Galapagos Explorer II … now that’s one fine ship

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about exploring the Galapagos Islands on the Explorer II.  The ship is owned and operated by Canodros who markets themselves as ecotourism providers.  There were a couple of things that I was concerned about like how comfortable would the ship be, would we get motion sickness, what would the food be like, what about the facilities [the toilets], how would we get to the islands.  Translation I was mostly concerned about comfort.

First, our arrival at Baltra and navigating the arrival process was absolutely confusing notwithstanding the language barrier.  My Spanish is minimal at best and almost totally unidirectional.  I can communicate somewhat in Spanish, but do not expect me to understand much of what you say … if you speak in Spanish.

When you land in the Galapagos, you have to declare [on a form] that you are have nothing that might impact the ecology of the Islands, but that’s a blog for another day.

Once we finally arrive on the ship we are greeted by the crew and a very persistent ship photographer, Fernando.  So far so good … the crew very carefully made sure that we safely got from the dingy to the ship.  A crewman carried our carry-on bag and took us to our room … a Deluxe suite … and showed us the room. 

The room was very nice … similar to a hotel room in terms of accommodations and size.  We had a nice bed, two chairs, a sofa, and cocktail table, as well as a minibar.  We had a lockable drawer and plenty of space to store our clothes.  Given that we were on a 100 passenger ship, the largest that the national park service allows now, the bathroom was okay … the shower and sink were fine. 

The toilet was our least favorite, it was filled with water, but the flush was a vacuum flush like what you find on airplanes.  Additionally, you were supposed to dispose of your toilet tissue in a waste basket … at least it was sealed.  I kept saying to myself that this is good for the ecology of the Islands.

Overall, this is one fine ship … the accommodations, the service, and the experience.  If you are going to the Galapagos, consider the Explorer II.

Galapagos Island … arrived finally!

After some concern about actually making it to the Islands, we arrived!  We were supposed to have arrived in the afternoon, but we did not so there goes our first day … I am just glad that we made it and was transported to our ship the Explorer II [excellent ship].

  Since we were on a large ship [the Legend is the other 100 passenger cruise ship], we had to take a dingy boat to our ship and board … this was a little different, but no mishaps … that would be bad for business.  The crew takes care of their passengers.  They even transported our luggage from the airport to the ship.  So far so good.

  Our itinerary for the Islands included two excursions per day, except the first and last days where we would have one excursion.  Since our flight was delayed, we did not have an excursion that first day, instead we circled the Island that we were supposed to visit … this was a reasonable and good gesture [probably the only option].  Of course, we did not see anything, but the park service controls which islands ships can visit. 

Galapagos Islands or bust …

Okay, we have been in Quito for three days and the temperature has been cool and it has rained periodically, but that’s okay, because we have gotten to see much … the old colonial city, the Otavalo Indian market, and other small towns.  The churches and cathedrals in the colonial part of the city are absolutely magnificent and ornate.  The most unfortunate aspect of Quito and the surrounding cities is the poverty and the conditions in which a lot of indigenous people live.  We have come across few beggars, most people are either trying to see some craft like scarfs or phone plans where you buy according to how much you plan to talk … seriously.  The city is also a bit dirty, but the poverty was the worst. 

After three days in Quito, we depart for the Galapagos Islands, where only one of the two airports are working … the one on Baltra.

So, we arrive at the Quito airport on our fourth day for our flight to the Galapagos Islands and waited and waited and waited.  After waiting at the airport for four hours we finally board the plane to fly to Baltra.  I have to admit that the airport process was one of the worst that we have ever experienced [which I will blog about later], but we finally arrived in Baltra about two hours after we were supposed to arrive.  I fully expected that we would miss our cruise ship, the Explorer II. 

The wait … totally worth it!  More to come …

Quito, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador … two days to go

This Wednesday we will be in Quito, the capitol of Ecuador.  Ecuador has never been on my radar … until I learned that the Galapagos Islands belong to the country, but there’s a lot to see and do in Ecuador too … at least that is what I have read. 

Like most of South America, and the rest of the world, Ecuador was colonized by the Europeans and has a lot of European influenced architecture, but the country also has a rich culture and history too.  Ecuador is in the Andes and the Amazon.

One of the tours we will be taking from Quito visits the equator monument where you can stand on both the northern and southern hemisphere.  We also will get to learn about the culture of Ecuador, influenced by Europeans and indigenous people.

While food is often a symbol and representative of culture and I am usually interested in how other people live … I am not trying the roasted guinea pig!

Quito, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador … countdown

One day before two days from today, we will be in Quito, Ecuador for our winter and Christmas holidays.  This will be our first trip to Ecuador and the continent of South America.  We will spend a couple of days in Quito before traveling to the Galapagos Islands for our cruise aboard the Explorer II, a 100 passenger ship.

While in Quito though, we will tour the city, travel to the Equator, and visit the famous Indian market … Otavalo.

A couple of surprises … Ecuador’s currency is the United States dollar, the Galapagos Islands are 600 miles west of the country, and Quito is 2850m (9350ft) above sea level [making the city one of the highest capitals in the world].

Until tomorrow …

Am I too old for G.A.P.?

I am a full-time employee and student at the University of Kentucky and the leading travel operator that our student travel agency (STA, a real company) uses is G.A.P. (Great Adventure People).  Okay, I am a believer in full disclosure and have to say that I have yet to take a G.A.P. tour, excuse me, I mean adventure … They sell adventures.

Now to be fair to G.A.P., if you look at their literature they tend to have a range of ages in their advertisement … mostly white people and fairly evenly split between men and women, but mostly young.  Their marketing pitch is “adventure” and they rate their adventures according to “culture shock” and “comfort”.  The comfort is primarily the reason why I have not taken one of their adventures. 

I came close to purchasing one of their adventures for our Quito, Ecuador and Galapagos Islands experience; however, I just could not see us cruising the Galapagos Islands in the yachts that they offered in their literature.  Yes, these yachts are probably cozy (limited to 16 passengers) and get closer to the islands than a cruise ship, but they looked small and uncomfortable and would provide limited services.  G.A.P.’s other marketing strategy is affordable.

One of these days I may give G.A.P. a chance.  Their Amazon adventure that starts in Peru looks very interesting … maybe next time.

When ecotourism goes wrong

Fortunately, no one has injured, but the ship M/S Explorer that was cruising the Antarctic had to be evacuated because it began sinking after hitting submerged ice.  G.A.P., the owner of the M/S Explorer, prides themselves on eco-friendly “adventures,” as they call their tours. 

This incident made me think about my upcoming trip to Ecuador and my “adventure” through the Galapagos Islands aboard another cruise ship, the Explorer II.  These places are so compelling to visit, but equally fragile.  It’s hard to argue that no matter how eco-friendly we are, our presences impacts these fragile ecologies in sometimes negative ways.  Ice bergs are naturally found in the Antarctic and accidents are bound to happen.  Similar to camping in the woods, I may be attacked and mauled by bears … though no fault of the bears.

I hope to have an uneventful trip to the Galapagos this December 22 … uneventful in terms of not leaving a greater impact on the ecology than what is required of me to visit.  I will be back with a full report and tons of photographs … I hope. 

Summarily, this is the risk we take when we embark on eco-tours.