Days 4 & 5: Isabela and Santiago

Day 4: Isabela Island / Day 5: Santiago Island The big news of day 4 is land tortoises, of the Alcedo Volcano. Huge. Gentle. Awe-inspiring in their resilience. More hiking. More amazing creatures. We're all out of superlatives. Oh, and I swam with penguins. Day 5 saw the move to Santiago Island, where Charles Darwin spent nine days. Lovely pre-breakfast hike. Deep water snorkeling after breakfast, where we swam with sea lions. (I saw them above the water but not in it - they are FAST!) but the currents were too much for me at first; I got back in once we hit a calmer cove. But I'm doing it! More sea lions, more marine iguanas, and some incredible herons and shorebirds on the afternoon hike. BBQ and dancing tonight!