The Galapagos Islands

On the Tuesday before we left Puerto Cayo, we found an incredibly cheap flight to the Galapagos….so we booked it for 3 days later. While Galapagos is generally very expensive and needs to be booked far in advance (two reasons why it was NOT originally in our travel plans), COVID has made tourism falter and prices drop drastically. We got tickets from Guayaquil to Galapagos and from Galapagos to Quito for $330 total (note that this would be $700-$1,000 in normal times). We also found drastically reduced prices for accommodations and last minute excursions available, which made the decision to take this trip (the day before we had actually reaffirmed that we definitely could NOT afford the trip...it's amazing what a good night's sleep and last minute flight deals can do for your planning sessions).

Anna dropped us off at the "bus station" (remember, it is just a spot on the side of the road where you flag down random busses headed your general direction) and we caught the first bus to Guayaquil. Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city, and that's pretty much what it is: a city. There is not much to do tourism-wise, as it consists of mostly of business sectors (here are where all of the large high-rises are), but it has a cool malecon (boardwalk) and a great gastronomic scene. We will note that while we didn't have any issues, it has been written that Guayaquil is Ecuador's most dangerous city. We try to not overthink that too much, and we stay diligent when in ANY city (those in the US included). We still spent time wandering around, but we stuck mostly to the amazing modern boardwalk that they have. It is miles long and has tons of shops, restaurants, etc. We even found a grocery store along the way to load up on some groceries to save on some expenses in the Galapagos.

We woke up early the following morning....not because we had a super early flight, but because a taxi driver was knocking on our door looking for his clients at 6 am. We quickly let him know that was NOT us and went back to sleep for a couple of more hours. Nicole went out to grab coffees and we ate a quick snack before heading to the airport. To enter the Galapagos, you actually have to go through a special material inspection to ensure no foreign plants, animals, seeds, or biological materials reach these islands. After passing this inspection and showing our vaccine cards (ECUADOR dropped test requirements 6 days prior so we no longer needed a negative test to enter - HOORAY!!!), we then also had to pay $20 each for a Galapagos “tourist card” - essentially money that goes towards the conservation of the island. We learned quickly there are a lot of “conservation fees”. Once we were through all inspections and as we were waiting for our flight, a Dutch guy (Ryan) sat across from us and told us about his diving excursions around the world. We let him know we were meeting up with some Canadian friends (Mik and Mat - the ones we met in Montañita a week before) and he was welcome to join us for drinks later that night.

The flight in was as gorgeous as you’d imagine - crystal clear waters in all shades of blues and greens. We then had a series of transfers from the airport - a bus, a ferry, and another bus (each bus cost $10, and the ferry cost $1...there are hidden fees all over the Galapagos)- and a walk through town to our hostel. A nearby pastry shop offered a cheap lunch of chicken and cheese empanadas and fish sticks which we ate as we explored. We decided that with half of the daylight still remaining we’d venture to the Darwin Research Center. We walked around learning the history of the islands, of Darwin, and his theory of evolution. We also saw the tortoises (we may have ventured beyond a gate that we were not supposed to in order to see them), marine iguanas, and birds that are frequent on Santa Cruz (the island we flew into). We walked around town a bit once the research center closed, admiring the sea lions everywhere, the frigate birds and pelicans near the fish docks, and the many tourist and adventure shops. There was also a large variety of restaurant types along the Main Street, but knowing that prices would be high we packed in most of our food from the mainland (think oatmeal, quinoa, pasta, beans). We bought some fruits and veggies on the island to mix into meals and headed back to our kitchen to cook. After dinner and cleaning up from the day, we headed into town to meet Mik and Mat, who had just gotten engaged on their dive the day before (Mat had told us that he was going to propose and we did our best to keep it secret from Mik)! Instead of starting at a bar, we got a 2 liter of coke and some rum to celebrate and went to sit by the seaside to catch sea lions and crabs. We got to hear the entire story of the underwater proposal (and the amazing video) before heading to a bar. Ryan had also met with us at this point and the 5 of us enjoyed a band performance and a few games of pool against 2 Ecuadorian tourists before finally turning in for the night.

We woke up in the morning (a little more hungover than we planned on) and decided to spend the day at the famous Tortuga Bay. We snagged lunch from our pastry shop again and headed to the trail - a 5 km trail (EXTREMELY HOT walk) into 2 beautiful beaches full of marine iguanas, birds, baby sharks and sand softer and whiter than any we had ever seen (it was finer in texture than flour). After walking Tortuga Bay, which has rougher waves and is good for surfing, we went to the second beach with plenty of shady spots and calm, beautiful water to swim, read, and relax for the afternoon. We eventually headed back into town and wandered around a bit to decide on an excursion the following day. We found a snorkeling tour for a full day that went to multiple nearby islands and decided on this. We had to be there at 7:30 the following morning so we called it a much, much earlier night than the one before.

We arrived and loaded up on the boat, then rode approximately 1 hour through the choppy sea to our first island and snorkeling spot. We saw many types of fish, stingrays, sea turtles, more iguanas, and sea lions, who love swimming up to you in the water attempting to play. We eventually came to the beach where we walked along lava rocks to a different part of the beach with the biggest marine iguanas yet and an oyster catcher, another unique bird species. We headed back in the water and to the boat for a snack of breads, jams, watermelon, coffee, and tea before heading to the next spot. The next spot we actually got in further out from the shore and in deeper water. We swam up near the rocks, watching for sharks as they are sometimes in the area, and again admired the variety of marine life. We went through multiple channels, again were approached by sea lions, and after an hour and a half boarded the boat again. The currents were stronger here and many were tired/struggling at this point. The tour guide even had to drag a woman back with him as she couldn’t swim anymore, while he continued to point out unique aquatic species to us. Once we were back on the boat, we had a fresh wahoo ceviche for lunch, complete with strawberry iced tea, plantain chips, and rice. We finally headed back for the day. It took a little over 2 hours to navigate back to Puerto Ayora.

Some souvenir shopping, coffee, and a visit to the ceramic garden along the coast were necessary before dinner at the hostel, and then we headed to a brewery to meet with Mik, Matt, and Ryan once again (we all decided that there must be a bad influence in this group, but we're not sure who it is). We picked a rooftop brewery and enjoyed the ocean views with friends. Once again, we turned in early because we had to be up and on a ferry to Isabela Island (the largest island of the Galapagos archipelago) at 7 am the following day. When we got to Isabela (after several island exit fees, island entry fees, water taxi fees, and ferry fees), we were able to check into our room right away and by 12:30 were on a kayaking/snorkeling tour of Tintoreras. Tintoreras is named what it is after the white tip sharks (that's what the name means in...Spanish? Ecuadorian? something like that) that are frequent in the area, yet evaded us snorkeling once again. We did however find penguins, stingrays, eagle rays, 3 sea turtles, marine iguanas, eels, starfish, and many types of fish yet again. It’s so easy to see why the Galapagos is world renowned for its snorkeling and diving with the clarity of water and variety of species you find everywhere. On our way in we kayaked over a shark and after 3 hours, were pleasantly surprised with how far our $30 tour went. Afterwards, we rented bikes and decided to ride to Flamingos Lake (brackish/salt lagoons) to see the flamingos, Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center to learn about the tortoise conservation projects, and The Wall of Tears ( in1945-1959, Isabella was a penal colony hosted prisoners who were forced to build this pointless wall, stone by stone, in isolation. Many died in constructing it). The ride to the Wall of Tears passed multiple sea turtle nests, and as we ascended into higher ground we began seeing tortoises all around. We rode through marine iguana crossings - which are a real thing - and enjoyed the cool breeze as we passed miradors and beaches.

After returning the bikes, we enjoyed a hammock beer at a beach bar before heading back to our hostel to eat dinner. We packed up as we had a 6 am ferry the next day (the Galapagos started a string of very early mornings) and then would head straight to the airport. The roosters woke us up even before our alarm and we began the walk down to the port. About 45 minutes into the ferry ride back, one of the motors on the boat stopped working. One of the 3 workers on the boat got out tools and made everyone in the back move as he checked it out (while the boat is still going full speed with the other motor). While it didn’t get fixed, we fortunately made it back with just 1 motor and still had time for a coffee before heading to the airport. As if the island knew we were leaving, the waters by the port had golden rays and sharks swimming all around, and we watched the blue footed boobies dive for fish while sitting next to the sea lions thinking how surreal this really was. We couldn’t believe our luck with the things we saw in the short time we were here, but know it’s somewhere we will return to.

We reversed course on the way out to the airport, another taxi/ferry/bus combination (we split the costs with Mik and Mat) got us there, and had one minor issue before the flight out. We mentioned the stringent screening process on the way out to ensure that no foreign products/species/substances make it to the island. There is just as stringent of a process on the way out to ensure nobody is taking seashells, rocks, seeds, or even animals. We knew this, and were intent on following the rules...but about an hour before the flight Nicole's name was paged over the intercom. She was told to go to Gate #3, then disappeared through the gate and outside for some time. After awhile Kyle was wondering where she went, but then he heard his name called through the window screen (The Galapagos airport is an ecological airport that uses all natural ventilation). Kyle then had to go outside and help airline workers dig through is bag, which had already been well picked over on a random steel table on the tarmac. It turns out, the x-ray scanner had found seashells in his bag. Fortunately, these were NOT Galapagos shells, and we had anticipated these issues. We had taken these from the Puerto Cayo beaches, and Kyle had taken a time and location stamped photo to show that they were from the mainland. It didn't stop him from getting razzed by all of the airline workers outside (they even got on the radio to call more workers over to see what was happening and laugh at him), but they allowed us to keep the shells, and fly away without further issues.

It was a sad feeling to leave this magical place, but an incredible thing to have experienced.

A few things to note:

1. A ferry to another island cost $25 one way - however the boat doesn’t actually come up to the dock….you have to take a water taxi for 30 seconds from the dock to the ferry boat for $1. This also means your luggage is handed off over the water not once or twice, but 4 times. We laughed about the amount of luggage that must get dropped in the water (we even saw it happen once), but secretly hoped it wasn’t ours.

2. You pay a tax or fee for just about anything. Landing on an island? $10 municipality tax. Taking a ferry? $1 water protection tax. Landing in the Galapagos? $100 conservation fee. While flights and accommodations were cheaper than usual, these are costs that still need to be factored in when going to the Galapagos.

3. EVERYTHING is cash only in Galapagos.

4. Surprisingly, the Galapagos is another great spot for craft beer.

Levi's shirt count: just a few more shirts popped up: We're at 326.