Galapagos AGAIN!

For spring break, Justin and I had the fortunate opportunity to return to the Galapagos Islands, as guests of our friend, Narsiza. After much deliberating, we decided that this was an offer we couldn’t possibly turn down, and I’m so glad that we were able to visit this incredible place once more.

Tuesday: Manzanillo tortoise ranch & Darwin Station
Our direct flight from Quito arrived on Tuesday afternoon. Narsi was waiting for us with private transportation and we made our way to the ferry, and onward to Puerto Ayora. On the way, we stopped at a nature preservation called Rancho El Manzanillo. (Manzanillo is the name of the “poison apple tree” that grows along the property. The fruit, and even the sap of this tree are reportedly quite toxic. The owner of this once private plot of land partnered some time ago with the local government to establish this as an ecological reserve, where visitors can roam freely among the giant tortoises, and enjoy lunch on an open, breezy patio. Rubber boots are loaned free of charge so that are free to splash through the mud puddles (tortoises cool themselves in the mud) and avoid fire ants. This is the spot where Justin and I found the biggest tortoise we have ever seen, and we named him Big Papa.
The top of his shell probably came up to my chest.

After some exploring of the property, we sat down for a delicious lunch of grilled tuna steaks and fresh salad. To wash it down we had lemonade made with mint and hierba buena, and I think I nearly drank the whole pitcher myself. (It was extremely hot!)

Before leaving the ranch, we saw an empty tortoise shell on the patio, left behind long ago by some dearly departed tortoise, and couldn’t resist the fantastic photo opportunity this afforded. For those of you who may be wondering, “How does one get inside a giant tortoise shell?” I will paint you a word picture. First of all, it is far from graceful. The largest opening is in the front. So first you must stand in front of the shell, and then basically lay down flat on the floor in a push-up position, your feet facing the opening of the shell. Next, you perform a backwards shimmy-shuffle, easing yourself feet-first into the shell. There is a surprising little upward slope in the middle of the bottom of the shell, so you’ll need to navigate this as well. This provides quite the spectacle for anyone watching! Soon, you’ll be able to poke your feet out the back of the shell and voila! You are a tortoise! This was actually a lot of fun, and I’m glad we sacrificed temporary embarrassment for these pictures which make me laugh every time I look at them. The shell is also unbelievably strong, and we even able to sit on top of it without the slightest fear of it breaking.

We then continued our drive to Puerto Ayora and our hotel and home for the week. Per usual, the whole family gave us a warm welcome and we immediately felt like we were home with family. We unpacked our suitcases and spent a little time enjoying the AC. Once we were sufficiently refreshed, we made the 10 minute walk down to the Darwin Station.

After viewing all the tortoises and the baby tortoises with numbers painted on their shells we came upon a new exhibit - Lonesome George! In the flesh...or rather, shell. As you probably know, Lonesome George was the last of his species (Pinta Island Tortoise). For years, they tried to get old George to produce some offspring, but alas all attempts were futile and he finally died in 2012 at the age of 100 years. George’s body was then frozen and sent to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC to be preserved. After a short tour in the States, Lonesome George was finally returned to his home in the Galapagos in March of 2017. So, we were some of the first tourists to see him returned. The Darwin Station built him a small climate-controlled room, and to preserve the ambient temperatures necessary to preserve him, only 10 visitors are allowed in at a time, for a visit of only a few minutes. I noticed George was missing a toenail, but otherwise looked really good for a 100 year old taxidermied tortoise.

It is hoped that Lonesome George will serve as a reminder of the importance of conservation of species and human impact and responsibility of conservation and protection. We will remember, George. Rest in peace.

Wednesday: Tortuga Bay
We woke up on Wednesday and took our sweet time to get moving. Prior to the trip we reflected on how amazing our first trip was. However, our last trip was also our first, and we only had a few days. Plus...I had some other things on my mind as we prepared to go there. We resolved to make this trip much more slowly paced. We wanted to see the wildlife and the beautiful vistas, just like last time, but this time we had twice as much time to do it and we were hell bent on using it.

After a leisurely breakfast, we went to our rooms and packed our bags. In the spirit of taking it slow, we were going to spend the day reading books on the beach. We were told of a beautiful set of beaches within walking distance and that was all I needed to hear. We were warned of hot temperatures so we dressed accordingly and we began our journey to Tortuga Bay.

To start the journey, you need to take a taxi to the entrance of the national park. Once there, you walk through a beautiful long path made of lava stone. It is gorgeous, as is the surrounding vista, but it is HOT. We were warned, but we still had no expectation of lava rock. When the sun hits the rock, the rock undergoes a chemical reaction simulating a volcanic eruption of lava and fire. (Or at least that’s what I think…)

After a hour of walking through a cactus forest full of cacti more than 40 feet tall, and well...forest, a clearing opens up and BAM! You are smack dab on the most beautiful beach ever. I mean ever. Tortuga Bay is the epitome of white sugar sand beaches, clear water in the shallow that opens up to deep aqua blue. As beautiful as it was, we weren’t allowed to swim there due to park regulations and dangerous swimming conditions. So we walked along the beach to a little cove that was much calmer and 90% as pretty. Along the way, we spotted the first of many marine iguanas hiding out on some lava rocks.

When we got there, we set up our towels in a little shady spot beneath a set of trees. We spent the next four hours swimming in crystal clear water, reading, and guzzling a lot of water. It was HOT. After a little while, a small shark (19 inches) swam up to the coastline and along it for about twenty minutes. We could see it from 20 feet away due to how clear the water was. We decided to investigate so we rented a kayak on the beach and spent the next hour paddling around the calm cove looking for wildlife among the mangroves lining the beach. We didn’t see anything else, which was okay. We had fun anyway paddling around.

Around fifteen minutes after our kayaking, a big 30 foot boat pulled up to shuttle people back to the port for a fee of $10. They knew that no one wanted to walk, fully exposed, through the gauntlet of beautiful scenery and soul melting lava rock pathways. So we hopped on. I asked the guy as we boarded if it was returning to Puerto Ayora, where our hotel was. He replied with a quick “Si, si. Vamos,” and hurried me along.

Now I’m admittedly not the strongest math person, but in my mind, an hour walk, plus the speed of the boat, minus any lag in time for waves or the curve of an island means that we should have returned to the port after about 20 minutes of boat time. HA! An hour and fifteen minutes later, Shannon and I were convinced that we were headed for another island hours away. But eventually, after cutting through the water alongside a few sea turtles who popped their heads up to say hello, we pulled back into Puerto Ayora, had tuna for lunch, and retired to the hotel for an afternoon nap.

Post nap, we got all ready and headed over to the restaurant where Shannon and the whole family ate post-proposal. We spent the evening drinking wine, watching pelicans take turns plunging into the water, and enjoying delicious food, and each other’s company.

Thursday: Day Trip
Thursday morning, we woke up early and had a hearty and delicious breakfast. We joined Narsiza and her family, as well as a co-worker and her son, and we boarded the water taxi to a boat that we had all rented for the day. We spent about thirty minutes zooming through the water along the coastline that we passed the day before. (Note: We passed the Tortuga Bay Beach in less than ten minutes. Go figure.)

We arrived at a snorkel spot that Narsiza told us was a secret local place that had great snorkeling, lots of animals, and few tourists. I can’t say the name of the beach in confidence, but girl knows her stuff. We spent the next two hours snorkeling around. We saw stingrays flapping their wings, trying to hide under the sand, sea turtles gracefully gliding through the water, and countless fish.

We had already seen these things before, on our first trip, but snorkeling in the Galapagos this second time was just as magical. We were both filled with child-like glee at the sight of each and every new thing. Along the way, we saw a shark, about a meter long. Then we continued to follow our guide blindly through the water and found ourselves in some kind of shark dungeon pit. The next twenty minutes were spent swimming among between 16-22 sharks. They all varied between 24 inches and four feet long. It was so cool to float along the top of the water looking down on them. A glance to the right, and there were a dozen more. Look to the left, WOA! Sharks swimming towards your face to check you out. This went on for a little while, before we were spent.

We swam up to an island beach nearby and put our snorkel gear down among the mangroves and marine iguanas three feet or more in length. After a short hike across the inlet, we came to a jetty of lava rock. On the jetty we saw iguana heaven. The black rock eminanted heat that made me wilt, but attracted dozens and dozens of marine iguanas who sat content on the rock, cooled by the ocean mist of crashing waves. We took our customary pictures and walked to the other side of the jetty where we found a blue footed boobie that we got up close and personal with. We concluded our hike and walked back to the boat where fresh ceviche was awaiting our arrival, alongside some fresh homemade...well fried, fresh fish sticks. After lunch we hopped back into the water where we swam, waded, and wandered among the sharks and fish. I walked along the shallow water watching the fish encircle my feet. Then, a puffer fish decided to take a nibble of my toe as I watched. I don’t think he like what he found. He promptly swam away. It was absolutely surreal.

On our way back to the port, we did some troll fishing. We were only about 500 yards from the coastline, but considering we were more than 600 miles off of the coast of Ecuador, we were effectively DEEP DEEP sea fishing. After about fifteen minutes of trolling, one of the fishing poles snapped down. I hopped up and grabbed it and as soon as I hooked the fish, the captain yelled to the crew to get the belt harness. I thought I was in for reeling in Jaws but I knew I’d be happy with Nemo.
I fought the fish for about ten minutes or so until I brought the fish in. The mate gaffed it and we hauled it on board. It was about a three and a half foot “jurel” fish, which is something akin to a tuna or a jackfish. As soon as the fish was on board, the captain took it under deck and came back four minutes later with the freshest sashimi and carpaccio I have ever seen. It was delicious. We went back toward shore and after a day of shark filled swimming, fishing, and hiking, we were both exhausted. It was one of the best, and most complete days I had in a long time.

Friday:Grietas
After an exhausting and amazing day on Thursday, we decided to keep it light on Friday. We slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and read for a while in the hotel room. After that, we did some souvenir shopping, we threw on our bathing suits and took a short walk to Las Grietas. Las Grietas is a small local swimming hole and natural grotto. It is a canyon of crystal blue, chilly, water that goes about 30 feet deep at its deepest. It was apparently made by years of rain, tide, and time. It evolved slowly chiseling a crack into a gap, into a gorge, into a canyon. Rain water filtered through the lava rock and pooled at the bottom. The chasm shielded the water from too much direct sunlight, which kept the water chilly. We walked there and hopped in.

We were told to try to time it well since sometimes tour groups go there, in addition to the locals. The canyon is about twenty feet wide by thirty yards long. It would have been tough to enjoy ourselves had it been busy, but we took Narsiza’s advice and got there right at 12. On our way down the path (about fifteen minutes) we saw about 40 people pass us, going back to the port.

When we arrived, there were only about six people. There were three high schoolers, and two guys in their twenties. We swam around for about a half hour, and due to the intense noon, lava rock baked heat, the cool water felt incredible. As we floated along, we saw fish of all sizes swimming around below us. After a short while paddling around, we swam to the far side of the grotto and saw another marine iguana sitting on a rock. We swam up to it quietly and watched him pluck algae from a rock, at eye level, from about three feet away. As soon as the high schoolers saw this incredible sight, they swam up splashing, squealing, and yelling; which of course forced the iguana to take off. It wasn’t a surprise, but it was disappointing nonetheless.

We went back shortly after and had our own lunch, another mid day nap, and then went out to the small beach town nightlife. We went to dinner and had a delicious meal and met up with a few friends who were also visiting the Galapagos on vacation. We had a few drinks to celebrate my birthday (the following day) and went back to the hotel to retire for the night.

Saturday: Birthday Beach Day
I woke up on Saturday morning to a new milestone decade. I had finally reached by thirties, which I felt like I had been in the middle of for at least five years. Shannon and I had breakfast, packed up our beach bags, and took the long hike back to Tortuga Bay to spend my birthday doing exactly where I wanted, the beach.

After arriving we set up shop again in the shade and spent the next few hours napping, reading, swimming, talking, and hanging out. It was simple. It was relaxing. It was everything I wanted and needed, and nothing more. We saw another marine iguala sauntering along the beach, commonplace to us by this point. After a while of sitting there, we met a few friendly finches. I named on Atticus and Shannon fed them cookies, which is probably totally okay. I mean, we were in the single most protected natural preserve in the world. They probably want you to feed the finches cookies. It’s good for their evolution...or something. Regardless, Atticus and his friends were happy.

We decided to walk all the way back instead of taking the boat for an hour and change. It took us about the same amount of time, but by 2:00 when we left in the afternoon, the lava rocks somehow got hotter than eruption level heat. Shannon swayed from heat exhaustion as we walked, but we soldiered on. We drank bottle after bottle of Gatorade and water, which we packed in anticipation of this walk. It felt like we were walking across the coals, but instead of on our feet, we were draped in a cloak of coals.

We finally arrived at a lunch spot where another cold water and the ocean breeze cooled us off. We went back to the hotel for showers and naps. (So much napping on this trip!) When we woke up from our slumber, we got dressed up for a family style dinner that Narsiza had invited us to. We were the special guests of honor. We had fried fish, plantains, rice, and wine. After the plates were cleared, the lights went out and out of the kitchen emerged a birthday cake. They sang “Happy Birthday” to me in English and in Spanish. Just before cutting the cake, I was told of an Ecuadorian tradition that I had to partake in. They were yelling “Bite the cake! Bite the cake!” in Spanish. After asking about it, they told me it was customary to take a bite of the whole cake. Then as I was biting it, they would lightly shove my face into the cake. I was skeptical, but didn’t want to offend our gracious hosts. They probably could have told me to sit on the cake and I would have done it. Anyway, I “bit the cake” and got smashed into it. I pulled my head back, with icing filling my nostrils, and everyone was laughing. The smashed piece containing remnants of my face outline was, of course, to be mine. The rest was spread amongst our Galapagos family.

All in all, it was a remarkable trip. We were hosted by Narsiza, who truly made us feel like family. We weren’t guests to her in her hotel. We were family. We saw mind-blowing sites. We swam. We ate. We slept. We hiked. We fished. We ate. We slept. We laughed. We ate. And we slept. It was the perfect vacation. We both needed it after a long stretch at work. It was the perfect birthday. Thank you to Narsiza for giving us a home in the Galapagos. We are so incredibly fortunate to have met her, to have traveled as much as we have, and to have spent time with such truly incredible people.