THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (Part 1)

The Galapagos Islands are unlike anywhere else in the world.  The amount of wildlife you are able to observe at such a close distance is unbelievable and the scenery in the islands is breathtaking.  From the moment that our flight landed in Baltra, Galapagos, I was so excited! The air was thick and humid but I was certainly ready for warm weather!

From Baltra I made my way to nearby Santa Cruz island to stay in Puerto Ayora in order to arrange day trips during my stay.  Prior to coming to the Galapagos I was contemplating booking an 8 day tour but given the high costs of this option I decided to see how traveling the Galapagos independently would work out.  After settling on a hotel, Hotel Palemeras, I went off to the travel agencies to figure out what I wanted to do with my time while on the islands.  Puerto Ayora is very touristy so the main streets near the ocean are lined with travel agencies and Westernized food (this can be both good and bad!).

Although Puerto Ayora is a well developed community it was still clear by the end of my first day that the animals still rule the land!  As the fisherman were cutting up pieces of fresh fish on the dock, a massive group of birds and sea lions were screaming at the workers until they fed them the scraps.  I had never seen animals so unintimidated by humans before! It was the perfect introduction to life on the Galapagos...wildlife anywhere and everywhere!

Below are the highlights/experiences of the islands that I visited during the first five days of my trip-

Isla Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz was my base for the first half of my trip as it was easy to arrange tours from here.  On the days that I wasn't doing day trips I took advantage of the sights within and nearby Puerto Ayoro.  The town in itself is very touristy but if you simply walk a few blocks away from the main street it is easy to get away from the crowd and find cheaper restaurants where the locals eat. Santa Cruz is also rich with sights around the island so I took advantage of my half days to visit a few popular sights.  On a Sunday with everything shut down I went to Tortuga Bay National Park.  It was only a 10 minute walk from town to the entrance of the park and then take a 30 minute walk to arrive at Playa Tortuga, which is a beautiful white sand beach filled with marine iguanas and birds.  As I curved around the beach to the other side I arrived at a peaceful lagoon where I found a perfectly shaded spot under a mangrove tree and went swimming in the calm water.

Later on I went to the Charles Darwin Research Station, which is a conservation center in Puerto Ayora.  They have the oldest species of tortoises and have a breeding center for the different species. It was nice to walk around the complex and learn more about the conservation efforts on the islands.

Baby tortoises!

My last main stop in Santa Cruz was Las Grietas, which is a canyon like rock formation with crystal clear turquoise waters.  After a scorching hot walk to get there it felt incredible to jump into the water! I could have spent all afternoon lounging there but I had to head back to the mainland for a trip!

Isla Floreana
This was my first day trip in the Galapagos.  We left from the main harbor in Santa Cruz by speedboat and arrived to the islands in two hours.  The speedboat was quite bumpy and it certainly wouldn't be for those who tend to get seasick. 

Port at Isla Floreana

The walk through the island felt like we were going through prehistoric land.  The land was very green and there was vegetation everywhere throughout the islands.  It was also really interesting to see all of the caves and markings that were meant to protect the inhabitants of the island.

On the last part of the walk we went through a turtle sanctuary to see the giant tortoises in a more natural habitat.  As we walked into their living space we caught a mating session between the tortoises which was quite a sight!  Their living area seemed really open and well kept.










After eating a fresh fish lunch we went to a nearby black sand beach for snorkelling and then went back to the boat to cruise around the island before heading back to Santa Cruz.

Lazy sea lions

To top off a perfect day trip we were entertained by a group of nearly 50 dolphins who were moving in our direction.  A smaller group of about 6 of them were chasing the front of the boat and jumping out of the water...it was unreal!

Isla Bartolome
My day trip to Bartolome was my greatest expense, after my flight, in the Galapagos.  This day trip is known to have the best panoramic view of the islands.  The boat for this trip was amazing, with plenty of space and room to hang out during the ride to and from the island.  I might also add that the food on the boat was amazing!  On the way to the islands we stopped to see wildlife, including lots of blue footed boobies, which are a famous bird that lives in the Galapagos.

Sailing in the Galapagos

Blue footed Boobies!

The mainland of Bartolome was incredible.  The combination of designs from the volcanic rock and the turquoise water made the scenic view from the land amazing.

Our guide led us on a walk through the volcanic rocks and explained how the island became the way it currently is.  I caught about 70% of what he was saying given that I was in a Spanish group! Regardless, it was unlike anything I have ever seen!  There are not any people living on this island so it feels very isolated from the world.

After some snorkelling and lunch we went to the other part of the island to hike up to the main panoramic viewpoint of Bartolome.  Along the way we were able to view iguanas, lizards, and birds.

View at Bartolome

Volcanic crater in the ocean

On the way back to Santa Cruz I loved sitting out on the back of the boat watching the sunset.  There was a flock of frigate birds (another common bird in the Galapagos) following the boat on the way back.  This was yet another perfect ending to a perfect day trip!

Although this was an expensive day trip it was well worth it.  The scenery at Bartolome is unlike any other island in the Galapagos that I visited.


Mainly because I have run out of time at the internet cafe I will split this post up into two sections.  In the next post I will cover the final five days of my Galapagos adventures! Stay tuned!

My Darling Dahab (and the rest of Luxor)

I am ashamed to say that I never came around to posting about Dahab and the rest of Luxor.  Its amazing how time passes by!  Some of my best memories from my entire nine month trip were in Dahab, a backpacker/divers paradise located on the Red Sea.  When I come back from South America I vow to finish this post! Until then here are a few of the many wonderful memories from Dahab and the Sinai region!

Red Sea Relax Resort ($8 dorm rooms!)

Watching the World Cup on the roof 

Getting our Advance diver certification at the Blue Hole 

Diving WWII Wreck site- Thistlegorm

Trekking up Mt. Sinai for sunrise 

Kicking back on the beach with good food and friends

Pole Pole- Zanzibar and Kenya

I love how slowly time moves in East Africa.  The days are long and no one seems to be in a hurry.  Pole Pole!

I couldn't seem to get enough time in Zanzibar.  It is the definition of relaxation.  Gorgeous beaches, wonderful accommodation, amazing locals, and delicious seafood!  After a few days in Stone Town, we were ready to find our own slice of serenity on the East Coast of Zanzibar.  A crammed hour long bus ride led us to Jambiani Beach.  Now, I have been to A LOT of spectacular beaches around the world but there was something truly special about this beach.

Perhaps it was our $10 beachfront villa

Or sitting back and watching the dhow boats head out to catch fish before sunset

  

Or watching sunset before eating the fresh fish

Or waking up for low tide to see the locals doing their "ocean farming"

       

Or hanging out with the locals

                             

The combination of things that made Jambiani Beach so special and unique is likely why it is one of the best beaches I have ever been to!

It was tough to say goodbye but the journey had to go on!  Once arriving back in Stone Town, our new friend Solomon showed us around the island and took us up north to the village where he grew up.  We went to a turtle sanctuary where his friend worked and we were able to chill with the turtles (one of my favorite animals!).

Afterwards, we stopped at his aunt's restaurant for lunch as an afternoon storm began to roll in .  The beach looked so incredible with the rain in the backround.  This was the perfect way to end our time in Zanzibar although we could have easily spent another week there.

With only a week left in East Africa we decided to hit a few spots on the East Coast of Kenya.  Our first stop was Malindi, which is a small laid back beach town roughly 2 hours north of Mombasa.  Malindi has a small Italian expat community so we treated ourselves to some delicious Italian food during our stay.  The one thing that I really missed in Africa was cheese so it was great to finally have some GOOD pizza!

From Malindi we took a day trip to the Marafa Depression, aka "Hells Kitchen".  For $5 you get a guide that will take you around the sandstone canyon and discuss both the local legends and natural reasoning for the rock formations.  It was a very interesting site with such amazing contrasts between the different shades of red, orange, and yellow in the sandstone.

   

Before heading back to Nairobi we spent a couple days sightseeing around Mombasa.  Mombasa is definitely a fast moving city, especially compared to Zanzibar and Malindi.  It was the perfect way to prepare ourselves for Nairobi.

Fort Jesus, Mombasa

Unfortunately Nairobi, or "Nairobbery" as some may call has a bad reputation for muggings.  Expecting the worst, we were very cautious and decided to go out in daylight with the only necessary possessions in a money belt.  I actually felt very safe walking around downtown and was glad that I didn't stay holed up in the guest house.    Although I did not end up doing any real sightseeing in Nairobi, I got a decent taste of the city.  Julie and I parted ways from Nairobi after backpacking together for 4.5 months.  While it was sad to say goodbye we were both excited for our next destinations!

Take me to ZANZIBAR

As Julie and I hopped onto the bus to Jinja, Uganda, we turned out the window to say goodbye to our mom as we continued on our journey.  There we were, back on our own, roughing it with no set agenda and just a deadline to return to Nairobi for our flights! By nightfall, we arrived in Jinja and had no clue where to go. The only option was a motorcyle, and despite my skepticism, I was shocked it could fit me and my beastly backpack.  It was mildly terrifying, but we made it to the hostel without any broken bones!  The next day, we wandered aimlessly, ended up at the source of the Nile River, and got a firsthand look at the Class 5 rapids that we would be up against the following day.

From Jinja,  we made our way down to Rwanda to spend four days in the country before making our cross country journey through Tanzania.  Being in Rwanda was intense, as all I could think about was the horrendous genocide that occurred during my lifetime.  But, I truly was inspired by the resilience of the people and couldn't believe how warm Rwandans were and how developed the country has become.  We were in Rwanda for Easter and made our way through the countryside, to a small lake town, Kibuye, to relax and hear the voices of the choir at a local church.  Upon returning back to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, we visited the Genocide Memorial Museum for the anniversary of the genocide.  It was chilling to hear the wailing cries of local people in the background who were reminiscing about the atrocities that occurred not too long ago.

As we caught the bus to the Tanzanian border, there was the realization that we had a huge task at hand: getting to paradise, aka, ZANZIBAR! After thinking of every possible route, we made a plan. Essentially, the quickest way to get to the opposite coast of Tanzania was to go back through Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, but we refused to have to deal with the hassle of border crossings!  So instead, it became an epic cross-country journey, taking an "8 hour bus ride" to Mwanza, Tanzania.  As the bus approached early morning, there were already 30 people standing in the aisle as they piled the rest of us on.  The bus ride was unbelievably exhausting, lasting 12 hours, but quite entertaining.  When a lady with a baby came on board, they would just pass the baby to a random person while the mom stood up.  Africans truly have a community mentality wherever they go!


Although Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania, there wasn't really much to do there! Our only goal was to get to Zanzibar ASAP.  The decision was made to suck it up and splurge on a ticket to Zanzibar!  Realistically, it saved us days of packed in buses, breakdowns, and just some crazy adventures that I don't know if I was ready to handle.


Immediately, I felt instant serenity seeing Zanzibar in the distance.  After settling in, we explored the cultural heart of Zanzibar, Stone Town. Full of winding alleys, bazaars, and charming buildings characterized by carved wooden doors, it was easy to get lost in time as I wandered through this maze-like town.  I truly loved everything about Stone Town.  The people were warm, the markets were bustling, and the local scene was very unique.  I particularly loved the night market, where all of the seafood caught during the day was showcased by the fisherman.  Not only was the food fresh and delicious, but it was cheap!

Zanzibar is known for its spices, so we figured we would go on a spice tour to see what they were growing in the rural areas of the island.  The tour was enjoyable and a bunch of locals followed us around, making us souvenirs out of the leaves while we smelled the many different spices and sampled fruits grown in the area.  Afterward, we explored an old slave site, and then had some down time at a quiet isolated beach.  Overall, it was a great budget day trip.

Zanzibar and the rest of my East African adventures are to be continued...