We have not been diligent in our blogging, but we both figure we'll have plenty of time when we return to document our travels, probably while toasting to a glass of wine or an IPA saying, "Man it's great to be home, but that year ROCKED!"
This is our Picasa web page with all of our travel pictures. We have also copied specific links for the Galapagos Islands. If you just want to see our pictures, go here!
http://picasaweb.google.com/dghubbard
November 18th-January 6th GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: San Cristobal until January 2nd and Santa Cruz and Isla Isabella
http://picasaweb.google.com/dghubbard/123009IslaLoboSnorkle#
http://picasaweb.google.com/dghubbard/GalapagosPics
http://picasaweb.google.com/dghubbard/122909SnorklingPlayaMan#
http://picasaweb.google.com/dghubbard/123009KRChannelScuba#
Holy Galapagos! We were blessed to experience nature at its best! There are many small islands throughout the archipelago, but the main islands are San Cristobal, which was where we stayed the majority of the time, while also traveling to Santa Cruz, and Isla Isabella. "Galapagos" means tortoise in Spanish; the islands namesake came from the what used to be abundance of tortoises, but today there are only a handful. Ginny made San Cristobal our home by getting in contact with a man named, "Teacher Willy," San Cristobal's mini-celebrity, known for trying to teach the people of the island English. He is a really nice man with the best intentions for his community. He lived in NY for 10-15 years, where he used to be a weight lifting 300 pound stud! When we met him he was no longer the muscle built man he had once been, but we enjoyed listening to him tell us about himself. With his tatooed covered body, he was one of the only other people within an inch of my height, making him the other giant on the island!On our travels, we have met several people who have been volunteering while traveling BUT they had to pay for it...at a premium! (Most of the money going to the company, based in England, and not to the local project)
We both agreed early on that we would not pay to work for free! Through William, we were able to get our $100 dollar mandatory per person Galapagos Park fee waived and get introduced to a WONDERFUL family who we we lived with for only $250 a month while on the island. Angel and Jenet let us live with them, use their kitchen, practice yoga on their roof with the Pacific right in front of us, and lay in their hammocks! Angel taught me how to skin dive, catch octopus bare handed, and make a killer ceviche! For Christmas, they invited us to a really nice dinner at the house which included a champagne toast, beef, chicken, sausage, blood sausage, and a hot dog! Who needs veggies and starches for La Navidad?
From Angel's home, we could see the San Cristobal Bay and the closest beach was a 10 minute walk. We often went snorkeling where we swam with all kinds of fish, sea lions, and sea turtles. Because there was no warm water in the house, Ginny took to running on the days she taught classes, so she could enjoy her cold shower. On one route, she would run to a place where she was often met by a sea turtle coming up to the surface for air. I was working on getting my dive master, so many days she would run to see me while I was in the Bay on a shore dive. Ginny received her open water and saw a hammerhead shark on her first dive, along with Galapagos and White Tip sharks! 
We both worked at the school in the beginning, but I was busy diving. (Lucky me!) On Saturdays, we helped out on field trips around the island. On our first trip, William asked me to teach the kids yoga, after hiking to the top of dormant volcano with a crater filled lake.
With less than 6000 people on the entire island, 50% being under the age of 18, we couldn't walk 100 feet without running into someone we knew. There was one stop light on the island, which we are certain was only purchased for the novelty of having one! The cargo/supply ship only came on Tuesdays, so by Sunday/Monday, the main store in town was empty! By "main store," don't envision a large chain type grocery store. Rather, it is a locally owned store called, "Esperanza." On one side of the street produce is sold in an open building about 900 sq.feet and on the other side of the street, more packaged type products and bulk items are sold in about an 800sq. ft building. Sunday is the day to go to church and stay home with the family. Everything is closed until 6pm! We were pretty hungry the first Sunday we were there when we found out the hard way that nearly everything closes! Luckily, the money-making shop owner on the beach had his dollar ice cream! He informed us that he NEVER closes, other than the daily 12-2 siesta.
The dollar is the form of currency throughout Ecuador, and we were often quite annoyed that nobody ever had change! We would pay with a 20 or a 10 and have to wait while the business owner ran to his neighbor to break the bill! I began thinking that the reason why they never had change was because the ATMs all have 20 dollar bills, because all the smaller bills are already with the people, so the new bills are always in quanities of 20, so anything smaller than that had to be brought to the island. At Esperanza, we realized that the shop owner wrote down an itemized list of what the people bought, item by item! Afterwards, the people would leave without paying??? We finally realized that these people were running a tab, probably to be paid at the end of the month...with a few 20s!
Many things were done on the honor system. In Quito, Ecuador, we had to double lock our doors, switch to a plastic see through bag to carry our things, leaving the thief enticing backpack at the house, and always on guard against the ladrones. Here though, it was the exact opposite! Angel advised us to not only leave the door unlocked, but wide open! We would literally come home to an empty house with the screenless door wide open! On one occasion, Ginny and I had run out of water, so I went to the store by the house to buy some. There was nobody inside, and I didn't have exact change, so I just took the jug. About two days later, I went by the store to pay, and the lady working said with a friendly smile, "Oh yeah, my son told me he saw you come in and get the water!" There were several times where the people didn't have change or we didn't have enough money, and the people said, "It's OK, come back later!" We first thought..."Sweet...Hope we remember ;)" Yet, we always did, and we gained an appreciaion for the simple system of honesty.
Our New Years was toward the end of our stay and we spent it with Jennie, a doctor in England, her boyfriend Neil, a pharmacist, Dan K. from Chicago, a sky diving instructor, David, a young guy from Sweeden who had played semi-pro before getting injured, and two other girls. New Years was crazy! For the New Year, the locals make paper-mache life size bodies of important people in the year. there was a Michael Jackson, Bart Simpson, the president, fisherman, singers, etc. They're elaborate, resembling a float in a parade! They write about the year, both good and bad, and then, at 12, they pour GASOLINE on them and light them on fire! At midnight, all you smell are the strong fumes of gasoline and see piles of buring bodies in the streets!
After our New Years festivities we made a quick jaunt to the island of Isabella where we went on a horseback riding trip from the east side of the island to the west side. Dan was the only one who got to ride a mule. Everyone else got a horse. He looked just like Sherk riding Donkey. Along the way we passed the 2nd largest volcanic crator in the world, some volcanic Vents and some recently made (2004) lava flows that have since cooled. We also went to a little island about a mile from Isabel that was an Iguana colony. There were hundereds of Iguanas and while all they really do is lay there, we were graced with a battle between two big males where they showed dominance by pushing eachother back and forth using their heads. Think rams with out the dramatic charge and chrashing noise! We also saw a male and female romanically intwinded in a blissful sleep after what we assumed must have been their honeymoon. :)
We will miss many things about the Galapagos, but most of all, we will miss snorkeling and skin diving with our wonderful host Angel, Lydia, the student who no matter where we were on the island, would find us, running full speed to greet us with a kiss on our cheek, the breathtaking views and sunsets over the crashing waves, our daily walks to see the smelly sea lion moms and their babies, whose presence made it clear to the people that the island was theirs first, the wise sea turtles in the bay, the bright Darwin finches, who have taught us that one must adapt in order to survive, the ridiculously weird-eyed hammerhead sharks who think we're an even crazier sight, the majestic and graceful rays that look like something from a sci-fi movie, the tenacious swimming iguanas, and the countless exquistie fish. 
Although eager and excited to continue our travels, our hearts were heavy as we had to say good-bye to this beautiful place.
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