The Galapagos Islands are very interesting and beautiful. They are a part of Ecuador, I believe.

We flew there from Ecuador in a plane that was no longer wanted in Africa. All of the instructions on the back of the seats were in French. I believe it was from Mozambique. It was a thrilling flight to say the least. The pilots and the weather were perfect, but I was a little suspect of the plane. It all turned out fine. Thankfully or not, I still can’t see into the future.

The animals that inhabit the islands have no fear of humans since they have never been hunted. You can get very close to them to see what they are up to, but do be careful. These animals expect you to respect their privacy to some degree.

We were on a small ship cruising the islands. We had a mixed group of some very pleasant travelers. About a third were from England, lovely. A third were from the east coast and most worked in the theaters on Broadway. They were involved in advertising and producing.

No stars were among them, thankfully. We love theater, but we’re on vacation and have little time or interest in fawning over those who need or want that type of thing. The last part of the group was from Southern California. There were perhaps less than thirty on the ship.

We meshed well and had some great times snorkeling, exploring the islands, and of course, eating and drinking.

I am a sarsaprilla man my self. Try looking that up when your not sure of the spelling. I have heard it pronounced as sasperilla in western movies. It was an ingredient of root beer and other soft drinks, some of which I have a long and powerful interest in.

There’s a very interesting book called, “The Gallapagos Affair,” which is worth reading, especially if your headed out there.

It isn’t very long and it is a story full of fascinating things. It is about the families who live and lived on some of those less populous islands and an adventurous woman who came from Germany in the twenties and stirred everything up. She wore a pistol and came with two lovers. It is still an unsolved murder mystery as far as I know. Interested yet?

There was another true account coming out as a book when the last person involved in the incidents died, but I don’t know if it ever saw the light of day.

I am now on Facebook at R.C. Hand