Bartolome Day!

Author: Saphir and Eliot
Location:
We started the day half conscious at 4am. We then headed to the opposite side of the island where we all disembarked from the port on our boat. Most of us took a nap, while some watched dolphins, manta rays, and sea turtles. We had a brief breakfast with fabulous hot chocolate. After we arrived at San Bartolome where we started hiking. On our way to the top, we were amazed at how species adapted to nature. Lava lizards have the same color as the ground. We thought some plants, which were growing all over the area, were dead. But the tour guide told us with its narrow leaves it could save water rare in the volcanic islands. At the top, we enjoyed the majestic scenery that was a fantastic blend of volcanic islands, craters, corals, sea, sky, and beach. After we returned we started snorkeling. Snorkeling for the next 2 hours was an adventure in itself. We saw several sea lions, many large sea cucumbers, coral, and starfish. But this was only the beginning! We found hundreds of nearly invisible jellyfish, rare puffer fish (one puffed up!), and trumpet fish. We then saw some penguins, some drying on the beach and one darting in and out of a huge school of fish trying to find lunch. The little guy would pop up right in front of us. We thought there was nothing more we could possibly see, when some white tipped sharks were spotted! Some of us had been in the cold water for a full 2 hours, and so we headed out from the great island. We napped, sunbathed, ate lunch, and admired the view as we crossed the silent, serene ocean. Some of us were lucky enough to see a manta ray doing a triple back flip only 20 feet from the boat. Many agree that this just might be the best day we've had in Galapagos.

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