I write this now from the comfort of my couch in Tahoe, and I can only reminisce about the adventures that I had in Ecuador. Continuing where I left off, it was our second day in the Galapagos. On this day we went up to the Giant Turtle Refuge and Breeding Center much higher on the island. We saw a lot of turtles, many that I know I could not pick up even if I tried. It was interesting learning all about them, and how they were almost eradicated by pirates and other companies for their oil for lamps and such. And now the turtles are threatened by many introduced species that we find harmless, like cats, dogs, and donkeys. It is interesting that they even survive now considering how slowly they move and that they evolved with no predators.
We spent about an hour hiking around there as the weather slowly socked in, making everything misty. After that we were supposed to hike up to another small lake but the clouds had socked in so much and there was so much mud that I decided to take a nap in the van, which turned out to be a good idea because they couldn't even see the lake. We then hiked in a different area to a vista point with some rather sketchy broken stairs, and then down to a secluded beach where we hung out and played in the waves and then back to the hotel for some R&R and some dinner.
The next day was a full day of snorkeling and beaching. We got up early and collected our snorkel gear and got on the boat for a snorkel trip to Kicker Rock, a large rock sticking straight up out of the ocean about a mile and a half off-shore. Once there we jumped in the water and Andrea just about had a heart attack. Andrea was not flustered the entire trip until we got into water where she couldn't see the bottom. You could see the rock face slowly descending into darkness. There was also a ton of sea life! It was pretty amazing. Andrea held my hand almost the entire time. When, near the end of snorkeling, there were White-tip Reef Sharks below us, she completely lost it and got back in the boat. After that we went to a totally secluded beach where there were the biggest horseflies I have ever seen, let alone been bitten by. There we had lunch and then we went to a shallow area to snorkel some more. Here we saw a sea turtle, tons of fish, and marine iguanas! They swim under the water and eat algae. Cool beans! Then back to the hotel.
Sunday was our day off so we slept in, hung out at the beach and then watched the Spain vs. Germany soccer game. I watched a movie from a hammock with a beer in hand. Good times. This was our last day on San Cristobal. The next day we travelled to the island of Floreana and the Isabella with snorkeling and pirate caves mixed in with the traveling.
The next day we went horseback riding up the Sierra Negro volcano. I had a horse that liked to bite any horse that tried to pass him. I was laughing so hard that I almost couldn't keep my seat on the horse. We rode for about two hours and then got off at the top of the second largest caldera in the world. It was a fantastic view. Then we hiked down through old lava floes and saw the ocean from the top of an active volcano. It was spectacular. It was really good to hike and move after sitting on the horse, otherwise I don't think certain parts of me would have functioned the next day.
Then the next morning a boat ride to the island of Baltra, a flight back to Guayaquil and then on to Costa Rica and Miami, then a frigid night on the airport floor, and an early flight to Dallas and then Reno to arrive back home in time for 4th of July festivities and family.
All in all, it was a great trip, and I learned a lot. Not that I could put that all into words. This trip really made me appreciate everything that I have, and all the opportunities available to me living here in the US. Are there things that need to change? Yes. Are we perfect? Not by a long shot. But I would rather live here than live in Ecuador... too many bananas... and guinea pig...
Now back to real life...
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