WOW!  Is about the only word that can sum up the 8 day tour of Galapagos.  I have never experienced anything remotely similar in my life.  Everything was very positive.  The boat, although very small was more than adequate.  The crew was spectacular, with a great cook.  The group that I was with (11 including myself) was great.  We were a great mix, the majority from the states (even a family with Iowa roots . . . small world!).  The wildlife was incredible.  It was truly amazing how close that you can get without bothering them.  The rule is one meter and the animals seem to be aware of this rule.  I saw everything that I wanted to see and more.  To blog about 8 days seemed impossible, so I created 8 consecutive posts (one for each day).  The first day was short, which was expected with the travel from Guayaquil.  We went to Black Turtle Cove on the northern end of Isla Santa Cruz.  We saw a shark, a ray, birds, and plenty of sea turtles.  It was only a very small taste of the amazing things that we would see over the 8 days.  Here are some pics.  Don't forget, if you have time, go through the rest of the posts as each island is a bit different.
All of the photos that I took can be found at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/jmathisecuador