Listos Chicos! Back to work

November 6th, 2007 by Danielle Denis-Lalonde

I´m back from a 4-day tour of the Galapagos Islands, and slipping in this quick blog entry before heading back to the Station, and back to chopping the dreaded Mora.

The tour amazing!

There were 6 of us from the station, and we were joined by a Kiwi couple, and America, two Scottish ladies, and an oler couple from the south of France (so nice to speak Francais with someone other than my sister!). We went to the Galapagos islands of Floreana, Isabella, Santa Cruz and Santa Fe. Did so much snorkelling…I am sooooo comfortable with breathing underwater, I swear I must have been a mermaid in a past life. I even started doing that cool thing where you dive under for a bit then come up to the surface and blow all the water out of your snorkel. So much fun! Oh, and the fish!! Blues, purples, vivid oranges, and shades I can´t really describe (superintelligent shades of blue? haha). Saw many ¨Nemos¨ and billions of his relatives, swam with a giant sea turtle, and explored crazy caves, fluorescent coral and radioactive-looking starfish.

By far, swimming with the turtles was the most mind-blowing. There I was, apart from the group (surprise, surprise…I suck at these group-tour things because I always wander off on my own), and then suddenly below me is this MASSIVE dark blob, moving slowy along the sea floor. As I get closer I see that the blob is one of the largest turtles I´ve seen here so far (and man, I have seen a TON). I swim above it for a long times, stalking it, playing with it, and gently gliding my fingers along it´s shell as it comes up for air every now and then. WOW!!! Crazy to think that it is probably at least 3 times my age!

In total, we must have done at least 6 snorkel-stops throughout the trip. Other activities included horseback riding along a 10km volcanic crater which we then explored by foot. What a fantasticly desolate martian landscape! Red lava rock everywhere, with glimmering black sand and precious-looking rocks everywhere. Almost completely devoid of life, and yet somehow still beautiful, in a post-apocalyptic sort of way.

The horse ride up and down was the dustiest experience of my life! Unfortunately, I got a horse that must have had too many drinks at the trough the night before because he wasn´t willing to break into a gallop for even just a few moments, despite my attempts to encourage him (I shared half my orange with him!). Instead he chose to be grumpy, cutting other horses off, and even biting one of the cute german boy in the leg! Worst of all, I got to watch my beautiful dreadlocked sister ride off into the distance on a spirited horse who seemed to only know two states of being: completed stopped and looking confused or running with total wild abandon.

We also visited the Charles Darwin Research station, where we got to vist ¨Lonesome George¨, last of a soon-to-be-extinct species of giant turtles. He is almost 100 years old, and appears to have no interest in mating, despite having hot young females at his disposal all day long (Well, I assume they are comsidered ¨hot¨… all turtles look a little too wrinkly and smelly if you ask me.)

We also walked through a giant lava tunnel, about 6m in diameter…very Indiana-Jones-ish. Awesome! Although I must admit that it wasn´t as fun or thrilling as crawling, twisting, rolling and climbing your way into the mountain caves back home.

Hmmm what else did we do? Why can´t I remember? Oh right, it was the DRUGS! Those anti-nausea pills really knock me out! I wasn´t going to risk tossing my cookies during the many many many crazy boat rides so Doe and I both popped a few pills before each ride. I´m happy to say that I now no longer have a phobia of being confined in a small space with people who are throwing up…it happened so often that I just smiled sympathetically and continued gazing peacefully out at the ocean. I actually enjoy the rocking of the waves, except when they cause you to go flying across the boat, ramming your bad ankle into the seat opposite you! That part wasn´t so hot.

Speaking of drugs, I just finished reading a book called ¨The Joyous Cosmology¨ by Allan Watts, which is basically a poetic rendition of the insights that the author obtained while experimenting with Mescalin, LSD and psilocybin. Fascinating! Amazing how similar his insights are to those of the great religious and metaphysical writers, philosophers, prophets etc. Some people would probably call that blasphemy, but meh, they can go to hell! haha, just kidding. Anyways, having just finished that book (which I am taking home to Canada with me because its definitely one to read again and again), I was thinking to myself that its time to find another insightful book, and then this lovely Scottish lady on our tour hands me a book she had just finished, saying that I might be interested because it´s set in Canada. What wonderful surrendipity. I cant wait to start it!

Another great moment during this little vacation-within-a-trip was last night, when we all hung out in a 5-bed hotel room drinking rum and listening to the American and the Kiwi play and sing some sweet tunes on their guitars. Music soothes my soul, it really does. And even more so when its right there in front of you, being created and brought to life at that very moment.

I have decided that I will learn to play guitar. I have the urge to play, and somehow travelling around with a piano just doesn´t seem feasible. I´ve found myself humming or singing to myself quite a bit these days, so the music is in my soul, I just need an outlet! And my cat-dying-a-horrible-death voice doesn´t count unless you´re a masochist.

Quick health report:
The carb-heavy, low-fibre diet out here has finally started to affect my digestive system a bit, but its nothing worth freaking out about yet. I´ve got a box full of drugs I can use if I feel the need. As for the ongoing fat-ankle saga, it is still fat, and it is still weak. I rolled it again the other day while chopping brush around pineapple trees. Definitely not cool, but luckily no pain. And I´m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I may have an ugly fat ankle for the rest of my life. poo.

Well, that about does it for this entry…god knows it´s long enough! But like I warned everyone a few entries ago, this is now MY journal, and as such, I can write whatever the hell I want in it, and for however long I chose to! So ha! I don´t harbour any illusions that any you will take the time (or have the desire) to read it all.

Regardless, to anyone reading this right now, at this very moment, I send you love. Plain and simple.