Ok, so the lowdown on getting to the Galapagos for any of you thinking about a trip there in the future. We took a bus from Mancora to Guayaquil, Ecuador, one of the only two cities you can fly to the Galapagos from (the other is Quito, but the flights are cheaper in Guayaquil). While in Mancora, we went online and found a hostel that seemed reasonably priced ($30/night for a room w/AC and breakfast) and also had a travel agency connected to it. The place was OK, but honestly not great enough to recommend -- it was sufficient for our time there. We booked our last-minute 4-day cruise through this agency as well as our flights (which are always the same price -- you'll never get a deal there). The cruise was $650/pp, including the guide and all meals on a Tourist Superior boat.
The cute little pigmy monkeys at our hotel (they're part of a conservation project)
Here's what we should've done: Since we were winging it anyway, we should've just gotten into Guayaquil and headed straight to the airport, booked our flights to Galapagos for (hopefully) that day and gone straight there. Once there, we should've looked for LAST-last-minutes cruises (like the day of or the following day). But even if we couldn't find one we'd still get to see a lot. You don't have to take a cruise when you're there -- there are tons of day trips to various islands as well as hotels on some of them (cheap ones, too), so staying over and spending time there is all up to you. I'm really glad we did the cruise and would have definitely done it all over again -- I just would've looked for a slightly better deal (people on our boat got some last-minute cabins for $430/pp).
So, we decided to fly to Galapagos the day before our cruise, as Guayaquil was NOT impressive (but the iguana park was cool -- iguanas just roam freely here).
Apparently, iguanas like to hang out in trees
We flew into Santa Cruz island, found a hotel for $25/night and set out to explore. The travel agency at our hostel in Guayaquil recommended a few places to visit on this island, including Las Grietas, supposedly one of the most unique swimming holes in the world. It's a bit of a hike over some trecherous lava rocks to get there, but we thought it would be fun. About halfway there, we ran into a couple coming back, warning us that there were some pretty viscious bugs along the way and that they were suffering from a few bites. We thanked them for the warning and continued on our way.
Now here's where I think my inability to communicate IN SPECIFICS bites me in the ass. Literally. We got to the site the couple had warned us about (still about 10 minutes from Las Grietas) and were bombarded by Kamikaze wasps. Seriously. It was so bad that Humberto yelled "Retirada! Retirada!" (Retreat! Retreat!) and we turned around and ran back over wobbly lava rocks and up the steep trail. There were a few wasps stuck in my hair buzzing near my ear and I'm sure my actions to remove them looked like a cross between Elaine dancing on Seinfeld and having a seizure.
One of Hum's stings (his lips aren't normally that big)
When we had a chance to take note of our stings, I found four (including one on my butt) and Hum had five. We were in serious pain and no amount of ice was helping. We ended up going to a pharmacy to get anti-inflammatory pills and painkillers and took a nap around 5pm. We woke up around 9:30 starving, set out to find some food, made it back by 10:30 and slept some more. Ah, drugs.
We were meeting our boat at noon the next day and set out after a late breakfast to wait for them at the docks. Sea lions and iguanas roam freely here, so there was plenty to amuse us while we waited, including one very sleepy sea lion on a bench at the end of the dock. I don't think it was as amused as we were.
We met our guide and the rest of our group at noon and took a dinghy to our boat, where we made ourselves comfortable in our little cabin and then headed to the dining room for lunch. All the food served on the boat was delicious. Fortunately, siesta time was part of the itinerary so we had an hour to nap/settle in before heading off to find giant tortoises and a hike through the lava tunnels on Santa Cruz.
Our boat, the Guantanamera
Waiting for lunch
Tortoises!
Heading into the lava tunnels
The next few days were spent sailing from one island to another, snorkeling (at least twice a day) and hanging out with our fellow travelers -- all of whom were great. Our guide, Johann, was also wonderful. He had an answer for every question and was enjoyable to be around. On our snorkeling trips we spotted hammerhead sharks (an entire school of them swam right past me), sting rays, colorful fish galore and boobies. Lots and lots of boobies (both blue and red footed).
Nights on the boat were also amazing. The sky was so clear that star gazing was almost mandatory. And falling asleep to the sway of the boat was like being in my hammock back home in Cusco. I slept like a baby every night.
I know you're more interested in seeing pics than reading my babble, so I'll shut up for a while and just post pics. Enjoy!
And there you have it. We got back to the airport early on the last day, flew back to Guayaquil and made our way to the bus station to begin our 3-day bus journey back home. Guayaquil to Tumbes, Peru, (about 12 hours), Tumbes to Lima (22 hours), and finally Lima to Cusco (23 hours). Except for those last 3 days the trip was amazing. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Now on to a new house and a restaurant to open in Cusco! Stay tuned!!
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