Thursday 6th November

At last! Sorry no posts for so long, but we've been out of contact with computers since we left England. In fact we went for 5 days without even seeing a building of any kind! We had a magnificent trip to Galapagos, a place where you have to watch your step or you´re in grave danger of squashing a sealion, eradicating an iguana, battering a booby, or having an accident with an albatross chick...though we got nowhere near flattening a flamingo.
A brief catchup on the trip so far:

Tues Oct 28th
We spent all day flying to Quito in Ecuador, 14 and a half hours in the air, landing late at night in a storm to a huge round of applause for the pilot from the passengers...

Wed Oct 29th
Up at 5.30, to the airport at 6am for the flight to Galapagos. We met our boat, The Cachalote on a quay covered with sleeping sealions. Our boat was about 100ft. long about the size of Darwins Beagle but with motors as well as sails. We had a brilliant crew of Ecuadorians and passengers from Sweden,U.S.A., Canada, Germany, Czech Republic, and Kent, 12 in all. Sailled to our first Island South Plaza,and met seals and Iguanas face to face! LITERALLY. You have to learn to stepover the wild life. We then moored in Puerto Ayora on the main island Santa Cruz

Thur Oct. 30th
Spent this day on the island at the "Darwin" centre. We saw Breeding programs for the endangered Tortoise, this is too complex to explain but fantastic. We then went to the hills to see "Wild" Giant tortoise. The hills were like Wales on a drizzly August day but with Volcanic craters and Giant tortoise. That night we sailed for 10 hours in a pitching and rolling boat over the open Pacific Ocean. ROUGH!!!

Fri Oct 31st
Few people spoke at breakfast! B´fast 7:00 ashore by 8:00 in a small Zodiac boat called a "Panga" Island of Espinoza. A wet Landing!! Jumping onto the beach from the panga in high surf. Sea lions, Lava Lizards, Mocking birds and then a swim (cool, N. Wales again) from the white coral beach.
Lunch on board and then a dry landing we liked these but this one hsd the boat outrunning 6 to 10 foot surf to get into the landing, tricky!! Great sea-bird life. Nazca Booby, Blue -Footed Booby (Doing their mating dance, it might catch on) and Albatross, chicks and magnificently flying adults. We also saw a Rare Galapagos Hawk and a 25 metre blowhole. Jen enjoyed the next bit as we sailed again, using sails to stabalize us.

Sat 1st Nov.
8:00 am wet landing on Floreana. Perfect volcanic island with many old cones. Large flamingo lagoons with Greater Flamingos. Walked on to a coral beach with landing and launching Turtles and Stingrays in the surf. Many Turtle egg nests.
Another excellent lunch on board our chef was a genius meals several courses on time whatever the boat was doing. thes were served in style by a balletic waiter called Enrique. next a "Wet" landing in Post Office bay aplace of sailing ledgend where you leve postcards hopefully for later callers to deliver. We picked up 4 to deliver, one in Northfield Birmingham. Swam warm and comfortable until strong surf threw us back onto the beach. Sailed into a brilliant sunset but dinner needed Enriques balletic skills and our catching ability and sleep at 1:30 am when we anchored was welcome.

Sun 2nd Nov
We are now in the far west, the island of Isabella. BREATHTAKING. Huge gently sloping volcanos and blue skies. Only 2 tour boats left by now, us and a three masted schooner, others wimped out and returned to tamer waters. Dry Lava landing and a walk over a vast lava field only 100 years old. Interesting rock pools- Shark, Turtle, Porcupine fish as well as the pretty ones. Pools further inland linked to the sea by lava tunnels were brakish and had Flamingos, Stilts, Moorhens, Grebes and the rara Galapagos Martin. All surrounded by masses of black lava under a hot sun. Fantastic!
Lunch Fantastic also! Afternoon was a Panga ride in a Mangrove Swamp. Saw Pelicans diving, Flightless cormorants and Galapagos penguins on the rocks on the way in, Herons, swimming Penguins, Turtles and sealions (some sleeping in trees!!!) in the swamps. Rocky ride back in the Pangas. A night at anchor, for which we were all greatfull.

Mon 3rd Nov
Up anchor 5:30am. sailed to Urvina Bay. Wet landing walk through a dried mangrove lagoon. Dried because an earthquke raised it 16 feet in one night. Gient tortoise and large land iguanas. Superb warm swim on the beach at about 9:00am. Wonderful rock pools with bright coloured Moray eel.
Sailing for lunch to the island of Fernandina, throught the Bolivar Channel We sighted our second whale and later that day we saw more. Probably Brydes Whale but possibly Finback.
A dry landing on the youngest volcanic island. We saw vast numbers of marine iguanas and much again of the widlife previously seen. Most interesting was a "Beachmaster" male sealion who was guarding 4 cubs playing in the water. He was asleep on the job which brought comment but as soon as another young male sealion swam up the back he snapped into action and chased him ferociously and fast back to sea.
Evening saw us chasing whales and sailing past vast collapsed volcano cones into another glorious sunset, all on deck with beer and luxurious "nibbles". As the sun gave way to a brilliant starlit night and as the GPS recorder approached and reached zero degrees of Latitude we all drank Enriques cocktails with the Captain on the Bridgeto celebrate crosing the Equator.
We paid for this beauty with another rough passge south after dinner.

Tues 4th Nov
San Salvador island. James Bay. 7:15 Wet landing Walk to the Grottoes of the Fur Seals. These have much sillier ears than sealions and huge eyes for night fishing. Plenty of the usual wild life waders, iguanas, sealions.
Sailed at 11:00. The boat as usual was escorted by a squadron of the beautiful Frigate birds. Unfortunately this time their aim was good and Geoff was well and truly "pooped".
Afternoon saw us at Batolome Island. This is a stunning blasted volcanic Moonscape used inscenes from the movie Master and Commander. We took a panga ride to look at penguins, and watch blue-footed Boobies dive bombing people snorkling. It is possible that we made only the second ever sighting of a Green Heron in Galapagos, Monika our guide need to check with our pictures with the Darwin Foundation.
We then landed and climbed to the top of the island to see this sensational land of volcanic spatter cones and lava flows as the sun started setting.
We sailed for Santa Cruz having a cocktail farewaell dinner and anchored at 8:00.Phew!

Wed 5th Nov.
Panga ride BEFORE breakfast.6:00am. Mangrove swamp with all the usual birds but, baby sharks simming all around our panga in the lagoon and massive Spotted Manta Rays rising from the mud right next to us. It was nice. We´ve runout of superlatives . This made a magical ending to our cruise. By 9:00 we were onshore and off to the airport after saying very fond farewells to our crew and our brilliant guide Monika. All of us passengers had gelled well and we were all sorry to be going our separate ways. If any of you "shipmates read this when you are back home thanks for making it a great trip.

We are now in Quito with more amazing thing to report but we are all blogged out and must now pack. Peru tomorrow night. Will try to upload pictures when we get a faster computer.