Flight to the Galapagos ~ Friday, July 18, 2014

This morning we got up at 3:30 A.M. and were down in the lobby at 4:15! Rolls, bananas, and hot coffee and tea were there for us to quickly eat before we left on our bus to the airport. Since the airport is so far from the city of Quito, it still took us at least 45 minutes to get there. There was no commute traffic, so that definitely cut down on the driving time.

Delphin took care of checking us in and giving us all of the paperwork we needed. Then we said good-bye to him until we see him again in seven days. We waited at our gate for quite a while, but finally we boarded our plane.

The plane landed in Guayaquil, then went on to Baltros in the Galapagos. After having our bags checked for plants, we finally were on San Juan Island. We met Juan, our guide.

We took a bus ride to a place that has the giant tortoises in the wild. We walked around looking at them and taking pictures. Then we walked through a lava cave. Next we went to the pangas (motorized rafts) and went to the ship, The Tiptop III. Paul and I were assigned to Cabin 3. This is the smallest cabin I have had on a ship. While we were all unpacking, Juan got our wet suits. After trying on two suits, one seemed to fit.

We then went ashore and walked to the Darwin Center. We saw several giant tortoises and some babies too. Then we went to some souvenir shops. I bought a very vanilla ice cream cone. Then we went back to the ship for a forgettable dinner.

I am so sleepy, I have caught myself dozing off.