So the last couple weeks with my sister was amazing! Galapagos and machu picchu off Our bucket lists in a heavy traveling, close quarters two and a half weeks. It's been a while since my sister and I spent time like that together, and must say it was wonderful. I thought it couldn't get much better than machu picchu, and that's for sure but the galapagos rivaled it and at the same time, because they were such different types of places, both will stick in my mind as some of my fondest memories and favorite places I've ever had and ever been.
The galapagos islands were an immediate sensory overload. After arriving to our beautiful hotel, we just went for a stroll and saw huge iguanas, gigantic pelicans, sea lions, bright orange crabs, lizards, tortoises, and the incredible fish market
At the fish market were tons of fish and the fishermen were filleting the. And selling them Right there. Not only that but sea lions and pelicans were fighting over the scraps... Very cool to see.
We went to the famous Charles Darwin science center and saw the gigantic turtles and land iguanas and that was a pretty spectacular sight.
The next day we went diving. Shanny had never really dove before, only trying when she was very young and she was excited to try it. We did two dives which were equally incredible and I saw some amazing stuff. I hadn't been in almost three years, but like Riding your bike...it comes right back. I saw white tipped reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, over ten turtles, huge schools of fish, rays, and like before complete sensory overload.
The second day we went to tortuga bay, which is a park and beautiful beach. Here we saw some of the coolest animals in their natural habitats and here was where I took the best photos. We came out, after a thirty minute walk, to a huge white white sand beach and walked along that overwhelmed by the beauty. We noticed there weren't swimmers as there were "riptides". We followed the beach and reached a shallow and gorgeous mangrove bay where the water was as still as a pain of glass. The water never reaching above your waist and water clear enough to see your feet. We hung out there for a bit and got antsy to see what else there was. So we followed a path and at first didn't notice because we were to concerned with the temperature of the sand walking barefoot but when we stopped we noticed hundreds if not thousands of black iguanas camouflaged in the black volcanic rock.
Then we look further and noticed these black iguanas surfing and swimming about the waves...so fuckingggg COoooool. We saw the famous blue footed boobies diving and flying so suavely, it was incredible...prob my favorite animal I observed. The pelicans also making their dives, and the beautiful red crabs littered Across the black rock. We noticed the black iguanas taking the waves all the way in to a mangrove that was beyond the path, and Shanny and I being the adventurers we are decided to go behinds the Boundaries a little bit just to see. It was amazing, hundreds of iguanas coming in, using their reptile tail like the fin of a fish and swimming so amazingly. They'd come out and dry off On The rocks in incredible numbers. It was truly a unique and wild experience.
we just observed and took hundreds of pictures. After getting back on the path we tanned, or burnt like toast on the mangrove beach, and decided to head back. The first beach with the waves looked too appetizing to not go in, so I went and joined the surfers and did some AMAzing body surfing and didnt feel any rip tide haha.
The third day we went on a walking tour where we went to a couple different places, but the nightlight for me was "the crack" which was a narrow canyon fled with water that I guess was 30+ meters deep. And yes I jumped off the canyon wall many times, jumps as high as 15 meters, very f-ing fun
The last day we went on another dive which is where we decided the true true treasures of the Galapagos are, and saw amazing things.
Sadly we only has 5 days there, when we could've stayed for two or three weeks, but 5 was amazing.
We returned to Quito and stayed at my mountain guide's hotel (forAconcagua). He wasn't there sadly but his hotel was one of the most beautiful aces I have seen in a while. Hidden up In The mountains with fireplaces, the most amazing food, llamas, horses, peacocks, antique furnishing, it was just incredible and we hung out there for two days until her departure (this morning) and From there I took a bus to Baños, where I am now, a beautiful mountain town...staying at a small quiet bed and breakfast where I am writing this now.
I have four days here where I plan to hike, rock climb (FINALLY), raft, canyoneer, and just relax and write music and take it all in.
My mom and mark arrive Tuesday and we have a day in Quito before flying into the amazons!
After that I fly to colombia where I am meeting my long lost luli and have her company for almost two weeks in colonial cartagena where we will be hunting for the most beautiful empty beaches and hopefully (getting her to dive off the Caribbean coast).
After that I decided I am going to hunker down spending wise and settle for several months teaching kids how to read and write, and yes teach them music! In another Caribbean city called Santa Marta. From there we will see. I am coming to a realization that my journey cannot go on forever and and the end is in sight. And even though I don't want it to end I am going to make sure I have these experiences all throughout my life because you truly learn so much above yourself, different cultures, the worlds of travelers beside you, and just how beautiful life can be when you find time to enjoy what it has to offer.
And with that I leave you.
Cheers from Baños and hope everyone has a wonderful weekend
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