Amazon and Galapagos!

Bongiorno! Today (6/16) was another intense traveling day for the NGSE clan! We woke up early to catch our 9 o’clock flight to Coca; however, we thought our flight departed at 10! So when we got there and saw the change in time, we went into panic mode and had to rush through the tiny airport to our gate. Luckily, there was minimum security and no line, so we blew right through! After the 30 minute flight, we hopped onto a motorized boat in the shape of an elongated canoe and set sail for 5 hours. About 30 minutes after we left, our boat got stuck on the bank! Our navigators had to hop out and we had to rock from side to side in order to get us free; after a couple minutes of strenuous rocking, we were free! They served us a delicious lunch consisting of chicken and potatoes and apple! After our 5 hour journey on the piranha river, we entered the piranha lagoon, and our lodge. We dropped off our stuff, put on our bathing suits, and canoed out into the piranha lagoon; we went swimming! It was so refreshing, and reminded me of the Louisiana swamp, but instead of having an alligator danger, we had a piranha and anaconda danger! We got back and ate dinner; I got in bed by around 8:20 and Lauren and I were asleep by 9! We slept under mosquito nets, which was something I’ve really wanted to do; it was quite fulfilling. Well, until next time!

            Jambo! Today (6/17) was a packed day with a bunch of activities. We woke up at 5:45 and went on a boat ride trying to spot birds; the sunrise was gorgeous, and the clouds looked like they were backlit! We had breakfast at 7, and then took the motorized boat to some land and embarked on a 4 hour hike through the wet, humid, and hot rainforest! We learned and saw many cool things. We found a little tribal doll on the forest floor, and I named her Natasha… Bailey is holding it for me so I don’t get cursed. After dinner, we went out in the canoes and paddled around looking for Caymans, or alligators. Sadly, we didn’t see any. Now, back at the lodge, I need to go to bed so I can be rested for tomorrow! So long!

            Mwatabwanji! Today (6/18) was another fun day full of monkeys! We woke up at 6:45 (we got to sleep in), had breakfast, and went out for another 3 hour excursion! We drank some animal poison that came from a tree, but it is good for humans! After the hike and lunch, we went out on the boat to Monkey Island! We were on that island for an hour, and while we were there, we saw a bunch of monkeys running on the branches and flying through the trees! On the way back, it poured on us; we got very wet! We downloaded our pictures, and Sarah Jane and I took pictures of the sunset! After dinner, we had an awesome dance party! It was our workout for the day… I am tired; off to bed!

            Marhaba! Today (6/19) was a pleasant day for us. We woke up early, at 5:45, and we went on an hour hike looking for monkeys. We saw a few, not many though L After breakfast, which, for me, consisted of 2 ½ roles (sorry mom), we went piranha fishing! I caught a baby one! As a boat, we caught six decent sized piranhas. For lunch, we had the biggest piranhas that we caught as a group; I had a bite! After lunch, we had a siesta. Then, Michael, Sarah Jane, Haley, and I went swimming in the lagoon again! While we were swimming, we (mostly me) had a screaming contest where we could hear the echoes echoing across the entire lagoon! The longest I held my shout was 20 seconds! Before dinner, we went out on canoes and took pictures of the sunset; it was so pretty! Well off to bed… J

            Kaixo! Today (6/20) was a traveling day! We left the Amazon today, and it was very sad. While we were going on the boat, the sky opened up and it poured on us for 4 hours! I was soaked and freezing to the bone! We had a good lunch, and then continued on our journey to Coca for our plane ride. The plane ride was nearly 20 minutes long! We passed over a very picturesque landscape consisting of mountains and volcanoes. We got back to Quito and had dinner at the awesome sandwich restaurant, and we then ate ice cream! Tomorrow we leave for the Galapagos! Hasta la vista!

            Namaskar! Today (6/21) we arrived in the Galapagos, specifically San Cristobal island! It is so beautiful here! When we landed, we went straight to lunch and then to our hostal. We got our bathing suits and went out. We snorkeled along the coast, saw some cool fish, and swam with a sea lion! The water was cold; it felt so good! The fish were so pretty, and a lot of them were swimming in giant schools. We saw a sea turtle- apparently it is quite rare to spot them so quickly and easily like we did! During the whole excursion, a sea lion was playing with us, and I swam with it! He was so cute and playful. After we finished swimming, we went to Love Beach and saw a BUNCH of sea lions lying around! They were swimming, coughing, sleeping, and burping! The sunset was gorgeous, and after we finished capturing the moment, we went back to shower, and then on to dinner! We had the biggest dinner yet, and I seriously feel sick right now! I ate so much that I might explode any second. They served us mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables in buckets!! It was the greatest. Then, we went and had some ice cream! Tomorrow we have a very exciting day planned at Kicker’s Rock that involves more snorkeling and taking pictures, and I need a good night’s rest! So long!

~Me in a giant tortoise shell~

            Hej! Today (6/22) was a really fun day because we went deep-water snorkeling! First, we went to Kicker Rock. The sea floor was 300 feet below us; the water was very rough, dark, and cold! We swam through a thin channel through the two rocks, and I saw a shark! It was very small because it was so far down, and because I couldn’t go that deep due to my ears and wetsuit, I only saw one. However, Sam went down really far, and later said that we were literally swimming over a shark pit! We saw a few starfish and sea turtles! They were so big and pretty! After that stop, we went to a beach for a few minutes and explored. Next, we went to Isles Lobos and saw more sea turtles and sea lions; I also swam through a school of fish! The school was circling around us at one point; it was mesmerizing! The water was freezing! We saw some blue-footed boobies too! Later, we explored the town and took some more pictures. Its off to Santa Cruz tomorrow… Good night!