It’s one of those places you see on National Geographic; videos of “only so many of these in the world” species simply going about their daily lives being extraordinary.  You think the close ups and rare encounters are only reserved for film crews.  All of that went out the window when we got to the Galapagos Islands.  It’s all there and in your face and if you’re not careful you will literally trip over one of these creatures.

We (my Dad, Holly, Betsy, and Myself) were on a boat for the entire trip.  It was truly a fortunate experience because there are places you simply cannot reach on a day trip from one of the main areas.  I’ve never “been at sea”, so it was pretty neat.  Much of the travel was done at night, so you wake up to a different, yet somehow familiar scene; a seemingly untouched island that you feel you’re the first to discover.  Often the only hint of man’s interference is a wooden white and black stake driven into the ground delineating where you could walk.  Guides were quick to keep you on track and a reasonable distance from the wildlife.  The management of the entire area was impressive.

Recounting the entire trip day by day and activity by activity would fill many pages.  The itinerary was full to say the least and was not for the casual explorer.  For nearly everyone on our boat this was a once in a lifetime experience and if we were anchored to a place where a specific species/plant/geologic formation existed, by God you were going to see it.  At least that’s what the posted itinerary suggested.  Up early, breakfast, panga excursion to see something, back to the boat, change of clothes, back out to see something else, back for lunch, etc.  Once you bought into the pace it was exciting to keep up and look forward to the next excursion.

Our island itinerary was as follows: D1- Baltra & North Seymour, D2 – South Plaza & Santa Fe, D3- San Cristobal (Pitt Point & Cerro Brujo), D4- Floreana (Post Office Bay & Cormorant Point), D5- Isabela (Elizabeth Bay & Moreano Point), D6- Santa Cruz & Baltra for departure.  I know we did not see everything, but it felt like it.

Birds- Boobies, Gulls, Flamingos, Wrens, Herons, Penguins (yes, penguins), Short-Eared Owl, Cormorants, Frigates, Finches, and others.

Iguanas- Both land and Sea.  Eating, sleeping, fighting, posturing, and scampering.  Different patters, different sizes, different colors, different spines.  It all meant something.

Sea Lions- playing, bathing, fighting, “walking”, nursing, swimming, barking, and posing.  Sea lions especially had no fear of people.  They literally would swim up to and around you to see what you were all about.

Tortoises- There they were, just going about their day.  The only thing that could have been better would be to set up a lawn chair and simply watch them.  Slow, methodical, and sloppy Yoda’s all strewn about.

Sea Life- Scores of fish both large and small.  Colors of the rainbow.  Red, blue, black, yellow, purple, spots, stripes, almost glowing.  Schools…Schools of fish like you read about, all moving at once.  Sort of like how powder moves around you on a deep day.  Puffer fish.  Parrot fish both young and old with different colors.  Sea Urchins, Sea Horses, White Tipped Sharks, Rays, and Sea Turtles.  We even got to see Baleen Whales.  I would say the highlight was snorkeling will nearly all of these at once.  Moving through fish into a school of sharks that were being chased by sea lions.  Unbelievable.

Landscapes- Everything is a volcano.  Some islands are lush and have trees and grass.  Some are dry and have cacti and low bushes.  Some are crumbled piles of lava.  Some islands rise vertically out of the ocean.  Some do not. Lots of ripples, hardened oozes, and, drips.  Very melty.  On our last island we were able to walk down into a lava tunnel.  You can literally point to a feature and dissect it as if it fell out of a textbook.   I felt smarter for being there, even though it was short lived.

One of the anticipated, though not promoted, parts of the trip was being able to see the stars for the first time since I moved to Ecuador.  Since moving here, any time I’ve been out at night there’s been something: light pollution, clouds, rain, the threat of rain, fog, mist, etc.  I saw the Southern Cross for the first time.

Betsy and I are both thankful to have gone and hope to return.  It was special for both of us and we’ll take many things away from it.  There were numerous times we looked at each other wondering if the other saw the same thing.  It was truly amazing.