Commemorating 30 years of life and 5 years of marriage for Geovanny and me
Before taking my first ever cruise of the
islands I had many doubts. Before I had criticized this luxury tourism of the
islands because most local people and Ecuadorians are prohibited from
participating due to high prices (average is $5,000 a person for 7 days which
includes visits, food, lodging, etc. but doesn’t include airfare and entry into
the national park). If only a few can participate and I try to be an examle of
social justice, was I being hypocritical by becoming one of the few for a week?
While the restricted access factor remains true and still bothers me to some
degree, Lindblad and NatGeo brightened my perspective of the cruise option as
ecological, educational and socially-responsible.
The lodging, programming, food and service were
all of premium quality, but the crew emphasized our responsibility to minimize
our ecological footprint and respect national park rules and local culture. The
boat desalinizes its own water and we were given water bottles to overcome the
need to buy water in plastic bottles. Fresh ingredients are carefully selected,
washed and shipped in secure packaging in the airplane carrying passengers to
the islands to diminish potential introduction of exotic species and combine
two previous trips into one. Guests pre-choose their meals at dinner time to
help the chef and cooks better calculate food, reducing waste. We reused our towels
for several days and had the option to not have our bed linens changed halfway
through the week (I saw about 1/3 of guests opt for this option, ~30/93). We
received a presentation on the human history of the islands by our expedition
leader, heard a representative from the Charles Darwin Foundation talk, and
enjoyed local music and dance performed by a group of musicians (Ecoarte) from
Santa Cruz Island. Furthermore, I estimate (because for privacy not fully
disclosed) that at least 10 guests had paid either a reduced fare or won their
trip through a raffle. For me, these examples represent balanced steps towards
ecological, educational and social responsibility in tourism in Galapagos.
In short, we visited 18 amazing, pristine
protected sites, saw all the wildlife we set out to see (collectively, not
individually, but regardless, this is not always possible!), and learned about
local Galapagos residents and efforts to safeguard the islands. We even had the
pleasure of sharing our expedition with the Editor-in-Chief of the National
Geographic magazine and his family!
Although I still hope access can be expanded to
allow local residents the possibility to better appreciate the beautiful
islands in which they reside, I saw many examples of how Lindblad and National
Geographic are making this happen. Hands down, I recommend if you save up to
visit Galapagos, please consider taking this cruise. You will have no regrets. http://www.expeditions.com/Ship_Detail92.asp?Ship=5
On the other hand, if the price-range out of
your budget, come visit us at our Hacienda Tranquila: www.haciendatranquila.com ! The
only favor I ask anyone visiting these beautiful islands is to think about how
you can help conserve your local beautiful and unique places. There are
countless ones around the world- we just need to open our eyes and appreciate
them.
Please see my photos below- I will write more up about each day with more photos in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, here is a preview. I would love to
receive your thoughts and comments. J
Saturday, March 31, 2012: San Cristobal Island, Cerro Brujo
I love this part of San Cristobal because of the view of Leon Dormido in the background and the circuline sand. Unfortunately, I did not walk around much as I needed Saturday to get my sea legs under me!
Sunday, April 1, 2012: My 30th Birthday on Espanola Island
Me posing by a Nazca booby and the mini geyser formed from an underwater cave on the rocky coast. We also blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and waved albatross. I even got a special birthday cake at dinner. What a day!
Monday, April 2, 2012: Floreana Island
Yet another magical island, our visit to Floreana was mesmerizing. We saw female sea turtle tracks from hours earlier when they came to lay their eggs, Floreana mockingbird, finches, lava lizards and even flamingos.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012: Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz
No visit is complete with a giant tortoise! This lady (or gent- not sure!) just emerged from a nice mud bath to remove parasites and relieve the heat.
The human-animal interactions has impacted natural behavior, or has it? All animals in Galapagos live in harmony- if a sea lion starts to live in harmony with the fisherman, isn't this another example of harmony in the animal kingdom?
These lovely ladies performed for us as part of the local group Ecoarte with beautifully designed and hand-painted Galapagos skirts. I am sending them this photo and hope to stay in touch. We need more positive programming like this for youth in our islands!
Wednesday, April 4: Santa Cruz, Eden and Daphne
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Yet another day of magical, volcanic places! Here is a marine iguana taking a sun bath. (Can you find him? Like his fellow galapaguenans, he camouflages well!)
We also got to play "hide and seek" with the land iguanas, spotting 10! This one looked like he wanted to give a high five of congratulations! Can you make out some of the metamorphological differences between the marine and land iguanas?
Here is a Geo iguana enjoying the fabulous Ecuadorian buffet at lunch.
Thursday, April 5: Famous Bartolome and Sombrero Chino Snorkeling
Yet again a must, a visit to Pennacle Rock or Bartolome- 6:30 am is the best visiting time!
Geo's brother and guide Fernando showed them an underwater cave- likely Geo's highlight of the trip.
We were also happy to see some little black and white friends there- Galapagos penguins!
Friday, April 6, 2012: Genovesa, bird paradise
We got to see tens of red-footed boobies in the red mangroves. This one looked right at me as if to say, "This is my home. Can I help you?"
The baby boobies were so curious to see us- this one is a Nazca booby (if I recall correctly).
This juvenile frigate bird seemed to be wondering why the male was puffed up looking up at the ladies in the air. I imagine him saying, "Dad, what are you doing?"
I saw a 3 hours documentary in NatGeo about the Galapagos and I though about you. Great blog and pictures. Keep the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patty! I am finally getting connected again with the outside world- I have slow internet at home! :) I hope you are well. Let me know when you guys come visit!
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