GALAPAGOS! part 2

Hope you all have recovered from the excitement of part one. Now it's time to buckle up your seatbelts because here comes part 2!

Sunday, March 6

Had to be at breakfast at 7 this morning so we could be done with our hike by the time the rain came in the afternoon. We loaded up the chiva (truck-taxi), picked up our sack lunches, and made the 45 minute drive to the base of Volcán Sierra Negra, the second largest active volcanic crater...in the WORLD. Freaking awesome. The first 40 minutes of the hike were fairly steep, cloudy, and chilly. The we reached the top and had the most incredible view of the magnificent crater.

Yeah. It's ginormous. The last time it erupted was in 2005. It's still hot enough that we could see water vapor rising from the lava rocks. We took a group photo here. Instead of William taking the picture, though, which he had done a trillion times this trip already, Daniel took the picture so William could be in it.

William: "Alright everybody, digan whiskey!" (Say whiskey!)

Us: mumbling 

William: "Digan whiskey!"

Us: louder mumbling

William: "DIGAN WHISKEY!!!!!"

Maximo: "Cerveza!" (beer!)

Hahahaha

We hiked around the east side of the crater for about 3 hours. Then we stopped for lunch and bathroom breaks (the whole world is our bathroom!) under a large tree called Jaboncillo. The fruit of the tree can be used to make jabón (soap). Then we were off again. The weather was gorgeous. Sunny, but clouds here and there. Not too hot, and enough wind to cool you, but not enough to make you chilly. Daniel said it was the best weather he had ever had for this hike. Awesome blossom. The crater has underground "tubes" that feed a smaller volcano (Volcán Chico). So we visited that lava field. Volán Chico isn't a crater like Sierra Negra. It's just hills of lava, so we actually got to walk on the lava rocks. We were able to see, up close, how the lava hardened not only on a small scale, but on a big scale as well. There were also holes we could stick our hands into where we could feel the heat and water vapor escaping. Chevere.

Some of the lava rock is also very shiny. This picture doesn't do it justice. Especially when it's covering the ground. I wish I could have brought some home, but if airport security finds and plant, rock, or animal in your luggage, they remove it from your possession and put you on a list of people who are prohibited from ever again visiting the Galapagos. Didn't want to risk it. 

Finished at the top of Volcán Chico where we had a glorious view of the northern portion of Isla Isabela. Que hermosa (How beautiful).

Then we headed back the way we came. Ten miles total. Didn't feel that long. It's fun hiking with friends. Got back to the hostal around 3:00. Ashley and I put on our smokin' hot swimsuits and headed out to the beach. The tide always seemed to be particularly strong during the afternoon hours. After about 10 minutes we had both mastered body surfing, in the process accumulating a lot of salt water in the mouth and nose and a lot of sand in the swimsuits. Showered and chilled until supper. After supper, Julie and I went to find Magnums (ice cream). Felt like we deserved it after like six hours of hiking. Finished up the night with girl talk on the beach with Ashley, Wesley, Rachele, Hannah, and Kaitlin.   

Monday, March 7

Last full day in the Galaps :(  Breakfast. Then it was back on the fishing boats. We had the same boat and the same capitan, so that was fun. We headed over to some lava tunnel/bridges. On our way over, we saw this little island where the birds like to hang out. Incredible waves.

We also stopped a few times when our capitan would see a manta ray. They're kind of hard to see, but you look for the dark spot just under the surface of the ocean and that's them. Sometimes if you're lucky, you'll see the tip of their wing break the surface. The difference (for those of you who are curious) between a manta ray and a sting ray is basically that a manta ray is A LOT bigger. So yeah. Here was our final destination:

Cool. Our expert fishermen capitanes maneuvered the boats through the maze of tunnels and bridges until we stopped in a little alcove. From there, we climbed onto the lava. This area of the ocean is really calm, so we were able to see lots of wildlife. 

There were loads of sea turtles: 

an Angel Ray:

And a white-tipped shark. I don't have a picture because he moved so fast and was pretty sneaky, but we saw one. They aren't a very large species. Probably only 3 feet long. From there we moved back out into the rougher waters and did some snorkeling. More sea turtles and lots of fish. At the second place we snorkeled, we were able to feel the two currents that collide in the Galapagos (the warm Panama current that comes from the north, and the cold Humboldt current that comes from the south). Literally, swim 10 yards and you go through hot-cold-hot-cold. Crazy. So many unique species exist on the Galapagos BECAUSE both of these currents meet here. It allows for warm-water dwellers and cold-water dwellers to find sanctuary in the midst of these incredible islands. Then it was time for lunch. Me, Ashley, Rachele, Wesley, and Lily had already gotten back in the boat and our capitan had put away the ladder. When William came to get back in, our capitan told him to climb in by himself and that all of us girls had done it (which we hadn't). Haha. So William climbs in, panting, and says to Rachele "I saw the most beautiful sirenas (mermaids), and they're all on this boat!" Hahahaha...haha...ha...creepy. Time for lunch and then we headed home. On our way back, all of the sudden our boat jerked like we had hit a speed bump. One of the motors seemed to be having trouble after that, so we stopped the boat. As the capitan was fixing the motor, William looked at us all solemnly and said, "Sea turtle." Later our capitan told us that it was just a simple mechanical malfunction. NO turtle was harmed in the making of this story. Because we were held up with the malfunctioning motor, we had lost some ground on the other boats. I guess our capitan doesn't like to be last because once he got the motor running, he floored that bad boy and we went careening over the waves at a breakneck speed. There was legitimate fear oozing from our pores. You get thrown out of a boat going that fast and it's like hitting concrete, but as Daniel would like to say, "If you don't risk your life every day, you're not really living." We were all very much alive that day.

Got back to Isabela where some of us went out for an ice cream snack and a chat. At 4 we headed to a tortoise center where they raise and release giant tortoises back into the wild. We got to see the little baby ones! They're only 3 to 4 years old and will be released when they are between 5 and 7. Que precioso. (How precious)

In one of the baby tortoise exhibits, there were some tortoises eating paper.

Kaitlin: "Why are they eating paper?"

Maximo (the cool guide): "Porque tienen hambre." (Because they're hungry)

Kaitlin: "But are they supposed to be eating paper?"

Maximo: "...no."

Hahaha. Turns out, the chart book had fallen down and the baby tortoises were eating all the data. Kids. Such troublemakers. Finished the tour, headed back to the hostal, chilled until supper. I did a photo shoot with the BLUE FOOTED BOOBIE!!!!!! I heart boobies. Seriously. My. Favorite. Galapagos. Animal. This one was hanging out on the beach right in front of the hostal. Unfortunately, he was bleeding a little bit under his right wing and that's why we could get so close. He was gone the next morning, though. Hope he's ok. 

Notice how blue the feet are. I mean, man, there aren't many things cooler than that. 

I also couldn't pass up taking sunset pictures on the beach.

Supper was panela, which is rice with shellfish. Then Maximo and William had a little trivia session with prizes. Maximo asked the first question which was "Where was the first place we went after we got on the bus on the first day?" I answered with "Los Gemelos." Out of his pocket Maximo drew a small blue-footed boobie figurine. I can imagine that the look on my face was priceless. It may seem like nothing, but this figurine means so much to me. For it to be my favorite animal and for it to have come from the cool guide...whew....I don't have words. I seriously teared up a little. I freaking love this place. Afterwards, Daniel bought us all ice cream. Yummy. Then Ashley, Wesley, Rachele, Kaitlin, Hannah, and I hung out on the beach again. Reminiscing. Girl talking. Dreading leaving this beautiful place. Went to be early, though. Long day ahead tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 8

Woke up before the crack of dawn. Had to be packed and ready to go by 5:00 AM. Headed to the dock, got on the speed boat, and made the two-hour trek back to Isla Santa Cruz. I actually slept this time, so the trip seemed a lot shorter. Once in Santa Cruz, we got on a bus and headed to the Charles Darwin Research Station where we saw Lonely George, the last tortoise of his kind. 

He's the big one. The other one is a female of a different species. George is incapable of mating, though. They've tried everything to no avail. People were pretty tired and grumpy and hot and sweaty by this point. When William told us all to give him our cameras, "Group photo! Group photo! Everyone's cameras! Give them to me!", we had finally had enough and just said NO. Haha. Back on the bus, off to the ferry, across the channel, to the airport, 15 minutes of souvenir shopping, on the plane, lunch, nap, landed in Quito. It was weird to leave. I had come to care for those islands so much. To think that I probably will never get the opportunity to go back there. ever. is a sobering thought. The islands have so much to offer. There was never a dull moment. I can say, hands down, best vacation ever. Inspirational. Incredible. Amazing. Breathtaking. Magical. The Galapagos.