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Published: December 27th 2005
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After spending a day in Quito, we went to Galapagos a few days before our tour started so we could do some diving and get a feel of the place. We flew to Santa Cruz on the 9th December, and went to Puerto Ayora, the main town on the Galapagos Islands. It was a very nice small town with a harbour a lots of boats. Our hotel was noisy so we moved the next day to one with a view of the sea, and from our balcony we could see some great new neighbours: some sea lions on a pier, a blue footed booby, marine iguanas (the only iguanas that swim!) and frigate birds flying across the sky circling on the look out for food (they survive by stealing food off other birds, and cant fish for themselves).
On the first day we did a dive, where we saw loads of white tip reef sharks in the distance, a sea lion which came to say hello, sting rays, a turtle, eagle rays, and several other fish. There was hardly any coral however and it was cold (Humboldt current!) and rough. We had to wear full 7 mm wet suits with
a hood, and I was briefly sea sick for the first time in my life! (gutted). After this adventure we relaxed the next couple of days, going to a beach.
On the 13th we went back to the airport to meet the other arrivals for our boat tour, 3 British, 3 Americans, and 2 Germans, making 10 on board. (some boats carry over 90 people!), and our guide.
For the next 8 days, 7 nights, we journeyed around the Galapagos islands following the strict rules imposed by the national park (don’t touch anything, pick up anything, take anything with you, or leave the path). The boat was fantastic, but to keep to the strict itinerary, we always had the motor on. The cabins were luxurious, with air con and hot showers, and the food fantastic. We were also lucky with the group, no kids, everyone interested in nature (wouldn’t spend that much if they weren’t!), and a very knowledgeable guide (classified top lvl 3 guide which we knew from research and come with the more expensive boats). It was really first class service and its going to be (is) a come down returning to the backpacker budget!
The main activities were the walks on the various islands, ‘panga’ rides on the dinghy around the coasts, and the snorkelling. My underwater case for the compact canon camera was great and I enjoyed the challenge of underwater photography as much as that on land. We ended up taking loads of photos, which we are now going through deleting the worst ones! Being on a beautiful boat, with spectacular and various scenery, and the abundance of wildlife, all added up to one of the greatest experiences of my life. During every snorkel trip sea-lions would come and say hello, wanting to check us out and swim around, blowing bubbles and rushing past. We also swam with penguins, which are very peculiar so far north (Humboldt current again), very much in contrast to the mangroves and iguanas on land. The group was really good as well and we all got on, even the Americans were fun and interesting, a mother and two daughters, one of which was an avid bird watcher, (she was studying bird communication at college). We got on really well with the crew as well, the girls even getting free salsa lessons in the evening. The guide told
us usually the guests don’t even bother talking to them, let alone getting them to join the party! Once again it was strange to say goodbye after quickly forming bonds of friendship.
On the 20th December we flew to Guayaquil on the coast, where we spent the night, the next morning getting a bus up through some spectacular scenery to Cuenca, a pretty colonial city where we wanted to spend Christmas. There was a Christmas parade on the 24th, when for several hours a procession of children dressed up in Christmas and various other costumes passed the Cathedral. Santa Claus was inevitably much more popular than any religious icons as they threw sweets and presents to the crowd. Fortunately it didn´t rain much that morning, as the weather here is quite changeable, being hot when the sun is out, cold when it hides or in the evening, and frequently raining.
On Christmas Eve we met up with an English couple we had dived with in the Galapagos, and six other tourists from various countries for dinner. We had turkey with stuffing and wine, though the portions were much smaller than home! - and no sausages wrapped in bacon
😞
Christmas morning we woke up and opened our presents to each other, before getting much welcome phone calls from our families. The rest of the day we spent relaxing watching movies in our relatively luxurious hotel room ($39 compared to average cheap hostels which are $15 - $20). Our room is on the eighth floor with a great view of the city, something which wasn’t a bonus during the minor earthquake the other day, though the staff reassured us a shaking building was totally normal, and were even surprised, laughing at the concern we expressed!
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