grillin-n-chillin.net

It’s Monday and our 2nd full day in the galapagos.  This morning we had a dry landing at “Punta Espinosa” on Fernandina Island.  The zodiak took us to a concrete peir in the mangroves where 3 sea lions were playing on and around the pier.  We walked over old lava flows and sand observing sea lions (many nursing pups), flightless cormorants and marine iguanas.  Our hike lasted about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Back on board we had a naturalist lecture on the 13 species of Darwin Finches followed by a gourmet buffet lunch.
After lunch we anchored near “Punta Vicente Roca”, Isabella Island.  Deep water snorkeling was available by way of the zodiaks, but we elected to stay on board.  From the deck of the ship we observed sea turtles and sea lions swimming.  In the the late afternoon we had a “dingy” tour.  We boarded the zodiak which took us along the coastline to observe the geology and wildlife.  The dingy tour lasted a little over an hour and we observed sea lions, penguins and turtles swimming along side the zodiak.  On the lava cliffs we saw Blue Fotted Boobies, Nazca Boobies, Frigates, Brown Noddy Terns, Sally Lightfoot Crabs and marine iguanas.  Shortly after getting back on board the ship sailed north to cross the equator and there was a crossing the equator cocktail party (we actually cross the equator 4 times on this voyage.  After the cocktail party we had a briefing on tomorrows activities followed by dinner.

The wake up call this morning was a sexy female voice inviting us to get up and prepare to enjoy the day.  we had a nice buffet breakfast before going ashore on Barthalomew Island.  This island consists of volcanic rock and old lava.  We saw a number of small collapsed craters and vents, as well as oln lava tubes and flows.  The park service has installed a wooden walk way from the landing area to the top of the peak.  This walkway includes 360 steps, some of which are very steep.  The walkway was installed to protect the fragile lava.  At the top of the peek is a solar powered lighthouse.  Along the path we saw lava lizards, Darwin Finches and lava cactus.  The view from the top was spectular.  When we got back down to the landing area the Zodiaks took us to a small cove with a sandy beach.  As the zodiak approached the beach a penguin swam past.  Several passengers went snorkeling, others rested on the beach.  Near the beach a sea lion was resting on the rocks.  Once back on board we had a really great buffet lunch followed by a naturalist lecture on the weather and vegetation zones of the Galapagos.  At 1 PM we had an interesting tour of the bridge then at 2 PM a cocoa presentation with samples of Ecuadorian chocolate.

There are two types of landings for the zodiaks, wet or dry.  The dry landings are on rocks or piers, the wet on sand beaches in ankle to knee deep water.  This mornings landing was dry but then after the 360 steps up and down the zodiak too us to a beach for a wet landing.  This was to the area for people to snorkel.

At 3PM we visited Santiago (James)Island, “Port Egas”.  We had a wet landing then walked for about 2 1/2 hours observing the wildlife and scenery.  Almost immediately we saw sea lions and marine iguanas.  We returned to the same beach to catch the zodiak back to the ship.  Although this afternoons hike wasn’t as streneous as this mornings, the two together made for a tiring day.  After the 7:30 PM briefing about tomorrows activities we had another great dinner.  The had activities (karoke and stuff) scheduled for after dinner, but I ran out of energy.

The service and food on board are fantastic, we’re having a wonderful time.

Saturday morning arrived with a 5 AM wake-up call.  We flew out of Quito about 9:30 with a stop for fuel in Guayaquil, arriving at Balta in the Galapagos around 12:30 PM.  We were bused a short distance to the small harbor where we boarded a Zodiak that took us to the ship, the Galapagos explorer II.

On board the ship we had a nice buffet lunch followed by an orientation then a safety and lifeboat drill.  Our first island landing was to visit “Dragon Hill”.  The passengers were divided into groups of about 16 people with a naturalist guide.  We boarded Zodiaks by groups and went ashore.  the hike lasted about 2 hours.  We saw marine and land iguanas, Darwin Finches, Galapagos Seagulls, American Oyster Catchers, Yellow Breasted Warblers, red crabs on the lava shoreline, prickly pear and candlabra cactus and many other plants.

Back on board there was a welcome cocktail reception where we met the Captain, officers and naturalist guides.  This was followed by a really nice dinner.  We finished the day with a briefing about tomorrow’s adventures.

Here’s typical daily schedule on board the Galapagos Explorer II:
 6:30 AM wake up call
 7:00 AM breakfast buffet
 8:00 AM first island visit of the day
11:00 AM return to ship
12:00 PM lunch buffet
 3:00 PM second island visit of the day
 6:00 PM return to ship
 7:30 PM briefing on next days activities
 8:00 PM dinner
 9:30 PM social activities or naturalist lectures

This was a very long and active day, but worth every minute and very enjoyable.

The Galapagos Explorer II is a beautiful small ship (max 100 passengers).  The crew and staff are the friendliest of any place we’ve traveled.

Friday March 5th and it’s our last day to see Quito (on this trip).  After our buffet breakfast we walked around the local area and to the indian market to do a little more shopping.  We’ve been able to get some really great bargains.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped for lunch at the same Chinese restaurant we ate at yesterday.  We’re back at the hotel early, sorting our purchases and getting packed for the early flight to the Galapagos tomorrow morning.  I didn’t take the camera with us today so not photos to share.

It stated out to be a laid back Thursday, then we decided to go to the botanical garden.  We had a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, then walked practically next door to a very small but nice indian market.  We did some shopping and got some great deals.  We put our treasures in our hotel room the walked back past the market to the “Supermax” grocery store to pick up a few things.  Once we got everything back in the room we decided to walk to the botanical garden in La Carolina Park.  It was a little over a mile.  We spent about 2 hours looking at and photographing plants and flowers in the garden.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a chinese restaurant for an early dinner.  We’re in for the night.  Tomorrow is our last day in Quito.

Here it is Wednesday March 3rd.  Only 2 more days left to see Quito, Saturday morning real early we’re off for the Galapagos.  After a wonderful buffet breakfast here in the hotel we walked to the area where there are several Artisan and craft shops.  We visited about a dozen shops before going back to the Indian Market.  We spent a couple hours shopping in the “Mercado” then walked down a few blocks to the same restaurant we had lunch in yesterday, “Quito Tempo”.  That’s the 3rd time we’ve eaten at that restaurant, so you know we really like it.  I was begining to feel a little tired after lunch so we took a taxi back to the hotel.  We rested a couple hours then took a taxi to the National Floric Ballet “Jacchigua”.  It was great.  It lasted 2 hours and we enjoyed every minute.  Amazingly we ran into Barbara & Alfonso at the ballet.  That’s the 2nd time we’ve ran into them since the end of the conference, we ran into them at the cable car earlier this week.

Today we visited the “Museo del Banco Central “.  We spent several hours looking at the wonderful exhibits.  The ground floor was devoted to the archelogical history of Ecuador and the second floor to religious art.  The amount of artifacts they had in excellant condition was amazing.  We walked several blocks to the indian market we found on our fist day in Quito.  It took a couple of hours to walk up and down the rows of stalls looking at all the crafts.  After the indian market we walked to the little sidewalk restaurant we had lunch at on our first day in Quito.  We weren’t disapointed, the food was just as good and just as plentiful as the first time.  After our late lunch we did a little shopping before taking a taxi back to our hotel.  Because we spent so much time in the museum I didn’t take very many photos today.

We started March with an adventurous Monday.  We walked to the grocery store that’s only about 100 yards from the hotel and bought some gatorade for the days outing.  Then we walked over 20 long blocks, uphill and downhill to a major metrobus station.  For 25 cents each we rode to the end of the line (about 45 minutes) where we transfered to a special bus (another 15 cents each) that took us to “la Mitad del Mundo” – the center of the world.  The entry fee to the Mitad del Mundo park was only $2 each, but once we got inside it cost us another $3 each to enter the “Equator Monument and Museum”.  The displays in the monument museum were very informative and the view from the top was great.  You could count several volcanic peaks surrounding the area.  The rest of the park was mostly gift shops and restaurants.  We opted to eat at one of the restaurants.  After we left the park we walked about 250 meters to the “Museo Intinan”.  Most of the walk was on a dirt road.  The Mitad del Mundo park has the monument, that several decades ago scientist placed at the point they determined to be the Equator, the Museo Intinan has a marker at the point determined by GPS to be the equator.  The two locations are fairly close to each other.  You could throw a rock from one to the other.  We spent more time and had more fun at the Museo Intinan.  We had and english speaking guide that was both knowledgeable and enjoyable.  We made the same adventurous bus trip back to Quito, only we didn’t have to pay the 15 cents for the transfer.  The long walk from the bus station was very tiring and it was going on 6 PM.  We stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things, then back to the hotel.  After a short rest we ventured out again to look for a restaurant, then decided we were too tired to eat and went back to our room.  So much for Monday March 1st.

It’s Sunday and we’re back to being tourists again.  The sky is clear and beautiful and we can see half-a-dozen of the volcanos that surround Quito.  Two or three of the peaks are snow covered and surrounded by fluffy clouds.  We decided to start the day by going up to the 2nd highest cablecar in the world.  It was a great taxi ride and cost only $3.35.  The view is fantastic from 13,000 feet but the air is thin.  It really takes it out of you to walk another 500 feet higher, I’m still debating if it was worth it.  We met another couple at the base of the cablecar who had also attended the conference.  We rode up together and shared travel tips and stories.  We spent a couple hours at the top before riding the cablecar back down.  We grabbed a taxi that took us to “Old Quito” for $5.  We walked around the main plaza and found a little fast food place for lunch.  We had rice, beans and stuff on a stick for $1.75 each and added soft drinks for $.99.  The stuff on a stick included; onion, bell pepper, beef, and sausage.  We toured one of the most beautiful churches “La Compania de Jesus”.  We also toured the home of a wealthy lady who dedicated her life to helping the poor in the area.  We continued to walk around “Old Quito” until about 5:30 PM when we caught a taxi back to our hotel.

A rainy Saturday night in Quito, Ecuador.  It’s the last day of the IL Ultimate Event V.  It’s been a very jam packed and informative week.  We’ve got a lot of information to digest and discuss.  In addition to the excellant information we also had the enjoyment of meeting a lot of really nice people.  After the closing cocktail reception we went to dinner with our new friends Bob & Jill.  We ate at the Happy Panda directly behind the Swissotel.  The food and service were really great and we had a good time visiting with each other.  Tomorrow we’re back to being tourists.