To celebrate the end of the year my family took Me, Jon, and a few of their friends out for supper at an Ecuadorian BBQ. We never go out for dinner, so this was very special. The main street and malecon were flooded with people. I didn´t know this many people lived in San Cristobal! All of the teenage girls had their hair and makeup done, and wore really fancy dresses that had me thinking I was at my prom again! At 11pm me and my American friends had our own little celebration - it was midnight at home! A popular tradition here is to construct lifesize paper dolls in the weeks leadig up to new years. These dolls could be made to look like yourself, a friend, or maybe an idol in your life (I ... read more

In the morning we had a tour of the Charles Darwin station. Here the Galapagos National Park captures tortoises from other islands when they are babies and most vulnerable. They bring them back to the station for 5 years to care for them untilt they are old and strong enough to fend for themselves. This is done to keep the tortoise population thriving for many years to come. The Charles Darwin station is also home to the famous tortoise "Lonesome George". Being the last tortoise left in his species, the name he goes by is very fitting! One last dinghy boat ride to the Guantanamera meant my trip would soon be over. I said goodbye to the crew and passengers who I had grown very close to in only a few days. For lunch the cook ... read more

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when a platter of bacon was added to the usual breakfast buffet. This is the first time I´ve had bacon since September, and it was a very highly appreciated reunion. Española is the southernmost island in the Galapagos, giving it a very remote location and making it a perfect place for endemic fauna. We took the dinghy boat to Gardener Bay Beach, which is a huge white sandy beach with rolling waves... and lots and lots of stinky sealions! Before the Galapagos National Park developed a stick code of conduct regarding the feeding of animals, people used to give the mockingbirds water out of their waterbottles. In result of that, the mockinbirds are attracted to waterbottles, and if you hold one or put one in the sand they will land ... read more

We had to wake up quite early this morning so we could have a tour of North Seymour before the group got dropped off at the airport. We took the dinghy to shore right in time to chill out and watch the sunrise. The island was quite lively, because unlike the other islands it was mating season for the blue footed boobies. It was amazing to watch them prance around showing off their blue feet in a creative dance to attract a mate. The frigate birds were perched in the trees with their bright red beck bubbles puffed out to catch a hot female´s attention. We headed back to the boat for a quick cruise to Baltra so the others could catch their flights. The airport in Baltra is one of three airports on the Galapagos ... read more

The first thing I noticed when I woke up and looked out my window was Rabida’s dark red shoreline. This is because of the high percentage of oxidized iron in the composition of the lava which formed the beach. The cacti on this island differ from the cacti on other islands because Rabida isn’t populated by iguanas, who eat the cacti. The pointy things that are found on all cacti are there, but they are soft like bristles of a paintbrush. After a nice hike around the island we swapped our shoes for flippers and snorkeled around the reef. I seen a lot of colourful fish, starfish, and even a couple white tip sharks. When we got back to the boat I felt like I was in kindergarten again - there were snacks and refreshments waiting ... read more