Las Islas Galápagos

For the past two weeks in two of my classes I have been learning about the Galapagos; in biology, we have been learning about Darwin's finches, and in Spanish, we've been learning about, well, Spanish... but specifically, Spanish and culture in the Galapagos. It's kind of weird how these two classes just happened to be teaching similar things at the same time (it's probably one of those "co-learning" B.S. things), but the more I learn about the Galapagos Islands, the more interesting it seems and the more I want to go visit.

The Galapagos on a map of the Americas.
They are kind of loners out there by themselves.
Image Courtesy of: World Atlas

The thing about the Galapagos we have been focusing the most on, in both Spanish and biology, is the animal life. Because it is so isolated from the "mainland" of South America, a lot of really weird animals have evolved here that can't be found anywhere else in the world. Of all these animals, I have to say I think marine iguanas are the weirdest. They're technically reptiles, and they live on land, but they get their food from the sea and can stay underwater for a really long time. They basically cliff-dive into the water and swim around using their tail (and they kind of look like Dwayne Johnson trying to do the worm). Then, when they get out of the water, they sneeze out all the water in their system. Marine iguanas are some weird dudes, and I'd definitely want to check them out if I ever go to the Galapagos.

I don't know why, but I think this video is hilarious.

I laughed so hard during the first two minutes, and nobody

in my class really understood why.

Video Courtesy of: YouTube

The Galapagos Islands aren't just home to marine iguanas; they are home to many other interesting animals, too, like dolphins, seals, fish, and turtles. Ever since I watched Nemo (best movie ever!), I have wanted to see ocean life in real life, and since the Galapagos have such diverse and unique marine life, this would be a great place to do this! As I talked about in my Costa Rica post, my experiences with scuba diving have been not-so-great, but I have snorkeled before without drowning, so I'd be willing to try that again. Think about how cool that would be to snorkel in the Galapagos: you'd be swimming in crystal-clear water, next to sea turtles, stingrays, rainbow fish, and sharks (although that shark part might freak a few people out).

Snorkeling with a sea turtle in the Galapagos.
Image Courtesy of: World Tag

Another thing I'd want to do in the Galapagos is hike. I'm usually not a big hiking person (probably because I always get left behind and lost in the woods), but if I visited the Galapagos, I'd want to take advantage of the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world. My #1 "Dream Hike in the Galapagos" is a hike up a volcano. Because the Galapagos were formed by volcanoes, they have a ton of volcanoes, many of which are still active. I've never seen a volcano in real life, but the ones I've seen in movies have been really cool-looking, so if I ever go to the Galapagos, I'll be sure to check out a volcano!

Sierra Negra, a volcano on the Isabela Island of the Galapagos
Image Courtesy of: Summit Post

The Galapagos Islands are home to amazing natural features and fascinating wildlife. If I never need a nature fix, I know exactly where to go!