Our boat, the Explorer II, was built specifically as a cruise ship, so it had nice features such as stabilizing wings to reduce rolling. Despite these wings, some get seasick on overnight trips. The ship’s cook kindly supplied us with powdered ginger, which we mixed with Ecuadorian chocolate for reasonably good relief. Next time we go on a sea voyage, we will bring ginger capsules.

This fast ship enabled us to visit five islands in four days. These included Espanola, where we saw albatross and blue-footed boobies mate; San Cristobal, which had amazing snorkeling; Rabida, which had red sand beaches and dramatic vistas; Santa Cruz, where the Darwin research station is located; and Baltra, where there were green sea turtle and ghost crab nests.

The Galapagos Islands are actually the tips of giant underwater volcanoes. They have never been attached to the mainland. They were created by fire. They are being steadily destroyed by water. They sit on an ocean plate that is moving southeast at the astonishingly fast rate of seven centimeters a year. This plate is moving over a “hot spot” in the earth’s crust. The two youngest islands, Fernandina and Isabella, are right over this hot spot. They have active volcanoes, and dramatic scenery.

As the islands drift away from the hot spot, their volcanoes become dormant, and they are gradually eroded by wind, rain and sea. The oldest island (three to five million years old, which is actually extremely young for an island), Espanola, farthest to the southeast, is almost flat. Soon it will disappear.

However, students participating in the new international travel course, "Voyage to the Galapagos and Amazon Rainforests," required a slightly different packing list. Along with the parka, students also packed hiking boots, swim trunks, shorts, sandals and a snorkel for the two-week journey to the Galapagos Islands.

En un trabajo de investigación conjunta del Parque Nacional Galápagos (PNG), la Fundación Charles Darwin, la Universidad de Misuri y el zoológico de Saint Louis, se detectó el fenómeno.

“Se llama así porque durante la colonización los perros traídos del continente eran abandonados y llegaban aquí para comerse los huevos de las iguanas”, cuenta el hombre de mediana edad y piel tostada a dos atentos turistas peruanos.