One of the best ways to start the morning is Kathy and Chris’s daily lesson in Italian. A difficult task for both, but assisted by Chris’s significant other Elena. The interchanges between Kathy and Chris in the morning has progressed to five interchanges that Chris starts with “Buongiorno”. (Good morning), and Kathy replies, “Buongiorno”. Now the fun begins…
“Come sto facendo?” (How are you doing?)
“Molto bene.” (Very well.)
“Da dove devo parlare?” (Where do you come from?)
“Vengo dall’america.” (I come from America.)
“Dove lavoro?” (Where do you work?)
“Lavora in ospedale.” (I work in a hospital.)
And then the latest, “Come ho dormito?” (How did you sleep?)
“Molto bene.” (Very well.)
The goal is for Kathy and Chris to know 14 sentences or exchanges by the time we end the trip, a worthy goal for Kathy and a much anticipated goal by Chris’s significant other, Elena.
Our daily briefing included an admonishment to make sure we pack lots of water, use sunscreen, and wear a hat as the sun will be hot and the potential for sunburn greatly increased. The early morning brought the normal misty sort of sky that we see over many coastal areas. The anticipation would be that the mist would dissipate and the sun would start shining through. Instead, the day stayed cool and cloudy which made for a perfect little boat trip in the dingy. We drove around some rock outcroppings where we got to see penguins nesting, resting, and playing with each other. (We tried to rhyme, but jesting did not seem right!) We saw flightless cormorants and blue footed boobies. Next was a ride through the mango groves where we saw a Galapagos monkey (a sea lion basking in a tree), turtles swimming around, pelicans, penguins fishing for food, and a lava heron catching and cleaning his fish. The two hours in the dingy flew by and soon we were back on boat where we glimpsed the tail of a whale and a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins cavorting in the ocean.
Lunch soon followed where Kathy tried to channel Prity (Rikky) by asking the question of what is the worst food you have ever eaten on your travels. Kathy and Dave agree, octopus was difficult, chewy, and not at all appetizing. Afternoon brought us our daily afternoon siesta time where we took the opportunity to catch up on our reading and downloading of pictures. (Soon we will have strong enough internet to download our pictures – patience, please!) The afternoon adventures seemed benign, but packed a wallop of fun. We did a short hike where we got to see golden Galapagos land iguanas and one of the largest tortoises we have ever seen in the wild. Next was the stop at the black sand beach where we donned our snorkel gear again and Dave and Kathy swam with an Eagle Ray and giant tortoises. The water, while murky, was not so dense that we could not see the turtles swimming in the cove of the beach. But then, of course, they were huge so they are hard to miss.
Dinner, like always, was a magnificent affair and we enjoyed having six at our table as it made for a lively time.
Sounds like you are having a great time.