Galapogas Islands - Wow!

After my gruelling spanish lessons were over I took myself off for afew days rest and relaxation in the Galapogas Islands. These islands are approximately 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They are famed for their wildlife, in fact it is when Charles Darwin came to the islands he noted 14 different species of finch that had adapted to suit the very different climates of each island. These observations were the basis of the Origin of the Species. The Galapagos Islands are now a world heritage site. As the animals of these islands have not been hunted by man by over a hundred years, they do not see people as a threat and you can get incredibly close to them. I travelled to the southern islands onboard the catamoran Galapagos Vision - the same one in the photo. I saw many a blue footed boobie (these are the national symbol of the Galapogas) as well as red and grey footed boobies. I saw albatrosses with their young not to mention hundreds of sea lions. Sea lions are perculiar creatures they sound like a multitude of other animals. One minute they are barking like a dog, then they baa and bleat like sheep and goats. They are also very nosy, one sea lion tried to make off with my snorkelling equipment at one point.
When swimming they would come up to you and try to touch you before you had the chance to touch them. They were similar to children playing tag! As well as a wide variety of birds I also encountered a vide variety of iguanas close up. As it was mating season for some of them, they had turn bright turquoise and red colours. Of course the Galapogas are famed for their giant tortoises and I did go and visit Lonesome George, the only survivor of his particular species of tortoise. As well as George I saw lots of other tortoises some running in the wild (yes they can run and they go surprisingly fast). These creatures are huge and have to be seen to be believed. I would recommend the Galapogas to anyone who enjoys wildlife, the sights you see and the fact you can get so close to the animals is amazing. Pesky mockingbirds wouldn´t stop landing on my boots and legs when I was sitting down, trying to get to my bottle of water. Oh yes, there were wild flamingoes there too. Alas I couldn´t go to the more northern islands were the good diving sites are, as I simply did not have the time. Swimming with the sharks and penguins will have to wait till next time. Back to Quito now to meet the group I will be travelling around South America with.