We flew to Lima, then directly to Quito, spent the night at the Hilton Colon, a luxurious hotel which was right down the street from the Galeria Latina-one of THE best shops we've ever encountered on any trip! We had had very little time for shopping up to this point and we knew that there was nothing but tee shirts in the Galapagos, so we heated up the plastic at the Galleria. (It is very important to keep these credit cards primed; they can become brittle and break with disuse.)

It was here that we lost one member of your original group of 10; she had only booked the Peru trip. We tearfully bid her farewell and then met up with seven new people. We were now 16, still a very congenial group but not as good as the original ten. This worked nicely over the next nine days though; I don't think any of us had any complaints.

The next morning very early (yet again!) we were off to the Galapagos. Upon our arrival, we were met by Harry, our German Naturalist guide. We boarded an old rattletrap of a school bus-type vehicle, and were transported to a small ferry, at the other side of which awaited our REAL bus (more of the same with slightly less rattles---because it has slightly less seats).

He took us to see giant tortoises in the wild. Here and there along the way we would pick up a farmer who had recently sighted a tortoise, and he would lead us to them. It was amazing! It was also very hot and very humid and we had been up since about 5 am! I was fading!

We chased down about six or seven of the tortoises, then went to some restaurant way out in the woods which had surprisingly delicious food. I figured they were killing time since the rooms at our hotel were probably not ready. By the end of lunch it was 3 pm and I was really ready to give up on the tortoises and relax at the hotel. But oh no! He dragged us off to see some sort of crater (after another traipse through the woods!) and-the highlight of the day!!-the lava tubes! 

By this time I was downright annoyed! Closet claustrophobic that I am, I walked back to the bus by myself and drowned my sorrows in a COLD Fanta, wishing that I were back in Machu Picchu. (If you have to be tired and miserable, why not do it in class! A LAVA tube?? Really!)

Finally the group returned to the bus and we headed, thankfully to the hotel. Ah, the Hotel Galapagos. What a scream! This place is its own story! Knowing INCA, I'm sure this was the best available, but it was a hotel the likes of which you do not see often! It was more like scout camp! Very rustic, each cabin had two rooms, electricity turned off at midnight and back on at 5 am. NO AC---just ceiling fans. Oh well, at least the rooms were clean and it was only for one night. 

Then I saw the sign in the room advising us that spiders and lizards are not poisonous! I laughed till I cried! I could envision myself waking up with a start in the middle of the night, throwing the covers off to find the imagined spider!!! Still laughing, I got into the shower. I did not laugh for long! NO hot water. Nor was I hot and sticky any longer. Rather cold, shivering, and swearing! (Not our Georgia!)

The dining room was one large table in the reception building; we were the only guests. Needless to say, we all laughed loudly at dinner over our present state of affairs. We were invited to the room of one of the couples to see their pet spider (he was gigantic!!) after dinner. So with spiders in my head (and probably in my bed!) I slept soundly that night. I don't know how!

The next day we went to the Chas. Darwin Research Center to see more giant tortoises and killed a lot of time shopping for tee shirts. Whoopee! It was extremely hot and humid; I just wanted to get on the boat at this point.

By late afternoon we did just that. She is a big fat power boat, the Reina Silvia. Probably about 100 ft. It was so great just to get away from land where it was cool! We stowed all our stuff and headed out. We were to travel all night as we were first visiting Tower Island, the one farthest away and would make our way back in shorter trips from there.

As I lay in my teeny-weeny top bunk (speaking of claustrophobia.) and listened to the clamor of the motor all night, I remembered why WE have a SAILboat. What a racket! And we had a forward cabin! Ours was probably the farthest from the engine! I was none too happy about my lack of sleep, but figured I would get used to it (the noise of the engine-not the lack of sleep!) This is just what happened. After that first night, we were so exhausted at the end of every day, we just fell into bed and never heard a thing!

We had an absolutely SUPER guide---probably the best we have had anywhere. Richard is well-educated, well-versed, very well-spoken, good with people and (the best) he had a sick sense of humor---right up my alley! (Could it be that I bring our the best in people???) In any case, we had many good laughs with Richard!

And I learned a lot, although I should have learned much more than I did. A lot of the time he was talking I was crawling around under some rock in an attempt to get a good photo! I got a lot of good ones, but I should have spent more time listening.

I swear I was beginning to feel like My cousin Vinnie (with no sleep!). We got up every morning at 6, breakfast at 6:30, off the boat for nature walk at 7:15! By 10 we were back, had a snack and viewed the digital pix on the TV, went out for a snorkel, back at noon for lunch, then siesta time. At three we were gone again for a walk (sometimes an afternoon snorkel preceded this.), usually back by 6. Dinner at seven, then lecture. Eyelids very heavy by nine!

I had expected these walks to be very easy in comparison with the huffing and puffing of Machu Picchu. They were different, but they were not easy. Teva sandals over jagged lava rock, we had to watch every step we took. One good fall and the trip is over! Sometimes we were on slimy, slippery rock-kind of like black ice! Rarely was it easy! And I think we're in fairly good shape!

But it was worth it! These animals, the sea lions, iguanas, Blue Footed Boobies, Masked Boobies, ALL the boobies!, albatrosses, etc. are totally oblivious to your presence. You can stand right beside them, watch their courting displays-which are sometimes quite elaborate-and they don'tcare. You can put a camera literally right under their noses and they just pose! It was wonderful. 

And it is comforting to know that the Ecuadorian government has taken the necessary steps to see that this wildlife is unaffected by tourism. There are all sorts of safeguards and the rules are quite strict. Whatever else their problems, hats off to the Ecuadorians for taking care of the Galapagos!

A particularly memorable experience was our visit with Clyde. Most of the Galapagos Archipelago is uninhabited with the exception of two or three islands, one of which is Floreana, inhabited by 22 people! Here we went ashore to visit with one of the founding families and, as a bonus,to see their pet Giant Tortoise. As we gathered round him, he was quiet; I just figured he was old and lethargic. But no, Clyde was just waking up from a nap.

We went up to him and began to pet him and talk to him. Richard fed him some leaves and he began to come alive. Before we knew it he was extending his neck and literally chasing us around his enclosure. We couldn't figure out what more he wanted. We tried giving him more leaves; he didn't seem to want them. Then someone thought to scratch the underside of his leathery, outstretched neck. He got this wonderful look of ecstasy on his face-the same look a dog gets when you scratch his chest! It was obvious that THIS was what he wanted! So we just kept scratching his neck-and even under his arms. One of the more memorable characters I've met, Clyde was having a very good day!

Actually his name isn't really Clyde. When I asked Richard his name, he said he didn't have a name. What a sacrilege! Such a gentle animal with such a sweet personality, and nobody ever named him! I asked how old he was. Nobody knows that either, but he's at least 50. Clyde is a real sweetheart; one can only hope that many more tourists come along to scratch his neck. He sure made OUR day!

As did the sea lions who swam with us when we were snorkeling, and the blue-footed boobies who clowned around for us. Each island has its own special assortment of animals and its own distinct landscape. It's a delight!

We came home with about 600 digital pictures and 18 rolls of 36-35mm.The digital camera did beautifully-especially since the animals are unfazed by your presence. I was able to use the macro mode and put the camera right in their face, using the preview monitor to compose the photo. It gave really striking results because the background was totally in focus, all the while showing a close-up of the subject. And the boat had a TV with video input so it was easy to delete the bad ones. (This was a bonus! I never expected a TV in the Galapagos!)

I'll let you know when I have all these photos edited and posted on Club Photo. I just keep doing a few every day. As Clyde would say, "Slow and steady wins the race!"