Tuesday, Feb. 23,  dawned. After having traveled for six hours during the night, we were in sight of Espanola Island -  our destination for the day.  In the morning, there was no need to wear shoes.  We would be spending the first part of the day, on a beautiful, picturesque, perfect white sandy beach.   So off we went to swim, sun, snorkel, and stroll.  The dingies took us close to shore, and we waded onto the beach.  Hernand gathered us into a group for a brief talk about the beach.   The startling piece and somehow a bit humorous piece of information was that the Espanola beach, as well as every white sandy beach in the world, has the same composition.  When on any white beach, we are standing in pure white processed, purified, sea animal poop.  (The grandkids will love this fact!) 

Small sea creatures eat shells and coral and digest it, and then they are eaten and their poop is eaten by other sea creatures, and so on, including the sting rays,  who process and digest and poop, until it becomes refined into what we call white sand.  So, there's the story....some beaches are simply sand -- but not all....gives a new perspective to the beauty of white sandy beaches....and the intricacy of the ecological chain.   Those sea creatures continue their work, never realizing what delight they are giving the tourist of the world, and most beach lovers have no clue as to the composition of the beautiful sand.  

We also got to see part of a young whale skeleton, Hernand is shown holding one vertebrae with both arms inside it to shown the size of the animals spinal cord compared to a human spinal cord. 

Sea lions, iguanas, crabs, and birds were in abundance.  The sea lions slept and yawned periodically. Except once one of our boats group got close to a nursing mother and was fiercely barked at by another by what appeared to be the alpha male.  Keeping distance was important, unless the animals chose to move closer to us, which did happen at times. 

The weather was perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing.  We all enjoyed the free time on the island.  After about 2.5 hours, we headed back to the boat and lunch.  The first part of the afternoon was R and R time, in preparation for afternoon walks on the rocky, very rocky side of Espanola and visits to the sea lion nursery, and Nazca Booby hatchery, where hundreds of Boobies live on the cliffs above the ocean.    

There were three options for the afternoon: s 2.5 hour difficult strenuous walk across the very rocky, hilly terrain;  a one hour slow walk (with walking sticks - thank goodness for walking sticks) across part of the rocky and hilly terrain; or and afternoon on the sun deck enjoying the sun and the lulling rock of the boat on calmer waters.    

We left the strenuous walk for the more experience (and in better shape) hikers, Rose, Mary Lu, and I opted for the 1 hour walk, and Martha and Ruth enjoyed an afternoon in the sun.  All of us were content with our choice of activities.  The close ups of the wildlife are from the afternoon walk and include one photo of one of the mockingbirds in the Galapagos.  This bird differs from Island to island, and some of them never leave the island on which they are born. 

We landed near the sea lion nursery. One baby sea lion, seemed a bit scrawny and was struggling (see photo) Lola, assured us that it was healthy, just newly born and still adapting to its new life.  Hundreds, maybe thousands of Nazca Boobies nest on the island. Look closely, one photo is of a mother with newly born, tiny Booby. The baby Nazca Boobies are soo fluffy that they truly look like stuffed birds that almost everyone would want to cuddle.  However, we had been warned - do not try to take the Boobies off the island.  The guides shared stories of the devious ways people coming to the Galapagos try to smuggle out living inhabitants - from insects to Boobies -- and baby penguins and sea lions.  

On return to the ship we were greeted with Ice cream as our afternoon snack!   Could have been Turkey Hill Experience ice cream, as it tasted just like home - even had chocolate sauce, walnuts and sprinkles for it.   Treat time was followed by showers, a last yummy dinner (photo of Mary Lu, Martha, and Alice a teacher from Hungary living in Switzerland) and a talk with plans for the next day and disembarking for the airport in Guayiquil - the first leg of our journey home.