Galapagos: Chapter one
In which we meet our fellow passengers and friendships form
FEb 15 2022
Quito.
The alarm went off at 4am; Alejandra was picking us up at 5. Our flight wasn’t to leave until 7:40, but we were told to arrive at the airport two hours before the flight was to leave and we had resigned ourselves to complying with instructions.
The streets of the Centro Histórico were empty. I had spent the month in Quito, and as we prepared to leave the apartment that had housed me for the winter, the emptiness from without seemed to spread to the space within.
Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport.
As we waited for our flight to board, we watched our fellow passengers, wondering who might be on our boat. We had booked passage aboard the M/Y Grace, and knew that the manifest held 17 passengers in addition to the two naturalist guides and the crew. We played games with each other, trying to guess who we’d be spending the next eight days with.
Once we were aboard our flight, we surmised that those seated around us would follow us to the ship, but we played it cool. We listened to the conversations around us for clues, identifying first one and then another passenger. We guessed wrong on those seated directly in front of us, but managed to identify a few of our shipmates.
On Baltra.
Monica, our naturalist guide, met us just outside of baggage claim. I had decided to use the Quasar drawstring bag that had been given to us, and she spotted it right away. We were among the first to emerge, and she bade us wait as she collected the other passengers. She told us that our other guide, Roberto, was also aboard our flight, and she was keeping an eye out for him.
While walking from the tarmac to the terminal, we had already caught our first sight of iguana, and soon saw more as we waited for a bus to take us to the harbor.
While we waited, Taylor stepped into a store to stock up on sunscreen. Three tubes cost us $85.00 and she came out asking for cash; the ATM and credit card machine were both out of service. She spotted a ball cap with a blue-footed booby, a bird endemic to the Galapagos. She wanted it, but decided to wait until after our cruise had ended.
The M/Y Grace.
It was a short bus ride from the airport to the harbor. We had seen what we surmised was the harbor from the plane, and soon it proved to be as we caught our first sight of the vessel we’d call home for the next week.
The Grace was moored a bit further out from the other boats, and as we alighted from the bus we were introduced to boarding and disembarking from pangas (the dinghies that would prove to be our shuttles to and from the Grace for the following week).
On board, the ship proved to be everything we had hoped it would be and more. Our cabin was large; the bathroom more spacious than I could have imagined. I walked the various decks and circumambulated what I could to familiarize myself with the ship.
Soon after boarding, we were under way; our first stop Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz. And soon we were also seated for our first meal, a delicious three-course lunch that I have already forgotten, buried under the weight of so many more three-course lunches and dinners and desserts that were to come.
Bachas Beach, Sally Lightfoot crabs, marine iguanas, and El Niña.
We moored off the coast of Bachas Beach and boarded the pangas for our first wet landing (one in which we would be getting our feet wet). Stepping foot on the island (and feeling cool water and wet sand on our feet), we got our first taste of the Galapagos.
Bright red crabs dotted the volcanic rock, and we caught ourselves taking photo after photo of the beautiful creatures seemingly uninterested in our presence. Little did we know that we’d be seeing the crabs throughout our stay in the Galapagos; for now it was the most striking thing we had encountered (iguanas notwithstanding).
Roberto pointed out the tracks of sea turtles and the nests they had built, cautioning us against walking too far up the dunes. He also explained the winds and the climates of the islands, pointing out the El Niña effects the islands had been experiencing, and giving us lessons in plate tectonics and geography.
An introduction to marine iguanas.
As we walked, we spotted iguana amongst the lava rocks. At first they were hard to spot; their dark skin camouflaged them so well I found myself almost stepping on them once or twice. They were undisturbed by our presence, choosing to capture the last rays of the sun to keep them warm.
As with the crabs, it wouldn’t be the last time we saw them; in fact there was an entire island of iguana we’d be visiting later in the trip, and we’d even find ourselves lucky enough to swim with them. But for now, it was another glimpse into the magic of the Galapagos, and we felt lucky to be a part of their world.
Flamingos.
We had hoped to see flamingos, but were disappointed. Roberto asked if we’d be interested in exploring the island a little further to see if we could find them. We all agreed, welcoming the opportunity to stretch our legs and see a bit more of the beach.
He led us along the coast a bit further before turning inland where we came across another brackish lagoon. And there, we saw three flamingo, each exploring a different part of the pools, beaks dipping into the water as they walked, their spindly legs impossibly supporting their bodies.
Immersing ourselves in the Galapagos.
Back at our landing spot, Roberto invited us to go for a swim. Later, he would tell us encourages everyone to immerse themselves in the water as it symbolically immerses us into our experience of the Galapagos.
For many of us, we welcomed the opportunity to cool ourselves in the water. From the moment I woke up in the morning I had wondered when I would finally be able to swim in the waters around the islands. It had been a long day for all of us, and the cool water was a welcome respite from the hours of traveling and being cramped in confined spaces.
Back on board.
All too soon it was time to leave. Nacho and Hatcho arrived with the pangas and I reluctantly boarded the second boat, trying to spend as long as I could on the shore. Once aboard the Grace we were told that a briefing on the next day’s activities would commence at 6:30pm, with dinner to follow at 7:00pm.
I went up on the sun deck to scan the horizon and was rewarded with a stunning moonrise. On the other side of the ship, the sun began to set, and soon we were seated at dinner, introducing ourselves to each other, trading names and histories and breaking bread with a new group of dining companions. 🦎
