WOW is all that can describe what I saw. Galapagos is such a unique place because it is made up of about 13 main islands which were all constructed due to volcanic activity. Every aspect of each island is entirely different, there are different species that live only on certain islands, some islands have catci and some have trees, some don't have vegetation and some of black sand, some have red sand and some have white sand. When you arrive at each island you have no idea what you are going to expect or what you are going to see. Another interesting thing about Galapagos is there are species that are only found in the Galapagos. For example the Galapagos seal is the only species of seal that has ears, all other species do not have ears. The greatest aspect of the Galapagos is that humans are not views as predators to the animals so you can virtually sit beside a sea lion or a blue footed booby and they are just as content as always. It makes for some great interactions with the wildlife and there are a lot of photo opportunities. The past 7 days have been jam packed with a lot of information and activities and I will recap some of the site and interesting facts that I have encountered.
Day 1
The trip began with us arriving in Baltra, one of the two airports in the Galapagos. This was not your typical airport. It literally consisted of a bunch of wooden poles with a roof. It was wide open and quite different from a typical airport that you are used to. There are no mechanical baggage pick ups but rather a guy on a tractor that just unloads all of the bags into a big pile. At this point we met our guide and we are shuttled to the harbor where we were to board the ship and meet the other passengers.
Upon arrival to the ship we were presented with an itinerary for the day. We were going to have our first opportunity to see a Blue Footed Booby, Frigate, Land Iguanas, and Sea Lions. We were very lucky because we did get an opportunity to see the Blue Footed Booby and the Frigate's mating rituals. The Blue Footed Booby does a dance in order to attract a mate. It begins by lifting one foot, and then the other (it resembles a waddle type of movement), and then the first foot followed by the second again and then it spreads its wings a makes high pitched whistle.
The Frigate is entirely different. It has a red pound in which it inflates with air so the female can see it from the sky. The male is sit there with his pouch inflated and is wings spread until he attracts a female. One a female accepts they mate and then the female uses the red pouch as a pillow and rests.
After the first excursion it was back to the boat and from here we had our first opportunity to snorkel. This was a great opportunity to see life under the water. In our first snorkeling opportunity we saw sharks, schools of fish that consisted of at least 100 fish, sting rays, and some underwater fauna.
The following is again pictures of the Blue Footed Boody dance.
Day 2
Day 2 again presented itself with many discoveries. We were on an island that is fairly young, you can tell this because a lot of the island is hardened lava. This provides a unique habitat for the animals that live here. These species include the Marine Iguana, the Sally Crab and Sea Lions. This island is known for its Marine Iguana population and they are everywhere. Sometimes you will see a rock and there will 100 or more sitting there warming up in the sun. After they get to a certain temperature they then go into the water in search of food. The Marine Iguana can stay underwater for 30 minutes.
The afternoon on our second excursion of the day was onto an island in which we would see the Galapagos Seal. Like I said earlier it is unique from all other seals because it has ears. The other aspect of the seal is that is about half the size of other seals around the world. They are not as abundant in the Galapagos as Sea Lions and Seals were used as food by pirates so humans are viewed to them as a threat. It is a lot harder to approach a seal because they will run away or jump into the water. This is the one species on Galapagos that was threatened by human beings and it was to the point in which it was endangered.
Once on board we again went snorkeling. Today we had two opportunities to partake in the snorkeling activities. A lot of the wildlife under the water is quite similar. Today I did get to see a Sea Turtle. It was amazing how close they will swim past you. I bought an underwater disposable camera so only time will tell to the outcome of those photos. Along with the Sea Turtle I saw another shark, a couple more sting rays and a lot more very colorful fish.
One of the coolest things that I saw was when I was on board. We saw a Manta Ray jump out of the water. I had no idea that they did this but at this time of year it is quite common. Also at lunch time a school of dolphins made a visit to the boat.
Day 3
Today we visited two islands. The first was named the Chinese Hat due to it shape. Here there were only a few species. Here we saw the Lava Lizard, more Sea Lions, and more ocean birds.
The second island we visited was an island in which there are no species living, but it presents the most beautiful view of the Galapagos. We hiked to the top of a volcano and we saw Pinnacle Rock. Pinnacle Rock used to be part of a huge crater but over time majority of the crater was washed away and all that was left was a large rock the points upward out of the ground.
Day 4
Today we viewed a Sea Lion colony. We arrived to a beach where there were Sea Lions everywhere. There were anywhere between 30-50 Sea Lions just resting on the beach. It was quite an amazing site.
After that we had a couple more snorkeling opportunities and then we set sail back to the main land.
Day 5
Today was a very early day, we went to the Darwin Research Center and see Giant Tortoises. We did not have a lot of time here because we had to catch a flight back to Quito at 9. The research center provided some great insight into the tortoise. Right now they have a Tortoise name Lonesome George who is 97 years old. The oldest Tortoise ever was 190 years old. So these creatures have the ability to live for a long time.
I arrived in Quito yesterday and right now am staying in a hostel for the next few days. It has been a great trip and it is ending very soon. I fly back on Monday so I am down to about 4 days left in my adventure. I love Quito and Ecuador but I think I am ready to return home. I am going to enjoy my last few days and then it is back to Canada.
I will post again upon my arrival to Canada to give you one last recap of my trip and share some of my views and learnings here in Quito. The trip has been very rewarding and I have met so many new people. This is something that has influenced my life and is something I will never forget.
Bye for now, next stop Canada
