Galapagos

By this point in the trip, all the passengers had gotten to know each other. There were 17 of us, and we were fortunate to have an amiable and intelligent group of people. We had gotten to know the crew as well, and there were certain quirks that quickly became the subject of jokes. Every morning, after the poorly choosen wake-up music, one of the guides would inform us that we were on another paradise island. We would be instructed to bring fresh water, sun block, hiking shoes, and green towels. Every day, the same statement, including 15 minute reminders before the excursion, all announced as if we had never heard it before.
Also, there was a waiter who continually tried to feed chicken empanadas to the vegetarians on board. This waiter always served a different color juice with his empanadas, but by the end of the trip he apparently got tired of that and just started mixing them all together into a brown sludge.
As if this didn't provide enough entertainment and gossip, the passengers began to realize Orlando's stories were full of BS. He claimed turtles didn't shed. He told us he had to drink turtle poop for three days when lost on an island. And best of all was the nonsensical story about a German doctor who pulled out all his teeth and moved to Floreana and then died. That last one turned out to be true, but no one could keep a straight face anyway. At least there was never a dull moment around Orlando....



After Isabela island we had another long cruise to several smaller islands around Santa Cruz.
There was more deep water snorkeling, where we saw colorful tropical fish, a few penguins, marine iguanas foraging underwater, and one large spotted eagle ray. While on the zodiac (dingy), we had seen a manta ray in the water, but it was gone before we were able to get in the water ourselves.



The following morning, we visited Bartolome island. The island itself is nearly devoid of any vegetation except mangroves on the shore. The reddish lava rock gives the impression that one is standing on the surface of the moon. We climbed to the top of the small island and enjoyed the view, and then returned to the bay for more snorkeling.



You would think that we would get tired of all the snorkeling after a while, but it seemed to get better every time. This particular visit was by far the best. It started out plain enough. Some fish, rocky bottom, kind of gloomy. We saw one white-tipped shark swim under a rock. I was with a few of our cruisemates, Jess, Ben, and Mark, and we came upon three sea lions playing in the water. They were tumbling over each other and jumping out of the water. The female first swam up to Ben, then swam beneath me and away. At first we thought they were being aggressive, and then we realized they were playing with us. At one point, the female came up to me under water, and barked less than five inches from my face. I was taken completely by surprise and was very startled, but she swam away and continued playing. Anna and several others had already returned to the beach, so I will let her finish the blog.
By the time Scott and the others got back, there were animals everywhere. Three sea lions were weaving between the people wading in the shallows, and penguins were darting close to shore to catch minnows. A great blue heron was patiently waiting near the water's edge to steal stray minnows from the penguins. And to top it all off, a blue footed booby was diving for fish less than a meter from the swimmers. Although there were more than 20 people present from our boat and one other, the animals were never afraid. They were often close enough to touch. We spent every last minute taking video and pictures, until the tour guides told us we were late for lunch and herded us away.

The last few days of the trip were spent seeing more islands and more animals. We added the albatross, blue footed boobies, land iguanas, lava lizards, and the iconic giant tortoises to the list of animals we saw. There are some photos of these animals below.

Land Iguana

Albatross pair

Blue-footed booby

The giant tortoises are a favorite for many people. We were fortunate enough to arrive at the viewing area 45 minutes earlier than the other tourists. We all enjoyed having a quiet, serene visit as we silently watched the tortoises eat. Their slow, deliberate pace gives them a regal and majestic air that you wouldn't expect a 250 pound reptile to have. They were definitely a highlight of the trip.

After all the incredible animal experiences and photo ops had been completed, the ship returned to San Cristobal. Everyone was glad to get off the boat for the last time. After the return flight to Quito, it turned out that about half of us were all stating at the same hotel. We decided to go to an Indian restaurant for dinner, since everyone was desperate for food that didn't include juice and empanadas. After dinner, we all went our separate ways with hugs, offers to visit, and not a few green towel references.
As much as Scott and I are sad to complete our around the world trip, we are very glad to be heading home to friends and family. The Galapagos cruise was a wonderful way to finish our trip. We will be posting some "best of" lists and summarizing our experience over the next few days. Home, here we come! - Anna & Scott