It smelled quite sulphur-ey and steamed quite enthusiastically, but didn’t make any audible noise. Thankfully the wind was blowing the steam away from our path – apparently when the wind changes and blows the other way, folks are not allowed to walk there because the gases can be poisonous. And nobody is allowed to go there without a local guide.

This has helped to preserve so much of the islands natural habitat and plethora of wildlife. Even with such strict rules however, our kayak guide yesterday, when I asked how long she’d been kayak guiding, and what have been the changes over that 11 years of experience, she said the biggest change is the declining numbers of penguins, due to habitat loss due to climate change. That’s a big sadness.

On the drive back, we stopped at a mirador where we could see Turtle Island (which we’d passed by on the sailboat day), widow rock (which was the namesake of one of the beers we’d had last night), and the great expanse of the Pacific ocean.

Then a free afternoon… Finally! Time for a nap… and a video chat with the folks back home, then a delightful supper out at a fancy local restaurant with Jeannie, Minnie and Gilbert.

Felicity