I wake at 6 in my hotel in Quito Ecuador. I'm flying to Galapagos this morning for a 5 day sail round these enchanted islands...
I meet 3 girls on the flight...two Australian and a Bosnian. One of the Australians asks me if I'm a doctor ..she has just come back from Peru and her feet are itching like mad...it has now spread to her back . I suggest she treats her skin with a chemical and burns all her clothes ...actually i didn't mention the burning but it seems like a good idea to me... They had stayed in one dodgy hostel and on a campsite where she reckoned the toilets were pitched over the pig pens. Her friends don't look too happy to be sharing a cabin...
I realise I have left all my travel documents at the check in desk. All I have on me is a large sticker embossed with my name and the name "Encantada" which means welcome or something. We all debate if it is the name of the boat or if I am just welcoming myself, they want me to tell them the answer...flights are boring it seems.
We fly to Baltra where the Encantada guide - Juan is waiting for the group. Juan is a true Galapagos islander. He loves all island people particularly Australians and the Scottish...mostly he has watched Rob Roy too many times...and I reckon has a secret admiration of Mel Gibson .....There are 12 of us, an international crowd of Italians, Spanish, Ecuadorians, French, Australian, Scottish, and two English girls including me. It seems like we have the smallest boat in the harbour...a red wooden sailing boat bobs on the crystal clear turquoise waters dwarfed by the huge luxury catamarans and one or two boats which resemble cross channel ferries. Ours turns out to be a secret tardis....housing 6 compact, well fitted wood cabins all en suite and a cosy lounge with small bar and endless tea and coffee. It turns out the Encantada was one of the first Galapagos tour boats back in the early 70s i imagine she was used for diving then but this is now it is strictly regulated and only 3 or 4 boats offer diving to those with big budgets...
Over the next four days we follow a similar pattern...rising early around 6.30, out on the dinghies at 7.30 to explore each new island..snorkeling for an hour in the cool but refreshing waters...filled with an abundance of marine life...seals, fish, white tipped reef shark, turtles and diving sea birds. We feast on fruit fish, chicken, meat with fresh vegetables all beautifully cooked by the on board chef. mealtime conversation are in 4 languages, Spanish, English, french and Italian ..its fun we compare the similarities of the Latin languages, Edgar the Ecuadorian now living in Barcelona with his wife makes great impressions when we don't quite get it. Juan lectures us each evening on what we'll see the next day and plans the itinerary down to the last minute...so we dont lose any previous time. We are always first onto the islands before any of the other big tour boats arrive so we get to see the spectacles of the diving birds, seals and iguanas undisturbed by the pampered tourists in their designer safari outfits.
The wildlife is astonishing In that you pretty much trip over the seals and iguanas who are undaunted by man ...as they have no fear of any predators. Darwin finches hop around your feet, seals laze in the middle of paths only showing any sign of anxiety if you come between them and their pups.A couple of times I nearly tread on the marine iguanas...these prehistoric creatures camouflaged into the dark rock face...we see brown noddies (birds!) dive with the pelicans and emerge standing on the pelicans heads to swipe the prey from their bill...we watch blue boobies and pelicans dive vertically with precision and drama into the waters...and penguins dart accross the water. Rays swim gracefully beneath the crystal clear aquarmarine waters....and when we are snorkeling...some of us are treated to a white tipped reef shark...i miss it and spend the rest of the time trying to find another...
The cabins are small but the guy I'm sharing with - Neil..a laid back Scottish guy who has been traveling for one year and is sporting a pair of blue bathers with a split up the side held together with safety pins...graciously offers me the bottom bunk which is the size of a double bed and comfy. Neil has to lie like a starfish with its suckers spread out on the small top bunk nearly falling out as the boat motors through the first night . We adapt to sharing a small space but on the first morning Neil comes out of the shower as i am dressing and i hear a muffled "oops" from behind me as he retreats back into the shower waits a polite few minutes before knocking and coming out again...i stifle a laugh because it is so English...like some kind of carry on film!
We see lonesome George or rather lonesome George's large backside. He apparently is not so lonesome anymore since he has become acquainted with a couple of female tortoises which is nice for him but we will have to wait another 20 years to see if evolution has taken place...
Each of the islands has a very different vegetation from red rock , to black lava to pure white sand. Cactus and beautiful flowers adorn the vegetation. The views are stunning and it really feels like the last lost paradise on earth....Leaving the boat is hard. I want to stay longer,,,the hotel at Santa Fe for the last night is a disappointment and the restaurant lousy compared to what we have been feasting on. But these small low points are insignificant and I will long treasure the memories of the magical moments on the boat, the astonishingly beautiful islands...the camaraderie between such a mixed international crowd ..and most of all these magical Darwinian creatures ...
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