Os extraño mucho!

April 19th

Quito, Ecuador

Right now I would do anything for a chance to return to the beautiful white yacht called Floreana.

The past 7 days were a dream. Sailing  on the Pacific, travelling between the Galapagos islands, eating fresh salads and drinking fresh juices, spending days trekking and snorkelling,  getting sunburned, and nights under the Ecuadorian stars …

No other place in the world can compare to those islands in the middle of nowhere. Since there has never been human settlement, the animals of Galapagos are still as they were in the garden of Eden, completely  trusting and not the slightest bit fearful of humans. On the very first day I found myself facing herons, frigate birds and sea lions from a distance of half a meter, and in the days to come, the islands revealed more of its unbelievable inhabitants – tortoises the size of sheep, miniature dragons, iguanas diving for algaes,  penguines sharing a lagoon with flamingos.

My idea of bird-watching has changed completely.

And the crew of the Floreana was not an inch less impressive. I now realize what the universe had in mind when it made me learn  Spanish in high school – it was to give me the chance to meet those guys. There was the rainy day with a very strong tropical rain trying to knock us off the zodiacs while we were having the time of our lives washing the yacht, and there was the sunny day with rays jumping in the water while I was allowed to steer the Floreana, and there was everything in between. The crew made me feel like a million dollars, and I can only hope it lasts.

We arrived back to the mainland today. Quito is said to be a beautiful city and I am trying to be grateful for the luxury of the hotel, but all I can think of is the warmth of the Galapagos sun, its wildilife and its people.  Here, the sheets are too white and the people anonymous. I’m very glad to be leaving for the Amazon tomorrow – but it will be a long time before my heart returns from the Galapagos.