So let me first just say, everyday that I wake up here I think to myself, "How f***ing lucky am I?!" It's that amazing. Whatever visions you have of this place, if you've never been...it's a million times more amazing than that. Truth. If you've been, you know what I'm talking about and you're shaking your head right now in agreement. If not, there's something wrong with you.
This is heaven on earth for animal and nature lovers, biologists, marine biologists, and pretty much everyone else. Jen and I were lucky enough to land a spot on an 8 day boat around the western part of the Galapagos Islands. Every single day was fantastic. So worth every single dollar I spent, and I spent quite a few dollars on this one. We went snorkeling twice a day, and 2 land tours a day, or 1 land tour and 1 dingy ride. We snorkeled with sea lions that flirted with us in the water and swirled around us, swam up to our masks and then turned and swam away, and repeat. It went on and on. I stared into the eyes of a turtle on multiple occasions as we floated nonchalantly at the surface. I felt the sting of fear and excitement combined as I swam next to sharks. Really, where else does this happen?
We saw marine iguanas, land iguanas, sea turtles, land tortoises, Galapagos sea lions, Galapagos fur sea lions, Galapagos sharks, white & black tipped reef sharks, penguins, lava lizards, sally lightfoot crabs, jelly fish (with sting marks to prove it!), spotted eagle rays, sting rays, and countless different types of fish and birds, birds, birds! There should be a special "bird lover" tour because there are so many birds! Most memorably the blue footed boobies, nazca boobies, flamingos, wood storks, flightless cormorands, great and magnificent frigate birds, pelicans, Darwin finches and Galapagos hawks. Sorry if I mispelled anything. My fascination is huge, my grammer not so much.
Then there are the beaches. Oh beautiful, beautiful, uninhabited beaches. Creamy, silky smooth, white sand beaches, perfect in every way. A black sand beach. A red sand beach. Lava tunnels. And crystal clear blue waters. Amazing! I can't say it enough. The landscapes, the wildlife, the history. I'm in love with the world right now. Heavily.
Our 16 person tour group was pretty great. Almost no drama. Although, after 8 days of being spoiled and speaking absolutely no Spanish, I have now forgotten everything I knew. I´m resorting to really aweful Spanglish. It´s not pretty. So Jen and I are staying at a hostel in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. We are breathing in as much of this wonderful place as we can. Visting some beaches and eating well, and even *gasp* shopping some more. I can't believe this is my life right now. It's glorious! I think I'm even getting a tan, despite the multiple daily appliances of SPF50. Which means I still look white, just slightly less white than usual. Pretty exciting! This is by far the highlight of my trip so far. This is paradise, if ever one existed.
