Hello
again! I’ve just been to one of the most incredible places on Earth and am
really rather pleased about it. Yesterday I flew back to the mainland from the
Galapagos after spending a week touring the islands on very tiny boat (the
Merak – I don’t recommend it, although the food was very good). The tininess of
the boat was, in fact, the only drawback of the whole trip. That and the fact
that the guide was a doddery 70-year old with a heart condition who should have
retired long ago. But anyway. The group, eight of us in all, was great. We all
got on very well together and that really made the trip. The animals, birds and
marine life are fantastic, and so unafraid of humans. The mockingbirds are
cheeky, the sea lions lazy, the land iguanas wary, the lava lizards fast, the
albatrosses are clumsy on land but majestic in the air, the land turtles are massive,
the finches are always on the move. A baby sea lion even came and sniffed my
hand! Needless to say I have far too many photos and will no doubt spend
tomorrow deleting the majority of them so I don’t have too much to bore you all
with when I get back. There was a great deal of snorkelling, during which time I
saw huge numbers of beautiful fish, a white-tipped shark, and even swam with a
Galapagos turtle. The latter was certainly the highlight of the trip and an
experience I’ll never forget. It was such a privilege to have been able to see
the place. This trip is really making me appreciate my life and the
opportunities I have. Top banana.
I’m now
back in Bahía and will be heading off to Canoa this afternoon and the farm
tomorrow evening for my final two weeks of learning all about the wonderful
world of organic agriculture. The last two weeks have been really good fun and
I’ve so enjoyed meeting lots of interesting and lovely people. That said, I’m
now ready to spend a bit of time in the same place before setting off on my
travels again at the end of the month. I think I’d even be ready to come back
home now, although I would certainly regret it if I did, as I still have so
much to see and do. This may just be because I have another stinking cold
though and want my mum (hello ma, love you!) and my boy (hello Perry, you’re
pretty special, too!) and all of my friends (hello, miss you all!). No doubt I’ll
be raring to go again in a few days. For now though, I intend to fill my belly,
find myself a hammock in the shade and just relax for the rest of the weekend.
I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves at least half as much as I am and will
write again next weekend. Much love, d xx
