Galapagos

Well, Ramsey and I are in the Galapagos Islands, but our time here is already coming to a close. Arriving here yesterday was pretty seamless. We woke up insanely early, said goodbye to Pily, and made our way to the Quito airport. We had a short stop in Guayaquil, and then we had a nice two and a half hour flight to Isla Baltra in the Galapagos Islands. Once there, we took a bus to the ferry, we rode the ferry to Isla Santa Cruz, and then we rode a bus to Puerto Ayora. Many people have said we're crazy for spending so little time in the Galapagos and in only one place, but from what I've seen and heard, Puerto Ayora has everything one could expect from the islands. There's a lot to see and do, but it was pretty easy for us to fit it into so little time.

When we first got here, we made our way to a hostel that didn't seem great. It was only $25 a night, so we figured it would be fine. There was no AC and no hot water, but we figured it wasn't a big deal. We were just so happy to have found an open room! Then we found some questionable looking bugs in our room, and the incredibly hot room ended up being quite a big deal last night. It is sooo hot and humid here! We checked out this morning, and now for twenty dollars more, we have a room with AC and hot water! Those little luxuries are definitely worth the money.

Yesterday we explored Puerto Ayora and eventually followed a 2.5 kilometer path to Tortuga Bay, which is a beautiful white sand beach. While there, we rented a kayak and found a chunk of mangroves where small, non-hostile sharks like to swim. There were small sharks right next to our kayak! We kayaked all around the area, and when we were done, we swam in the warm waters. We're both pretty sure we saw some sea turtles in there, which makes sense since tortuga means turtle in Spanish! Also, there were a ton of iguanas sunning themselves on the beach. Last night we ate at a fun restaurant called The Rock.

After our humid night in our first hostel, Ramsey and I woke up for a run to Tortuga Bay. Once back, we switched hostels and then headed to the Charles Darwin Research Center and Turtle Reserve to check out the sea turtles. One of the best parts was the area where they have the baby turtles. Some of them are so tiny, and it's amazing to think that they grow so large! Also, we saw two turtles getting it on. They didn't seem too embarrassed about us catching them in the act.

While yesterday was beautiful and sunny, today was really overcast, and actually, after we returned from the turtle reserve, it rained a little bit. We were pretty bummed, but thankfully the rain stopped. We then ended up going on a tour which took us to locales all around the island. My favorite area, though, was called Las Grietas, which means "the cracks" in Spanish. It's this little chunk of water between these two rocky cliffs. It's so beautiful and peaceful, and the water is so clear and cool. It's probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. There were also some guys diving from the cliffs while we were there, which was quite a sight. We swam while there, and I would have loved to have spent the rest of our time there. Hopefully someday I can return. We also had a chance to go snorkeling, but my equipment was cheap and not so great. Basically everyone had no luck with it except Ramsey, and she had a sea lion swim right under her! All in all, we were very happy we went on the tour. Tonight we grabbed some sushi at the Red Mangrove Inn, and it was delicious!

All in all, I've really enjoyed the Galapagos Islands. It's definitely packed with tourists, but that's to be expected. It was nice to come from a busy city like Quito to a calm, peaceful environment like Puerto Ayora. Also, there's so much theft in Quito, so we felt like we were always having to be on our guard while there. It's been nice to just be able to walk around and not worry that we're going to be mugged or pickpocketed. One annoying thing about our time here, though, is the fact that nearly everyone traveling here is either a family or a couple. It's just made us miss our husbands a lot, but we both have decided we'd like to come here again and bring them along next time!

Tomorrow is a busy day. We leave here a little after noon, land in Quito around five, wait for three hours, and then arrive in Lima, Peru at 10:55 tomorrow night. Then we're staying in a hostel for the night and flying on to Cusco, Peru the next morning. So tomorrow is just a travel day, but at least we'll be in Cusco soon!