Wow so much has happened!

Ok, after my last entry i did manage to get motivated and headed off to the Darwin Research Centre. It´s about a 1.5mile hike out of town, but pretty flat and road to walk along. Apart from some police, and some locals i did not see anyone. I just walked in and did a tour of the area seeing the large turtles including Lonesome George and lots of iguana´s. It was quite strange doing it completely by my self. I did not see anyone until i was leaving and a couple was walking in the opposite direction. On the way back i went to Silverstein dive centre to book a dive on Saturday and Iguana for the Sunday Dive to Seymore and Gordon Rock. These are the best dive centre´s in Puerto Ayora. After i stopped off at the ice cream place where they do home made ice cream which was yummy! This close to the fish market, and there seemed to be a lot of activity going on, so i walked along the walkway out over looking it. From here there were lots of sea lions, pelicans and these huge black birds that kept sweeping just above my head. It was quite surreal but the birds meant no harm. There was a guy there also watching and taking pictures, so we got chatting and spent the new 2 hours chatting and walking to the port. Benedikt and i then arrange to meet up for dinner, so Adam, Benedikt and i met up a bit later and went to the restaurant The Rock. Adam is doing his open water padi course so after dinner left and Benedikt and i carried onto the local bar for an other drink at Panga a local bar where i was told that if you headed down to the club below you know you have had too much to drink!!

The next day i got up early and after breakfast on the roof terrace, sharing my bread with the local birds i chucked on a jumper, jeans boots and bikini and headed out for a hike to Tortunga Bay. It´s about a 500meter walk out of town, where you then go up a whole load of steps to a hut, for which to sign in and see that the trek is 2.5miles long to the beach. I met a french couple who explained the rules to me and ended up walking quite a bit of the way with them. Once you reach the end, there is a mile long sandy beach. This beach has strong currents so you can´t swim. Hiking along the length of the beach i saw an Iguana in the surf swimming and being rolled over in the waves. Et the end of the beach people were sun bathing with an Iguana lying flat out about a 1 meter away. From then onwards you just find countless Iguana everywhere. You really have to watch your feet as it is easy to step on them as they don´t move! I got to one point where there were about 30 of them (about 1meter long each) across my path. After a min of 2 to debate who´s right of way it was and if they would move i came to the conclusion that i would just have to step over them if i wanted to carry on! So thats what i did. They did not seem to blink at this fact! I then carried on round and i saw the blue footed Boobies birds. The path ended up at a lovely Lagoona. I striped off here and after about 15mins of debating swimming in the freezing cold water without a mask, i took the plunge and had a nice swim (a guy saw some white tips sharks here a few days later!). I then spent some time there drying off and getting ready to hike back. The way back seemed to take AGES! But the hike was worth it.

Of course the weather had changed and forgetting that i was on the Equator with a minimual factor 30 on my neck and shoulders got so burned. They are just about healing and the pain has only just subsided 4 days later!!

Once back to Puerto Ayora i got a little tour of the bay on a water taxi (he did not tell me where to get off, so dropped me off on the way back to Port!) over to Las Grietas, which is a lovely little bay over the other side of the port where all the nice hotels are. I did not spent much time here but did go in the water for a while.

Adam, Benedikt and i then met up for dinner again so we headed to the Kiosk that we found that did great prawns, rice with coconut sauce.

DIVING!!!

I will try and update this tomorrow! Got to go!!