Galapagos Islands

From Cuenca I went to Guayaquil, where I caught a plane to the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Islands are also a UNESCO World Heritage site and they're located 972 kms. off the west coast of Ecuador, forming the Galapagos Province of Ecuador. The most remote islands in the world, they have a population of about 40,000. Charles Darwin traveled there on the "Beagle" to study the large number of endemic species of wildlife, leading to his theory of evolution. I watched the television series about the voyage of the Beagle to the Galapagos when I was a kid, and forever after, I wanted to go to the Islands. 

These photos are of Kicker Rock.








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I stayed in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the southern island of San Cristobal. The oceanfront was full of adorable sea lions. There are many beautiful beaches nearby such as Playa Punta Carola, which can be entered via the coastline trail. You can surf, but if you want to go swimming, go further north to Playa Mann. Also, there's Playa de Oro, where you'll find various small hotels.
Going south, a 20-minute walk to La Lobería takes you past the airport to a rough bay area covered in rocks where you can view sea lions, marine iguanas, and various birds. Further along the cliff face are rays and tortoises, although you should not wander off the trail.




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Here's a picture of Freddie, the gorgeous reporter and newscaster that I stayed with on San Cristobal Island. He did a great job, a thorough professional, and it was a kick turning on the television and watching him do the six o'clock news for the Islands. I went out with him on a few assignments. Don't let that serious look he has on his face fool you; he was a hell-raiser.
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Here are more pictures that my friend Freddie took. I stayed with for the duration of my time on the islands. These were all taken by helicopter for an assignment he was on. The boat in the upper left is similar to the boat I took to tour the islands. Thank God I had these pictures because my computer crashed and I lost dozens of beautiful pictures.






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I went to the Galapagos to do an English summer camp, and on the mornings I wasn't working I sometimes minded this four-year-old girl, Alexandra. She was a real hoot and made me laugh. I learned more Spanish from her than she English but I sure enjoyed all the time I spent with her. Look at that smile. Oiga! Oiga!