The Galapagos-Isabela and Santa Cruz Islands

After my 8 day cruise, I stranded myself on Isabela island, the largest but the least inhabited of the 4 islands and in my opinion, the prettiest of the 4. On my first day, I rode a horse to the top of the Sierra Negra volcanic crater, the 2nd largest crater in the world. The volcano is still active, but because the volcano is not cone shaped, when it erupts, the lava just stays within the top of the crater and much of the pressure is dissipated through holes located throughout the surface.


Later that day, I went snorkeling near Las Tintoreras, a small area with volcanic rock where white fin sharks rest. I watched penguins play and marine iguanas scatter and swam with green sea turtles.



The next day, I decided to walk to the Wall of Tears. Isabela island once served as a penal colony. Life at the penal colony killed many of the prisoners because the warden made the prisoners create this giant wall of lava rock. The hot sun and useless task hurt many mens' spirits. One day, the prisoners turned against their guards, killed them, and fled the island, but the wall still remains. I thought I could easily walk to it, but didn't realize until once I got there that I had walked 4.5 miles in flip flops. I ran out of water at the wall, and slowly made my way back another 4.5 miles to the nearest stand with juices.

In order to let my blisters rest, I relaxed in a hammock and watched the waves crash along the shores. Just what I thought island life is like.

After several days on Isabela, I made my way back to Santa Cruz to dive. I checked out Tortuga Bay, a gorgeous white sand beach and dove the next day. To my luck, I saw Galapagos sharks and hammer head sharks known for their eyes that sit on a bulge on the side of their heads. This was my first dive since certification and since I was so nervous, the dive master held my hand the whole time. I felt safe next to him and thankfully, didn't panic.

On my last day, I met a local throwing a party at his castle like house. He invited me to his party and so I brought along a couple of the women who went diving with me so I wouldn't be going alone. He told me about his vision to create Galapagos music with the local animals, which I found interesting as well as his vision for his castle house. I really enjoyed my time meeting his friends and learning a little more about the Galapagos culture.