Day IV- January 5th, 2oo7
Our flight to Galapagos left at 9.ooAM. Actually, it was more like our flight to Guayaquil to the flight to Galapagos to the ferry to the boat in the Galapagos. Flying over Quito was so interesting to see the slopes and valleys- you can almost see the magma flowing through. Flying over the Pacific was absolutely amazing as well. The water was so blue and by the time we got close to the islands, we flew so low we could see creatures jumping out of the water below us. I couldn't believe that I was actually going to the Galapagos Islands and that this was actually my own life I was living.
The first day in Galapagos was AMAZING. We landed in San Cristobal and walked off the plane into a little shack-like building- Galapagos Customs. After nearly an hour of waiting on line, we found our way to the bus that was picking us up. The bus ride took us to a pier about five minutes away. Customs took so long because they were checking everyone's bags for seeds- how crazy is that!- they are so concerned with the environment that one seed could change the entire eco-system!
At the pier we were all completely amazed and surprised to see dozens of sea lions resting and swimming all through the port. Our director was trying to, well, direct us to our destination, but no one could pay attention long enough to listen.

Some sea lions sleeping



Resting in the shade



So lazy

We took a panga (dinghy) to our ship, found our rooms, got some lunch, boat drills, rented our snorkel equipment, and traveled to our first excursion. In the mean time, Matt and I accidentally walked into the Captain's room where our friend, Luis, showed us all of the equipment, machines and maps. He took pictures of us "driving" the ship.

I got to drive the ship, heh.

Ecuadorian flag at the back of the boat

My little room

The ship is beautiful like a little cruise ship(well, "it's not a cruise, it's an expedition")- except more personal. "We're all one big family here." There are about 5o passengers, 3o crew members on the ship.
Our first excursion was to Cerro Brujo- we took a Panga ride through to the coast to a part of the island where we found immense, steep rock formations. The rocks were almost completely covered with guano- aka bird poop. Supposedly it attracts fish which gives the birds an easy catch. It actually gives the whole formation a very pretty look. We drove to caverns, through beautiful natural arches.

Cavern at Cerro Brujo


Guano covered caverns

We finally ended our day on a beach on San Cristobal Island. We wet landed, had an introduction of the different sands (one type is made from ground up sea organisms, another is a type of fish's feces-one fish could produce up to a ton of sand a year!, and the third was worn down lava rock), the sea lions and the iguanas. We had to fight with a huge male sea lion to get him to clear out of our path. He was not happy about that! We dove into the crystal blue water and began our snorkeling adventure. My camera had it's first underwater experience (I was so nervous!) We saw some fishes- although the water was so churned up between swimmers and high tides with strong undertow. It was difficult to see much of anything. We swam for awhile, came back to shore to take a little walk before we came back to the boat.

More sleepy sea lions


This little guy was waving at us



Matt's first time snorkeling



Aah, a lovely view

Once back on the boat, I took a quick shower, unpacked and headed up for cocktails with the captain (who looked EXACTLY like John Voigt). We hung around for awhile before dinner, had a lecture on the whale's evolution on the islands, ( in which the guy giving the lecture was unable to say "mammals" and instead kept saying "mamas") We had our introduction to tomorrow's itinerary.
My options for tomorrow:
1. 1.5 mile hike over eroded lava rocks
2. Deep sea snorkeling
3. Glass bottom boats
Regardless, it'll be another busy day on Espanola and Floreana Islands (breakfast being served at 6.30AM!) And I was soooo excited for it!
P.S. Sea lions are adorable, but smell horribly.