Needless to say, we hit the ground running this morning. Up and on the go by 9am we set out on a very serious mission...to find the best last minute cruise of the Galapagos Islands. 

Armed with a map of the islands, a price range we were willing to pay and some preliminary research, we popped in and out of many “Best Last Minute Cruises” for the better part of the day. 

By mid afternoon we were exhausted. It was mesmerizing listening to itineraries and island choices not to mention a  scattered few agents, mostly 20-something year old men, blowing the proverbial smoke up our arses! 

At 3 pm we stopped for a beer and a chat and regrouped. We had honed our knowledge and made some firm choices. An 8 day cruise seemed the most cost-verses-time efficient and Isabela Island (shaped like a seahorse), and predominately uninhabited, was the most obvious choice to explore. 

Isabela is the largest island of the archipelago and has only one inhabited community and is accessible by ferry (which we wanted to skip on the cruise but maybe visit later). Isabela could be circumnavigated which means we would cross the equator on the trip (how cool is that!) and it has the best variety of marine life of all the islands. 

We knew we wanted the cruise to include both hiking and snorkelling excursions each day and if we could, find an itinerary that included some of the smaller islands along the way. So with only a few hours left until most shops closed, we dug in and got the job done!

We headed back to a couple of places that offered specs close to what we were looking for. Somewhere along the way we got a text from one agent offering us exactly what we wanted and more, so we headed over, negotiated price and paid the man before he changed his mind or realized what a sweet deal he cut. Booya! 

Pumped with our decision  and too early for celebratory drinks we headed back to the hotel and packed up our bags. We spent the remaining 1.5 hours walking the streets of Puerto Ayora excited about the days ahead!

As we are tucked tightly away on the western seaboard of the equator, the sun drops out of the sky promptly at 6:30 pm. Daylight turns to dark in the snap of a finger; there is no build up to the sunset and no dusk afterward, there is simply day and night. As so, when the sun no longer lit the sky, we headed to the brightest street in town, Charles Binford Avenue!

A street lined with Mom & Pop resturant’s by day, one can easily find a two course meal for $5US; simple soup and an entree of rice and meat. After the sun sets the street turns into something entirely different; shops pull their tables onto the street and line the sky with tarps to fend off misty rain. Large  charcoal barbecues are rolled out and store owners start their hustle vying for your patronage. 

Fish tables dot each storefront along the street sporting the best of today’s catch; fresh octopus, squid, scorpion fish, yellow fin tuna, spiny lobster and more. All eyes glistening and tentacles twisting, it’s a smorgasbord of creeping, crawling delights from the sea. All, grilled or steamed on open charcoal and drizzled with your choice of garlic butter or coconut sauce. It’s a heavenly delight! 

We sat for a couple of hours and enjoyed barbecued pulpo (octopus) and steamed logostine (spiny lobsters). Glutenous, we ordered two sea snails in the most offensive looking shells I had ever seen. The entire affair was lip-smacking good!

As we sat and ate, young children moved from shop to shop, dressed in simple Halloween costumes. With small plastic pumpkins grasped with tiny fingers they stopped at the fish tables where the waiter gave them a single piece of candy. With a smile broadening across their faces they skipped along quietly to the next shop with parents trailing close behind! Observance of the same holiday but a such differences in practice! 

Gullets full on food, stinking of garlic and minds filled with excitement, we headed back to our hostel, called family to let them know we’d be off the grid for a week and tucked in for the night!

So excited to buzz around the Galapagos, unplugged, for the next 8 days!