Galapagos - A very special trip

Today I flew to the Galapagos Islands very early in the morning. It was pure chaos at the airport. The entire luggage was searched, hygiene checks and quarantine controls were done. All to protect the unique flora and fauna that can be found on the islands. The entry alone costs $120, this fee is a sort of visa that one must pay to enter the islands. The flight took just under 2 hours. Upon arrival, the luggage is searched again (no fruits, nuts, organic materials, etc.). Then you get on a bus, which takes you to a ferry that will transport you to the island of Santa Cruz. From here, it is about 45 minutes until you reach the port city of Puerto Ayora. However, for me, it's more like a small village, because you can walk everywhere.

I met up with my Couchsurfing buddy Diego and we went for lunch. After that, he showed me his apartment. However, the apartment consists of only one room, about the size of my living room in Germany. I was promptly shocked when he told me that there is no hot water here. Also, I should definitely not drink the water from the tap, as there is no good drinking water supply on the islands.

He explained that he still needs to go to work briefly and then wants to watch the soccer game on TV (just like Rami 😄).

So, I gathered myself and walked about 500m further to the famous Charles Darwin Research Center. Here, Giant Tortoises are kept, nurtured, and researched in an appropriate way. It's a kind of rescue center. On my way through the small national park of the Research Center, I suddenly found myself in a bio-research laboratory. I promptly took the wrong turn, knocked on a heavy wooden door to ask for directions, disturbed Lenny (Park Ranger) who was working, and spontaneously received a private tour of the lab. There, he showed me thousands of insects and all sorts of creepy crawlies that have been collected here on the islands.

Curiosity got the better of me, and on Monday, I have the opportunity to spend a day working in the biology lab and observing the researchers. Lenny and I will then preserve insects in alcohol. Jihaa 😊

In the next few days, I plan to explore the other islands and have a day off at the beach. I need that with the temperature at 28℃.

Diego and I are now going for ice cream and beer!

By the way:

The Wi-Fi here is so bad that it is impossible to upload pictures or check Facebook. So, the islands are like a digital detox 😂. Let's see how long it takes before I desperately scream for Wi-Fi. Pictures coming soon.