Just returned from a trip to Isabela, by far my favorite island thus far. The group stayed there for 4 days, just enough time to fall in love before I had to go. It reminds me a lot of the Big Island, being the biggest in the archipelago and equipped with 5 volcanoes, it is the most active of all the islands. It looks like what the Big Island must have looked like before all of us came, long expanses of beach with no one in sight, and way too much to see for a 4 day stay. I had to force myself to leave. On the way we stopped at the Island of Fernandina, where I saw my first shark while snorkeling; a 5 foot white-tip placidly swimming on the bottom. The next day I rode a horse to one of the volcanoes and proceeded to sprain my ankle for the second time in 6 months. Then more snorkeling, this time with penguins and the biggest turtle I’ve ever seen. Snorkeling ended up being practically the only thing I could comfortably do for the next few days as my ankle swelled to the size of a tennis ball. On my last day I went to the Galapaguera, a giant tortoise breeding center and saw my first wild flamingos while kayaking in the mangroves. Like most of the animals on the Galapagos they showed no fear when I approached within a couple feet of them. The trip begun and ended with a four hour long boat ride on the choppiest waves I’ve ever been on. If no one puked, it was a special day.

The only sad thing about the trip (besides my hideous ankle) was that my camera ran out of batteries as soon as I saw the first penguin. So sadly, I have only a few pictures to show. But I did put up a new album of the few I got. Also, I put one up last week of my trip to Espanola. The culture shock is getting better…