Cristobel

Rafael met us at 6 a.m. To walk us Down to the pier to get on the right boat tour. About 15 people showed up. One Spanish speaking group seemed to be on some kind of a university at our as the students seemed 20 something. Our guide Dario was enthusiastic and new at this particular tour. Another English speaking pair were from Berlin. Turns out he's been traveling around the world for 7months and is headed home after this. she traveling in South America with her sister. And they just hooked up for this Gal. Tour. Cute couple! And Laura. Is traveling by herself. She's from Tokyo but originally Paris -mom is French and dad German. she looks very Germanic - tall and blonde. She's a model/actress/director with her own business s in Tokyo. We checked out her website: Adetyo which is the single name she goes by professionally. she introduced herself as Laura. She took hundreds of photos including many in the water. We ended up meeting her after dinner for a drink and chat.

We rode for 2 hours past a couple of islands to San Cristobel, a smaller city. Than PUerta Ayora but it's the governmental headquarters here. We stopped at Kicker Rock, this huge outcropping with a channel that we swam through, seeing many colorful fish and some turtles. After snorkeling for 45 min. Or so we went on to a smaller rock where any red and blue-footed boobies, sea lions and a frigate bird were resting. we just saileD around that.

In the small town of Baquerizo Moreno,named after the first Ecudorians president to visit, in 1916, we hopped a bus to go out to a beach near the airport where some baby sea lions frolicked. It was pouring rain and some people snorkeler and apparently saw more sea turtles. We ate a delicious fish (tuna, we think) lunch and walked back to our cabin cruiser to head back. We stopped at the deserted Santa Fe island to again snorkel, seeing schools of colorful fish. Our guide on the boat who helped me twice get in the boat,or I'd still be out there - no ladder! - cut up watermelon for us for the ride back. This tour cost us $85 as compared to yesterday's closer island tour of $60. Seems the other people onthetour paid $100. I think Rafael got a last minute deal for us.
Off to Isabella tomorrow, by far the largest island with  6 major volcanoes - the last eruption in 1959.