We flew into Quito, Ecuador last week and encountered some rough weather which was a shock to the system and was a sentimental reminder of England! Despite a weather induced brief flight delay to the Galapagos we had the most amazing week in the Galapagos in glorious sunshine. It is a truly unique place and almost impossible to describe our fantastic experiences there. In terms of wildlife we saw so many beautiful, unusual and unique animals it was spectacular. The animals let you come to within inches of them (no touching allowed obviously, but they were so close you could). We saw giant tortoise, iguanas, lava lizards, sea lions, fur seals, dolphins, penguins, turtles, hammer head and reef sharks, sea snakes.... We even swam with the penguins, sharks and playful sealions. Snorkelling was fantastic and Penny had 4 great dives with large schools of sharks and rays. We seemed to act as an aphrodisiac since we saw turtles, penguins and giant tortoises mating. Underwater we saw birds, turtles and iguanas diving and feeding.
The birds were amazing too - blue footed boobies, red footed and black footed Nazca boobies, hawks, cormorants - which dont fly. We even saw the blue
footed boobies nesting and sitting on their eggs right in the middle of the path! We saw their mating ritual - a bizarre dance with spread wings where the male presented the female with sticks (boobie equivalent to large diamond rings, apparently).
Our boat, The Lammer Law, was a beautiful trimaran with 8 cabins but there were only 11 of us on board. The other passengers were lovely and we all got on really well which is always a relief! The boat was luxurious (definitely much nicer than most hostels we have been staying in since leaving the UK!) and the crew were really friendly and helpful. Our guide, Jorge, was born and bred in the Galapagos and his genuine enthusiasm for the islands and wildlife was truly infectious! We are sure he is the King of guides and his knowledge was amazing! It was an active cruise with long island walks, snorkelling and kayaking so we saw lots of the different islands too. We covered 500 miles in all on the boat. Needless to say we never had a lie in past 6 am, but did see some beautiful sun rises!
We are now back in Quito
and are pleased to report the sun is still shining!
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Hi- nice pics..keep them coming.
By the way, had the Away Day today- have been working hard at redeveloping the service/your role- and by common consent from Mike & Iain, have set up the FADD clinic (Fat And Desperately Depressed) for you. Will kickstart it before I leave....have no worries at all..you will love it
So pleased you had a great time in the Galapagos- your photos bring back lots of lovely memories of out time there. Will have to share stories when you get back! Sarah x
hi daz &pen,yes we're still alive!just catching up with your blogs,looks like your having an amazing time.bit jealous back here doing the daily grind.you're not missing much on the poker front,haven't had a game at your place yet,had one down the farmhouse,not much to write home about that one! ben invited us over to yours last night for a curry with a few friends,had a few drinks & stayed over.raided your poker library so watch out when you return!
rich
Hey Guys, Kimbo here! it was strange being at yours last night & being invited by Ben! I think he will be considering squatters rights soon! Stella & Smuge are OK. Ben said one of them got a mouse the other day, quite adventurous for your girls I thought! Rich & I are getting really excited about skiing - you will be doing the inca trail when we are on the slopes! -Yay!!
Just looking up the WSOP dates for '08! Think I might have trouble getting time off work in June, how about Sept?
missing you loads,
K xx
Following this trip is just so amazing, what an experience! I am green with envy but also in awe of how you put this all together. You have just achieved my dream, of seeing giant tortoises mating - sick I know! It's good to see how fit Dazza is becoming - he will need it to manage all the work Partha is generating for him!
Look forward to next installment!
Hi - Iain forwarded your blog to me at home. It looks amazing - you must be having the time of you lives. No great news this end except iain's office in the Diabetes centre flooded a few weeks ago with sewage from the tiolet opposite...he was not pleased!! He and Mike seem head to head at the moment for who is going to by the next meal - when football season finishes. Keep having a great time.Tracy
Hi guys -thanks for the card- loved the mating tortoises- the facial expression very reminiscent of the night I burst in on gareth in a similarly comprimising position with some slapper he'd bought back from the Regal palace- not a pretty sight! How are you going to top this holiday when you come back?
Great photos! Thanks for sharing.
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