​We got up early to head down to the dock in Puerto Ayora. A boat would be picking us up to take us to Isabela, the big island of the Galapagos. We had a long list of animals we wanted to see here. Penguins, sea turtles, flamingos and sea lions all called this island home. I can’t think of any other place that has all of these animals together, so this would be a once in a lifetime experience.

​Puerto Ayora, January 1st 12:01 AM
I awoke to a loud bang. I sprang out of bed and ran out the door to see what was going on. I saw hundreds of people running in the streets, fireworks flying around and open flames all throughout the city. “Are we under attack?” I yelled, not fully awake yet. 

​After a full day in Quito, we got on the plane the next morning and took the short flight from mainland Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands. Having gone through a lot in the past 24 hours, it was nice to know we would be heading to a place that had some nice beaches we could relax on. 

​Our travel plans were simple, take a flight from New York to Miami, fly from Miami to Guayaquil and then head over to the Galapagos the next morning. Just 3 relatively short flights and we would be beachside in the land of sea lions and iguanas. Of course the term “travel plans” is one I use very loosely because when you are traveling, things rarely go according to plan.