Wildlife watch

So here I am in the Galapagos. The flight over wasn´t too bad, a little delayed and the person who was supposed to meet me at the airport and get me through check-in didn´t arrive. But I managed to figure things out by myself and got on the plane without too much fuss.

At the other end there were two other girls also heading to the same biological station for the voluntary work. Brenda, a kiwi, and Shannon, a yank. We chatted in the truck on the way about where we´d come from, how long we were staying etc. Nice girls. When we arrived we met some of the rest of the team, mostly German speaking though their English (and Spanish) is pretty good, and were taken to the room that we would be sharing. Shannon´s unpacking made me laugh as she´d bought everything and the kitchen sink. But I´ve already borrowed her spare watch as mine packed up on me (my second one so far).

That afternoon we got acquainted with where things were, had a briefing from the station coordinator (translated for us by one of the German girls from Spanish to English) and then went into the forest to pick some oranges for the week´s juice. The station is pretty basic, as I expected, but comfortable enough. There´s one shower with hot water though it comes out at a trickle, the beds are reasonable and the mosquito nets are pretty good. Which is a lifesaver as there are plenty of little bloodsuckers around to make your life hell. Especially when it rains, which is does frequently. They all hide inside and drive you mad. But everyone keeps each other going.

We went to a little bar down the road on our first night as Wednesday´s are usually the day for a little light relief. For which I was grateful as otherwise there isn´t that much to do in the evening after an early dinner except play cards or go to bed early. And it was good to get to know everyone a bit better over a beer or two.

The next day was our first proper day of work and after breakfast we were taken to Galapaguera, the national park, to dig holes and plant scalesia trees (endemic to the Galapagos) all morning. It was hard work but rewarding to see the areas on the opposite hills that had been cleared and reforested. Mora (or blackberry bushes as we know them) are the biggest pest here and spread like wildfire, taking over all the vegetation.

Later that morning, after our work was done, we were taken to the giant tortoise sanctuary to see them with our own eyes and take some photos - a reward for our hard work. Then we had the afternoon off so I settled into a hammock and read some of my book, fighting to keep the mozzies at bay. A quiet and early night followed, ready for the next day.

Friday´s are a day off, as is the rest of the weekend, and unbeknown to me before arriving on the island, everyone heads into the capital city for the weekend. I say ´city´ but really it is a teeny tiny town by the airport on San Cristobal. We checked in first thing and then the workers took us to the beach to snorkel with sealions, turtles and lots of fish in a nearby bay. It was pretty freezing cold but after I´d stopped hyperventilating and the ice cream headache from the low temperatures went away it was actually quite ok swimming around and checking out the marine wildlife. The beach was covered with snoozing sealions. They are everywhere in town too, draped over the local swings and slides, walkways, boats and platforms out to sea.

After an afternoon siesta we went for a walk around town and then headed out for dinner in the evening. A few drinks in the local bars followed and finally got to bed about 1.30am. A good night. This morning we headed to another beach on the other side of town to chill out with more sealions and turtles. It´s nice to experience some warmer weather and feel like you are on holiday again with some beach action.

All in all the islands are living up to expectations so far. Next week working the whole time is going to be a physical and mental challenge but that will be my only full week so I´m sure I´ll survive. The mud and rain can get you down a bit but it´s not forever so perfectly bearable.

As I´ve incurred a few unexpected costs lately (whoever said travelling could be cheap!?) it looks like I might be flying home soon after I finish here in the Galapagos. Shame to be heading home earlier than expected and not have done all the things I´d hoped in South America but I´ve had such an incredible journey I really can´t complain or be disappointed. I think after this I will be ready to come home too. The constant moving around and adapting to new environments can get tiring after a while and I´d rather return home on a high than drag it out to the point of being unhappy with where I am. So it looks like I´ll be home towards the beginning of October. You lucky things!!