Tripping with Judy

We wake up today anchored off-shore of Floreana, the most southern island in Galapagos, and known for The Barrister’s Look-out and also home to numerous pirates in the past! Another new experience for Robyn…kayaking!  We slide into two-person kayaks, and quickly gain our rhythm as we explore the island’s coastline of Black Sand Beach.   We hear a snort, and a cute sea lion pops up near our kayak checking us out, and then a friend joins him.  They are only there a few seconds, and then they quickly disappear.   A  few minutes later, more sea lions, and this time, one takes a few graceful jumps out of the water, arches, and dives back in.  They are such playful creatures, and although, they are slightly clumsy on land, water is their element! I only brought my underwater camera on this excursion since I didn’t want to risk getting my regular camera wet.  I am certainly not an experienced kayaker, and with this being Robyn’s first time, I had only...

After a hard day of hiking yesterday, we wake up in the harbor of Santa Cruz, the largest city in the Galápagos Islands established in 1929. There are twenty-four islands in the Galápagos, and only four are inhabited.  Numerous cruise boats and private yachts fill the harbor as we take the dinghy to town. Alberto is a fourth generation Galápagos native.  His great-grandfather settled here from Chile after seeing the islands as a sailor with the Chilean navy.  His family has a large concrete building on the main street ocean side consisting of both their home and multiple businesses the family own and operate.  They also have an ecotourism farm with horseback, biking, and hiking trails. His grandmother remembers one cargo ship arriving every six months when she was growing up.  Now multiple ones arrive each week.  In 1970’s tourism started, and the first twenty years were difficult.  Now there are multiple tours, flights, and hotels all catering to ...