Our Time in the Galapagos

Hi everyone,
Well, we've discovered that a good (or even any!) WiFi connection is extremely difficult to get in the Galapagos islands! We thought maybe the more populated island of Santa Cruz would have better connections, but so far, no luck. So I am trying something new...I'm going to see if I can post this via our satellite email. Unfortunately I won't be able to include pictures, but I hope to be able to at least keep you all updated on our whereabouts and experiences.

We spent 5 days on the island of San Cristobal. Our first day was spent cleaning up and clearing in. The next 2 days were spent exploring the island, and we saw giant tortoises, sea iguanas, some amazing bird life, and of course lots and lots of sea lions! On day 4 we rested (Garrick and Adrian went on an ambitious hike, but the Hibberd clan opted for the lazy alternative!). Friday was spent doing boat chores and then on Saturday morning we were ready to head over to Santa Cruz.

We had a wonderful sail, which restored everyone's faith and souls and we possibly may have convinced Adrian and Garrick to continue the journey with us!! After the miserable passage from Panama to here, they had threatened to find the nearest airport!!! Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz is the most populated port of all the islands. There are about 20,000 people who live here. The anchorage is crowded with local excursion boats, but has not been as uncomfortable as many reports we'd previously read.

Sunday was Garrick's birthday, and we went on a great walk and found an amazing canyon, a volcanic fissure, called Las Grietas, where Dave and Gaby swam in Crystal clear water. The day's celebration continued way into the night with birthday drinks and dinner of local fish together with newly made friends on the boat "Cheeky Monkey", whom we first saw in Panama, but only got the chance to meet now. They are on the same timeframe and route, so we will have a buddy boat to cross the Pacific with. (Unfortunately no kids aboard for Ben and Gaby).

Yesterday we went to the Charles Darwin research station, which was very interesting, and I counted it as a school field trip for the kids. They will have to do a report on what they learned. We plan to do some more exploring today, and then tomorrow we plan to sail over to the last island that we are allowed to visit on our cruising permit. It will take us 6-8 hours depending on the wind. We will spend a few days on Isabella, and then begin the big journey across the Pacific ocean!



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