The Galapagos Islands!

Yesterday evening I arrived in Quito, from my holiday. In fact that´s what it was, a holiday within my trip, eight days, enjoying nature and its wonders. It simply was an amazing experience, how amazing. It is hard to describe, an experience of a life time.

The first day I started with my flight from Guayaquil to Baltra, being the last person for the day the boat waited for me. The other eight guests were already on board of that amazing catamaran. To my surprise there was one familiar face, a Brit I already met about 5 times before. Not much after my arrival we took off for our first trip, a visit to a mangrove. Here we saw our first animals, like huge (mating) turtles, sharks, stingrays (roggen). After this first already amazing trip we called it a night and started to head for our destination for Tuesday.

As every morning during the tour we had breakfast at 7, disembarking at eight. This morning we went to Espanola. We got off the boat for a wet landing (at the beach) and we were walking in between sea lions, amazing, how peacefull and quiet these were. After watching the sea lions on land we went snorkling. The first out of five times and the snorkling was really brilliant! Several times! During this first snorkling adventure there were sea lions nearby, besides that I saw two huge stingrays at the bottom and probably a small shark.

In the afternoon we had a dry landing at a bay where we went on land and walked between lizzards and boobies, yes, boobies, there are blue footed, red footed and Nazca boobies. Especially the blue footed (we didn´t see the red footed) were amazing...

Wednesday, our third day, guess this was the most boring day on the trip, though it was quite interesting. Learning about the Galapagos history and how mankind destroyed quite a lot of its animal population and vegitation. During the afternoon we had a small rocky hike, on which I slightly hurt my anckle again, what made me decide to skip the snorkling for the day.

On the thursday we went watching giant turtles and the Darwin centre in Santa Cruz. On these places they do their best to preserve especially turtles from extinction. At the Darwin centre they have an old turtoise, which they try to get mating with a related kind. Lonesome George is the last of its kind. Here in Santa Cruz, six more people entered the boat, all Aussies, like an invasion, 15 guests, of which 10 Aussies...

This night we had a long trip ahead, to one of the western and most youngest islands (with fewer tourists, yes!!!). Isabela, Moreno point, getting of the boat, enjoying all the views, walking on the lava grounds and seeing some flamingos in clear lakes in the middle of the lava surroundings. Later on we did some snorkling. The water was not clear, but we saw some turtles. At the end of this trip my memory card was all full and I burned it to a disk. In the afternoon we went to Bahia Elisabeth, with the boat into the mangrove and seeing.... Pinguins, who usually do not live above the Equator. Wow, really.. And besides that some amazing views of colored rocks and the landscapes!

The Saturday promised to be good, it surely was, more then good. At land seeing some leguanas. A nice hike and I cannot help finding these animals ugly, though amazingly interesting. I got some amazing close ups... And we got the one in a fifteen chance of seeing a giant turtle at land. The best thing in the morning was the snorkling, at first I did not have that much faith in seeing animals.. Till I saw some beautifull coloured fish and decided to follow them. Then looking to the right within approx 50 centimeters there was a huge turtle looking straigth at me. Believe me, this is one of the best and most amazing things life can offer, that feeling, so pure! Later on I saw far more grazing and getting close, but that one, brilliant!!

In the afternoon we entered the youngest island, Fernandina, with the latest vulcano eruption last May. Walking over lava rocks the landscapes were great, pure, crabs, Iguanas, sea lions, turtles, etc. I simply do not know how often to use words like magnificent and other superlatives, the experience was worth it.

This evening we again had a long trip ahead getting to our next destination. Bartolome, known from for example master and commander, a famous rock, standard image. After a short walk we were of to snorkling again. Naturally I´m tough, so I was the only one entering the water without a wetsuit (didn´t use one the previous warmer days) since there were to few a board. Luckily I wasn´t really cold, though the others admired my courage (or being a madman) going in without. Well, during the snorkling there were loads of fish, stingrays, then I swam in between to rocka and approx a meter and a half below me I encountered a new amazing experience... There was a 2,5 meter shark, right underneath me, swimming, approx on a meter and a half.. Ok, breath in easily, and out and enjoy the moment. This really made the day!

Later on during the boat trip to Bartolome Dolphins were swimming along the boat and one even jumped up for approx 2 meters, right ahead of us. What an amazing day it was. We visited Bartolome with different vegetation, amongs which the reddish plants and returned back on board. During the evening there were some (more dangerous) sharks around the boat, we celebrated Nicole her birthday and had our goodbye party.

The last morning before departure we walked along the beach and saw some Flamingos again. Then getting of the boat and leaving for Quito.
I definitely left my footsteps on the Galapagos Islands. A holiday I will remember for the rest of my life!