Kiteboarding in Paracas, Peru

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Will Gons

My reason for visiting Paracas was simple – to spend time on the water kiteboarding. A friend we met in Vietnam gave us some tips on the best kiting places in Peru but unfortunately we were not close to any of those recommendations. After doing a little research in Lima, I found that Paracas had good steady winds. The PeruHop bus ticket we booked also stopped in Paracas which made it very convenient.

We left Lima early for the relatively short journey south. Driving straight would only take about 4 hours but we made several stops at interesting tourist destinations which were included in the ticket. The first stop was Cristo del Pacifico where we had an amazing view over the city of Lima before heading out into the desert. Next, we stopped on the road overlooking Pachacamac, Lima’s version of Machu Picchu. The bus was was high enough to see over the wall barrier so we could see the ruins without paying the $25 entrance fee. The next major stop was at an old Spanish colonial house (Hacienda San Jose in Chincha), but the real excitement was underneath. Descending a narrow staircase led to a maze of Continue reading →

Exploring Isabela Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Sara Gons

At the main dock in Puerto Ayora, we took a water taxi to board our ferry to Isabela Island. We were surprised to find the boat, Gaby, was barely larger than the small boat that took us scuba diving the day prior. The boat was completely full with every inch of space occupied by bodies. They handed out life jackets to each passenger and we headed out to sea. About thirty minutes into the two hour journey, the captain slowed down the engines with a concerned look on his face. After turning off the engines, he motioned for the passengers sitting along the back to move and he began to inspect one of the three engines. After a ten minute inspection, we noticed that the caption appeared to be changing filters. He put the engine back together and we again headed towards Isabela. About twenty minutes later, a different engine began smoking. Continue reading →

Touring the Galapagos, Ecuador – Day 3

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Sara Gons

Day 3: Espanola

Gardner Bay on Espanola

Darwin cruised south and arrived at Espanola Island around two in the morning. After another filling breakfast, we went to Gardner Bay for a relaxing morning on the beach. Unfortunately, the weather turned cloudy and rained threatened so Will and I decided to snorkel. We found sting rays, schools of fish and a sea turtle. On the way back o the beach, we heard a male sea lion making aggressive noises so we were on alert to stay away and avoid confrontation. As the visibility decreased closer to the shore, we lost sight of the sea lion when all of a sudden it darted past us! Thankfully, he must have found us harmless when he checked us out and continued monitoring his territory. Close one!

The rest of the morning was spent snorkeling with the group. Billy and the boat’s Captain took us to a rock formation in Gardner Bay where the visibility was extremely clear. With large waves flowing in from the ocean, we were surprised when they led the group close to the rocks but were excited to find young playful sea lions. We all had a blast diving down and swimming circles while the sea lions looped around us. I have never interacted with a wild animal in such a way and it was exhilarating!

Sea lion eating breakfast next to Darwin

Curious mockingbird picking through our stuff - Billy said they are looking for fresh water

School of razor surgeonfish

Surrounded by a school of black striped salema

Swimming with sea lions

Swimming with sea lions

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Our Galapagos Island hopping adventure onboard Darwin Yacht continues in the next post.

Touring the Galapagos, Ecuador – Day 2

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Sara Gons

Day 2: Plaza and Santa Fe

Darwin Yacht anchored off South Plaza

Male sea lion barking to show aggression over territory

After an early morning journey, we woke to breakfast with views of the Plaza Islands. The islands were a beautiful red desert with crystal clear waters in between. Our group went for an early morning walk passing sea lions, iguanas and crabs. Billy again sat us down to give us information on the area. He explained that the iguanas were in the processes of gaining color for their mating season so we would see them with varying degrees of yellow on this island. Billy also took the opportunity to describe sea lion habits and the different situations that make them aggressive. He said to be alert when swimming with them and that he would rather swim with sharks (information that would have been useful the previous day)!

One of the few iguanas on Santa Fe eating cactus

Darwin arrived to Santa Fe in time for lunch where we had another wonderful meal (not going hungry on this tour). After letting the food digest, the group headed out on the dingy for an hour snorkeling in the beautiful water. We saw large schools of fish, sea turtles, a sting ray and even a sea lion. Early evening, we went for a walk on Santa Fe where we found a beach full of sea lions, a Galapagos snake, and watched an endangered Santa Fe Iguana eat cactus.