Diary of A Girls Birthday Getaway - Entry #2
The uber-talented "birthday twins," Michaela & Marianna are back for another round of #birthdaybucketlist goodness. Are you following along on M & M's magical adventures with #babesinsouthamerica? Don't miss their Diary entry #1, when they were frolicking around Colombia. This dynamic duo is really two halves of one beautiful whole, with Michaela being one heck of a talented travel writer and Marianna the crazy good photographer documenting and dancing their way down south. Waaaaay south.
So far south in fact, that these lucky ladies found themselves, quite on purpose, at one of our dream spots, the land of Darwin, the Galapagos! Think gorgeous, sparkling turquoise waters, perfect animal preserves & luxurious yet sustainable accommodations with a unique "birthday twin" stylish twist. When reaching said once-in-a-lifetime-if-you're-lucky locales, only the most beautiful and perfectly sustainable lodging will gosh-darn do. Pikaia Lodge is built on Santa Cruz Island in the centre of the Galapagos Archipelago. While these islands belong to the Republic of Ecuador, the Galapagos and surrounding marine reserve are Natural World Heritage sites of UNESCO.
Pikaia Lodge is designed for the environmentally conscious, eco-adventurous traveler, who seeks refuge with style & grace (all over the place). Imagine a lodge perched prettily on top of two extinct volcanos, views for daaaaays. Then take 31 hectares of property and private, wild giant tortoise reserve all located 450 meters above sea level where it's sun, arid savanna and lush tropical mist enveloped by enchanted forest and volcanic highlands. Hello.
Our girls are gallopin' round the Galapagos and we're so gosh-darn giggly about getting to show you their too-gorgeous-for-words trip. This is Diary Entry #2 of #5.
Words By Michaela Trimble | Photos By Marianna Jamadi
Life introspections occur when you’re in the Galapagos Islands, amidst a wild giant tortoise reserve and atop an extinct volcanic crater. In a land where animals are instinctively born without fear, our own human fears and worries evaporate, making a trip to this faraway paradise one of ultimate humanity, where we look ourselves in the eye and observe the people we’ve become.
It’s here where Marianna and I celebrated the art of evolution, and what it means to us all as we travel the world far and wide. During our many conversations in the Galapagos, we began to see travel as a compulsory part of who we are – seeing new cultures and experiencing new customs entirely different from our own become a part of us, and we adapt to crave this experience. Isn’t that what drives us all to keep traveling?
During our daily expeditions, we learned of a term in science called adaptive radiation, coined to represent how species evolve based on how they disperse geographically. There’s nowhere in the world more representative of adaptive radiation than the Galapagos, as a tortoise on the west side of an island in the Galapagos evolved differently than a tortoise on the east side of the same island, making adaptive radiation symbolize how different species take on specific attributes to best adapt to their unique environments. Marianna and I took this into account and applied it to how we travel – isn’t this exactly what we do when we set out into the world? When we go to a country and learn about a certain food or custom that intrigues us, changes us, and then we take it back to our own country, aren’t we adapting and changing due to what we’ve experienced?
All of these life contemplations occurred during our endlessly calming, abundantly beautiful stay at Pikaia Lodge in the Galapagos, a 14-room property that capitalizes on the intimacy and authenticity of quality experiences.
Just as Pikaia Lodge celebrates sustainability and the art of evolution, Marianna and I both evolved into a new realm of thought, one where we realized our small place in this giant world.
See their Diary Entry #1 here!
Credits: Venue: Pikaia Lodge | Words ByMichaela Trimble | Photos By Marianna Jamadi
