It rained a lot this morning which meant that for the first time in a week I was able to enjoyably eat breakfast and do my morning farm tasks without melting. I checked the weather forecast yesterday in town when we had WIFI and it states 23 degrees… wise word of wisdom – that is complete crap. Never trust it. On the bus home yesterday is said 40 degrees inside and 37 outside. You could literally fry an egg ion the ground so why the forecast states this bullshit I don’t know.
However even though it is raining, we ran out of water in the supply tanks out the back of the farm and the shower broke so we are definitely not off to the best start today. Looks like we will use the rain to our advantage and shower outside. We had read reviews about the Lava tunnels located in Bella Vista and as it was on the way to town we decided to go for a visit. The entry is $3.50USD pp and upon arrival, no one was there so we meandered around for a while before calling it a day and leaving. To be honest, the lava tunnels in Racho El Chato were great so we would both recommend sticking to them and not wasting time nor money. If you are a lover of all things caves, then by all means check them out as they are the longest caves in South America reaching a whopping 2.2kms long. Shockingly enough by the time we got to Puerto Ayora after the walk to the lava tunnels, the rain had stopped, and the day was truly spectacular as per usual and bloody roasting. We had planned to watch the football – Liverpool vs. Barcelona at our local spot 1835 at 1pm – gives Leo a chance to chill and do something he loves and for me eat cake and use their WIFI. Before making our way there we stopped off at the beach by the Charles Darwin centre – Playa de La Estacion. The beach is open from 6am – 6pm daily and is a nesting place for the marine iguanas so you will be joined by these guys, brightly coloured crabs and plenty of pelicans. It’s super beautiful here and well worth going for a dip in the clear waters. The rocks off the beach also make for great snorkelling too!
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It’s always sunny in Puerto Ayora, and I do not say that sparingly, I wholeheartedly believe this. Everyday since we arrived the weather has been cloudy at Jimmy’s place, super-hot but overcast mostly then the second we pass the ‘Welcome to Puerto Ayora’ sign then sun is splitting the sky with not a cloud in site.
Today was exactly that. We woke up - me before Leo as I felt something staring at me, and yes, it was a goddam huntsman spider above my bed, the size of my hand. I hopped into Leo’s bed had a mini freak out then made breakfast. Our adventure plan for the day was Las Grietas which we have read is amazing and the beach on the way is pretty epic too, so we decided to make a day of it. Today we hoped in a taxi as the bus was taking for ages and it cost the same price which made us question why we hadn’t done it sooner? Anyway, upon arriving in the sunniest place on Earth we boarded a water taxi across the Laguna to the bay on the other side of the port – the gateway to Las Grietas. It costs 80c pp and takes less than 5 minutes, but you cannot go by foot and the journey it pretty nice. We saw heaps of sealions at the port as well as black tipped reef sharks, fish and of course marine iguanas. If Racho El Chato is not in the top 3 things to do in Santa Cruz island, then add it. Right. Now. It is an unbelievable place where you can literally walk with giants. Located about 3.5kms walk from Santa Rosa will take you to the ranch of El Chato. This is a privately-owned farm land but also home to so many giant land tortoises roaming around in their natural habitat, not to mention 2 massive lava tunnels which are a really awesome add on to the tortoise visit.
We got the bus from our front door in the area called Ocidente and paid our $0.50c each to reach Santa Rosa to begin the walk to the Ranch. Most people get a taxi or private tour but as we are doing Galapagos on the cheap then walking would be the only way for us, and we like walking and exercise so win.win. The walk there is well covered with lots of shady spots so even in the heat it was manageable. About 1 km from the entrance we saw our first tortoise just hanging about on the farm road to the ranch. By law you have to stay 6ft away from all animals in Galapagos, but we were still able to get some incredible shots – thanks Canon! From there you make your way to the onsite café and pay $5USD pp entry fee which is totally reasonable considering this is private land and $5 is not breaking the bank in the slightest. From there you start the 1 hour walk through these massive lava tunnels carved out when the lava flowed through the ground back in the last eruptions. They range from 20m, 30m and 150m (the 150m is guided by small lamps inside but the other 2 are not so bring a head torch or phone light) Jimmy our host never came home last night so this morning we made our own routine on the farm and got stuck clean into it and I have to say, I enjoyed it. As we haven’t had much time to plan what we are going to do this month we thought today would be great to head into town, sit in a café with WIFI and enjoy a coffee, cake, and being connected to reality for a few hours while researching the do’s and don’ts of Galapagos.
As well as the coffee and cake, we both really wanted to check out the fish market and the Charles Darwin centre to spot the first of our giant tortoises. These are both MUST DO’s on Santa Cruz, each bustling with amazing facts, wildlife and energy and not to mention they are both free! I’ll start with the Puerto Ayora market which out of my whole month in Galapagos this was my most traveled to and favorite location. This features a small fish market where vendors sell fresh fish and lobsters from the catch of the day. However, it bringing with it not just tourists and locals to buy the beautiful fresh fish but as the vendors give the scraps to the local wildlife, we were amazed to see many pelican, frigate birds, sea lions, herons, marine iguanas, all chilling our enjoying the hustle and bustle of daily life, hoping to get a quick feed. |
AuthorHey! I'm Ally. I left the UK in 2011 to move overseas and ended up in New Zealand - my new home. This year we are taking a gap year to loop the world stopping in some AMAZING destinations - and I'm passionate about sharing these adventures with you! ArchivesCategories |