E.T. is back! See yourself. We found him on the Galapagos Islands. He hides himself in a shell which he always carries around. His species can live up to 170 years (at least) and weight more than 400 kg. We found him and his friends on Santa Cruz, Isabella, Floreana and San Cristobal. He is native to seven of the Galapagos Islands.
Some weired creatures…
Santa Cruz has one of the best diving sites on the Galapagos Islands. Therefore, we spent 6 days on Santa Cruz in total so Eva could tickle off some items of her bucked list. Instead of being green and packed with animals the area around Baltra airport (where we arrived) is very dry and reminds of the moonscape (with cactuses though). At our arrival we were shocked. But after taking a bus, a small boat and a bus again the landscape changed. With every meter the bus drove further to the south of Isla Santa Cruz the vegetation became more green. The first two days we slept in long, explored the area around Puerto Ayora and learned about the magic of the islands: sidewalks are used by marine iguanas for sun bathing, sea lions are lying on the docks (and benches), pelicans are flying around and get fed by local fisherman. Animals are extraordinary fearless; The whole atmosphere on the island made it a perfect stay. While Eva was diving, Niels further explored the island (including the highlands, the Darwin Station and a beach in the north).
Marine iguanas at the beach
One of our new friends – We never though we’d love sea lions
Pelicans are everywhere on the islands – especially where the fisherman are 😉
This animal gave Charles Darwin the idea for his theory of evolution: Darwin’s Finches 
A Galapagos tortoise (the next post will just be about them!)
Sally Lightfoot Crab – bright red crabs which are way bigger than they seem on the pic
A wonderful coloured lizard which only moved away when Niels nearly touched it
Some harbour and Port Ayora impressions
During day time this is a normal street. At night time it’s a lively, cheap place to have dinner
Sometimes the Galapagos Islands reminded us of Cuba: hardly anything to buy besides long life goods.
Las Grietas – it’s said that there are white tip sharks, we didn’t see any though.
Everyone knows them – The Galapagos Islands – and everyone who has visited them is fascinated. But really, what’s so special about them? For us the answer is easy: it is the mixture of animals who are not afraid of humans, the extraordinary nature and the relaxed atmosphere.
Thanks to Eva’s passion for diving we stayed two whole weeks on the Islands so she could experience the best out of both worlds: water and land based activities. We thought about going on a cruise but luckily decided us against it due to us getting seasick. We ended up with a so called “island hopping tour”. A tour based on day trips including short cruises (up to three hours) but overnight stays in hotels. This way we had the chance to experience the wonderful islands in their full beauty.
We started the day of by visiting the Basílica del Voto Nacional. A monumental building constucted in 1988. The Basilica is 140 m (460 ft) long and 35 m (115 ft) wide. It is 30 m (98 ft) high in the sanctuary and 115 m (377 ft) high in the two frontal towers. Both towers can be climbed as well as the transept. The view from up there is magnificent but the climb is special – not sure if the used “ladder constuction” would be allowed in many european countries 😉
There is not much to say about the Mitdal del Mundo besides there are unlimited points on the equator but this “center of the earth” did not even make it to the right place. However, loads of tourist go there every year – so did we 🙂 As soon as you arrive you do know: this is a touristy place! The whole monument is surrounded by shops with junk. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a nice afternoon with some favorouble coffee!
The Basílica del Voto Nacional
The way to the top
The rooftop and…
…the inside view of the roof including the gangway to the top
Inside view of the cathedral 
The center of the world
noooooooo……
ahhhhh well ok!
Group picture with Maik and Tino
View from the top of the center of the world
