9
Location: Transit to the Galapagos
My alarm sounded at 3:30 am, my excitement meter went from 0 to 100; real quick. Being team leader my mission was to deliver the non-ecstatic news to the sleeping teenagers: it was time to wake up. Shortly after the baggage haul, we started our long journey to the Galapagos Islands. We got on the plane with tired eyes and a bright mind for a 4-hour flight. Some of us were confused by the sudden stop in a major city for a transfer flight. Nonetheless, everyone safely arrived in the Galapagos Islands, a luxurious destination that took our breaths away. From the airport, we had to take a bus, a ferry, and another bus to get to our swell hotel.
Some of us, myself included, enjoyed the ten minutes of napping time we were allowed. As a hungry bunch of do-gooders, we headed to an authentic local restaurant for lunch. The two menu options were either fish or chicken, as per usual. The group split down the middle with half of us ordering fish and the other half chicken. Devin bought some brooms to prepare for our service work the next day. We finished up our lunch and marched on back to the home base to grab our swimsuits for an afternoon city tour with the possibility of swimming.
Afterward, at the dock, we spotted some very rare and intriguing sights. The first one is a large seal perched on the edge of a boat. There were at least 20 crabs on the shore of the pier who were accompanied by multiple camouflaging iguanas along the rocks. Eventually arriving at the Charles Darwin Institute, we learned about the exciting history of evolution in the Galapagos Islands. We then stopped by a cafe to enjoy some refreshments that we had on the way to a beautiful beach.
A small group of us decided to enjoy the bright turquoise water regardless of the cold weather. Others decided to capture memories with their cameras. Later that night, we ate literally on the street. A whole street of outdoor restaurants offering various cuisines taunted us as we decided which one to choose. We all enjoyed our meals, and then a select few decided to treat themselves to an ice cream dessert. Ferris had two too many scoops on his cone, which consequently caused it to split in half. He cried about it until we all finally got our well-deserved sleep.