Las Islas de Galapagos

“I scarcely hesitate to affirm… Nothing could be less inviting than the first appearance”

“It is easy to specify the individual objects of admiration in these grand scenes; but it is not possible to give an adequate idea of the higher feelings of wonder, astonishment, and devotion, which fill and elevate the mind”

Can you guess who wrote both of these quotes? 

Both of these quotes are actually written by the same person describing the same place! They are from Darwin's notes from the Voyage of the Beagle describing Las Islas Galapagos-The Galapagos Islands and my home for three weeks. Darwin recognized both the desolate desertlike appearance of the islands, but also the inherent beauty of everything.

After a few days back in Quito and then some time in the Coast, I was off to my next adventure - The Galapagos Islands.  On the plane ride over, our luggage was searched and sprayed to ensure that we were not bringing any seeds or fruits into the islands.  Introduced and invasive species in Galapagos has become a greater threat to the native species living here as tourism and the population has increased. Thus, they now thoroughly check our luggage to help prevent this from happening. After a short plane ride, we landed in San Cristobal, one of the main islands in Galapagos that has the second highest population of people living on it. 

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands that are located in the Pacific Ocean around the equator and are a hotspot for biodiversity. The bulk of these islands have been formed because of successive lava flows and volcanic eruptions. Galapagos, named after a giant tortoise, is made up of 13 major islands, but only five of those islands are actually inhabited by people. The oldest islands in the archipelago are dated up to 5 million years ago, while the youngest are around 250,000 years ago.  The older islands are found in the southeast, while the younger islands are found further Northwest because the shifting of the Nazca Plate, a tectonic plate. 

These islands are known for their large number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle.  This trip provided Darwin with essential research that led to the inception of the theory of evolution.

The first use of the islands was mainly by pirates, sailors, and whalers.  They introduced pigs, goats, and donkeys to the islands, which led to the major decline of marine iguanas and the Giant Tortoise populations.  Today, the Galapagos has a fast-growing population and is now home to over 40,000 people. Although human settlement is restricted to only 3% of the islands (97% of the archipelago is protected by the National Park), the effect that this growing population along with the 180,000 tourists that visit the islands has on the islands is becoming perilous. In 1959, Ecuador declared the Galapagos Islands as a national park to ensure the preservation of the biodiversity on these islands. In 1979 they were declared a World Heritage site and today represent the fourth biggest source of income for all of Ecuador.          

For three weeks, I am one of those 180,000 tourists.  We arrived in San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the archipelago, two weeks ago. During that first week we became comfortable with the island and island life. It is never necessary to look up the weather for the next day because everyday is going to be hot, sunny, and blue skies. Upon arrival, we all got new host families and again I definitely lucked out.  My host family lives in the center of the town and it tends to be the meeting spot for everything!

Each morning we had “class” and went snorkeling to identify some of the fish and other creatures in the water.  The first time I snorkeled I felt like I had seen more fish and species in the water than all my other time I spent in the ocean combined. In the afternoon we ate lunch together, then swam for fun, and then had lecture about marine ecology in the late afternoon.  Except for the shockingly high prices (a bottle of sunscreen is $25!) every aspect of the island was absolutely amazing!

           

After a wonderful week of getting to know San Cristobal, we left our little island to take a cruise around the rest of the Galapagos Islands.  We broke up into two groups and for one week traveled around the western and northern parts of the archipelago. I quickly needed to gain my sea legs and get used to the constant rocking of the boat. The weirdest part would be when we got off the boat on land and still feel the rocking of the boat!

Everyday we traveled to one or two new islands, and walk around land, and learn about the species that lived on each island.  We saw different colors of land iguanas, lava lizards, cacti, and of course the different beaks of Darwin’s finches.  At almost every site we also snorkeled and saw some amazing marine life.  The fish were brighter, bigger, and more diverse than anything I had ever seen previously.  We swam with giant Manta rays (probably twice the size of me), Galapagos penguins, sea lions, sea turtles, and so much more! From the boat we also saw dolphins, sharks, and rays flipping in the water.  We also had some seabirds take enjoy  some free rides resting on our boat. A few of my favorite birds were the famous Blue-footed Booby with bright blue feet, Frigate birds that inflate their red pouches to the size of soccer balls when they are trying to attract mates, and Flightless Cormorants that cannot fly, but swim in the water for fish.

Throughout the cruise we also were doing research projects and collecting preliminary data for a larger grant proposal, and learning how to identify the fish! The food was absolutely delicious on the boat, and none of us know where all the fresh fruits and vegetables came from.  We stargazed up on top of the boat every night and there is nothing quite like the feeling of being in the middle of the ocean, looking at stars, with absolutely no other person or light in sight.

           

I cannot believe how fast it went, but before we knew it, the 7 days were up and we boated back to San Cristobal.

We are here on San Cristobal Island for one more week, where we will be finishing our research projects, taking a field exam in the water, and of course swimming in the ocean everyday.  I currently have a 2.5-week streak going of days in a row that I swam in an ocean!

Nos vemos!

And more pictures to come once my internet improves!