Sunday, March 23, 2014

Spring Break

Last week was our spring break aka island hopping tour. The whole thing was planned out for us; first we went to Santa Cruz, took a day trip to the small, uninhabited Bartolome, and then went to Isabela. A few of my friends went with one friend's host mom to Santa Cruz again for the weekend. It was by far the best spring break I have ever had.

In Santa Cruz, we did a bunch of snorkeling and went to the beach. It was all really beautiful and we saw some sharks, pelicans, and a couple of penguins. My favorite place in Santa Cruz is called Las Grietas, or the cracks. It is a place where two cliffs border a "crack" full of brackish water. The best part is you can climb the rocks and jump into the water. It was pretty terrifying but so much fun when I finally got myself to jump.

When we went to Bartolome we swam with a penguin! The Galapagos penguin is the only penguin that lives north of the equator, and it is adorable. At Bartolome, we snorkeled around this beautiful beach that ended in this gorgeous projection called Pinnacle Rock. We also hiked up one of the hills to see an amazing view. Like a lot of what we saw, there was mostly lava rock with sparse vegetation. The Galapagos was made completely from a hot spot in the ocean, and as the tectonic plate below them moves, so will the islands, with new ones being made. The islands move to the east about 7 cm every year.
Las Grietas

Bartolome

Pinnacle Rock
After three days in Santa Cruz, we went over to Isabela Island. This one was by far my favorite. There was a beautiful beach (and beach bar) where you could watch the sunset behind a mountain in the distance. In Isabela, we snorkeled and also hiked up a huge shield volcano called Sierra Negra. This volcano has a huge caldera, or crater on top. It felt like being in prehistoric times to see all of the lava rock and no life up there. After that hike, we went into a cave made of a lava tunnel where there was complete darkness. The water from the surface was dripping through the rock and bringing minerals to the roof of the cave, making it look like gold. There are fewer people on Isabela, and it feels a little more peaceful and laid-back than San Cristobal and Santa Cruz (which is saying a lot because every island is really laid-back). I would love to go back to Isabela and maybe dive or do some more snorkeling, and definitely spend more time on the beach. Being here felt like I was truly on vacation in paradise. In Isabela, we saw tons of white-tipped sharks, penguins, marine iguanas, and flamingoes, which was really exciting. The wildlife here is unbelievable. 
Sierra Negra


Inside the cave
I'm so thankful that I got to spend my spring break doing such amazing things. These islands are so unique and I couldn't think of any place better to spend this time. They are so gorgeous and full of awesome people. I hope I can come back here someday and I hope that these islands never change at all.
Chao!