It´s what made Charles Darwin famous
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2008
1
16
61
Trip End
Apr 01, 2009
Galapagos islands,
Ecuador
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Not only are the tortoises different on each island but they're different on each of Isabela's 5 volcanos. And the cactus is grows differently depending on whose food source it is.
Santa Isabela was amazing. I loved it's smallness - biggest island but smallest main town - laidbackness and friendliness. Now I'm on Santa Cruz and I feel the cynicism of the tour operators towards we gringos. Surprisingly there are no touts and there's no pressure to buy that "I love boobies" T shirt - just as well, I haven't found the perfect one yet.
Went horse riding up and down Volcan Sierra Negra on Isabela and had a wonderful time, even though I was soaked by the end due to the cloud descending and descending. And it only took 2 days to recover this time so I shall do it again at the next opportunity.
So I've seen lava lizards by the thousand, likewise finches and warblers, marine iguanas by the hundred, scores of Sally Lightfoot crabs, pelicans and tortoises great and small, red chested frigate birds, blue footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, white tipped reef sharks, mocking birds, a sting ray, a flamingo, sea lions on the beach, on boats and frollicking in the sea and loads of birds I don't know the names of. The only famous inhabitant I haven't seen is the turtle but I watched rangers dig up a nest not 50m from my hotel on the beach on Santa Isabela and take the eggs away for incubation.
There were penguins swimming around the pier while I was waiting for the boat to Santa Cruz - on the equator! It's the Humbolt current and the water is freeeeeezing. But the soft white sandy beaches are truely gorgeous (I wasn't expecting that). Shame about the creepy iguanas.
