Galápagos

Well, I got home Saturday afternoon after a Friday the 13th red-eye flight. It's still a little strange to hear everyone speaking English...it's like I can hear everyone at once and I just don't expect it. But it's good to be home!

The Galápagos Islands were amazing! I met up with my mom and aunt Annie and we toured Quito for a day, then had to fly to the islands. Instead of doing a cruise, we had a small tour group (4 Italians, 3 Japanese people, and an Austrian family) and we stayed in lodges every night on different islands. The trip went from Santa Cruz to Floreana to Isabela then back to Santa Cruz.

We saw more animals than I even thought we would, and I had high expectations! Snorkeling we saw fish, a sting ray, sea turtles, huge school of fish, and probably 20 white-tipped reef sharks. I had to keep reminding myself I wasn't in like Sea World or something- just the wild Pacific Ocean. Of course, we also saw the famous Darwin finches on the different islands.





The island of Floreana only has 120 inhabitants and has no electricity from midnight until 6 am, but the cabins we stayed at were right on the beach. We did some hiking there and saw lots of sea lions and a penguin hanging out on the pier.


hiking on Floreana

I think Isabela was my favorite island; the beaches were white and gorgeous. At night, we stayed in a campsite called Campo Duro in the middle of the island, and we were the only ones there besides the owner. He showed us to our tent after dinner and we all just stopped in our tracks to stare at the stars. The owner probably thought we were crazy, but I've never seen anything like it, and doubt I ever will again. A million stars, from horizon to horizon. Just magic.


♥ Isabela

Santa Cruz is home to the Charles Darwin Research Station and Lonesome George, the last turtle of his species. Its main town, Puerto Ayora is really nice--lots of little shops and people riding bikes.




It was refreshing to see how wild the islands themselves still are. Most don't have many inhabitants, and they're definitely not overrun by tourists or anything (at least at this time of year). This trip was sooo worth it...I recommend it to anyone who likes wildlife or diving or beaches or just the sound of the ocean without any interruptions.



For that matter, I think Ecuador is an great place for anyone to visit, though I didn't know that before I came. The people are incredibly nice, the Spanish is clear, and there is so much variety in terrain and cultures packed into its small borders.

Leaving Ecuador to return to the US was sadder than I thought it would be. The world looks odd without mountains and I probably won't be able to do surgery again until I'm in vet school. I am so grateful for my trip though and can't wait until I can return to South America.

Parques y Termas

I spent my last full weekend in Ecuador in Quito. I feel like I know every part of this city now. Saturday I traveled with Leo to help with a surgery and then later in the day, checked out 2 of the main parks, Parque Carolina and Parque Metropolitano. There were tons of families playing soccer and picnicking--this must be where everyone in Quito goes on weekends. Sunday Trisha and I went to Old Town again. It was much calmer on a Sunday and a lot of the churches were holding mass. I finally went into La Compañía de Jesús, the most intricate church in Latin America, and it was incredible. The inside is completely coated with gold; my camera couldn't even capture it so I just sat down and stared. We also toured the Government Palace, which is like the White House of Ecuador.


the cutest little boy in a parade in Old Town


inside the government palace

The last thing we did was climb the bell tower of the Basilica. Only in Ecuador would they let people climb rickety ladders inside an old church without any supervision. There were some awesome views, although my camera died.


Thursday Donna, Trisha, and I planned a relaxing day at the hot springs in Papallacta. It ended up being more stressful than relaxing. I never want to ride a bus again. To get there, we took a bus, a cab, the trolebus, another cab, another bus, and then another bus (all for like 5 dollars though). It took us about 6 hours to get there (it should take 2) and it was cloudy and freezing so we stayed for an hour. The hot springs were gorgeous though, and the water was natural mineral water heated by the volcanoes. We got back to Quito and went to dinner at El Pobre Diablo because Trisha saw it on the Travel Channel, which was delicious.


las termas de papallacta

Today is my last day at work :( and then off to the islands!


Ecuadorrrrrr