Letters from a Wandering Soul

Galápagos Day 6 – On the Hill, Between the Sea and Myself Core keywords: Galápagos luxury lodge, Santa Cruz Island travel, Pikaia Lodge review, Ecuador itinerary, infinity pool spa Contents 05:00–07:00 · Dawn in the Glass Room 07:00–09:00 · Breakfast – Along the Inner Coast 09:00–11:00 · Bio-Trail – Time Between the Trees 11:00–13:00 · Infinity Pool – Meditation Above the Water 13:00–15:00 · Terrace Lunch – Chewing on Today 15:00–17:00 · Spa – Waves at the Fingertips 17:00–19:00 · Final Sunset – Balcony Chair 19:00–21:00 · Farewell Dinner – The Last Island 21:00–23:00 · The End of Silence, the Beginning of Stars 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Dawn in the Glass Room, the Hour When Waves Awaken Pikaia Lodge, 2nd Floor, Deluxe Terrace Room. Temperature 22°C, humidity 86%. Dawn breathes through glass and fog. When I awoke, I pulled the blanket up to my chin and lay still, as if to catch my breath. Through the ea...

From fog-breathed dawn at Pikaia Lodge to El Chato’s giant tortoises, lava tunnels, Puerto Ayora, and a starlit terrace—Galápagos Day 4 where time seems to breathe. Contents 05:00–07:00 | A Glass Room on the Hill, a Living Dawn 07:00–09:00 | Lodge Breakfast – Waking a Day at the Center of Evolution 09:00–11:00 | El Chato Reserve – Where the Earth Breathes 11:00–13:00 | Lava Tunnel – Walking Inside the Earth 13:00–15:00 | Puerto Ayora – The Town Where Sea and People Meet 15:00–17:00 | Darwin Research Station – A Place of Memory and Preservation 17:00–19:00 | Return to the Lodge – A Ridge That Catches Its Breath 19:00–21:00 | Lodge Dinner – A Galaxy on the Table 21:00–23:00 | Night on the Terrace – Meeting the Quiet Stars Again 🐢 Galápagos Day 4 – An Island Where Time Breathes 🕔 05:00–07:00 | A Glass Room on the Hill, a Living Dawn Location...

From Puerto López’s pre-dawn rooftop and honeyed ginger tea to Baltra’s stark runway and Santa Cruz’s green ridges—one day across sea, sky, and Galápagos highlands. Contents 05:00–07:00 | Dawn in Puerto López, A Quiet Departure 07:00–09:00 | To Guayaquil Airport – The Road South 09:00–11:00 | Guayaquil Airport – Gateway Between Sea and Sky 11:00–13:00 | Guayaquil → Baltra – Stillness Above the Sky 13:00–15:00 | Landing in Baltra – Gateway to the Primitive 15:00–17:00 | Itabaca Channel – Crossing the Green-Tinted Sea 17:00–19:00 | Crossing Santa Cruz – From Lava Fields to Forested Ridges 19:00–21:00 | Dinner at Evolution – A Meal on the First Land 21:00–23:00 | Deluxe Terrace Room – The Day’s End Beneath Starlight 🌊 Puerto López → Galápagos – From the Breath of the Sea to the Dawn of Evolution (Day 3) 🕔 05:00–07:00 | Dawn in Puerto López...

🕔 05:00–07:00 | On the Terrace, Breathing the Living Air I sat on the second-floor terrace, where the ocean spread endlessly before my eyes, the night air wrapping around my skin like a thin blanket. Each breath carried the rough, steady rhythm of the sea’s pulse. In the breakfast lounge at Las Tanusas , steam curled upward from a pot of ginger tea infused with honey and ripe papaya. On the table waited freshly baked cheese bread and stacks of coconut slices, dried after being soaked in sugar. A sip of the honeyed ginger tea sent a sharp warmth deep into my lungs, sinking further into my chest, awakening my heart, and slowly stirring my mind into full awareness. Our privately booked car arrived, and we set off for the pier. Through the window, the sun rose slowly over the boundless ocean, its crimson light trembling on the waves. The thought of soon witnessing the vast breath of life hidden within these waters filled my heart with an almost unbearable anticipation. 🕖 ...

🕔 05:00–07:00 | Quito at Dawn – Closing the Window, Opening the Journey I woke shivering, the chill creeping under the blanket. From the second-floor room of Casa Gangotena, the morning greeted me with the sound of cathedral bells echoing through the fog. Outside, the city’s rooftops were buried under a dense, milky mist— a fog so thick it felt like the sky itself had lost its shape. Heavy slate-blue clouds filled the heavens, mirroring the cold air of the Andean dawn. I made a cup of cinnamon ginger tea, adding a generous spoonful of honey. The sharp warmth of the ginger and the soft sweetness of honey blended perfectly with the icy gray of the morning. Each sip felt like a breath in fog. The mist reflected on the windowpane— so opaque it looked like a cloud had come to rest outside. It was strangely meditative, as if the dawn air itself had a pulse. A private SUV I had booked in advance pulled up quietly. I packed a light bag ...

🌫️ Mashpi Day 3 – A Farewell Left in the Air 🕔 05:00–07:00 | A Final Early Step Between Shadows of Trees From the terrace of the Yaku Suite on the second floor, the air felt chilly—18°C—with 95% humidity soaking everything. My hair, the blanket, even the breath itself— everything was steeped in invisible moisture. Soft raindrops had been tapping gently on the glass ceiling since dawn. I opened my eyes before the alarm, silenced it, and stepped out in slippers to open the glass door. The forest was saturated, holding back a downpour like a swollen dam. Beneath a heavy fog that hung like a cloud pressed against the earth, my feet met the uneven soil of the trail. Gnarled tree roots burst up through the mud, intertwined with scattered stones. All around—far and near—birds of every color perched on the trees like living flowers. Dripping in morning light and dew, they sang the dawn into existence. 🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Final Cup Beneath the Birds’ Song I stepped i...