Isabella!

---

There are 16 islands that make up the Galapagos, which means that there are lots of adventures to have, but unfortunately being sea sick is going to be part of each one! On September 10th (sorry I am behind in blogging), Emily and I and two other volunteers here took a weekend trip to Isabella. Isabella is the largest island, but only 1400 people live there because it is almost completely dedicated as a national park. Boats go back and forth between Santa Cruz and Isabella daily, departing Santa Cruz at 2pm and departing Isabella at 6 am. It is about a 2.5 hr trip, but let me tell you, it felt like a lifetime. The boats that go frequently between the islands are rather small, holding only about 18 people max. There were swells that felt like they were going to tip over the boat in a heartbeat, however, I wasnt too worried about that because within 15 minutes I felt like my stomach was in my throat. As a side note, I had told Norma (the woman I live with) that I didnt want to eat lunch because I know I get seasick, but not eating here is nearly impossible. She said that she would make me something suave (easy/simple) so that I wouldnt get sick. I thought great, maybe it will be just a little rice, but oh no, it was a giant, oily meal that was set in front of me! I really need to get better on being firm with what I want to eat here! Luckily, I must have turned five shades of green in the boat and one of the guys that works the boat told me that I could sit outside if I felt sick. I moved to the back, which was rather cramped (4x5ft max) and wet, but the fresh air was amazing - a damn wave could have crashed right on top of me and I wouldnt have cared! For two hours I sat there with my eyes closed, holding on for dear life because the waves were so big, and trying my hardest to not let my lunch come up. Luckily, I successful made it to Isabella with my lunch still intact! Once my sea legs wore off, Emily and I went to check out the town, which honestly felt like a ghost town. I thought I was in a time warp - no one was out!

The next day, we went snorkeling at the Concha de perla. To get there you have to walk along this long little bridge that goes through a huge area of red mangroves. It felt like you were walking to never, never land because the mangroves were growing all around and above the bridge. We got there and no one, but one sea lion was there. It was gorgeous, but we were both a little nervous to get in the water because it was almost too peaceful if you know what I mean! We sat there and admired the beauty around us and then a tour group passed through, which was actually nice because we got to hear all the information about the area and which spots have what fish, etc. We then tried to make friends with the guide to get some information about the island. We ended up having lunch with him at a local restaurant, which served 2 options, one was fresh fish caught that day - so delicious! He told us there was a tortoise breeding center on the island that also had some natural lagoons around it that sometimes had flamingos in them. We decided that seeing flamingos in the wild was a great adventure for after lunch. However, getting directions here is somewhat challenging, and of course I am naturally always lost so it is a rather dangerous combination. We were told to find the lagoons that we had to go up two blocks, turn right and walk for 20 minutes on that road. 2 hours later, with a few detours trying to clarify where we were going, we finally arrived at the damn lagoon that had 2 flamingos hanging out. I had never been so excited to see two flamingos! From there we walked to the breeding center that of course was closed. However, there was a slight opening in the side gate so we let ourselves in. After walking around for 5 minutes we heard someone outside the gate honking like crazy. Being our nervous selves we ran to the enterance trying to prepare a speech to explain why we were in the closed center. However, that planning was done in vain - we just walked right out and the man didnt say anything to us. Phew, no problems! Five minutes later that same man drove by us and stopped. He asked if were heading back to the main part of town and that he could give us a ride. He worked for the breeding center and he told us that he was surprised that it was closed! The drove also only took five minutes and he explained that we walked the completely wrong way - I had figured that out already! He also told us that there was a lagoon right in town, two minutes away from where we were staying, that sometimes had flamingos (we went and it definitely did)...at least I got some exercise I guess!

That Saturday, we celebrated Emilys birthday with a hike to Volcan Sierra Negro, which is also the worlds 2nd largest crater. It was a beautiful hike that would not have been too challenging, if it wasnt for all the mud. It felt as though you were skating down a mountain! After the hike, completely covered in mud, we went to a finca in the highlands that was absolutely amazing. One of the volunteers that we went with had a friend on Isabella that was also a volunteer teaching english and two days a week worked on the farm. She arranged for us to all have lunch at the finca. At the finca they grew coffee, a huge amount of vegetables, pineapples, bananas, and raised chickens, ducks and piggies. The father and son maintain the entire farm - it was really impressive. The woman was also a fabulous cook and she was very happy to have some female visitors because she lives there with her husband and son. From the finca we walked about 40 minutes to a campground called Campo Duro. The volunteer on Isabella had a group of friends that invited us to BBQ and camp with them that night. It was the nicest camping I had ever seen. The tents were already set up, with sleeping bags, a kitchen, bathroom and bar in case you ran out of drinks! The tent aspect was the only thing that slightly resemebled camping! After a long and very entertaining evening that included one of the volunteers, Sienne, teaching the Galapageans how to build a fire, we left at 4:30am to catch our boat back to Santa Cruz. Luckily, that the ride back wasnt as brutal! We got home just in time for Emily's birthday Lobster lunch! Yum!

---