Exploring the Pacific

The last couple days have been spent here in Puerto Lopez, exploring the surrounding scenery. Yesterday I headed out on a boat to Isla Salango. It was just me and an older woman, Bo, from Canada. The day was spent snorkeling, kayaking, fishing and overall just relaxing. We were also able to catch some glimpses of unusual bird life, including the Blue-Footed Booby, found below.

Today I headed out into the Pacific to do some Scuba Diving. It had been three years since my first and last diving experience, so I was a bit nervous starting out. It turned out to be fine, and the dive master was great and very helpful, even without speaking English. I did two dives lasting about 45 minutes each. On both dives I saw an array of animals and fish, including octopi, manta rays, eels and sea turtles. There was also a great variety of extremely colorful starfish as well as sea urchins.

Tomorrow I am heading out to check out the Isla de la Plata, known as ¨the poor man’s Galapagos.¨ Since I will not have time to see the Galapagos this trip, this other smaller island will have to suffice. From what I have heard from others, it is still a pretty neat place, and I am looking forward to seeing a few more of those Blue-Footed Boobies and other similarly exotic birds.