A Million Boobies and a Destroyed Environment

Day 1 - Baptism of Fire

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Pelican Bay - Santa Cruz Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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After being promised a free holiday by a University to the Galapagos Islands, in return for 6 months of teaching, a promise that never materialized 6 months later, I decided to try my luck and go independently. Normally this would be very easy to arrange with the ridiculous number of tour operators lining the main streets around Avenida Amazonas in the La Mariscal district of Quito, but deciding to go the following day after being told the bad news by the University, a place I have decided to no longer work at, and having no flight, accommodation or trips lined up, I was expecting a tough time making my dream become a reality.I shouldn't have been so pessimistic. The following day I was baskin...Read More

After being promised a free holiday by a University to the Galapagos Islands, in return for 6 months of teaching, a promise that never materialized 6 months later, I decided to try my luck and go independently. Normally this would be very easy to arrange with the ridiculous number of tour operators lining the main streets around Avenida Amazonas in the La Mariscal district of Quito, but deciding to go the following day after being told the bad news by the University, a place I have decided to no longer work at, and having no flight, accommodation or trips lined up, I was expecting a tough time making my dream become a reality.

I shouldn't have been so pessimistic. The following day I was basking in the ferocious heat of the Galapagos sun on the island of Santa Cruz and had arranged accommodation and trips for the duration of my stay here. It seems so many tour operators book flight tickets in blocks for their Galapagos tours and then let them go at the last minute when there is no chance of selling them. Turning up three hours before the flight departs will normally give you a successful place on the standby list. It still took a few choice words to an Ecuadorian family who pushed to the front of the queue before finally confirming my place on the flight to Baltra, the main airport of the Galapagos with only five minutes to spare.

Upon arriving in Baltra, it was nice to see senior members of the world politics brigade also sharing my great idea of a holiday here. Sitting on the runway, guarded by a man who was more interested in falling asleep under the aeroplanes front wheel was the blue and white plane belonging to the First Lady of America. Just in case you weren't sure where the plane came from, in giant gold letters along the side was written 'United States of America'. There's no point being shy about these things! With such a sight before them, almost every tourist whipped out their cameras, like John Wayne in a Wild West flick and continuously pulled the trigger. I always believed airport photography was prohibited by law?

Passing through the airport i was a little annoyed at having to pay the full $100 entry fee. Having temporary residency should have meant paying only $25. Apparently this rule only applies to foreign students studying here. Students that have either rich parents to fund such an adventure, or who have a nicely donated scholarship. Volunteers like myself on the other hand, people who donate a year of their time with no pay or financial reward get absolutely no benefits. I'm not quite sure of the reason for this, but I have a sneaky suspicion the attendant that dealt with us had an inferiority complex problem and this was his way of proving to himself that getting one over on an Innocent Gringo showed he had something to offer this world. With 95% of the $100 admittance fee going straight to the preservation of these islands unique ecosystem and wildlife, I suppose I can sleep with a guilt free conscience.

Coming to the Galapagos with no accommodation or trips arranged isn't always a risky business. Prices here are much cheaper than on the mainland, in your own country, or through the Internet, although I think if visiting in the high season and trying to get on a cruise ship will be very difficult. As I had deemed 4 and 5 day cruises too short and 8 day cruises too expensive I decided to plump for a variety of day trips instead. Most guide books say this is the worst way to explore the Galapagos, but if you are on a tight budget and want a slice of Galapagos action then in my opinion there is nothing wrong with such a choice, seeing virtually everything these islands have to offer.

I was very pleased with myself at having planned a full weeks itinerary and with no worries of where to sleep either, I spent the early evening wondering around the streets of Puerto Ayora with my girlfriend, the base for the duration of my time here. It was certainly an interesting first walk, some would even say a baptism of fire. First off, the baking hot sun wasn't something I expected and led to a very white Gringo acquiring a body full of sweat, a beetroot coloured face and eventually a sun burnt head that a couple of days later started to peel to imitate the worst case of dandruff I have ever seen.

Such a shock had put me in a bad mood, but this was immediately lifted on reaching Pelican Bay, found halfway down the seafront road of Calle Charles Darwin, where my first taste of ridiculously tame Galapagos wildlife was had. Pelican Bay is the main place on the island to buy your freshly caught seafood. As well as a variety of freshly filleted fish sold here, the small immaculately clean 'fish market' is also home to numerous pelicans (hence the name!) and sea lions, all of which snap at any of the leftover and discarded waste materials that the fishermen throw away.

After watching these animals and the numerous pufferfish and manta rays that swim in the shallow waters of the bay past the small fishing boats I carried on walking down Calle Charles Darwin towards the Capitania and Academy Bay, a walk of no more than 5 minutes. By this time my bad mood had completely vanished, and I was in full swing, enjoying the casual and laid back atmosphere that the island of Santa Cruz has to offer. Upon arriving at the Capitania I was a little startled to see an angry mob of locals pushing, shouting and gesturing towards each other. With no idea what this was all about I bought myself an ice-cream, sat across the road, kicked my feet back to the setting sun and enjoyed my slice of free entertainment.

It wasn't until a few days later with the arrival of cameramen and reporters from every Ecuadorian TV channel and newspaper that I finally found out what all this 'Galapagos Aggression' was about, a hard job considering my lack of Spanish. The night before my arrival, the coastguard went to check on some boats acting suspiciously, docked on the island of Baltra. Upon reaching them they found a group of military personnel having a secret midnight drinking session. Of course, littering beaches with empty alcoholic beverage cans and trespassing on national park property is prohibited and in the Galapagos, very strictly enforced. Upon requesting the drunkards to stop their illegal behaviour, and having their drinking brought to an abrupt end, they took out their anger on the coastguard personnel putting a number into hospital with fairly serious injuries. As news started to leak out, the military tried to cover up their actions stating nothing happened. Hence the angry confrontations witnessed on my first day in 'paradise'. If all my days would be as action-packed as this. Read Less

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Day 2 - New Beginning

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Tortuga Bay Wildlife Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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The heat in the Galapagos is quite unbearable at first, especially having a room without air-conditioning and just a small fan to keep the temperature down. The cheapskate that I am, I wasn't really prepared to pay extra for something that can easily be coped without, and anyway, the restless night I enjoyed gave me much time to reflect on something I had been planning for a long, long time, and if all went well today I would unleash this plan of mine on my, hopefully, unsuspecting girlfriend.Not having any day trips planned we decided to go for a walk to the nearby beach of Tortuga Bay, one of the few places you can venture inside the national park without a guide. Al...Read More

The heat in the Galapagos is quite unbearable at first, especially having a room without air-conditioning and just a small fan to keep the temperature down. The cheapskate that I am, I wasn't really prepared to pay extra for something that can easily be coped without, and anyway, the restless night I enjoyed gave me much time to reflect on something I had been planning for a long, long time, and if all went well today I would unleash this plan of mine on my, hopefully, unsuspecting girlfriend.

Not having any day trips planned we decided to go for a walk to the nearby beach of Tortuga Bay, one of the few places you can venture inside the national park without a guide. Although I knew it was going to be a walk of around 3km from the main town of Puerto Ayora, it felt at least twice as long due to the sapping heat and by the time we reached the beach I had already consumed half of my meagre two litres of water I had brought with me.

The beach itself was everything I had dreamed it would be, a 1km stretch of white-golden sand, with crystal clear blue waters, the frothing white foam of the waves lapping the shores. Although I had noticed at least sixty other people checked in before ahead of us at the ranger station, these people were nowhere to be seen. Possibly swept out to sea by the strong sea currents!

There were a few people enjoying the invigorating harsh rays of the sun further down the beach, but to my left was a tiny beach separated from the vast golden expense by a small outcrop of rocks which extended several metres into the light turquoise waters. Beckoning my girlfriend towards me, and explaining we could have a private beach all to ourselves we made the short walk towards it. I had a feeling that my girlfriend had an inkling of what I was planning. Luckily she didn't.

Upon making our way onto the golden sands and allowing my girlfriend to have a few pictures taken next to a resident pelican, I got knelt on one and asked her to make an honest man of me and take my hand in marriage. I also said many a soppy sentence, that would be far too embarrassing to print here. Selfishly I was hoping a few tears would be shed, but sadly not, just the response 'are you being serious?', which didn't match the romantic ending I had been role-playing over and over again in my head the previous night. When she realised it wasn't just another piece of British sarcasm, she accepted and I slipped out her $5 ring (I had knocked the price down from $6 a few weeks earlier on a secret trip to Quito) and gently prized it onto her left ring finger and we embraced like we had never done before. I promise there will be no more mushiness now.

At this point some of you might be wondering, while I might have done a half decent job of picking the location to propose, what on earth a decent girl was thinking of by saying yes to a $5 ring. Of course being an English gentleman this wasn't the real engagement ring. I calculated the risks of buying an expensive ring and bringing it into a developing country and decided they were a little too high. She was satisfied on the promise of the real one upon our return to either America or England, depending on which country has the cheapest prices (okay, so I do like to watch my pennies sometimes!).

After finally watching the Cheshire grin disappear from my girlfriends face half an hour later we decided to walk along the whole stretch of beach. It amazed me the variety of tourists that venture to the Galapagos Islands. You have blond haired girls with the bodies of supermodels prancing around to the mesmerising gazes of toned athletic surfers, bodies of which I can only dream of. You have rich Western families, who I presume are oblivious to the importance of the islands and are only there to impress their neighbours with tales and photos of what they have seen and witnessed. Their children, even worse, running past huge signs (in English I may add) that warn of nesting baby turtles in the vicinity. Of course to their uneducated and ignorant youthful minds, not getting rugby tackled by your brother is far more important than the lives and future of a species that has made the islands famous. There's the hippies, animal enthusiasts, loners, party animals, and genuine people who have saved for this once in a lifetime trip for years and still can't believe they are fulfilling their dream. There's also the tourists who like to walk around in as little clothing as possible, their blatant bright pot bellies on show for the whole world to see. Frankly something that should be taken to the safety of a nudist beach where no doubt they would wear even less. To be honest I don't think my personality fits into any of these. I was just here for the ride.

As we reached the far end of Tortuga Bay, we came face to face with our first marine iguana, happily floating around in the shallow waters. After taking enough photos to bore my mothers' glass eye to sleep I quickly realised that this marine iguana wasn't alone. Iguanas were everywhere you looked, along with enough Sally Lightfoot crabs to feed the whole population of Ethiopia and Sudan combined for a good three years. This was the Galapagos I had read about and wanted to experience so badly (I suppose you could therefore class me as an animal enthusiast then, but hopefully without the stereotypical geekyness that comes with such a statement). I felt I had finally arrived in the Galapagos and for a few seconds the events that had taken place only an hour or so previous evaporated from my conscience, especially after entering the cactus forest at the end of the beach, a size and dominance I have never witnessed before in my life.

Sadly the trip to Tortuga Bay had to be cut short after realising the last drops of water had just been polished off, and it was deemed wise to head back through the heavily populated lava lizard territory to the entrance where it was possible to replenish our supplies. As we past the same marine iguanas basking in the sun, cooking their tasty seaweed meal in their stomachs in the process, it was strange to realise how the tameness of the animals here becomes the norm so quickly.

It was a good job we left early as stopping off quickly at our hotel room, I realised a rather expensive looking mistake that the airline we had flown with, TAME, had made. I had initially requested for us to be flown out on the 16th March and return back to mainland Ecuador on the 25th March. I presume as the lady booked our tickets at lightning speed the day before, to make sure we boarded the flight, she decided it would save vital seconds to put our return date the same as out departing date. This meant that we had already missed our return flight home, a flight we had both paid the nice sum of $197.51 for.

The rest of the afternoon was annoyingly spent at the TAME offices, where half the population of Puerto Ayora were also located, all having similar problems. After waiting almost 2 hours to be dealt with, the glaring music of Bob Marley pumping at suicidal decibels from the Limon y Cafe bar opposite, our problem was finally eradicated. Well not quite eradicated, as the return flight was now fully booked and we would have to spend another day to fly back home. It's a harsh life sometimes! Before leaving we were informed that it was of the utmost importance to return a few days later to reconfirm the booking. I understand the importance of such a task, but after blowing a good chunk of the afternoon on one incident and now having to do the same thing again, then I am quite happy to have the extra day here.

To celebrate the events of the day, and look forward to what shall certainly be a new beginning in my short life, my girlfriend and I shared a few drinks and stayed out until the ridiculous late hour of 9.30pm living the high life. You would have thought with such behaviour that we had already been married for 35 years and were approaching our retirement. Sadly not, but in my defense the heat here really does exhaust you fast. Read Less

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Day 3 - Same Old Faces

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The Galapagos Tortoise - Santa Cruz Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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Today was supposed to see the first of our day trips away from Santa Cruz, but late into the night I received a knock at the door and was regrettably informed that it had been cancelled due to engine trouble. Of course I was a little annoyed and upset, as I was rather excited. Luckily though the day was saved with a very early Sunday morning stroll down Calle Charles Darwin, where an enquiry in the only tour operator open, the aptly named Charles Darwin Tour Operator changed the course of the day. Within minutes two half day tours had been booked, firstly the Santa Cruz Highland Tour ($30) and then in the afternoon, the Bay Tour ($25), also of Santa Cruz. To be completely honest...Read More

Today was supposed to see the first of our day trips away from Santa Cruz, but late into the night I received a knock at the door and was regrettably informed that it had been cancelled due to engine trouble. Of course I was a little annoyed and upset, as I was rather excited. Luckily though the day was saved with a very early Sunday morning stroll down Calle Charles Darwin, where an enquiry in the only tour operator open, the aptly named Charles Darwin Tour Operator changed the course of the day.

Within minutes two half day tours had been booked, firstly the Santa Cruz Highland Tour ($30) and then in the afternoon, the Bay Tour ($25), also of Santa Cruz. To be completely honest, although both of these tours were enjoyable, I would not be recommending this tour company to anyone, as I felt receiving our money was far more important than offering a quality service, with a number of promises failing to materialize.

First off, the Highlands Tour promised a number of things including a view of Los Gemelos, two huge sink holes, apparently the same size, that collapsed millions of years ago thanks to moving lava underground. For some reason these were not viewed or spoken about at all by our guide, and not being the confrontational type I just assumed we ran out of time, something I have to pinpoint on a rather annoying fellow tourist who took photos of every single tree species that the island offered.

Not viewing the two giant holes was made better with a farm visit where the giant Galapagos tortoises can be found eating, breeding and doing whatever they like to do in their natural environment. On the two hour walk through dense tropical environments I wasn't holding much hope of seeing many of these enormous creatures, but I couldn't have been more wrong, viewing at least fifteen in a variety of positions and places. Sadly the hissing sounds they made as our small group approached made me think they would rather be chomping happily on their decaying passion fruit without having a camera lens pushed under their shells for a close up picture. A little inhospitable if you ask me! Gallivanting with lumbersome tortoises, some so large that you would need the ability to do the splits if you wanted to ride on them (which is absolutely prohibited and something, sarcasm aside, I would never dream of doing to a wild animal) was followed by a trip to some nearby lava tunnels.

Lava tunnels basically explained are underground caverns formed where lava millions of years ago melted the rock and formed underground rivers of the hot stuff, which eventually found an outlet and left these strange natural formations. As well as getting the opportunity to escape the hot atmosphere above ground, you also get to see typical cave formations such as stalactites and stalagmites and hear stories of how early day pirates and their treasures hid here from their enemies.

After arriving back into Puerto Ayora, we had 30 minutes to spare before departing on our afternoon Bay Tour, meaning a quick lunch at Gringo central, Hernan's restaurant. While tucking into my overpriced cheese toastie I came to the realization that island life certainly wasn't for me. Virtually everyone in the restaurant I had seen at least ten times since arriving on the islands only two days previous. Being in such a situation for the rest of my life, or if only for a prolonged period of time would drive me towards the edge. Small town life certainly isn't for me.

Such thoughts were made worse when sitting opposite the tour operators waiting for the second tour of the day to begin. Watching a family of tourists booking a tour, all of which were dressed identical, even down to their black socks and sandals, and cocky swagger, a swagger that even the Godfather himself wouldn't have been seen dead doing. I jokingly said to my girlfriend that I hoped this group of oddball douchebags wouldn't be on our tour. Upon saying this I noticed sitting on the next bench an older grey haired man wearing black socks and sandals grimace and give me a look of what I can only describe as pure disgust. As the family left the office, he stood up and with a cocky swagger, wobbled over to them. I'm sure he must have told his family, as I saw every single one of them at least twice a day for the rest of my time there, and every time they gave me the look of death. There was also a Billy Connolly lookalike that I first saw at the airport in Quito. Like the others he was seen most days lurking around dark, shaded areas of the seafront, his face covered in a series of guilty looks.

The afternoon Bay Tour didn't really live up to my expectations. There were the chances of seeing a small colony of sea lions, our first glimpse of the blue footed boobie, more marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and a variety of colourful fish seen after a spot of snorkeling. With no guide, only the boats owner and his wife, having all instructions shouted at you quickly in Spanish (my girlfriend and I were the only Gringo's) and listening to other members of the group question why a pair of Gringos would want to be on a tour where they wouldn't understand a word, was rather annoying, increasingly towards the end of the tour when the whole boat were actioning Spanish words like swim and bird. The amusing thing was we both understood most of what was being said, and for our own entertainment decided to act dumb.

The evening was spent using the ridiculously expensive satellite Internet ($2 for an hour, twice as expensive than Quito!), eating diabolical expensive pizza at Hernan's Restaurant ($16 for a medium) and admiring the impressiveness of the locals English language skills as every person seems to be fluent. Although the tours of the day didn't live up to expectations, they certainly enabled a solid basis of wildlife viewing to be set for future trips. Read Less

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Day 4 - A Million Maggots

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Birdlife - Isla Seymour Norte Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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Today was billed as one of the highlights of any Galapagos trip. After the previous days disappointment, I wasn't holding my breath at the high expectations people were talking about for this. This trip our guide energetically discussed, to the nearby island of Seymour Norte, a ninety minute journey from Canal Itabaca on Santa Cruz would allow us to see both the infamous frigate bird, with their swollen red balloon necks, and, the blue footed boobies with their crazy dancing routines to attract the ladies. The guide divulged that normally such scenes of love and affection are saved until the months of April at the earliest, but this year they started early. If all I did was fly and eat, then I wo...Read More

Today was billed as one of the highlights of any Galapagos trip. After the previous days disappointment, I wasn't holding my breath at the high expectations people were talking about for this. This trip our guide energetically discussed, to the nearby island of Seymour Norte, a ninety minute journey from Canal Itabaca on Santa Cruz would allow us to see both the infamous frigate bird, with their swollen red balloon necks, and, the blue footed boobies with their crazy dancing routines to attract the ladies. The guide divulged that normally such scenes of love and affection are saved until the months of April at the earliest, but this year they started early. If all I did was fly and eat, then I would have started early as well.

I shouldn't have been so pessimistic as the birdlife witnessed was unbelievable. Each and every way you turned, the nearby bushes and floors were crammed full of different bird species. I would never have thought such birds would consider making their nests and performing courting rituals on the islands pathways, where discreteness and intimacy is a non starter. Indeed, so close are they to the open mouthed, gawping tourists that stuffing one under your T-shirt wouldn't be a problem. I didn't feel the need to participate in such an illegal act, taking a ridiculous number photos instead. Seeing evolution, creation, or whatever you decide to call it first hand, as the female blue footed boobies use the warm veins of their webbed feet to keep their eggs warm and the baby frigate birds, at 15 months, a little too old to be relying on parents, still sitting in the same destroyed nest, is amazing. Other birds nesting here, such as red billed tropicbirds, swallow tailed gulls, lava gulls, brown pelicans, and storm petrels certainly take second stage to their more colourful opposition.

Getting close and personal with the birdlife on Seymour Norte, isn't the only benefit of the island. Also found here is a strong sea lion and marine iguana population. From my experience all guides strictly state the touching of animals is absolutely prohibited. For example, touching a sea lion pup results in the poor creatures early demise as the parents cannot distinguish the furs new human smell. Relying on smell alone to recognise their babies, the sea lion parents have no option but to abandon them.

In fact, on two occasions the strong smell of putrid rotting in the air, something resembling the smell of 'over-ripe' fish, could be smelt that wasn't far off from causing instant gagging. The culprit of the smell, two lifeless baby sea lion corpses, their bodies flat, the life sucked dry out of them wasn't far away. On closer inspection a million maggots filled the rotting flesh. I'd be happy never to see such a sight again.

With such warnings and appalling graphical images on show, it disgusted me how some tourists still failed to follow the rules, a picture of them stroking a bay sea lion pup too enticing. I was delighted when our guide upon seeing one couple partake in a little mammal touching, both dressed in horrid fluorescent shell suits and with body odour that matched the filth of decomposing sea lion flesh, lost his temper and shouted furiously what their actions had caused, only stopping short of calling them murderers. It certainly seemed to have the desired effect as for the rest of the trip they were always the furthest people away from the wildlife. I have the utmost respect for the guide, someone who is willing to say exactly what they need to say, and not worrying about keeping everyone happy to line his trouser pockets with tips. In this matter I was definitely on the guides side, and the horrible B.O. smell wafting through the air made it easier to shun the couple for the rest of the trip. I have a feeling they learnt their lesson.

On the return leg of the trip, we stopped along the southern Santa Cruz shoreline, on Bachas beach, so named for the wooden barges abandoned by the American military during World War II. I was expecting seeing something resembling the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, minus the bodies and blood, but I was slightly disappointed upon reaching the beach to find no sightings of barges, wood, or any other military transportation. It was probably for the best as the pristine beach was picture card perfect.

As our guide was explaining the biodiversity of the beach and pointing out the no-go areas where sea turtle eggs are currently buried, I noticed a flamingo in a salt lake behind the beach. After seeing flamingos along the shoreline of Lake Nakuru in Kenya, where depending on the time you visit there is the chance of seeing one third of the worlds flamingo population, I quickly clambered to the top of the nearest sand dune expecting to see many a wading royal pink flamingo. It wasn't worth all the effort. Upon reaching the top there was just one lone flamingo going about his daily business.

The rest of the time on Bachas Beach was spent under water, snorkeling the rocky coastline that surrounded the unspoilt beach. Compared to the previous day this was a different class, as clearer, deeper water and more rocky hiding places led to a ridiculous variety of fish being spotted, including blue-eyed damselfish, sergeant major, morrish idol, hieroglyphic wrasses and parrotfish to name but a few. I swear a white-tip reef shark also swam past but I couldn't confirm this sighting as it was over before it started. Thinking of coming face to face with a shark for the first time brings up images of Jaws and fear. Neither of these entered my mind though, just how gracefully it moved through the water.

This possible spotting made for a fine end to a quality day and as I tucked in to my fish cerviche later in the evening on Calle Charles Darwin down by the Capitania, watching the locals play a spot of Ecua-Volley, I reflected on a very successful day. It made me realise how poor the previous days Bay Tour was.

Grave doubts also entered my mind about the future of the Galapagos Islands. On this one trip, during our time on Seymour Norte, there must have been at least five boats, all containing 20 or so passengers. If just one of these passengers is stupid and ignorant enough to try and touch any of the wildlife here, then it won't be long before the human-animal relationship is changed forever. Not to mention the vehicle pollution and the damage it's causing to the ocean life. Read Less

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Day 5 - Battered Body

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Pinnacle Rock - Isla Bartolome Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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Recent days had seen many early starts, so having to be ready for 5.30am for the day trip to Bartolome island wasn't a problem, and as my eyes had been bulging with excitement all night long, solely on the prospect of seeing the cold water Galapagos penguin, something of an oddity in these waters, so far north of the traditional penguin stomping grounds.It's amazing how dead Santa Cruz is at such an early hour, only a few local fisherman down by the dock. Even the police manning the 'rigorous' stop points on the only road through the island were nowhere to be seen. Halfway through this cross-island journey a stop at The Royal Palm Hotel was made, nestled in a seclusive area of the highland env...Read More

Recent days had seen many early starts, so having to be ready for 5.30am for the day trip to Bartolome island wasn't a problem, and as my eyes had been bulging with excitement all night long, solely on the prospect of seeing the cold water Galapagos penguin, something of an oddity in these waters, so far north of the traditional penguin stomping grounds.

It's amazing how dead Santa Cruz is at such an early hour, only a few local fisherman down by the dock. Even the police manning the 'rigorous' stop points on the only road through the island were nowhere to be seen. Halfway through this cross-island journey a stop at The Royal Palm Hotel was made, nestled in a seclusive area of the highland environment. One night here in the most basic and cheapest room costs a whooping $380, slightly more than the $25 a night that my girlfriend and I are paying between us for our room in Puerto Ayora. The most expensive room is over $1000 and members of the local community reported this was where the First Lady had the pleasure of staying during her brief visit to the islands a few days earlier, probably at the expense of many an American taxpayer. Her visit, with the high levels of security I'm sure affected many an innocent bystander. I can't really picture the First Lady eating cerviche, kicking off her high heels and swapping wildlife stories to the swigging and clanking of beer bottles with other hotel guests, or snorkeling on the islands many beaches with other energetic, camera loaded Gringos.

A young couple, no older than me (an ancient 25 years of age!), joined us from this hotel. Either they were on their honeymoon, or extremely intellectual with jobs on Wall Street. I'm still at the age where i can't understand why people are willing to pay such ludicrous sums of money on accommodation. Three nights in a more basic hotel instead of such a luxurious one would save enough money to pay for a ten day safari in Africa! Maybe I'm too much of an idealist, or a skinflint! With the Santa Cruz having so much to offer and with the Royal Palm being so secluded and isolated from any of the other urban areas, I doubt you get a true feel of the island from a stay here.

Three hours after leaving Santa Cruz, our tour boat was pulling up to Bartolome Island, a tiny outcrop of rock separated by a tiny slither of water from its neighbour, the much larger Isla Santiago, with its extinct, sparsely vegetated volcanoes dominating the skyline. Although no longer inhabited (the last settlers left at the beginning of the previous century), Santiago is most famous for the work of the army and national park service in eradicating it's 100,000 goat population, who destroyed the ecosystem and the islands Galapagos tortoise species. If you think domesticated animals caused a problem, you should look very carefully at what humans are doing.

The difference between the environment here and in Santa Cruz is phenomenal. While Santa Cruz takes in more of the tropical landscape that our minds easily relate to, Bartolome on the other hand, looks more like a lunar landscape from the moon due to the almost non-existent vegetation. The five species of plant that survive here, including a colourful cactus and Tiquila hardly do anything to cover the ashy soil and porous volcanic rocks, lava flows from millions of years ago still more than evident.

The island of Bartolome is best known for one of the most photographed and vivid images of the Galapagos Islands, Pinnacle Rock, a dagger shaped rock plunging into the water, a remnant of an old tuff cone volcano. There are more than enough photo opportunities of Pinnacle Rock, but a walk to the summit of the island, a modest 114 metres and taking 20 minutes gives the best views. The landscape here is haunting, especially looking in the opposite direction to Pinnacle Rock where the lunar landscape can best be seen, with large splatter cones and the island of Daphne Major glistening on the horizon.

After scaling the heights of Bartolome, it was time for a quick bite to eat before a spot of snorkeling and the hope of coming face to face with the Galapagos penguin. Food aboard the boats was on the whole very good and always consisted of freshly caught fish. While tucking into my succulent piece of snapper, a woman of 300 pounds, sweating profusely from the mornings hike, engaged us in a story of a couple she had travelled to the Galapagos with and how they wouldn't have even touched the food, not reaching their meticulously high standards. Considering the cramped cooking conditions, the food was of an excellent standard. That night back in Puerto Ayora I saw the lady and her friends in the main Gringo hang-out, Hernan's Restaurant, tucking into a plate of burger and chips. It seemed every night I walked past this restaurant they were sat at the same table eating the same quality food. Why would they complain about such a healthy meal of fresh fish and salad when their dream dish can be bought from any fast food outlet back home?

After eating I decided against lying on the beach and torturing my body to the harsh rays of the equatorial sun and went for a spot of snorkeling, some of the best I have experienced, even compared to the coral reefs around East Africa. After having my head stuck under the water watching the large schools of fish floating past underneath and letting the strong sea currents work their magic, I found myself being pushed against the sharp island rocks underneath the dominating Pinnacle Rock.

Getting a good hold of a nearby stone to try and stop any damage taking place to my gorgeous body of perfection I lifted my head out of the water and would you believe it, virtually at eye level and within touching distance was a lone Galapagos penguin drying out in the sun. To say I was startled would be a little bit of an understatement. Along with my girlfriend I stayed there for a good fifteen minutes just frolicking in the water, hoping for him to come and join me, but alas it wasn't to be. The penguin showed no sign of fear and I think if I had stayed there longer it's curiosity would have won over, but with time running out it was time to return to shore where our panga (small inflatable boat) was waiting for us. This task was easier said than done as the currents continuously dragged my body over the rocks beneath the cool waters. By the time I finally made it back to the beach, the underside of my body was covered in long red scratch marks, as if a red-hot randy housewife had managed to get to grips with me. It was certainly worth the effort!

Before returning back to Santa Cruz, our boat made a lap of the whole island to show what else the island had to offer us in terms of wildlife, including another out of bounds beach due to the nesting turtles. Around the other side of Pinnacle Rock, no more than 250 metres further from where the penguin was spotted are seas patrolled by sharks and rays. Not really ideal conditions for swimmers and snorkelers alike. As we made our way over the rough seas back to Santa Cruz, tiredness got the better of me and I spent most of the time spent in a chair at the back of the boat, drooped over, fast asleep, like a man 60 years my elder, with a nice puddle of saliva forming between my legs for all to see. Knowing I would possibly see these people again every day on the streets of Puerto Ayora I should have been more embarrassed than I was. Read Less

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Day 6 - Screwed

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Isla Daphne Major Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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During my time in Ecuador I have woken up on many a morning with the taste of rotten egg burps protruding from my mouth, a sure sign that little parasites are waging a war on my stomach. Imagine my surprise when waking up on this fine cloudless morning and having the taste of cerviche in my mouth instead. Definitely an improvement. I'm still not sure whether cerviche, seafood in citrus juices, complimented with a salsa of tomatoes and onions and a side of plantain chips tickles my taste buds, but I still seem to get through my fair share.Another early start was needed today for another day trip this time to Isla Daphne Major. This trip was rearranged from the previous weekend and it ...Read More

During my time in Ecuador I have woken up on many a morning with the taste of rotten egg burps protruding from my mouth, a sure sign that little parasites are waging a war on my stomach. Imagine my surprise when waking up on this fine cloudless morning and having the taste of cerviche in my mouth instead. Definitely an improvement. I'm still not sure whether cerviche, seafood in citrus juices, complimented with a salsa of tomatoes and onions and a side of plantain chips tickles my taste buds, but I still seem to get through my fair share.

Another early start was needed today for another day trip this time to Isla Daphne Major. This trip was rearranged from the previous weekend and it soon became apparent that my girlfriend and I had been, to say it nicely, screwed over by the tour agency, Ninfa Tours, that we had booked with. Upon arriving at our meeting point, there seemed to be a large number of school children, a little too energetic for this early hour, all playing with stylish cell phones and making fun at anyone who would dare get too close to them.

My worst nightmare was confirmed when our transport to the opposite side of the island started boarding the tour group, and with God laughing down on us, the only people to catch the bus, apart from the group of schoolchildren were my girlfriend and I. It was more than obvious that this was a fieldtrip specifically designed for annoying school children and we had just been slotted on to make the tour company a little extra money. To make matters worse, the guide only spoke Spanish and had the wildlife knowledge of a 4 year old, with 'sea lion', 'blue-footed boobie' and 'pelican' his only words.

I hate being the needle in the haystack and I really wouldn't have had a problem if the solo teacher had at all tried to keep them under control, instead of continuously filming them for the trips duration. I wouldn't have cared if the school children were even mildly obedient and showed signs of respect to others. Sadly they didn't. They were spoilt, ignorant and obnoxious. Two of the most important lessons that children can be taught, are respect and discipline, and these children had neither.

To cap it all off, on the outward journey to Daphne Major one girl sitting next to me repeatedly called my girlfriend 'ugly' in Spanish, expecting us not to understand. Up until now I thought I'd done a good job at controlling my emotions after being screwed over and ripped off, but I finally snapped at these insults. I know it's neither big or clever to return abuse to a six year old girl, but I decided this girl, under the circumstances deserved a taste of her own medicine. As she finished off her latest round of 'ugly' chants, impressing her laughing friends, I started chanting back in Spanish her exact words. The only difference was a little poetic license and the word 'whore'. I understand letting such a young girl get under your skin is quite pathetic, but the retaliation was a success and the girl soon shut up, disappearing to the back of the boat, allowing my girlfriend and I to finally get some peace and quiet and a small piece of relaxation.

I had read in my guide book that the landing at Daphne Major was one of the most difficult throughout the islands and included scrambling from a moving boat up a near vertical rock face. What I had failed to read and something that the tour company also failed in telling us as they happily showed us pictures of the bird life inside the volcano crater on Daphne Major was that only a handful of boats now disembark on the island due to high levels of erosion, and if you are lucky then you might be able to find only one or two a month. It soon dawned on me that with so many young children on board such a task was impossible.

There was no hike to the summit of the island to see the thousands of Nazca boobies and Darwin finches. Instead, a lap of the island in our boat was basically all that our $45 per person bought on this day trip. The wildlife viewing was so poor, managing to spot only a handful of seabirds and sea lions, all of which could have easily been seen for free at Pelican Bay on Santa Cruz, a five minute walk from my hotel. The only positive I can think of was getting an ideal glimpse of how perfectly formed the volcano cone that makes up the island of Daphne Major is, the steep sides sloping towards the islands high rocky cliffs.

At this point I was hugely disappointed with the tour and even the sighting of a huge Galapagos shark in the waters did little to satisfy me. I would have rather spent the day walking around Puerto Ayora, or took another visit to Tortuga Bay, where much more fun would have been had. As we started slowly sailing away from Daphne Major, returning in the direction of Santa Cruz, I thoroughly hoped that we were nearing the end of our trip. Sadly this wasn't the case. Instead we stopped off for ninety minutes at a deserted beach on the nearby island of Baltra. After taking a few pictures of nesting baby pelicans in the mangroves surrounding the beach, finally we were able to escape the school children (you would never guess I was a school teacher!) with a spot of snorkeling. The waters were far too shallow to see much of interest, and just as the masks were placed over our faces, another four boats packed full of day trippers arrived and before you knew it, the beach was crowded.

This was one day trip I wasn't upset about finishing in a hurry and as we arrived back onto Santa Cruz, knowing the ordeal was over a relieved smile formed on my face. Before we could return to Puerto Ayora and board the bus, all of the children crossed their legs and declared their bladders were in no position to last the forty-five minute bus journey. Something that managed to take another twenty minutes.

This proved to be a blessing in disguise, as out of nowhere boats full of reporters, cameramen and very important looking officials arrived at the dock, obviously there to follow up and report on the 'Galapagos Aggression' between the coastguards and the army, something that was now national news. As they were quickly hustled onto a waiting bus it was time to call an end to the days rather disappointing tour and head back to joys of Puerto Ayora, where the afternoon was spent resting and sleeping and trying to avoid the afternoon heat.

After waking from my slumber I decided to try and end the day in a positive way by spending my already depleted financial resources on souvenirs. After buying enough blue-footed boobie miniatures to treat every refugee the world over, I decided to call it a night and looked forward to the following day, a day full of tortoise fun at the Charles Darwin Research Station. It will be nice to have a brake from travelling the breadth of the island for a day trip. Read Less

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Day 7 - Lonesome George

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Lonesome George - Charles Darwin Research Station - Santa Cruz Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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It was nice to finally have a day where I was one dictating the pace and not having to follow any schedules. With the bright morning sun and refreshing breeze blowing through the hotels painless windows, there was no chance of sleeping in. My girlfriend on the other hand could have slept until the sun went down. Seeing an opportunity to earn a few brownie points I sneaked out to surprise her with breakfast in bed. Luckily the only supermarket in town was open.Arriving at the supermarket and picking up an extortionately priced bag of eggs I somehow managed to slip on the smooth floor and crash head first against one of the freezers, crushing the eggs against my body. Losing my ba...Read More

It was nice to finally have a day where I was one dictating the pace and not having to follow any schedules. With the bright morning sun and refreshing breeze blowing through the hotels painless windows, there was no chance of sleeping in. My girlfriend on the other hand could have slept until the sun went down. Seeing an opportunity to earn a few brownie points I sneaked out to surprise her with breakfast in bed. Luckily the only supermarket in town was open.

Arriving at the supermarket and picking up an extortionately priced bag of eggs I somehow managed to slip on the smooth floor and crash head first against one of the freezers, crushing the eggs against my body. Losing my balance again I fell to the floor as if taking a body blow from the great Mike Tyson himself, my hand squashing the eggs even further. There was nothing left but a big gooey mess, most of which was covered my hands and chest. As I looked around I realised not one single person had seen my embarrassment. I was now faced with a predicament, having only enough money to buy one bag of eggs. I could have been honest and paid for the annihilated eggs, or I could quickly lose them in the crisp section and innocently get another bag. I chose the latter, cleaning myself off in the queue, the yellowish yoke sticking my fingers together as I handed over my money to the cashier and escaping into the morning sun. My girlfriend was oblivious to the earlier events a we shared the monstrous five egg omelet between us.

After breakfast, we casually strolled the fifteen minutes along Calle Charles Darwin, passing the busy Pelican Bay, to the Charles Darwin Research Station, most famous for it's rehabilitation of the Galapagos tortoise species and also home to the last known surviving member of the Pinta island tortoise sub species, affectionately known as Lonesome George. So keen are they to find a mate for Big George, there is a reward of $25,000 on the table, for anyone who can miraculously conjure up a female. At seventy years of age, George still has another eighty years left in him. With so much time still to play with, scientists are still optimistic of a future love affair. Cloning is also spoken about, something I thought was only plausible in Jurassic Park.

The Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) is full of information on the Galapagos, not to mention detailed lists of how they've helped the future diversity of the islands so far. Playing God has seen CDRS help with the re-population of Galapagos tortoises and land iguanas, not to mention the eradication of introduced domesticated species such as goat, pig, rat, and also the fire ant. The work carried out so far is remarkably impressive but it's not hard to see from a neutral position, that at best they are facing an uphill struggle to continue in their successes and at worst, the battle has already been lost to save the fragile Galapagos ecosystem. Some researchers believe the only way to save the Galapagos is to remove humans altogether. For me, this is the only option to the islands viability and continued healthy life.

Walking past the numerous enclosures housing the baby tortoises who will be released back into the wild in several years and Lonesome George, a sad reminder of what humans can do, you reach two walk-in enclosures containing fully grown tortoises that are too old to be released into the wild. Here you get the chance of standing next to the lumbersome creatures and excellent photographic opportunities, that some tourists took advantage of to the extreme.

I agree that all people have the right to travel, but before coming to a place like the Galapagos the authorities should really take into consideration if monetary income is more important than rich ignorant tourists, who think prize photos are more important than the future ecosystem. At times I felt so sorry for the tortoises as tourists lined pushing the cameras so close into their faces they could see nothing else. The flash, after flash, after flash that followed I'm sure must have led to temporary blindness. Even when moving their heads to try and escape the limelight, the cameras followed every tiny movement. Although such things annoy me, I was mightily impressed by CDRS and their efforts to protect the biodiversity. I doubt any trip to the Galapagos would be complete without a trip here.

A trip to CDRS doesn't last much longer than half a day, even if wanting to read every minute piece of detail and even a visit to the nearby secluded beach overlooking Academy Bay and the metropolitan area of Santa Cruz only adds an hour to the visit at most. With an afternoon to spare it was decided a quick trip to Los Gemelos was in order, two giant sink holes caused million of years ago by undergound lava flows. We should have visited Los Gemelos on the Highlands Tour but thanks to trigger happy fellow tourists, our allotted time came to an end. To see Los Gemelos cost a whooping $20 to hire out a camioneta, plus a few minutes waiting time for the return journey from Puerto Ayora. In retrospect it was money well spent, not really amazing, but interesting all the same. Each one is said to have identical dimensions, but from my quick observation this seems a small white lie.

Making our way back to the camioneta a small mouse skipped across the path. In such wild places I normally wouldn't batter an eye lid, but as this is the world famous Galapagos Islands, a place where mice aren't suppose to exist, I've a feeling this is bad news. It's okay shooting goats with snipers across a volcanic lunar landscape, but to hunt mice through the dense highland tropical vegetation is a completely different matter. Read Less

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Day 8 - Rotting Flesh

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Land Iguanas - Isla Plaza Norte Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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One thing noticed during my time on the Galapagos is the ridiculously high living standards people have compared to the mainland, and especially the Ecuadorian sierra where I have been living for the past eight months. It's the norm for sierra inhabitants to have stained, chipped brown teeth and enough cavities and fillings to set off any airport metal detector. On the Galapagos, all teeth are pure diamond white and perfectly straight. If not then braces are fixing the problem. Also missing in the Galapagos are the trademark female pot bellies. Instead women walk around with perfectly toned stomachs and they aren't afraid to show them off either. In Ecuador, the lack of bad teeth and pot bellies ...Read More

One thing noticed during my time on the Galapagos is the ridiculously high living standards people have compared to the mainland, and especially the Ecuadorian sierra where I have been living for the past eight months. It's the norm for sierra inhabitants to have stained, chipped brown teeth and enough cavities and fillings to set off any airport metal detector. On the Galapagos, all teeth are pure diamond white and perfectly straight. If not then braces are fixing the problem. Also missing in the Galapagos are the trademark female pot bellies. Instead women walk around with perfectly toned stomachs and they aren't afraid to show them off either. In Ecuador, the lack of bad teeth and pot bellies is a sure sign of deprivation and poverty.

Today saw the last cross-island day trip, journeying to Isla Plaza Norte, located on the east coast of Santa Cruz and requiring a ninety minute boat journey. Up until now there had been no sightings of one of Galapagos's most famous animals, the sea turtle, but this changed in a short space of time. After spotting the first turtle poking his head above water minutes after leaving Santa Cruz, until we reached Plaza Norte, a good bakers dozen were spotted floating aimlessly in the water, disappearing under the water when the sound of our boats engine became too distracting. If this hadn't already made the trip worthwhile, seeing dolphins jump through the swelling tidal waters certainly did.

Isla Plaza Norte is famous for its thousand strong sea lion colony and large land iguana population. The sea lions made themselves obvious as we approached the island, flapping gracefully through the water, the majority in the water searching for fresh fish to feed their babies, who were playing around the island shores. Sea lion pups at this age are very inquisitive of anything new and as we landed on the island a number tagged along to see what a group of Gringo's would ever find interesting on their island. The bull sea lion on the other hand knew the dangers that us humans possessed, barking aggressively at the babies (most of which he probably fathered, the big stud!) to keep their distance.

Isla Plaza Norte is tiny and was easily hiked around in less than an hour, seeing all that is offered, including cactus forests, bird colonies and land iguanas that roamed everywhere. Wildlife viewing was of an extremely high standard but sadly the smell of rotting flesh floating thickly through the air from many a decaying sea lion and land iguana stopped it from being a perfect experience. The island recently experienced an extremely rough drought which led to a number of animals earning a promotion to glory. While their spirits may have dispersed away, the bodies due to the hot dry atmosphere here hadn't. Lizards can be seen in identical positions to which they took their dying breathes, the bodies taking a good three years to fully decompose into the arid surrounding conditions.

Like any day trip from Santa Cruz, it wouldn't be complete without a spot of snorkeling, but this experience put all the rest in the shade. We stopped on the island of Baltra, where the island rocks fell deeply into the water, at least a depth of eight metres, the water so clear you could see straight to the bottom. Our guide excitedly told us of the white-tip reef sharks that sleep in the rock caves at the bottom. I had no reason to believe this statement for the first fifteen minutes with not a shark or rock cave in sight, only the ridiculous array of fish life, some of the larger fish like the blue-eyed damselfish in schools numbering close to a thousand. I shouldn't really complain.

It was only after the help of a another tour guide who dived down to a hidden rock cave, where he had seen sharks earlier that ignited our hopes of close quarter shark viewing. Before we knew it, we had been joined in the waters by two huge white-tip reef sharks, at least two metres in length and both a little confused to why they were now awake and swimming around. It's not hard to see why sharks are seen as dangerous creatures. Anything of that size containing uncountable razor sharp teeth certainly packs a powerful punch, even if they are supposed to be vegetarian. My girlfriends also vegetarian but she has eaten meat accidentally before!

With two days left in the Galapagos, this was the last organised trip I would have the luxury of participating in, and another which I thoroughly enjoyed. It certainly seemed some mystic figure was smiling down today, as all of the animals that I hadn't viewed yet, such as the sea turtles and dolphins were there in full viewing pleasure, allowing virtually all of the most famous Galapagos animals to be ticked off the list. Not bad at all considering all trips were planned from just the one island, Santa Cruz. All the guide books say that doing it this way is the worse way to see the Galapagos, but I'm more than happy with the experience, seeing so much wildlife and at a fraction of the price than if living on a boat. Guide books aren't always correct! If you are on a tight budget then there is no harm doing it this way, especially with day trips to the Highlands, Isla Bartolome, Isla Seymour Norte and Isla Plaza Norte. As for the Bay Tour and visiting Isla Daphne Major (unless you are actually lucky enough to be able to set foot on the island), I would stay well clear of these. Another good day of wildlife viewing meant my last days here, which were to be spent visiting local sights within walking distance of the town Puerto Ayora would be a nice relaxing affair with no pressures or regrets. Read Less

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Day 9 - Bare Foot

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Playa los Alemanes - Puerto Ayora Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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It's a good job today was free of day trips, as for the second time during a short Galapagos vacation, several hours had to be wasted at the offices of TAME, this time to reconfirm my flight. Not doing this can lead to your seat being given to another lucky passenger, making you pay the full cost for another flight a day later. It doesn't really sound fair to me.After wasting half the morning doing this, my girlfriend and I finally started our day, catching a water taxi across the heaving Academy Bay, passing stationed boats covered in sleeping sea lions. After disembarking from the boat, a five minute stroll saw us reach our first port of call, the beach of Los Alemanes, opposite the Finch Ba...Read More

It's a good job today was free of day trips, as for the second time during a short Galapagos vacation, several hours had to be wasted at the offices of TAME, this time to reconfirm my flight. Not doing this can lead to your seat being given to another lucky passenger, making you pay the full cost for another flight a day later. It doesn't really sound fair to me.

After wasting half the morning doing this, my girlfriend and I finally started our day, catching a water taxi across the heaving Academy Bay, passing stationed boats covered in sleeping sea lions. After disembarking from the boat, a five minute stroll saw us reach our first port of call, the beach of Los Alemanes, opposite the Finch Bay Eco Hotel. After seeing some of the other beaches that the island has to offer, Los Alemanes was a huge let down, a small strip of sand, no more than 150 metres wide, the water filled with hidden rocks at every turn. Unlike Tortuga Bay there weren't the strong currents, which I presume the main reason the shallow waters were full of screaming children.

Being opposite the Finch Bay Eco Hotel, where 'Eco' I thought meant 'working in harmony with the environment', you would have expected an unspoilt beach and waters. Similarly to many beaches back home in England, the small waves lapping the shore were full of rubbish including plastic bottles and, you guessed it, condom wrappers. Once you step over and wade through this litter, the water is perfectly clear and amongst the many rocks tiny fish of dazzling colours fly by. The beach is surrounded by mangroves, where if you are lucky the odd pelican and heron, not scared of the potential hazard of sticking a foot in a used condom can be found looking for a small unpolluted bite to eat.

Not having a lot to offer it was soon time to move on from Los Alemanes to our next destination, a place by the name of Las Grietas, a good fifteen minute walk from the beach of Los Alemanes over treacherous jagged volcanic rock, passing a series of 'Salinas', salt pools still mined by locals to this day. Arriving at Las Grietas you can't help but be struck by the beauty and tranquility of the place, a series of inland grotto's where the sea's saltwater and the land's cool spring water collide in a deep canyon, surrounded by high lava walls.

Almost deserted, this had to be one of the nicest places for swimming on Santa Cruz, and taking a dip in the deep, relaxing, cool, clear waters, huge fish gliding along beneath the surface, you could easily drift away into a dream state for hours. If the thought of dreaming while swimming seems one of danger, then the time can also be past watching the ludicrously brave, or stupid, depending on how you look at it, locals and their 'who can jump the highest into the water' competition. One young teenager, several female friends beckoning him on from the safety of the water below, jumped from a height of ten metres, from the very top of the lava walls that surround the narrow pools.

Not wanting to be outdone by children ten years my junior and having a girlfriend next to me to impress, I decided to give free fall jumping a go as well. As to be expected though, not having a streamline body was always going to be a hindrance to my efforts. All I managed was a feeble jump of no more than two metres, something that still got my legs shaking. Still, my girlfriend clapped and smiled as though I had just set a new world record. Such a response can only mean love! If I'd been in the Galapagos for a few more days a return trip here would certainly be on the itinerary, ideally during the week when Las Grietas is deserted.

Everyone makes wrong decisions in life and up until this point deciding to come in flip-flops, walking over the rugged terrain didn't seem one of them. My luck ran out on the homeward journey when trying to walk. The poor old flip-flops just couldn't cope under the strain, snapping at the worst moment, plunging my foot straight down into a small gully, where I stubbed all five of my little toes.

With my right flip-flop useless, I had to walk the whole journey home with my right foot exposed to the elements. Not the nicest experience to be had over sharp volcanic rock, cutting my foot to ribbons. Making the return journey even harder, the sun had baked the rocky surface to boiling point, not allowing my naked foot to touch the rocks for more than a few seconds. Due to the injuries sustained the rest of the day was spent in bed nursing my foot, followed by feebly walking the short distance to the main street of Calle Charles Darwin, to try and take my mind off the pain by treating myself to a few more souvenirs. This of course worked wonders! Read Less

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Days 10 & 11 - Childhood Memories

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Pelican Bay - Puerto Ayora Photo - Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

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It's amazing how time flies by when you keep yourself busy. Thanks to the incompetence of TAME airlines, I now had an extra day to enjoy the Galapagos before returning to reality and the life of an English teacher. Apart from scuba diving, which I have never tried in my life, the options of tours and trips from Santa Cruz had been exhausted and I thought a fitting tribute would be to return to Tortuga Bay, the spot where I had proposed to my girlfriend just over a week earlier. To be honest though, my reason for venturing here, was not to reflect on what should be one of the biggest stepping stones of my life, but for the very childish reason of wanting to jump through the waves, something I...Read More

It's amazing how time flies by when you keep yourself busy. Thanks to the incompetence of TAME airlines, I now had an extra day to enjoy the Galapagos before returning to reality and the life of an English teacher.

Apart from scuba diving, which I have never tried in my life, the options of tours and trips from Santa Cruz had been exhausted and I thought a fitting tribute would be to return to Tortuga Bay, the spot where I had proposed to my girlfriend just over a week earlier. To be honest though, my reason for venturing here, was not to reflect on what should be one of the biggest stepping stones of my life, but for the very childish reason of wanting to jump through the waves, something I hadn't had the pleasure of doing since my last family holiday a good twelve years earlier in the quaint English seaside town of Paignton, on the south coast.

You wouldn't believe how excited I was at such a prospect, and the two kilometre walk went by in a flash. Upon setting foot on the hot volcanic sands, I realised what a good judgement call I'd made a week earlier. Today, the beach was much busier. If I had left it until today to propose, intimacy would have been a huge problem.

Finding a nice spot halfway down the beach, near a couple of marine iguanas floating in the shallow water as the waves engrossed them, it wasn't long until I was reliving my childhood memories and splashing through the powerful waves. There are signs around the side of the beach warning about the powerful undercurrents here. They certainly aren't lying. Venturing out with the water higher than chest-level would be asking for trouble. There's no need to if you just want to frolic in the waves.

I'm sure my girlfriend was bored after thirty minutes, but I happily jumped through, under, and over the waves for an hour before pursuing other interests. Retracing our footsteps from the previous week, there certainly seemed to be a lot less wildlife on show, and if this had been our first visit to Tortuga Bay, I wouldn't have walked away with the same high impressions. It just goes to show that two visit to the same place can lead to two completely different experiences and views.

As we walked to the other end of the beach, we branched right, instead of walking through the cactus forest again and came to a much quieter, peaceful beach, where the spit protects it from forceful, energetic waves. Being calmer and safer to swim meant the beach was crowded by local families enjoying their free Sunday afternoon. It was a little too busy for me, even with the option of kayaking and, after throwing my girlfriend under the water one time too many, we made our way back along the main beach of Tortuga Bay and back to the town of Puerto Ayora. As always, my girlfriend had the last laugh after watching her clumsy oaf of a boyfriend accidentally trip in his new $1 flip-flops at the feet of a group of surfers and some scantily clad beauties. It took a long time for the beetroot colour to subside from my cheeks, and even longer for the grazes to heal on my knees.

Being Sunday, as we arrived back into Puerto Ayora, virtually everywhere was closed, leaving few ideas of afternoon accomplishment. Luckily, stopping by Pelican Bay helped to waste an hour or so, as some rather hardworking fisherman, seemingly the only people working in the whole of Santa Cruz, were filleting their fish catch, a number of pelicans, sea lions, and manta rays waiting for any leftovers that might be thrown their way. From the size of some of the fish heads, some as big as mine, they must have had a good day's fishing. With nothing else on offer, the last afternoon on the Galapagos Islands was spent sadly, and quite pathetically, in the hotel room watching the tedious and soppy Disney movie 'Eight Below'.

As we made our way out of Puerto Aytora the following morning, the bright red glow of the sun now high in the sky, and a sight that everyone needs to capture at least once on their camera, preferably at sunrise, I knew that it was time to leave. Any more time would have meant the whole Galapagos experience losing a little of it's magic. If I could turn back time and do the whole vacation again, I would have been tempted to catch one of the daily passenger boats to the inhabited islands of San Cristobal and Isabella, especially after finding out what a waste of time the Bay and Isla Daphne Tours were. Everyone can say such things when reflecting at accomplishments, and considering eleven days earlier I arrived without initially having a plane ticket, accommodation, or any trips planned, then I think going somewhere with nothing planned can sometimes be a success.

After checking in at Baltra airport, I realised if I had indeed wanted to stay for longer in the Galapagos Islands and sell my plane ticket to a random person, it wouldn't have been a problem. At each and every security check, and even at the main check-in gate, I was never asked once for any proof of identification. I doubt I would have had to show my ticket either if I hadn't insisted. I know the Galapagos Islands might not be number one on the list of potential terrorist attacks, but you can never be too safe, and I think security here needs to be improved dramatically. Even upon entering the Galapagos, you see passengers walking straight through security checks. It's not really the thought of bombs that worries me. With the Galapagos being in such a fragile state, a single fruit could easily have the same consequences. It's moments like this that makes me pessimistic about the future of the islands. I'm very happy to have visited now. In ten years, people visiting the islands certainly won't be getting the same enjoyment and satisfaction levels that tourists today receive.

As our plane touched down in Quito just over three hours later, passing a number of Ecuador's most famous volcanoes during the flight, including Chimborazo, the furthest point from the centre of the earth, Cotopaxi, the worlds highest active volcano, Tungurahua, a volcano that spurts out ash on a daily basis, and the two Illinizas, I realised it was back to reality. The temperature, at only 17 degrees Celsius, was less than half of what the lucky inhabitants of Santa Cruz were experiencing on a daily basis and, upon boarding the bus journey to my home on the slops of Cotopaxi Volcano, the rain started. It was like the previous days had never happened. At least I have a ridiculous number of photos to remind me of those events, in what for me was a once in a lifetime journey. Read Less

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Galapagos Islands Journals

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