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Published: September 1st 2014
People often ask me what the most awesome trip I've every done was. I used to answer "Galapagos!" But then I went on awesomer, and awesomer trips and I rarely talk about this trip anymore. It just might have been the best ever, though. It was the first big trip I did that I had alone time in another country and I needed to navigate hostels, new places, new people, but a familiar language.
Another reason I stopped talking about the Galapagos is because I don't recommend that anyone go there without at least being informed. If you don't know, the Galapagos are a series of 13 islands located 1000km off the coast of mainland Ecuador. Of the 13 islands, 5 are inhabited by humans (I visited all 5). Because the islands are so far from all other land, the animals have evolved over time to be unique and special creatures from anywhere else on the planet. Having minored in anthropology as an undergrad, I am intrigued by Charles Darwin (he went to the Galapagos on a famous expedition) and am a bit obsessed with the concept of evolution. I spent 3 weeks on San Cristobal island working with a
group trying to erase the footprints of mankind. With humans come all kinds of purposeful and accidental introduction of invasive species that negatively affect the native (and super special) species.
Without humans and our boats to bring them over, the Galapagos should have no land mammals. Every boat delivering goods to the island has the potential to deposit a creature such as a mouse and the ripple effect takes hold and the giant tortoises are endangered.
I was in the Galapagos living with a community that attempts to be 100% self sustaining (needing few imports). The organization is called Jatun Sacha. We worked about half of every day eliminating invasive flora and fauna species and re-cultivating the land with endemic plants. Wielding a machete I took down acres of mora (delicious, but European and invasive blackberries). The other half of each day we worked on the property doing things to be self-sustaining like working on our farm, roasting coffee by hand. climbing trees to pick avocados for meals. I also participated on field work activities with scientists helping them to track "Darwin's" finches. I also spent a day hiking through the forest looking for endemic apples (and thus
their seeds) to collect to bring back to replant. Tortoises love apples!
Jatun Sacha operates year round and accepts volunteers for 3 week minimum stays. Many people at Jaturn Sacha were there much longer than I was. I made a few very good friends on this trip! Jatun Sacha was up on the side of a mountain on San Cristobal island and was very humid, and mist/rained most days. I remember that if you wanted your wet (rained on) pants to dry you left them on so your body heat would dry them. If you took them off and hung them up, they would never dry. Also, this was the summer of the coldest showers ever. We had running water straight from a stream. Ice cold.
http://www.jatunsacha.org/san-cristobal-biological-reserve/
Each weekend we had free and I'd spend them in town. There were hot showers at hostels in town! Also, very neat animals on the beaches like blue footed boobies, seals, and crabs.
We had time to hike up to and around in extinct volcanoes. We also went snorkeling a few times. One day I was snorkeling alongside penguins. And then, blue footed boobies came diving out of the
sky to eat the very fish I was snorkeling to see! That was pretty awesome!
After my three weeks in the Galapagos, I spent one whole week in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. If you can believe it, I met another math teacher from DC at my hostel! We went to the Equator together and stood with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other foot in the Southern Hemisphere.
Although I intended to do more volunteer trips, I have not done another one since this trip. It was incredibly satisfying!
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