In my heart of hearts when I was first approached about going on this trip with a select group of friends, I thought – YES, I must do this. My mother had been to the Galapagos when she was around my age. I’d seen her photos and heard her scrapbook stories. So coming off of a year long contract I set myself up to have this adventure. However my left hip had been deteriorating and I had mobility issues. I knew there would be a lot of hiking and climbing on rocks. How could I do that? The answer was to bet on the effects of a cortisone shot a good week before we left. Will it make a difference and for how long??? Bravo. It made a huge difference and I hiked, kayaked, snorkeled and stepped in and out of boats with much less difficulty. We flew into Guayaquil from Miami, stayed a night and then did a short flight over to the islands. Santa Cruz was where we lodged for half the time and then on Isabela island for the remainder of the trip. We did all the classic tourist activites like seeing the giant tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands area, visited the Charles Darwin Center, and saluted the large preserved effigy of poor Lonesome George. There was a day hike around South Plaza Island that was full of sea lions, blue footed boobies, frigates, iguanas, etc etc. A couple of us went kayaking out in the bay area. I was solo in a large kayak and it was a bit intimidating, but I managed fine. As I paddled around, I spotted a large eagle ray breaching. The snorkeling was disappointing around Santa Cruz (Tortuga Bay) but when we got to Isabela that changed. The day before we left Isabela we motored up it’s west coast to the lava tunnels known as a rich habitat for marine life. That’s where I saw the small white tip sharks, giant sea turtles feeding on the bottom, some tropical fish (parrot mainly), a black ray resting on the sea floor, young sea lions and blue footed boobies. The lava tunnels are definitely worth your time but try to go when other tour boats are not there. It was a bit crowded in the spot our guide chose. I would be remiss not to mention the thrill of Union Rock. On the way to the lava tunnels there is a rock, way out in the ocean which rises solitarily amidst the crashing and splashing of sea waves. Birds, sea lions, and small penguins are there clustered together. We circled the rock and it was a thrill. The pull of the ocean waves was strong so it also felt a bit dangerous but we had a very capable pilot. A few takeaways: 1) Don’t journey to Isabela from Santa Cruz on a boat if the sea is choppy and you are packed in with 20+ other people. That was miserable for me. You can fly or rent a boat and captain with fewer people. I opted to NOT journey back to Santa Cruz via boat and was able to fly out of Isabela to get to the Santa Cruz airport. It was more expensive but worth it. 2) Food: don’t expect much. We had some good options but a trip to Galapagos is not a foodie trip. And red meat – best to avoid since cattle are in scarce supply there. 3) Snorkeling: if you want a serious snorkeling adventure then get a guide specialized in that. In and around Santa Cruz we went snorkeling twice and saw almost nothing. It’s never a sure thing what you will see but our tours were planned with a wide range of interests in mind so I am sure we weren’t hitting the primo spots. 4) Zen moments to be had: take an early morning walk down a beach and get away from people. Watch the birds, iguanas, and take in the surf. Say a prayer that this unique haven not be spoiled by development and tourism EVER.
