Galápagos

The ceremonial twig exchange and consequent mating routine between the blue-footed boobies, baby sea lion nursery schools in rocky grottos, swimming with sharks and rays, the dramatic difference among each island habitat...

Quick Tips:

Though expensive, it's worth it to book at least a 5-day/night boat excursion way in advance, as you will see much more of the islands and their diversity. From what I've heard from other fellow travelers, staying in Puerto Ayora and taking day trips arranged by a local hotel doesn't even compare. Also, boat accommodations vary dramatically. In general it seems the more creature comforts you require, the more expensive the boat. Plan according to your personal needs. The boats for students on a shoestring looked a little suspicious, i.e., one head for the whole boat, little private space, older boats, etc., so it could be well-worth it to fork up the extra money to fully enjoy the experience on a more comfortable boat. Also, the Galápagos National Park fee was US in September 1999. The fee (in US) is required upon arrival at the airport at Baltra. Once there, visitors must be accompanied by an officially licensed Naturalist guide (present on all boat tours) when visiting outlying islands. Other highlights: if you go around September, you'll see hundreds of newborn and irresistible sea lion pups.

Best Way To Get Around:

Fly into the Galápagos to Isla Baltra airport on TAME rather than take a boat from Guayaquil. Once there: Snorkeling: Since you'll probably be swimming and snorkeling during your trip, you may want to consider bringing your own fins, snorkel and mask to ensure you'll have a good fit and solid gear. The boat did have minimal gear for those who did not bring their own - but it never seemed to work out very well! You'll be making wet and dry landings to shore in a panga (dinghy), so its good to bring shoes that are easy on/off and comfortable for walking and hiking, even when wet. Tevas seemed to be the way to go.

The Charles Darwin Research Station located on Isla Santa Cruz is one of the two places to see the giant tortoises -- the creatures for which the Galápagos Islands are named. The center is a scientific research facility devoted to preservation and study of the islands -- most especially, the endemic flora and fauna. A large portion of the center is devoted to the study of the giant tortoises. Lonesome George, likely the last member of the Isla Punta giant tortoise species in existence resides on the property. He does have a forlorn look about him. A handsome reward is offered to anyone who is able to find a female of the same species, though its doubtful that one exists. Apparently George has been uninterested in having any sort of tryst with female tortoise of another species, much to the dismay of the scientists. At the station, you can observe a hatchery for baby tortoises, as well as walk inside an adult tortoise habitat, and get an idea of the physical differences among species. Do not, do not, walk across their feeding platform, apparently it makes the tortoises ill.

There were several visitors not part of our group who blatantly ignored this simple request. Tony, our guide was furious. You also can't touch the tortoises but you can get pretty close -- their enormity makes them look like martians. Fascinating. There are several exhibits about Galapagos plantlife that are along a nice wooden boardwalk path. Souvenirs sold at the station help fund operations. A visit to the station will take about 2 hours. Our tour was led by our naturalist guide from our boat -- I'm not sure if you could walk in on your own from Puerta Ayora...

Spending eight nights/seven days aboard the Tip Top II, a renovated 16-passenger cabin cruiser (plus ~7 person crew), we visited nine islands during our trip. In the evenings we were briefed on board by our extremely knowledgeable naturalist guide 'Tony,' who detailed the following day's itinerary: our destination(s), its history and inhabitants, type of attire needed for the trip, etc. Generally we made two outings per day, one around 8AM until lunchtime, with a short break before another in the afternoon. Each day was wisely planned, with a substantial amount of activity and information. Travel between islands usually happened during the night. Each island has unique features and distinctive terrain, flora, and fauna. Excursions involved light to moderate hiking, swimming, and snorkeling. Though sleeping cabins were small, each had separate bathroom/shower, all meticulously maintained by the crew. Plenty of communal outdoor space was available on the upper and lower decks, as well as the indoor dining area (for three meals daily – with typical Ecuadoran food and often fresh seafood dishes) and the briefing area, both of which were open for use at all times. Other passengers were from all parts of the world, offering an excellent opportunity for cultural exchange also. Tour package is pricey, but size/quality of the boat and crew, plus number of people in the tour was ideal!

South Plaza, a tiny island off of Santa Cruz was our first destination after being picked up on the Tip Top II in Baltra. At the landing point we were greeted by a barking bull sea lion, announcing his apparent reign over the island. Our hike took us through a fascinating cluster of opuntia cactus trees, which, despite their spines, are considered a delicacy by the yellow land iguanas. We followed the cliffs to see many swallow-tailed gulls as well as a curious 'exile' area for male sea lions. According to our guide, male sea lions will fight each other to achieve status in the group. The losers on South Plaza island make a daring climb (with flippers no less!) up the rocky cliff which would be difficult even for a creature with hands and feet. Reaching the top and covered with fresh battle scars from the recent fight and climb, the outcast male would sulk on some of the rocks, nursing the wounds, until it was deemed appropriate for him to return to the fold. Our loop back to the landing area brought us past our first of many views with sea lion colonies with newborns. From the shoreline we could see several giant sea turtles swimming about in search of dinner. The sun was setting, the air was breezy and dry. Returning to the boat we put on our swimsuits and jumped into the ocean, holding on to the panga (dinghy) which we shared with a bunch of curious pelicans.

A visitation with the infamous and ridiculous blue footed boobies provided some timely comic relief on our Galápagos field trip. Our guide Tony led our 6am Monday morning journey to North Seymour Island, a natural bird sanctuary - home to flocks of frigate birds, swallowtail gulls and the charming boobie. I suppose the boobies are sort of the trademark oddity of the Galápagos, along with the giant tortoises... but we all felt an instant, hopeless affinity for the bizarre mating rituals of the boobie and of course, their fashionable footwear. Our first boobie encounter was an auditory one -- as Tony identified a distant, strange, raspy whistle sound of the male boobie, engaged in the vocal performance segment of the mating routine. Our face to face encounter with this performance followed suit, and we witnessed the bizarre choreography -- with wing, foot and sound coordination, that accompanied the call of the male. One felt disbelief, hilarity, amazement, and sheer delight to witness this display. Words can not articulate the ridiculously weird yet totally earnest routine of the male blue footed boobie trying to win the heart of a nonchalant female. As if this routine was not enough, a male boobie might also attempt to charm the female with a brilliant display of his fine blue feet, purposely flying towards her feet-first. Perhaps the most endearing tactic is the twig exchange. Especially sweet was observing male boobies engaged in a diligent search to find an appropriate twig -- correct width, correct length, correct texture, to present to the female as a ceremonial gift (particularly curious, since boobies do not have a practical need for the twig, as they do not build nests). The female boobies remained calm and seemingly unaffected by the male booby's dramatic ploys to become the next suitor. But as humans, we were all impressed with the males' prowess. Who knows what the final criteria the females use to select the chosen male for mating, which we witnessed as well. The actual event seemed low-key in comparison to the elaborate foreplay. Strangely, observing the male and female blue footed booby courtship, one couldn't help but reflect upon the equally strange dynamics of human relationships...

A fascinating centuries-old postal exchange system exists on Isla Floreana (aka Isla Santa Maria)... Historically, this rudimentary post office allowed crew on visiting whaling ships to drop off messages and mail to the 'post office' barrel on the condition that they sift through the existing outbound mail to determine if any pieces are marked for their ship's next destination. They were then obligated to act as postmaster to ensure that the mail would be delivered to that address. This system remains in place today. In our case, we were charged with bringing several postcards back to the US, adding postage, and mailing them to the respective recipients. Surprisingly, in only a week after we deposited postcards in the box at Post Office Bay addressed to friends in the U.S., they received them in the mail. (Needless to say, this system works much more efficiently than the traditional Ecuadoran postal service!)