We had an amazing trip to the Galapagos Islands, where everything was as great as we imagined and more. The islands are for the most part very barren, but the wildlife seems to thrive here. There are several types of animals that live here and nowhere else in the world and there are those you would recognize from home, but they have adapted to this environment and can see the distinct differences.

February 9 - Fly to Miami where our adventure will begin. Had a nice evening and partial day in South Beach, Miami. The art deco buildings were fun to go around and look at. (Ira, We saw many of the famous ones that were in the book you gave us.) We had dinner at the Delano, which was fun.

February 10 - Lunch and exploring around South Beach before heading to the airport for our flight to Quito, Ecuador. Quito is the Ecuadorian capital and is high in the mountains at about 9000 ft above sea level. No exploring this time since we arrived after 10:00pm and had to leave for our flight early the next morning.

February 11 - Up bright and early to leave at 5:30am for our flight to Baltra Island in the Galapagos. (I'm not sure where they get the bright part since it's still really DARK outside that early!) We are part of a small group, only 8 of us plus our guide.

Once in the Galapagos, we take a short ferry ride over to Santa Cruz Island where we start our adventure. Here we see some of the lava holes and lava tubes that are proof of their volcanic origins, if the volcano peaks aren't enough. We wander through fields looking for the Giant tortoises and find several hiding in the shade of the trees or shrubs here. We spend the night here at the Hotel Galapagos in Puerto Ayora, which is on Academy Bay. There are almost 10,000 inhabitants here, the largest population center in Galapagos. The pelicans and frigate birds fly overhead all day long.

February 12 - Morning visit to the Charles Darwin research station to see some of the Giant Tortoises they are studying and breeding in captivity. Learn more about their ongoing studies and research in the islands. We meet our new guide and board the boat before dinner.

Alex and I our not morning people on our best days, but we soon adapted. Our daily schedule for the next few days on the boat was something like this:

6:00	Wake up
7:00	Breakfast
7:45	Disembark for morning walk
10:00	Back on board
10:30	Snorkeling
11:45	Back on board
12:00	Lunch
3:00	Disembark for afternoon walk
5:00	Back on board
7:00	Dinner

February 13 - We drove all night to get to our farthest spot, Tower Island (Also called Genovesa.) In the morning at Darwin Bay, we concentrated on large colonies of nesting Red-footed Boobies and Frigate birds. During our snorkeling in the Bay, we saw large numbers of Spotted Eagle and Golden Rays swimming with us. In the afternoon, at Prince Phillips Steps, we saw the graceful and beautiful Red-Billed Tropic Birds flying around. We saw lots of Masked Boobies, Galapagos Storm Petrels, and the Short-Eared Owl, which is hard to spot. We were very lucky one landed quite near us.

February 14 - Valentine's Day started off at Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island. We saw our first penguins and the Flightless Cormorants. There are huge colonies of marine iguanas and many of the females were digging holes in the beach to lay their eggs. In the afternoon, we got off at Tagus Cove on Isabela Island. A short walk and climb to see historical carvings. Later, we cruised to Volcano Ecuador at the far northern point of Isabela. We say some whales and dolphins in the distance, but none came close to get a good look. Isabela is by far the largest island and consists of five major volcanoes. We only saw one small area of the large island.

February 15 - This morning, we visit James (or Santiago) Island at James Bay. This was our only chance to see the Fur Seal and a leisurely walk among the tide pools. Later, we cruised by Buccaneer Cove, which you can guess by the name, was a haven for pirates during the 1600s and 1700s. Also, we saw over a hundred Hammerhead Sharks during our snorkel this morning!!! In the afternoon, we climb the steps to the top of Bartolome Island to see the barren volcanic landscapes. Not much grows here and it might possibly remind you of a moonscape.

February 16 - In the morning, we disembarked at North Seymour Island to see colonies of Magnificent Frigate Birds and Blue Footed Boobies. We saw our first set of White-tipped Reef Sharks during our morning snorkel. In the afternoon, we got off at South Plaza Island and saw Sea Lions, Land Iguanas (the only island where they live!) and the Cactus Finch. From the cliffs here we see many types of birds flying by and in the water below, we see a giant Galapagos Shark. Our guide, Paul, estimates it may have been 12 or 14 feet long. I think it is one of the large mouthed sharks and I was glad we weren't swimming when we saw him!

February 17 - We spent the entire day around Floreana Island. In the morning, visited Punta Cormorant and saw an Olivine (Green) Beach. We hiked to a large, brackish lagoon where we hoped to see many Pink Flamingos, but they were somewhere else that morning. Just offshore, we went snorkeling at Devil's Crown. This is a collapsed volcano crater that has filled with water and you can swim in and around the area here. We saw more White-tipped Reef Sharks during our snorkel trip.

In the afternoon, we stopped at Puerto Velasco Ibarra, which has a very small town. Margret Wittmer - the oldest and most colorful settler in Galapagos - has been living off the uncooperative land on Floreana since 1932. Margret figures prominently in local tales about the mysterious disappearance of a bizarre baroness and her two lovers. The mystery still remains!

Later, we make a quick stop at Post Office Bay to check the famous mail barrel and see if any letters are coming to our area. This area has been used for centuries as a mail drop -- first by whalers and now by us. The custom is to find any letters going back to your area and to bring them back and hand deliver them. There were none for the Bay Area this time.

February 18 - This morning, we disembark at Gardner Bay on Hood Island (also known as Espanola.) The beach is a beautiful white and there are many Sea Lions swimming or sleeping on the beach. Later we go snorkeling nearby at a place called Turtle Rock. In the afternoon, we visit Punta Suarez and see Red Marine Iguanas, Masked Boobies and a great blow hole in the rocks (the surf was high that day.) We are a month or so too late to see the Waved Albatross that nest here, they've all off and will return here again in April.

February 19 - Up early to pack up for the end of the cruise. We dock at Baltra Island to catch our flight back to Quito. We have a long afternoon to explore the around the hotel and then a nice farewell dinner.