It seems apt that I’ve made myself comfortable on the floor of Baltra airport as I wait for my delayed flight out of the Galapagos to recap the amazing experience I’ve had here. Funnily enough, as I got onto the ferry to the island that houses the airport, I bumped into a Swiss girl (who’s name I’ve of course forgotten) that I met on my tour to Quilotoa. She’s just starting her Galapagos adventure as I end mine.

Let’s backtrack 11 days, when I hopped onto my Avianca flight, where I was lucky to score a much coverted window seat, and sat next to someone who’d turn out to be my cabin-mate for the next 8 days on the cruise. Early concerns that my cruise would be full of retirees were soon banished when I met a few others around the same age waiting with our guide at the arrivals hall. Baltra airport itself pretty basic, it reminds me a little of the Kalgoorlie airport, except luggage is still hand delivered. My boat was to be a relatively small group, only 15 passengers, made up of a German family of 4, plus one of the daughter’s friend, a Scottish couple, a Swiss bro/sis duo, a Norwegian family of 4, and a lone traveler like myself from Canada.

The bus ride down to where our boat was docked showcased a landscape that wouldn’t be amiss in rural WA. It was dry and sparsely populated with leafless small trees and shrubs, with an odd cactus thrown in for good measure. It seemed vastly different from what I imagined the Galapgos to be. But once we hit the dock, I knew that was just early impressions. A chilled iguana had made itself comfortable on the side of the road, sunning itself like it was on Cottesloe beach. It was only the first of many, MANY, more iguanas of the trip. But naturally, you get excited about your first everything… While waiting for the dinghy, I was transfixed by a black pelican! It wasn’t all black, but it was the darker version of the ones we get back home.

The boat itself was a catamaran, I may have picked it because I really wanted to be on a pretty sailing yacht. Whilst there were many more cheaper boats, the Nemo II was sailing an itinerary that would hit some of the best islands for wildlife, plus it was pretty…and boy, was it worth it. The journey to Nemo saw us don an attractive life vest (a habit which would become second nature by the end of the cruise), climb aboard a dingy to be ferried off to my home for the next 8 days. The refreshing glass of freshly made juice that greeted us would set the tone for the hospitality, and excellent food amazingly pumped out of the tiny swaying kitchen. After early introductions and just enough time to have a peek at our living quarters, were were off for our first exploration. This was to be a daily ritual. There’d be a briefing every night, with explanation of where we’d be visiting, and what animals we’re likely to see. Everyday would be a case of 2 hikes, and 2 snorkelling opportunities, essentially, breakfast -> hike -> snorkel -> lunch -> hike -> snorkel -> dinner (repeat). Oh, and after every snorkel, we’d come back to freshly made juice/hot chocolate and snacks, so we well and truly ate our way through the islands too. 
On the nature side of things, it was a nerd’s dreams. It was fascinating to see all of Darwin’s finches, and the slight  differences between them. None of the animals were afraid of people, they were perched close, or even on the hiking trails.  Sure, the landscape wasn’t as green as it would be in Summer, but I was there for the animals, and winter meant marine life were more active too. I watched an orange land iguana perilously scale a cactus to chow down on the leaves higher up, and wondering if the little guy was eventually going to lose his grip and fall (he didn’t, but according to our guide, even him climbing a cactus was a rare occurrence so we were pretty lucky). I giggled like a 14 year old boy whenever someone said “boobie”, which, when you’re in an area renowned for blue footed boobies, happens quite a lot (and surprisingly never gets old). There were also some stunning viewpoints, and landscapes, from a red beach, to Darwin’s lake, and the alien-looking lava fields. Let’s not forget the crown jewel of the Galápagos, the giant Galápagos turtles. We visited a sanctuary on Santa Cruz where the turtles could grow and live in peace. They were just roaming around everywhere, there were a couple chilling by the side of the road, and a few others in the thick jungle. Come too close to the smaller guys, and there’d be a “hiss” as they retreat back into their shell, a little like the air being let out of a tire. Darker, black marine iguanas would be splayed on their bellies on warm bits of earth after coming back from their swim for food, spitting salt water towards you if you came too close.

I don’t really know how I could capture the magic of the Galápagos in words. It’s just one of those things that is a case of you have to be there to experience it. I managed to get close enough to a flightless cormorant to see the beautiful shade of blue in its eyes, sat back on the deck of the Nemo and watched the sun set in the horizon, laughed at the cheeky/smart sea lions that lazed around the fish market in Puerto Ayora waiting for scraps when the fishermen came to clean their catch, and took adorable selfies with animals that would be Facebook profile pic worthy.