1-30-20 - Charles Darwin Research Center

It’s 4:35 am and Leanne and Kyle wake up five minutes before both cell phone alarms erupt.  Today we leave the idyllic, undeveloped Isla Isabella Island in West Galápagos. Even though we were only there 48 hours, we accomplished what we set out to do.  Swim with sea turtles and sea lions, capture pictures of the blue-footed boobie birds and find sharks!  Score on all fronts! 

It is pitch dark but the cabs are right there for us at 5:20 am - score a perfect 10 for 10 for Rebecca Travel tour group. The hotel prepared us the yummy French toast and not a piece went unanswered. This life is so NOT reality sometimes.  How will we EVER go back?

On the way to the boat, Leanne thinks she sees our favorite French lady from the other day walking towards the pier. Leanne smiles as she knows we will be way in front of her online this time and maybe WE won’t move over this time. 

After the water taxi to speed boat to water taxi, we arrive at Puerto Aroya back in Santa Cruz.  This morning we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station where more than 100 scientists, educators and volunteers provide scientific knowledge and assistance to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity of Galapagos. Initial thoughts is we would see his work areas, old books, or maybe even catch an off note we could quickly decipher given the benefit of time.

The Darwin center also has a turtle breeding center. Our guide Cesar takes us around the turtle center and likes to ask the group questions.  Since we had already been to the turtle breeding center on Isla Isabella, we are looking like turtle rock stars answering all his questions.  The other 10 people in the group must think we are the worlds foremost turtle research experts. The center bred four types of tortoises and the babies could fit in the palm of your hand while the adults are size of bean bag chairs.  

At the center, we learn about the Charles Darwin Foundation’s conservation efforts and make a donation towards their work. Cesar is excited to take us to a very special air conditioned room. It is where they have embalmed Lonesome George, a now-deceased Giant Tortoise from Pintas (one of the islands) who made international headlines as he kept seeking a female to mate with well in his 100s. He was the last of species and the center tried to cross-breed him with other turtle species but it turned out he was sterile.   Kyle kept asking question after question more to avoid the heat outside.  By the time we left, Cesar was ready to award Kyle a turtle Ph.D. had there been one. 

Outside Cesar was less than thrilled with Leanne’s apathetic interest accusing her of “being tired” and maybe he should just stop talking.  That’s all we need is a guide making us feel scolded like a third grader.  Leanne perked up despite no coffee answering his next three questions like the geek she is. 

We are whisked away to the hotel and lunch.  The afternoon excursion was to other coves for more snorkeling.  We hike through a cool outer-space looking salt marsh to get to the snorkeling spot. Today Leanne tries to hang back as the last two days she found herself on the orange ring.  Today she will snorkel alone and near the boat. 

She’s the last to enter as she leisurely gets in the water.  As soon as she gets in, Guía the guide makes a beeline swim over to her. “Do I really look like I’m drowning again?” thinks Leanne. I just got in! “Hold the ring, I’ll show you,” shares Guía. The current was modest but challenging and this boat for some reason didn’t have fins for us. “OK,” says Leanne, because at least she was 100 percent sure he was our official guide today. 

Kyle and the boys are off Go-pro videoing the marine life. Kyle finds the first turtle and then swims above a shark as he swims for about 50 yards.  At least this time, Kyle didn’t get reprimanded to swimming off after sharks. If there are prizes for worst and best snorkelers, Kyle and Leanne would have won them both.  You can guess who would win which one. 

What’s super cool about the Galápagos (at least during our visit) it’s so uncrowded. You feel like you are just one of a few dozen tourists or even completely alone here at times.  In this oasis.  Just you and a turtle. You and an iguana. You and a shark. 

Guía the guide screams “Shark!” He is excited to share his find.  Leanne looks over and sure enough 20 feet from her was a shark longer than her and looking hungry.  But he was making a beeline in a different direction than her. (note to self: pray more!). 

Next boat stop was to a 250 feet long and 30 feet deep canyon with a fresh watering hole.  It looked like a luxury’s hotels organic looking pool.  Kyle, Justin and Corey dive off a platform and swim down ~25 feet to touch the bottom all while being captured on the buys Go Pros. 

We then hike to a beautiful vista to see a pelican nest and the waves crash hard onto beautiful lava rock shoreline.  It looks like the most serene beach one might ever see in their lifetimes.  Turquoise waves high enough to want you to grab a surfboard. 

Back on the boat, we are amused by one of the passengers on the boat.  She is in her mid-twenties and is with her mother and brother.  She has turned the day into her own professional Instagram modeling shoot making her mother and brother take about 1,000 photos of her in every pose under the sun at every place we’ve traversed.  By the end, the mother looks downright exhausted while the daughter is busy with her 500th post in the last three hours.

We head back into town for dinner.  The kids want to return to the same restaurant we went to the first nights in Santa Cruz earlier in the week but Kyle wants to find something new.  We check out one restaurant buts its mostly fish.  We go to the next one and the entire downstairs is empty save one table but the waiter doesn’t speak English and apparently he didn’t like our Spanish enough but he tells us that all the tables are reserved.  Yes, all 75 of them. Next we go a place that turns out to be bar with a limited snacks menu.  Kyle throws in the towel and we return to the original restaurant for a 3-peat. The waitress was so flattered by our return we get a free dessert.  We laugh and laugh at dinner like only a tropical location with ocean breezes and good burgers can generate.  Our pre-historic dragon moth dinosaur friend does not pay us a return visit allowing us to enjoy our last night in the Galapagos Islands.