We are down to a month before our Galapagos Islands departure. I am trying to keep the excitement at bay. We have said this before…..about heading out with a minimum of expectations and letting the trip unfold as it may, whatever takes place is more likely to be astounding.
Quelling the anticipation is hard this time for two reasons. First, the Galapagos has been on my radar for a long time. It is one of THE diving destinations in the world. I learned this quite some time ago and have wanted to go there since. The water is a little cooler than the tropical areas we normally dive and this was a barrier for Debbie. I managed to tweak her interest, and in fact change her attitude completely, when I arrived home with stories of the seal (maybe sea lions) pups playing with the snorkelers.
Second, it is a long time since we have been anywhere that is a challenge to travel. Our trip to Arizona was in a familiar country where English is the language of legislation and very easy to travel. The wanderlust in both Debbie and me is welling and I think it is time to leap from our comfort zone.
This is a truncated trip and we will have to be really efficient with our movements. We have preplanned hotels, but we do not know what it is we are going to do at each stop. I have been reading websites and blogs and have found enough activities to keep us busy for at least twice the time we have so now we have to pick what we think will be the highlights and go with them.
Arriving in Quito we have to have a one day plan. Get up early and go as fast as the altitude will allow. A bottle of O2 may be in the offing. The two Galapagos islands we are going to spend some time on will require the same amount of tenacity, but no oxygen.
The plans are tightening and my stomach is bubbling. I’m trying to remain calm but excitement seems to be winning.