Galapagos Update: Surfing and Service


July 15:

Our “lazy Sunday” ended up being not so lazy! After a delicious breakfast of homemade yogurt, granola, scrambled eggs washed down with tree tomato juice & coffee, we all settled in on couches in the lounge to watch the last game of the World Cup! Sipping amazing fresh coffee & chatting with the family owners of the hostel, we were all cheering & laughing!

After the game was over, we packed up our sunscreen, stocked up on aqua & embarked on our 45 minute walk down a beautiful brick path to Tortuga bay. The walk was long & sunny but when we got there our local surf instructor greeted us. After some practice on the beach we set off out onto the waves!

It was one of the most beautiful beaches I’d ever seen. The crystal clear rolling waves were an incredible turquoise & the beach had some of the softest sand in the world. We all surfed the day away cheering for each others victories while sharing tons of laughs. We came back from surfing to a picnic lunch on the beach set up by Paul, our local guide. We chilled there, some of us still eating, while a few others went back out to surf. Some of them even saw a few rays, juvenile sharks, playful sea lions!

After surfing, we returned to the hostel, cleaned up, & went out to enjoy another delicious meal at the street market. Here we all fought over the incredible grilled chicken kabobs. Tonight’s “Boobie Babble” was longer than usual. We explored topics such as gender identity, ethnicity, our views on religion & more through incredibly interesting discussions with our peers.

We were absolutely exhausted after our brutally hot walk back from surfing. Though, Paul’s suggestion for some of the best ice cream in town to cool us down certainly helped. We all fell asleep early with wide smiles on our faces.

Until Next Time,

Sid

July 16:

Today started at 6am, little earlier than usual. Breakfast was at 8, & at 9 we left for our service project in the Highlands. It was so cool to see all the rows of native plants in different stages. I transported bags of soil from one side of the nursery to another using a wheelbarrow. Then I helped shovel dirt into these little plastic bags. I also took out the weeds in the bags with native Scalesia growing in them.

It was very rewarding to know that I was doing something to help restore the Galapagos. Although I was helping the island, I couldn’t help but feel that I was also doing more damage. This is because the plastic pouches that they use are single use & can’t be recycled. So I was helping to add more Scalesia trees into the environment, but I was also adding more trash into it as well.

Before we left we picked some sour tangerines to make into juice later. Upon arriving back we grabbed lunch at our usual spot. A tasty convenience considering it is within walking distance from our hostel. There we played some table-games like Buzz & Essence. Back at the hostel we had some time to rest. I played fútbol with Clinton & Matius. Afterwards we went to Paul’s house for some homemade pizza!

Isabela