Well, I have finally made it back from my mini-traveling adventure around Ecuador with Dan. What an unforgettable trip! I will be posting a few different blogs but I thought I would start with the cruise!I'm thinking you should add the Galapagos Islands to the list of things you need to see during your life time..it really is as spectacular as everyone says.
We visited 7 of the 13 main islands
Our cruise ship....we had 5 different language groups on our ship (Italian, German, English, Spanish and Japanese. I think our English group lucked out with some of the best guides though. One of our guides was a native to the Galapagos Islands .)
Embarking on my first cruise
We got to take dingies from the ship to the islands. I would have loved to have taken one of those dingies out for a cruise solo. 
Our sun deck where saw some of the most beautiful sunsets 
Where we ate all of our tasty meals
The very first day we saw a penguin!
The sea lion circling our dingie boat.The water was so clear and turquoise everywhere we went.
One of the Galapagos beaches we visited as the sun was going down
Our sunset toast with the crew of the ship
B-e-a-U-tiful
The infamous spitting marine iguanas, which tend to blend into the rocks so well, that some people almost accidentally stepped on them.
Loving life
The sea lions where my favorite part. I couldn't get enough photos of them. I did, however, decide to spare you the sea lion photo overload. I just picked some of my favorites and then posted a video at the end of this blog.It must have been breeding season because we saw tons of sea lion pups...so adorable.
One of the first islands we visited..Santa Cruz
The red against the black lava rock was very striking
Bartolomeo Island and the Pinnacle Rock. We climbed to the top of the volcanic cone and had a good view of the other islands along with blue footed boobies diving into the ocean for fish. Later that day, we got to do some incredible snorkeling along the island. We swam above giant sea turtles, a white-tipped shark, sting ray, a monterey, sea lions and other colorful tropical fish.
The best part about the Galapagos Islands was definitely the wild life and how close up you could get to the animals without disturbing them.
Dan teased me about how much I liked the sea lions but I know he was secretly falling in love with them too.
A spiky bundle of spitting lizzards
I loved the sea lions playful inquisitive nature
Simplicity
Yet another one of my favorites...
It was mating season for the frigate birds. The male frigate is trying to win over a female frigate by puffing up his red gular pouch. The red pouch starts out the size of a small deflated water balloon and grows to the size of a giant watermelon. I have to say, this trip definitely got be more interested in bird watching.
On one of the last days of our cruise, we went to a big green valley where giant tortoises liked to roam. The tortoises weighed over 400lbs!
Volcano tunnel
The bones of the cows who discovered the volcano tunnel
What an amazing trip! And I leave you with a video of my favorite Galapagos sea animals!
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