Hello All,
Now we have been here a few days, I think I am finally over my jet lag - the permanent headache I have had for 3 days has finally gone. This truly is an amazing place. We have seen so much and done lots in our first few days. We went to see the tortoises and on a bay tour on thursday which was amazing. Yesterday we went to the beach nearest to us - about a 40 minute walk down a path that is surrounded by cacti plants and trees and past trees that you are not allowed to touch because they are toxic. Apparently they will give you a large burn like mark and the fruit will make you very ill if eaten, if eaten by a child it can be fatal. So I was rather glad I was walking with a woman who pointed them out. Interestingly enough, the only thing that can eat the fruit apparently without dire consequences is the tortoise. They have adapted to it.
The beach itself -Tortuga Bay had really rough sea and there are apparently very strong rip tides there. We walked along to the end, past the marine iguanas (they seem to be everywhere) and to a very calm bay. We hired some sea canoes and went out to see what we could see. Which included quite a few sea turtles. There were apparently a few rays around, but I didn't see them. Sting rays and golden rays. I am a little wary of the rays, apparently the sting rays can be in water knee high and also make you quite ill if you step on them.
The wildlife here is like nothing I have seen before. There are animals everywhere and they really are not scared of humans. You can get close enough to touch them, but we don't actually do that. The rocks on the beaches are full of crabs, the sealion we saw sat waiting for his photo to be taken, the pelicans are like sea gulls and a big pest to the locals, especially the fishermen. The marine iguanas - probably the animal I was least looking forward to seeing thinking they were quite ugly - are really quite funny. They swim in a weird wiggly way and then walked past us really slowly to where they were going to sun themselves. They snort salt out their nostrils which makes a funny sound and sprays everywhere. Apparently this is part of what happens as they have learnt to adapt to life in the water. Once in the sun they lie on their belly's with their legs out and just sun themselves. Really quite lazy and docile. I am really quite taken with them now.
As for the volunteering, apparently schools are closed this week, so we start on Monday. Which is a whole other step of the adventure. We have been given a list of words and phrases that should be helpful, they incude - Don't bite, Don't touch me, Do you want to go to the toilet, and so on. Can't wait.....

The pictures are as follows; Blue footed booby, marine iguana, crab and the posing sealion/seal, not quite sure which it is.