January 12 – Travel to the Galapagos Islands

At 7am, we left Hotel Cumbaya, which has become our “home base” over the past week, to embark for the Galapagos!   I can’t believe that we have been here for over ten days.  Time is flying by.  I am very excited for the warm weather (I was ensured by Dr. Malinconico that I could leave my winter coat with fur hood behind in Ecuador) and ecology.   We are going to see magnificent animals and incredible biodiversity.

As soon as we landed and walked into the Galapagos airport, big smiles and “oohs” and “ahhs” abounded.  The weather was warm, breezy, and sunny.  We left our bags at the hotel and began a short walking tour of town and the University of San Francisco’s satellite campus (GAIAS).  As we meandered through town we saw many restaurants and souvenir shops.  The beach was covered with sea lions, pelicans, frigate birds, and crabs.  It truly felt like we were in a tropical paradise.  The sea lions were very friendly and climbed up in the small boardwalk which lined the beach.  They sun bathed on the patio and even climbed into the slide of a small park!

After dinner we went to salsa class at a local restaurant.  Everyone caught on quickly and was spinning and grooving in no time!  Due to my inability to dance, I simply watched and took pictures of everyone.   I feel like I am in an oasis- not only am I learning about the origin of this magnificent islands, but also how the landscape, vegetation, and wildlife evolved!