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Geo: -1.05463, -91.0107
Wow! We have had a very exciting few days getting to and around the Galapagos Islands. We are enjoying the 14 other Intrepid tour 'mates' who come from England, Ireland, USA, New Zealand & Canada - all part of the wildlife. Early on Sunday morning we made our way to the airport and had an uneventful flight to Isla San Cristobel. Our first experience with the wildlife was a walk along the boardwalk of the sleepy town. There were sea lions lounging around everywhere - on park benches, on the sidewalk, in the park - blissfully napping on the sunny Sunday afternoon. We also went on an exhilarating bike ride from up in the highlands all the way down to the beach where we swam and saw more sea lions.
Monday was mostly snorkelling. The water is darned cold. Even with a wet suit on, we emerged from the water shivering and with blue fingers. We saw a few giant sea turtles and some interesting fish but not the sharks we were 'hoping for' in the place they call shark alley. Our guide instructed us to stay close together so as not to lose someone to a shark so we
kicked and banged into each other, ensuring our safety and never saw a shark! We moored at a deserted beach for a couple of hours and warmed up in the delicious sun. Swimming was refreshing with the temperature reminding me of home and Queensland Beach in Nova Scotia in late August. That evening we ate an amazing barbeque meal with shrimp, pork, chicken and sausages - enough protein to last several days!
Tuesday we moved from San Cristobel to Isla Isabela with a long day of travelling by boat interspersed with snorkelling amongst the giant turtles and sea lions. After lunch on the island of Floreana we saw our first penguin and many red iguanas. We saw the infamous blue-footed boobie...and a number of t-shirts that say variations of "I love boobies". A walk through the tortoise sanctuary provided us with endless encounters with these huge and glorious animals. The wildlife is abundant and fascinating in Galapagos!
Yesterday was a big hike - about 16 km - up to a caldera (not a crater) with lava rock, lava caves and magnificent 'moon-like' landscapes. Our group is comprised of a range of ages and fitness levels so managing a group of 16 hikers
is not easy. Jim and I are at one end of the age range and can hold our own at the tail end as I plod along and Jim lags behind taking pics. We are enjoying this experience - being active, outdoors and amongst a great group of people.
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Megan
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Amazing photos!!! I'm so glad you are there and having a great time already! Thanks so much for the blog, so glad I can follow along! Keep having a ball.