We left Quito early in the morning and headed for the airport. Several hours later we landed in the Galapagos Islands on Baltra Island, which I found out later used to be a US Military Base. Who knew? Although I had spent some time researching the islands before the trip, I wasn’t prepared for the first sites of arid, dry land and cacti right outside of the airport. Dry, dusty, and barren looking. This was the famed Galapagos Islands?
The scene directly outside the airport.
My impressions quickly changed by the time we reached the port. We were instantly greeted by a pelican swooping low to check us out. I could’ve almost touched him. In the water two sea lions kissed and frolicked. The water sparkled and gleamed a dozen different shades of blue and green.
We loaded up into a couple of pangas (zodiacs) and headed to the boat that would become our home for the next 7 days. While we were eating lunch, the boat cruised over to Santa Cruz Island in preparation of our first excursion and a quick swim.
After lunch we loaded up in the pangas and headed to the shore for some sight seeing. We had a wet landing and immediately saw Sally Lightfoot crabs and a marine iguana, both endemic species on the Galapagos Islands. Close by was a sea turtle nesting site where we could see the tracks left by these magnificent animals coming up on the shore to lay and bury their eggs.
A Marine Iguana and Sally Lightfoot crabs. It was one of our first animal sightings so we all crowded around the poor iguana for pictures, but we ended up seeing hundreds of them throughout our stay.
Beyond the beach was a small brackish lagoon with two pink flamingos peacefully eating their dinner in the warm, golden rays of sunshine. A variety of trees and plants lined the edge of the lagoon, many of which sported dry, spindly branches. It was the start of the rainy season and by April everything would be green and lush again.
Flamingos dining in a brackish lagoon.
Then I went for my first swim in the warm, salty water. Someone told me a pelican flew right over me, checking me out. I didn’t notice this time, but pretty much every time I was in the water swimming or snorkeling, a pelican would cruise over to investigate before scooting off to do something better with her time. The swim was short, but therapeutic. I returned to the boat refreshed and ready for the next day’s adventure where we traveled back in time.
The route we took through the islands, numbered sequentially in the order in which we visited the spots.
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