Bucketlisting.
We frolicked with sea lions.
We clambered over volcanic terrain.
We swam with centenarian sea turtles.
We came to think of sharks as cute.
We dove down in the midst of schools of fish, as if we were one of them.
We tried to act cool as penguins and Blue Footed Boobies came close to check us out. (Maybe if we suppressed our squeals of delight, they may hang out a few seconds longer and let us get to know them just that little bit more.)
The Galapagos Islands were WILD. In the ‘wilderness’ sense of the word of course. But also in the sense of finding the kind of experiences that we’d hoped for as we dreamed of circumnavigating the world - it was unlike anything else we’d found before. We packed our visit with tours and activities, determined to see as much as we could and…we absolutely loved it!
And, in the midst of all of this wonder, we also experienced:
The not-insignificant stress of a broken water-maker (no water = no bueno)
The pull of our heads and hearts back to the people we love back home
Oppressive heat, rain, flies and mosquitos
Crew injury
Nail-bitingly tight anchorages, complete with a drifting cargo ship
I was never naive enough to think of this this trip around the world as a ‘holiday’. I always referred to it as our ‘adventure’. This felt closer to capturing the levels of activity and uncertainty we’d probably experience on a journey like this.
In the Galapagos though, we came to understand this big trip around the world for what it really is - an expedition. It’s giving us once-in-a-lifetime experiences and in return, it is requiring our grit. A sense of awe is pretty frequent. A sense of ease…not as much.
Will we, as expedition leaders, uncover Darwinian-level insights that will serve as the foundation for groundbreaking work? Ha, I guess you’ll have to stay tuned to find out!
Speaking of expeditions, if you haven’t checked out
Elliot’s Excellent Expedition
yet, what are you waiting for?!
We’re now 11 days into our Pacific Crossing (of about 18-20), and I think I’m just now beginning to process how special our time in The Galapagos was. The fact that we arrived there on our own boat, and now continue to travel to the other side of the planet from home on Pure Joy…well, the absurdity of this thought can take up hours of staring at the horizon. Which is good, because all we have out here is time!
Next up: French Polynesia