Culture shock?

Written Friday 11 April

There's no disputing that the people here are really friendly; strangers say 'hola' as you pass on the street (okay, mostly hombres but in a nice way, not pervy) and they try to suppress their smiles as you muddle your way through the simplest sentences in Spanish. One of the waiters in Isabela felt so bad about not understanding my (quite frankly awful) description of a watermelon that he gave me a whole plate of it for free!

However...and I don't know if this is just a cultural thing like an extension of the helpfulness or because I'm travelling solo, but some can be a little bit toooo friendly, like a random man following me down the street asking persistently whether I wanted help with my bag of dirty laundry and not taking no for an answer. About an hour later an over-enthusiastic waiter asked whether he could join me for dinner when he realised I was dining solo in his empty restaurant (probably a bad move on my part). Uh, how bout no? He was speaking crazy fast in Spanish too which didn't help - that's the other thing, people get far too excited when you carefully explain that you speak 'un poquito' (very little) Spanish and start chatting to you like you've been speaking the language for years. Yes, I KNOW...but even I don't know how I got a degree in it! In general though, people are super nice and very willing to help out - not sure what I was ever nervous about really!

Galapagos day 6 - Santa Cruz

Written Thursday 10 April

As many of my family and friends will attest to, I am not a morning person, but getting up mad early is ten times easier when you're on a tropical island!

Saw dolphins on the early crossing from Isabela, but that wasn't the only thing that made today a wildlife as well as a beach day. The islands threw a very welcome surprise at us when 3 baby black tip sharks swam right up to shore at Tortuga Bay and stayed in the vicinity all afternoon.

I'd been roused from my slumber in the sun by a little kid shouting 'tiburon, tiburon' (shark, shark!) but thought he was just kidding around at first so completely ignored it. Suspicions raised when everyone on the beach gravitated towards the same place...I don't think I've ever moved so fast, was dying to see them and it was an incredible experience. I only ran away screaming twice too, which is pretty good going tbh - and one of those was when I put my foot like a metre away from its face to capture on camera how close I was. Shouldn't have been that surprised when it took a little bit too much interest!

Paddling just centimetres away from sharks - equally epic as snorkelling with them and tbh we didn't even need snorkels as they swam right into the shallows where the water was crystal clear anyway. AMAZING!

Tortuga Bay itself was beautiful, soft white sand - the kind that you want to scrunch your toes into - and bright blue ocean.

Had a lovely, relaxing day then an hour long stroll to the hostel during which we passed a fish market with a twist - sea lions queuing up like people waiting to be fed! Stood right up on their flippers peering over the edge of the counter, they were so cute.

Another amazing, unique day in the Galapagos - and sadly my last, boooo. Can't believe it's the end of my trip to this idyllic paradise which has been my absolute dream destination for years. Galapagos, this isn't the end. Nos vemos...

Galapagos day 5 - Isabela

Written Wednesday 9 April

4 hour hike uphill in 30C heat? No, ta. Sacked off the 'free' trek up Sierra Negra, one of the island's volcanoes, and instead opted for a morning on the beach. Hadn't foreseen the overcast skies however, which proved a slight hindrance regarding operation tan. Went for a 2 hour stroll along the sand and managed to get a few close-ups of the resident wildlife (including an iguana skeleton).

Spent 2 hours and $5 unsuccessfully attempting to load photos for the blog, then headed for the afternoon activity, Las Tintoreras. The boat ride there was awesome; the sun came out giving the water an irresistible sparkle and we saw a blue footed booby standing proud among a fairly sizeable group of penguins. 

Got very excited (obvs) but the best was yet to come - on the return journey we floated past an entire flock of bfbs chilling on the rocks which was quite a sight.

Sandwiched between these amazing encounters was Las Tintoreras, an expanse of water home to an abundance of marine life. Freaked out a little bit as per but was simultaneously mesmerised (can't decide whether the tranquility of the underwater world is incredibly peaceful or slightly unsettling). Saw fish, sea turtles, starfish, marine iguanas and a massive ray gliding gracefully through the water. Strolled down Shark Alley where the narrow stretch of crystal clear water revealed 3 white tip sharks snoozing at the bottom. Was great to add them to my growing list of wildlife witnessed on these epic islands, but it would have been even more awesome to snorkel with them. There was an optional trip on San Cristobal where the others snorkelled with sharks but it cost $80! Damn budget travelling - though can't complain as have seen everything else I wanted to and then some :)

4.30 start tomorrow to sail back to Santa Cruz but other than that should be a perfect day provided the sun shines - heading to Tortuga Bay for a beach day. Soaking up the sun is what I do best, although might use sunscreen this time...have been shedding frazzled skin like a snake since yesterday. Pleasant!

Galapagos day 4 - Santa Cruz and Isabela

Written Tuesday 8 April

Lonesome George's widows, Galapagos penguins and baby turtles were probably the highlight today - David Attenborough eat your heart out! Hit the breeding centre in both Santa Cruz and Isabela where they breed tortoises and release them into the wild to boost numbers; and in Isabela we saw a teeny tiny baby turtle which was too cute:

N'aww! Learned today that these tortoises - which move between 600 and 800 metres a day - were described by an explorer way back when as the ugliest creatures he had ever seen with a back like a galapago (old Spanish for saddle). The islands became known as the Islands of galapagos, which for commercial purposes are now called the Galapagos Islands. In fact, the proper name is the Archipelago de Colon. Also saw two of the 'widows' of Lonesome George and found out his shell is currently in the Natural History Museum in NYC, so I'll get to see it in May! Saw a few pink iguanas which was cool also:

After spending the morning in Santa Cruz, we took a (calmer) water taxi to Isabela, which is without a shadow of a doubt the most beautiful island of the three. The shimmering, shallow turquoise waters are teeming with life; within the first five minutes we'd already spotted a sea turtle, 3 tiny Galapagos penguins bobbing on the water like ducks and some cheeky sea lions chilling on the empty boat of an unwitting owner. It's a hard life...

We also stopped off to see flamingoes...

...before strolling back to the hotel. Hotel! No more damp, insect-ridden tents for a little while! As soon as we'd dumped our bags, Daria and I changed into bikinis pronto and made a beeline for the ocean. Waded straight in, no messing around - it was so warm it was like taking a giant bath. The silhouettes of the palm trees set against the deep orange sunset made swimming in the Galapagos all the more exotic. Gorgeous evening although can barely keep my eyes open now (it's only 10.45pm!). Sleep time!

Side note: Wasn't sure where to fit this in but apparently there are actually more red-footed than blue-footed boobys, but the former live in the more northern and less visited islands...fun fact of the day!

Galapagos day 3 - Santa Cruz

Written Monday 7 April

One 2 hour boat trip later and we're in Santa Cruz, the next big island along. The journey was a living hell, almost barfed like 10 times. Our tiny 20-person boat was batling ginormous waves for the entire trip and the boom as the boat hit the water after being hoisted upwards by the force of the ocean was incredible. Stomach was very much in panic mode and then two poor little girls started chundering right across from me - BLEURGH. Not ideal but managed to make it to the pier without vomming, just. The gleaming turquoise water made the journey totally worth it though, and as we strolled along the waterfront we saw iguanas chilling on the rocks - another one of my big five!

Hopped on a sort of bus which took us up to the highlands where we'll be camping tonight (I know, I know...but I have 3 bloody weeks of it in the States, not too sure why I thought this was a good idea at the time...).

The reserve is beautiful though, very green and we're completely immersed in nature, which is an important concept here: Galapagos, modelo de armonia entre seres humanos y con la naturaleza - or Galapagos, a model of harmony between mankind and nature. And it's so true, all of the wildlife here is unbelievably tame, mainly because many of the animals have no natural predators so they have nothing to be afraid of.

After lunching (homecooked spag bol!) and chilling in the hammocks, we visted a tortoise reserve to observe them in the wild. Will be honest, they weren't as big as I thought they would be so was a little disappointed, but got some decent photos at least - and another one of the big five ticked off! Some were as much as 100 years old, pretty crazy.

Next we hit the lava tunnels which consisted of fumbling over jagged rocks in the dark and crawling through a gap in the rocks just half a metre high to reach the other side...interesting experience although probably not one I'd have chosen to do! Back to the farm and currently swaying in a hammock listening to Bastille as I write, life is good. Kind of wish we'd bought some wine for the evening but I'm trying to detox while travelling, at least where alcohol is concerned - we'll see how long that lasts! So, suspended in a hammock listening to a (very) loud chorus of insects on an organic farm and campsite in the Galapagos Islands, over and out!