Bella Isabela & Missing Memories

The next part of our island tour took us to Isabela. It's the biggest in the archipelago and I think it has taken its rightful place as my favorite. We were welcomed with even clearer blue waters, long palm-lined coral beaches, and PENGUINS!!! They're so small and agile and sort of sound like an owl being strangled. Each day was filled with something wholly unexpected and amazing. We walked to various snorkel sites on sand covered roads to see huge rays, reef fish, and rambunctious penguins (I snorkeled with penguins, still can't believe that). We took some small boat rides to Tintoreras, where we saw some ickle-marine iguanas, all in Godzookie cuddle-puddles right next to sea lions and channels filled with sleeping white-tipped sharks (shhh they're durmiendo), and those were the boring days.

So Galapagos. Can you find all the animals?

We hiked from inside a cloud and a dewy fern forest to a nice resting spot. The misty morning was just beginning as we were surrounded by clouds. We broke out apples, but we were all amazed when it broke and the mind-boggling enormity of the caldera before us became apparent. After some oos and ahhs we continued on as the landscape slowly transformed into an arid, barren lava field broken by black cone-shaped turrets. Every rock had it's own sparkly sheen as if new Earth came fresh and squeaky clean like most other things. We sat and shared jokes in two languages with our guide, José, until it was time to hike back. Our lunch was a pit-stop at Campo Duro, an hacienda, that revolved around this enormous tree, complete with a full sized soccer field, manicured gardens, giant tortoises, and delicious food.

Las Tintoreras: A Marine Iguana snuggle party

This beautiful day wound down to some afternoon naps, some Fried Frikin' oreo empanadas (I cannot fully express my joy for the love and genius that went into making these, a big ol' hig and thanks to those friends and all the friends that made my pre-birthday and birthday memorable and not so memorable for obvious reasons), and eventually some rough and tumble birthday celebrations for yours truly. Most of a bottle of rum and Boone's wine later this guy (points to himself) was missing out on some quality memories. But by all accounts those two seemingly did me in, but I apparently made an astonishing come-back after delivering some nutrients back to the the friendly, neighborhood upwelling current conveniently located next to our first/only? bar. The rest of the night was spent (video evidenced) with stripping to my skivvies and half play fighting half showing all my pent up affection for everyone near and dear to me all while intently stealing David's beanie. David, the hero of the night, managed to dodge and keep occupied as I brazenly did the aforementioned and hooped-and apache hollered my way into Puerto Jose Villamil's Most Notorious Gringuito list (surry). All in all the festivities were deemed a success after the replays were viewed the next morning and apologies given (Chuuuuuuutaaaa!!). 

The day of my birthday: From hiking in the highlands until the foggy forest turned to barren lava fields, to manta hunting we had our hands fuller than we ever thought we would. We made friends with our great guide, Jose, who in his experienced wisdom  had the boat stop on our way to Roca Union each time we spotted a Manta Ray fin slice the water. Barely letting the boat come to a stop and yelling incoherent directions through our snorkels we helped  each other close in on the nearest manta. It was a sight to see, us plying the epipelagic in search of these majestic creatures, then being surprised when other fish surrounded and sharks swam underneath. After about a half an hour of this we reached Roca Union. After our manta chasing, our adrenaline was pumping and we didn't think twice when the boat stopped next to the wave-battered, sharp islet jutting 5 meters above the dark, choppy surface. Splash, we were all in and swimming towards the large waves crashing agasint the larger, shark sided cooled lava peak. The marine life was LOCO!! Huge schools of huger fish were being swirled around with the loco currents cycloning around the roca, and soon we found out so were we... Whether it was seeing how close we were to the battered, rocky, sea spire, or being rocketed fully around it, something eventually clicked in all our minds that we were screwed and were about to celebrate el Dia del muerte to accurately for any of our tastes. Luckily I had my friend, Neil, by my side (como siempre) as we communicated through our SCUBA masked covered eyes that we needed to salir frinkin' proonnnto. We swam with all we could briefly taking breaks (still swimming) to look at each other, notice the rock underneath and it hadn't moved, and of course pointing out and photographing cool frikin' fish! No worries though we all made it back, and started the jokes as soon as we touched the boat ladder (We dive together, we die together, marine biologist fo' life). 

A Tokyo-terrorizing Godzilla in the making

Misty Morning on the trail to Volcan Chico

Luckily our next snorkel-spot was a elementary school aquatic playground (albeit with tiburones) in comparison. It began in a mangrove filled with a sea horse posing as a prop root, ickle-bitsy shrimps, tortugas, a curious white-tip shark and of course a muthaluvin cephalapod! Then it was into the labyrinth, I quickly found myself lost and alone after chasing every large puffer, and popping up right next to penguins napping a few times. It was truly magical and none of us even noticed the rain that started until after the fact. 

Our remaining time on this island was needless to say, very relaxed as we snorkeled some more, visited the Muro de Lagrimas (Wall of tears), some various beaches, and enjoyed a few more Pilseners on the sand covered beaches (and roads) of Isabela. 

La Caldera

Roca Union (aka Death Rock)

Holy chuta, I almost forgot, Spelunking! we did that. We slowly dropped into a well fern-ished cave hundreds of meters deep to utter darkness, mud, bones, and some quality amateur filming of Planet Earth Caves edition. We conquered it with bike helmets and some string harnesses that made us more uncomfortable than safe as we shimmied down then up as our final sunset was happening on Isabela. 

Vive el lugar que Amas 

Giant Land Tortoise of the Isabela ilk

A fellow snorkeler in La Bahia Elizabeth (White-tipped Shark)

Pinguinossssss!!!

Mama Ray

Camaron

Wall of Tears

These guys

It wasn't just my birthday that made this my favorite island, it was all, and I can't express to the full extent how much this group of wonderful people mean to me.