Recap

So....we made it to the Galapagos Islands and life is good.  However, the internet here is awful (not really complaining, just stating a fact).  It is an amazing place so I guess if the internet is bad then you cannot hold it agains them...plus we are in the middle of an ocean.  Because of the internet, I will not be able to post any pictures today.  I am going to try and figure out a way to post them so I can get a few posted tomorrow, but a written report will have to do.

During the night we had a bit of a scare.  Caleb woke up at 2:15 am saying he did not feel good.  We panicked a little.  He was up for a bit, used the restroom, sat in a warm shower for 15 minutes or so, and then went back to sleep.  All day he was kind of acting like he did not feel good, but never threw up.  So, that was a good thing.  We are hoping tomorrow will be a non-sick feeling day for everyone!  Cully had a great day and is back to his old self!

We had a funny moment when we got to the airport...Caleb looked at me and said two things.  The first was that he liked the fact we were on this trip with other people (his social side coming out).  He thought that was pretty cool.  Then he looked at me (I guess in the excitement that we were getting ready to leave for the islands) and said "I need to dance!"  He then got our his ipod, plugged in his ears, and for 25 minutes or so danced like crazy!  People getting off the plane were all walking by and watching.  Other people in the little airport were watching.  The people in our group loved it.   I cannot tell you how hard he was dancing...he was getting down!  I told him at least he could put his hat down and try and make a little spending money.  He was in his own world and it was fun to watch!  

The morning started with some travel.  We made it to the Galapagos around 10:30 am island time (we are now on Mountain Time) and after clearing customs got on a bus.  The bus took us to a ferry (only about 10 minutes) and we went to a bigger island.  The airport is on Bartral Island and our hotel is on Santa Cruz.  So, after we made it across the channel, we boarded another bus and headed toward our hotel.  On the way we made several stops.

The first stop was at two naturally formed sink holes.  These actually looked like craters...they were huge.  There were two of them and they were called "The Twins" in spanish.  

After that, we went to a lava tunnel which was a natural tunnel formed while the volcanoes were exploding and forming the islands a really long time ago.  It was a neat thing to hear how it was formed and we walked through it for a bit.  

Lastly, we went to a place and saw some tortoises.  We saw about 8-10 of them.  It was really cool!  I wish I could show you pictures.  Caleb and Cully were literally a foot from its head as it was eating some fruit.  Our guide had them sit and it came up and was eating right in front of them.  At one point, the turtle looked at them as if to say, "can I eat in peace"!  It was awesome!  We saw several of them and could have ridden on them if it was allowed.  

After that, we headed to our hotel.  We are staying at Finch Bay Resort.  There are no roads to our hotel.  We had to ride a boat in order to get here.  It is such a nice place.  We checked in, put on our swim suit and headed to the beach and pool.  The resort has its own private beach.  We swam for a bit and then came in to get showered up for dinner. 

We went to dinner and ate with a couple of people from our group.  We ate with the people from Omaha, Nebraska.  They are married and are both RN's.  We had a great conversation about Caleb and his treatment as well as hospitals and how they run.  It was a great conversation and fun to get to know them.  The boys are super tired.  Cully fell asleep at dinner (on a couch) and Caleb could have.  It was an early morning.  I carried Cully back and I am almost positive Caleb is asleep.  

We have another early morning tomorrow.  We are meeting our group at 7:45 am to get started with our day.  We are going to another island to see some different animals and then snorkeling at some point.  We will not get back to the hotel until around 4 pm...so it will be a long day.

One funny story before I stop...While we were hiking and looking for the tortoises, Caleb was drilling our tour guide with questions and they were kind of walking up ahead of everyone having a conversation.  I did not hear everything they were discussing (since they were quite a ways up at one point) but there was a time when we had stopped and were talking while looking at a tortoise.  The guy was talking about several kinds of species of tortious and Caleb looked at him and said, "I want to see a saddle back tortoise, are we going to see one of those?"  Caleb asked because he knew they were a very rare species that only lives on one island in the Galapagos.  The guide looked at him in amazement and said, "How did you know about that species and how rare they are?"  It was so funny!  Turns out, we will not see a saddle back in the wild but will get a chance to see one on Sunday at the Darwin Research Center.  The look on the guides face was priceless as Caleb was helping him talk about all the different types of tortoises.

I know it is short and there are no pictures, but once again I will try and figure out a way to post some tomorrow.  Just know we are doing good, are very tired, and excited about what tomorrow will bring.  Thanks for your prayers!  

More tomorrow.

Grace and Peace