Galapagos: The Islands
Cerro Dragon on the coast of Mosquera
Welcome to the Galapagos Islands! These islands were formed (and still being formed) by volcanic activity, much like Hawaii. We found ourselves noting many similarities to Hawaii since that provided a familiar point of reference. The Galapagos seemed like an older sibling to those islands, with more vegetation, and of course, more animals since it lies close enough to the mainland for life to arrive on vegetation rafts.
We’ll have a week of posts on the Galapagos, starting with some photos of the dramatic landscapes defined by lava, ocean, and time.
The ginormous Sierra Negra Crater on Isabela island
They use Hawaiian names for the lava; this is pahoehoe
Lava cactus is often the first (and only) colonizer on the lava near the ocean
Sputter cones dot the southwest coast of Isabela
An oasis in the midst of a giant lava field - Isabela Island
Where life can grow, vegetation quickly carpets the land - Darwin's Lake & Tagus Cove
Older islands have beautiful beaches - Floreana Island
The post office barrel started by 18th century whalers and sustained today by tourists. If you find a letter addressed to your hometown, you can take to hand deliver.
We scoured advice from other travelers before booking and learned the best way to see the Galapagos is on a small motorized yacht that provides potable water and snorkeling gear. We chose the Angelito, one of the more inexpensive and well-reviewed options in the 16-passenger category.
Our little home for a week
And our cozy, little room
Our fellow travelmates (everyone was from Europe except us)
Dining area
The crew of the Angelito
Embarassing myself by trying to play soccer with the crew
That pic of Danny “walking on water” looks unreal!
How’d you guys take it?
susan gave the countdown and i jumped backwards off the bench that you see in the bottom right; we definitely did not get the shot on the first try!
What kind of European were they? Have you been able to make any “friends” along the way on your long trip?
Let’s see… we had one couple from Ireland that got engaged in the Galapagos a week after, a Swiss couple working as Red Cross missionaries in Ecuador, an Austrian, a German, four more Swiss (including a couple that are now American citizens), a French couple (and the woman was born & raised in Lebanon) – and us. We got to know the French couple really well as we bumped into them a few more times the week after. Of course, we’re facebook friends now.