The Galapagos! March 19 - April 2

The Samba

 Our trip to the Galápagos Islands started and ended in the main towns—two nights in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, and the last four nights in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal. In between, we spent a week onboard the Samba, a small Dutch-built yacht with seven double cabins and a small crew. We snorkeled, ate, slept and toured some of the uninhabited southern and eastern islands. The underwater world was amazing, but first, arrival and Puerto Ayora!

We left Mindo early in the morning on the 19th for our 5am drive back to Quito airport. It turned out to be an easy flight to Baltra with a quick stop in Guayaquil. The only bit of stress at the airport was making sure we had the correct online form filled out for entry to the Galapagos and that we were in the right line for passes and inspection. 

A very special birthday lunch at Almar Restaurant in Puerto Ayora on our second day

 We made it! We landed in Baltra in the afternoon and, after queuing for additional passes and inspection and luggage, we finally boarded the bus and headed to the ferry crossing. (First shark sighting before we even got in the boat!) It’s only a tiny channel that separates Baltra from Santa Cruz. We climbed into the ferry, paid our dollar, sat down, and five minutes later we climbed out, got our luggage, met our taxi and headed for town. 

Our Airbnb in Puerto Ayora — if only it had air conditioning!

It was a bit of a drive to Puerto Ayora on the other end of the island. We stayed in a small neighborhood with a tienda on the corner where we got our Coca Cola sin azúcar and a bakery a little further up the street where we got our morning rolls. Kids played in the street, dogs hung out, and the neighbor’s rooster crowed energetically each morning before sunrise. I should note that there was also a very demanding cat who seemed to come with the house. We liked him, but he was a bit wild and very loud. He especially liked to meow (loudly!) at the kitchen window for his breakfast each morning, which he ate on the back patio, and then he’d come in and snooze on the floor in the living room for the rest of the day. (Yes, feeding the cat was part of the deal. The caretaker even left cat food!) 

Follow me to my food dish…

There were some drawbacks to the house, mostly in the form of mosquitos, unrelenting heat and humidity (no cross breeze and no air conditioning, only a wall-mounted fan—we were sweltering!), and lots of night time cockroaches (where was the cat when you needed him?) 

Morning in the kitchen. It’s already hot!

Our house was just a short walk from the main, more touristy area of town, so we wandered down each day. The one thing about the Galapagos is that it’s so much hotter than you imagine once you add in the humidity. We’re at the equator and the sun is merciless and you just drip sweat all day, or pass out from lack of water. 

Gelato!

In Puerto Ayora, as elsewhere, marine iguanas and sea lions lounge around the docks and boardwalks and restaurants. They go where they choose and people leave them alone.

Before we boarded our boat, we also visited the highlands of Santa Cruz and saw the giant tortoises. This was actually the beginning of our boat tour, a mixture of land and sea.

Next up: cruising the islands…