Sealions, Turtles, and Boobies - Oh My!

Galapagos!
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So, I'm in The Galapagos Islands!! It is so incredibly brilliant and amazingly unique here, I can hardly describe it. Obvs I had not done enough research on the islands, as I was surprised to find that these are actually like desert islands... I took a picture from the window of the airplane so that you can see how they appear from above. There is a lot of vegetation, but because of their location - right on the equator about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador - the islands have many different micro climates, but mostly it's desert.

Welcome to Santa Cruz
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We arrived on Wednesday around noon on a flight from Quito. We took a ferry to the island of Santa Cruz, which is where our hotel is located. Most people who come to the Galapagos travel around on boats, and actually we were supposed to be on a boat up until about 2 weeks ago when the travel company called to inform Mom and George that our boat had been cancelled for repairs. So, we are staying at the Royal Palm, an absolutely gorgeous hotel in the middle of Santa Cruz. We are in the very center of the island, which also happens to be the highest point, so our hotel is often in the middle of clouds and mist, creating an extremely haunting and magical feel to the whole place. But as soon as you reach the coast (a 15-20 minute drive), it's sunny and hot again.

Mom and George at the airport
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Our first day, we took a tour of a nearby giant land turtle reserve and saw some amazingly large turtles... our guide said they could live to be 200 years old and they never stop growing! We also went to see some of the nearby lava tubes and tunnels. The tunnels are gigantic and were formed by volcanic eruptions like 2 million years ago (could this be correct?). The lava hardened on the outside as hot lava was still flowing through them creating this tunnel. Totally crazy as they are like 20 feet high or more at some points inside.

Our first view of a pelican
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Today (Thursday), we went to the nearby island of Seymour Norte and Bacchus beach and saw some of the most incredible animals - sea lions, blue footed boobies, magnificent frigate birds, pelicans, land and marine iguanas and pink flamingos, up close and personal. I went snorkeling at the beach an saw sting rays, giant swimming tortoises, millions of fish... and while I missed it, apparently there were sharks down there too. I was glad I hadn't seen it because I would have really freaked if I had seen that.

Mom on the ferry
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The most interesting thing about all of this was that the animals didn't seem to care at all that we were there... the boobies would stand one foot from us without moving, the sea lions would waddle down the same path as us, and it looked like the iguanas were posing for pictures. I guess they know we aren't a threat, but it is still very strange to be in such close proximity to these creatures. I'll post some photos so you can get an idea of what I've been seeing.

Cultural Note - As I have been in Ecuador now for almost 7 weeks, it is clear that I've adapted to some things here without realizing it. It's been interesting to experience this culture anew through the eyes of Mom and George and I feel that maybe I haven't explained everything explicitly enough. This is a very poor country. There is a lot of poverty - heartbreaking poverty for which there is no foreseeable end in sight. People drive like maniacs and the streets are really not in good condition. Many people speak english, but most people definitely do not. Ecuador-time is alive and well, as everything happens way late. It’s not likely to get exactly what you want to eat.  Everything is done much differently here in every possible way. It’s almost impossible to find diet coke. While this country exports wonderful coffee, what you will get at most restaurants is instant. Everyone is trying to sell you something. And, btw, just so everyone's clear... we're definitely not in Kansas anymore…  I'm sure there is more and I'll continue to tell you about it.  Until then.

George on the ferry
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xo