Finals

Feliz Navidad

It’s here. The final week in the Galapagos has arrived. I believe it snuck up on all of us here which is evidenced when everything we do now is tainted with some person’s comment that, “It’s the last time we’ll __________.” Just because it’s the last week though, doesn’t mean we’ve slowed down at all. This last class, Human Ecology & Maritime Communities, has us working on a 10 page paper and an actual final that is quickly approaching. Our fun hasn’t run out quite just yet either. Sure, we’ve grown into routines (like jumping of the old pier close to school) but we’re still also adventuring on. Speaking of lasts though, last week I had my last dive here. It’s number 18 in total, and it was my second night dive. We went to Tijeretas again to check out the local night life. With flashlights lighting up the nocturnal, aquatic world we saw space-ship like puffer fish, slipper lobster, and diademas reaching their creepy spines towards the depths.  After we again ascended to the awaiting Orion next to an almost full moon, it really hit me that this was another last. Through my diving here, which I would say was my first real diving experience, I’ve learned a lot, especially how to deal when your equipment is faulty and what to do in strong currents. It was definitely a cool place to learn with amazing marine life (including sharks!!!) and dramatic seascapes. Gracias Galapagos.

Tiburon Martillo

           

 The adventures don’t end there. The next morning, in lieu of class, we went on a fishing trip. 

Se llama Pesca Vivencial and it’s a growing activity that has been promoted by some conservationists to curb the impact of fishing. Diego, our professor, wanted us to experience it for ourselves in order to develop a knowledgeable opinion on it (we’re currently talking about it in class as I write this) It was an awesome experience, we split into groups and went with different fishermen for a Friday morning fishin’ trip. We had a pretty lucky day. Robi was the fishermen that took us around the coast, and he really knew what he was doing. We all got a chance to reel one or two in, and in total we caught 14 fish (barracuda, palometa, and bacalao)! Even just talking to him as we were waiting for bites was cool to learn about his life on the enchanted isles, and how much he loved fishing. The second part of this involved us going to the fisherman’s house to have a dinner with the fish we caught. It was probably the best fish I’ve ever had and it didn’t end there since the melt-in-your-mouth breaded fish was accompanied with some awesome sauce, a nice salad, and more great conversation. 

Neil's Birthday fiesta

            Although it probably won’t be my last time snorkeling here, it was my last snorkel trip on Sunday. I hadn’t planned on going but I was very glad my friends convinced me to go. We went to Playa Ochoa, Isla Lobos, Cerro Brujo, and Leon Dormido. We saw the normal sea life as usual is some usually colder water (it’s supposed to be getting warmer, but I guess it’s taking the Northern Hemisphere approach this year) but at Leon Dormido as we were diving down to swim aside Galapagos sharks a heard the familiar, “smack, smack, smack!” of David signaling me and it was a 2.5 meter long Hammerhead!!!!! My snorkel + sea water stifled scream was audible as I tried to swim as close as possible to it (sometimes I don’t make the best decisions but they keep telling me that the sharks here are vegetarians, quizás). Scott, dove like a bat out of hell down and got the closest to his namesake. We all surfaced after running out of air and high-fived each other as we regained our oxygen back and some warranted fear. We soon left, saying our final despedidas to Leon Dormido as we boated away from that iconic place. It might be a little early but I think our nostalgia is catching up with all of us. We keep bringing up stories of months ago and reminiscing to the max.

Cerro Brujo

            Sweet Tea. I’ve missed it since I arrived here. It’s such a simple thing and a recipe to make it would scarce take up half a page, but it means so much and is so much more than just a drink. It means home. You just steep some tea, add some sugar (while it’s still hot por faaaavorrr) and let it cool and voila! Add some lemon if you wanna, but no me importa. It’s the sweetest thing I think, and while I’ve craved it for sooooo long and enough to choke down some iced nesté and tried to imagine that sweet and smooth elixir. But in all honesty I missed this simple concoction far less than I imagined I would on the long plane ride to Ecuador. Who could have guessed that this place could be that great. Steeped heavy in unbelievable nature and beauty, every day here has been refreshingly full of amazement. And unbeknownst to me I would be thrown here with a group of the loveliest people that I’ve ever met. This trip couldn’t have been soo sweet without them and I really can’t imagine going very long without this concoction that I’ve found here.

Soon headin’ up north to the Land of the Pine.

I’ve got till Friday here, then 2 nights in Quito, then home!

Perhaps this blog might continue

But for now, that’s all folks.