Author Irene

St. Lucia – Sunday

Irene

Before going to bed last night, had a lovely soak in the tub on the balcony. It is spacious and very relaxing and nice after a full day of travel.

We slept great and took a shower in the walk-in shower which is really very nice and roomy. There is a window that looks out into the room and you can see the ocean as you shower.

And then it was off for a bite to eat, but before we did, we got towels at the pool and clipped them to a lounge chair to stake out a place to sit. We went to the buffet which had all the usual offerings and after breakfast, Allan went back to the room to get his kindle and I walked over to sit in the lounge chair. That lasted two seconds!!! My entire bottom was soaked!! Apparently, the pads on the chairs don’t drain and since it poured yesterday, they were filled with water. I’m not sure why they use those kinds of pads on the chairs. They are very comfy since they are padded, but not the best after a rain. I went back to the room to change and hang my wet shorts and undies on the rack and since we have a balcony, I’m sure they will dry quickly. As I was standing on the balcony, one of the Sandals employees was walking by and waved and I waved back. More to come on that.

We took the orientation tour and found out a few new things we didn’t know and we found out where all the restaurants, etc. were located. The guide gave us all a choice of drinks to enjoy while we walked. Allan is very happy that they have single malt scotch at most of the bars, but he opted for a red wine. I’m just happy with the margaritas. Before we knew it, it was lunchtime.

Everyday the theme changes for lunch at the buffet and today it was British food. Allan was hoping for bangers and mash, but no luck. He tried a few other options and he said they were good, especially the Welsh meatballs. I had a huge and delicious salad.

We went to the quiet pool and did some reading and I took a dip in the water. It was nice and warm once you got in. The ocean was off limits because the water was a bit rough so they flew the red flag. We had a drink and then went back to the room to shower to get ready to go to the wine tasting event.

Unfortunately, we received a phone call that the wine tasting was postponed till Wednesday, so Allan and I went for a glass of wine on our own and then took the shuttle to the Italian restaurant Armando’s. The shuttles come very frequently and it’s a great way to get around.

While we were waiting for the shuttle, a Sandals employee came over to talk to us. While we were talking she said I saw you today on the balcony. I remember your beautiful white hair and those eyes. Don’t know how she saw my eyes from a floor below but it was sweet of her. Her name is Ray.

Dinner was stellar. We sat outside and watched the sunset. I had a delicious appetizer and lamb chops for the main course. Allan had bolognese but he’s picky about his bolognese and he didn’t think it was the best he’s ever had. We were sitting talking and happened to mention Ray and how she had seen me on the balcony. Lo and behold… Ray walks by just as we were talking about her. So freaky! We had another nice chat and hopefully will see her tomorrow.

We went back to the main area to listen to some music and then it was to bed. They were playing 60’s and 70’s at the pool. Perfect way to end the evening.

Sunset at Armando’s

You can look out thru the window in the shower…over the bed …and to the balcony, and see the ocean while you’re showering.

St Lucia

Irene

We were up bright and early as the car to take us to the Philly airport arrived at 4:30 am. Our driver Tim was wonderful and he charges significantly less than other car services we’ve used. He will be waiting for us when we return to Philly at midnight in 8 days.

We usually fly from Newark airport and have never flown out of Philly. It was an adventure. Getting our luggage tagged and onto the conveyor belt went fairly quickly and then we had to go through security. They didn’t care if you had TSA pre-check or not so the line was very long. Suddenly a worker came over to us and said to follow him to go to another area that had no long lines. So off we went…following him like little ducks. We walked and walked… and then had to go thru the parking garage. We were like… where the heck is he taking us???? But true to his word, we finally got to where he told us to go and the line was indeed small…mainly because this line DID accept those who had TSA Pre-check. Going through security was great. We didn’t have to take out phones, Kindles, or liquids. Just had to take off our coats so that was wonderful.

We had a small bite to eat in the lounge and then left to go to our gate. The plane was already boarding and as we were going through, the agent noticed we had not signed our passports, so we had to get off the line and take care of that. In our defense, our passports are brand new… first time being used…and we didn’t notice the place for signatures.

We had received an alert from American Airlines that our flight might be delayed because of weather, but the plane arrived on time and the sun was beaming down just as we were getting ready to board the plane.

We arrived in St Lucia and our luggage came quickly. We had already filled out the immigration papers before we left, so we breezed through immigration and went in search of our driver to take us to the resort. Someone right away tried to take our bags saying he was from Sandals, but we said no thanks… just need to find our driver. When he realized he wasn’t going to be tipped for handling our bags, he told us to go through these two doors with “Sandals” in big letters above the frame, but it really looked sketchy. (Been reading and watching too many murder mysteries.). We went through anyway and Viola! We were greeted warmly by the real Sandal’s representatives and they took our bags and we boarded the van to take the 90 minute drive up and down the mountain roads with hairpin turns the whole way. Many times the van was at the edge of the road with a sheer drop. Yikes! Our driver was excellent and we arrived at the resort and checked in. Everything was awaiting us and since we are return guests, we received a lot of perks. Free photo shoot, cocktail and dinner party one evening, wine tasting another night, $50 towards the spa, and a martini night.

The grounds are still decorated for Christmas and everything looks very festive.

Our room is nice and overlooks the ocean. It’s so soothing hearing the waves crashing onto the shore. The room is not as large as the room we had in Antigua at Veranda Resort, but it has plenty of storage and closet space. It has a nice spacious bath with walk-in shower as well. The balcony has a soaking tub with privacy curtains and a table and chairs to enjoy watching the ocean.

We had signed up when booking the room to take advantage of the “Club” category which entitles us to concierge service, so we were able to book the three restaurants that you have to make reservations for without any problems using the concierge.

We were very hungry since we had traveled all day, so we got in the courtesy van to take us to the restaurant Soy. It’s sashimi, sushi, as well as other offerings and it was delicious. We really enjoyed everything and then…we ordered seconds. After dinner, Allan had dessert and I had….another order of traditional rolls. They were that good!

It started to pour but fortunately we were inside the over-hang so we stayed dry.

The courtesy van took us back to the main lobby. Our room isn’t far from the lobby and we are very close to one of the restaurants where breakfast will be served each day.

We had an after dinner drink in the pub and went back to the room to just relax. Tomorrow we’ll go on the tour of the resort.

sunrise in Philly airport

View of pool and ocean from our balcony

The club lounge for a welcome drink

Soaking tub

Our room

A rainbow greeted us

Soy restaurant.

Delicious!

Allan’s dessert

The Christmas lights that are shining all over the resort.

Is the beauty of life passing us by?

Irene

A few years ago, a friend emailed me a poignant story about a man who was playing his violin in the Washington Metro on January 12, 2007. Everyone passed him by as they rushed on to work and went about their business. A few passerbys tossed some coins into the till but kept on walking. Children lingered to hear the music, but they were prodded to move along by their parents and even though they would look back to try to capture the music in their heads, soon they too disappeared out of sight.

As it happens, the violinist was Joshua Bell, and he played in that L’Enfant Plaza Station for 45 minutes. He played six classical pieces on his handcrafted Stradivarius – the same pieces that he had played three days earlier in Boston Symphony Hall, where the tickets were pricey and where folks dressed to the nines to hear a concert by such an icon.

That day in the subway, he collected a mere pittance for his talent. The people didn’t know who he was nor did they care.

Are we also walking through the subways of life not really seeing or hearing? What better way to start this new year then to take the time to truly savor life and the beauty that surrounds us. In doing so, we too might find virtuosos in the most unlikely of places.

Naked at MoMA

Irene 2 Comments

Years ago, Allan and I visited the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Marcelle’s mom, Althea who worked there at the time, gave us complimentary tickets to see the collections and the exhibitions. Tim Burton was exhibiting the amazing sketches he did for the movies Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Batman. ..to name a few. He is dark and his characters are scary…but his vision and creativity cannot be denied.

We visited the William Kentridge exhibit – displaying the South African’s works on apartheid and politics. The charcoal drawings that he animated for film were thought provoking, but at times, the point escaped me.

But these exhibits paled dramatically in comparison to performance artist Marina Abramovic’s exhibition “The Artist Is Present” and I do mean EXHIBITION!!!

The exhibit begins with Marina sitting at a table in the atrium of the museum – staring straight ahead for hours on end. Visitors are encouraged, one at a time, to sit across from her at the table and mediate as well. After taking this all in for a few minutes, we ascended to the sixth floor to view the rest of the exhibit.

In order to get in, you had two choices:

1. Walk through a large entrance way.

2. Walk through a smaller doorway where a man and a woman, both naked, are standing face to face, staring at each other and you have to pass sideways between them.

Of course, we all opted for door number two. The male and the female were both well endowed and so brushing up against protruding parts was unavoidable. As I started to embark on my entrance, I turned to face the male and began my sidestep to go through the doorway. Too late did I realize that the entrance was narrower then I anticipated, but on the bright side, I would have had a place to hold my tote bag.

Once inside, the presentations were even more bizarre. One exhibit had two men sitting on chairs back to back with their long hair entwined. They do not speak but just stare straight ahead. I did wonder if they had some sort of “heads up” notification (no pun intended) for each other if one was about to sneeze. I mean really…during a gesundheit, their heads could be snapped backwards with such velocity it would cause whiplash!

Further into the exhibit were films that Marina created from her other live performance art exhibits. We stood and watched in horror as she carved a six inch star into her abdomen with a razor blade. (I mean, not for anything, but most people who cut themselves with a razor blade wind up on a psych unit). Another film being displayed was of women dancing outside in the pouring rain with long skirts on. They were naked underneath their gauzy attire and would periodically lift their skirts high in the air as they danced and twirled and showed all, ostensibly to ward off the rain. This is good to know in case heavy rains are predicted. I could cavort naked in my backyard and possibly thwarted that torrential downpour! (But in the community we live in now, I’d probably need a variance!)

There was a girl, also naked (yes…naked seemed to be the theme throughout. I think Marina has a few Freudian issues…) suspended on a white wall…sitting on a bicycle seat. She had a gorgeous body, but I was concerned that the blood that was pooling in her lower extremities from sitting there for so long could cause a blood clot. (Always the nurse!)

It was quite a show. I didn’t get it at all.

I wonder how they went about finding the people to pose naked for this performance art. Did they advertise in the New York Times employment opportunity section? All the women were pretty buxom, so I guess the ad read “34A’s NEED NOT APPLY”. (I won’t go into what the ad might have suggested for the males.)

The Job Search

Irene

I always wanted to be a teacher and back in the 70’s, I pursued a college degree in Elementary Education. After graduation, I accepted what I thought would be my dream job in a parochial elementary school.

Things didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped. My classroom was comprised of thirty-four kindergartners, most of whom, for reasons beyond my comprehension, insisted on calling me Mrs. Nestle. Five of them didn’t speak English and the father of one of my charges kept pleading that I teach his son to hold the crayon in his right hand instead of his left. I was with the same children from eight am to four pm with no break and I also ate lunch with them. The desks in the classroom were nailed to the floor and I soon realized that childhood games like Duck Duck Goose would probably culminate in black and blue knees and law suits. The principal was a proponent of self-directed student learning. I confessed I wasn’t trained in that technique but she replied, “Not a problem. Just let the children play all day”. And for good measure, she threw in a student teacher who would ostensibly learn invaluable “teaching” expertise from me. Days are endless when teaching isn’t an option and I began to have fantasies of overdosing on paste and finger paint. My dream job was becoming a nightmare.

My day always began with a boy named George arriving at my desk and saying “Mrs. Nestle. I don’t feel well”. I would think to myself “I’m not feeling so hot myself George”, but instead I would happily chirp “Oh, George you’ll be fine. Just sit down and play with the Cuisenaire rods”. This went on for weeks until one day George came to my desk with the usual pronouncement and instead of my cheery response, I knelt down, gave a low growl and said “George. You’re fine. Sit down!”

It wasn’t two minutes later, little Madeleine cautiously approached my desk and whispered “Mrs. Nestle. George just thew up in his lunch pail”. And as I mopped up George’s breakfast, I knew the next day I would be handing in my resignation.

Sometimes what we think will be the path to a lifetime career turns out to be merely a stepping stone along the way. I never went back to teaching. I studied to get another Bachelor’s degree and became a registered nurse, had four little ones of my own and worked as a substitute nurse for the local elementary schools. Ironically, as a nurse, I didn’t mind taking care of the upset tummies of kindergartners.

But I often wonder what ever happened to that student teacher. She probably quit school and entered a nunnery.

Flying the Pet Friendly Skies

Irene

I don’t know whether you have heard the news, but you can now fly your pet across the country and not have to worry about them suffocating or freezing to death in the cargo hold. PetAirways will fly your pet cross country in the luxury of the cabin of the plane, where attendants will check on them every fifteen minutes and also take them for potty breaks along the way.

Our cat Checkers, God love her, was a terrible traveler. We would take her back and forth from up north to North Carolina on a regular basis in the car and she would howl the entire way. Sixteen hours is a very long time to be in a closed environment with an unhappy cat in a cage and had PetAirways been up and running, we probably would have employed their services just for our sanity.

So even though we no longer have any pets, this Pet airline intrigues me and I have many questions that need to be answered. For example, are the animals fastened into their seats? Does the attendant stand in the aisle like on a people flight and demonstrate the ease of opening and closing the seat belt clasps? I can just hear the animals now…”Geez…if I only had a thumb!”

And what animal gets to sit at the emergency exit? The person on a people flight who sits at the emergency door has to be capable of functioning should the worst case scenario play out, so I definitely wouldn’t put the Golden Retrievers there. Their tails would be wagging and they would be giddy with the excitement of playing with the oxygen masks that have just dropped from the ceiling rather than concentrating on getting the freakin’ emergency door open.

What do they offer for the entrees when dinnertime comes? “Fancy feast” would be appropriate for the first class felines and of course, it would be served in Waterford crystal bowls. Dogs are not as discerning when it comes to food and will eat anything, as evidenced by our Golden Retriever Sandy who ate 7 corncobs, 10 spareribs and a ball of string at one seating, resulting in a visit to the all night emergency vet. If Sandy were on the Pet Plane, I would be concerned that he would be eating the seat cushions and happily munching on the carpet. And what are the selections on the drink cart? Do the attendants offer toilet water for the dogs in fancy glasses with wide rims so they can lap it up as they cruise through the clouds?

People flights usually have the armed security officers on board in case there is a terrorist attack. I imagine PetAirways will be interviewing the Blood Hounds and the Police Dogs for that position.

How do they handle the potty breaks? On the website it states that the animals are taken on a “regular basis” to a “confined area” for their nature calls. I’m picturing a huge red fire hydrant bolted to the middle of the confined area for the dogs and an oversize sand box for the cats.

What kind of on board entertainment is provided? I would venture to say that they take “car chase” scene clips for the canine spectators and excerpts from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds for the viewing pleasure of the felines.

Another interesting fact is that just like on people flights, each “pawssenger” is only allowed to bring on board “anything that can fit into a one gallon zip lock bag including food, medicine and a small toy.” Guess the Homeland Security was consulted for the traveling animals too.

Well it all is pretty amazing. But I have to wonder what kind of person would sign on for the job of taking care of animals in midair. The site has a FAQ format and one of the questions was “Should I give my pet a sedative before travel?” The answer was “Absolutely not! Common tranquilizers have very serious consequences for traveling pets”.

And I would add…”Better to leave the tranquilizers for the attendants!!! They’re going to need them!!!”

End of this Amazing trip – Fly back to USA

Irene

Please scroll down to find the beginning of the trip.

September 23, Monday – September 24, Tuesday   Disembark ship • Fly to Quito • Fly to U.S.

Accommodations: Wyndham Quito Airport 

We enjoyed our final breakfast aboard the Archipell II, said goodbye to the crew, and off we went to visit the Interpretation Center on San Cristobal Island, to learn about the history of the Galapagos, its volcanic origins, and how ocean currents and climate have affected the islands.

We walked around the quaint town of San Cristobal and then we took the bus to the airport to fly to Quito. Check in was very easy and we landed in Quito about 5:30 pm. We were given a day room at the Wyndham Hotel so that we could freshen up and repack our suitcases for the flights home. We enjoyed a farewell dinner buffet at the hotel and then it was time to bid adios to our guide and fellow travelers.

Pablo could not stay to be with Allan, me and another traveler, to help us get to the airport since once again, Ecuador instituted a curfew starting at 10 pm and the streets had to be vacated since the electricity would be going off. People traveling to the airports were exempt from the curfew fortunately, but Pablo needed to make his way to his home before the 10 pm curfew.

A shuttle from the hotel arrived to take us to the airport and check in was a breeze. Since we had to be at the airport three hours before our flight, we spent the time relaxing in the Star Alliance lounge and boarded our plane at 12 am.

We flew to Houston, went through customs and immigration very efficiently and then boarded our next flight to Newark.

From the Amazon, Machu Picchu and everything we experienced in Peru, to cruising around the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador, what a wonderful and an amazing adventure it was!! We learned so much, experienced so much, tasted so many different foods, and met wonderful people. It was a fabulous trip!!!

But as always, it’s nice to be back home.

See you next time!

A sea lion hopped onto our zodiac to say goodbye to us. (Just glad he didn’t hop in when we were in it!!!)

. 

Galapagos Cruising • San Cristobal

Irene

September 22, Sunday  Galápagos cruise 

Destination: The Galápagos Islands 

Accommodations: ARCHIPELL II CRUISE

Last night we continued to watch the documentary Satan Comes to Eden about the first settlers to the Galapagos, arriving on Floreana Island. It’s an unbelievable story. The German doctor Friedrich Ritter and his partner Dore Strauch were the first inhabitants. The story takes many turns…two other couples arrive…there’s jealousy, hate, and…history suggests…murder. If you can get the documentary on YouTube, it’s worth watching.

Allan and I didn’t feel like hiking this morning so instead we cruised for an hour in the zodiac. We were hoping to see the red footed boobys. We did see them but they were too far away to glimpse their feet. It was a nice ride and the cliffs were beautiful.

We had a nice lunch and then decided to just relax for the rest of the day. We watched football (my Giants won!!) and enjoyed a glass of wine before dinner.

Dinner was delicious as usual and we went off to bed early since we disembark from the ship and fly to Quito to catch our flight to go home. Our flight leaves at 12:05 in the morning, so we won’t be home until Tuesday.

It was a fabulous vacation and we are so glad we were able to see Peru, the amazing Amazon, Machu Picchu, Ecuador, and the Galapagos. Each section of the trip was fabulous.

My last post will be tomorrow when we are home.

Allan and I are in the cabin labeled for the Booby bird.

The scenery on our cruise.

Seagulls

Blue footed booby

LEON DORMIDO – SAN CRISTOBAL or “Sleeping Lion”, otherwise known as Kicker Rock, is one of the Galapagos’ most well-known rock formations.

Isla Espanola, Galapagos

Irene

September 21, Saturday  Galápagos cruise 

Destination: The Galápagos Islands 

Accommodations: Archipell II

It was another night of rocking and rolling as we made our way to the next island – Isla Espanola. We had a nice breakfast and then we went off in the zodiac to cruise around to see the wildlife. So much wildlife to see everywhere, especially birds.

We then took the zodiac to the beach and we enjoyed walking along the sand and just relaxing.
We saw the bones of a whale, as well as sea lions lounging on the sand, small birds hopping all over, large birds living on the cliffs, and the occasional lizard.

We came back in time for lunch and the chef made a delicious ceviche dish. In addition to that dish for an appetizer, he also served lasagna, vegetables with palm hearts, and coleslaw.

After lunch we went on a nature walk. Pablo said it would be rough climbing over rocks. Rough was an understatement!!! OMG! We climbed over huge rocks, lava, stones, and slippery rocks. We had to time getting out of the zodiac with the waves to get to the stone pier which wasn’t easy.

The walk took about 2.5 hours and we did see some fabulous birds. Albatross, Boobys, and many more. We even saw Albatross doing the mating dance which was unbelievable to watch.

When we walked back, the pier was under water so we had to climb up lava to get to the zodiac. That was not fun. I told Pablo along the way that he should have added 3 exclamation marks to the daily activity chart after the word ‘rough’. But, by the time we were walking back and had to climb the lava, I told him that 5 exclamation marks would be more like it.

We had bbq for dinner on the ship. I wasn’t very hungry, but it really was very good.

Then Pablo started talking about tomorrow’s activities and he said that there’s a new rating, thanks to me, for the difficulty of the walks from now on. Tomorrow’s walk will be 5 exclamation marks in terms of difficulty. Yesterday’s was 4 exclamation marks. Too funny!

Early to bed since we have breakfast at 6:30 tomorrow to get started on the activities.

Cave we entered on our zodiac ride

Sea Anemones bright orange

Sand sea star

Male Magnificent frigate bird inflating his throat pouch which they use to attract females during the mating season.

White booby.

Pelican

Along the beach we stopped at.

Little lava lizard catching ants for his meal.

Whale bones

The chef putting together a ceviche dish for our lunch. White fish, shrimp, octopus, lime juice, cilantro, onions, mustard, salt, broth from the white fish and the shrimp, tomatoes, and different colored peppers.

Delicious! Served with popcorn and plantain chips.

Lasagna and sides

Babaco fruit

Tons of iguanas on our walk

This is what we had to walk on. Yikes!

Boobys

Albatross doing the mating dance

Walking over the rocks and passing wildlife up close and personal.

A huge sea lion

Cruising the Galapagos

Irene

September 20, Friday Galápagos cruise 

Destination: The Galápagos Islands 

Accommodations: ARCHIPELL II CRUISE

We all went to bed very early last night, right after dinner. The ship was rocking and rolling due to the Humboldt current and it took a while to get used to. I started the scopolamine patch and am feeling fine.
The door to our closet was banging all night. Allan tried to fix it during the night, which was tricky since he could barely stand with the waves rolling, but the repair was to no avail. Today we’ll have to see what we can do.

When we use the toilet, we cannot throw the tissue in the toilet, but instead, put the tissue in the wastebasket. If we accidentally flush the paper, we have to tell the crew and they have to get rid of the blockage. It’s such a force of habit to throw the tissue into the toilet, that we have to make a concerted effort not to.

The zodiac we ride to and from the ship in, is similar to what we used in Antarctica. It’s a little tricky entering because the ship is bobbing up and down and the zodiac is bobbing as well. The crew on the zodiac and on the deck of the ship give us a hand to get in. Once you get in, you kind of stagger to sit on the side of the craft since the waves are pretty strong and the raft is going up and down. The only thing I don’t like…there’s nothing to hold on to once you’re perched on the side of the craft. The driver does go slow, and we have to wear life vests, but fingers were crossed that we didn’t fall in.

We arrived at Floreana Island and had to swing our feet over the edge and wade in the water up to our calves to get to the beach. Allan and I had on water shoes so that worked great.

The minute we landed, the sea lions came to greet us. The difference between sea lions and seals is… sea lions have ears as well as strong bones in their upper fin (scapula and humerus) to allow them to “walk”. Seals on the other hand propel themselves on their bellies. A group of sea lions is called a harem.

There were tons of sea lions including moms with babies. When a female gets impregnated, it takes about 6 months until the birth of the baby. She nurses the baby after it’s born, and will go into the water at some point and leave the baby behind. That means she’s ready to be impregnated again. When that happens, the new pregnancy sits off to the side of her body for about 6 months so the mother can continue to nurse the first baby. Once the first baby is a year old, it goes off in search of his own food of fish in the water. At that time, the mother can now continue the pregnancy of the new baby she’s carrying. Mother nature is amazing!

The Galápagos cruising itinerary is filed with the conservation authorities of the Galápagos National Park. Park biologists periodically review it, and they have the authority to make changes to the plan to minimize our impact on the ecosystems of the islands.

After visiting with the sea lions, we spotted a blue footed booby with her young. Pretty amazing to see.

We walked a bit further and saw in the distance, some flamingos standing in the lagoon. The flamingos are actually orange and not pink. We were able to witness the mating dance which was very lucky indeed. It was hard to photograph however because they were so far away.

Later in the morning, some people went snorkeling but I decided not to. The water is very cold. And I think it was a good decision since it was overcast and the people who snorkeled said it was dark in the water so you couldn’t see much.

We enjoyed another delicious lunch and at 3 o’clock, we boarded the zodiac to go to a very unusual post office. Post Office Bay – Galapagos does not have employees, stamps, or even walls or ceilings. It’s a place where the concept of old fashioned hand delivered postcards still holds true.

Back in the whaling days, sailors would be far away from home and missing their families. The sailors set up their own unique way to get mail to their loved ones. The system was simple: any passing sailor could leave a letter in a big wooden barrel and at the same time, he had to check if there was any mail going near to his home that he could deliver himself when he returned home. For example, a sailor who was finishing his journey in London, England would take any mail with a London address. When he finally reached port he was then responsible to deliver it. Bearing in mind that whalers could spend two years or more at sea, this was a very slow mailing system – sometimes letters were delivered more than a year after written.

We participated in the tradition by addressing the postcard that we bought in Quito to ourselves, and turning it in. At the same time, we searched through the piles of postcards to see if there was a postcard with an address near to our home that we could deliver. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one postcard near Bethlehem.

We hope a visitor to the Galapagos post office finds our postcard one day, takes it to their home in Pennsylvania, and knocks on our door to deliver it. It could take years, but it’s fun keeping up the tradition. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any that we could deliver. They did have one from Kenya and one from Istanbul.

We got back in the zodiac and saw sea lions, iguana, brown pelican, crabs, and blue footed boobys.

At one point, a sea lion was playing with us – going under our boat and surfacing right at our side. It was really fun.

We came back to the boat and had a special meeting with the crew and a drink. They all introduced themselves and then asked that we do the same. Each person gave their name and where they lived, but of course, I had to go the extra mile. When it was my turn I said…

“Me llamo Irene. Vivo en Estados Unitos en Pennsylvania. Yo tengo cuatro ninos. Soy una abuela. Yo tengo tres nientas y tres nientos. “

What a brown nose! 😂😂😂

Dinner was really delicious. Perfectly baked fish with salad and potatoes and strawberries for dessert.

The sea lions came right up to greet us

Awwww

Sea urchin

Pregnant sea lion

Our ship

Blue footed booby. (Photo courtesy of Dave)

Flamingos (photo courtesy of Priscilla)

Flamingos. (Picture courtesy of Dave)

This sea lion was bitten by a shark.

Darwin Daisy

Booby birds. Notice their blue feet.

Beautiful colors and cacti

Going through the mail to see if any postcards are near our home so we can deliver to the person who left them at the post office. Unfortunately, there was not a postcard from Pennsylvania.

Brown Pelican

Look closely to see the iguana and the colorful crabs.