We enjoyed a beautiful sunset over calm waters last evening but by 9 pm the boat was rocking and a rolling. It was difficult to stand and we were tossed about like a salad. Just getting into bed was a challenge and many of the passengers on board thought they would be tossed out of their beds. We have been on many cruises and never had experienced that type of rolling.
The morning was a little better and we were gearing up for another tour and some deep water snorkeling. As usual the food was great so no complaints there.
Everyone we have met has been fantastic and especially our group the Iguanas. It is amazing how close people can become in such a short period of time when sharing such a wonderful experience together.
On our way to hike another island to explore the flora and fauna.
A baby sea lion on the rocks. This guy was really small.
Coming in for a wet landing on the beach. The ride in was a little rough – the seas were quite choppy but we enjoyed it anyway.As usual our friends were their to greet us!
Harry gave us a geography lesson on the island we were on. Good thing because I am directionally challenged.
The trail we were taking was steep, rocky, uneven and not for the faint of heart or those that have difficulty standing upright even on level ground – like myself. LOL. As the hike progressed I was surprised to find that I was not the last in line. Patrick took up the rear and made sure all of us older ladies made it to our destination.
There were beautiful views and magnificent ground cover but not much wildlife.
We got lucky and did get to see some red-footed boobies. They are truly beautiful.
OMG – yes we are climbing up another hill. Believe it or not I am NOT last!
The trail back down was as tough as up since we had to back track. It 
It was a rough ride back to the boat and getting off the dinghy onto the boat was an enormous challenge. Getting off was a timing issue based on the wave action. Some people did well while others didn’t. One young girl hit her head and was knocked back into her dinghy. She appeared to have suffered a mild concussion but was otherwise OK. We heard that another women fell into the water but couldn’t verify that info. It took me three tries to get out - what with my short legs, but I finally made it. Then there was Ron. Instead of listening to the guides he opted to do it his own way and tried to pull himself up and out by holding onto the wet rails. He got caught up in a wave and landed on his knees on the steps hanging by his shoulders. Not a good scene. He got the wind knocked out of him and hurt his right knee and both shoulders. As Kelly said “two for two “ in less then twenty-four hours. Good job, MOM & Dad!!!
Once on board the full impact of what happened hit Ron and he was hurting. Ibuprophen and ice helped and after lunch he was ready do do one more deep sea snorkeling adventure. It would be our last snorkeling opportunity so we opted to take it. This time following all instructions to the letter.
The water was really rough and the snorkeling just OK. Didn't get to see too much but it was fun anyway. Getting back on the dingy was a little difficult with many of the snorkelers being dragged in. I was the first one in so I basically dived in head first. It was quit hilarious and I have several bruises as a result.
There was one last tour of the day and it was presented as a none guided walk on the beach. At that point in time Ron’s right knee and shoulders were really hurting so we opted out of that tour and sat on the deck. Ron napped and I rearranged our bags. It was a challenge since we had a lot of wet clothes and they were not drying in the cool humid weather.
Kelly and Patrick went on the afternoon tour and came back to tell us that they were able to take the dingy into the caves on the island. We were disappointed since we love caves. It was not made clear that that may have been an option because we definitely would have gone. They brought back some great pictures for us.
After a nice dinner we hung around the lounge with some of our ship mates and enjoyed good stories and lots of laughs It was the last night on board for many of us so we were getting every last minute out of it that we could.
We met some wonderful people from all over the world, including Canada, Australia, Japan and Israel, just to name a few. There were many people from the U.S.A., but it was most interesting to hear the perspective of people from other countries. It was also great to be able to get together with such a diverse group of people who were all here for the same purpose, the love of nature.
Kelly and Patrick are the proverbial social butterflies so I’m sure they will be in contact the people they have met.
We got a spectacular display of energy and playfulness from the sea lion population swimming and fishing for their evening meal. They are incredibly fast and were chasing down the flying fish. What a show they gave us. The flying fish were amazing and literally flew across the water reflecting an iridescent color as thy travelled. It was an amazing way to end such a great adventure.
Now we understood why they were hanging around on the beaches all day. We never knew that they were nocturnal and hunted their food at night.
We have one last excursion to the tortoise farm in the morning then our flight to Lima Peru in the afternoon. We will be saying our final good-by to our guide Harry and our friends from the Iguanas as well as the other people we met on board.
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