So... these Galapagos blog entries are rather more detailed than the others, aren't they? Well, I guess we just saw more stuff (and this is here so we remember stuff too).

We awoke to find ourselves moored by Santa Fe island and Panga'd over to see massive Land Iguanas (big and bright yellow), cacti (bigger) and a Galapagos hawk (also big, eating a placenta).But enough about that - we then went and swam with sharks!
Wicked.

We snorkelled in a gorgeous bay - proper paradise island sort of clear water and white sand - and saw a turtle, millions (maybe) of fish who weren't afraid of us at all (Suzie followed a big shoal of angel fish) and several rays. But the sharks, man they're cool. Four white-tipped reef sharks. Andrew tried following one of them but when it turned its beady eye and started swimming back towards him... well, then it seemed like time to swim the other way.

After a bit of synchronised diving off the back of the boat with Paul and Tim (for Andrew at least), we sunbathed on the roof of the boat as we made our way to our next stop, South Plaza. As we lay up there, we discussed that maybe going on cruises isn't such a bad idea...

Something that we haven't reall referred to yet is the landscape on each of the islands we have visited - each is radically different due to the diiferent ways in which they were formed. All of them were formed by volcanoes, not by plate movements (as Diego told us, the Galapagos are rare in that none of the islands have ever been part of another landmass). South Plaza is perhaps the starngest we visited - red ground, with huge tall cacti, covered (as most of the islands) in large rocks strewn everywhere.

When we landed, we saw the obligatory sea lions, including the Beachmaster - a MAAAAAAASSIVE male who barked at us until we were off his patch. People always say the animals in Galapagos aren't scared of humans; this is true (though Stephen did argue that they may just all be too lazy to run away) but some are still territorial and would rather you walked away!

Back on the boat, manta rays came to visit - huge things leaping out of the water around us. Seriously, these things grow up to 6m across and yet they jump and somersault way into the air. Amazing sight. Yet more amazement on top of the boat as we drank beer surrounded by friggate birds who followed the boat in hope of food. There were at least 30 of them at some points, swooping around our heads. Madness. This, for Andrew, was one of the best things on Galapagos. We could hear their wings swish around our ears. And most amazingly, nobody got pooped upon.

Over dinner, the crew presented a cake iced 'Happy Birthday, Anniversary and Honeymoon' for Paul, Agneta & Charlie, Paul & Liz and us (the last two both being on honeymoon). That was good. Almost as good as Stephen smearing the icing all over his face.