Let's Galapa-GO!

So I'm not that clever, I have to give the credit of the title to Ashwin.  We are all here in the Galapagos Islands at the lovely Hotel Sula Sula.

This morning meant a sad departure from our host families--many of us have become surprisingly close to them in the span of only a week. It seems that Ecuadorian families like to give small mementos upon parting.  Allie got some cute bracelets. Taran's host family splurged and bought him three shirts. And I, I got two cans of tuna and one of hominy...living the rich life, right?  I have plans to keep in touch with my family (a practice that they seem much more serious about here in Ecuador than they are in the US) and would definitely love to return some day.

Getting to the Galapagos was more than a little bit of a hassle. First they have to make sure that you aren't trying to sneak in any exotic elephants that are not native to Ecuador...ya know, because I always keep a cat or a chicken or something with me to ensure the spread of invasive species.  Then they have to make sure that they discourage your entry to the islands by charging you endless amounts of park fees and life (life that you spend waiting to give said park fees and have your packs searched for said elephants). We took an airplane, a bus, a ferry, another bus, a boat, and finally a truck to get to our destination.  And big surprise, the locals down here to everything they can to take advantage of tourists. They will not dock larger boats, but instead charge you for small water taxis to take you and your luggage from these boats to the shore--apparently this is a new development that has started taking place over the last two years (as Chuck said he had never encountered it before, and was not very happy about the change). 

Yesterday was our last free day in Guayaquil. Sarah S, Sarah E, Emily, Michelle, Ashwin, Allie, and Kevin all went to Cuenca, which is apparently an adorable city with incredible ruins. It is on the top of my list for when I return to Ecuador.  Lisie, Amanda, June, Patrick, James, Nikki, and our two fabulous profs all went to Playas and had a very sunburned but happy time on the beach.  Taran got to spend the day with his lovely family and I with mine (thus inspiring the previous post).

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end...and the first day of the last week is going to be kicked off with snorkeling.  So excited to Galap-"GO" (lol how we all love Ashwin) and see some turtles!