Galapagos!

Galapagos tortoise

The Angelito

Galapagos shoreline with sea lion on rock

We are just back from the famous Galapagos islands! In the Ecuadorian Sierra back in Quito, it is a real contrast of spring-like conditions (and some shortness of breath at altitute of 2800 metres) compared with the equatorial humidity and heat at sea level in the Galapagos. We spent 8 days in the islands aboard the Angelito, a nicely wood-trimmed tourist yacht owned by fishing brothers from the Galapagos. It was a local crew and guides, with a wide assortment of nationalities on board to view the unique wildlife and landscapes of these "enchanted islands". We enjoyed a nice upper deck cabin, although Sue fought some motion sickness on the wavier longer voyages to the outer islands.

It was a pretty spectacular trip overall: swimming with equatorial penguins, beautiful fish and non-threatening reef sharks; a few sightings of pilot whales, dolphins and sting rays; sea lions lounging on the beaches and rocks, oblivious to the lizards on top of them or the humans gawking nearby; boulder-like tortoises mating and lumbering about the wet highland meadows; amazing birds nesting beside the trails or cruising the air currents above our heads (frigatebirds, tropicbirds, boobies, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, albatrosses, shorebirds, ...), often a different species or subspecies from island to island; marine and land iguanas in varying hues; eroded volcanic cones and 100-year old lava flows; plus beautiful beaches, intriguing coastlines, cliffs, views and crashing wind-whirled surf. Many of the species and sub-species are endemic (found no where else in the world), with incredible adaptations to survive the diverse habitats found 1000 km from the South American continent. And most are not afraid of nearby human presence, something quite unusual when watching wildlife. Really, an experience of a lifetime!