Snow in New York...

During our stay in Puerto Villamil, I spent every free minute in the water or walking on the beach. Time spent on the computer was time wasted.  I promised myself (and others) that I would write about our last adventures once we got home. So, here I am, writing to you from Rye, New York.

Our hike up and around Sierra Negra was unlike anything we had done before.  A bus took us up most of the mountain, so, we only had to climb for about 20 minutes to reach the top of the volcano.  It may sound like we took the easy way out, however, I assure you that the 5.5 hours of hiking ahead of us was no picnic.  Most tourists explore Sierra Negra by horseback.  For reasons that I won't get into, (I'm not bitter or anything), we relied on our own two feet.  Of course, the stunning views made our effort worthwhile.  For the first two hours of hiking we walked through waste deep fauna.  Lush, green ferns and the invasive mangroves brushed our legs as we walked on the narrow trail.  We went around the caldera, aka GIANT crater.  The inside is filled with 'A'a lava and pahoehoe lava, aka rope lava.  Our eyes were playing tricks on us, maybe it was a combination of the heat and exhaustion, but it looked like the lava was flowing.  Almost at the end of the trail, we begged our guide Julio for a break.  We called a TO to enjoy our packed lunches in the shade of the only tree around.  A yellow warbler chirped at our feet asking for handouts.  Continuing on our way, the path changed drastically.  The green fields turned to dried lava flows for as far as we could see.  It looked like another planet.  The occasional lava lizard reminded us that there is life even in the craziest of environments.  At the end of the trail, we sat down, enjoyed the moment, and meditated for a few minutes.  Awesome.  We made our way back, the same way we came.  It was a long, long trail.  Our bus ride back to our hotel was silent.  Some of us snoozed.  Some of us stayed awake contemplating excuses for the next day's hike....juust kidding, Professor!

In the end, only Lexi missed the next day's hike.  Professor Shriver banned her from any outdoor activity after seeing her terrible sunburn.  She missed out on a 7 kilometer hike through the wetlands of Isabela.  The scenery looked very similar to a lot of the hikes we did while staying on the yacht.  My favorite part was the arial view of the island obtained from climbing a random set of stairs.  The destination for that hike was the "Wall of Tears," a tragic monument built by prisoners exiled to the Galapagos.  After struggling to get to the Wall of Tears, we couldn't imagine building it.  It was about 100 degrees and really sunny.  For the first time, everyone was jealous of my SPF55.  

Later that night, a few of the girls and I experienced salsa dancing at our favorite bar on Isabela, The Sea Lion.  It reminded me of my favorite summertime spot, Nick's.  (Shoutout to Montauk).  Basically, it was a hodgepodge of people being drunk and disorderly.  It should be noted that everyone from our trip behaved with the utmost class.  

For our final day on Isabela, Professor Shriver gave us our freedom.  Most of us spent the day relaxing on the beach.  Becca, Ashley, Lexi, Stephanie, and I spent the day in the water.  It felt great at the time, but our lasting saltburns and sunburns told us it was time to go home.  Too much of anything...oh well.  

Today, I find myself snuggled up in an arm chair catching up on all the shows I DVRed while we were away. Outside, snow is falling. If it weren't for the covered trees, my eyes might have mistaken my backyard for a white sand beach. It reminds me that in a land far, far away, sea lions continue to drench themselves in sunlight. All lined up, their dark bodies look like tally marks across a clean, white sheet of paper. Their puppies are curious of new tourists.

This evening, there will be another spectacular sunset on the beach of Puerto Villamil. The local children will be surfing silhouettes as another day in the Galapagos ends. Somewhere out there, Pablo is lecturing a new group about communism; Hernan is showing off his skills by diving into the depths; and Julio is taking swigs from a private flask...awkward/too soon?! Everything will continue as usual without us there. It's sad but wonderful.