December 2014 – Todd and Cindy's Travel Blog

Galapagos Islands Ecuador Post 2

Day 4

The wake-up call came at 5:30 am so luggage could be put in the hall for Galapagos inspection….then it was off to the airport after a quick breakfast.

We boarded the Silver Sea ship in Baltra. It holds a max of 100 passengers; on our expedition cruise there are 68 passengers. The first day was low key.

Once on board we spotted this ship next to us and wondered if Eclipse had branched out in the adventure tourism market J

After some orientation of the ship and necessary evacuation drills, we relaxed and met some people.

Dinner, this evening, was at the Grill. Todd enjoyed Prawns and I enjoyed the Filet Mignon !

We met a lot of people (the majority are from the US, others are from England, Australia, New Zealand – we are the only Canadians). We were even treated to a full moon on our first night.

Day 5

Up bright and early, and ready for the first excursion. We took the zodiac to Bahia Darwin on Genovesa Island for a wet landing and then a walk around the shore area. We saw many Red Footed Boobies. They are the smallest of the boobies in the Galapagos.

Mating pairs remain together for several seasons. They lay only 1 egg which is incubated by both adults for approximately 45 days.

Showing the 2 adult colours a White Morph and a Brown Morph

We also saw numerous sea lions.

It is amazing how close you can get to these creatures!!! They respected rule is to stay back 2 metres, but some come even closer (apparently they don’t follow the 2 metre rule). They are totally unintimidated by humans.

The highlight was seeing a young pup nurse.

After a brief rest, it was time to do some snorkeling. We went for the shallow water outing (instead of the deep sea outing) because this was a first for both of us. LOVED IT! Totally hooked! We saw fish in multiple colours, stingrays, and even swam beside some sea lions! Did we mention – We’re hooked! So much fun! (Unfortunately, no pics, because we didn’t use the underwater camera – figured we should just get used to snorkeling first.)

In the afternoon, we went to Prince Phillip Steps on Genovesa Island to explore. We were greeted by the Galapagos Fur Owl.

We saw numerous Nazca Boobies (No not NASCAR boobies!). A couple of young ones were playing with an old dried out head of a dead bird.

Along the walk we observed some adult Nazca Boobies feeding their young.

Great Frigate birds share the island with the Nazca Boobies. Here is a mother and her chick.

The inflated red sac on the male Frigate is a sign he is preparing to mate.

Further along on the walk, we spotted another Fur Owl – a real treat.

This was truly an amazing start to our week in the Galapagos. The wildlife is unbelievable – up close and personal…incredible.

Day 6

We slept like babies last night – fresh air, walking, climbing, and snorkeling did the trick. By 8am we were up and ready for our next excursion on the island of North Seymour. The 3km walk was AMAZING – yes, using that word a lot….

Here is a Lava lizard in a shrub

Sea lions just hang out on the rocks by the shore.

Magnificent Frigates are everywhere. The Magnificent Frigate is the largest of the two frigate bird species. Looks like this guy found a mate !

Males, with the inflated gular pouch, brightly display themselves for a female mate and beat their pouch with their beak as one flies by. Once they mate, the pouch deflates.

Males and females take turns sitting on the egg at the nest and going for food. Look close and you will see the chick.

Young ones patiently wait for food.

Also sharing the land on the island are Blue Footed Boobies. When the male is courting the female, he struts around the female slowly, lifting on bright blue foot at a time, prominently displaying them.

Nine species of Lava Lizards are found all over the Galapagos Islands.

We also encountered a number of Galapagos Land Iguanas. The Land Iguanas live in the dry arid areas of the islands. They grow to over 1 metre in length and are very stocky.

The Prickly Pear Cactus is a food source for the Land Iguanas. They hang out and wait for the fruit to drop if they can’t reach it

In the afternoon, we visited Manzanillo Ecological Reserve on Santa Cruz Island – home of the Giant Galapagos Tortoises – AMAZING! The Galapagos Tortoises are found nowhere else in the world.

We were “up close and personal” with multiple tortoises of various sizes.

We could easily walk up to them within a couple of metres and they were oblivious to us.

The Giant Tortoises are plentiful in this area where they have an abundant food supply. They are herbivories and eat the grasses in the area.

They enjoy cooling off in the mud. (their version of a spa treatment).

The Red Lagoon provides another spot for cooling off and is a favourite of Pintail ducks.

We had a fabulous afternoon visiting with the Galapagos Tortoises. At the reserve, we purchased a couple of pounds of coffee grown in the area.

Quito Ecuador Adventure Post 1

Day 1

We had tried to check-in for our flight the day before, but were unable to – AA had my birthdate wrong on their file. At the airport, auto check-in still didn’t work, so we were taken over to the priority lane for the attendant to go through the process. It took a while (huge line up followed us), but all worked out. The flights from Toronto to Miami and Miami to Quito were fairly uneventful. For whatever reason, on the leg to Quito, we were not booked to be sitting beside each other, so when the young man came on who had the seat next to me, he gladly switched with Todd. We struck up a bit of conversation. He (found out later his name is Lee) was on his first ever “adventure” away from his England homeland.

We were met at the airport with a rep from Silver Sea and learned a bit about Quito and our upcoming Galapagos cruise on the hour long drive from airport to our hotel. Too bad we didn’t come a day earlier – Sting was performing in the city AND the concert was free – paid for from the City to celebrate the Fiestas de Quito – a celebration commemorating the foundation of Quito.

Day 2

We slept well and both of us experienced little effect from the high altitude. After breakfast (papaya, kiwi, gooseberries, egg dishes, etc.), we headed out to get the Hop On, Hop Off bus – a bus that would take us to the main Quito highlights with commentary for $12 each. We wandered about to locate the stop – there was no “distinctive” stop and then we ran into Lee (English lad from the plane). He too was waiting for the bus; said he just missed the last one and that this was the stop. Well….an hour plus later – no bus, so the 3 of us hailed a cab to go to the Basilica in Old Town. The cab ride was not even $2 to go a distance that back home would have cost close to $20.

The Basilica was amazing. We spent a couple of hours touring.

The Basilica is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas and is modeled on Paris’s Notre Dame.

Work began in 1883.

Gargoyles shaped in Ecuadorean icons like pumas, iguanas, and tortoises guard the outside of the church.

The Basilica was blessed by Pope John II in 1985.

Some of the best views of the city can be seen from climbing a steep 90m metal stairs/ladder to the top of the towers. (Yes, we did the climb….)

We had lunch in the Café located high up in the Basilica – great views, great food. We all had different (huge) sandwiches – fresh bread and tasty fillings for only $5 each.

The atmosphere throughout the city was carnival-like as people celebrated Fiestas de Quito – musicians, dancers, and puppeteers entertained the crowds. The festivities begin on December 3rd and culminate on December 6th.

We parted ways with Lee and came back to the hotel for a bit of a rest before heading out again. We walked down to Plaza Foch – a huge gathering area full of bars and restaurants.

For dinner we ate at Q – a great place to sit outside and people watch. We shared an Ecuadorian platter of empanadas, plantain canapés, cheesy potato patties, and fried pork with corn.

After a day of walking and climbing multiple stairs in the altitude, we were ready for an early night in to relax before our planned walking tour tomorrow morning.

Day 3

We took a cab into the Old Town to the Community Hostel for a Walking Tour of the Old Town. Because today is a national holiday, the tour was shorter than usual because many places were closed.

We headed back to the Basilica for a brief visit and to learn a little bit more. Every president of Ecuador is buried here.

We walked to the Jesuit church and saw a glimpse of the interior (closed to the public today). Apparently it contains enough gold to more than pay off the national debt of $30 billion.

Next stop was the President’s office/home (although this president opted to live in a more modest dwelling away from the city centre).

We were warned not to provoke the guards (as some do with the guards at Buckingham Palace), as the consequences would be severe.

Seven (huge) churches are within a short distance of each other in Old Town. We entered the San Francisco church during a service, so didn’t stay too long, but the ornate decor was outstanding.

Tonight we were planning to dine in a recommended Ecuadorian restaurant, but opted for a nearby pub instead (easy walking distance from the hotel). Turtle’s Head was great for people watching, good beer, and so-so food.

Observations in Quito

Not a lot of overweight people (must be all the steep roadways that they have to climb)
The girls and young women love their spandex – over 90% wear spandex or skinny jeans
Gas is so cheap – $2/gallon
Healthcare is free (even for tourists!)
They have $1 coins here; and at the hotel, they were so apologetic when we asked to change $5 because they only have $1 coins. We told them not to worry – in Canada we have $1 and $2 coins…..