getting used to yachting...

We´ve been back on land for over 5 hours, and the ground is still moving beneath our feet. Everyone has made a mad dash for internet. It was totally weird being so disconnected, but, surprisingly pleasant. The past eight days have been absolutely incredible. First, we flew from Quito into Baltra Island and took a ferry to Santa Cruz. A bus took us to Puerto Ayora where we boarded our private yacht named the Coral II. We met the crew and Hernan, our crazy new guide. Hernan. To describe him is quite difficult. Let´s just say Professor Shriver passed along a bit of advice he heard from the UD professor who used to run this trip. "Girls, you may be invited into the crew´s quarters. If that happens, the crew may try to give you gifts...that keep on giving..." The implication was heard, and we stayed away. None of us were even slightly tempted. Hernan may have been a ladies´man in his younger years, but his charms are fading fast. His creepy descriptions of sea turtles´mating practices and iguanas´courting rituals made us all a little uneasy. Other than his bizarre ¨scientific¨observations, he was a great guide and we saw EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine.

We did tons of snorkeling. Zodiacs took us from our yacht to the best coves and deserted islands. We spent hours in the water. Hernan´s version of snorkeling isn´t quiet observing and hovering. Instead, he would take off and swim for miles. With sharks in the water, our only option was to keep up! Even though 15 of us would be splashing, kicking, coughing, and laughing, we saw TONS of marine life. As promised, we saw huge rays, sea lions, penguines, turtles, tons of fish, and my personal favorite, very non-threatening sea stars. In the past eight days, not one went by without seeing sea lion puppies. They are so fun and love playing with people. When Stephanie was tanning on a white sand beach, one rolled onto her towel to share the warmth. Several times, we had sea lions relaxing with us on the back of our yacht. I´ll miss them!

One thing I found especially cool was the ¨Post Office Island.¨ Way back when, ships used to come through the islands and leave letters addressed to friends/family for other ships to deliver on their way. The tradition continues. Basically, you write a postcard to someone you know at home and leave it for a stranger to deliver. You can sort through the postcards and look for those going your way. No postage is necessary because you only take the cards you can hand deliver. I was so psyched to have FIVE postcards going to the Westchester area. Four of them are written by the same couple, Rod and Kate. By snooping, I learned that they were in the Galapagos on their honeymoon. One of the cards is addressed to a restaurant and says I will get a free beer if it is successfully delivered. Another card is addressed to a veternarian´s office. I suppose either Rod or Kate works there. Most of our group left postcards for our parents. So, Moms and Dads, be ready for a knock on the door from a fellow traveler!

Another tidbit worth mentioning was our second to last snorkeling adventure, but first, some quick background info:
On day 1 of the cruise, I recorded Hernan in my species list as a Merman. If you saw his awkwardly small speedo bathing suit and long salt and pepper hair floating underwater, you would agree. He has been known to freedive into the darkness while we vulnerably float on the surface. On one such occassion, he actually pulled a white tipped reef shark out from a cave. I was not a happy camper to see an aggravated shark while in the water. Hernan assured us that it was ¨fine.¨ Basically, he exudes a moronic confidence in the water.
Here´s the tidbit:
On January 23rd, we had a quick hike and then a long snorkel after. For the first time, the visability in the water was really poor. After about 20 minutes of nothingness, Lexi, Becca, and I were a little freaked out so we made use of the zodiacs. We relaxed and tanned while following the group. Suddenly, someone yelled that there was an octapus. Not wanting to miss out, Becca and I geared up and jumped back in the water. Just as we got to the octapus, it recoiled into a cave. Bummed out, we started making our way back to the zodiac. Before we knew what was happening, everyone was making a mad dash for the zodiac. I´ve never seen Ashley move so fast! I helped her take off her flippers and asked her what the heck was going on. She said Hernan had seen a shark and yelled for all of us to get out. I got into that zodiac pretty quickly too. From my safe vantage point, I watched as Hernan dove out of the water like the crazy Merman that I know him to be and landed next to me. He wasnt waiting for Professor Shriver to make his way up the zodiac´s little ladder. Hernan claimed to have seen a 5 meter long bull shark. AKA 15 FEET OF PEOPLE EATING MACHINE. We were all freaked out. Adam didn´t believe the sighting and lingered in the water for a bit. I watch shark week. I know what´s up. I definitely wasn´t taking any chances with a bull shark. No thank you!

We had so many other funny-crazy-wild stories but I can´t record them all now. It´s almost time for our next hike. Just to give you a better idea of our lives, here was a typical day on a yacht in the Galapagos:

7am personal wake-up announcement from Hernan
7:30am breakfast
8:30am disembarkment on a new, completely unique island
hike/snorkel
11:30am free time
12:30pm lunch
2pm disembarkment on a new, completely unique island
hike/snorkel
4pm free time
7:30 dinner
8:30pm powerpoint debriefing for next day

Whenever we came back to the boat, Gregorio, our bartender, would have bite size snacks and fresh juice out for us. We´ve renamed our classes Happy Hour 101 . Course Descpription: This class meets on the top deck, includes a drink du jour, and whale/dolphin watching. Please bring your own binoculars and camera. Prerequisites: Snorkeling 101 and Hiking 101.

The week flew by. I´ve taken over 1,500 pictures. Not one of them do this place any justice. Views of the varying topography are unbelievable. We are staying in Puetro Ayora for the next 3 days. Hernan is no longer our guide. Professor Shriver seems relieved. More stories in the making =)