Galapagos

 Monday, October 8, 2018

I had a leisurely day, just putting things in order for the last minute check-up.  Hello Dolly was on my lap most of the afternoon and as I was leaving she was looking up at me with those loving eyes  I just hated leaving her.  I got to the Four Points Sheridan at about 4:15 p.m. and was alarmed that Carol would have to pay the daily rate for her car, since only one car is allowed per room.  I gathered my bags and as I was going to my room Carol Bospiro was checking in.  We couldn't have timed that better if we arranged it.  I was relieved that she was dropped off and didn't have a car. We sat in the lobby and met some of our group that was arriving.  I also realized that I didn't have anything to eat for breakfast. But I'm sure I'll survive until Chicago.

Tuesday,  October 9, 2018

I had a good night's sleep, even though I had a dream the bus left me in Munich while I was getting a sandwich at a bakery, really weird; Chet and Claude were also I  my dream. We got up at 3:00 a.m. and are waiting in the lobby for our bus that arrives at 4:15 and departs at 4 30.  We rode in the dark and I was able to catch a few winks.  I couldn't believe how fast we got to O'Hare with no congestion or back-ups.  Check in went smoothly with our group.  I had a bagel and coffee while waiting for our 8:35 am flight, and I saw the sun rise. Flight to Miami was smooth and pleasant.  I finished a cap before we landed.  The walk to Gate 42 was taking longer than I expected.  I thought a little exercise would be good, but this was getting ridiculous.   I got on the sky train, and should have taken it sooner, but I found the gate with some of our group already there.  There was about a 3- hour layover, but it passed.  The flight to Quito was a little bumpy at times.  We were served a sandwich with a lot of roll, which I managed to avoid. Arriving at Quito, going through immigration was a snap, and when the agent asked if I was here before and I said yes, she said that my name was in the record.  Baggage claim was fast and we waited to be greeted by Marco who took us on one of the buses for a 45 minute ride to the Hilton.  On the way he told us about the weather, water and what we should wear (long pants).  We have a very nice room with a small plate of cheese, that we thought was left by the prior lodger, but the porter said it was for us.  

Wednesday,  October 10, 2018

 I had a restful night on a comfortable bed. Breakfast was a nice assortment to choose from.  I had a couple of pancakes, cheeses, a small omelet, an apricot and tangerine.  We were on the bus at 9:00 a.m. heading for the Old City.  I spotted this lovely Arupo tree with beautiful flowers.

We walked to a square with brass plates embedded in the brick pavement showing some of the old buildings. 

Independence Square had a huge angel symbolizing independence and many ideas were incorporated from the United States independence, as were other countries. We went into la  Iglesia de la  Compania de Jesus a magnificent Baroque Cathedral with almost every surface covered in  gold gilt. 

Unfortunately   photos were not allowed, but it was amazing to see all the details throughout the church. I bought a set of postcards. 

We also went into a Franciscan monastery that I had been to before.

We walked up to the choir loft and could view a mass in progress and photos were allowed. 

We drove to an elevation where we could get a panoramic view of Quito and a very large statue of the Virgin Mary made of aluminum.   

On the way to our restaurant Marco gave us much information about Ecuador's economy, weather, agriculture, employment, main sources of income: 1. oil, 2. bananas, 3. shrimp, 4. roses and 5. tourism.  He was extremely knowledgeable and answered many questions.  We couldn't have had a better guide.

We got to the restaurant named The Crater as it is next to two volcanoes.   I had my picture taken with my traveling partner, Carol Borpiro, before going in to the restaurant. 

I had a lager beer, then we were served potato soup with an avocado garnish.  Because of the abundance of potatoes, they are incorporated in many ways. Also on the table were small empanadas with two different sauces and crusty bread.  The main course chosen by the majority of us was cooked pork combined with other ingredients.  It was difficult to cut and not easy to chew.  There were three pieces; I managed to eat two. They were pretty filling along with a fresh little side salad, orange potatoes, large white corn, plantain and a small empanada. Passion fruit mousse was delicious.  We took a group picture before moving on to straddle the equator. It was a rather long ride, but Marco kept us interested with his commentary.  At the equator site it was overcast and rather chilly.  Marco took everyone's picture with each foot on each side of the hemisphere. 

We took an elevator to an observation lookout, and took the stairs down where there were posters explaining the construction of the monument and other features. 

We got to our hotel shortly before 5, and after depositing extra items in our rooms we walked to the handicraft market.  Vendors were in your face with their wares, but they did get some sales.  The small purse I was carrying showed wear where the string was connected, and I didn't want to lose it, so I bought another small purse for $10. Before going to our rooms we decided to use our complimentary cocktail coupon at the bar.  I guess everyone had the same idea, and we kept the bartender busy making mostly pisco sours. At first he said he didn't think the coupon covered that drink, but after checking, he said it did. There were really a lot of Vagabonds gathered there.  We have an early wake-up call tomorrow,  so I'm charging electronic stuff, and going to bed early.

Thursday,  October 11, 2018

My clock did not automatically change time, so when I set the alarm to go off a 5:00 a.m. it actually went off at 4:00 a.m.  We had our bags outside our door by 6:00 a.m., and went to breakfast.  I had strawberry juice,  oatmeal with lots of raisins and some fruit.  Everyone was on the bus at 6:45 to the airport for our 9:35 departure.  On the way Marco talked about the problems with narcotics, where they  come from (Columbia)  and the devious ways they are transported.  Once we got to the airport,  Marco was there to guide us through the check-in process.  We had a counter dedicated to La Pinta.  We were boarding by about 9:15 for our 9:35 departure.  Ron boarded with a huge bandage on the back of his head.  Apparently,  he was taking a picture while the bus was moving when the bus made a sudden stop and he was thrown.  He got emergency care at the airport.  (A picture is worth 7 stitches). I thought that he was smarter than that.  We had a short layover in Guayaquil then boarded another plane with the same seat assignment for the 1 hour and 55 minute trip to Baltra Island. 

Once there, the temperature was noticeably warmer.  We went through immigration and customs, claimed our luggage, then boarded buses that would take us to La Pinta.  We were given life jackets and instructions how to board the pangas that would take us to the ship.  We had to grasp an assistants arm, while the assistant grabs ours and aids us getting in or out of the panga. 

Carol and I should be very comfortable in cabin 315.

There were artistically folded towels on our beds every night.

The first order of business was the safety drill, with a lot of explanations about why a certain procedure is done.  Then we gathered our snorkeling gear; even though I never did it, I think I'd like to try in shallow water on the beach.  Roz is planning on joining me.  We again boarded a panga to explore South Plaza Island with Sabina as our guide.  She was very thorough explaining the geology of the islands and pointing out sea lions,

a red crab

and yellow-green land lizards. 

We also saw a swallow tailed seagull. 

The pace was slow and careful over rugged, bleak terrain.  Claude's walking stick was invaluable; I never would have done it without it. 

As difficult as it was walking at the airport, I didn't feel any fatigue at all. It was starting to get dark as we were winding up our walk.  We didn't have much time before our welcome cocktail at 7:25 with little canapés.   We were introduced to the crew and were given the schedule for tomorrow.  There isn't a printed handout, but we have to refer to an announcement board.  We also get announcements through the speaker system.  Next we went to dinner.  I had an octopus appetizer with tiny cut up vegetables,  a delicious beef tenderloin that had a marvelous taste, even though it was well done, over mashed potatoes, and fresh fruit for dessert.  I also ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that the steward will keep for me.

Friday, October 12, 2018

I had a very restful night; Carol said she did too.  The boat is very steady, sea is calm.  All we hear is the hum of the engine, but not bothersome.

We had breakfast on the stern deck on a cool pleasant morning. 

We were warned last night of a very rocky terrain on Santa Fe Island  that we would be climbing and I was very apprehensive about venturing it.  I went out in the boat and would determine how brave I'd be once we got there.  We had a wet landing, which means we had to take off our shoes before climbing out of the panga onto a course sandy beach.  Once on the beach we dried off our feet with towels that we brought along and put on our footwear.  I shouldn't have been worried.  It was very rocky, but it wasn't a climb.  Paul led us on a slow walk as he pointed out and talked about the wildlife that we saw: a Galapagos hawk,

yellow warbler,

Galapagos dove,

ground finch,

Santa Fe iguana

and a blue footed boobie.

And some frigate birds.  Here is a pair.

We kept our feet bare as we climbed back into the panga until we got back to the ship where we could spray our feet of sand.  Our next event was a choice between kayaking or a ride in a glass bottom boat at staggered times. I went on the glass bottom boat at 10:15 with Sabina.  We saw a number of colorful fish and some huge turtles.

Then it was lunch at noon.  I had just a salad with some crusty bread with cheese and a mocha torte and creme brullee for dessert with coffee. I did some knitting in the lounge until 2:30 p.m when it was time to get into the panga for a 35 - minute bus ride  to the Cerro Colorado Tortoise Habitat on San Cristobal Island. 

Sabina was our guide and she must have spent about 15 minutes in front of a mural talking extensively about the islands, inhabitants, animals, etc. It was information overload.  We took a slow walk and observed a number of tortoises of various sizes.

also the San Cristobal lava lizard, endemic to this island.  They were relatively close to the path.

  Then we climbed a quite steep and rocky path to see immature tortoises being protected in cages and other enclosures until the would be released into the wild. 

Sabina also went into the egg hatching process and how the eggs are protected.  We then proceeded to the bus.  We were the first group to arrive and the last to leave, but no other group had a 15 minute lecture in front of that mural.  When we got to town we were able to do some shopping to support the local economy. We were to return at 6:00 p.m. I was looking for a tee shirt, but did not find anything that I liked.  I settled for some earrings. I passed members of my group a number of times, but when it was time to leave, I couldn't find anyone.  I thought we were to meet where the bus left us off.  I went back where I shopped, not a soul.  I stopped a cab driver to ask how to get back to the La Pinta, but he didn't speak English.  He said that I should find the police.  I went in search of one, when along came a man who seemed to sense my difficulty.  I think the cab driver was trying to explain it to him.  This chubby man said that the ship wouldn't leave without me because they had markers that keep track of the passengers.  He said that some of the crew of La Pinta would be waiting for me.  Sure enough!  He called to two men, one was the small black man the other a good looking guide, and said that they would take care of me.  One guide made a call to the ship that they found me and I got I to the panga for my ride home.  Needless to say, I had my story to tell, even though I was embarrassed to tell it. 

Markers: There was a large magnetic board near the front desk with each cabin number and disks for each person to slide their disk to the white when they leave and slide it back to the black when they return.  When one of the disks for cabin 315 was not in the return position, it was obvious someone was missing.  A couple of the crew went back to the island to retrieve the missing person (me)!

We had our briefing for tomorrow's activities,  then  dinner of a tuna appetizers,  soup, pork tenderloin  medallions and cheesecake. 

Saturday,  October 13, 2018

After our 7:00 a,m, breakfast, we had a wet landing at San Cristobal Island where we had a choice of either a very strenuous climb or a panga ride along the shore, which I did.  Afterwards, we could swim/snorkel on the beach or stay on the ship.  There was also going to be swimming and snorkeling in the afternoon, so I'd have a chance to do it then.  I stayed on the ship and did some knitting.  The people that came back from snorkeling said the current was too strong and it wasn't enjoyable, so I was glad I didn't do it.  After lunch we saw a video on the Galapagos Island, then a panga took us for another wet landing to Cirro Brujo's white coral beach.  We walked along the very fine sand where many sea lions were lounging. 

Walking on that soft sand was very difficult, plus it was sunny and hot.  I walked as far as I cared to, and walking back seemed more strenuous.  I decided to give snorkeling a try.  Getting the wet suit on was like putting on a straight jacket.  Then the flippers, safety vest and goggles. Sabina helped me get adjusted and I tried walking backward into the water.  I couldn't keep my balance, even though Laurie offered to help.  I hardly got wet, but took everything off and everything was full of sand, and my hiking shoes were soaked when a wave got up too far.  We took a group picture and then it was time to get back to the ship. 

Then all the snorkeling gear had to be rinsed of all the sand in large tubs when we got back on board.  I had my short experience with snorkeling that I don't plan to repeat.  We had a lecture on birding, which I don't think most people were interested in, even though they were taking pictures of birds. Then a briefing of tomorrow's schedule before dinner.  I bought a Galapagos tee shirt from the gift shop, which should just about exhaust my $100. certificate.  I had an appetizer, prawn bisque and chicken for dinner, plus fresh fruit for dessert. I sat with Susan, Maureen, Suzanne and Wally; Kaye joined us later.  We lingered until after 9.

Sunday, October 14, 2018

A cool and breezy morning, not a good choice to have breakfast on deck.  It was much too cool, unless one was wearing a jacket; I wasn't. At 8:00 a.m. We had a choice of a rocky hike or a shorter rocky hike. I chose the latter and it wasn't rocky it was bouldery! 

It was very precarious walking.  We stopped for a while at a sea lion nursery with pups in all stages of development,  some newborn and some newly born.  Pups were scurrying in and out of the water with mothers close by. 

There were also a lot of marine iguanas with mostly red coloring that would turn green during the mating season. 

We walked for quite a while over terrible rocks and I had some help, but decided that I didn't care to go any farther, because my ankle was extremely tender.  I told the group to go ahead and they could pick me up on their return.  What an egregious mistake.  They saw albatrosses with chicks!  But as luck would have it, I forgot my batteries and my Soni died.  My phone had a little life, but not much.  Pat was so kind to offer to walk me back.  I told him to go on; I'd be perfectly fine sitting on the rocks.  When he came back I told him how lucky he was that he didn't take me back; otherwise he would have missed seeing the albatrosses.  We had a lecture at 11:15 on preserving the ecosystem and the invasives that were introduced.  Before lunch one of our group was an assistant chef and helped prepare an Ecuadorian dish.  There was a whole pig that got cut up.  I had a bowl of the most delicious potato soup topped with chopped avocado, a small piece of the pork with some crisp skin and the special salad with squid, shrimp, a lot of other ingredients plus popcorn.  I had a very little dessert.  I can't believe how much people eat.  Their plates are full and in a few hours they'll be eating another meal.  I went for a ride on a glass bottom boat,  but it wasn't as good as the first one; not as many  colorful fish, although we did see a couple of sea lions swimming by.  We could take a panga and sit on the beach,  but it was too gloomy and chilly, plus it would be a wet landing which means taking a towel and getting full of sand.  I finished a cap, sat in the lounge until some snacks were served on deck, then a recognition the crew and briefing for tomorrow's departure.  During our stay the crew was taking a lot of pictures of us and they put on a slide show.  We could get a copy of the program by leaving our email addresses.  Many cruise ships take pictures and sell the CD.  I shared a table with Suzanne and Wally, and even though there were just three of us, we had a lively conversation.   Suzanne was also presented with a Birthday cake which she shared.  Our bills with tip suggestions were on our beds and we got busy packing.

Monday,  October 15, 2018

After breakfast we got into pangas that took us to Santa Cruz and a bus ride to a tortoise sanctuary.  We put on tall rubber boots to trek through the grounds, which weren't muddy, but kept our shoes clean.  Sabina told us about their mating and how the female goes down to the lowland to lay her eggs and how the hatchlings come back to this site.  Our bus had to drive around some tortoises that were on the road.

⅝