Espanola

We are supposed to see two parts of Espanola today - but when we look out in the morning we are surprised not to see land. The seas have been very very rough during the night causing the Captain to decide to reduce his speed in order to make it more comfortable for the passengers. The result is that we are only about half way to the island in the morning - and we'll have to miss the first of the two excursions. It was to be primarily focused on deep water snorkling - so if we have to miss something - this seems like the best excursion to miss to me. I'd rather be safe, and not sick - so I am glad the Captain made the decision that he did. The ship is so nice and so comfortable that it does not seem at all like a hardship. In fact it gives me a chance to catch up on the knitting project I brought with me. Many of us watch the first 2 installments of a terrific BBC series on the Galapagos. It's a relaxing day and the afternoon is definitely worth the wait! On Espanola we immediately see (literally) PILES of black iguanas - and each turn leads us to more and bigger groups (and piles) of them. There are also many many sea lions including small pups. We see another kind of boobie - (nasca ) and also albatrosses. We see eggs, chicks, mating dances - all fasincating. The albatross babies look like large fluffy stuffed animals and they blend in with the flora so well I almost step on one. I certainly scared him. We get ready to start our trek back to the boat and our incredible guide (who never waivered on anything - even when he was obviously seasick one day) seems to have disappeared. We see him a few minutes later - he was looking for his 2-way radio. It appears to have been lost - and we have no way to contact the boat. He is mortified (and perhaps even worried that he'll be in big trouble) - but none of the passengers are concerned. We all joke about it and (seriously) tell him we are OK. We know that someone on the ship will eventually realize that our guide has not called in and they'll come and get us. We do wave to the ship and encourage those in brightly colored shirts to stand in a more visable location. In the end I think they just came as soon as they realized we were late to call in. We get back to the ship and our guide finds his radio in his room. Even the best make mistakes occassionally. It just added a little bit of adventure to our excursion and let us have a small tale to tell about being stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. Another enchanting day! The only bad part is that we have to pack before going to bed as we depart the ship in the morning. Oh yes I forgot to mention, we fill out a questionaire in the evening about how we felt about the trip, the service, the food, the crew, etc. Harry writes glowing comments - he REALLY did like the trip!