The Seahorse Island

We decided to visit Isabela Island before the cruise instead of after because I figured that after the cruise we will feel like just relaxing rather than going anywhere. Isabela Island still has several active volcanoes, is the largest and, one of the newer islands. 

On our first day we rented some snorkeling equipment (masks and fins) and headed to Concha y Perla to try snorkeling. It would be my first time snorkeling and I was nervous because I couldn't find a life jacket to rent anywhere and I don't swim very well. But I was surprisingly buoyant in the water and after learning how to breath with the snorkeling mask, floating was easy. When we booked our cruise we were told that you don't need a wet suit because the water is warmer in December but it was pretty damn cold! So I had to take a few breaks to warm up in between. I didn't venture to far away from the dock but didn't need to either because most of the marine life was more visible near the bay along the shoreline. We saw many fish and then a sea lion came along and swam with me for a while. Not bad for my first snorkeling experience, didn't drown and swam with a sea lion!

The next day, we went to Sierra Negra, a volcano with the second largest crater in the world, in the highlands of Islabela. Initially the morning hike was foggy and we didn't see much but as the day cleared we got a pretty good view of the giant 10 km crater. Our guide told us the volcano erupted in October 2005. The town got ready to evacuate but scientists told them it was safe to stay. So they spent most of the month watching the eruption and lava flow, which we thought would be a pretty cool thing to see. Afterwards, we went to Volcan Chico which is adjacent to Sierra Negra. It's an area where you can see smaller volcanoes and pits where pressure and gas are still being released. We ate lunch from the top of Volcan Chico, overlooking the beautiful landscape of the bay and the rest of island.

We left Isabela that afternoon, taking a motor boat back to Santa Cruz. It was a rough two-hour ride, even after taking some Gravol. This made me glad that we are not doing to much island-hopping because I don't think Ramanan and I can handle these small boat rides.