Galapagos – 2011
Arrival in the Galapagos
We flew from Quito to the coastal city of Guayaquil (largest city in Ecuador), then flew to Baltra, the airport in the Galapagos. Galapagos are 600 miles off shore. The airport was built by the US government right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 to protect the Panama Canal during the war. The Galapagos are all volcanic in origin. 97% of the land is under the National Park Service, the remaining 3% is privately owned including a few fishing villages, tourist spots, coffee and sugar cane farms, some Bed and Breakfast resorts, etc. The Ecuadorian government does not allow new immigrants to move permanently to the islands. I understood that to mean that you have to be born there to be a permanent resident.
From the airport on Baltra we boarded a bus to take us to the ferry which then took us to the island of Santa Cruz.
Charles Darwin Research Center
Following his lunch, Pete returned to the room and announced that we were going back to Santa Cruz island to tour the Charles Darwin Research Center. This was encouraging, to be back on solid land again. Back in the rubber dingy, back to land. =)))) Iguanas all over the place. This is their territory, rather aggressive in letting you know that they rule. Nasty in personality, and considering their large size, wicked claws and a bite that carries a multitude of bacteria, we were all very respectful. Occasionally they would come after us, we paid attention and moved aside.
Casa Natura & Santa Cruz Island
It was late when we arrived the hotel, so we took a shower and went to bed. The next day I slept too. On the second morning I was feeling refreshed, recovered from seasickness and ready to go out and explore.
Rejoined the Tour
On the third morning at the hotel our driver picked us up at 6:30 and drove us to the dock to meet up with our group. It fact the driver was early and we didn’t even get a cup of coffee!
Our Last Night on Galapagos – Distillery
Wild Boar Story
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Petr Jandacek
Louise Jandacek
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Los Alamos, New Mexico
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