A trip to the Galapagos Islands is expensive and our travel budget was never going to stretch that far, but thanks to all our friends and family for their generous wedding gifts, we were able to visit this enchanting place.

The islands are very isolated, lying 1000km of the coast of mainland Ecuador. We wanted to make the most of our time, so opted for an 8 day cruise aboard the 'Angelique'. Boat tours are the best way to visit the islands as you get to visit more islands and see more wildlife.

But our week started badly - after just a few hours on board, the dreaded sea- sickness set in! The boat bounced and bobbed on the choppy water and we spent much of the first two days either being sick or feeling sick. Meal times were the worst - after just a few mouthfuls, one of us would always be seen running to the back of the boat to lean over the edge and 'feed the fish'!

After a couple of days, we finally got our 'sea legs' and were able to fully appreciate the magic of the Galapagos. Charles Darwin developed his revolutionary theory of evolution after traveling here and it's not hard to see why - wildlife is everywhere, all with it's own evolutionary story. Each evening we would sail to a new island, then spend the following day exploring it's volcanic shores.

There are no natural predators in the Galapagos, so the animals haven't evolved a sense of fear. No-where else on earth can you walk right up to a wild bird or mammal without it running or flying away. Completely unconcerned by our presence, we got up close and personal with giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, blue footed boobies, frigate birds, finches and lots more. The animals acted as though we were nothing more than irritating paparazzi! And it's the same story in the sea - we were able to snorkel with sea turtles, sharks, sea lions and hundreds of species of fish - the animals just get on with business as usual.

This was a truly unique experience made possible by our generous family and friends. Thank you.

Check out ‘Ecuador - Galapagos’ at http://gallery.me.com/peterjprice/101749