Saturday, September 20, 2008
At 7 am my alarm clock sounded, letting me know it was time to go to the Galapagos! I got up (very slowly) and hopped in the shower to get the smell of last night off of me. Once I finished throwing last minute stuff in my bag, I headed down to breakfast. As our farewell meal we had pancakes and lots of fruit. Around 9 am the bus pulled away from Hotel Walther, and we had to say goodbye to Maddelyn, Lisa D, Kelly, and Dave for three weeks. They join us in the islands on October 12th.
Mid-bus-ride I realized I could not find my passport. When I informed David of this news he about crapped his pants and told me he was going to kill me because that would be easier than trying to replace a United States passport while in Ecuador. I really started freaking out and looking through my bag – I called Maddelyn as a last resort to have her check the room and low-and-behold my passport was under the bed. Once it was established at the airport that I could get through with just my Censo I let Maddelyn know that she could just bring it to Galapagos in 3 weeks.
We waited around for a little less than 2 hours before boarding our plane. The plane took-off around 11:30am. About 30 minutes later we landed in Guayaquil for a short layover. We were not allowed to de-board the plane, however, for security reasons. It only took about 45 minutes to get luggage off and load the new luggage, and then we were off to the islands. I sat between Zim and Steph. O. Since Steph did not sleep at all the night before because she felt sick, she absolutely passed out on the plane. I slept for a bit, but not comfortably – the plane had the smallest seats I have ever seen on a plane. When the descent started a little less than 1.5 hours later everyone got really excited. Breaking through the clouds and seeing the island was amazing. As we came in to land I saw Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido) as well as my school for the next three months: GAIAS.
The excitement in the air was absolutely contagious and everyone had smiles from ear to ear on their face. Stepping off the plane into the bright sun was almost surreal – we could not believe that we were actually here! The customs process was a little bit slow, and partially hindered because I did not have my passport. Turns out they did need it in San Cristobal, but did not need it in Quito…Because I had a copy with me I was able to get through, but now I don’t get a stamp in my passport saying I have been to the Galapagos. Once everyone got through, Courtney greeted us. She is our program coordinator and is 6.5 months pregnant. We got our luggage and she directed us to a bus. Unfortunately, 23 students traveling with 3 months worth of stuff do not fit so comfortably on the small 25 seater bus. The front was packed from floor to chest height with our luggage. Luckily the island is very small and we only had about 10 minutes on the beyond-packed bus.
When we arrived at GAIAS we unloaded and went inside for a short orientation. After about a 5 minute talk we got sandwiches for lunch and about 1 hour to hang out until our families came to pick us up. Most people went to the beach, and several of us went swimming. The water was chilly, but not so cold we couldn’t swim. It was so refreshing, and there were sea lions (lobos) all over the beach too. They are funny animals, though you have to watch out for the males because they can be very mean and aggressive.
Around 4pm families started arriving to pick us up. I was super nervous because I have never lived with a host family before. My host mom pulled up on a scooter – Sonia was so jealous. Ines, my mother, and I sat and chatted a bit while waiting for one of the island taxis to take us to the house. Although it is within walking distance, the immensely heavy luggage required that we all be transported via vehicle. The house is very nice and I have my own room and bathroom. Karol, my 12-year-old sister, is very cute. I was excited to meet her because I have always wanted a younger sibling and now I get one for three months! I met my dad, Leonardo, who works in tourism on a yacht that takes people scuba-diving and cruising around the islands. They were all very nice and accommodating, but do not speak any English. Communication is a bit hard at the moment, but I am sure it will get better.
After getting a tour of the house – which is very nice – I unpacked and settled into my room to make it homier before dinner. Dinner consisted of rice and fish (Grouper to be exact). It was very good, and I had some tea to drink that was absolutely delicious. They kept offering me more food but I had to say no because I was full. I went to my room after dinner to settle in a bit more, then took a short nap. Around 9 pm I got up because I was supposed to meet friends and walk around town. Somehow I managed to find the place I was going even though the maps and streets are not actually labeled…
I managed to find Stephanie’s host house where I met up with several others. We walked around the town for a bit, just getting to know everything, and stopped by Iguana Rock, the most popular bar in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. I was exhausted so I only stayed for a few minutes, then Rachel, Shawna, Lisa, and I decided to go back home to sleep. I arrived back around 10:30 and my whole house was asleep. I made sure to lock the door behind me, crawled into bed, tried to write about what I had done, and fell asleep. It was a very exciting but exhausting day and my body desperately needed the sleep. Goodnight from the islands!
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