Thursday - Santiago and Bartolome

Santiago - South James Bay
This morning we woke up to the Garua mist, which by the time we finished breakfast had turned into a fast drizzle of rain. We put on our rain gear and hopped into the pangas for a wet landing on the black sandy beach of Puerta Egas on Santiago Island (Also known as South James Bay). After landing on the wet sand, we walked up a slight hill that took us off the beach. The trail followed the black lava coastline, filled with algae covered grottos and tidal pools.

We had the option to walk at the coastline, over the wet slippery lava, or to stay a little further in the shore, where the lava was flatter and while wet, was not algae covered. I picked the latter. The two trails often overlapped at the flat lava areas, so it wasn't as though I was on my own. In fact, I felt like I had the best of both worlds. I was closer to the grassy areas further inland, so I saw lots of finches, yellow warblers, and Galapagos doves. Plus, I could wander onto the lava (just not all the way to the very edge) to see the lava herons, oyster catchers, and Galapagos fur seals. Within the little lava outcroppings were small blowholes (nothing as grand as on Espanola Island). There was one area that Mauricio called "Darwin's Toilet". The water would fill a rather large hole in the lava, then get sucked out again, making a flushing noise.

As we were leaving the shoreline and walking further inland, the mist started to lift and we could see the rest of the island better. This part of the island was very arid, with lots of palo verde trees, acacia, candelabra cactus, and lava lizards. We flipped over a few rocks and found lots of Galapagos scorpions.

After a nice walk back, the mist started rolling in again. That was ok, because our snorkel gear was waiting for us on the beach. All of the crew came over to the island to play soccer, and brought our gear with them. It didn't matter if it rained while we were in the water.

Despite the rain and waves, the visibility in the water was pretty good for snorkeling. Because it was overcast outside, there wasn't glare on the screen of my underwater camera, and I could actually see what I was trying to photograph. I think I got some of my best snorkel pictures this morning. I was engrossed with watching fish and a large green sea turtle for a while and kind of lost perspective of what was around me.


Suddenly I heard a loud barking in my ear. A male sea lion's mouth was less than a foot from my head, and he didn't seem like he was in a good mood. I backed away from him, freaked out, and headed back to shore.



I used the rest of our snorkel time to explore the beach from dry land!



Bartolome
After snorkeling, we headed back to the yacht for hot soup and lunch. We were told not to unpack our snorkel gear because we would be snorkeling off Pinnacle Rock after lunch. This would be the last snorkel of the trip.

But first, we had a dry landing on Bartolome. The surface of Bartolome is covered with a delicate crust of volcanic ash and very small, low ground cover plants called tequilia. In order to minimize erosion and damage to the island, a wooden boardwalk was built that creates a path most of the way to one of the summits on the island. This boardwalk consists of approx. 350 steps. The last 50 or so steps have a railing that is really really low (about mid-thigh height), which makes it very difficult to use the railing. After walking up to the top of Bartolome, you are rewarded with this spectacular view!

After going back down all the steps, it was back to the boat to change into snorkel gear. We then headed to snorkel on the back side of Pinnacle Rock (the large pointy rock formation on the right side of the picture). One of the bigger (100 passenger) cruise lines was there are the same time, so you were more likely to see another snorkeler than anything else. There were a few penguins in the water, and some sea lions, but the visibility was not all that good. This probably wasn't the best snorkel to end with!

I caught a chill, and it was back onto the boat for some hot tea. We had a great goodbye dinner, and were given instructions for the next morning. Instead of heading out after breakfast, our excursion would be at 6 am! Almost everyone called it an early night to pack and get some sleep.

Friday - Tortuga Negra, Santa Cruz

Tortuga Negra (Black Turtle Cove)
This morning we all got up early and piled in the pangas for the final Galapagos Adventure. We were going to ride through the mangroves at Black Turtle Cove and not have any landing. I wondered how it was going to be different than the panga ride through the mangrove at Elizabeth Bay, and thought this was probably a wasted day.

I couldn't have been more wrong! One of the first things we saw was an early morning feeding frenzy of blue footed boobies. There were 100s of them - maybe 1000s!! They moved as an entire flock, then dive bombed the water. After a minute or two, the flock would fly to another nearby area of the cove, and dive again. Watching the blue footed boobies dive is amazing. They pull their wings in close to their body and dive straight down, like a torpedo or bullet. A few times I nearly had to duck as the flock flew over us, and I was hit more than once with the water from their splash. Being caught in this swirling mass of diving boobies was one of the highlights of the trip!



As the sun came further up, the flock of boobies broke up, with a few remaining in the area, but many heading far out of our sight. We then continued through the mangroves, spotting lots of animal life under the water. One person on the other panga spotted a sea horse. We all tried to crowd around and see it, but I never got a good look at it.



Also under the surface of the water were lots of sea turtles, white tipped reef sharks, a couple of sting rays, and more impressively, a large group of golden cownose rays! They were absolutely beautiful as the glided through the water. I was really happy that I brought my polarizing filter with me!

As we slowly paddled through the cove, I spotted a few pelicans. One of them happened to be sitting on a nest with a chick. I don't think I've seen a pelican chick before, so this was a special goodbye treat.

After about an hour and half, it was back to the Beluga for breakfast and to make one last pass at my cabin to make sure everything was packed. Then we climbed into the panga one last time for our final trip to shore. I must say, I'm not going to miss having to get in and out of the panga!

Once on shore, we waited for the bus to pick us up for the airport, and the crew followed with our bags. We checked our bags at the airport, got a special Galapagos Island stamp in the passport, and had about an hour to shop for trinkets before heading back to Quito.

What a great trip!!

Saturday - Quito

I arrived back in Quito on Friday afternoon and took a taxi to my hotel. I got the same room as I had a week earlier. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon taking a much needed nap, and then wandered around the Mariscal district (gringo Quito) for the rest of the evening. I decided to have dinner in an Italian restaurant a few blocks from my hotel, and walked in to find Hildegard and Klaus. I joined them at their table and we had a nice dinner. They then walked me back to my hotel, since it was on the way to theirs.

On Saturday, I debated whether to catch a bus to Mindo for the day or even Otovalo. Instead, I decided to check out the market at El Ejido park. When I got there, I wasn't in a very shopping mood, and wandered around for a while, but really didn't feel like dealing with the crowds or looking at stand after stand of practically the same stuff. There were a few nice paintings, but they wouldn't have fit my decor, so I wasn't really interested in them.

Since Carolina Park was fairly close, I hopped in a cab and headed over there to visit the botanical gardens. The park was huge, and the gardens were on the opposite side of the park from where the cab dropped me off. I'm glad I didn't tip him!

As I walked through the park, I watched a dog obedience class for a while. There were also several exercise classes going on - aerobics, T'ai chi, etc. Despite all the families and activity in the park, there were also quite a few people that looked unsavory. I felt a little uncomfortable walking through the park alone. In fact, I had that general feeling of discomfort througout Quito.

Once I found the entrance to the gardens, I paid my $2 admission and went in. Once inside, I felt a little safer. I decided that a criminal would probably mug somebody in the park for free, rather than pay $2 to do it in the garden (and then have to pass security on the way out).

The gardens were fairly small, but had quite a bit of diversity, and were nicely laid out. One of the highlights of the garden is that it houses 1200 orchid species, along with representative plants from a half dozen ecosystems in Ecuador.

There were lots of benches so you could sit and enjoy the plants and birds. As I was taking a nice break and just enjoying the gardens, I saw the weirdest looking bird. It looked a lot like a large humming bird, but had a tail nearly three times its body length. It was difficult to take a picture of, but I got a quick shot of it when it stopped to drink out of a puddle (see pink square in the picture).

I think it is either a black-tailed trainbearer or a green-tailed trainbearer. These links take you to better pictures than what I took. Just seeing that bird was pretty cool and worth the trip to the gardens!

After leaving the gardens, I headed back to my hotel for a late afternoon nap. After waking up, I walked a few blocks for an early dinner. My flight was at 6:30 the following morning, so I needed to call it an early night and get everything packed and ready to leave the hotel by 4:00 am. The next morning, I said goodbye to Ecuador.

[I finally edited my Day 1 in Quito entry to include pictures of historic Quito]

Galapagos Summary and Tips

One of the greatest challenges when booking a Galapagos trip is figuring out which islands to visit. In part, this is going to vary by the time of year. Which animals do you want to see? Do you want to see them in mating season or with newly born young? Do you need to snorkel in warm water or could you handle the cold water? (You don't want to miss snorkeling!)

During my trip during late September / early October, I knew I was missing most of the young of the blue footed boobies, but I was there in time to see the mating rituals of the waved albatross and the frigate birds.

Below are the islands I visited and the animals that I thought were highlights of each site:

North Seymour

• frigate birds and swallow-tailed gulls

Española

• Gardner Bay - sea lions, sally lightfoot crabs
• Punta Suarez - waved albatross, nazca boobies, red-billed tropic birds, marine iguanas (bright red and green), mocking birds

Floreana

• Punta Cormorant- flamingos, sting rays
• Post Office Bay - horse flies, snorkeling with sea lions

Santa Cruz

• Puerta Ayora - tortoises at the Darwin Research Center, finches
• Highlands - wild tortoises
• Tortuga Negra - blue footed boobies, golden cownose rays, pelicans

Isabela

• Punta Moreno - flamingos, white tipped reef sharks
• Elizabeth Bay - sea turtles, penguins, herons
• Urvina Bay - land iguanas, painted locusts, mocking birds

Fernandina

• Punta Espinoza - flightless cormorants, galapagos hawk, marine iguanas

Santiago

• South James Bay - fur seals, galapagos scorpion, yellow warbler

Bartolome

• penguins

General Tips:

1. Read as much as you can about the animals and geology of the islands before you go. That way you already have an idea of what to look for on each of the islands and what it looks like. While the guide was pointing out animals for much of the rest of the boat and telling them about the biology/ecology of those animals, I was able to half listen and concentrate on getting better pictures. Plus, I didn't need to write down that slide #243 was a nazca boobie, because I was already able to identify it.
2. Selecting your yacht can be a daunting task. You have to balance the itinerary you want with the cost, level of comfort, and availability. Even after doing that, be prepared to be flexible, since your yacht and itinerary is still subject to change (weather, mechanical issues, or "lost" reservations).
3. On the smaller yachts, "luxury" really isn't luxury. I went on the "luxury" yacht Beluga. The Beluga was clean, comfortable, served excellent meals, and provided good customer service. However, the cabins were still very small. Only soap was provided (no shampoo or other toiletries typically associated with luxurious accomodations). The only reason this really stands out to me is that I accidentally packed a container of body wash, rather than shampoo. I noticed this the first day in Quito, and decided not to buy a small bottle of shampoo because I was sure that my luxury yacht would provide some. I was wrong. I spent the cruise washing my hair with body wash and soap - although not a big deal, it is something to know.
4. While the trails are fairly short (typically 1-2 km) and relatively flat, the terrain can be very uneven and rocky. If you have weak ankles or balance problems, be sure to bring sturdy shoes and even a walking stick. I found both to be very useful.
5. You also need to be able to get in and out of the pangas. You will do this multiple times a day - from the yacht, to the island, from the island, to the yacht, and often times in/out at open sea while snorkeling. Sometimes the waves are quite rough, so again balance is required. If you are clumsy or heavy/fat, inflatable zodiacs are more stable than "canoe shaped" boats. Just something else to consider when booking your yacht.
6. If you visit August - October, the water will be cold. You don't want to miss snorkeling, so a wet suit comes in very handy (it is a necessity if you can't handle cold water). You will want to check to see if your yacht rents wet suits and snorkel equipment. If not, you will want to provide your own. If you are a difficult size to fit (especially very large), your yacht may not have anything that will fit you (or if you need a prescription lens in your snorkel mask). Be prepared and bring your own. It's worth the extra cost and effort, so you don't miss snorkeling.
7. Bring lots of sunscreen and use it EVERYWHERE. Make sure to get your feet, back of legs, ears, neck, and even top of head if you don't wear a hat or have thick hair.
8. Most important, bring your sense of humor. Being in close quarters with a dozen or so strangers for a full week can be a challenge if you aren't willing to go with the flow and laugh once in a while.

Galapagos Planning: T minus 2 days and counting

I'm finally starting to get used to the idea of the new itinerary. I went to the library yesterday and looked up a couple of books on the Galapagos that had a lot of pictures. The following two books had some spectacular pictures.




"The Galapagos Islands" by Pierre Constant 2006






"Galapagos, islands born of fire" by Tui De Roy 1998



Some of the most spectacular pictures were taken on Fernandina and Isabela, although I'm not sure they were from areas that I will actually see. Hopefully I will at least see some of the spectacular scenery.

The other thing that is making me a little happier with the itinerary is that currently is appears as though I may have a room to myself on the Beluga. When I look at ship availability for my dates, there currently shows 1 berth available and noted with female share, last minute rate.