Thursday 31st May Our first early morning start for a few days with our flight to the Galapagos Islands. Our flight booked for 12 noon with Aerogal. We arrived at the airport and picked up our tickets ready for check in. We checked our luggage in only to be told we should have been on the 10am flight and that our agent should have told us of the change!! After a few words with the supervisor and later a technical dela,y as we were just going to take off, we eventually took to the air for the hour long flight.Three hours late we were met by Williams our guide for 4 days and were taken to our vessel The Monseraat 2. We headed straight for Black Turtle Cove where our pangas took us through the mangroves where we laid silently in wait for the turtles to show. They did just that with huge puffs of air as they broke the surface, our first Galapagos wild life encounter lived up to our expectations. Other sightings of a Mustard Ray , and White tip Reef shark just caught our eyes. A good start to our first day as we made our way back watching Blue Footed Boobies & Pelicans diving for their dinners. Over night we made our way to Darwin Bay on ther Island of Genevosa.Friday 1st June First stop Prince Phillip�s steps where we were greeted by a sleeping Galapagos Sea Lion who was not bothered by our presence in the least. (See Galapagos album pic taken from 30cm away) We made our way up the stony steps where a pletherer of Birds were nesting. Male Frigate birds with huge red puffed out chests like large ballons, Blue and Red Footed Boobies. We walked through this huge nesting area where we sometimes were no more than a couple of feet away from the birds. They were every where, at your feet, over your head, flying around quite an unbelievable experience. We watched courting displays of thr Frigate birds from a few metres away with huge 2m + wingspans thesebirds were really impressive to be in such close proximity.Before lunch we enjoyed aour first Galapagos snorkel which again lived upto expectations. Angel fish, Parrot fish, Clown fish all swimming around the coral but the highlight was the sleepy seal lion we saw earlier joined us for a swim. Very inquisitive and playful he kept diving and sussing out us snorkellers, eyeball to eyeball we were having a great time just observing the seal diving with it. That afternoon we walked the otherside of Darwin bay where seal lions were strewn across the white sandy beaches. An up close encounter with two seperate male bull seals fighting for territory and females was incredible. We were no more than 5m away witnessing mammals going about their daily life completely un-detterred by 16 humans spectating. We passed hundreds more birds nesting on our way to a spectacular view over Darwin bay. On our return we witnessed a baby seal lion suckling it�s mother on the beach we just can�t believe how the wildlife has absolutley no fear of humans. Late that afternoon we set sail for Bartoleme Island.Saturday 2nd June 5.30am start and a chilly ride aboard the panga�s to search for our small flightless friends the Galapagos Penguins. We found three penguins who had yet to take their early morning dip sat on a rocky outcrop. (Pingu does excist!!) The penguins were only about 30cm tall and were really quite cute looking. We took a hike to the top of Bartoleme island where dawn views over the bays with volcanoes all horizons which ever way you looked. You could clearly see the ancient Lava fields from erruptions in thousands of years gone by. This is where we found out about the Islands are all actually movinag westward at a rate of 8cm a year due to the tectonic plates that the Galapagos lye on. In many years there should be new islands appearing on the far east of the current islands. Back aboard and after well deserved pancakes we headed off to walk the lava flows. Hard to picture that we walking ontop of what used to be molten lava flows thousands of years ago. Our second snorkelling experience was to top the first. We snorkelled from the beach where Black Marine Iguanas which looked like they were covered in velvet were feeding on the seaweed on the rocks. On our way from the shore we were being nibbled at by small cleaner fish which felt like you were receiving small electric shocks. Again we saw all types of tropical fish but were most disapointed to miss out on a turtle sighting. But what happened next soon made up for it. A large shole of silver fish swam passed us followed closely by a Galapagos Penguin who was hunting for food. He picked off one at a time form the shoal and made sure he got it. We looked on in amazement form a few feet away for a good half an hour snorkelling, diving and following an amazing creature......to be continued.

Han now!

I drove the boat back in the avo to santa cruz, Puerta Ayora.Took a little longer tho im sure and a few extra seasickness tablets may have been consumed!! the zig zags were the proof of my inexperience!

The first chance of a dance and a couple of cocktails that evening at the local bars around town did us good and we got back to the boat in the wee small hours by water taxi! didn't fall in either.

Sun 3rd June

A little hazy but filled up on the biggest breakfast ever.Well we didn't know when we were going to eat that well again!

We headed to a wild tortoise reserve where we found gigantic prehistoric creatures bigger than mark and i put together! The pictures don't quite do these magnificent animals justice, the were so slow and lolloppy it must have taken them a month to eat dinner!we said our goodbyes and ventured to a hostel on the mainland. We took a walk to turtle bay but with no sight of the turtles we took the opportunity to take a dip and enjoy the surf on the beautiful long sandy beach. With the tide coming in very quick we headed back to try and catch the others from the cruise at the Charles Darwin research centre.

We saw baby tortoises only days old that were tagged and to be returned to their respective islands once they had gained the strength. We also had met with the infamous Lonsome George, a saddle back tortoise, the only one left in his sub species that cant reproduce! well he probably could but cant really be bothered!!!! they have even brought in german scientist to try a manual if you know what we mean! But then if you were 120 years old and the chance s slim of repopulating a species all by yourself and having to have a hand job by a german, would you???? not sure that it would excite me! On to non - tortise porn we did see land iguanas that had been successful in the re introduction of their species with the aid of the darwin centres research programme .

After a stroll we had the BEST dinner fruits de la mar- thai seafood pasta YUm! and hot chocolte brownies!!!!! i know well it is our honeymoon!

Mon 4 th June

Today we went back to the beach at Turtle bay! walked along the beach bit further and found the cove with kayaks! dissappointed that they werent out yet we explored the cove and fell over a colony of marine iguanas basking in the morning sun!! there were at least 50 - 75 of them all different sizes and smelly! seems to come with the teritory if you live on these islands!

returned to the beach to find the kayaks!! which meant we got to explore the bay at sea level . Its not very deep and we soon came across 1.....2......3......15 white tipped reef sharks swimming around our PLASTIC small kayaks! we also saw turtles and school of eagle ray gliding across the bay well worth the wait for the kayaks! best 10 dollars we've ever spent. We dashed back to the port for 2pm to catch our island hopper to Isabella.

Isabella was two hours away by speed boat which could not physically fit any more people in. We made it into the beautiful natural harbour of Isabella and mored at the jetty where we greeted by a number of Hostel owners touting for our business. We were taken by the St Christopher hostel and were promptly loaded into the back of a pick up. Hammocks, fridge with beer in an air conditioned room, what more could one want!

We only have a day and a half in Isabella so we planned to make the most of it. We dined out on a fish supper with Aaron & Vi an Ozzie couple we had met and negotiated the discount at the hostel with. We also booked up for a horse trek up 'Volcane Negre' the following day.

Tuesday 5th Early start with breakfast and sandwich making duty first up. We then were back in our favourite pick up for a ride to the horse ranch at the base of the volcano. We were fitted out with our trusty steeds, Han had the oldest & I had one which when sat aboard my feet nearly touched the ground!! (Great start for my first horse riding experience!!) With a crack of a whip Han road off into the distance as me and Lenny (my own name for my horse) plodded on at 1mph . We eventually were re-united with Han at the summit of the Volcano where Han had been waiting a good 15-20 mins. The volcano had a crater diameter of 10km and was so vast you could not see the other side!!

A walk on the ancient lava fields before eating our packed lunches. We were not long before back aboard our steeds for the return journey down the Volcano. This was the fun, the not so fun & the painful bit. Lenny enjoyed going down hill it seemed, and enjoyed going much faster than the ascent. The horses all seemed to respond to the others galloping and as soon as one got faster they all did. This was good but out of control fun which all came to a end when three horses converged at on track big enough for one horse and one rider. Lenny bailed therefore so did I, being flung from my mount and landing awkwardly on my back. After being checked for broken bits I stood and once Lenny had been caught rode tentativly to the bottom.  Phew made it. It was amazing but last time on a horse for a while!

After returning to change into snorkeling gear we headed out to the best snorkeling spot in the harbour. We saw so much wildlife in two hours it was incredible. Seals, pelicans, penguins, Sharks, Blue footed boobies, Marine Iguanas, turtles, Manta ray lying asleep on the bottom as we swam carefully above ( Manta is what killed Steve Irwin!!)  It was a fitting end to our Galapagos adventure. A meal that evening with our English friends who had been our travel buddies for the Galapagos and a few goodbye beers.