Galapagueña

Hola todos!

I have just returned from my 3 week excursion to the Galapagos; I learned and saw a lot (as always) and, despite the seasickness and heavy load of classwork, had an overall greaexperience.
First of all, it is not what most people think- people live there, trying to make a living doing whatever they can, which is mostly tourism these days. Since the sea cucumber industry bombed out and the park put heavy restrictions on fisheries to help conserve the natural ecosystem, most of it is geared towards park-related activities.
For the first two weeks I lived in the small, sleepy town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the island of San Cristobal, one of the four main inhabited islands. There I took a class at GAIAS, an aptly named university that functions as an extended campus of USFQ. The class itself was rigorous- articles upon articles of dense reading every night, a brain-wracking test every week, and a research paper due at the end. I probably could have done better, but honestly, when the front doors lead to the perfect white sandy beach, strewn with lazy sea lions and lapped by the most beautiful clear blue water, it is an understatement to say it was hard to concentrate on studies. I found the time to snorkel, or jog in my sandals, or just walk around every day, soaking it all in. My host family there was great- Ines, the mom, a bundle of energy and fire just over 5 foot tall; her 12- year old daughter Karol who taught me the most to date about Ecuadorian modern music; and my dad Leonardo, a relaxed, sarcastic, and fun guy from Esmeraldas who I loved to just joke around with. Everyone there, excepting my overactive professor, was so laid back, just seeming to be hanging out all the time; definitely different than Quito.
The islands themselves are amazing- the vegetation and animal life remind me of a motley crew, shipwrecked, adapting and getting along as they can, taking the strangest forms. Cactus trees, giant tortoises, marine iguanas that eat algae and shoot salt out of their noses, and hordes of others. We spent the last week on various islands- Isabela first for a couple of days, walking around and horseback riding, which I felt uncomfortable with, more so morally than physically. We went walking around a dense colony of marine iguanas, and snorkeled with penguins and sea lions in the bay nearby.
The path we took by horse was a steep, muddy slide through the garua (constant mist in the highlands) up to Volcan Sierra Negra. It is the second largest crater in the world, the last eruption taking place in 1912. The view was spectacular and I cannot deny it was fun to canter along the rim. My legs felt it for the next few days, though, too.
The next day back to a hotel at Santa Cruz, which became our base for the next few days. From there we went out to Bartolome on a yacht (again, guilty) with a creepy chef who was sneaking pictures of the bathing suit-clad girls (I stared him down, then talked to the guides about it), but cooked delicious food. We had a short, uneventful hike with a pretty view and then snorkeling again, which I ended up spending most of my time on the beach trying to get over my sickness.
Then the next day to Floreana, my favorite by far. The morning was rainy and dreary, the boat ride wet and uncomfortable, but by the time we got to the bay the sun was shining and we were all feeling better. There we snorkeled around, seeing plenty of cool underwater activity, and headed to the main part of the island. Our guide Duncan took us around to see the highland region, with the mysterious "pirate caves" and the only spring on the island on which the town of 100 relies. A peculiar story accompanies the island, involving a sexually adventrous baroness and her men, a few murders, some Norwegian farmers and a crazy vegetarian with his mistress. All tried to live on the island, and all disappeared or were mudered except (of course!) the good Norwegian farmers, whose descedents live to this day on the island.
Last day and we were all tired, we went to the Charles Darwin Conservancy (seat of evil for some locals) to see more tortoises and Lonesome George, the hallmark of the consequences of unwise exploitation of the environment. From there, we bused back to the airport, and after a thankfully short flight with flight attendents with personalities less appealing than that of a marine iguana.
I enjoyed it all to the best of my ability, and am happy with our time there. Now it is time to decide what to do after, as the program ends next Wednesday. I am off to the coast for sure to hike with some friends, and the mangroves are calling me back.
I will update as soon as I know, love you all and take care!

oh, and pictures are uploading as I type ;)

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