Tareq on Tour: August 2008

In order to prepare ourselves for the Galapagos we spent a week on the beach at Montañita, working on our Spanish, surfing and eating lots of sea food.

On the evening of Phil and Jays wedding we splashed out on a glass of vino, and have since heard that our movie message was played on the big screen and caused Phils first tear of the day...what an honour.

Just before the plane touched down we got our first view of the schooner Diamante, on which we were to spend the next week cruising the Galapagos. Having booked relatively last minute on the net we were pleasantly surprised to find that we were being ushered off the runway directly into a VIP arrival lounge, and we knew from this point forward that we had picked the right tour...first class all the way.

and even before we had even got onto the boat we were met by a few of the local fish breath winos loitering around the boat jetty benches.

The boat was amazing as were the crew, and surpassed even my highest expectations, every member of the crew went beyond the call of duty daily, and gave the sincere impression that they truly wanted us to have the time of our lives. Those who know me well will know that the chef would have been extremely important to me, and even though I didn't get the bacon and eggs Id been hoping for, every meal was superb (and huge), he even topped things off by presenting us with a selection of fresh snacks throughout the day (very welcome after a snorkel).

We were also extremely lucky with our group (Jacqui and Stuart, Jana and Sebastian, Jenny and Kim, and Linda and Mcleod) and guide, Xavier who was not only extremely knowledgeable but hilariously entertaining.

We had read that the wildlife was fearless, but I think In Your Face would be a bit more accurate. Nothing can prepare you for the feeling of watching the mating rituals of Blue Footed Boobies, with their humorous whistling and honking, the extreme swaying of an Albatrosses head as it walks up to its partner to begin clacking beaks together, Mocking birds trying to catch flies off you toes, swimming with turtles, playing catch with a sea lion using a falling shell, or watching Penguins catch fish around a reef as if you weren't even there. I was completely blown away by the experience to say the least.