To view my
'Best 100' gallery of photos from this trip, you have two options available. The first is to check out my
online web photo gallery (flash required). NOTE: I kept the photos rather large, thus requiring a high resolution screen setting. If for some reason you do not see small thumbnail images along the bottom of the screen, please use the navigation arrows in the lower right corner of the screen. Or, you can view a lower resolution version of the same gallery here...OR, the
best option is to
download the self-running PDF slide presentation which I generated
(requires Acrobat reader, which most web browsers have installed by default).
NOTE: It's a 26
mb file, so it may take a few minutes to download if you don't have a fast connection---it's worth the wait! The
slideshow should run on it's own, but if it doesn't for some reason, you can always use your arrow keys to go to the next photo.
What a coincidence!! A brand new documentary on the Galapagos premieres tonight (Sunday, March 18th) on The National Geographic Channel, check viewing times for your area here...
The first thing people say when you tell them you're planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands is, "I didn't know you were even allowed to go there." In reality, 120,000 visitors per year are allowed to visit the archipelago, and only under the supervision of a naturalist from the Galapagos National Reserve. The second thing people ask is, "Where do you stay when you get there?" Well, you have two options: stay at one of a handful of hotels in the island chain, or travel by ship aboard the M/V
Xpedition, a purpose-built 4,000 tonne ship operated by Celebrity cruises. We chose this option, and it was worth every penny.
Most people aren't familiar with the Galapagos Islands, other than the fact that Charles Darwin spent 2 weeks of his life there in 1831 where he began to formulate his theory of Evolution
. Geographically speaking, they are 600 miles due west of Ecuador, South America, straddling the equatorial line. It's a series of 13 primary volcanic islands, 6 smaller islands and 107 rocks and islets approximately 5-7 million years old where dozens of species of plants and animals unique only to those islands have flourished and evolved over millions of years. For more detailed information about the flora, fauna and geography of the Galapagos, check out the
Galapagos Wikipedia entry.
The allure of the Galapagos is this uniqueness. It is truly a one-of-a-kind place with no comparison elsewhere on the planet.
Our trip began in Quito, Ecuador. Believe it or not most people don't make the connection between 'Ecuador' and 'Equator' I personally never gave it a thought until standing atop the monument that represents the 0 0 0 degree latitude line of the planet. You can stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern. The equatorial line runs through the Galapagos Islands as well.
The city of Quito was amazing. The people are incredibly friendly, helpful, highly educated and attractive--whoever said living at 9,300 feet elevation on the
beltline of the planet doesn't keep you young and healthy? The city is very clean and organized, quite frankly the US could take some pointers from our friends in Ecuador. Our arrival and transfer from the airport to the
JW Marriott was like clockwork. We were offered cocoa tea to 'help adjust to the altitude' (No, this tea would not be legal in the states!) The 5 star accommodations were superb. So far, so good!
Day 1 began with a tour of the city which included lunch at the
The Crater Restaurant, located on the edge of a volcanic caldera filled with lush jungle, farmland and a cloud forest. The volcano is technically still 'active' and continually emits vapor which forms a low cloud cover that drifts down through the forest. The view was amazing, the food was fantastic and our
tourguide and wait staff were superb. It was only midway through the first day of our trip and my wife and I already knew this was going to be the best trip of our lives. After a drive through the mountains to visit the
Equatorial Monument, which is the 00'00' degree equatorial intersection point, we headed back to the hotel for a fabulous dinner at the
Historic Quito Opera House.
Quote of the day:
"When the Spanish came to settle Ecuador, the indigenous population was given two choices--Catholicism or death." ~ Marco, our city tour director.
We stopped at the
Basilica Cathedral for a photo op. It took 100 years to build and all of the stone gargoyles were of indigenous wildlife such as iguanas and sea turtles.
This trip was billed as an all-inclusive package, which included all flights, transfers, meals, tips and even drinks. We've taken other 'all inclusive' trips before where the
fine print at the bottom outlined what wasn't included. Let me just say that in the entire 12 days we NEVER had to put our hand in our pocket for a single thing. We literally spent $0 on anything other than items we bought shopping in markets. Again, we were blown away by the efficiency and clockwork precision of the entire affair. You truly get what you pay for on this trip.
Day 2 started with our flight out of Quito to the Islands on TAME Airlines A320 Airbus. The aircraft was immaculate, and the meal we were served was one of the best I've had on any airline. Just under 2 hours later we landed on
Baltra Island in the Galapagos. Our customs check-in was quick and uneventful--they are very thorough about making sure no non-native insects, plants, seeds or even water is brought in by passengers. We were ushered into the VIP lounge to have drinks (free) while the rest of the group disembarked the aircraft.
Our particular group consisted of 76 people, I'd estimate 95% were from the US. Interestingly enough, but not surprising, Ellen and I were the youngest couple on the ship by 12 years. Our closest peers were an Argentinian couple living in Miami (but on their way to live in Madrid) who quickly became good friends. By the end of the trip, we were lovingly referred to as "the kids" by the rest of our shipmates.
Once we left
Baltra airport, which was literally a single airstrip and open-air terminal, we were shuttled to the harbor where we boarded Zodiacs to head out to the ship which was anchored just outside the harbor. The five 22' long
Xpedition Zodiacs would be our primary means of transportation to and from our hikes and snorkeling excursions for the rest of the trip. They each held about 16 people comfortably. Upon boarding the ship we were greeted with cold towels and glasses of champagne prior to our orientation. Again, I must emphasize that every part of this trip was planned out down to the minute. We never waited for anything, never guessed about what came next, everything was perfectly executed and well organized.
Our first excursion was to Seymour Island to observe Blue-Footed Boobies, Frigate birds and Galapagos Iguanas in their natural terrain. It was our first chance to wring-out the photography equipment and get acclimated to the equatorial climate.
Each day ended with a 'cocktail hour' lecture in the main lounge that highlighted that days events along with a
slideshow of the next days' activities given by the ships director and lead naturalist, Jason. Originally a northern California native, he married an Ecuadorian woman and moved to the Galapagos 14 years ago. He's been leading the
Xpedition program since it's maiden voyage in 2003.
Day 3 kicked off with a 7am Zodiac ride around Kicker Rock. At 6:30am, sitting on deck watching the sunrise while sipping coffee, we realized this was going to be a very physically active vacation, no sleeping-in, no lounging around. You rolled out of bed at 6am (if you wanted breakfast), threw on your backpack and
amphibs and made your way to the staging deck. My biggest concern was making sure my batteries were fully charged and my memory cards were cleared...
We were back on ship by 9am to head to our next stop--San Cristobal and
Espanola Islands. I'm not sure how to describe this, but I'll give it my best shot. Try to imagine stepping OVER 300 pound Sea Lions napping on the rocks. Imagine squatting down inches away from a dozen marine iguanas basking on the beach and snapping photos. It's difficult to describe the sensation of being so close to such bizarre and prehistoric animals that have absolutely no fear of humans.
You could easily touch any of them--of course, this isn't allowed for good reason. Every yard of the hike revealed more wildlife. It was easy to lose track of the guide and fall behind the group when taking photos of napping baby sea lions, huddled together with their flippers resting on
each other's backs...just unbelievable.
Day 3's hike culminated in a spectacular 'blow-hole' in the volcanic rocks. As the ocean waves rolled in, seawater would shoot 30' into the air through a natural hole formed in the
cliff side...
Day 4 started with a high intensity snorkeling excursion around
Floreana Island where we jumped into the water off the Zodiac. The current was running about 7 knots, and we were swimming against it, so this was our first taste of what was to come in terms of our in-water excursions. We brought our own personal wetsuits and snorkeling gear, but the ship provided equipment for anyone who needed it. This time of year, the water temp runs between 68-72. It was
exhilarating to say the least. Ten minutes into the 1.5 hour swim, I was shooting photos of enormous stingrays, curious sea lions and black-tipped reef sharks. The diversity and sheer amount of
sea life to take in was almost overwhelming.
Factoid of the day: If a Sealion blows bubbles in your face, it means he wants to play. If he barks at you underwater and you can hear it clearly, it means you're getting a little too close to his females...
Day 5 (coming soon)Day 6 (coming soon)Day 7 (coming soon)Day 8 (coming soon)Day 9 (coming soon)Finally, this brings me to one of the main points of this entire trip--the people we shared this experience with! We've never met such an extraordinarily diverse cross section of wonderful people. I've been all over the world and met dozens of people we've kept in contact with over the years, but this group truly exceeded anything we've experienced in the past. By the end of the trip we had
newfound friends whom we will keep in contact with from now on.
All said and done, our week in the Galapagos was by far the best trip of our lives--worth every penny we spent. One of the professional travel reviews we read before booking the trip said something like,
'Beg, borrow and steal the money if you have to, do whatever you must to take this trip, it's truly the chance of a lifetime.'I couldn't have put it better myself...
