Somewhere at Sea, Galápagos, 9/6/04

No chance to write yesterday! Too bad -- so much happened after a rough overnight at the hotel (loud music until 3:30 a.m., including "Rock Around the Clock" at 2 a.m.) -- I slept two hours. Then we flew to Galapagos and met our guides for the cruise, Orlando and Malena. They are quite nice and knowledgeable. We spent yesterday getting oriented on the boat and then navigated to a sandy beach where we went snorkeling with sea lions and lots of fish. It was amazing. At first I was too scared to go out too far, even though I had a wetsuit and a life jacket, but I finally became unafraid and went out and enjoyed it all so much. It was fantastic to be floating on the water and watch a playful sea lion go cruising right underneath me. We loved it so much. After that we got back on board the yacht and sailed around, including a long time near "Kicker Rock," also known as the Sleeping Lion, or El Leon Dormido, a huge and amazing formation. We watched the sun set then came in for a welcome from the captain and crew, and then had dinner. Kim got a little seasick -- it was very rocky -- but felt better when she was able to sleep. We were both so exhausted. The people on the cruise are great and we've made some pals already. It is lovely here and today promises much, much more than the incredible things we've already seen.