The beginning of the end

I can’t believe how time flies. It’s the beginning of the end now -- I’m in my last week in the Galapagos and just 18 days before I arrive back home to Portland! We are all trying to make the most of our last few days here balancing beach time, adventure time, and homework time.

On the adventure side I spent last Thursday and Friday camping! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for several weeks but just hadn’t gotten put together. Finally we realized we were out of time and a group of seven of us agreed to make it happen. We decided to head to Puerto Chino, a favorite camping spot of other GAIAS students and one of our favorite beaches. We got a permit from the park and headed out late on Thursday afternoon piling all seven of us, one surfboard, one two person tent, and lots of food into Jacquie’s Dad’s taxi.

Arrival at Puerto Chino!

Upon arrival we immediately we set up our two person tent where Shelby and Dainelle would be sleeping and the rest of us spread a sheet on the sand where we would spend the night under the stars. Then we ran down to the water and went swimming, spending quite a while playing in the waves until the light started growing dark. We were the only people on the beach, completely isolated with no one else around for several miles.

Our campsite as seen from a lookout point above

We enjoyed a delicious dinner of avocado, beans, chips, salsa, and fresh pineapple. After dinner it got “dark” but the full moon made the beach really bright despite a lot of clouds. We stayed up chatting, playing cards, and having wine until we got sleepy. A few of us even took a quick moonlit swim before bed (being very careful to stay in the shallows for safety).

Comfy and (mostly) warm camped out on the beach

In the morning we woke up with the sun. It had been a cloudy night (no stars) but not too cold. We spent the morning wandering around observing blue footed boobies, hermit crabs, and sea lions. We were supposed to have pan de dulce for breakfast but unfortunately the fat little finches and curious mockingbirds had broken into the bag and ate 3 ½ of our 7 rolls! No matter….

Blue footed boobie on the rocks

Little hermit crab!

After relaxing we jumped into the water to play in the waves and try to surf (with varying degrees of success). At 11:30am we finally had to head back. It was a fantastic trip with great friends and lots of fun!

However, that was just the beginning of the day! At 1:15pm (after a brief lunch) we met on the fishermen’s pier to get ready for some fishing! As part of our class we had the chance to head out in groups of 5-6 with a local fisherman to learn a little about this important part of Galapaganian life. We headed out with our fisherman, Carlos, and his sister, Linda, to see what we could catch.

Getting ready to get on the boat! That's Carlos, our fisherman, in blue!

It was a small boat with three serious rods but little other fishing gear. We trolled around for a while with no luck but enjoying the beautiful day. We even spotted dolphins playing just a few feet from us! The dolphins brought us some good luck because moments later Elysse got a bite! We joked that she had caught a dolphin but in fact she had caught a yellow finned tuna However, unfortunately, he was a good fighter and the line tangled in the motor and snapped.

Dolphins!

We continued on and saw two sea turtles mating on top the water with a third nearby. It was a really cool sight and we circled closer to see. As we pulled away Sarah got a bite! We were so excited and also teased her about catching one of the turtles. But soon our joking turned to horror as we realized her hook had indeed snagged the third turtle’s shell. Our guide took over and worked on reeling him in, intending to figure out how to get the hook out and save him. Thankfully, just as he brought the turtle to the surface the hook wiggled free and the turtle escaped. 

Turtles mating

We didn’t catch anything else but we did enjoy the reminder of the boat ride. That night we were treated to dinner at Carlos’s friends house. It included fish that the other group caught as well as rice, salad, patacones (fried bananas), and watermelon for dessert! Yum!

Delicious dinner!

It was a really exciting day and a good way to kick off the weekend. I think I’ll be taking it easy for the next couple days as I’ve come down with a bit of a stomach bug but I can’t complain since my recovery involves relaxing on the beach and enjoying the last few days of warm weather!!