Galapagos

April 9-29,2014

I spent most of April 2014 in the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. What a fantastic adventure! Later I hope to speak in detail, but for now let a few of these photos count for a thousand words (at least!). I went over with the Galapagos Travel Company. I highly recommend them because not only do they run a smooth trip and they are helpful and friendly, but you can have 15 actual days in the Galapagos Islands, more than most tours have. We traveled on the yacht TipTop IV and there were only 14 guests. Our group was really compatible, all of us enjoying the snorkeling and hiking, the food and camaraderie, and absolutely fascinated by, and loving, the animals--both land, sea, and air. So many species are endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Where else can you swim and snorkel with not only tropical fish and sea turtles, but also sea lions, penguins, and marine iguanas?

Each day we hiked, snorkeled, and then hiked again. The animals truly aren’t afraid of you. Below you see the wonderful Blue-footed Booby couple in courtship routine; their feet are a most beautiful shade of blue. You also see the Great Frigate bird; this male has inflated his gular sac (which can take 20 minutes) into a magnificent red valentine shape. Surely he’ll get a gal Great Frigate! You also see a land iguana with his knowing grin. Slightly different size and color land iguanas inhabit the different islands of the Galapagos. As I was photographing one sea turtle, this one came right up to me as if if to say, "Hey, what am I? Chopped liver? Photograph me!" So I did. You see my friend Jane and I in our life vests; we’d go out in the pangas (Zodiac rafts) to the different landing spots or to snorkeling venus. You see me posing with a large Galapagos tortoise... they wander around several different islands, and there are also two breeding/research centers. The gray marine iguana with his crest also has a lot of salt encrusted on top of his head--after diving and eating algae, when he comes out to warm up, he snorts the accumulated salt out of his nostrils up onto his head. We especially loved the baby sea lions on the different islands. When snorkeling, both penguins and sea lions teased us, swimming right up to faces and darting hither and thither. Great fun! Also shown is a painting I did called “Galapagos Fauna”

Marine Iguana
		Great Frigate & Mate
Great Frigate
		Blue-footed Boobies court
		Jane and I
Green Sea Turtle
		Galapagos Tortoise and I
	Baby sea lion and mom