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| Lucy with tortoise |
1. There is a job in the world for everyone. Our expedition leader, Lynn Fowler, arrived in the Galapagos in 1978. She fell in love with the islands and has been working as a naturalist guide ever since. Her first research was observing giant tortoise behavior. She did this alone in the mountains, hiking miles for water, living in a tent for over a year with no amenities. None. She is utterly intrepid, and was extremely patient with visitors, devoted to sharing her love for these remote islands. This life suited her perfectly--I could never have done it. (About an hour and a half watching these guys was enough for me!)
2. Leave the fashion to the animals. September is the beginning of the cool season in the Galapagos, but since the islands are located near the equator, the sun can still wreak havoc on unprepared tourists. So we wore sun shirts and goofy hats.
And we wore them over and over.
Snorkeling in 66° water is not for the faint of heart. Although we brought snorkeling skins and footies and wore the half wet suits they provided us, I was a popsicle within 15 minutes. The next time out, John and I both took staff suggestions to wear a second wetsuit on top of the first. And no, I am not sharing a photo of that look. This guy is much more attractive:
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| Blue footed booby |
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| Blue footed booby with baby |
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| land iguana |
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| snoozing sea lion |
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pelican
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Giant tortoise cooling off
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5. Be open to shifts in your perspective, such as... sea lions instead of dogs or cats at the fish market...
What lessons has traveling taught you?
What an amazing adventure, Lucy! The pictures are wonderful . . . the giant tortoise is magnificent . . . thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound as if you had a wonderful trip . . . and happy anniversary to you and John.
Dressing for the place and the activity is an important travel lesson; another is to just relax and enjoy . . . .
Those are great lessons--otherwise you miss so much! And yes the tortoises were astonishing.
DeleteHappy anniversary. What a spectacular trip! My favorite shot is the blue footed booby. So cute. Hum, traveling has taught me 1) flexibility. Without it, I would have missed some wonderful sights and places 2) Pack light and buy what I need - otherwise I overthink clothing requirements 3) Get off the tourist path!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kait, and those birds were sitting so close to us...flexibility is absolutely key--and not that easy! Getting off the tourist path I'd agree with too. Except on a trip like this, we had to stick with the guides to protect the animals and the environment
ReplyDeleteNothing to add - except that trip is on my bucket list, too! So glad you got to go.
ReplyDeletethanks Edith! It was a terrific trip--more than we imagined...
DeleteWhat an incredible experience, Lucy! I love the part about the animals not considering humans as predators, and so interacting with no fear. That is so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keziah. It made us think hard about the impact of humans on the world.
DeleteCongratulations on the anniversary and the trip! Amazing photos! Travel with open eyes and an open heart--you'll never be disappointed that way.
ReplyDeleteLucy, in light of your experience in the Galapagos: if you aren't familiar with it, I highly recommend Jonathan Weiner's "The Beak of the Finch". Highly readable--and won a Pulitzer Prize--
Have not read that but I will—thanks for the recommendation
DeleteThanks, Flora. I'll check that out as well.
DeleteLucy/Roberta, you were living my dream. I've wanted to go to the Galapagos, Antarctica too, since forever. Alas, I know I am not physically up to the journey, and scratch the Great Wall of China.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are spectacular, each better than the last. The shadows around the seal lion! And Blue Footed Boobies are real! All this time I thought they were sitting in Congress.
Lessons travelling has taught me:
1. Never pass up a toilet
2. I need far less clothing than I do at home.
3. Re #2, nobody I see will know me or give a damn what I'm wearing.
4. Most people in France speak English if I attempt my poor French first. Bonjour Madame.
5. Using a rollator gets me to the front of most lines and often free admission to museums.
6. Digital cameras are the best thing since sliced bread.
7. Re #3 above, if there is one person with whom I've ever known, within three countries, we
will run into each other. So I should look clean at least.
8. It's time for another trip to Key West to get to know Lucy/Roberta better.
Your lessons are spectacular! Really and truly no one cares, and even if they did, you don’t know them so why do you care?
DeleteCheck, check, check...
Deletegreat tips!!
DeleteExcellent tips!
DeleteAnn: I wish I had bumped into you at Bouchercon. You sound like someone I'd like to have coffee with. Next time!
DeleteWhat great pictures. I'd have loved being at the fish market with the sea lions.
ReplyDeleteMy lesson? Wear comfortable shoes.
Mary/Liz
The shoes are key Mary! We got such a chuckle out of those sea lions at the market!
DeleteTHE SHOES! I bought a pair of ECCO mary-jane style sneakers for a trip to Italy 10 years ago and when they fall apart I will be bereft. The're my go-to shoes for any kind of hike or city walk for that matter.
DeleteHallie, were you wearing those at Bouchercon? I was looking at your tres chic comfort shoes and wishing I had some.
DeleteHallie, you can probably replace them. I just bought THREE pair of Eccos. My shoe budget for the entire year!!! But the only shoes I had that didn't hurt my feet were Eccos and I was feeling very shoe poor. So new Ecco tennis shoes, Ecco rubber-soled booties (black), and a slightly dressier pair of booties (gray, with a very low heel). (I know that booties is the term for ankle boots these days, but it still makes me think of baby booties!)
DeleteI’m going to look for those booties, but you all should know that once I adopt a trend, it’s over
DeleteDang! Hold off for a little bit, Roberta: I've been meaning to try a pair on Hallie's earlier recommendation.
DeleteBest advice ever. I walked the soles off my shoes in Italy - yes, literally - lesson learned.
DeleteLOVE your stories and pictures... we travel for wildlife, so for us this would be a dream trip, if either of us could stand boats. But I think the Galapagos is for another lifetime.
ReplyDeleteTraveling has taught me DO NOT BRING ALONG WORK. Surrender to looking at the scenery WITHOUT turning on your cell. Dwell in the present. Return refreshed.
No work! I only brought work for the long plane rides which doesn’t count.
DeleteWhat a great trip, Lucy/Roberta!
ReplyDeleteMy beloved sister-in-law invited me to go to the Galapagos and Machu Picchu with her and two of her friends a few years ago. It was amazing, and I also learned many things. As we should during any kind of travel, if we pay attention, don't you think?
Don't expect the same food you get at home. If you want pizza and mac 'n cheese, stay home and eat that. Be open to new things; you might find your absolute favorite food in a foreign country. Mine: celery root, of all things. I had it in Paris, on the advice of a guide, shredded raw with remoulade sauce. Divine. Roasted goat in Tanzania was surprisingly delicious.
People are the same everywhere, and stereotypes are for the birds. Because I would not want to be stereotyped as "that American", any more than anyone else would anywhere in the world. At the same time, embrace differences. That is one of the best reasons to travel, to see how other people live.
Look up. Architectural details, birds flying around, tall trees, mountain scenery--none of this is at eye level, and if you don't adjust your gaze you'll miss it.
Learn at least a few words of the native language, just to be polite. But be willing to laugh at yourself when you get it horribly wrong. As you will unless you're that rare person with excellent faculty with language.
Be willing to step off the beaten path, and go down roads that don't lead to the next "big" town or sight. We had the best time in Australia when we drove down a road that led to a wonderful bed and breakfast on an organic farm and vineyard. Later, we detoured off a main road into a quiet neighborhood to see the most stars ever, and happened onto a pair of ringtailed possums in full throated argument.
Be willing to try something that scares you. I'm a very poor swimmer, but our guide in the Galapagos, who is also a scuba instructor, promised I would enjoy myself snorkeling. He gave me a life vest, and I had the most amazing experiences of my life, swimming with Galapagos penguins and other aquatic creatures. I will forever be indebted to Luis for that gift.
Take the smallest possible amount of belongings, because fretting about keeping track of them is too distracting.
Band-Aid makes two products that will keep you on your feet, if your carefully broken-in shoes turn on you: Friction Block, a tiny deodorant-like stick that glides on wherever you experience rubbing, and prevents blisters. And blister gels, for if you do end up with them. The gels cushion them from pain and further abrasion. Neither takes up any room in a suitcase, and can make the difference between a great trip and a pain in the heel.
Finally, don't be afraid of talking to people. The things I've learned from fellow travelers have led me to cool discoveries.
Karen, that is all such great advice. I would add, don't be afraid to get lost. Some of my most fun discoveries have come from getting lost.
DeleteAnd don't be afraid to do things on your own, ditto. It's also a great way to get to know people in other places.
I knew about blister gels (but had forgotten) but not about Friction Block. Stocking both in travel kit! I wore a new pair of flats at B'con that I thought were broken in, and ended up with blisters all along the outside of my left foot.
Yes! My daughter and I got lost in Venice and we ended up finding the sweetest place for an Aperol spritz, with great people-watching.
DeleteYou are an amazing traveler Karen!
DeleteKaren, your advice is spot on, especially about bringing the minimum. Way back when I was in college, I spent a summer in Italy, working on an Iron Age hunting site, researching at the University of Pisa, and doing touristy things in Florence and Rome. THEN I was headed to London to begin school in September.
DeleteMy mother shipped my fall and winter clothes (by boat!) to my college in England, but for some reason (probably because I was 21) I insisted on bringing a wide variety of outfits for the summer, plus a few "transitional" items to wear in the UK. All of them packed in a full-length 1960's army duffel. Which I had to carry by the strap over my shoulder, since it was too heavy (!!) for me to pick up by the handle in the middle.
You would think that would have been warning enough... but no, I flew to Rome with the giant olive-green albatross. I discoverred that I could only tote it for a limited amount of time, so I began to drag it - over train station walkways, over cobblestones, over paved roads, etc. By the time I finally reached England, I had worn a hole through the bottom corner of the duffel AND destroyed two skirts and a shirt that had also become shredded and/or hopelessly soiled.
Lesson learned. When I returned to the UK a few years later for a two-week honeymoon, everything I took fit into a rollerboard!
Suitcases with spinners should have won some sort of invention prize!
DeleteSpinners are great, but as you know, wheels won help much if you have to haul a heavy bagg up and down stairs at the train station.
DeleteJulia, what an amazing experience that must have been! I bet you did think of your bag as an albatross. I've had similar experiences, on a much smaller scale.
Those tortoises are amazing, Lucy! It looks like you could ride one. Aside from the cold, how was the snorkeling?
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Teeming with turtles and fish. One day they told us not to let the turtles get underneath us. But there were hundreds of them – all around. Impossible to control! John Loved having a sea lion, and look at him. And also the rivers of fish.
DeleteIt sounds fantastic! And I love the sea lions at the fish market!
DeleteWhat an incredible trip - I love this! Lessons learned while traveling are many, and I think you guys have it all just right. I'll add only one - "Don't travel with someone you don't love."
ReplyDeleteGood one Kaye!
DeleteLucy/Roberta, the Galapagos have been on my bucket list since I read The Voyage of the Beagle and The Origin of Species in college. Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteHow did you do on the boat with your vertigo?
It was a little rough, so I took a lot of Dramamine. But I wouldn’t steer you away from the trip for that reason! One of our other traveling companions gets very seasick and she had to take an anti-nausea drug couple of times, but overall loved the experience.
DeleteLooks like a great trip to me!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful adventure! I think that would be one place I would really want to go, but never remember when I am planning a vacation. One thing I try to do, no matter where I am heading, is check out off the beaten path blogs, books, etc. and find things that are not usually thought of as tourist attractions. When I went to Puerto Rico I stayed away from San Juan most of the time, and on the west coast of the island I visited the Tropical Agriculture Research Station, a deserted lighthouse, and an old plantation house, and San German (2nd oldest settlement in Puerto Rico) to see the beautiful old buildings.
ReplyDeletejust adding a "favorite shoe" recommendation for a lot of walking during travel/hiking/cons/etc. Keen's Mary Janes - https://www.zappos.com/mary-janes-keen-shoes/CK_XAVoCqwNiAqsD4gIDAQwL.zso?t=mary+janes
ReplyDeleteLucy, what gorgeous pictures! The one with the sea turtles and that amazingly turquoise water is stunning. And, the giant tortoise is such a treat. That must have been an awesome adventure. I'd never really thought about going to the Galapagos Islands, but your pictures and post make it sound so tempting.
ReplyDeleteThings I've learned from traveling. DO NOT take the new shoes to wear. Unfortunately, I've learned that one more than once. Take some snacks in your purse or backpack wherever you're going. Pack your medicines in your carry-on, not a bag you check. Actually, I always do this and it was a lesson learned for my husband, one reinforced by a lost bag with his medicines. Pack one change of clothes in your carry-on. Again, the lost luggage fiasco should be encouragement enough on this one.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Roberta. I loved the pics and the lessons. I know traveling isn't for everyone, but I can't imagine not seeing the world. Having a global perspective is so important these days. It's why I drag the Hooligans all over the globe :)
ReplyDeleteLucy / Roberta, thank you for sharing. I feel as if I am there walking on the islands with you. What has travelling taught me? I remember when I was a kid, I was disappointed that the reality of the place did not look like the photos in the travel brochure / newspaper / or magazine. I learned how to pack more efficiently so that I can carry on one bag. I can remember the airlines losing my checked in baggage more than once. I have learned that travel agents can make mistakes. For example, when I was a kid, my parents wanted to treat their elderly aunt and uncle who had been born while Queen Victoria was still living. We flew to Hawaii. The travel agent was supposed to arrange the rental of a car. Instead of a car, we got a van! Can you imagine two elderly people trying to climb in and out of a van? And there was no ramp either! I prefer to make my own travel arrangements.
ReplyDeleteDiana
Such good advice from everyone. Yes to comfortable shoes and boots. My dumb husband (should have known better) brought new hiking boots on a Scotland trip a few years ago. He abandoned them after one day on the trail. They bent wrong on top of his toes. Don't pack too much. I had one suitcase and a backpack on that trip. My husband had double that. What is it with this guy? Aargh. Be flexible with your plans. Something better may come up than what you planned. If you're in a foreign country enjoy it! Eat their food! Why travel if you want only an American experience? I just don't understand people like that. Definitely strike up conversations with other tourists and natives. We went out for a beer with a couple from Spain that we met on a haunted Edinburgh tour. Definitely ask taxi drivers what they recommend for food and sights. Roll with the punches and enjoy, even if you're rained on the first couple of days.
ReplyDeleteAn awesome adventure!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Libby Dodd
I traveled to Israel almost 30 years ago. Before the internet, email, digital cameras and smart phones. My advice, today, would be to take snapshots with your eyes. Then with your digital camera take photos and edit them either in the evenings or when you get home. Make hardcopies of the best ones in duplicate. (Snapseed and freeprints are great aps with lots of competition.) Then send them with a letter snail-mail to someone you love or to anyone who will give you their address.
ReplyDeleteIntrepid traveler! My hat is off to you, and to your able guides. <3
ReplyDeleteWow. Wonderful post, Lucy! The pics are fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete