San Cristóbal, Galápagos... "Sea" me "Lion" around

My second destination was San Cristóbal, one of the oldest islands in the Galápagos. My speedboat left in the afternoon, and a couples hours after passing over choppy waters, we arrived in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Here I was immediately was greeted by colonies and rafts of sea lions. My goodness! They were everywhere. on rocks, in the water, on the narrow strips of beaches, laying on the malecón. I was worried that I'd not experience hoards of sea lions this after my time around Santa Cruz, especially when guides kept saying the most recent El Niño decimated the population from about 40,000 to 15,000, total. Yet there seemed to exist no shortage of this endemic Galápagos species on San Cristóbal. In Santa Cruz, I was fast losing hope for seeing them since the single one I saw was a juvenile on Isla Bartolomé. However, less than barks and more like dry-retches filled my ears and took me by wonder as I strolled down the muelle in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. In due time, I found my hostel where I checked in without a single problem. The day had been long between checking-out, visiting the Darwin Research Station, waiting for and taking the speedboat that I was pretty wiped out.

Here I had the fewest amount of planned activities, just one prearranged tour for my second full day on the island. Prior to the entire trip I wanted to go on several dives so I kept my schedule open for here to accomplish that. After the panic during my one dive on Santa Cruz and the decision to hold off on more. As a result, I had a lot more open free-time (and less of an impact on what remained in my wad). I was content with this because I got a couple of extra “off days” left for reading and relaxing. It was also a surprise blessing since my GoPro memory card was filling up quickly with hours of video footage; I brought my laptop along so that I could draft blog entries and download my video files. Reviewing the amount of video I had on my hands (er, hard drive) and the amount of time I’d have between my return to Quito and the start of work, I knew I could fill some of this down time with editing the footage into ‘rough drafts’ then finalize when back in my apartment. Two years ago when I went on my loooooong trip through the Andes, I similarly lacked extra days between my return and work, resulting in a delay for posting my entries and files.

My first morning there I started exploring, first by finding my way to the Mirador Cerro Tijeritas. At first, it seemed pretty straightforward. Follow the signs to Playa Mann and then the trails and I’d arrive. What I failed to realize was that the designated trails required me to pass through the Centro de Interpretación first, and instead I was along an unmarked path over lava rock in a dry forest. It took me about ten minutes to wind my way through to the stone-and-mortar path. At least it was early enough that nobody else was around to see me take this detour… I felt like a renegade making his own path, but I could claim ignorance due to a lack of signage. Once I arrived to the peak of the mountain/bluff, I noticed the sign to the Playa Baqeutizo and said to myself, “hey, you don’t have any excuses to not go there” and started down another rocky path. All I had on were my Asics, but at least I was wearing durable shoes. This hike was pretty challenging. Not just because I had to climb up and leap between jagged lava rock boulders, but also since the trail was lightly marked. Every so often I could confirm I was on the right way by scouting the unintentionally hidden wood posts painted black with white tips. Once I reached the end, I found more marine iguanas and a low tide. Low enough that I wasn’t confident in taking a dip to snorkel; the waves violently crashed into the rocky shore and, unlike a marine iguana, I am not adapted for these types of waters. After an equally difficult hike back (rocks and hidden posts), I wound up at the small bay I viewed from the mirador. There I could safely snorkel and, to my luck, with a few sea lions around me. This is not the zoo, people!

My highlight of this island was going to Kicker Rock. It definitely is a rock, albeit a titanic one. From a distance, it appears as a great singular trapezoid in the distance. Upon closer inspection, a giant boulder that’s fissured into two portions. From in the water, it’s more like three. This would have been a spectacular dive, as half the people in my tour group ended up doing. However, two factors comforted me in my previous decision. First was the amount the ocean swelled. By my estimate, we were rising and falling between a two meter/six foot amount, with all the waves suspiciously moving in the direction of the jettisoned rock. Second was the water temperature. The night before, someone picked me up from my hostal to outfit me with a mask and snorkel, flippers and… a wetsuit? C’mon, this is equatorial waters. Shouldn’t they be warm and tropical. Tropical, yes. Warm, no. Considering the amount of time we spent snorkeling, at least 30 minutes each of two times, I lacked the mental strength to keep from shivering and basically hugging myself to stay warm. What brought me comfort was seeing a flotilla of sea turtles encircling us, several hammerhead sharks, and bustling scape of sea life that carpeted the rocky walls into the deep depths. I wish I could say I saw the bottom but I’m not entirely sure. If left up to me, I’d say there was not bottom. Thankfully, after completing a full circle of Kicker Rock, the clouds broke and the sun warmed us all. 

I didn’t do much else on the island except go for a daily afternoon stroll, to look at all the closed tiendas, closed restaurants, and closed agencies. Stopping to watch sea lions basking in the warm sunlight, pelicans haphazardly plunging onto the sea surface for a bite to eat. The amount of places and duration for which they stayed closed surprised me. Ecuador is not a place that traditionally observes a siesta, but San Cristóbal must have said to hell with that. I took the hint, as well 😉

One of my other strolls took me to La Lobería, a place where you can allegedly see a lot of sea lions. I took a cue from them, as well, to sun on the beach and relax for a bit. Before settling down though, I braved this half-climbing up lava boulders, half-hopping from one-to-the-next path and saw the most fascinating* sight until this point. Two male marine iguanas were go head-to-head, literally. My guess is they were fighting over a rock though in reality it was probably something a little more than just that. Between them head butting, pushing, and biting each other I allowed my impulses to take over— with nobody else around, I shouted “WORLD STAR!!!!!” Seriously, I might make my own little video cut and load it there.

Despite the lack of activity and a slower, quieter town, I had a great time. I was able to effectively use my hours for seeing the unique creatures as well as finish several books, draft blog entries and edit a lot of my footage. By the time I reached Isabela, I’d grow more thankful for my choices on San Cristóbal because the next six days on Isla Isabela were going to be brimming with activity and tours.

Pro Tip: If you do visit this island, I highly recommend you do the 360 Tour, named such because you go around the entire island by boat. Although I didn’t do it, it received raving reviews from everyone. I mean everyone. In my hostal or walking down the streets, it was practically the only topic of conversation. The talk of the town! During this tour, you have and opportunity to see dolphins, as well as the red-footed boobies that make their homes on only two islands in the archipelago.


*It's a lie; there were so many equally fascinating sights and experiences to qualify that absolutely. I did lose my mind for being in the right place at the right time to see it.