A Poem of Sorts

Em and I just returned from, dare I say the most wonderful place in Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands. I can't experience what a wonderful, eventful, and jaw-dropping trip this was. It wonderful because we had a very knowledgeable guide, service oriented crew, and a respectful and fun group of fellow travelers. There are so many things that you cannot plan and a travel agency will try to promise you but it is truly out of their control. We tried to go to the Galapagos two others times in the past and both times the trip failed. With this trip we felt truly blessed. It was eventful because we snorkeled everyday and most days twice. We swam with thousands of tropical reef fish, sea turtles, sea lions, sharks, and even penguins. We walked the beaches, in-lands, and ports of seven of the most famous islands. It was jaw-dropping to me for three reasons the rare endemic species, the distance at which you were allowed to interact with the animals, and the sheer number of animals that we were able to see. For example, before going my only hope was to see AT LEAST one sea turtle... at a distant... with my glasses on. By the fourth day in the islands not only had I seen sea turtle nest, 10-12 sea turtles swimming under and around our panga, but I also swam with approximately 6-8 of them.

Emily and I took videos and she made the short video. It doesn't nearly capture the magnitude of what we saw but once you see it i do believe you will understand more of why this was such a magical trip. Further down you will find a poem of sorts that I wrote summing up our trip. It's not the best poem but covers the trip in its fullness.

For whatever reason the quality is so-so. Enjoy anyway until we can fix it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZn_x3ZD_tU


Galapagos Existence

We went by bus and by taxi.

We arrived by plane and stayed in a boat.

We snorkeled and hiked in the day

But at night we traveled.

Sunrise brought us new islands, new things to explore

Sunset brought us stars, stories, and if luck some sleep

We tried to be rocked by the waves but

Sometimes the waves rocked us out of sleep.

We were 12 and became 15

Without the crew but you have to have crew so

We were 22.

We did not touch, we did not disrupt, but we did take

Pictures and videos

We have the memories to keep

We did not litter, we did not pollute, but we did leave

Better people

We conserved ourselves

The animals wild and unafraid

Showed no malice, kept no distant, and wanted for nothing

They posed for photos like a model poses

Not with a smile but rather with an air of self awareness and attitude

They knew we were watching and so they flaunted their beauty.

The plants seeming unaware were indeed hyper-aware and 

Did not flaunt

They do not need to

They showed themselves as the most important life form.

They, being the original endemic species and the givers of life.

Galapagos

Born of Fire, Air, and Water

Adapted over time

Conserved for the blink of human

Existence