"Galapagos Honeymoon"

So, as mentioned in my previous posts, Jon came to visit last week! Although I already blogged about the wedding there were a lot more great moments that made up his all too short visit. A recap of the adventures:

On Saturday morning I met with Jacquie to go meet the guys at the airport (Jon was traveling with Jacquie’s boyfriend and our friend Dan!). On our way we caught Jac’s parents who wanted to decorate Dan’s room with balloons to welcome him. We helped blow up balloons until we saw their plan touch down and then we knew we had to go! We made it to the airport with time to spare and as soon as the guys got their luggage there were lots of hugs all around!

We had a relaxing day eating lunch, walking around town, and hanging out at the beach for a bit. That evening Jon and I wandered over to a neighboring beach called Punta Cerrola. The water isn’t the best for swimming but it was a great area to watch a wonderful sunset!

On the rocky area of the beach checking out some iguanas before sunset

That evening we had dinner with the GAIAS group and then headed to Iguana Rock and then the discotech so the guys could see the San Cristobal nightlife! We stayed out til around 1am and then called it a night after a great first day!

The next day we were off to snorkel at Leon Dormido!! Jacquie’s Dad, a captian, had offered us a nice deal to go with him and some of their family and so at 8:30am we were in the boat and ready to go! First stop was Leon Dormido, a challenging place to snorkel for the first time due to the current, rented masks, and (of course) the sharks. However, we were REALLY lucky and saw TWO hammerhead sharks right below us. It felt surreal! 

Before we jumped in the water (it even looks cold in the picture!). We swam through the channel area you can see in the back left of the picture.

After we swam through the channel we spent time swimming and exploring near the rock before we were headed off visit a nearby beach. Here we got to relax, play in the water, and enjoy the great view of the ocean. We had a nice lunch on the boat and then headed to our second snorkel spot. 

Hanging out on the beach and warming up!

Although the water was freezing we stuck it out for over 30min seeing eels, marine iguanas eating in the water, a ray, lots of fish, and some sea lions! However, we were all so chilly when we got back in the boat that it was a relief to get to dry land and warm up. Once we could feel our fingers and toes we grabbed some beer and headed to Playa Mann to hit the beach again! It was empanada Sunday and we enjoyed queso empanadas, beer, and ice cream while watching another spectacular sunset!

On Playa Mann with the sun going down!

Monday was a very relaxed day. Jon and I spent time on the beach, souvenir shopping, and enjoying a proper ‘almuerzo’ (lunch). I brought him to a popular area near campus where you can jump off a dock (about 10ft high) into the ocean - lots of fun! We also went to Tijeretas, (another snorkel area and also a lookout point), about a 20min walk from campus. 

Tijeretas snorkel area

Although it was almost 4:30pm we jumped in and happened immediately upon a sea turtle! We hung out with the big guy for about 15min watching him eat and swim until he eventually swam out to sea. We snorkeled around more, enjoying the fish, and then went to go see the sunset at Punta Cerrola again. We had the beach all to ourselves making for a really special evening!

The empty stretch of beach and the sun setting

On Tuesday we were up and ready to go early again. Today Dan, Jon, Jac, and I headed up to see the highlands. We wanted the guys to see El Junco, the Galapaguera, and Puerto Chino (similar to what I did last month on my field trip!). We rented a taxi to drive us to each stop and wait for us along the way (a common thing to do here). Our first stop was El Junco but unfortunately there was a lot of “garua” or “mist” which meant the guys couldn’t see much of the lake and we all got soaked on our walk around.

A before picture at El Junco near the trailhead (picture from Jacquie) dry and ready and an after picture following the 20min hike around (less dry)...

Luckily things were dryer down at the Galapaguera and we saw even more turtles then we had when I first went. They were everywhere!! A great experience! 

Puerto Chino was also a little cloudy but perfect as we had the place to ourselves. We had a picnic lunch, took naps, went swimming, and walked around on the rocks. We also stumbled along a few blue-footed boobies who were more then happy to pose for us!

Blue footed boobie hanging out on the rocks

That night was Christina’s last night in Ecuador before she headed home to be with her family. We went out for an excellent dinner at Calypso after attempting to find ceviche at three different locations (all closed)! 

The girls enjoying some good red wine!

The evening was culminated by relaxing on the boardwalk, drinking wine and enjoying the company of friends. It was a very relaxed night and really nice to spend together. 

On Wednesday we met up with Jac and Dan to have breakfast!

We had SO MUCH food (per usual) but it was all delicious and we were very full!

Christina headed out to the airport around 11am. Several of us came to see her off. It was extremely sad to see her go but we agreed that it was the best decision for her. We all miss her but we’re glad she is home where she needs to be.

A final picture together on the beach

Jon and I had the wedding that night so we relaxed in the early afternoon and checked out some marine life that was hanging out on the boardwalk!

Just 'hanging out' with some new friends

Hanging out with a huge marine iguana that ended up in town (unusual) and a large lobo (sea lion)!

That evening was the wedding (see the earlier blog post "This one time, when I got married in Ecuador"), which was an absolute blast and a really special way to spend our time together. Thursday was our last full day together but we spent the morning taking it easy and recovering from the events of the night before. Once we were certain we were feeling better we met up with Dan and Jac and headed out to do a little souvenir shopping. 

Dan snapped this shot of us in the AM - The first "married couple" picture :-P

We decided to head to the interpretation center (located near school) to learn a little more about the island. While we were there the sun decided to come out and we finished the day on the beach. Although it started very relaxed, the sea lions decided to tramp along our towels and reclaim the area of beach we were on. It was pretty funny!

To end the evening we went out for a nice dinner at “La Playa” which is right near the ocean. We had all sorts of delicious fish and felt extremely full afterwards. 

Always hungry for a good meal!!

After we met up with some friends after to check out the stars and then went home. In the morning we had just enough time to enjoy a delicious breakfast with Dan and Jac at Mockingbird (with real French toast!!!!!) and head over to Playa Mann to take a last (very cold) dip in the ocean. We showered, said goodbye to my host family, and hit a couple last souvenir shops. I made sure to stock Jon up on yummy panaderia treats and Ecuadorian snacks and sweets for the plane ride. Then we headed off to the airport with Jac and Dan to see the guys off.

Parting picture

It was amazing for Jon to be able to visit and see all the things I’ve only been able to describe to him in words and pictures. It also was perfect timing since I was not in class and had time to show him around. I only wish he and Dan could have stayed longer!!