Living In a Galápagos Paradise

It is always hard to put into words for this blog the amazingness and wonder of my travels... the many adventures, the amazing destinations, the colorful people, the breathtaking beauty, etc. But this post is the hardest of all-- how do I possibly capture 8 of the best days of my life? I will try and hopefully the over 500 photos I took will help further illustrate my amazing Galapagos experience!

After exploring the many options available to cruise through the Galapagos (trust me... there are many and none of them are cheap), I chose an 8 day sailboat trip which featured lots of physical activity geared towards a younger crowd. I can say without a doubt I picked the perfect boat for me! It was so amazing to sail the ocean on our tiny boat-- the fresh ocean breeze and crystal clear views of the ocean surrounding us. I must say our boat was not luxurius, nor spacious for that matter-- but it was the perfect home for our 8 days and 7 nights in the islands. Each night I watched the sunset over the ocean and each morning I also watched the sunrise. I slept every single night out on the deck of the boat-- falling asleep while star gazing at the magnificently clear sky above with the fresh ocean air breezing by.

We started each day early and had a pretty standard and fabulous daily routine: 2 - 3 snorkel excursions, a hike around an island or 2, some time sailing at sea, 3 delicious meals a day (and a tea/snack time in the early evening) and star gazing and libations on the deck at night. It was heaven!

The Galapagos are incredibly beautiful and full of the most colorful, interesting and unique birds, reptiles, and marine life anywhere on earth. In my 8 days on the island I swam with sharks, sting rays and colorful fish of every variety, hung out with sea lions, watched giant tortoises mating (true story), paid a visit to some penguins, watched a Galapagos shark (the dangerous kind of shark found in the Galapagos) do circles around our sailboat, I saw iguanas that are over 80 years old dominate islands, watched various birds soar with blue feet, red neck pouches, long tailfeathers, and even saw a Galapagos hawk search for it`s prey. It all was absolutely incredible. The ocean and islands themself are pristine and gorgeous on their own and then when you add in the wildlife-- it is a combination beyond compare!

My birthday on the boat was incredible-- starting from the very first few moments when I woke to watch the sunrise from my cozy `bed`on the deck. The chef on the boat even made me a birthday cake and some of the other people on the boat even gave me little presents they were able to rummage together from their backpacks... It all was a wonderful surprise! Turning 27 years old has been fabulous so far-- I feel incredibly forunate for such a special birthday!

Our 8 days in the Galapagos went by in the blink of an eye-- but we did, saw and experienced so much in that time it was unreal. A beautiful, amazing and powerful experience from beginning to end-- I truly fell in love the Galapagos Islands! (I know I say this about everywhere I visit, but I mean it more than ever in this case!)

I am now currently in Cuenca, Ecuador where I arrived late last night. Today I spent time enjoying this amazing colonial city (including Inca ruins, a museum with shrunken human heads among many other things, a flower market of course a few cathedrals) and tomorrow I will travel about an hour outside of Cuenca to hike in Parque Nacional Cajas. If all goes well I will catch a night bus tomorrow heading towards Banos, where I will spend the next few days bathing in thermal baths, hiking and biking it up in the mountains. Oh and it will be Carnaval too-- bonus! Life is oh so good!

I am in utter disbelief that there is only just over a week left of my trip. Instead of feeling sad for such an amazing experience to end (although the emotions and the end are inevitable)-- I am going to focus only on making the most of the next 9 days! I have a jam packed agenda ahead of me-- bring it on Ecuador!