GALAPAGOS!

Mi vida equatoriana has continued to be filled with exciting adventures since I last wrote. For the first few weeks in February I enjoyed spending time with Anita and Jon (a friend of Anita's from UNC). We explored parts of historic Quito which included climbing the Basilica, a beautiful church containing 24 different chapels and a breathtaking view of historic Quito for those who can brave the practically nonexistent stairs and mesh platforms. Crowded around a laptop in the living room Hudson, Amit and I cheered on the Tar Heels to an amazing victory over Duke and just a few days later Amit's parents arrived for their week long trip to Ecuador. We spent Saturday roaming around the market in Otavalo and came back to Quito only in time to pack and get a few hours of sleep before Anita and Jon departed at 4:30 am for Buenos Aires and at 7 am I was on my way to the Galapagos with Amit and his family!

The Galapagos Islands are located over 1000 km from mainland Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. With 12 main islands and 12 minor islands, the Galapagos is an animal lovers paradise. I was a little nervous about spending 5 days on a boat but luckily the Yolita II turned out to be an amazing way to experience the Galapagos. Thanks in large part to our extremely friendly and knowledgeable guide, Washington, I learned so much about the different animals and ecosystems present in the Galapagos. Our daily itinerary was extremely variable as we traveled to four different islands but in general we had an early breakfast aboard the boat and then began the day with a "wet landing" (meaning we left our bigger boat in dinghy's that stopped 10-15 meters from the shore of an island and we waded through water to arrive at the shore). After arriving on any given island we spent anywhere from an hour to three hours traversing the island by foot with our guide Washington who pointed out and explained all the different animal species, land formations, and fun facts. We would then return to our boat in time for lunch or sometimes a morning snorkeling expedition. Snorkeling has to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. You feel as if you are part of the ocean. All kinds of gorgeous schools of fish, turtles, sea lions, and sharks, swim around you as if you were invisible. The water is crystal clear so you can see absolutely everything. After snorkeling and lunch we often had a few hours to relax on the boat. I spent the majority of my time reading Barack Obama's Dreams from my Father (which I highly recommend) and playing extremely intense games of scrabble with the Gupta family (in which Amit's mom blew us all out of the water in every single game). In the afternoon we would dock at a different part of the island and have time for snorkeling and swimming from the various beaches. In all honesty, words cannot describe how beautiful all of the islands are and how amazing it is to be so close to such unique wildlife. Instead of continuing to ramble on, I am just going to add loads of pictures with captions for all of you to see the beauty for yourselves.

Our Boat: Yolita II

The Beach of Santa Fe Island

Espanola Island with the Gupta Family

The infamous Blue Footed Boobies

By far my favorite..the baby sea lions

Land Iguana

Nazca Booby and Chick

Lonesome George-the only remaining Abingdon Island tortoise

Crab

Frigate Birds flying over our boat

Marine Iguana

Baby Sea Lion

Gigantic Cactus-Espanola Island

Just taking a nap

Amit and I-Santa Fe Island

One of 6 male Turtles at the Charles Darwin Research Station

Sunset-Floreana Island

Our Galapagos Itinerary

Day 1	BALTRA / SANTA CRUZ (Bachas Beach)
Day 2	PLAZAS / SANTA FE
Day 3	ESPANOLA (Punta Suarez / Gardner Bay)
Day 4	FLOREANA(Punta Cormorant / Post Office Bay)
Day 5	SANTA CRUZ (Charles Darwin Station / Highlands)