Well, this was easily one of the highlights of the entire trip. One of Alex’s most anticipated animal sightings were the Galapagos’ penguins, but we thought that wasn’t going to happen. We had heard from other travelers that a penguin had been seen on the rocks while they were on their boat. In the middle of our third snorkel someone screamed and pointed at the water. Then another. Penguins. All around us. Swimming amongst us in singles, pairs, and large groups. They would float on the surface and dart around the water, almost too fast to see. I realized if I watched the school of fish for sudden direction changes, a penguin might be on the way. This is the best picture I could get, but there are lots of clear videos I’ll post later. Then, of course, there were the sea lions. “But Michael, you’ve piled sea lion photo upon sea lion photo on us already,” you say? First of all, this is free, and why are you talking to yourself? Secondly, this time was different. I was swimming back to shore from the large, empty, deep, scary lagoon (where the eagle rays were spotted). Realizing that a) I was alone, and b) you know, maybe shouldn’t be, I forced myself back. As I stopped for a moment to catch my bearings, an enormous sea lion swam right next to me. It stopped, turned its head at me, and then swam right past me. It was within arm’s length (although I didn’t dare touch it). Trip around the world: warranted.

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