Daymaker - a person who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place.
~ David Wagner
, author of Life as a Daymaker; how to change the world by making someone's day ~

DayMaker - any thought, word, or deed that spreads happiness, compassion, or fruitful ideas.
~ Annis Cassells ~

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

G is for the Galápagos Islands



A week-long adventure in the Galápagos Islands capped our 2004 South America tour. We would cruise on a small vessel, the Deep Blue, and explore a number of the small Ecuadorian islands. This was the part that Judy was most excited to experience.


Landing on the Island of San Cristobal in the Galápagos Islands, about 600 miles west of the mainland of Ecuador, we met our knowledgeable, self-described “world famous” Galápagos guide, Maria. A naturalist with the National Park, she and Juan our South America tour guide, would escort us throughout our Galápagos week.


On the way from the airport, our leaders took a poll to see who spoke the most Spanish. After I was volunteered as our best Spanish speaker, we learned that the group was being divided into three subgroups for home-hosted lunches. Juan and Maria could only translate at two homes. Guess who would be the group's spokesperson at the third home. 


I quickly rifled through my backpack to find my Lonely Planet Latin American Spanish phrasebook and tried to cram during the 10-minute ride to the home of fisherman Julio Villacis and his wife Lourdes. Her mother and their toddler son lived there, too. Mama had prepared the food.  Lourdes could speak a little English and had a dictionary. We all survived the lunch conversation and had a great traditional home-cooked meal while learning about each others’ cultures.
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Each island we explored was home to a variety of wildlife; some were only found on that particular island. The Isla Genovesa is noted for its red-footed boobies. North Seymour is the home to the blue-footed booby, and the morning we landed, right on the trail, we witnessed the booby courting ritual.

Another interesting bird was the frigate. The male has a bright red pouch down the length of his throat that he puffs up and stretches into a very large grapefruit-sized balloon during the mating season. Then he just sits on a branch, looking for a female to fly by and notice him.



On Santa Cruz, the largest inhabited island, we boarded a rickety blue tourist bus that transported us to a ranch that had become a tourist attraction. Before too long, our ranch employee guide had us on trails that led to marshy ponds where we got to see huge dome-shelled tortoises.

While on Santa Cruz we spent part of the afternoon at the Charles Darwin Station, which is a facility for the research and preservation of the giant tortoises. They take tortoise eggs from the wild, carefully noting which island the eggs belong to for later return, and put them in an incubator to hatch. When the tortoises are about 5 years old, they are big enough, and their shells are hard enough, that they can be returned to the wild on their home islands and not fall victim to predators.

One of our favorite parts was our excursion to the island of Floreana, the location of legendary Post Office Bay. The island is uninhabited, but tourists place written and addressed, unstamped post cards into “postal boxes”. They then browse through the post cards left by other travelers and pick up a few cards to mail or deliver. We chose two that were written to addresses in Portland, OR. The following summer, we hand-delivered those cards. I will always remember the surprise and delight on the faces of the folks who opened their doors to find us standing there holding a message to them from their loved ones.

There was much to be learned on this trip. Not only did we appreciate the diversity and beauty of the Galápagos Islands, but we got to experience life at sea and to know our travel mates in a close and intimate environment. People who had been strangers became special friends.
~ xoA ~

16 comments:

  1. This brings back special memories. Jeff proposed when we were visiting the Galapagos Islands...specifically, he proposed the day we visited the Post Office. The islands and their flora and fauna are amazing with no fear of humans. Thanks for reminding me.

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    1. What a sweet memory, Carol! Thanks for sharing that. Bless that Jeff's heart. xoA

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  2. I love love love the idea of Post Office Bay. That's awesome! I wonder how it got started? Did you leave a postcard behind for someone else to maybe mail someday? As always, I love adventuring with you via your blog. :-)

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    1. Here's what I know, Anna. The story is that in the 18th century whalers placed mail for home in a wood barrel on the shore of the island of Floreana with the expectation that other ships headed home would pick up their letters and deliver them to families.

      Yes, we left a couple post cards and one came back to us with a note from the person who picked it up.

      I'm glad you're enjoying the adventures. Thanks so much for your encouraging comments. xoA

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  3. What fun you have had with your life's travels. Looking forward to H! Nancy McIntosh

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    1. Nancy, the travel has been marvelous. I'm glad you're enjoying these tales. Thanks so much for commenting. xoA

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  4. Wow! It had to be so cool to visit there. I remember when I was younger and I learned about the island in school. The thought of seeing animals that we never get a chance to see sounded so cool to me. Great Post!

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    1. Seeing the animals was huge. At first, we didn't know where to walk because there were so many iguanas all over the place. By the time we left, we stepped right over them as we tried to get photos of other animals we'd never seen. Thanks for writing, Donnee. xoA

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  5. This sounds like such an amazing trip. I would love to visit the Galápagos Islands one day. Great post!

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    1. Thanks, Jasmine. It was a terrific to be there. xoA

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  6. Oh, your amazing trips. These writings are excellent and they really make me want to travel.

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    1. Thank you, Jason. Travel opens a whole new world. xoA

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  7. Such wonderful adventures. It's amazing you were able to witness the courting of the different bird species. And the idea of Post Office Bay is great. What a way for people to connect through the kindness of others.
    Thanks for sharing!

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    1. We were with our naturalist guide Maria, who explained it all to us. We were very lucky. Thank you. xoA

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  8. The Galapagos have been a source of fascination for me (in California) and for my wife (in New Jersey) since our respective childhood exposure to Darwin. It has become a fixture on our Bucket Lists. Unfortunately, a couple we know who are serious divers visited last year and painted a sad portrait of a land that is being over-used and abused. I'm afraid it has since slipped down our list a few notches. Your post makes me reconsider that assessment.

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    1. I'm sure things have changed since our visit in 2004. But, we've had friends --tourists, not divers -- who traveled there in the last few years and have enjoyed it. I'm guessing it depends on what you're looking for. My advice: check out some of the companies and see what they offer. (We traveled with OAT, Overseas Adventure Travel.) And get on some forums like Trip Advisor and see what the people are saying. Happy Travels. xoA

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