Got back yesterday about 9 PM from the Galapagos. O. M. G. what a spectacular place. Although I took many pictures, none come close to capturing the magic of the place. On one walk, I nearly stepped on a sea lion. Seriously. Walking along, gaping at the albatrosses nesting, and I darned near stepped on a 300 lb sea lion. I apologized, took a picture, and swore to be more careful. Not ten minutes later? Nearly tripped over another. The animals aren't tame - the naturalists call them "naive." They are just stunning - doesn't matter what animal you're talking about, they don't mind people at all. No fear. For me, it was a clear demonstration of how badly we've treated all the other animals on the planet that fear humans. Amazing place. Went with Lindblad Expeditions, which was so the right way to go! A smallish ship (96 passengers, 95 crew) with a full staff of naturalists.
It was wonderful. We heard "Good morning, good morning" every day, no later than 6:45. As Carlos, the expedition leader said "you have the rest of your life to sleep! And remember, you paid for this!" He was so right. By getting up that early and out - many days our excursions started at 8 - we saw the wildlife at the right time. So a sample day would be an early morning walk, back to the ship for breakfast, snorkeling for an hour, back for lunch, time for a siesta or on-board activity, another excursion or snorkeling event at about 3, back with time for showering, cocktail and debriefing in the lounge, then dinner at 7:30. By the end of the day, I'd crawl into my comfortable bed exhausted and satisfied, still wondering at the wildlife. Met some amazing people, snorkeled with sea lions, penguins and hundreds of different kinds of fish. Never got past the amazement of the birds nesting just inches away (we couldn't touch anything, but unless you got within 12 inches of the birds, they didn't do anything except make low 'back off' noises). Blue footed boobies, red footed boobies, Nazca boobies, frigates, albatross, eagles, owls, hawks, thousands of terns. Giant land tortoises, land and marine iguanas, sea lions everywhere, penguins... magical. If you've ever dreamed of going to the Galapagos, do it. Don't cheap out on it - get a good naturalist (our's were all PhD locals) and I promise, you won't regret it.
Nobody wanted to leave the ship or the islands. Nobody. Amazing trip.
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