Bird lovers unite! Today we visited Genovesa Island, one of the best islands in the Galapagos for bird watching. We strolled through a white-sand beach path brimming with nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, frigates and storm petrels. We were also greeted by several lazy sea lions lounging on the beach.
We had our first snorkeling excursion that afternoon, and we all bundled up in wetsuits to prepare for the cold Humbolt current! We boarded the zodiacs - routine at this point- and headed out for the coral reefs. I was a little nervous, as I'd heard the water was less than ideal at this time of year. It did initially take my breath away, but I was warmed up and sensitized to the cold after just a few minutes of swimming around. We saw plenty of colorful fish and coral, as well as three white-tipped sharks!
The staff treated us to an on-board BBQ in the evening on the upper deck. Hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chicken…everything you could imagine grilled to perfection by our on-board chef. The crew mingled with each table, chatting with us about our home countries, jobs and life in Ecuador. I really enjoyed getting to know the crew and was happy to have such personable staff on board with us! We all jumped in the Jacuzzi following dinner to warm up with a glass of wine and a hot tub before bed. On to day 4!
