So we took a bike ride from our jungle lodge down to town and to the national park and the Darwin science center where they breed giant land tortoises.

So we took the recommendation of our gracious host Vinicio and departed after breakfast to Tortuga Bay. To get there, one must walk a kilometro and then up the beach to a sheltered cove with calm water and surrounded by marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. The beach itself is impressive; it's bleached-white sand leads to a variety of spectacularly clear blue-green water. We swam and basked in the glorious warmth and buried our feet in the sand that very close...

Burned. Who knew the Galapagos were literally sitting right below the sun? Well, it was worth a little chance of melanoma. We got to see marine iguanas the size of nutrias, blue-footed boobies, and other crazy species of life. Our kind host set us up this morning with a delicious breakfast and pointed us in the direction of the beach. After many hours of wildlife observation and swimming, Ransom met a new friend and spent the afternoon with her while Steph and ...

Breakfast in Ecuador. Looks like home.

After a complete fiasco in the Guayaquil airport we arrived unscathed on the island of Baltra. It sits next to the larger island Santa Cruz, separated by a small channel of water. Upon arriving, we knew we would be charged the requisite $100 entrance to the Galapagos national park which is not unlike the outrageous fees imposed by Peru to see Macchu Picchu. I see a similar nationalist view and a monopolizing government attitude. Like the Picchu, the only way to ...