Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 6

I have written this blog many times in my head but didn’t have the inclination to actually type the words onto the blog site. I have gone to Rosa Blanca (in my mind) off San Cristobal island to escape from all that is happening around me. I have gone there to sit quietly and listen to the sounds of silence as the quiet waters of the bay tickled my feet and our guide Miguel softly talked to me about his experience with Indians and the teachings of Bhagavad Gita.

Lets start at the beginning. We left San Cristobal in the morning on a boat to snorkel in Pink Blanca which is characterized by scattered small beaches and a main large beach located in the center of the bay teeming with marine life like white tip sharks, rays, and sea turtles. The day was picture perfect. The sun was golden, the water was aquamarine and the temperature seemed ideal. While everyone got in the water to snorkel, I sat on the shore with my feet touching the water. Miguel, our guide for the day, was a soft speaking man who did not seem too interested in watching the snorkeling tourists. He wanted to talk to me. He started by asking where I was coming from. When he heard I was originally from India, he opened up and talked about the Hindu philosophy, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. I was surprised by the depth of his knowledge – this Ecuadorian man who spent many years in USA was quoting Bhagavad Gita? He revealed that he worked closely with some Indian scientists who came to the Galapagos for their research and Miguel was their guide for an extended period of time. Miguel and I talked about the need for silence in a world where everyone is talking, the need for stillness when everyone is on the go. He took the job of a guide in the National parks in the Galapagos because here he found his escape. Yes, he takes the tourists to the sights where most of them want to snorkel and then move on to the next attraction. But Miguel sometimes finds someone like me who just wants to sit and and savor the beauty of all that is around us. I told him I find myself close to my parents when I am amidst nature. I like to think their indestructible energy is now part of everything that is beautiful. Miguel seemed convinced that they are indeed part of the great unknown. Life doesn’t end. As we were talking, our voices quiet in reverence to the quiet around us, broken occasionally by the elated shout of a tourist who saw an exotic marine life, I saw a white tip shark glide close to me. Miguel said since I did not go to see the shark, it came to see me. While conversing with Miguel, I shrieked once when a red crab scrambled over my unsuspecting hand. Other than one shout, I sat their with my new found friend watching sea turtles swim close by, sharks, colorful fish.

Once the tourists finished their snorkeling, we went to the most beautiful beach that I have ever seen in my life. Rosa Blanca’s sand was powdery and white. I have never experienced this feeling of touching such fine sand. I don’t have many pictures of this beach as Ryan’s camera malfunctioned and he wasn’t able to transfer the million photos that I took.

The sea was very rough so the captain of the boat decided to skip one of the beaches and go straight to Kicker Rock so my family and others in the boat could snorkel. When we arrived at the Kicker Rock, the sun’s rays hit the rock in such a way that the Rock seemed resplendent. Although the sea was scary, brave souls jumped into the churning sea to see marine life. I tried to keep my eyes on Sean and Ryan but soon they swam (or pulled, I don’t know) far away from the boat. Miguel said that this group was very competitive and I agreed. They wanted the full adventure and adrenaline. I was content to see the beauty of the sunlight that made the Kicker Rock glow. I sat on the boat rocking gently, feeling incredibly blessed to be present at the moment, witnessing the splendor of nature. There were some blue-footed boobies flying around, we saw some colorful fish swim by and a couple of graceful sea turtles. Sean and Ryan came back overjoyed. Ryan had seemed a little hesitant jumping into a rough sea but he felt good that he overcame his fear and was rewarded by witnessing several fish, shark, rays, gorgeous schools of fish. He even swam with a turtle. According to Miguel, the Kicker Rock looks like a giant sleeping lion, but honestly, I couldn’t see the shape of a lion. I kept thinking of Indiana Jones movies – Harrison Ford bravely going into those rocks to solve a mystery and discover treasure.

After Kicker Rock, we had some cool watermelon and cookies on the boat as we headed back to San Cristobal. When we docked and landed, I shook Miguel’s hand and he took mine in both his hands and said, “It was a pleasure, Madam.” It was.

When my anxiety soars and I feel like I may lose control, I force my mind to go to the island. I focus on the crash of the waves, the bird sounds, my feet in the cool water, the white tip shark slowly gliding by, the mesmerizing grace of the sea turtle, the playful sea lions and the pristine beach of Rosa Blanca. Those memories ground me. I finally wrote them down.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 4

One thing about the Galapagos was that we never had bad weather. I would open my eyes, look out of the window of the hotel and be dazzled by clear blue sky, a few errant fluffy clouds, and golden sunshine.

On the fourth day, our morning was free as we were going to meet our guide for Los Tuneles snorkeling tour at 11:20 am at our lobby. The tour agency who had arranged our trip suggested we take the morning to go visit flamingos in Flamingo Lagoon which was no more than 10 minutes walk from our hotel. So we did and were rewarded with a body of water filled with these pink, long legged, graceful birds either looking for food or just being – still, stoic. Just standing there looking at the flamingos and the stillness evoked a sense of calm. There was no one around us, not a sound. It was just the three of us and a lagoon full of birds.

We met our guide for the day, Carlos. at the dock who took us on a boat and explained to us about dry landing and wet landing before we started our journey to the lava tunnels under water where we were going to be snorkeling to see the various species of marine life of the Galapagos. Before we went to the dock, we were taken to a store to get wet suits and snorkeling gear. I am not a swimmer and very uncomfortable in water but I was determined to try snorkeling so I took my gear as well. Again, after an hour or so we arrived at the tunnels, the captain cut the engine and Carlos asked us to suit up and jump in.

I jumped in after Sean and immediately suffered a panic attack. It was in the middle of the ocean. I am claustrophobic. I had never snorkeled in my life and when the snorkel clamped my nose my brain panicked. I climbed back on the boat while the others went away from it to see the various forms of life under water. A universe that exists with all its splendor but we don’t get to see it unless we go on such snorkeling or scuba diving trips. The group was gone for more than 45 minutes and when they came back their excitement was palpable. They swam with sea turtles, dance with sea lions, and ducked way down to see white tip sharks at the sandy bottom. Even stoic Ryan kept saying “That was something else.”

While I was waiting for them on the boat, I saw a few sea turtles lazily swim by me. The most fun to witness was how a sea lion was playing with two snorkelers right next to our boat. Two young men were bobbing up and down near us, looking out for the sea lion. The sea lion popped up near them, turned its head to see where they were and slid under water again to encircle them. It was so clear that he was playing with the two humans. When the group was gone I sat by myself on the boat, lamenting my lack of confidence in water but I looked around me and gave thanks. I was sitting on a gently rocking boat in crystal clear, aquamarine water, under a brilliant blue sky. Everything was quiet, still. I could hear my thoughts and the occasional birdsong. Sea turtles floated by gently, gracefully. Colorful fish came close to the surface, perhaps to show me their beauty as a consolation prize. I felt lucky.

When the group came back, we had lunch on the boat. The lunches on the boats were very basic, somewhat plain so that folks with sea sickness had no trouble when the boats sailed. The fare was again plain rice, salad, boiled potatoes, and sautéed tuna steak with fresh lime. But before lunch, the boat took us to another spot for snorkeling only 15 minutes away from the first spot.

After lunch we went to see the lava rock formation on land. We all embarked from the speed boat and made our way on the sharp lava rocks. The Italian family who were with us on the boat said the lava tunnels resembled the bridges in Venice. We looked at the tunnels again and agreed. We looked down at the clear water to see more sea turtles gently gliding away, colorful fish, of course. The cutest, however, was a baby blue-footed boobie whose feet had not turned blue (it had not eaten enough fresh fish containing the pigment carotenoids) but it was just a matter of time. The baby sat there very close to us and our guide kept reminding us not to get too close to it. The baby exhibited no fear for the humans, which made me very happy. The parents sat a little distance away, perhaps to take a break from constantly feeding their very hungry baby. We also saw two Great Blue Heron siblings in a next, their necks extended, awaiting the return of their parents. They looked at us as we passed by them with relative calm. That is the ambiance I remember in the islands – in the people, nature, animals. Even when the sea lions fought with each other for a better spot on the docks to sleep, their fights lasted for a minute or two before they fell into deep sleep again.

I am an anxious person with constantly tight shoulders. On the islands, amidst this stillness, I felt my shoulders relax.

After the walk on the lava arcs, and the unforgettable experience, we were dropped off at our hotel. We strolled along the streets of beautiful Isabela island after dinner, taking in the daily lives of the islanders. We came across a small stadium, brightly lit up and packed with people, cheering on a two teams of senior volley ballers. We learnt that soccer and volley ball were the two major sports in Ecuador along with cycling. Volleyball definitely attracted the islanders as men, women, and children came together to cheer on the teams. We took the long way back to the hotel, looking at the twinkling lights of the restaurants that were away from the main thoroughfare and some tourists like us who were sitting at the tables looking at photos of their days on the phone.

On the fifth day we went kayaking.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 3

26 year old, medical school drop out, young Charles Darwin landed on San Cristobal Island on September 16, 1835 and stayed in the Galapagos for two months visiting Isabela, Floreana, Santiago and of course, San Cristobal. He was an observer of nature on the British ship HMS Beagle and it was in Galapagos, by observing the variety of birds, animals, and vegetation, Darwin formulated his theory of evolution.

On the 3rd day of our trip, we met Caesar (who introduced us to the giant tortoises) at the lobby of our hotel and walked with him to Charles Darwin Research Center. The walk from our hotel took about 20 minutes. Our reward, once we arrived, was not only observing and hearing about the fantastic initiatives that scientists are taking to preserve the tortoise population but also the viewing of several baby tortoises whose lives are safe now from predators. The shells of the babies were marked with different colors to delineate which island they came from.

And we saw saddleback tortoises. The islands were named ‘Insulae de los de Galapagos’ or ‘Islands of the Tortoises’ due to the unique, saddle-shaped shells of the giant tortoises found there. And we saw them!

We also saw a mockingbird which are endemic to the islands.

After our visit to the research center, Caesar asked us if we wanted to eat good lunch at an inexpensive place. He took us to a restaurant where we ate lentil soup, rice and beans, and fresh tuna steaks along with fresh juice for $6.00. We invited Caesar to join us and learned about his life, his concerns about the government of Ecuador and his dismay at not enough being done for the people of the islands.

At 2:10 pm, a very nice lady, Ida, met us at the lobby of our hotel to bring us to the dock to board a speedboat to transfer to Isabela Island. The boat ride took about 2 hours. We had to sit inside, it was hot, and the sea was choppy. I was afraid I might get nauseous but I focused my eyes on the horizon and somehow escaped unscathed from the uncomfortable ride. At Isabela island, we paid $10.00 in entrance fee, dodged sleeping sea lions and walked till the end of the pier to find our ride. Our driver was waiting for us. We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel to spend the evening by ourselves.

After settling into our hotel, Sean, Ryan, and I walked towards the beach. We were awestruck by how beautiful the water looked once the setting sun’s rays hit the gentle waves. We found a restaurant by the beach and sat on the tables set by the sand for our dinner. I still remember the feeling of awe at the splendor of our first sunset at Isabela islands. I think that is my favorite island in the Galapagos.

After dinner, we walked around the beach and the big Christmas tree in the town center. And we petted every dog that crossed our paths. Isabela island, I found, to the least touristy and commercial than all the others we visited and it still evokes a warm, cozy feeling as I remember it.

The following day was going to be full of snorkeling adventures so we went back to the hotel to get some well deserved rest.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 2

On the second day on Santa Cruz island, we met our guide, Meriam Leon in front of the Tortuga Bay on Charles Darwin street and got on a tour bus for about a 40 minute ride back to the Itabaca Channel to board the Espanola Yacht for our day long Seymour tour. We sailed for about 45 minutes to North Seymour and boarded a dinghy that took us to an arid island inhabited only by frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, seals, sea lions, land iguanas, lizards, swallow tail gulls….

The walk, according to our guide, would take no more than 20 minutes but she wanted us to take it all in and not hurry. She did say that we should not be on the island for more than an hour so that other groups can have their opportunity to visit. We ended up staying for a little longer, and went back with images of male frigate birds displaying their vibrant red-throat pouches to attract the ladies, baby frigates peeking out behind their mamas showing us their fuzzy heads, a single blue-footed boobie, colorful lizards darting along the trail and iguanas moving like dinosaurs turning to look at us with stretched lips that almost looked like grins. I have never witnessed such a scene- birds and reptiles relatively unafraid of human presence. We were respectful. We were visitors on their land. We kept our voices down, we did not divulge from the marked trail and we kept respectful distance from the birds and animals.

As we headed back to the dinghy, Sean told me to stop moving, Ryan started laughing and I got nervous. Sean started taking photos of me while saying “Don’t move! Don’t move!”

“What is it? Do I have a bug on my head? Is it a tarantula? Oh my god, what is it?”

The others in the group also stopped in front of me and started wowing. Finally, I saw the photos and realized that I was the chosen one. A lovely grasshopper perched on my head. I actually held still till it flew away on its own accord.

I want to mention the delightful lunch that the staff at the yacht prepared for us. Once we returned to the yacht, we were offered lunch which constituted of white rice, boiled potatoes with queso on top, a simple salad of cabbage and tomatoes with fresh lime, and delectable tuna steak sautéed on a pan. For dessert there were slices of sweet watermelon. This simple fare was immensely satisfying and although we ate many good meals during our 10 day stay in Ecuador, I still fondly remember this lunch.

After lunch, we headed toward a beach for snorkeling. The water was crystal clear but I heard they couldn’t see much as people kicked up the sediment with their flippers as they swam. I did not snorkel since I don’t know how to swim and I am uncomfortable in water. While the group snorkeled, I went for a walk by myself till I came to a quiet inlet. There I saw a solitary flamingo deeply focused in getting his food. I stood there awhile, surrounded by sand, water, greenery and a solitary flamingo. That particular moment is ingrained in my head – a moment of communing between me and a bird that I will never see again. The flamingo was not even aware of my presence and I felt humbled to have the chance to stand there watching him.

The island of birds and reptiles, the crystal clear, aquamarine water, the flamingo in that quiet inlet, a heron sitting completely still; a stillness that very few of us can imbibe within us…. all these have stayed with me. I worry that memory may fade away with time so I am documenting it here. Maybe, in a few years, if I read this blog, I will relive the moment again.

On the 3rd day, we went to see the Charles Darwin Center and learned about the conservation work that many scientists are doing. We also saw saddleback tortoises and the baby tortoises that the staff of Charles Darwin Center are raising to release in the wild when they are five or six years old. But that blog is for tomorrow.

Galapagos Islands or is it paradise? Day 1

We left enchanting Quito on the morning of December 27th and arrived at Baltra airport a little after 1:15 pm. We were, fortunately, not left stranded here as a man from the tour company, Rebecca Adventures, greeted us at the airport and accompanied us for a 10 minute bus ride to the Itabaca Channel. From there we took a short ferry that took us to the Santa Cruz island and it was at the channel that we encountered our first brown pelican, boldly fishing right next to the boat we were on.

Once we crossed the channel, a pick up truck drove us to meet our guide for the day, Caesar. Almost 70 year old, Caesar was friendly, pleasant, energetic, well-informed and clearly extremely proud of his birthplace. As he drove us to see one of the several lava tunnels that dot the island of Santa Cruz he identified for us the flora, fauna, and different species of animals, reptiles, birds that are either native or endemic to Galapagos. Once we arrived at the tunnels, we got to see a couple of regulars – two barn owls who come to a cozy room to rest. The tunnels were short and well lit. An area was so narrow that we had to get on all fours and even crawl a bit to get to the other side.

After the tunnels, Caesar drove us to a ranch for a delectable lunch and then to meet with the much awaited giant tortoises.

I had read about these ancient creatures and seen pictures of them but seeing them in real time was an experience I am not going to forget. Many of them were over 100 years old. They were staid, steady, gentle. I felt humbled in their presence. Time seemed to slow down as we watched them eat the vegetation. They deliberately, slowly tore the grass, chewed them and went back to tear more. There was a slow rhythm to their movements that seemed almost hypnotic. I felt I could stand there and watch them do the same activity for hours. And as they ate, sometimes they exhaled with a gentle hmmmmmm….sound. That, to me, seemed almost meditative. Caesar is in love with these creatures and his love for them is evident in the knowledge and respect that he has for them. He introduced them as his friends. He has known some of them for over 40 years and has even named them as Caesar 1, Caesar 2, Caesar 3…till Caesar 8. And all these Caesars seemed to recognize the human Caesar’s voice. They heard his voice and raised their heads to pose for him. He introduced us to them and spoke to them as friends, asking how they were doing. Birds like Warbler Finches and Darwin’s Finches were flitting around, eating the seeds from the poop of tortoises, and the fleas and ticks on their bodies. Caesar explained to us the symbiotic relationship of all the birds, reptiles and animals in that natural habitat that keep the cycle of life intact. Endangering one species will tip the scale causing enormous damage to the whole system. We knew that theoretically, but seeing the cycle in action was a true revelation.

After spending a few hours with the tortoises, we were driven to our hotel in Puerto Ayora. Once we settled in, splashed water on our faces and cleaned up, we went out to the happening street Charles Darwin Street where all the restaurants, shops are. And there were sea lions fighting on the dock! The sea lions just claimed any bench or space on these islands and humans made space for them. We encountered the sea lions for the first time and we were super excited. During the course of our stay in the islands, these sightings became so common place that we almost took them for granted. The cutest were the little baby sea lions suckling or waddling behind their mamas.

Huge Christmas tree, lights, music – the merry ambiance made us forget that Christmas was over. In Puerto Ayora, the celebration continued.

We were expected to meet our guide at 7:45 am at Tortuga Bay to board a bus and then a boat to go to North Seymour for a day trip so we found a place to eat dinner and walked back to our hotel to get some sleep. I dreamt of tortoises.