Sunday-Tuesday, 3/10-12. Lots of photos. Three nights is just about right for a visit. Tour guide admits that after much longer tourists grow tired of blue footed boobies and lazy sea lions. Great experience. Unforgettably closeness of the animals. You were able to literally touch most of the species, though our group conformed to park rules and stayed six feet away.
Snorkeling was fun, but there was a sameness to each dive. Fish tank swimming. Saw one shark. Others saw penguins underwater, a sight I wished I’d seen. Water was perfect temp for me.
Tour guide certainly knew his stuff. Roberto was able to answer questions with extreme details. One strange anomaly was the absence of any signs. No warnings, very few directional aids. Since all visits require a guide, messing up the views with signs were unneeded. Improved the wilderness feel.
Bought some genuine moonshine rum which I hope to return home with.
The islands are much bigger than I expected. Distances were correspondingly greater too. The result was that we didn’t travel nearly as far afield as I expected. I would have liked to visit the famous mailbox.
Flew back to Quito, where the group broke up. Tomorrow I go alone to Bogota, Columbia. A good thing. I need some quiet time.
Zodiac ride to our boat. We did a lot of zodiac riding. 
Our boat is on the right. A fairly unstable boat. 
Sea lions were constant freeloaders when the zodiacs were tied to the stern. 
Small penguins. Their chests are so bright they mess up the camera’s exposure setting. 
A walk in the lava fields. This cactus was the only sign of life for acres around. 
A long neck tortoise. 
Male frigate birds trying to attract a mate. Despite their beauty, they are not nice birds. 
Blue Footed Booby. 
Mating dance of a booby. 
Mantas. 
Underwater photo of an urchin. 
Flamingos in a volcano marsh. The rim of the cone has almost eroded to sea level, which will force the flamingos to relocate. 
A crab divesting itself of its shell. The suds lubricate the extraction. 
Group photo.