The Galapagos Islands - Ecuador

Day 1: Airport Transfer and Charles Darwin Station

February 21st, 2009

Landing in Galapagos:

It was a 90min TAME flight from Guayaquil (EST) to Baltra in the Galapagos Islands(CST) . A clear day with a perfect landing ( here, Passengers applaud for a good landing!) Could clearly see Baltra, N.Seymour and Santa Cruz on our way down.


 In the airport, right after landing, the islands have their own “immigration process”. Most of the islands belongs to the National Park service and the fee was $100. After paying up and flashing the transit control card ( Like an ID – to be picked up at the GYE airport), it was time for baggage claim. We waited behind a fence, till all the bags were dumped onto a platform, and once the fence was opened . it was a mad rush. The most hilarious process ever.

Jill and Javier were there to receive us and from this point on, we were totally in their hands! We stopped at Javiers house en route (he has a pineapple garden in his house! And yes, we got to taste one!)



The interesting thing was, from From GYE to GPS, we took all means of transport possible : Flight, Bus transfer to the port, boat transfer across canal Itabaca to Santa Cruz from Baltra and a taxi ( Toyota pick-up trucks) to Puerto Ayora.

Galapagos Suites:

Josie was there to welcome us. We loved the place!

Food:
Since no south American flights carry any vegetarian food (ever), we had to start off with lunch before heading out to the Charles Darwin Station. After crepes, gazpacho, milkshakes and juices at Il Giardino ( one of Javiers never-fail recommendations!), we were all set.

Wildlife Everywhere!
On our way down, we didn’t even have to “watch out” consciously for wildlife – they were all over the place! Pelicans, sea lions, iguanas, lava lizards, darwin finches and other birds we had never seen before.

The Charles Darwin Station:

Our Guide : Gustavo. One could easily tour the station on their own – a good argument against getting a guided tour. There is information displayed on boards for a self-guided walk. But I think the guides can certainly add value if you ask the right questions. The key is to keep asking a lot of them and you can get more information than you can imagine. Gustavo was OK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin_Research_Station

The Giant Galapagos Tortoise:

The males , females, juveniles and infants are housed in different enclosures. There were boardwalks and we could go in and sit right next to these magnificent creatures.

Male enclosure:

That's Prashant sitting next to one big guy. He just walked 5 steps before resting. that was probably a lot of work for him! ( i am resisting the urge to correct the grammar there)

Female Enclosure
They were significantly smaller than the males and a little more active ! One of them did a cute little head-dance for us.

Lonesome George: Yes, we did meet him – the last known fellow of his species. We also met his girl pal from Isla Isabela!!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonesome_George

Infants Enclosure
There were 15-30 infant Tortugas in each of 3 enclosures – tagged by island . This breeding process is initiated every year. We saw the batch of 2009! these guys are let into the wild once they are old enough.
Conserving these Tortugas is one of the stations biggest projects. After all – Galapagos stands for the giant tortoise that has made the islands its home.

The Land Iguana:
Unless a trip to North Seymour is planned or a trip that lands in Santa Fe ( one that actually disembarks) – you will not get to see a land iguana in its natural habitat. It needs to be visited at the station.

Flora:
On our way back it was really nice to see familiar flowers.  For some strange reason they looked much prettier here than back home in India. I suppose it was because they didn't have concrete for their backdrop.

All tortugas and iguanas we saw today were in a protected environment. The ones we were going to see the days after -  all in the wild. It was only going to get better.

The Galapagos Islands - Journey to Bartolome

Feb 22nd 2010

Day 2

Only getting to work makes waking up early so hard

We were getting picked up at 5:30 am. So we had to wake up at 4:45 and get packed. Sunscreen (SPF 45 at least ), trail mixes, camera kit, water and spare clothes. A bus arrived on the dot. "Santa Fe II" it read. Haciento Greeted us "Buenos Diaz" and then i slept for a whole hour till we reached Baltra again to embark on our boat.

It was the slowest boat ever. we were easily 20 people in it and i don't think it went over 3 knots! It was another 3 hours to Batrolome. But we had plenty to keep us entertained as we sailed.

Frigate Birds flying along:

Frigate birds are quite spectacular and are endemic only to the Galapagos ( as was with most other species we encountered during this trip) 

They are at their best during the mating season - this is when the males inflate their brilliant red chests. We needed to be here in April to see that. But they were beautiful to watch as is.

Frigate Bird Inflated Sample: Courtesy http://www.spallek.com/photo/galapagos/thursday.html

Nazca Boobies flying along:

We saw quite a few Nazca boobies and they were all in pairs. They look like they are wearing masks - like surgical masks. You'd think they are ducks when in water , but find them incredibly beautiful and graceful when they start to fly. Their wingspan is quite large.

I don't know what it is with birds and boats. They followed us all the time. one group would follow us for a while and drop off , only to be taken over by another flock very soon. ( It may have been the same bird/s continuing after a break - there was no way for me to find out)

Breakfast:

Sometime in the middle - perhaps at 8:30, we were served breakfast. I didn't expect to get much, but it turned out to be a treat! they had a make-shift table and laid out quite a spread! The bread was simple delectable - nice crunchy crust and a soft-moist interior. there were slices of freshly-made mozzarella and boiled eggs too. I would rate it "exceeds expectations"

Daphne Major:

We sailed past Daphne Major - Barren and alone with it's Tuff Crater. Apparently, 2 biologists - Peter and Rosemary Grant occasionally live there to study Darwin Finches and they have been on this project for the last 20 years!

Rain! Rain!

At about 10:00 am - it started to pour. While most scrambled indoors, myself and a friend stayed on the top deck getting completely drenched! I also have an important learning to share - even if it is overcast and raining, do not forget to soak in sunscreen. I am still recovering from the burns.

It was still pouring when we landed. So All cameras were abandoned on the boat.My Nikon point&shoot with a $10 waterproof cover came to the rescue.

Bartolome Landscape:

Bartolome is one of the younger islands and it showed. It was completely barren! There was NO vegetation except a few sprigs of Lava Cactus. There was no wildlife - except for Lava Lizards. We hiked up in the rain on a comfortable boardwalk.

The Panorama!

It seemed futile until we got to a vista point with an incredible panorama! Even on a rainy & cloudy day, it looked spectacular. i can only imagine what some sunshine and blue skies would have rendered.

"Pinnacle Rock" was one of the most recognizable features of the island. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

Crabs!
Once back down we took the boat via a jetty full of crabs, back to one of the beaches there and en route, met the Bartolome Celebrities - the Galapagos Penguins!

The Galapagos Penguins:

They're the ONLY penguins that live on the equator! Tiny little things - just a little over a foot in height. They like a close-knit family. They stood like they were at the morning assembly in school. In a row and looking the same way in the same direction. It was a treat to watch them interact. After soaking up some sun, some of them splashed into the water and frolicked a bit. they looked like they were snorkeling! - with their heads inside, looking for fish. The sheer memory makes me smile. It was a very special moment.

We then headed to a bay with a beach. We disembarked and could snorkel off the beach. The highlight was snorkeling with these penguins and seeing some white tipped reef sharks right under pinnacle rock.

On the beach, there were tracks left by green sea turtles. This is the season during which they lay their eggs. there were between 20-30 tracks on the little beach - all leading to some spot behind the bushes. i was tempted to go behind and investigate, but Haciento was policing all of us :(. The most un-trusted species in the Galapagos, is Man.

Grabbed a quick lunch on the boat ( rice, omlette and veggies). we wanted to check if the rice was made with chicken/beef broth. Communication was a huge problem. This Canadian guy quickly jumped to our rescue and asked " sin jugo de pollo" - " without the juice of chicken". Simple and clear! We would later learn from Javier that the best way was " Sin Consume de pollo/ carne".

Back in Puerto Ayora:

Javier was in our room minutes after we checked back in to discuss how the day went and to confirm the itinerary for the day after.

Dinner Time: One of Javiers recommendations - "Menestra at KF Williams" - a local favorite and very non-touristy. We Loved it ! It was like Rajma Chawal! - 3 plates of that + 4 drinks - all for $15 !

It was a long and tiring day. we had been there for just 2 days and it seemed like a life time. The highlight of the day was the Penguin Colony. It was only going to get better tomorrow. We went to bed with a contented smile on our faces!