Capturing the Moment

  We had great encounters with six different giant Galapagos tortoises on our hike at Urbina Bay. Several of the tortoises were on the move, fighting, and stretching their necks out. This one gave me the shot I was hoping for! What a packed day for Day 3 of our Galapagos Expedition Cruise. Last night we crossed back over from Fernandina Island to Isabella Island. On the menu for Day 3 was four different activities at two different locations on the west side of Isabella. We started with a nature walk into the tortoise filled forest of Urbina Bay, followed by a snorkel from the beach there. In the afternoon we had either a kayak or drift snorkel, followed by a power hike or skiff tour at Urbina Bay. The wind kicked up a bit in the morning as we jetted into Urbina Bay on our little zodiac. We had to do a wet landing, so our guide, Dries, jumped out in the shallows to hold the front of the zodiac steady, while everyone else did the sit-and-spin over the sides and scampered up the beach...

  Iguana posing in front of a fountain on the river walk. Guayaquil is known to most travelers as the 'jumping off point for trips to the Galapagos Islands.' This is the reason that I came here. I had a night at the Wyndham Santa Ana before catching my flight to the Galapagos Islands to board my expedition cruise ship, La Pinta. However, I knew that Guayaquil probably had its own charms and sights which I didn't want to miss. So after getting settled I took to the streets to get a better feel for the city. I started on the famous Malecon, or riverfront walk of Guayaquil. It is a bit touristy, with lots of seafood restaurants and coffee shops. The river is huge, and filled with sediment. There was a bit of trash in it and I did see one dead cow floating by, so not too inviting. But it is nice not to be surrounded by buildings on all sides. At the end of the Malecon, the city started to really gain some character. The road became narrow and paved with cobblestones. The buildi...