You cannot miss the blazing bright red and yellow Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

We often worked on different projects, visited different sites and spent our evenings in different places, but at some point everyone bought a Choco Banano.

These lizards with a face only a mother iguana could love are vegetarians that swim out to sea to feed on the algae below.

In Houston, El Nino translates into a lot of rain. In the Galapagos, it spells death.

The Galapagos have never made a good first impression.

When I lost my snorkel and mask to a rogue wave, strangers dove in to help.

Among all the unique species on the Galapagos are a handful I've met before closer to home, including pelicans, herons and a passel of coastal birds.

Invasive trees, goats, ants and other wildlife that have hitched a ride to the islands are thriving.

As you climb into the highlands, the landscape becomes lush, and a ghostly mist often hangs in the air.

They lounge on the beaches, frolic in the water and don't mind the company of people, unless you get too close.