GALAPAGOS – Preserving Nature’s Wonders A – July 19

July 20, 2017

Suzannah Crandall a diario Sam Barbagallo

Everyone made it! After a long day of travel and multiple delayed flights, everyone was finally in bed by 2am.

This morning, although tired, there is an incredible amount of energy and lots of laughter.

We are super excited for the next two weeks with this group!

7/20/2016
Suzannah Crandall

Orientation, a winged virgin, traipsing along the cobblestone streets of Quito, a golden church and a chocolate making lesson were all highlights of our first full day together in Ecuador.

After sleeping in a bit this morning, we launched into exploring everyone’s expectations for the next two weeks and reviewing expectations for the trip. After a delicious lunch at home base, we headed up the hill (literally) and took in an impressive view of the city from the balcony at the Panecillo. Our next stop was to the Compañía de Jesus church which is famous for its golden walls and incredible carvings. Finally, we satisfied our sweet tooth with some ice cream and some hand made chocolate. After dinner, we capped off the evening by talking about how to incorporate leadership skills into everyday acts of leadership and doing final packing.
We will be up early to head for the islands so its off to bed. More to come very soon…

July 21st, 2017

Authors: Adrián Clayton and Zoe Camporaso

Today we awoke in Quito at sunrise. We then boarded a plane to Baltra and drove through volcanic plains covered in cacti. When we arrived at a dock a blue heron was standing near the clearest water many of us have ever seen. The scenery changed from dry and sparse to green when we crossed the channel. We then took a 2 hour boat ride in crazy waves and saw dolphins and some stingrays. Arriving on Isabela Island was really cool because we saw sea lions and the famous iguanas.

July 22, 2017

Parker Holt and Ben Kessler

We had a fabulous day! We saw sea lions, sea turtles, tortoises, and blue footed boobies. We snorkeled with fish, sea lions, and sharks. Then for service we pulled the bad weeds for the tortoises and ended the day with a game of fútbol with the locals.

July 23, 2017

Today our group started off the day with a nice stroll through the mangroves and waded through the clear fresh water delta. This activity ended up being surrounded by pelicans and blue footed boobies. We ended the beautiful morning with a pleasant walk along the powdered sand beach. After lunch, we continued our service with the tortoises and continued to pick weeds making their habitat more comfortable.

7/24/2017

Harry Katz and Alice Nobles

Today’s adventure was a trip to the tortoise breeding center on Isabella Island where we saw tortoises of all ages, from babies to ancient tortoises. Later in the day we climbed Volcan Sierra Negra where we watched clouds roll over the caldera.

7/25/2017

Jayden Lyon

Hannah gold

Today we went to a school and repainted it. We took breaks to play soccer with the kids. We then took the bus back to the hotel to have lunch. We walked to the beach after lunch. There we learned about evolution and Charles Darwin. In addition, we played a game where we got to create our own organism and its characteristics. Then we swam in the ocean and tanned. Afterwards, We were given the option to walk around town or hangout at the hotel.

7/26/2017

Manzie Tio Allen

Nathan Petryk

Today we traveled from Isabela to Floreana to go snorkeling and to eat lunch, and later to San Cristóbal. On Floreana we saw sea turtles, puffer fish, and a baby sea lion. After eating lunch on Floreana, we took a three hour boat ride to San Cristóbal Island. We spent an hour and a half eating at a bunch of different cafes and shopping for souvenirs. At 5:30 PM we took a bus to Finca Esperanza which is where we are sleeping for four nights. There are many spiders and most of the group is very scared.

7/27/2017

Lucy Duke and Ben Pampush

Today we started service working with machetes cutting down invasive species in the mountains. The view was amazing! Then we had lunch and headed to the beach to swim and saw a ton of sea lions sunbathing! Afterwards, we had time in the town to eat, shop, and hang out. Tired from the day, we headed to home base for a delicious dinner.

7/31/2017

Olivia Hymowitz and Bryce Herald

Throughout the course of our trip to the Galápagos Islands, we have taken in the culture, food, and exotic sights and we surely will never forget it. Whether it be snorkeling in freezing water with borderline territorial sea lions or planting trees on a rainy mountainside to better indigenous bird species, we have all personally grown and simultaneously learned that we are a very small spec in the huge world around us. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference; one blister at a time.

GALAPAGOS – Preserving Nature’s Wonders A – July 19 – August 1, 2017

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