Star-gazing in Galapagos

Tania gave me the Galapagos for my birthday this year! We went on a 4 day tour (not enough time) by "yacht". Our boat was the Estrella del Mar (you could do a google search on her for more pics). It was really great to be out in nature for 4 days, it gave me time to process all sorts of things, and time to reflect on little Jeremy's passing. It is really an amazing place--the landscape is different than one might think--sort of desert-y, with cacti & low-lying shrubs, but it also varied dramatically from island to island--there were some forests, covered in hanging moss, and there were definitely micro-climates, from bay up to top of volcano. Most of the places that we went did have some sugary tan sand beaches with lots and lots of dark dramatic volcanic rock. It was "winter" there, which meant is was about 65-75 degrees, which was quite pleasant, mainly overcast with some segments of bright, bright equator sun. The boat & crew & guide were great--a 3 deck wooden boat with motorized rubber dinghies that brought us to shore for wet & dry landings. There was one bumpy night (we toured/hiked during the day, and sailed/motored to the next place overnight) when I stuck my head outside to watch the ocean--overcast with no moon or stars, but bright bioluminscent waves in our wake. I was trip leader for this amazing group of 16 people--a mixture of students, staff/faculty & life-long learners (besides myself and Tania, we had Joe the security officer & his wife Susie, and Nurse Jane with her kids. We were probably the most prepared group of people). I enjoy getting to know folks in that setting. The last night was mainly cloudless, with no moon, and being out in the middle of the ocean with no lights was the most spectactular star-viewing I've been blessed to see--including a bright Venus that cast shadows, and the amazing site of the southern cross, as well as actually getting to see the big dipper vertically dipping into the inky ocean. One of those infinity-inducing moments that are always filled with awe for me. It's funny how as trip leader you become the expert on everything--I was happy to pretend. I think I'm going to let the pics do most of the talking now, although I will add the Galapagos is the kind of place where you would have to play the game "where are there NO animals/marine life", because everywhere you look there were sea lions, iguanas, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, lizards, coromorants, seagulls, fish, sea turtles, finches, stingrays, red-throated frigates, sharks, sand-dollars, sea-urchins, and Sally light-footed crabs. Ok, ok one more thing: I got to snorkel with baby sea lions! And sea turtles! And stingrays! It was so amazing. We had wetsuits & snorkel equipment on board--we snorkeled twice, for about an hour each time. The water where we were was crystal clear--and underwater is full of noises--little beings eating, the water crackling with life, the sea lions blowing bubbles and chasing them, as well as playing the game "how close can I get to you without actually touching you oops I just bumped your mask, ha ha ha." I loved being checked out by the sea lions, one little guy just floated on his back underwater looking at me--upside down only applies to those of us on feet on land. The sea lions were a highlight and were a blast--you could tell they had a sense of humor--they out-pixied me. And, after snorkeling for an hour, we got our to find the crew with hot-milk chocolate for us...! It couldn't have been any better. The last day a couple of us got stung by invisible jelly-fish, but even that only lasted an hour. Oh, and the fruit on the ship--sooooo good, with fresh juices every morning, including mora juice (like a raspberry), and something else that was a cross between a pear and a pineapple (my favorite). I love the variety of fruit in the world that I don't even know about.