About a year ago, a friend called, inviting us to join them on a cruise through the Galapagos Islands. We were stunned, first of all, by such generosity and secondly, in my ignorance, I didn’t realize one could enjoy the nature of this area. The Galapagos equals Charles Darwin and scientific research. These things do continue, but with careful, deliberate rules and guided tours, one can see the flora and fauna of this equatorial region up close, an experience not easily reproduced. We booked tickets for Quito, Ecuador, and waited, unsure of how to prepare and what to expect.
This past month after an overnight stay in the capital city of Ecuador, Mike and I flew via Guayaquil to San Cristobal, one of the many islands in the Galapagos archipelago. Our luggage had to be inspected the night before the flight and we completed several forms verifying citizenship and attachment to Silversea Cruises, our guide for the trip. At about 2:00 in the afternoon we rode a bus to the pier, where an abundance of sea lions played, and boarded a Zodiac, an inflatable boat, headed for the Silver Origin, our base station for the week.
We spent our days on Zodiac outings, snorkeling, and walks. The Zodiac drivers are able to get into and out of small places easily, thereby allowing the opportunity to closely reach penguins, blue-footed boobies, flightless cormorants, crabs, and iguanas. The first glimpses of these creatures elicit sighs of awesomeness. Never had I ever imagined being so close to such wonders.
My favorite part of the trip involved snorkeling. Having never participated in this activity, I was a bit trepidatious. However as soon as I figured out the tricks of a snorkeling mask, I was off and entered a zen-like state as schools of colorful fish swam over, under and around, as well as spotting a shy octopus and abundant sea turtles. My final day of swimming yielded a scene of two sharks being chased by sea lions.
The walks covered volcanic pathways littered with personal encounters with land iguanas. A trip to the highlands found us face to face with Giant Tortoises, some over a hundred years old. The equatorial sun and humidity provided challenges but the payoff was worth it!