After checking out the newest island full of Volcanic activity (Fernandina) we went snorkeling again. I thought that nothing could possibly top the first two days. I was wrong.
In addition to seeing a family of sea lions, Galapagos penguins, 4 turtles, a long eel looking fish, and basically all the types of fish from my favorite children's book rainbow fish in real life..it was without a doubt epic.
However, every time i see a pelican, great blue heron, sea lion or volcanic rock, it instigates another memory.
The pelicans took me back to my childhood in Klamath Falls, the sea lions the Oregon coast, the snorkeling reminded me of Maui and the volcanic rocks the lava beds. Granted, here I saw it all in one day, but it made me very aware of the diversity of North America I often overlook. This amazing German family was here and much of the wild life was something they are seeing for the first time, whereas at 20 I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to a lot of this already.
Last night, after a scrumptious dinner I got to breeze through Frances's and Will's photos of trekking in Chile, Argentina ( including Patagonia)and Bolivia. I've decided that when I return, I would like to get off the Gringo Trail and experience a more small town SA. The large cities here and most of what I've seen have been " westernized" there is a super maxi in every town and Comedia Rapida ( fast food) is just as prevalent as in the states.
I didn't expect indigenous communities and only traditional foods, but I thought there would be a higher degree of authenticity.
Ramblings on Recycling and Culture:
Perhaps it was a naive perception, but nonetheless the reoccurrence of so many things I dislike about modern society here, is disheartening. I think aspects of modernity are essential in improving everyone's life's, but fast food, discotecas, coke and Oreos are not the answer to arriving in the "first world"
This digression brings me to my ultimate annoyance, angst at present: TRASH!!!!!!!!
Today, observing one of the most protected sea lion
Colonies in the world I had to angle the camera to make sure not to get the giant floating plastic bottle. Even here, in a biodiversity haven the human presence is so evident. I fished as much micro trash out as possible, but to little avail.
Finally after nearly 2 months my trash rant is going to surface. I hate plastic, styrofoam and most of all I hate unnecessary uses of plastic, all three of these dislikes an everyday occurrence here. It is just frustrating that Coca Cola, Nestlé and various other mega corporations can get a foot hole in the even the most remote villages and no one cares to discuss trash infrastructure.
Where does all this plastic go??
In Galapagos I've seen the first compost and recycling bins out side of airports and even then it doesn't look like a promising effort. Nothing was sorted correctly and people here don't care. People open bottles and cookie packages and through the trash in the street, without a second glance.
Is it lack of education about recycling or cultural differences or both that account for this attitude? I don't know, but its a question I return to daily.
Today we also said goodbye to our German, Hungarian and Finnish friends as we continue on for the last part of our cruise. We ( myself, France's and will) still cannot believe our luck finding this cruise and the what we paid for it, so for all you future Galapagos travelers this is how you should do it:
Go in the low season ( late March, April or May) only make the travel if you have about a week and a half or are already down here in South America. National flights are cheaper and Galapagos is outrageously priced if you try to book from another country.
Don't plan a thing, just your flights and once your hear go to the million travel agencies on every corner. There are always boats, especially in the low season that have space for a bargain price. There will be tons of options and without a doubt you'll find what your looking for and save at least 1,500.
If you don't have time or are not coming to South America, my suggestion is spend half the money for a similar experience in Hawaii or the Florida keys.
If you have the time and the gumption then the above method is the way to go and you won't be disappointed.
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