Dec 26, 2012 - Islas Galápagos

Nous voilà aux Galápagos ! Comme nous vous l'avions dit, nous avons trouvé une super offre last minute pour 8 jours de croisière sur un bateau de catégorie moyenne, mais pour nous c'était vraiment très luxueux. Nous avons payé 1/3 du prix, car le bateau a eu un accident (une collision avec un autre bateau) 3 semaines auparavant, mais les autres passagers n'étaient pas au courant. La nourriture était excellente, la meilleure que nous avons eue depuis le début du voyage. Nous avons même mangé du homard et avions des snacks à chaque retour...

Oct 27, 2012 - NEW - Galapagos Island - in the footsteps of Darwin

The Galapagos Islands are famous for being the place where Charles Darwin got the inspiration for his theory of evolution. Darwin visited the islands in the Beagle, but this was in his 20s and his groundbreaking book "The Origin of the Species" barely mentioned the islands (it talked more about pidgeons). Anyway. Darwin was fascinated by the variety of animal life on the islands - and it is amazing. We bundle into a zodiac and motor in to land on the beach of the one of the many islands. The beach is usually covered with sea lions, sunning...

Jun 9, 2012 - Quello che gli acquari non possono mostrare

Galapagos, teoria dell’evoluzione, Charles Darwin. Isole intrise di mistero, perché qui è presente una vita che altrove non puoi trovare, perché racchiudono il segreto del nostro mondo, perché sono l’esempio più incontaminato e sorprendente di come funziona il pianeta che ci ospita. Era una delle altre mie fantasie, alimentata dal film Master & Commander, che le ha fatte entrare definitivamente nella lista dei luoghi da visitare assolutamente nella vita, anche se, come l’Isola di Pasqua, fino a un anno fa credevo fosse solo un sogno lontano...

Jul 13, 2011 - Arrival

Hello! Dear friends & families, We have finally arrived in Galapagos after 36 hours on the road... and actually saw about 10 spices of animals coexisting with people in this lovely community of Puerto Ayora... where pelicans try to steal fishermen's catch of the day, the Charles Darwin Research Center helps breed and preserve the endangered giant turtles, ugly marine iguanas walk with you... see photos of Ted following iguanas' walk back to the bushes. To our amazement, we saw the groom, at the beautiful wedding we attended right before we...

Feb 27, 2011 - Lonesome George and the Gentle Giants

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. 23 Feb 2011 – 2200 in Galapagos We woke this morning to the only real sign of civilization – apart from our lovely boat – that we will see for the entire voyage around the Galapagos. We are moored in Puerto Ayora, the main settlement on Santa Cruz and in the Galapagos. The population of Puerto Ayora is about 10,000 and, between the five island settlements, more than 20,000 people live in the Galapagos Islands. In some ways, Santa Cruz is both the most despoiled of the islands, but it has also benefitted from its...

Nov 10, 2010 - A Visit to Santa Cruz (Galapagos)

Tom: Today was our one stop at “civilization” -- Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. The National Park claims 97% of the land in the Galapagos, leaving only 3% for private ownership. Most of the population that “lives in the Galapagos” lives here. It’s Puerto Ayora is estimated to have approximately 15,000 residents. And the population is not growing -- at least legally so. After a decree in the 1990s, the only persons allowed to live in the Galapagos are those born here, who marry someone here, or who were legal residents before the ban on...

Jun 3, 2010 - Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Is

See Pics:) We came to this port to drop off part of our group and pick up 3 new to join us in the second half of our 8 days. For more info about Puerto Ayora and Galapagos in general visit: Puerto Ayora Puerto Ayora Wiki Site Puerto Ayora Commercial Site - Much More Tourist Info Toured the Charles Darwin Research Station & Museum and Land tortoise breeding project plus went to private farm to see 'wild tortoises'. More About Charles Darwin Foundation About Charles Darwin Research Station Charles Darwin Research Station - Wiki Site

May 10, 2010 - Ecuador and the Galapagos

We started our time in Ecuador by flying out to the Galapagos to organize a last minute cruise. We ended up paying a little bit more than planned (everyone does in the Galapagos!) and found ourselves on a beautiful first-class sailing boat for a great week long trip. The days were spent island hopping, with island excursions everyday and lots of snorkeling. The amazing thing about the wildlife was their complete lack of fear of humans. We could walk straight up to sea lions or iguanas and would be more likely to step on them before they...

Feb 7, 2010 - South America Two - Galapagos

THURSDAY 28/01/10 A stressful day – up at 3:30 to get ready and read any urgent emails re Peru and then to the airport. We flew to Quito with a two hour stop off at Lima. Arrived at our hotel in Quito – La Cartuja – fairly dirty, tired, hungry and thirsty. A quick shower and a trip to the Pizzeria fixed three and we had really good night sleep, the first one since left a week ago. Beers were great, tallies were $1.60 each and Jose had a couple and feeling like Quito is a really top place. Pizza was great too. FRIDAY 29/01/10 Unfortunately...

Jan 2, 2010 - Santa Cruz

Good morning Everyone! This morning we are transferred to the airport for our flight to the Galapagos. Lunch is normally served on the flight. On arrival at Baltra Airport in the Galapagos you must pay the US$100 arrival tax for entry to Galapagos National Park. This is best done using cash, as using credit cards can be a time consuming process. We are met in the arrival hall and transferred by boat and bus to the Peregrine Endeavour in Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island. Once our luggage has been stored on board we commence our exploration...

Dec 23, 2009 - Lonesome George

It was the eve before the eve of Christmas (unless you live on the Galapagos, when tonight is in fact the eve of Christmas, as tomorrow, Christmas eve is when they celebrate). Today has been fantastic, if not a bit sad. I have taught for the last time :(. School has ended for the holidays, and I have said goodbye to most of my students. It has been a pleasure to teach them, I will however see class 8 VOB tomorrow, as they along with my teacher are throwing me a "surprise" party. That is at least something to look forward to. Before I leave...

Dec 18, 2009 - Exams and a moan or two...

Another week; another day; another hour; another minute; and its only 1 week till Christmas. But what has happened in this past week to write about. Well if I´m honest, not a lot has happened. I have attended school most mornings and have spent most afternoons helping with final exams. School has always been a challenge, a fun challenge, and I shall miss it when I leave, it feels strange to type that I have only 1 week of teaching left on the Island. This is followed by a single week of relaxation before I embark on my 83 day adventure...