We have now returned to the real world after an unbelievable week in the Galapagos, expecting to see David Attenborough around every corner.

Despite having been on dry land for just over 24 hours now the ground is still very much swaying (or at least we are) so I'm sure other people think we've been at the rum. Still, it's nice not to be thrown out of bed every night - by waves not the wife!

For 8 days we spent our time on a luxury motor cruiser, sleeping about 20, and each day visiting different islands and taking the opportunity to Kayak or snorkel whenever possible. Unfortunately, no one warned me how cold the water on the equator could be so I foolishly turned down the option of a wetsuit. For now though we will just say I 'manned up' to swim in shorts accompanied by sealions, sharks, sea turtles and millions of amazing fish often apparently in the middle of the ocean.

Our group of 16 were a good mix of young and old, British/Swiss and Canadian so we were lucky not to be held up by groups of old, infirm Americans (as we often saw on other boats).

Highlights included swimming with playful baby sealions as they blow bubbles at you, the adrenaline rush of a shark swimming up at you from the depths, seeing sea turtles swimming (after our time with them in Costa Rica) and the selection of hilarious mating/courtship rituals we witnessed (animals not humans).

The animals are all incredibly unphased by us and as a result, sunbathing for more than 2 minutes often resulted in being accosted by a sealion looking for a cuddle.

Back in Quito now ready for the last of our flights (until May) to Lima tomorrow and then on through Peru to Arequipa and a trek in the worlds second deepest canyon.