Galap a gogo: 6th May: Arrival in Galapagos

Galapagos means Tortoise

I was like a kid on Christmas morning, awake and ready at 4am! And still the journey to Galapagos continued. At the airport we met Judy and Phillip, and it transpired we would be spending the next 6 days with them, adding a new dynamic to our cosy foursome. It was a 1.5 hour flight from Quito to Guayaquil, another 2.5 hour flight Guayaquil to Baltra Airport (Galapagos), a short bus ride to the jetty, a ferry to Santa Cruz Island, then a 30 minute coach ride up into the mountains for lunch. The vegetation is lush, even though our guide, Dennis, told us that there had been no rain for ages. The landscape is dominated by trees, bushes, giant prickly-pear cactus forests and tropical flowers, with very few roads and even less traffic. The Big Deal of the day was the Giant Tortoises, which we were scheduled to see in the breeding programme at the Charles Darwin Research Station, but Happy Days, we saw them in the wild! There were lots of them, big ones, smaller ones, sleeping ones and some wide awake with heads stretched out of their shell. They were a delight to behold. Dennis gave us lots of information and I loved the learning aspect of the trip. For example, the hissing noise that the tortoises make as you approach them is not aggressive, as I assumed, but just an exhalation of air so that they can fit back into their shell. Dennis showed us how to approach slowly and quietly from behind.

I swapped my sandals for Wellingtons because of the nasty ants in the ground and we were left to wander around making friends with the 100 year old statesmen. It was hot and sticky, and walking across the uneven ground in sweaty boots wasn't the best, but the close encounter with such magnificent animals was.

Isla modelling Galapagos T-Shirt
Had to squeeze in a photo of her,
even though she wasn't with us.

Back on the bus we headed to Puerto Ayora, the archipelago's largest port and tourist centre, which Dennis warned us would be the only urban area we would see for five days. He emphasised that this was the last opportunity for shopping, whether that was for tourist souvenirs or bog-standard sun protection. We bought Isla a cute little tunic with tortoises on; I just love buying her stuff! I bought some postcards and stamps and then sat with an ice cream on the dock of the bay, watching the seals playing in the clear blue water and caught our first glimpse of Isabella II, the yacht we would be living on for the next 5 days.

We were ferried from the shore to ship by a small Zodiac boat, locally called pangas. Having had my hip replacement operation just 8 months ago, I was apprehensive about how I would be able to cope with the physical demands of this holiday, but with a little hand holding I managed to clamber on and off the boat ok, so passing my first mobility test. Thankfully someone else was dealing with the luggage. The expedition ship, Isabella II, accommodates 40 passengers, but only 26 are travelling. Whilst I was annoyed to have been fooled by the travel agent into booking early due to 'high demand', it meant less crowding and with 27 crew, more personalised service. Our cabin was cosy (= small) and perhaps a little past its glory days (= me), but clean and fully functional. The Captain's welcome in the bar included a complimentary Daiquiri, an introduction to the staff and details of the next days activities. My goodness, there was so much information I was confused, overwhelmed, excited and couldn't wait to get started.

Who thinks Louise looks like Dora the Explorer?