Ok, before I talk about our trip to the Galapagos, I just wanted to reassure everyone that we are OK. Our boat did not wash up onto Lonesome George, no animals went seeking higher ground, and despite what mamaNan's friend heard, we never were trapped in a cave. In fact, in the wake of the awful earthquake that hit Chile and the Tsunami that followed, we had little more than 2-3 foot change in swell at the Galapagos. We spent the Tsunami on a boat blissfully playing cards and drinking beers with some new friends, unaware that anything had happened anywhere.

Now onto the Galapagos...The Galapagos is a marine biologist's dreamland. The diversity of life in and outside of the water is unlike any other place on earth. Giant tortoises and land iguanas roam freely on land and the water teems with hammerheads, eagle rays and sea turtles. So when Adam & I learned that thanks to a last minute deal we were going to be able to afford a trip out there, we were literally skipping down the streets of Quito like two kids who had found out they were going to Disneyland. And it was absolutely wonderful. Definitly the highlight of our trip so far. We've been back for a full day now and I keep finding myself brainstorming ways we can return (believe me, I'm starting to get pretty creative). The things we saw there, we had only seen on the Discovery Channel. Adam commented that he felt like he was meeting celebrities. And although we weren't rubbing elbows with Brad Pitt, encountering the 150 year old legendary tortoise, Lonesome George, was every bit as exciting (ok, so he's not quite as handsome and unfortunately he's famous for being the last of his species, but super cool nonetheless).

Our eight day cruise had us hopping and snorkeling along the northern and western islands. Our first stop took us to an island inhabited by red footed boobies and red frigate birds. The males of the latter are famous for inflating bright red sacks on their necks to attract females. We spent the first two days in a downpour of rain, but luckily that didn't spoil the fun and we were able to go out exploring anyway. When the sun finally did break through the clouds, we got to enjoy sunning penguins, giant tortoises, and marine iguanas feeding underwater. But with the coming of the sun came the heat, a heat with such an intensity that only the equator can provide. Sun burns started appearing on the passengers of our cruise, not just the usual ones either. People hiked the islands with burnt calves, noses, and the most painful of all, the bum burn that comes about when your bum is floating at the surface during snorkeling (some of us get more bum burn than others, but we needn't go into the reasons for that).

We had a good group on our boat. Most of the passengers were younger and/or more adventurous than many of the other cruisers we saw. Other boats often offloaded older, khaki-clad, white people who looked like they were ready for safari with their wide brimmed hats and telephoto lenses big enough to focus on the mainland from the islands. We were also very thankful that our group was very patient with us, as we were amazed by all that we saw and often fell behind to get that extra photo or spend just a little bit more time with the animals. We watched marine iguanas fight for nesting territory and couldn't help but stare at the unnaturally bright feet on the blue footed boobies (apparently for attracting mates). Everything seemed fascinating! But the landscape was just as bit as interesting as the wildlife, as many of the islands had recently (relatively recently, not like last year, but in terms of geological years) risen from the sea and were black and jagged with basalt from the eruptions that created them. Some islands even had beaches with different colored sands. We were fortunate enought to see white, red and black sand beaches during the week.

All and all, the our trip to the Galapagos ranks among the coolest experiences we've ever had. If you have the chance, go! It's beautiful and extremely well preserved. In fact, let us know if you do, as we've come up with crazy ideas, like selling a kidney (we've all got an extra one, right?), to return and meet ya there.