Bartoleme – Crossroads of Conservation Group Journal Entry

Today we woke up at 5:30 and everyone was tired, but filled with enthusiasm for the extravagant adventure we had planned for the day. Luis, our trusted companion and fearless leader, greeted us on the bus ride to the boat. Once the group set foot on the boat, the journey commenced.

The boat ride was as slow as a giant tortoise, but we all had a fantastic view of neighboring small islands. Half way through the boat ride we passed one of the ‘small’ islands, which turned out to be quite large up close. Once we arrived at Bartolome, our emotions erupted just as a volcano would.

Speaking of volcano, we walked up one (non-active). There we LAVA rocks, where were very porous and ridged like broken glass. Once we reached the top of the volcano we had an unforgettable view. Almost everyone in the group immediately started frantically taking pictures.

After this adventure we began a new one. We got our snorkeling gear and flippers and packed ourselves in the speedboat. The speedboat took us to the snorkeling spot and we plunged in. Little did we know, the waters were shark infested. There were actually three white-tipped sharks (not the man-eating kind) and even a penguin that looked very lost. The sea floor was speckled with sea stars and exotic fish were all around the coral.

As usual, today was an adventure that none of us will forget.