ISLA SAN CRISTOBAL

Day 65 13.09.15

We woke up early and started directly to the airport. On the bus ride we got to get another glance at the nearby volcano covered in snow.

We checked our bags through a control that has been set up for the Galapagos. It scans your luggage to see whether you are carrying any food, animals or soil that might damage the ecosystem on the islands.

We then passed through the security checks and had some time left before the flight boarded. Breakfast time.

I chose a Cuban sandwich with orange juice and was a little overwhelmed by the size of it. Instead of leaving the other half behind I took the rest of the sandwich with me onto the plane. You never know what type of food you will get on a plane and it proved to be a good decision.

We boarded our flight and awaited eagerly our flight to Guayaquil, stopping over for 40 minutes and then heading on to the Galapagos Islands.

On our way to Guayaquil we once again passed one of Quito’s volcanoes managing to get a photo in from the planes window this time.

I had never stayed on a large passenger plane before while other people boarded it. To pass the time we decided to start playing who wants to be a millionaire on the flights entertainment system. When that didn’t keep us from being bored the Sudoku wars began. The Avianca board magazine has some Sudoku puzzles in the back; that meant that everybody got to do the same puzzle.

We then flew on towards Isla Cristobal, the first island we were heading for in the Galapagos Islands. When we landed, the plane had to regress on the runway to reach the terminal. Quite strange when you are not so sure how often the planes fly to San Cristobal and whether another plane would crash into us while trying to land. Obviously none of these horror scenarios played out, but it was still strange.

We entered the airport and went through the first controls. Until we had all been checked, passed through immigration and everything, our luggage was already sitting ready for us to grab it off the conveyer belt.

We headed to the pick up truck that was taking out luggage and met our local guide. He was going to stay on with us for the rest of our time on the Galapagos Islands.

After all the luggage was stowed away we hopped on a bus and headed to the hotel. Already we could see all the volcanic structures. We were ready to just drop off our luggage and go out and explore the wildlife.

We certainly did and after about 5 metres we came across the first of the many animals we were going to see – a little lizard.

Along the way we also saw exotic plants and flowers – these you cant actually eat.

We eventually got to the port area, where there were many little fishing boats rising and falling with the waves.

First we smelt them, and then we actually got to see them too. Sea lions! We were all so excited like little kids in a candy store. Our guide had estimated that we would not beat the record of 15 minutes to get to the 5 minutes distant restaurant, as everyone was stopping to take photos and marvel at the animals. They were literally everywhere.

On rocks, on boats, on the beach, even on park benches, snoozing away, trying to dry off their fur.

On the rocks surrounding the pier we also got to see several little crabs, that when they are young are black and the larger they grow the redder they become.

It was very scenic, and I really enjoyed the smell of sea.

We also got to see our first bird from up close. I am sorry, I am not really a bird person so I can’t actually tell you what its called.

Baby iguanas were walking up and down the rocks.

We then eventually, I think it took us 30 minutes :), we reached the restaurant where we were going to have lunch.

We had some vegetable soup with popcorn and some lovely passion fruit juice.

Accompanied by some yellow fin tuna with rice and a salad.

I also wanted to show you the spicy sauce that is put onto everything here in Ecuador (and apparently also Peru), called Aji. It is the tomatoey kind of sauce, mixed with chillies, that is normally prepared with onions and tomatoes.

Here you can see what apparently is a tree tomato, even though I am not 100% sure this is so, because I was told it was a small orangey fruit… Maybe I will get to have the chance to see it live at a market.

We then headed to a small little shop where we tried on our snorkelling gear. I was very sure I was not going to need a wet suit, seeing as most of the arms and legs would be uncovered anyway, and if you are snorkelling there is enough sun on your back to warm you up. So I was the only “tough” one out of the group, who went without a wetsuit.

We then drove to a little beach, got out and walked along it to get to the bay where we were going to go snorkelling.

Again we saw several iguanas, either on rocks on crossing our path in the sand.

We could even see their tracks in the sand. One long line caused by their heavy tails, and some curvy squiggly lines caused by their moving feet.

The landscape was surprisingly quite dry, considering that we were so close to the sea, and in the distance dark clouds were forming. Were we going to make it without getting wet (from above)? Who knew…

We finally reached the bay where we were going to be snorkelling and were surprised at there being so many sea lions.

They were everywhere in the beach, producing a strange feeling of knowing that you were going to snorkel in “their” water.

The bay itself was quite calm, only outside where the waves crashing so heavily that it was sufficient for surfers to ride them.

We got changed and ready to go into the water. Meanwhile, a dominant and slightly territorial alpha male had come into the bay barking like a mad man for us to stay away from his women. And that was the water we were going to into? “Just stay calm and remove yourself if you see a large male. You should only swim around with the little ones.” Great.

We got in and the water was cold but bearable.

We didn’t see much, but it was a great way to test out our snorkelling gear, and for others to actually learn how to snorkel.

I saw a stingray on the stone covered seabed, swimming along gracefully, every once in a while being picked up by the current and being dragged along.

And then it happened; I saw a dark figure swimming about 10 metres away from me. I stayed very still, trying to swim away. The alpha male was swimming its circles and I tried not to put any attention onto me. He eventually “disappeared” aka. I could no longer see him. Out of the blue a smaller female comes along and swims about 30 cm below me on her way to greet another sea lion. My heart skipped a couple of beats, but I was fine.

Eventually I got back out and was chilled by the water, but not as much as what I had expected, seeing that our guide too was using a wet suit. Oddly it seemed as though everyone was quite cold even though they had rented out their wetsuits.

The beach was quite funny, seeing women on their towels tanning, while next to them the sea lions were doing the exact same thing.

While snorkelling my snorkel had broken, causing me to constantly gulp large amounts of seawater. Not fun. I was going to get the gear changed the next morning.

On our way back, we had another iguana crossing our path, this time sitting straight in its way.