Adventures in the Galapagos

Shark Dive!

taryn101 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:03:00 GMT

This weekend has been a relaxing one--it fit in with the past week :) Saturday I slept in and had a calm morning of reading in the hammock. All of my friends had plans to go to a lunch party so I grabbed my book and towel and headed to the beach for the afternoon. I went to the small beach at the Darwin conservatory station. When I arrived there was no one there. I snorkeled for about half an hour and then retired to my book. It was so nice, I couldn´t have asked for better weather. It wasn´t until much later that people started to show up. On the weekends, local families bring their kids in the late afternoons to play at the beach. While it was fun to see the kids play for a while, it got a little annoying trying to read with a soccer game going on all around me. ;) So, I took a walk back up town and looked for a scuuba shop. I found one that had an opening for me on Sunday and they were going to the location that I wanted. On my way home I ran into a friend and we decided to grab some fresh fruit smoothies and chat. It was such a beautiful day, I couldn´t have asked for anything beter.

On sunday morning I woke up early (before the sun even! Which is quite hard to do here!) and got ready for a day of diving! So exciting! We loaded up the gear into a taxi and took off across the island to the docks that I came in from the plane. I love that drive, it is amazing to watch the island change so much in just a half hour drive! Once on the boat, it was about a 30 minute ride out to Gordon rocks, the dive site. It is a formation of 3 rocks that form a large crater under the ocean (like everything else around here, once was volcanically active). We were hoping to see large schools of sharks and many types of fish. We started off with a refresher dive in a shallow area just opposite the rocks. As soon as we pulled up here there were seals trying to play with our boat. It felt awesome to have my dive gear on again and be back in the water. There were 6 seals trying to play with us while we were trying to concentrate on the instructor. They were getting quite frusturated and we were quite distracted! It was a site to see! Finally we were off to Gordon Rocks. All in all, the dive was a good one. I got to see many hammerhead sharks as well as some white tips. I was a little freaked out, be it was amazing to be swimming among creatures so big. As soon as a get home I will have pictures up. The site however is hard conditions. This is classified as an advanced dive and I understand why! The entire time we were fighting a huge current and it was horribly cold. I can´t remember ever being that cold in water. The water was so strong that the boats couldn´t hang around long otherwise they would be thrown into the rocks. When they came to pick us up we had to be completely unstrapped and ready to get out of the water so we could move within minutes. Quite the process! I am so glad that I got a chance to dive Gordon. It´s not one that I would do again, but it was an amazing experince and I am so glad I got to see my first sharks!

Gallery: Ecuador and Galapagos

taryn101 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:01:00 GMT

From my frist week on my trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos!!

2nd week in the Galapagos

taryn101 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:31:00 GMT

This week has been so strange. I guess it´s just strange luck, but there wasn´t any school for the students this week. It is such a bummer that on my second week in I don´t even get to work. They had school on tuesday, but that was the only day. Tuesday was great fun. I got to meet new classes that I hadn´t met on friday. One of the classes may prove to be full of problematic students, but the other class is so funny and lively. The teacher pretty much hands me the book and asks me to read and do the lessons. It is such a challenge because most of the students don´t speak any English and really don´t want to be there in the first place. There are a select few that really have an interest in English, but it is hard to keep everyone on track. As soon as I got up in front of the class the students thought they could do what they want and have conversations. I don´t think they were expecting me to demand the same respect as the teacher! ha ha. They were a little surprised when I told them all to sit down, put away their bags, get out their books, and be quiet. I had to tell one student multiple times to put away his music before I had to take it. At the end of class I learned that he was the teachers son! Ha ha, it was a crazy class--but so fun! The rest of the week I had off in the mornings and would just have to go in at 3 for after school study programs. Tuesday afternoon was fun, I just talked with 3-4 students and tried to help them with their conversations. They then showed me around town. We got some ice cream and walked on the back streets away from all the tourist shops. They were really fun.

On wednesday I was invited to the beach for the morning. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We went to a small local beach that is always completely empty during the week. We were able to snorkel a bit and walk around the Darwin station. I returned home for a quick lunch and to get ready to go back to school for the afternoon. Unfortunatly there was no water and no electricity. Ecuador has been having problems with it´s dams so the electricity sometimes goes off for the entire day. This means no running water either. I had to go to school all sandy and salty. Today we were supposed to have a work shop with the teachers in English. Most teachers don´t speak any English so Cleopatra (the teacher I work with) tries to hold classes for them. We waited an hour, but no one showed up. That´s Ecuador though, no time frames.

On Thursday I was invited to visit the island Isabella with a guy from school who owns a tour boat. It was an amazing opportunity. I met him at 6 in the morning and it took a 2 hour boat ride to get there. Isabella is the largest island in the Galapagos and only 1 of 3 that is populated by humans. It was beautiful. It is considerably smaller than my town and the streets are still all made of white sand. We got some breakfast on the island and then Richard (my friend) found a tour guide friend of his who let me come on a boat ride with him and his tour. It was great, I was with a family of 3 who also spoke English. We snorkeled (I got to see my first shark and play with a seal) and did a hike around part of the island. I returned for lunch with Richard. After, we walked around town and through the conservatory for tortise´s and other animals. Unfortunatly I didn´t see any flamingos or other animals that I was expecting to see. The afternoon was spent snorkeling again and then a boat ride back!

I spent Friday in bed sick. Not sure what was wrong, but I really needed to just rest. I went to school in the afternoon, but no one showed up--not even the teacher. So I was able to leave and spend the rest of the afternoon reading in the hammock. By the evening I was feeling quite better and decided to go out with Laura and the girls. I was really fun, even though dance clubs aren´t really my thing. I got an unwanted lap dance from a gay drunk guy. That was truely entertaining and embarassing. But we all had a good time and it was nice to be out with friends.

This week was so nice and relaxing. The weather couldn´t be any better and this is a beautiful place! More soon! xoxo

First weekend on the Islands!

taryn101 — Mon, 9 Nov 2009 09:44:00 GMT

Last Friday, the 6th, I woke up early and waited for the maid to meet me and take me to what was hopefully going to be my first day of work. We headed to one of he schools from the previous day. I thought, at first, that we were going to be unsuccesful yet aagin, but we finally found an Eglish teacher who openly welcomed me. I spent the morning shadowing her and helping her with her classes. It was awesome, and all the students were great. I work at a high school, so all the students are 16-18. Needless to say, it is not easy work!! My schedule varries, but I have most afternoons off to do what I want! After leaving school, I grabbed a quick lunch at my house and headed out with Laura and her friends across the canal to the beach. It was beautiful and quiet. We were basically the only ones on the entire beach.

Since being here I haven´t eaten anything to exciting-- some different things and interesting combinations, but all edible. I get so much food at every meal, it us usually impossible to finish! And, they eat rice with everything and at every meal! It is usually rice and chicken or rice and beans. It is so filling, and deffinately a food I have to get used to. The lifestyle here is great. Very relaxed and untimed. The entire town shuts down at lunch time everyday and then reopens and turns in to a bustling town again in the afternoon. I love all the free time, laying in the hammock, and being able to explore this interesting place.

On Saturday, we spent the day at Tortuga Bay. It is an amazing white sand beach on the outskirt of town. I just found out that it is number 5 in the world. I believe it. IT is quite a walk to get to it. About 2.5 km along a coblestone path. It took about 45 minutes to get there--but it was worth it. There were iguanas all over the beach. They are so funny to watch come out of the water and drag themselves through the sand. The beach is actually made up of two parts. The first area is a normal beach with sand and strong waves, but if you continue down the beach you end up at a calm swimming area that is blocked from the waves by mangroves. BEAUTIFUL!!! I was able to snorkle a bit here, but didn´t see much. Later that night the girls went out for some cake and drinks. I hadn´t gone out at night yet, so it was nice to hang out with my new friends. However, the highlight of my day: getting myself home in a taxi! It was awesome, it feels like such an accompliment when the taxi driver understands your spanish and you can arive safely! ha ha.

Sunday was a day of sea kayaking! This is one of the hardest activities that I have ever taken on. We started out going in to the waves. Eventually we ended up at a secluded beach that can only be accessed by boat. Again, we were the only group there. There were about ten of us, so it made for a very fun afternoon! We hung out at the beach for a bit and then went for a small hike. Up above the beach you can look down into a canyon like structure where the sharks hang out (napping maybe?). They were amazing to see. We found another beach on the other side. This one was much larger and rockier. It was covered in Iguanas, who I believe tried to scare us away from their beach! :) One slithered up to me and decided to rest in the sun about 2 feet away from my feet. I must admit, it was a little creepy. We headed back to our small beach for some snorkeling. It was then that I saw a sea lion sleeping under the boat dock. When I went up above to get a look at it it put it´s head up and growled. I noticed that it had a huge gash in it´s side and was suffering a lot. Shark bite, no doubt. It absolutely broke my heart to see him in so much pain and staring at the water longingly. The trip back was even harder than before, now it was low tide so the water was moving out--not helpful to us at all. By the end of the day I was exhausted, sore, and quite sunburned. But, it was a perfect end to my first weekend here. Already I have gotten to see so much.

No school on monday, so I took a rest day and recovered from the weekend. :) Hope everyone is doing well! Much love!

Crazy first day of volunteering!

taryn101 — Sat, 7 Nov 2009 04:22:00 GMT

Thursday morning I got up early and got ready for my first day at school. The house maid met me (because the owner is out of town) and showed me to the school. After a long conversation (in spanish) with an administrator we were headed to another school. This happened three times before she finally said we were going home and would try again on friday. I had no idea what was going on!! I spent the afternoon on my own exploring a part of the island that you have to take a water taxi to. There was a very small beach, a salt mine, and the famous Finch Hotel. I decided to take a hike up to Lad Griestas. It is a small canyon like area where fresh water meets salt water. The hike was strenuius because it is just a path of large lave rocks, and I was in flip flops--foolishly. But, when I got there, it was quiet and absolutely beautiful. There were only 3 other people and they were very cool (and spoke English!!). The water was crisp, crystal clear, and very refreshing after a long hike. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and wandering through town. It is absolutely beautiful. Different, and desert like, but beautiful.

First week in Ecuador!!!

taryn101 — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 03:57:00 GMT

Monday I started my 18 hr day at 5 am in Grand Junction. After 4 airports and 2 layovers I finally arrived in Quito Ecuador. The airport in Quito is right in the middle of the city. Flying in I thought we were going to hit all the the buildings. It was a crazy sight to see! I was nervous and confused--I had suddenly stepped in to a completely Spanish speaking culture. Customs took me an hour and a half to get through. It was crazy and tiring. I think had to go search through a large line of bags- which they stack all together in a big open area. This proved to not be too difficult; good thing my bag is hot pink! ha ha. There was a kind older gentleman holding a sign up, waiting for me at the door. He loaded my bag up for me and we were off to my first home stay. Like other countries I´ve been in, the driving style frightened me a bit. I found myself clutching the handle as we took corners at abnormally high speeds. But, he got me to my house safely at nearly 1 am. The next morning I was fed a HUGE breakfast and picked up to go to my orientation. There were 4 of us volunteers and our coordinator, Gaby. As a group, we traveled to the equator line museum--the center of the world. They showed us various experiments proving that we were actually on the equator. It was amazing! And for all those that ever questioned, water truely does flow in opposite direstions on either side of the equator!! From there we had a brief meeting, ate another huge meal, and I found myself in bed by 8.

The next day was even more exciting. Today I flew ti the Galapagos Islands. It was hard to navigate the airport, when everything was in Spanish, and find the right flight. But, alas, I made it on the right plane with no problems. On our decent in to the islands the view was amazing! Unfortunately, a screaming child took my window seat, so I was unable to take pictures, but the land forms in the middle of the ocean were beautiful. The crew startled me when they started walking (quite fast) down the aisle opening all of the over-head compartments. They then proceeded to spray in the compartments something that smelled rank. It is apparently supposed to kill bacteria coming to the islands--but I just thought it was disgusting! The airport was a small wooden building that was open on both sides. No windows or doors, just the structure. It was quite the sight. Finally, I was here!!! As soon as I hit the threshold of the plane, my hair curled up and my jeans stuck right to me--maybe jeans were the wrong thing to wear! We all had to walk across this mat ofsoap and water to clean our shoes before entering the islands. They then proceeded to check our island id´s, passports, and hand bags. I think had to find my bag in another pile of bags. Quite the process. Again, there was a man waiting for me with a sign. He loaded my bag on a bus and I got on with all the other plane passengers. The bus took us through a deserted area that was dry and all rock to a small ferry station. The landscape here is not what I expected. Before I could blink, the man had transfered my bag to the boat and was ushering me down the loading area. I took the short ferry ride over to the island of Santa Cruz, where I will be staying. The water was beautiful and a seal playfully swam next to our boat. Next was an hour taxi ride to the southern part of the island to my town and homestay. We drove through the desert area, and then suddenly, without notice, I was in a lush green forrest. The trees, flowers, and birds were all amazing. As we decended back down it became dry again. Finally, We arrived to a town-first place I had seen civilization and I was dropped off at a beautifull and large house.

I was met at the gated entrance by a woman who took me into the house for volunteers and showed em to my room on the third floor. It was beautiful. I was preparing myself for the worst, but I got the best. I share a room with a girl frome England, Laurau, who has been here for 2 months and shows me all the ropes. The house has two buildings. One for the family (this is where we eat) and an extra one for volunteers and visitors. Our house has 3 florrs, 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a rooftop patio up on the top floor off my room. There is also a large courtyard with a hammock. It´´s perfect for relaxing in. It is a beautiful home. After setting my bags down, I was off to the beach with Laura and her friends. We walked through town and went to the Charled Darwin center where I saw a bunch of lizards and some Iguanas that I swear were the size of my leg!!They just lay in the road and sun bathe. That night I was worn out and in my bed at 8. The next mornig I would be up early for my first day of work!