This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the Island of Santa Cruz. It’s weird to think, but the atmosphere was so different there. Where I live on San Cristobal is a small town where everyone knows everyone. I am sure Santa Cruz is the same way but it was so much more touristy. It was heavily populated, had more restaurants and shops. Getting to Santa Cruz was not how I expected it. I knew there was some sort of boat ferry transporting people back and forth but when I saw the boat I was a little thrown off. The boat was about a 27-30 footer with an outdoor and indoor cabin full of seats. It was pretty small compared to what a typical ferry is but reasonable. I don’t know why I would think a giant ferryboat would go between the islands but I think some part of me wish I did. Sitting in the same spot for roughly 2 hours and a half was a little but of a struggle. It would have been nice to stand up and stretch but there wasn’t much room because the boats were packed full.
Other than not expecting the whole ferry situation the boat ride was fine and Santa Cruz was so much fun. This past weekend and up until today is the celebration of carnival, so Santa Cruz was a little wild. People were running around in the streets spraying people with foam and throwing body paint. It didn’t matter if they knew the person or not. You were going to get covered with something. Saturday was our only full day in Santa Cruz. A few people went diving and the rest of us went to Tortuga Bay to snorkel and swim. The currents were a little too strong that day and the red flag was up meaning “ you can’t swim” so we were only allowed to be close to the shore. The beach was still amazing though and was way different than to the beaches on San Cristobal. Tortuga Bay was an extremely long beach that looked like it went on forever, with dusty white sand and turquoise waters, It was incredible.
Sunday our boat left at around 2:00pm and we had to be at the dock around 1:30pm the latest so we couldn’t do much that morning. We decided to go the Charles Darwin Research Center on the island to see the giant tortoises. We spent a few hours there then headed back to the boardwalk for ice cream before boarding our boat. Overall it was a really great weekend and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to going back to Sana Cruz in a few weeks when my family visits and looking forward to exploring the other islands as well.
Madison Hurley
<p>Hello!! My name is Madison, I’m Massachusetts made and currently a junior at the University of Maine majoring in Marine Science and minoring in Spanish. I love the ocean and can sometimes be a science nerd so I am really looking forward to spending my time in the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin happened to discover evolution. I enjoy drawing, taking photos with my GoPRo, and snorkeling/diving. Follow me to stay updated on my underwater adventures!</p>
