Bubble gum scented pesticides, that's my favorite.

Monday September 1st, 2014.

Quito, Ecuador / Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Its 5am and we are waking up extra early to catch our flight to the Galapagos Islands. The hotel is very far from the airport, plus we will be hitting Monday morning traffic. The previous evening we had booked a cab for 5:30am but, alas, it does not show. After standing in the dark lobby for a few minutes, a desk clerk eventually appears and helps us get a cab. On the way to the airport we chat with the driver in broken Spanish and arrive safely with plenty of time to spare.

The airport looks even nicer than I remember. There are high ceilings and lots of empty space. Since we are traveling to the Galapagos, we have to go through a special line and run our bags through a screening process that will determine if we are approved to enter the biologically fragile environment of the Galapagos Islands (as it turns out the main determining factor is whether or not you have $150 for a temporary visa… don’t worry though, we have known about this for a while and are both prepared).

Bags checked. Visas acquired. 

Next we need to check into our flight. The airline personnel are exceedingly kind and try to nicely explain to us that if both take window seats then we cannot sit together. We quickly explain that we do not want to sit together and to feel free to seat us very far apart; the kind women looks surprised, but obliges us anyways. It’s nothing personal.      

Once we are boarded and on our way, I was surprised to learn about a mandatory stop in Guayaquil. It’s not that big of a deal, but we have to sit on the runway for a while and are not allowed to use electronics. Having finished my book several days before, I am feeling quiet bored.

We are nearing the airport in the Galapagos when the flight attendants suddenly storm the cabin with pesticides. They are spraying the ground and the insides of the overhead bins. It’s explained to us that this procedure is required before entering the protected area of the Galapagos and before anyone can argue, they are already done. I am worried for the health of my lungs, but the air now smells of bubble gum, so I feel calm.

As we stand in line for customs Laura and I fill out the required paperwork. It asks questions such as: Have you been camping recently? Are you carrying hiking boots? Do you have anything made of wood? Uh oh. In an effort to be truthful we both end up answering “yes” more often than “no”. When it’s our turn to talk to the guard we are both nervous. He looks at us and at our bags and sighs (our truthfulness has irritated him). After a long hesitation, he waves us through. We are happy that he is not a hero.

We have booked transportation from the airport to our hotel and are extremely surprised to find an eager guide standing by the airport door holding a sign with Laura’s name on it. Success (finally).

Our guide’s name is Alexandria and she has a plan. Laura and I are both tired and still sick, so when Alexandria explains to us the 37 things that are going to happen next we both totally space out. It’s okay though, Alexandria is treating us like idiots... ergo its okay to act idiotic.

We are herded onto a bus, a little boat, and, eventually, into a pickup truck. With great urgency Alexandria explains that we are to check into our hotel, drop our bags, put on swimsuits, get back in the truck, go to the dock, and then sit quietly while we wait for her to bring us lunch. Alexandria is pushy and we follow her instructions.

As it turns out, we have plenty of time to eat and enjoy the view before our boat arrives for our tour of the bay of Santa Cruz. We climb onto a small motor boat with about 10 other tourists. The driver seems to really like me and Laura and is constantly grabbing our cameras to get pictures of the birds and sea turtles. The tour turns out to be pretty awesome. Immediately we see blue-footed boobies. Next our guide shows us the sharks by throwing his flip flop in the water (thus enticing them to come up to the surface). Then we make a stop at a lagoon where we see tons marine iguanas (this is the only place they exist!). Our tour ends with almost an hour of snorkeling with a gigantic sea turtle who keeps swimming right up to me (I am simultaneously terrified and amazed). On the way back to the dock our guide sings and stands on his hands. He is working us for tips and, in the end, we do not disappoint.

Once we are back on dry land, we realize that we really have no idea where our hotel is. It takes a little effort, but eventually we make it back. We both shower and get ready for dinner. The shower is Amazing and we decide to rest for a few minutes before heading back into town.

It’s nearing 6pm and before we know it, we are out. We cannot go to dinner. We both know this but feel mildly guilty that we are missing out on an opportunity to explore. With no discussion whatsoever, we come to the mutual understanding that we are staying in for the night. We are at the beginning of 13 hours of uninterrupted, sea-level sleep. The Galapagos are awesome.

Tomorrow – we will take very many photographs of tortoises.