1/5/18
Back to Santa Cruz! It was an early morning. We woke up around 4:30 to have time to pack everything up. Our bus was picking us up to leave at 5:30. Unfortunately, this is when I started to have some stomach issues that made me kind of nervous for a 2 hour boat ride. But, I pushed through and made it to Santa Cruz without any issue. Unfortunately not everyone could say the same...
Back on Santa Cruz, we checked into Hotel Palmeras and jumped right into our next adventure. Diego said we were going to Tortuga Bay, and we should wear comfortable shoes. I had no idea we were walking as far as we did. On the map above, you can see we started in Puerto Ayora and walked all the way to the beach at Tortuga Bay. Again, with an iffy stomach, that walk wasn't the nicest thing ever. But once we got to the first sign of beach, the walk was worth it. The first part of the beach that we saw was wide open with white sand, but the currents were too strong to swim in the ocean there, so we continued around the corner to a cove with an area shaded by trees, mangroves, and calmer water.
I sat down in the shade for a while, but then some of us decided to venture into the water. Some people decided to snorkel, others kayaked, the rest of us explored the area. Tait and Lester found a spot with lots of smaller fish and some white-tipped reef sharks feeding there. Elana and I stood there for a long time, very still, and every once in a while, the sharks would swim past us- maybe 5 feet away. Greg joined us with his camera, and soon, a whole crowd of us waded there, watching for our finned friends. As the tide got higher, the smaller fish left the area and the sharks followed. We spent a few hours here and then it was time to return. I was dreading the walk back. But luckily, Diego arranged for a friend to pick us up on his boat and take us back to Puerto Ayora.
Now, it was time for lunch. Unfortunately, that meant civiche, which is a cold fish soup. It had fish, octopus, crab, shrimp, and some other things I probably couldn't identify. I was brave and tried it, but it honestly just tasted like cilantro and I strongly dislike cilantro. So I ate a granola bar and we were ready for another walk; this time we would walk to the Charles Darwin Research Center.
Here, we saw more "not-managed" wildlife in a tortoise breeding center. Obviously the facilities were very nice, but something about where the tortoises were rubbed me the wrong way. They seemed sad and cramped. I never actually asked a tortoise, but if I were them, I'd want wide open spaces with trees and water and mud, not a plain enclosure and nothing interesting to look at. There was plenty to read and see here, including Lonesome George, who had died recently and been preserved for display at the research center. I found it to be a bit unsettling, but George was an important part of the work that had been done there. He was the last of his kind on any island and the goal was to get him to reproduce. However, poor George seemed to know his time was up, not only for him but his whole kind. He left this world without any offspring. I wish we would've seen him while he was still alive.
After we spent time exploring here, we we set free to wander around the shops on the other side of town or just explore as we pleased. Greg and I spent some time walking through tourist shops and eating some fancy chocolates. We also visited another dock where the fisherman had just brought in their fresh catch. It was funny to see all the local people lined up for their share and then a pelican trying to make his way into that line to get some hand-outs. While I don't think he ever got any, it was still entertaining to watch. The two of us had decided we weren't going to eat any more hotel food, and a few friends agreed. We met back at the hotel to go to a pizza place down the street. Pizza was a much welcomed comfort food after some of the strange things I'd eaten here.
Today was the last day in the Galapagos. I was sad to leave it, but there were so many other adventures yet to go on. So in the morning it was back to Guayaquil and then we'd begin driving through the Andes!
Back on Santa Cruz, we checked into Hotel Palmeras and jumped right into our next adventure. Diego said we were going to Tortuga Bay, and we should wear comfortable shoes. I had no idea we were walking as far as we did. On the map above, you can see we started in Puerto Ayora and walked all the way to the beach at Tortuga Bay. Again, with an iffy stomach, that walk wasn't the nicest thing ever. But once we got to the first sign of beach, the walk was worth it. The first part of the beach that we saw was wide open with white sand, but the currents were too strong to swim in the ocean there, so we continued around the corner to a cove with an area shaded by trees, mangroves, and calmer water.
I sat down in the shade for a while, but then some of us decided to venture into the water. Some people decided to snorkel, others kayaked, the rest of us explored the area. Tait and Lester found a spot with lots of smaller fish and some white-tipped reef sharks feeding there. Elana and I stood there for a long time, very still, and every once in a while, the sharks would swim past us- maybe 5 feet away. Greg joined us with his camera, and soon, a whole crowd of us waded there, watching for our finned friends. As the tide got higher, the smaller fish left the area and the sharks followed. We spent a few hours here and then it was time to return. I was dreading the walk back. But luckily, Diego arranged for a friend to pick us up on his boat and take us back to Puerto Ayora.
Now, it was time for lunch. Unfortunately, that meant civiche, which is a cold fish soup. It had fish, octopus, crab, shrimp, and some other things I probably couldn't identify. I was brave and tried it, but it honestly just tasted like cilantro and I strongly dislike cilantro. So I ate a granola bar and we were ready for another walk; this time we would walk to the Charles Darwin Research Center.
Here, we saw more "not-managed" wildlife in a tortoise breeding center. Obviously the facilities were very nice, but something about where the tortoises were rubbed me the wrong way. They seemed sad and cramped. I never actually asked a tortoise, but if I were them, I'd want wide open spaces with trees and water and mud, not a plain enclosure and nothing interesting to look at. There was plenty to read and see here, including Lonesome George, who had died recently and been preserved for display at the research center. I found it to be a bit unsettling, but George was an important part of the work that had been done there. He was the last of his kind on any island and the goal was to get him to reproduce. However, poor George seemed to know his time was up, not only for him but his whole kind. He left this world without any offspring. I wish we would've seen him while he was still alive.
After we spent time exploring here, we we set free to wander around the shops on the other side of town or just explore as we pleased. Greg and I spent some time walking through tourist shops and eating some fancy chocolates. We also visited another dock where the fisherman had just brought in their fresh catch. It was funny to see all the local people lined up for their share and then a pelican trying to make his way into that line to get some hand-outs. While I don't think he ever got any, it was still entertaining to watch. The two of us had decided we weren't going to eat any more hotel food, and a few friends agreed. We met back at the hotel to go to a pizza place down the street. Pizza was a much welcomed comfort food after some of the strange things I'd eaten here.
Today was the last day in the Galapagos. I was sad to leave it, but there were so many other adventures yet to go on. So in the morning it was back to Guayaquil and then we'd begin driving through the Andes!
Photo used under Creative Commons from petrr