BootsnAll Travel Network



Galapagos

At last, my long overdue post on the Galapagos (jungle to come soon). I’ve been out of civilization for a while (first on a boat, then in the rainforest), and that combined with bad Ecuadorian internet service has made me a bit lax.

My eight days in the Galapagos was amazing, beginning with the friendly crew and excellent cuisine of my boat, the Friendship:

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The Friendship was labeled a “Tourist Superior” class boat (at least according to the travel agency I went to in Quito), but it still had its share of cockroach stowaways. Still, the excellent guide, crew, and cook made up for any shortcomings in the boat’s cleanliness.

The main draw of the Galapagos is of course the fabulous wildlife, of which the sea lions are probably the most prominent. I got to spend a lot of time with them on the various beaches where we landed:

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We saw the lions playing, nursing, yelling (mostly the males), and sadly even a few dying (they abandon their young when there isn’t enough food). The little ones are adorable though, and come right up to you to smell your ankles. The only thing we didn’t really see with the sea lions was them mating, but there was plenty of funny business going on with other animal life:

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Iguana lovin

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They let you get real close

The albatros mates for life:
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The blue footed booby creates a nest of doodoo. But first the men attract the women by strutting, whistling, and offering the gift of a branch.

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Booby love

The frigate bird male inflates a huge red sack around his neck to seduce the ladies:
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And then of course are the famous giant tortoises, who live to be about 200 years old like this guy:
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I think one that actually knew Darwin died only recently.

Besides the diversity of animal life, the islands are cool for their gorgeous beaches:

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At this beach I actually snorkeled with “vegetarian” sharks, but those pics will have to wait until I develop the underwater cam.

The volcanic scenery is also amazing. Basically the Galapagos came about via a series of volcanic eruptions (not unlike the Hawaiian islands) about 5 million years ago. Things continue to erupt however, leaving this dramatic, desolate landscape on many of the islands:
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Thus, survival of the fittest creatures who can live without much water.

One of these was our guide, Cesar, who is about to turn 70 and has been guiding tours in the Galapagos for 30 years, longer than anybody else:
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I could put up a million more pictures of wildlife but then I would run out of room! The Galapagos is definitely the most pricey thing I will have done on this whole trip, but it really is a once in a lifetime experience (or hopefully more than once). Apparently the only way to establish permanent residency in the Galapagos is to marry a Galapagan (?). I think the captain had his eye on me…

More to come shortly on the jungle, smoking monkeys, and anacondas….



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4 responses to “Galapagos”

  1. Nick says:

    Oh my god – the picture of you with the sea lion is adorable. That looks like fabulous fun.

  2. Nicole says:

    Yo lovie-
    This looks amazing! My favorite may be the one on the horse. You smile is rather convincing, actually! And I am seething with jealousy. It seems like you are having a truly amazing time! LA misses you! xoxoxoxo
    -nic

  3. Marisa B says:

    I got married.

  4. Jose Lopez says:

    Querida Ariella, Tu eres gringa. No molestes a los animales pobres. No les gustas y a mi tampoco. Espero tu vuelta. Besos, Jose

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