Galapagos tall tales from the seal bank

'You have to look at the horizon, then things will get better, says the voice inside me'.

Easier said than done when the ship is rocking between the blue sea and an even bluer sky, try finding a horizon there.

And so I stagger from one side to the other, much to the amusement of the ship's crew, into my approximately three square meter cabin below deck, lie down, pop even more 'anti-I'm-gonna-puke-all-over-the-ship' tablets, lie down, cling to the mattress and hope to fall asleep soon and not wake up in the cold water. And what is actually the lethal dose for anti-nausea tablets ????

It works, at least the sea still seems to be outside the window and the morning offers me what I have taken on the hardships for... And in a moment the internal cursing stops, the hardships of the first night are gone and I begin to understand why I am here.

It is difficult to describe such an incredibly beautiful and diverse place in the world. Perhaps like this..

There were moments when I simply sat quietly on the deck of the old rickety sailing ship, gazing at the different shades and shapes of the islands, listening to the waves, and watching the red sun sink into the sea or marvel at the countless stars in the darkest night sky above the sea.

And then, two dark backs at the end of the horizon, two fins. They must be huge. This time not a seal...Whales! I scream, and hardly spoken, they have already sunk back into the dark blue.

And I understand Captain Ahab as he chased Moby Dick, standing on the deck, while the cold Pacific air (although I think it was the Atlantic) blew around his rough face.

That must be it, the feeling of true peace, true freedom.

Corny? Ohhh yes....and it can be that way at this place in the world. Welcome to the Galapagos Islands! And so here is a selection of the best pictures from over 2500 shot photos.

Our faithful boat companion

Blue-footed booby