Today we returned to Quito. Before heading to the airport on the islands, we went to the highest point on Santa Cruz, where we saw "Los Gemelos," the Twin Craters, from the volcanoes that used to be active on the island. They were gigantic, but it was hard for me to imagine them as actual craters, since they are now covered with vegetation and are an important breeding ground for the finches on the island. Then, we head to the Santa Cruz port to take a short boat ride to Baltra, which houses the airport. As we were leaving on the boat, a few pelicans were flying next to us, as if to give us a proper send off. I couldn't resist talking to them, saying, "Adiós." We then flew back to Quito and made our way to our next hotel, which is absolutely gorgeous and just a block down from our first hotel. We had dinner at a local restaurant of peppered steak, French fries, salad, and fruit for dessert.
Although we were sad to leave the Galápagos, I think everyone is eager to give their bodies a rest from the beating they took on the choppy seas on the boat rides. Also, we still have a volcano to climb and indigenous villages to explore before heading back to the States.
Well, it is definitely bedtime. A day of flying, and there are 12,000 feet of elevation to climb tomorrow, so rest is important!
Hasta mañana...
Thanks for keeping us up to date! I am enjoying reading about your exploits each night.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you all are enjoying it! I like to reflect on the day at the end as well, while writing it; it helps me to relive it all over again!
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