Eight Days Around the Galapagos

Here I am, a week after returning from the Galapagos, and I am two weeks behind on the blog. Sorry readers. I will write about some of the highlights of the Galapagos (there are several comments on the pics I linked to earlier) to keep it short so that I can catch up to where I am now (about to take an 8 hour bus across the border into Peru).

But first, a little history:
The Galapagos were first discovered, by accident, by Tomas de Berlanga - the first bishop of Panama. He was sailing to Peru and managed to drift off course. The islands are 1000km off the coast of Ecuador, so he did quite a bit of drifting. The islands were used by whalers for some time afterwards. As they were full of large tortises (for which the islands are named), sailors would come ashore, gather up the big guys, and take them back to the ship for weeks of fresh meat. They can survive a month or more without water and thus were the perfect stored meat. This brought a population of 200,000 quickly down to 15,000.

The islands are known a) as a habitation of animals found no where else on earth and b) as the place Charles Darwin landed in 1835 as a young man sailing on the Beagle, a British naval vessel. Charles spent 5 weeks on the island, and while there noticed that the several species of finches all had slightly different traits according to the island they inhabited. Decades later he published his book on evolution and now 80,000 foreign visitors arrive each year to see the islands to which he dedicated about 1% of his book. The islands officially became a park in 1959. And now 97% of it is off limits to these tourists.


And now my eight days on a yacht...

Sunday I arrived safely at Baltra Airport after some miscommunication with my transport. There I met the yacht guide and other passengers before boarding the Encantada for eight days and seven nights around the Galapagos Islands.

I was the only U.S. citizen, the rest hailed from:
1 couple from England (young couple on their honeymoon)
2 couples from New Zealand (young couples returning to New Zealand from some years in England)
1 female from Germany (a 33 year old airline pilot)
2 females from Switzerland (two 24 year old nurses. only one could speak english)
1 male from Australia (older guy who burnt his feet so badly the first full day he couldn`t leave the boat the other 6 days).
1 male from Belgium (much older guy who liked to get a little too close to the animals)

I was paired up with the German pilot in the back cabin. Right over what sounded like the engine of a 747. I was able to sleep through that (the German wasn`t). It was the rough rocking of the yacht that killed me. Each night the yacht would sail to a new island so we could explore first thing in the morning. The first night we sailed for four hours. Not so bad. I just sat outside and focused on the horizon. The next night was eight hours. This was pretty rough. The boat rocked from side to side and I rolled precariously close to the edge of my bunk several times. The third night was twelve hours. The boat pitched forward and then back, and at times, in what felt like a full circle. I tried sitting in the dining area and watching tv. I got nauseous. I moved outside to try and focus on the horizon - as it moved up and down about six feet. Still nauseous. I ran into the British bloke who looked equally ill. He said we was taking a half valum and going to bed. I asked for one as well. Then, after several attempts, I climbed into bed. I was out in 10 minutes.

The next morning, everyone looked a mess. Fortunately, there were to be no more long trips. But these did keep me from running up a bar tab.

Each morning we would wake (or, for some, just get up) around 6:30am and either eat breakfast immediately or jump in zodiacs to hit whatever island we had sailed to during the night. Usually we would hike around the island with our guide on designated paths while he pointed out this boobie or that marine iguana. The landscapes were all surreal, no matter which island we were on. Some looked like African savannas, some like Mars, and still others like over-grown deserts. All had some form of wildlife (almost always sea lions) and we needed no prompting to start clicking away with our cameras. A bit of knowledge was imparted to all of us on everything we saw. Why the blue footed boobie did his silly dance. Why the frigate inflated that large red balloon-like sack under his beak. Why the large flat area of land was splattered white. Everything was interesting and I felt like I was living out a National Geographic special.

Around 10am or so, we would head back to the yacht to relax as the yacht moved on to another side of the island or to a new island. Most people sat out on the front deck and sun bathed or read. I tried this the first full day and regretted it for the next three as I gingerly took showers or put new clothes over my bright red skin. Lunch was served around noon. Each meal was incredibly good and filling. We had something new each day and each time of the day. When it came time to tip the crew at the end of the trip, we suggested most go to the cook.

A few more hours of relaxing on board and then another scheduled zodiac landing. More education, more awesome sites, more looking for any shade on a volcanic island to avoid the sun worsening my burn. And then a snorkeling excursion. These were always hit or miss. At times the water would be freezing and not so clear, and no one really looked forward to it. Other times, the water was so clear and the sea life so abundant, we had to be dragged back on board. The water was never really warm, but when you are swimming with a sea turtle or surrounded by sea lions coming at you from every direction, you forget how cold you are. These were the times I couldn`t wipe the smile off my face for hours. There is nothing quite like having a sea lion come darting straight at you and turn inches before hitting you, only to slide back and under you. One of the Brits on the boat attracted these guys when ever we went out. They looked so sad when he finally had to leave the water.

And then it was back to the yacht for afternoon snacks and more relaxing on board. Dinner was served around 6 or 7pm. The captain would, graciously, wait until we were done eating before starting up the motor and heading to the next island. Several nights were spent lounging on the front deck and watching the stars as we moved through the night.

Half way through the trip, those that only signed up for a four day cruise (all but five of us) were dropped off on the main island and we picked up seven more. The group included now included three more Americans (one gal from San Fran traveling for a month and an Indian couple who had moved to Canada and then Washington), two Dutch (a couple also traveling for a month, but for some reason not into snorkeling) and a British couple celebrating their second honeymoon (they decided their first was too short). Everyone got along really well and the mood of the boat even livened up a bit. Each excursion was now full of jokes. And sea lion calls. We also got a new guide. It was a difference of night and day. The previous guide always seemed tired (in his defense he had been on a boat for three months) and didn`t speak English so well. The new guy had all the enthusiasm of....well, a guy who had been chilling at home for the past week and was full of energy. But he also spoke English really well. And he was extremely passionate about what he was doing. Aside from the sudden introduction of potatoes at every lunch and dinner, the second half of the trip was hands down much better than the first half. I even welcomed the new group by downing several beers over card games late into the night. It was the latest I had stayed up on the boat and the only time I finished more than one drink. It was also the only night we stayed parked in one place.

If you have the means, I highly recommend doing an 8 day yacht trip around the Galapagos. It was an unforgettable experience. Just make sure you don`t get the cabin in the back of the boat.

For pics of the trip and more explanations of what I saw, follow this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15233918@N00/sets/72157603299978206/