January 18th: To Santa Cruz Island and Snorkel Tintoreras
I am sitting on the rooftop terrace at our hotel on Santa Cruz overlooking the ocean. A warm breeze envelopes me as I admire the palm trees. I wish my apartment at Lafayette had such a breathtaking ambiance!
We did an early morning snorkel at Tintoreras. Although the tide was coming in and disrupting the clarity of the water, I saw numerous colorful fish and sea turtles. Some people even saw eels and sea slugs. After lunch at a small restaurant on Isabella we departed for Santa Cruz, the most populated island in the Galapagos. It was evident as soon as we entered the harbor that this island was more metropolitan than the others. There were large cruise ships and graffiti on the rocks along the coast. Multiple story buildings and shops decorated the main street. As we walked to our hotel we passed countless souvenir shops and restaurants (most of which had the menu in both English and Spanish- something we definitely did not experience on the other islands where I was compelled to use my limited Spanish to translate menus and ask simple questions).
I am off to study and shower before our group dinner tonight. I can’t believe today is January 18th. Tomorrow, we have our last day of snorkeling and ecology. On Thursday we return to Quito for our exam and then fly home on Friday. I feel so blessed to have experienced geology, biology, and culture in such a beautiful and diverse country. I wish I could stay longer to soak in the tropical sun, spectacular topography, and unique species. These three weeks have prompted me to appreciate the natural wonders of the world and inquire about how things (land, rocks, wildlife) are formed and evolved to their present state.