GALAPAGOS

Getting to the Galapagos was another crazy rotary traveling experience this time instead of leaving in the night at around midnight we left at three in the morning. We all got into a bus and drove to the airport in Guayaquil (which is a 3 hour ride but the driver drove very slowly so it took 4 hours instead) to catch our flight at nine. When we landed there was a big misunderstanding with the Galapagos Park authorities because all the exchange students were suppose to only pay 25 dollars like the Ecuadorians because we are all in school here. But on some of the letters from the different schools things were worded differently so must of the exchange students had to pay foreigner prices 100 dollars. Luckily this was the only big problem on the trip. After the airplane we got into another bus and drove to the opposite side of the island that we landed on to our hotel. We all had lunch then we went on a walk to see the giant tortoises which are actually giant these things have shells big enough for me to fit into.

The next day we split into groups my group went in a boat to another smaller island where we snorkeled with the sea lions. This was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever done I was so close to the sea lions I could have touched them and there were schools of fish swimming everywhere in the clearest water I’ve ever been in.

On the third day we all as a big group went to what is said to be the best beach in all of Ecuador where we could swim and relax in the morning. In the afternoon we went to old lava tunnels. We walked underground through pitch black with flash lights. And every night we were allowed to go and walk around the town we were in.

The last day was my favorite first we went on a walk to see the marine iguanas. And after we went to a canyon to snorkel and the water was even clearer the 2 day there because this waster was a mixture of salt and fresh water. When you were swimming through there was a part where a pile of rocks were in the way so you had to swim through an underwater cave. Then the guides made us go back to the hotel, but some of us wanted return to the canyon so we talked to the chaperons and were allowed to take a water taxi back. Because no one else was there we climbed up the walls and jumped off the rocks with some of the locals and we went to see how far we could go in the canyon. We ended up climbing over boulders through holes and swimming through the water for about 2 hours. We then ran back to the hotel changed supper quick got on another buss and went and had a fancy dinner on a ranch.

On the last day on the way to the airport we stopped at a sink hole that was lava tunnels the had collapsed and that just about raps up my Galapagos adventure.