25/10/2012 - 26/10/2012 - Days 7&8 - Giant Tortoise

Giant Tortoises, with Tony just trying to blend in... Blame the sunnies on James though, the result of 2 failed
$5 dodgy knock offs which suffered on the boat ride...

A visit to the sharks literally hanging out at
Las Tintoreras - brought back memories of our snorkel
on the second day where we annoyed a
white tip by chasing it across the bay...

Another day, another sea lion. Don't
pat it, Jumbo!

On the way up to Sierra Negra - Vermilion flycatcher and
some of the 15 Darwin finches (vegetarian tree finch's
and large ground finch - we think!) 

The three amigos at the caldera of Sierra Negra,
the second biggest caldera in the world
(we were told, but on further research seems to be untrue...)

Some photo fun (and a very quick run!) around the caldera...

They start off small, then after shouting a few others back
into their shells they grow to good foot-stool sizes... 

Diego in a hunting mood...

Giant Tortoise – Old man of the Galaps or just a shell-shocked animal? You decide. Public Announcement – Lonesome George is no longer with us, a sad death of one of the main attractions of the Darwin Research station in Puerto Ayora. Fear not though, in his place we have the famous Diego – brought in from a zoo in San Diego to wine, dine, and, ahem, climb the dwindling population of Española island. He’s been ‘hard’ at work (sorry– couldn’t resist that one!), with over 2,500 tortoises being repatriated as a result of his efforts. Good on you Diego (http://www.galapagosislands.com/blog/super-diego-the-second-most-famous-tortoise-in-galapagos/)! 

This guy's a bit bored by now...

Flamingos to start, and then to finish!

The group (minus Andrea) on Isabella

The whole crew (apart from Sanj, and
Mauricio) at Sierra Negra

Final supper, after a cheeky cocktail in honour of the crew
and the final checklist with Mauricio!

Wow - what an amazing week. You'll probably note that we've been doing loads of compilation photos as choosing the highlights has been such a tougher task - the amount of photos we took was frankly scary (and we've also used some from Jumbo, Larry and Deb, Mauricio, Martina and Angelika - cheers all)... Thanks to all our fellow passengers, who made the experience even more enjoyable - we've made some new friends and shared some unforgettable moments.

The final sunset on the cruise,
this time on dry land enjoying
a beer and Coco Loco. How did
it taste? Loco man!

A rough map of our travels