Anna in South America

I´m back in Quito after spending an absolutely amazing week in the Galapagos islands.
After a slightly rocky start (the sea was particularly choppy on the first day, so I spent most of my time on deck, trying not to vomit) I soon got into the swing of things and had my sealegs in no time. Our group of people was a very nice mix; there were four girls in total travelling independantly, so we all bonded fairly quickly, two young couples and the rest were older couples (Mum and Dad type age). There were 16 of us in total. Everyone came from either the UK, Australia or North America and we all got on very well.
The older couples were all bird enthusiasts, and the days consisted of comments such as, “Oh my God! Is it…? Yes, it is! We´ve got a blue-footed boobie on the starboard-side, people!!! And, oh my God, it´s flying! The bird is flying!!” with whoops of delight from the other ornothologists. I couldn´t get quite as excited as them, but it was nice to see how thrilled they were about it all.
Our guide was brilliant too, he was a naturalist and he knew absolutely everything about the wildlife and the plants - he was so passionate about the islands, which made his teachings really interesting.
The scenery was amazing; I swam with sealions (who are very curious and playful), sharks and penguins. We were also lucky to see lots of sea turtles, flying fish and giant tortoises. I only had a dodgy moment once, when a dominant sealion (yes, him again) got a bit upset with me and my friend Rachel for being on his territory, so I swam like the wind in the opposite direction, which meant I was unfortuately going further and further into the pacific. But I took advantage of a window, when the bull was having a go at another male sealion, and kicked my little legs as fast as I could to get back onto the beach, so was all fine in the end.
Have got lots of photos I can bore you all with when I get back to England (I think I overdid the sealion photos), so you can all look forward to that!
Today is just a faffing day really, getting my washing done, buying some bits and bobs etc., as am going to Curacao tomorrow morning to stay with my friend Charlotte. Am really looking forward to staying in a house for a bit and having a relax.