WFS Galapagos Islands : Day 3 - arriving in the Galapagos

Jose photographs Blue-footed Booby, male frigatebird in background.

Loud, barking dogs bungled my sleep last night. They just kept barking and barking. We woke up early today for our flight. Sleepy and full of bags under my eyes, I showered and dressed for breakfast. Immediately, warm bread, creamy cheese, juicy apples, and buttery eggs captivated my eyes. My desire to sleep disappeared, and I began to dig in to the fine food at Raquel’s Inn Bed & Breakfast.

After breakfast, we loaded the bus. Our guide Andrés accompanied us to the airport. There, we said our farewells, but it wasn’t too sad. After all, we will come back after ten days. During the flight, everyone anticipated the sight of the islands. After an hour of just Pacific Ocean, we were finally able to see the islands. Every face glued their eyes to the windows, hoping for a glimpse of the famous islands.

A volcano loomed high into the sky, and a giant rock reached for us. The island we landed on was desert-like. Very dry, cacti everywhere, and a scalding sun overhead. On the other hand, the wind blew forcefully, so it wasn’t very hot. After immigration processing, we finally met our new guide. His name is Edwin. Ten minutes later, we found ourselves on a boat titled “Guantanamera”. We made ourselves comfortable, and then left for North Seymour. Right off the bat, we encountered a sea lion and it approached us. She waddled toward me and stared at me with curious, playful eyes. She posed for us at mere 3ft of distance while we all took pictures.

During the hike, we saw land iguanas, lava lizards, doves, crabs, frigatebirds, and of course the blue-footed boobies. The best part was being able to be so close without scaring them away. After the hike, we returned to the boat. We had some downtime, so I lied on the deck observing the mountains, volcano, islands, and flocks of birds. Edwin then gave us a brief overview of tomorrow. Soon afterwards, we ate a delicious dinner. I ate tuna, potatoes, and some tomatoes. The guide then introduced the boat’s crew to us. We also introduced ourselves. We all drank a smoothie the bartender had made earlier. It was sweet and yet kind of bitter. We made conversation with other tourists on the boat; they’re from Germany and Switzerland. Very friendly.

After dinner, I walked towards the deck. I came across Mr. Reid and Leighton. They showed me the stars above and I saw the Southern Cross for the first time. The stars shine ever so brightly here. Nothing like a Galapagos night to end the day.

p.s. I sent a text message to my father

p.s.s. It read, “Happy Father’s Day”

José David Hernández