June 12, 2016
Wind off the Itabaca Channel whips hair into my eyes. Digging through my bags, I find my bandana and tie it on.
It’s just after 1:00 pm and I’m back on the island of Baltra, waiting for a bus to arrive to take me and three other people to the airport. It’s a busy day down at the Channel; two big trucks full of boxes, bikes, even a refridgerator are being loaded onto a ferry.
It’s amazing how much stuff they’re able to pile on the flat roof.
With wind this strong, I can’t help but wonder if anything will fall off during the short passage from Baltra to Santa Cruz. I watch the ferry pull away from the dock
and nothing appears to fall off. I intend to watch the entire crossing, but my attention is drawn to another ship on the Channel. This one is carrying a tractor trailer!
I watch as this barge makes a big swing around the Channel and slowly heads into port on the Santa Cruz side. I’d passed a tractor trailer earlier in the taxi on the way to the ferry dock. Now I know where it came from!
More people are arriving now via the water taxis, but there’s still no sign of the bus. I try to imprint these last moments in the Galapagos in my memory: the smell of salt blowing off the ocean, the contrast of brown land, green vegetation, and deep blue ocean. The way the sun beats down on you at noon, while also being perfectly pleasant in the shade.
Soon, I’ll board a plane for Quito, then a second overnight flight bound for Houston, and a third for Boston. 24 hours from now, I’ll be far away from the equatorial breezes and the little beach that Maureen and I have come to love.
Normally I like moving on to new places, but leaving the Galapagos feels different. I wish I had planned more time here; I wish I were staying with Maureen for the rest of the month. Despite all that we did and saw, 12 days is simply too short.
The bus arrives, and we all pile on for the ten minute ride to the airport. Later, when we arrive in Quito, I will be utterly enchanted by things like water fountains and being able to flush one’s toilet paper down the toilet.
For now, we’re lifting off the tarmac and swinging out over the Itabaca Channel. It’s a stunning last view of the Galapagos.
Next stop: Boston!
Probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience given the number of places you’ve yet to explore. It appears to have been enjoyable with lasting memories, as you weren’t quite yet ready to leave…
Any additional “exotic places” in the next several years?
Probably so, although I hope to go back to the Galapagos on a fancy tour some day. If you count Australia and New Zealand as exotic, then yes – those are definitely on my bucket list in the next few years! I might also go back to mainland Ecuador – my Spanish is rusty, but I could get by with some lessons, and the cost of living and temperate climate have a lot to recommend it!