both got decent nights sleep which was nice. I took a travel tablet with breakfast after yesterday's shenanigans but Emer got through yesterday fine so she said she would see how she got on. After breakfast we had a dry landing on Plazas Island. The dominant male sea lion lying on the path where we landed to make sure that we knew it was his territory. We strolled around this island for the morning seeing the various flora and fauna including sea lions, crabs, marine iguanas, various seabirds and cactii totally unique to this island. We took the dinghy's back to the ship and had a snack before setting sail to Santa Fe. As we left the bay we saw a couple of Humpback whales breaching and splashing, a couple of hammerhead sharks swimming around the boat and some people saw a Manta Ray breaching the water as well. The journey was quite rough but thankfully the tablet I took with breakfast did the job. I don't think Emer could say the same thing (I will be taking motion sickness tablets from now on :-( ). We anchored in a bay and after a while we had lunch. When the food had settled we went snorkelling which was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.
We took the dinghy's from the yacht and hopped out in the bay. Straight away we spotted a couple of marine turtles as they were swimming around in large, lazy circles. They swim at quite a speed despite barely moving their arms. After this we headed over to the rocks spotting a stingray along the way. At the rocks there were a few sea lion pups swimming and playing and they came over to us to see what was going on. They swam around us for a bit playing with us - as curious about us as we were about them. They are such agile animals when they are in the water, the complete opposite of when they are on land. After a while we got back into the dinghys and were brought around to the other side of the same rocks. The sea lions followed us to the edge of the bay, jumping out of the water like dolphins which was amazing to watch. On the other side of the rocks we hopped back in and went snorkelling again. A couple of curious sea lions came out to say hello to myself and Emer and we looked at each other underwater as they blew bubbles of air at us. We headed back towards the yacht and saw loads of tropical fish in the rocks along the way. It was so much fun taking a deep breath and swimming in the midlle of schools of sparkling and colourful fish. We headed back to the yacht after a bit and changed before heading back to the island to go for a walk and see some land animals.
It was a wet landing by loads and loads of sea lions which was fun, even if they are really stinky animals.We watched them interact for a bit on the beach before heading for a walk. As they get older they turn really lazy and just lie around but the pups are quite active and a few of them still rely on their mothers milk as food. Along our hike we saw loads more iguanas (land and marine), crabs, sea lions, loads of sea birds and another unique type of cactus completely unique to this island. It looked like a tree as it had a trunk and then the cactus plant grows up high out of reach. We walked to te top of a cliff for a view of the island and bay before heading back down and chilling out on the beach. The dinghy's took us back to the yacht and myself and Emer took a tablet straight away as we were due to sail through the night. After a while we had dinner and we just took it easy for the night going through the copious number of photos taken and chatting withpeople. We were due to sail after 11 and the captain recommended being in bed and asleep before we did go so we took his advice.
The choppy waters woke us a good few times during the night sail to Espanyola Island but the dramamine meant we woke with clear heads and settled bellies. After breakfast we were brought to the beach for a wet landing on Punta Suarez beach and we were give a couple of hours to do as we please. We threw a disc for a while, setup and took a photo and strolled down the beach to the rocks for a while. The dinghy's collected us and brought us back to get our snorkel gear before bringing us back to the rocks where we saw loads more tropical fish, another stingray and a black tipped reef shark over 2 metres in length. It was quite deep but the visibility was good so it was quite easy to see it and follow it around. We swam back to the boat and climbed on board before grabbing showers and having lunch while we sailed for about 30 minutes to another part of the island - Gardner Bay. A dry landing and the we walked around the island for 2-3 hours and saw some amazing sights. We saw theblue footed boobies do their famous mating dance which we were both delighted to get to see. We also saw loads of iguanas, albatrosses (adults, babies and eggs - even one taking it's first flight), a Galapagos Hawk and loads of other marine birds. We headed back on board and had a tablet with dinner which was delicious as all the meals had been up until then. We set sail early and I got a bit of a headache so we headed to bed relatively early.
Again we had an interupted sleep but we dropped anchor at 1am so it wasn't too bad. The anchor and chain are right outside our bedroom so we know exactly when it happens. Today we were at Floreana Island and the first of our two trips was a wet landing on the beach. Along our walk we saw a green and a white beach (which still had baby turtle tracks on it from the nests to the water) and a lagoon full of flamingos. Some of them even took flight and circled around the lagoon a couple of times which was cool to see. They look like sticks with wings in the air - they are so thin and long. There were some seal pups playing by the shore as we boarded to head back to the yacht where we quickly changed into our snorkel gear and headed back out to the rocks. The current was quite strong so we had to make sure we didn't get swept into the rocks. We saw another shark during this snorkel - this time a white tipped one. It was swimming a lottle shallower so we were able to dive and swim close to it which was cool. There was also a short underwater tunnel about 8-10 metres down which a couple of us dived to and swam through. I got a leg cramp during this snorkel so I hopped back into the dinghy but a few minutes later everyone was back so it wasn't too bad. Back on the yacht we had quick showers and lunch on the move as we had a short sail to Post Office Bay.
Post Office Bay has the Galapagos Islands post office which is effectively a barrel on a post with a door on it and alot of timber around it. The idea is that you write a letter and leave it there. You then look through all the letters/postcards and choose one. The thing is you have to hand deliver it yourself. You can either choose one from where you are returning to or you can choose one and have that be your next holiday. We took two for Australia - one for Tasmania and one for Western Australia as they were two places James and Carmen (the Australian couple) recommended we go and visit. With our letters posted and otherrs chosen we continued up the island to the cave. The entrance has a wooden stairs going into it and then you take hold of a rope and descend into the darkness. There is no electricity so the only light down there is the light you bring with you. We descended to where there is an underground salt water lake and we all got in and walked down the cavern. We continued through a narrow passage and into a chamber where the (really cold) water got deeper and deeper. In the cavern we turned out all the lights which was a really cool experience. We headed back, dried off and went back to the yacht. We had an early dinner and then sailed to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz which is the main city of the Galapagos Islands.
It was our guide, Marvi's last day as he was on holidays so he planned on bringing us out on the town. During the cruise we played cards with one of the Dutch couples and taught each other some new games. The girls then went off to get ready for the night out on the town. It was really strange to rejoin civilisation after the previous few days and the bay was packed with yachts. The captain navigated us into position and two anchors were dropped so we wouldn't spin around and hit another boat. A while later we were all ready and we took the dinghy's to the island. It was strange and a little sad to see the city all built up on one of the Galapagos Islands. One can only imagine the irreparable damage done to the landscape and the wildlife but that's another discussion. We met up with Marvi and went to a bar for a drink and then to the nightclub where we had some beers and danced to local and cheesy pop music. To get back on the boat we had to get a water taxi which was great craic. Go down the ramp to the water and if a boat doesn't turn up in a minute or so let out a whistle and one will be there soon. $1 each and they will bring you anywhere in the bay. We were both hoping to get a good nights sleep due to the calm water in the bay.
And so it turned out, with a good nights sleep and breakfast in our bellies we headed back to the mainland to go visit the Darwin Institute. The main thing they do here is look after the Galapagos Turtles. First we saw some baby turtles that are born in the centre. They look after the turtles until they are 4 or 5 years old and then release them onto their respective islands. This is done as non-native animals introduced by humans eat the turtles when they are young so some species are becoming extinct. The turtles are only released on their respective islands as each island has unique turtles so they make sure to keep the gene pool pure. We also saw some turtles which have been saved from islands as they are endangered. The most famous of these is probably Lonesome George who is the last in the line of his type of turtles so once he dies that is it for that particular kind of turtle. We were then given some free time to go and look around Puerto Ayora while the 3 sets of 5 day-ers bid farewell. You can do a 5 day cruise or an 8 day cruise and the 2 Dutch couples and the Italian couples were leaving us. During our free time we got some souveniers. We waited back at the port for the rest of the group to head back on the dinghy's. When they arrived some strange people got on as well - an old French couple with grey hair and a German couple. I don't think any of us were too happy with that but there was nothing we could do about it.
We had lunch on board and then chilled out for a bit befoer heading back to the island and taking a bus up to the highlands. When we were on the bus waiting to go one of the Dutch couples walked by. The bus had taken too long to get to the Airport and they missed their flight. Thankfully their travel agency booked them into a hotel, sorted out food and got them new flights the next day. Marvi was doing nothing for the day so he came with us up to the highlands where we went to a farm with wild land turtles walking around freely. They are massive!!! We walked around a bit and had a look at some of the turtles. We then went back to where the bus was parked and got into some turtle shells before heading back down to the water and the boat. Dinner was especially amazing this evening. It's amazing what the cook can do - all his dishes are cooked from scratch in a tiny kitchen and sometimes while the ship is sailing. After dinner we chilled out and took it easy - some people went back to the island for the night but we chose against it and took it easy. I did however get someone to buy me another underwater disposable camera as I had used up my first one in 2 snorkels.
Again we sailed through the night but we had tablets taken and the water was relatively calm so we slept quite well. After breakfast we took a dinghy ride around our new island for the day - Rabida Island. The reaction between the volcanic rock of the island and the salt water has created a deep red rock and soil that makes up the island. After the sightseeing dinghy ride we landed on the red beach and went walking. The route took us by a lagoon that is a mixture of salt and fresh water so the flamingos are long gone. There was a lack of wildlife on this island - this couple with the deep red colour of the land made it feel like another planet. Again, the cactus were unique to this island - due to the fact that nothing eats it here the thistles on it's skin and really soft and you can rub your hand on them. We headed back doen to the beach and went snorkelling from the beach which again was just amazing.
We swam out along the rocks with loads and loads of tropical fish, alot of them in schools feeding off the underwater rocks. As we continued out we encountered more sea lion pups - these ones were even more playful than the first group we met. We spent a good half hour swimming and diving and messing around with them underwater. We also saw a tiger eel but it played second fiddle to the amazing time we had with the seals. I filled up the new underwater camera all in this one swim it was that good. We swam back to the beach and headed back to the boats where we chilled out on the sun loungers during the sail to Bartolome Island as the sun had finally made an appearance. After about an hour we arrived and had lunch and let that settle before we went snorkelling again. In this session we saw a white tipped shark which I swam behind for a bit but it was nothing on the morning swim. We headed back for quick showers and then went for a stroll on Bartolome Island. Little or no wildlife lives on this wind eroded landscape which is full of volcanic craters. We climbed to the top of the island which afforded a spectacular view of the alien like landscape. On the way back to the boat we took a dinghy ride around where we saw some Galapagos penguins which was cool. The light was fading so it was hard to get a good photo but it was cool to see them. We had dinner back on board and then had some cocktails and dancing to welcome the new crewmates. We were sailing again that night so we both went to bed after 10.
Another interupted sleep but it wasn't too bad. After breakfast we had a dry landing on our new island for the day - Genovesa. This was a volcanic island like all the Galapagos Islands but it was completely different to the others. It's a flat island completely surrounded by cliffs over 80 metres tall. The island is completely inhabited by sea birds and for that reason the birds act completely naturally in your presence. Parents are completely placid even though they are with new born birds or looking after eggs. We had a great time walking around and seeing all the various birds and chicks - or big balls of fluff as they are more like. We took the dinghy's back to the yacht and got ready to go snorkelling. We did this close to where we entered and left the island along the cliffs. THe water was quite deep and visibility was quite poor but we still saw a massive marine turtle, a white tip shark and a scorpion fish which blends in perfectly with the rocks - it was spotted by our new guide for the last few days. We went back to the yacht for showers and lunch. Our motion sickness tablets had us a bit drowsy so we had a nap before heading back to the island for another stroll to see some more sea birds. Again it was an absolute pleasure to see these unique animals up close and personal acting as they would if you weren't there. On the way back we saw some sea lion pups playing in a shallow pool jumping over each other and play fighting which was great to see. We went snorkelling from the beach but the visibility was terrible and there were rocks everywhere so we all headed back and took the dinghy's back to the yacht for dinner and a farewell cake and cocktail with the crew and a little dance before setting sail at 8.30pm.
It was our final sail but it was definitely the worst. We barely slept a wink as the sea was so rough. The yacht was rising and crashing back down with great force - so much so that the waves were splashing in our closed window. There were a couple of waves that were like riding a rollercoaster we left our bellies behind so much. To make matters worse we had a 5.45am start with a dry landing on North Seymour Island, the final island on our trip. We saw some more sea birds but nothing we hadn't seen in the last 7 days in this wonderful place. We headed back to the yacht, had our final meal and then sailed the short distance to Baltra Island where the airport is. Some people were flying at 10.30am and there were 5 of us on the 12.30pm flight so we hung around for a good bit, got our passports stamped with a Galapagos Islands stamp and checked-in when it was time. We were both knackered so slept the whole way to Guayaquil where we said goodbye to the Swiss girls. Soon enough we were flying again to Quito where we landed, collected our bags and got a taxi to the hotel to relax before going to try and learn Spanish.
The trip was absolutely incredible. We both had quite high expectations for the islands and both of us were blown away by how amazing it was. It certainly was the most expensive thing we will do or place we will visit but we both agree that it was worth every penny. If you are only considering going or someday dream of going just go for it. That's my advice, I know for sure that you won't regret it.
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