2022 Fordham Preparatory February Galapagos Conservation Expedition
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Coming Home
Written by Ronald Calligaris
Today we began our began our journey home from the Galápagos Islands as our trip comes to a close. I was sad that we had to leave, but happy that I was finally coming home. We started the day by waking up early to prepare for the long day of travel ahead of us. We freshened up and packed our suitcases before eating a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and bread buns. We left the Palmeras Hotel on Santa Cruz Island and took a bus across the island to the ferry. After taking the ferry to a Baltra Island, we boarded another bus which took us to the airport. We made it through security and we were preparing to board the plane in no time. We said our goodbyes to our guide, Richard, and then took our last steps in the Galápagos Islands as we boarded the plane. The flight to Quito was split into two parts since we had to stop in Guayaquil. During the first half of the flight, we enjoyed complimentary ham sandwiches and chocolates. We stopped in Guayaquil before taking off again for Quito. After the quick flight, we landed, grabbed our bags, and hopped on a bus to the Airport Garden Hosteria hotel. Due to technical difficulties and general mishaps, the online COVID testing process took much longer than expected. So unfortunately, we weren’t able to explore Quito as much as planned, but at least no one tested positive. After arriving in Quito, we quickly explored the beautiful city and then sat down for dinner. I ate a delicious filet mignon wrapped in bacon and a baked potato, and for dessert I had a slice of chocolate cake. Then, we headed to the airport and began the final stretch of travel home to New York.
Adios Galapagos
Written by Matthew Capriani
So today we woke up around 6:30. We finished up any last minute packing, and then went to have breakfast. Our 7:00 A.M. breakfast was made up of eggs, bread rolls, and some plantain balls. After that we got our bags and headed out to the bus. It’s pretty sad to say that today will be our last day in the Galapagos, but our trip isn’t over yet.
We took a water taxi over to the island of Baltra. We then make our way through the airport, where we check our bags, go through security, and in the end… board our flight out of the golapagos, and into Quito. This flight makes one stop along the way in Guayaquil. However we will soon be back in the air and arriving in Quito in no time.
We touched down in Quito and grabbed our bags. Then we hopped on a bus and headed to the hotel in Quito where we slept in between flights on the first night. It was a bit difficult to figure out the Covid test due to the fact that the Wi-Fi isn’t the best, the website is very confusing, the video call with a nurse to proctor the test, and a couple other factors. However after a couple of hours we have finished. Now we are heading over to dinner.
We just finished our little excursion on the streets of Quito. It began with a little walk to dinner. Dinner was hosted in a very cool traditional building. There were very cool items from a couple hundred years ago that lined the walls, and there was a fountain in the middle. The food consisted of filet mignon, cordons bleu, as well as a vegetarian dish. The majority of the people ordered the steak. Personally, I can say that it was very good. Then following the meal we were all give a nice chocolate cake which was also very good. Then we went to the streets of Quito, and briefly explored the old churches, as well as other famous buildings. We got some very cool pictures. Now we are on the way to the airport where we will take a flight from Quito to Miami.
Overall, this adventure has been really fun and exciting. I am sad to see the trip end, however I am excited to come home and return back to my everyday life. I hope to use all of the things that I learned on this trip to help make our world a cleaner and more enjoyable place.
Last day in the Islands
Written by Arjun Deocharan
Today we spend our last day in Isabella. Our activities for the day were kayaking and snorkeling. I personally did not have much experience in kayaking but It was still really fun. We saw a lot of wildlife in the kayak ride and all of the pain was really worth it in the end. However the snorkeling was extremely challenging since we were constantly swimming against the tide. It was definitely the hardest swimming we have ever done in this trip but we still got to see some very interesting wildlife. After this we had our last meal at the restaurant that had been feeding us in Isabella and it was very nice. We had burgers and fries which was really nice of them since we are American and they changed up their menu to suit us. After we ate we went on a boat ride to Santa Cruz which we expected to be long and harsh but it turned out to be short and relaxing. Then we were given one last chance to buy souvenirs for our families in town. Finally at the end of our day we went to a very fancy restaurant that was on the water where we celebrated George’s birthday. All in all today was a great day and I will miss the Galápagos Islands after this trip is over but I will continue to cherish these memories for years to come.
Good bye Isabella
Written by Alex Crespo
Today was eventful, just like most of our other days in the Galapagos. We started our day with a kayaking and snorkeling activity on Isabela Island—which was really physically demanding and often times challenging. A couple of us ended up with some minor scratches to tell the story thanks to the rough current, and unfortunately we didn’t see any penguins as we’d hoped. But regardless, the scenery of the ocean, combined with the bunch of sea lions we saw lazily sleeping on the beach made it an interesting and memorable expedition. We then had some fire veggie burgers with eggs for lunch, said our goodbyes to Luis and Cecila at our hotel in Isabela, and took a boat back to Santa Cruz (which was much better than the first boat). Returning to the more active and familiar city of Puerto Ayora was comforting, as we spent much of our evening doing our last souvenir shopping and taking our final photos. The highlight of the day came at dinner, in an exquisite seaside restaurant with absolutely bomb food for everyone. We concluded our day with a celebration for the man of the day, the life of the party, GEORGE DASK, who promptly shoved his face into his birthday cake. It really was a dynamic day here in the Galapagos, waking up on one island and going to bed in another; a beginning to the bittersweet end of our time here.
Kayaking Adventure
Written by Matthew McCormack
Today’s activity was the most challenging activity yet. It was supposed to be as simple as kayaking somewhere and then snorkeling, but it was not that simple. The kayaking part was all fun and games, but the real challenge began when we started snorkeling. Swimming in the ocean was difficult because of the waves but we were able to swim around the rocky islotes called Tintoneras to look for animals. We leapt together as a group while we swam by waiting for each other multiple times. Eventually we all made it to our kayaks and went back to shore. After that we had lunch and traveled back from Isabella Island to Santa Cruz. We had a farewell dinner and then we went off to bed after celebrating George’s birthday.
Last night in Puerto Villlamil
Written by Preston Barker
Hola families and possibly future people on the trip. Hello there. Today was sierra negra day and our last day on isla Isabela! We had our trip to the location of the trail by bus. I don’t know if people mentioned it before, but this ride was a reminder of how the general environment of the island can change from desert to rainforest in less than 3000 feet(about 1 kilometer). In total, we hiked an “easy” 10 mile out-and-back trail. The main feature of the trail is was the Sierra Negra caldera. The crater was absolutely enormous. According to our guide, the elliptical crater was at most 40km (about 20 miles) and as small as 10km (about 5 miles). The weather was also quite wonderful, but the sun was quite strong. The Galapagos have been wonderful so far and we can wait to experience just a little more. 2 days left! Signing off, Preston B
The Hike to Sierra Negra and Volcan Chico
Written by Moussa Reynoso and Noah Rodriguez
The hike to the Sierra negra volcano was a challenge. We started early in the morning with a misty atmosphere, cool weather, and excitement. The first part of the path consisted of dirt roads and green vegetation, but things quickly changed. The lush vegetation turned into dry wasteland and with the sun beaming we knew we were in for a rough ride. We were quickly surrounded by volcanic rock surrounding cavern filled with plants clinging to the moist environment. The reward was worth it though as we climbed the last rocks, leaving us with a view of the entire island and a nice breeze on our backs.
Adventure Day
Written by Maxence Moretto
We woke up at 6:25 and ate breakfast from 7:00-7:30. Breakfast consisted of eggs, cantaloupe, bread, and cheese. We then all headed as a group to a bike and surf shop to rent bikes for everyone. After sizing up the bikes and the helmets we returned to our hotel and split into two groups. The first group (which I was on) would bike first to the Wall of Tears and then later go to snorkeling and the second group would do vice versa. The bike ride to the Wall Of Tears was very tiring and draining because my group left in the morning when it was really sunny and hot. After a long and exhausting track to the Wall of Tears which included many breaks to drink water and reapply sunscreen we finally made it to the impressive monument. The first thing I noticed was the length and height of the wall that was poorly assembled. It was a big messy arrange of big stone bricks of different sizes and build. Apparently these stones were carried by slaves who built the wall. It became known as the “Wall of Tears” because many of the prisoners who built this wall ended up dying in the process of creating the wall. After we hiked up a hill that was connected to the wall which had an amazing view of the desert.
We then biked back to the hotel and had lunch. Lunch consisted of white fish, rice, salad, and plantains. Then my group got prepared for snorkeling at Concha de Perla by biking to a shop that gave us our gear. After we biked to the ocean and went snorkeling. The snorkeling was amazing and a great experience. A sea lion went right underneath me, I spotted a sea turtle, and saw loads of Stingrays gliding underneath me. After a long and tiring day we returned to the hotel and relaxed till we went to dinner and ate spaghetti and meatballs. Then we headed back to the hotel and are going to bed right now. I found everyone had a great and yet tiring and exhausting day today.
Snorkeling and Biking
Written by Giovanni Capellino
This morning we woke up at 6:25 so we could have breakfast at 7:00 and have energy for the two activities of the day. For breakfast we had eggs, bread, cantaloupe, and cheese. After breakfast, we split into two groups to see at what time people would do the activities. The two activities were biking to the Wall of Tears and snorkeling at Concha de Perla. I was put in the group that rode their bikes to the Wall of Tears. Once we got our bikes we rode to the path that led to the Wall of Tears. The first part of the trail was along the beach and we saw plenty of marine iguanas. The next part was an area with trees where we encountered multiple tortoises resting. When we got to the Wall of Tears, our tour guide explained the history of it and how the prisoners building the wall rebelled and that is why it was not fully constructed. We climbed up stairs until we got to a resting place with a beautiful view of the area around us and the ocean. We rested in the shade to get our energy back and made our way back to our bikes. The bike ride back was much easier as most of it was downhill and we got there quicker. We took multiple breaks to regroup and drink water as the sun was out and the air was very humid.
When we finally got back to our meeting place we all went to our rooms to rest, take showers, and get ready for lunch. For lunch we had the option of white fish with rice and salad or lentils. I really enjoyed the white fish and the cantaloupe juice. After lunch, my group got ready to go snorkeling while the other group went on the bike ride. We rode our bikes to go snorkeling and were ready to see the marine life at Conche de Perla. We saw many fish, sting rays, sea turtles, sea lions, marine iguanas, and starfish. At one point a sea lion swam underneath us surrounded by the corals and colorful fish. It was an unforgettable event as I even stayed thirty extra minutes with three other people from my group as everyone else was leaving. We biked back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. For dinner we had pasta and dessert. When we finally got back to the hotel, most people were exhausted from a very tiring but fun day.
Arrival to Isabella
Written by Nicholas Racette
Today was a pretty low key travel day. We were able to wake up later and we were in no rush to eat breakfast and we’re able to walk around town for a few hours. I can’t speak for every group, but we (juniors) found a nice spot on a terrace at the cafeteria. We sat there for a few hours with an amazing view of not only the town but the blue water. Then we ate lunch and shortly after got on the boat to Isabella. I speak for everyone when I say I did not think all of us were gonna fit on that boat, but we did. The ride was choppy but we got some really gorgeous views of other islands. Not to mention a lot of unflattering pictures of people sleeping. When we got to Isabella it felt like we had left the galapagos entirely. The fauna was much more lush and green compared to Santa Cruz which was mostly desert. We set our bags at the hotel and went to dinner where the different grades were able to mingle which although was initially protested, I think everyone enjoyed. Then we had time to reflect on the beach, we were able to see much more stars which was nice and everyone had very good things to say.
Good bye Santa Cruz
Written by Seth Bello and Brian Fogarty
In the morning after breakfast we were able to shop for souvenirs in Santa Cruz. I bought some small gifts for some of my family and friends. Afterwards we took a boat to Isabella. The ride was a bit rough but we made it through alright. Upon arriving on Isabella we went to our new hotel and settled into our rooms. Then we ate a delicious dinner together. We finished off the night with a group reflection on the beach. Each of us had time to gather our thoughts alone and then share with the group. I personally reflected on gratitude and how grateful I am to have this opportunity. An aspect of this was also me wishing that I could share this amazing experience with those who I love and care about. I am excited to share all that I have learned from this trip when I return home.
The Adventure Begins
Written by Amir Spruil
Once we arrived in the Galápagos, it was like we were in a new world. The first island we visited was Santa Cruz. Specifically, I could see the cleanliness of the Island which proved that a consistent effort for making ecological costs extremely low is possible and works. We visited a crater that was created by volcanic eruptions over time. The volcanic eruptions in the Galápagos are not as devastating and are more controlled. One part of the Santa Cruz Island is arid, have more cacti and less vegetation while the other is more vibrant and has lots of shrubbery. After this we went to see the Galápagos giant tortoises. We ate lunch at the ranch there and it was pretty good. I learned that there were dome shaped and saddle back shells. I also learned that you can tell how old a turtle is by the amount of lines on its shell and that their average lifespan is 150 years. Following this we went to see the tunnels that were created by volcanic eruptions. These caves provided water and shelter to people centuries ago. I also appreciate that we eat at local restaurants to support them. The time has been great so far.