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| “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Charles Darwin |
I'll admit that I rewrote my previous post on Peru, three times. I had so many thoughts, that it was difficult to put it into one blog post. Galapagos post is simple. Go there. I haven't traveled as much as some of my friends, but I'm not sure there's another place in the world quite like it. You're basically island hopping through a zoo/aquarium, with no cages or tanks.
Jess threw out the idea a few weeks back and I initially shot it down knowing how expensive it is. We ran into another American in Lima and he confirmed what Jess had found through research; A.) It's an amazing place that will only get more expensive/popular. B.) There are cheaper options than just hopping on a cruise, which is mostly what you come across when researching. At this point we're pretty experienced with the tour circuit and I really wasn't looking forward to getting stuck on a boat with a bunch of tourists. People on vacation our a lot different from backpackers like ourselves. However, Jess assured me we could just do day tours, which would give us more flexibility and save us money.
After spending a few nights in the border town of Mancora, Peru and relaxing on the beach we headed for Guayaquil, Ecuador. While at the border crossing we made friends with others crossing the border. One couple being from Sweden and the other, the U.K. We were all heading the same route and it was refreshing to share notes with people who had a similar journey behind them and ahead. The U.K. couple had actually started their journey back in January a day after us and followed an almost identical route.
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| View from our room at Semilla Verde. |
Our first day we scoured the town of Puerto Ayora for tours. Jess had brought up scuba diving several times during our trip, but I really never gave it too much thought. Galapagos offers world class diving, and we decided to go with one of the more reputable diving companies in Scuba Iguana. It was my first time scuba diving and Jess' third, but it had been a few years for her. I know it can be a bit dangerous, but I didn't want to give it too much thought and psych myself out, like I did with skydiving a few years back.
When our dive rolled around Saturday morning I was excited to get in the crystal clear water near North Seymour. I kept trying to block out the chatter of sharks and just focused on my gear being ready to go. Jess seemed calm as well until we hit the water. Thankfully we had a personal scuba guide who helped us every step of the way. That couldn't prevent me from nearly hyper ventilating and Jess accidentally filling up her mask with water within the first 10 minutes, which felt like an hour.
Once I finally was able to slow my breathing we began to descend into crystal clear ocean waters with fish straight out of Finding Nemo. After a few minutes we reached the floor and let nature put on a show for about 20 minutes. I was still struggling to breath a bit, but didn't want to waste any time at the surface. At this point we were about 30-40 feet below surface and we began seeing White Tip Reef Sharks. Like most Americans who grew up on the coast, I've always been fascinated/terrified of sharks. Shark Week in my house as a kid was like the World Series, Super Bowl and NBA Championship all rolled into one.
Seeing the first shark didn't even feel real because I was still struggling to breath. I was also trying to keep an eye on Jess and our guide. There was so much going on at once. Every direction you turned there was something new to see. We were experiencing the way things were meant to be. It was liberating. When the 12 foot Manta Ray cruised by us about 20 feet away, I felt a euphoria over my body. A few minutes later a group of hammerheads swam by as well. You could tell they saw us, but didn't care to bother with us.
If our trip ended after that first dive, I would have been completely content. Our second dive we traveled about 30 minute to another dive spot called Daphne. We were able to see a cave filled with resting White Tip Sharks and playfully circled by a Sea Lion. We had survived our dives, but our Galapagos Adventure wasn't over yet.On Monday we headed over to Isabella Island by a 2 hour boat ride. I wasn't feeling so hot after swallowing some water during my initial dive. By the time we got to the island I was pretty wiped out from the 90-100 degree heat and rough boat transfer. We were also greeted with the fact that the island didn't have ATMs or a bank. Our funds were low, but we enjoyed two nights on this quiet island and did a snorkeling tour off the coast with our friends Ben and Robyn.
Spending a week in a place so rich in wildlife is something I'll never forget. Jess is definitely the bigger animal lover out of the both of us, but this is a place for everyone. You can't help, but be impressed with how these islands have managed to stay so clean and operate so smoothly with locals, wildlife and tourists. We have obviously seen a lot over two months, but this has definitely been the highlight of our trip....so far.
We then flew to Quito with zero plans and decided to do a tour around Cotopaxi National Park for two days. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side and we weren't able to fully view Cotopaxi Volcano. We realized that day how fortunate we've been over the past two months in terms of weather. We also realized how diverse Ecuador is. One day we're diving with sharks and sea lions, a few days later we're climbing snow capped volcanoes....not a bad place to visit.
Tomorrow we'll head to Bogota for the last stop of our adventure. We'll then head to the Coffee Triangle and work our way up to Medellin. From there we'll head to the coastal towns of Cartagena and Santa Marta, stopping at some beach towns along the way. Recommendations are always welcomed.
Thanks for keeping in touch and we'll keep you posted on our Colombia Adventures!
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