The Galapagos!

I finally have decided to sit down and write my blog. When I left I was sure I would update my blog somewhat frequently, and here I am, a month into my trip, and I haven't written a thing. For some reason, I'm not surprised though.

This past month has been wonderful! I have been in the Galapagos for almost two weeks now, and they are as incredible as everyone says. Pristine beaches in every direction, turquoise water, and wildlife galore! i have been traveling with my friend Sarah, one of my best friends, who I met studying abroad in Ecuador three years ago. She and has been living and working in Quito since she graduated from college 2 years ago and it has been super fun to be reunited in the "homeland."

Yesterday, we left Santa Cruz (one of the main islands), and are now in San Cristobal. San Cristobal is much quieter, and I already don´t want to leave! We fly out on Saturday, but supposedly it´s free to extend your ticket, so we´ll see...

Everyday is a new adventure here, and so much has happened in the past 2 weeks, that I can barely keep everything straight in my head. The Galapagos are crazy! Half the water species are unique to the Galapagos, and a fifth of the land animals are. A few days ago, after being on Santa Cruz for more than a week, we finally made our way to the Charles Darwin Research Center to check out the world famous giant tortoises. Somehow we ended up going the wrong way on the path, and the first thing we saw were the full grown tortoises. Sarah and I immediately looked at each other and burst out laughing, not because they were funny, but because we were so shocked, and they were so much larger than we ever expected. they are about four feet long, and have the most gigantic shells ever. As we progressed along the path, they got smaller and smaller, until we ended up at the visitors center which gave an introduction to the history and growth of the tortoises. I´m glad we did it backwards though, it was much more shocking and exciting!

I´ve been here two weeks now, and I feel like I am getting used to lying on the beach with sea lions, and seeing pelicans, blue footed boobies, and iguanas in every direction! Everyday we see a ton of a new animals. A few days ago, we took a day tour to an island called Santa Fe, which is about 13 miles from Santa Cruz. After anchoring the boat, the guides took us to shore in a small dingy. As we approached the coastline, a school of about 10 bull sharks surrounded our boat. Supposedly, bull sharks are harmless, the last attack was four years ago when a snorkeler gave a bull shark a hug for a photo op, and the shark bit his lip off, but still, I was really nervous. Luckily nothing happened, and I still haven´t seen a shark while I´ve been snorkeling, which I´m not too upset about.

The most incredible experience I have had here in the Galapagos, or in all of Ecuador for that matter, had nothing to do with nature though, it had to do with politics. Last week, as Sarah and I were finishing up our menestra (rice and beans) in the street, people started telling us that Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador, was also eating in the street, and sure enough, he was. We walked down to take a look, and i couldn't believe it. There was the president of Ecuador, sitting at a plastic table in the street, eating menestra with the people. He was talking to everyone, taking pictures with everyone, and after he finished eating, someone handed him a guitar and he started singing songs about Che Guevara and the revolution, with everyone singing along. Can you imagine if Obama was singing songs about Che Guevara in the street? Not that that is a legitimate comparison in any way, but it´s crazy to think about. When I told my dad this story, he told me that Fox News's latest attack on Obama was that he put Dijon mustard on his burger instead of ketchup, which obviously shows how much of an elitist he is. Can you imagine if he was singing songs about communism in the street with the people? Comparing a socialist Latin American country of 12 million people to the US is like comparing apples and oranges, but still, the contrast is unbelievable. There was something so pure and so real about it. Everyone was singing together, and after a few songs, Correa handed the guitar to someone else to play, so that he could dance with the people. After our encounter with him, we ended up going back to the hostel, sitting on the roof, just trying to absorb what had happened. Of course, we introduced ourselves too and got our picture taken!

Well, i have been writing for awhile now, and even though so much more has happened, I think I´m going to have to sign off. I´m sweating up a storm in this internet cafe, and think I need to go jump in the ocean and cool off! I will try to post some pictures sometimes soon, but until then, I´ll just give you this one of Sarah and I with president Correa! Hope everyone is well! Much love, Heather