Sandy – All life offers to us is opportunity and so we, grandmother and grandson, seized the opportunity granted to us and left for the Philadelphia Airport early in the morning in the pouring rain for a flight to Miami. We arrived safely in Miami, tropically hot, and headed onto Quito – late, dark, cold and high at about 9,000 feet. …

Sandy – We had a short, not-so-good night at the Hotel Eugenia because of noise outside, a lumpy pillow, and a headache (I suspected it was due to the high altitude). We were picked up at 6 AM for the airport and were off to Guayaquil, a coastal town, and then to the Galapagos Islands. I saw lots of islands from the plane before we landed. …

Sandy – Having cruised all night, we awoke to an exciting, exhilarating day. We went to a beach on Rabida for hiking and viewing the wildlife. The rocks and beach sand were an iron-rich red. Next, after donning wetsuit and gear, we snorkeled in the beautiful, green Pacific Ocean. The water temperature was in the high 60s (Fahrenheit). I have …

Sandy –Our day started with a glorious early morning hike on a boardwalk on Bartolomé Island to the top of the volcano. My leg had been taxed by the rough terrain, but this hike was made easier by the steps. On the way down I missed a half step and badly twisted my knee. I finished the trail with Leif's aid and managed to get in and …

Sandy – Plazas Sur, the island we sailed to overnight, is named after a man whose importance I don't remember. My leg was better today but not great enough to walk without hanging on to everything I could grab. I stayed on the boat. From my balcony I watched the shore with my binoculars and saw sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, …

Sandy -This morning the group went to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Galapagos' capital, to visit the Interpretive Center. I did not go because 4 hours will be spent in the town and I cannot imagine not elevating my leg for that long. So I spent another day on the boat, which was quite pleasant and comfortable, and sat outside with my binoculars. I was …

Sandy – We started the morning with a great breakfast that included French toast. Every morning we have fresh fruit juice; usually we have no idea what fruit the juice comes from, but it is always tasty. After breakfast we disembarked via the Zodiac to the beautiful sandy beach, loaded with sea lions, at Gardener's Bay on Española. We …

Sandy – I’ve had limited conversations with some of our 10 crew members. None spoke English well, all are native to Galapagos, and none has ever been to the USA. Our guide, Samuel Quiroz, was extremely nice, well-educated and well-informed. He had a reasonable answer for every question and was attentive to our every need. We really …

Sandy – At 6 AM, bags and people left the boat at Santa Cruz, ultimately for the flight to Quito. At the dock, we spied our goofy bus named First Class, and took our seats. On board all 15 of us were headed home and Samuel was headed for a week off. We needed to repeat the first day’s journey in reverse, but first went on a worthwhile …