LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 25 one even hoping to get lucky!). I again reflected on the amazing guiding simplistic principles of a tortoise's life: chomp, chase, exist. I felt lucky to walk with and observe these giants once again, even for just a bit. For our last day on Santa Cruz, we visited the Dar- win Center in the morning. Here, visitors have the opportunity to see more tortoises galore — including babies in the breeding center, learn about conserva- tion efforts, visit the beautiful gardens, and have a chance to sneak a peek at more endemic species. We then boarded yet another boat ride, a new captain and calmer seas making for a much more pleasant boat trip for all. We arrived at San Cristobal Island. This island is known for the sea lions and with good reason: they are all over the waterfront area. I think I enjoyed this island the most, even without tortoises being the main event. The locals are so happy, polite, and seem to take real pride in being a resident. We truly enjoyed the connections we made. We then boarded a very nice snorkel boat and headed out to check out Sea Lion Island, a small island that's uninhabited other than these sea lions. Getting to snorkel with them was just pure joy. The young sea lions are curious and playful, and they will swim right around you while snorkeling. One woman had a sea lion bop her goggles with its nose. But be warned — the adults are protective. If you get too close to their young, the adults will approach you. That said, none were outwardly aggressive to us for the sake of being aggressive, only keeping an eye on the strangers near their children. This experience was truly amazing with sea lions dancing beneath us, cruising through the water and doing ballet. We got back in our boat to head around the island before finding a spot to snorkel from the boat. Our local licensed guide led an awesome snorkel, and we were joined by some more friendly and curious sea lions. Here we also saw sting rays, more turtles, and lots of fish. To make the day even better, our next stop was basically paradise. We had a beautiful white sandy beach, azure blue water, and yet another group of playful sea lions mostly to ourselves. This day was a highlight for most of the group. Being that up close and personal with the Galapagos has left me with an even deeper appreciation than I already had for natural spaces. I was blown away by the beauty and wonder of it all. But what really con- tinuously struck me were the protective efforts made from seemingly every angle to take care of this space and the incredible diversity of life amongst it. The islanders take pride in taking care of what is so unique and special about where they live in the Galapagos, from not interfering with moments such as iguana fights to taking special care to ensure every space was kept as clean as possible to avoid any environmen- tal impact. The regulatory protections have allowed access from visitors to continue while maintaining the integrity of the space. As a visitor, it simply felt like a privilege to have a front-row seat to it all. t

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