Gal\u00e1pagos & Ecuador

Ecuador was chaos in the best way. Guayaquil had a 10pm curfew because of gang violence. The Galápagos entry tax had doubled two weeks before I arrived. The school across from my Airbnb used an air-raid siren instead of a bell at 7:15am.

The Galápagos were the point of the trip. San Cristóbal island, snorkeling with sea lions and marine iguanas, diving in waters where the wildlife hadn’t learned to be afraid of people. Three people went diving — they looked like they were having the time of their lives after the first dive and like they wanted to die after the second.

Back on the mainland, I drove into the Andes for a $20 bungee jump off a bridge while cars drove past. Then Quito, Riobamba, and Baños before flying home. Ecuador packed more per square mile than almost anywhere I’d been.