Tortuga Bay

 

One of the best feelings of peace I have ever felt in my life was when I walked along a beach on my trip to the Galapagos. When I was 15, my family and I went on a trip to the Galapagos Islands so we could spend time together. From the time we left home for the airport until we arrived at the hotel everything was very stressful. But on that day and at that specific moment I really felt a great relief.

When we go on trips in my family, my mom always worries about everything. So, she usually spends a lot of stress. And if my mom is stressed, everyone in the family is stressed. That's because the yelling, the rushing, and the feeling of wanting to leave but not forgetting anything important starts. The process at the airport didn't help much with this feeling of stress either. The paperwork, the bags, the waiting room were many of the things that made me feel more tired. But when I were finally on the plane everything was more relaxing. Until all that stress came back when I got off the plane. The first thing I felt was the drastic change of weather; a hot breeze hit my face and I had a hard time breathing well at first. This was due to the difference in altitude between Quito and Galapagos. My mother's stress again infected the rest of the family. It is in that moment when you begin to question whether the trip is really that stressful or your family is.

When we finally arrived at the hotel, I thought I would finally get some rest. The sad truth was that our rooms were not ready. It felt like a roller coaster ride all around. I thought "If this is how we started, I don't want to know how we are going to end up". Between angry and tired, we left our bags at the hotel and decided to go to the nearest beach. It's ironic to say "closest" when we walked about an hour and a half to get there. The beach is called "Tortuga Bay". Even though we walked a long way, it was so satisfying to walk there. You could see the ocean in different shades of blue contrasting with the sky.

When we arrived we took off our shoes so we could touch the sand. It was really so relaxing to walk there. The sand was soft and our feet got a little buried with each step. The weather was perfect, there was no sunshine yet the weather was still warm. The beach was large and empty. There were no stores and not many people. The only relevant sound was the sound of the waves. The wind moved my hair softly and the view of the ocean was wonderful. We walked along the sandy shore, there were no rocks or trash. There was nothing to hurt your feet. Everything was clean and the water was crystal clear.

My family was a few steps ahead of me, I stayed to enjoy the scenery. Feeling the small waves of the sea on your feet, the wind on your face and the soft sand. Just with the sound of small waves and a few birds. The peace and tranquility that this place gave me is one of the best feelings I have ever experienced in my life. Especially after such a stressful trip. To be able to live that silence alone in front of the ocean was very nice.

I highly recommend going to Galapagos, it is a place where you can enjoy peace and excitement in the same day. I hope someday to go back and relive that moment. :)