Wildlife We spent 5 months through South & Central America on one of the highlights by far was our 8 days on a boat in the Galapagos Islands. We organized a last minute spot on a boat through Galasam (galaplus@gye.satnet.net or http://www.galapagos-islands.com) and we were able to get a discounted rate. We flew to the islands from Guayaquil and were met at the airport by our guide. Our boat held up to 16 people and we had a room on the top level. They cooked incredibly yummy and fresh food for us. Every morning and afternoon we would walk around one of the islands and look at the animals. On the Galapagos you can get so close to the animals because they have no predators and no fear of humans. We also went swimming and snorkeling with sea lions, sea turtles and sharks. The sea lions were amazing to swim with. The babies would swim straight at you and then swerve at the last possible second. It was almost frightening how fast they swam. We had a fabulous group of travelers from all over the world and our guide spoke 5 languages fluently! We would party with the group in the evenings and just hang out and sunbath when we were sailing.
Scams It's not really a scam, but it felt like one - when you arrive in Galapagos you have to pay US$100 as an entry fee. They say it goes to the preservation of the Islands, but there are a lot of signs that the Islands are not being kept up. It's a shame because it is one of the most unusual and unique places in the world. Once it is destroyed it can never be replaced.
Three essentials for India:
GET YOUR VISA ORGANIZED AHEAD OF TIME. The Embassy wait can be brutal!
A-Z of Adventure Travel Insurance from World Nomads as you will probably get "Delhi Belly."
Hostelworld was a great help for finding cheap, but decent accommodation in India!
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