Galapagos, Part 1

Our next stop is the Galapagos Islands, where the animals are so plentiful that the sea lions have learned to wait for buses.

  

Our home for the week is the Letty, a 20-guest cruise ship run by Ecoventura. Our room is on the Booby deck, which is named for local birds and not for the fact that you can see through our window, located right above the ‘L’ in Letty:

 

To get on and off the ship, we ride in what the locals call “Pangas”, which they refuse to let Jessie drive. She has told them she is a Dinghy Captain and has the t-shirt to prove it but they are not convinced. Notice the sea lions on the steps as well as crowded under the ramp:

 

In case you aren’t picking up a theme yet, sea lions are everywhere in the Galapagos:

 

Even on the beaches, the sea lions sun themselves just like everyone else:

 

Sea lions are similar to seals, but sea lions have adorable little ears where seals just have holes. Sea lions can also use their front “legs” to walk while seals just bounce around like little meat torpedoes.

 

The Galapagos Islands aren’t just full of animals, they are also natural wonders formed by their location on a hotspot where 4 Pacific ocean currents converge. Depending on which morning you ask, the waters can rock you to sleep or keep you up all night. The wind, water, and volcanos have created some incredible vistas:

 

Small cruise ships are very common in the Galapagos, but the park authority manages all visits so that everyone is scheduled and spaced out to avoid overcrowding. We had an early morning wakeup to get to this hike before the people from the other ships anchored nearby.

 

Although sea lions are the easiest to spot (and smell), the islands are also covered in iguanas and lava lizards. Here is a female lava lizard (the males don’t have the red neck):

 

After the morning hike, we got back on the Letty and headed to the far end of San Cristobal island. We took a panga ride through an impressive rock arch, where our guide pointed out places where rocks had fallen. He assured us that the rocks were definitely going to fall but probably not on us.

 

The panga ride ended at a spot that our guides claimed was the 2nd most beautiful beach in the world… you’ll have to come back for part 2 to find out what the most beautiful beach looks like.

 

You can’t tell from this picture, but the pelican was giving the beach a 5 star tripadvisor rating.

 

This luchador iguana (might not be the official name) agrees, he has never seen a more beautiful beach.

 

Finally, it was sunset in the Galapagos as we sailed past Sleeping Lion Rock.
 
If you can’t see the resemblance to a sleeping lion, perhaps this local Galapagos kitty will help you connect the dots.

 

– Phil & Jessie

Location:San Cristobal Island