10 day Cruise

Day 1 - Rabida Island

Little bit rough the first few days so got my sea legs pretty quick. went snorkelling in water akin to the scottish lochs!!! was flipping freezing but its the Galapagos you cant not do it!

Nature at its best

We saw the following, nature lovers:

Spotted Eagle Rays

Manta Rays

Parrotfish

Chocolate Chip starfish

Sealions playing in the sea

Land Iguanas

Lava Lizards

Frigate birds (the black birds that inflate their red chests when mating)

Day 2 Santiago (am) Bartolheme (pm)

More snorkelling, more eating, less sickyness

Sealions- including a baby pup                Oyster Catchers

Fur seals                Pelicans

Marine Iguana´s (who spit salt at you)

Lava Lizards

Sally Lightfoot crabs -lots of them    Jellyfish

Barracuda                Parrotfish

Turtles                    Groupers

Pencil sea urchins    Trumpetfish

Hammerhead shark off the boat

Sea cucumber            white tip reef shark

Ghost Crabs                Sea stars

Galapagos penguins (very rare)

Day 3 Santiago

Starting to brighten up now, tan building nicely

Blue footed boobies

Eagle rays

Golden rays

Frigate birds mating

Land Iguanas

Black tip reef sharks

Barracuda

Days 4 -8

Now I saw a lot of the same things as before so forgot to write down each day.

Giant Tortoises (and I mean giant) both in the wild and breeding centre, land iguanas.

We also went walking through some tubes (big caves) carved out by the lava they were really something and before you ask no pictures it was dark down there!

We also went to look at some big holes where they think that the landscape collapsed and made too big quarry like things !?!

On the fourth day we moored in Porta Ayora, Santa Cruz island. We went drinking in one of the bars and i showed them all how to salsa!

Then we went on to Santa Fe, Espanola,

Saw albatrosses

masked boobies

marine iguanas

galapagos hawks

american oyster catchers.

Overall

The boat was fabulous, the rooms were much nicer than i expected as was the food, yeah the bathrooms smelt a bit but they always do on boats. Our guide was great really knowledgable and always helpful. The crew were really good fun and speaking to them in Spanish made it much more rewarding. I liked it here so much i didnt return to Quito as planned and came back to Porta Ayora.

Today I went scuba diving with a school of 15 hammerhead sharks. To be honest I didnt enjoy the dive as much as others except for seeing the sharks as I felt that the instructor was not so good, he swam up, down, up down in depth which is much more likely to make you ill. But at least I got to see the sharks.

My hotel here is ok bit expensive for what it is but i have three double beds in a single room! The guy who works in reception is bit slimey so am avoiding him at all costs.

I also keep swaying as i feel like I am still on the boat!

Ok hopefully photos tomorrow

Love Adele xx