Cruise ship or yacht for the Galapagos …

One of the major decisions that we had to make regarding our visit to the Galapagos Islands was how do we want to visit the islands … by land or sea.  The land based option would mean that we would need to stay on one of the islands with a hotel, which subsequently would mean that we would be geographically limited in what we could see.  The choice between land and sea was easy for us, because we wanted to see as much of the Galapagos as we could.

  Now, the decision for us was whether we would visit the islands via cruise ship or yacht.  Until I started researching our options, I did not know there were so many options from 16 passenger yachts to 100 passenger cruise ships.  Given all these options, I tried to read as many comments and blogs from other travelers as possible. 

There are strong feeling on both sides.  Some of the compelling arguments that the cruise ship side make is that “you get to travel comfortably” without really compromising the experience of visiting the Islands and seeing the wildlife.

  The yachts make many compelling arguments too.  They refer to their accommodations as cozy or intimate.  They say that your experience and contact with the naturalist is more flexible with you being able to make requests.  Yachts are also less expensive and are allowed closer to the islands, and in some instances the only vessels allowed to some islands … supposedly.  The National Park Service actually determines where each vessel goes.  Perhaps, most compelling is that yachts have less of an impact on the environment than cruise ships. 

Given the two, we decided to take the cruise ship option.  Our ship, the Explorer II was excellent.  We had great service like clean towels and room service daily, there was a physician aboard, there were social and educational activities, we had access to the naturalists, the group sizes on our ship were no larger than the groups on the 16 passenger yachts, we could even change groups if we wanted, conservation seemed important [the Explorer II talked about the 3 R's - reuse, reduce, and recycle], passengers could snorkel and scuba dive, the ship’s size minimize swaying and motion sickness, the food was good [the buffet breakfast was okay, the buffet lunch was good, the menu dinner was excellent], most importantly, we could avoid passengers that we did not like … hard to do on a small ship or yacht.  Believe me there were many passengers that would have made me abandon ship had we been on a 16 passenger yacht. 

We had the best of both worlds, an ecologically friendly way to see the Islands without giving up too many comforts.  Admittedly, cruise ships are more expensive.  For instance, we could have taken a 7 day, 6 night adventure on a yacht that would still have cost less than our 5 day, 4 night cruise.  In fact, the yacht option I looked at would have been at most 60% of the cost of our cruise.

The true choice between cruise ship and yacht is not really which is better, but a matter of taste.  Service and comfort are important to us.  The thought of being trapped for days with a small group of people that I do not like scares me.  The yachts and smaller ships may get closer to the islands, but a few minutes longer on a dingy is okay with me.   

For some, a yacht or small ship would be the best option, but I am glad that I did my research first … for us, cruising was the best option. 

Confessing my ignorance … Galapagos Islands

As I was planning our trip to the Galapagos Islands, I learned a lot about the country of Ecuador and the Islands themselves.  The Galapagos Islands are world famous, but it is one of those places that you know about without knowing a lot about.

I knew the Galapagos Islands are a series of islands.  The Islands were important to Darwin and his theory of evolution and survival of the fittest.  The Islands were separated from the mainland and the animals adapted differently.  The Islands are protected and an ecological venture.

What I didn’t know …

• The Galapagos belong to Ecuador … by default since no one else wanted them.
• The Islands are about 600 miles west of mainland Ecuador.
• There are over several large islands and around 40 islets.
• There are two airports in the Galapagos that accommodate commerical sized jets … I think Airbus.
• There are over 20,000 natives of Galapagos and several hotels including the five star Palms.
• There are two ways to see the Islands … cruise ship/yacht or hotel.  [My preference is cruise ship.]
• The Islands are on a geological hot spot like the Hawaiian Islands which are way further west.  There are still volcanic eruptions.
• There were multiple attempts to colonize the Islands.
• The natural beauty of some of the islands rivals the uniqueness of the animal populations.

I am sure that there is even more that I do not know, but that’s all I am willing to confess. 

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 …

Head south for the holidays!

Maybe I am getting old, but the past several years I have wanted to travel south during winter breaks and holidays.  One of my most relaxing trips was spending a week in Cozumel to celebrate New Years 2006.

We stayed at the Occidental Grand Cozumel, an all inclusive resort on the beach away from town … not walking distance even for walker like us.  The property was absolutely gorgeous and service was outstanding.  The food in the open/regular dining room was okay, but there were two reservation only restaurants.  We were only able to get reservation at one of the restaurant and this food was delicious.  You are entitled to eat at the reservation restaurants a couple of nights during your stay.

In addition to the beautiful scenery and excellent service, the resort provides plenty of entertainment.  One night there was an art demonstration and another night there was a fire show.  There were also plenty to do during the day too.

The resort has a tour office, exchanged money, and even accepted my tequila (locally known as “to kill you”) … enough to open a liquor store.

I can’t wait to visit for another holiday.

World Heritage Centre list of world sites … hmm

I have to admit that I am sometimes traditional, sometimes I am not, but as a travel enthusiast, I always grapple with where I want to go next.  One of my main reasons for traveling is the cultural value.  The world is much larger than my backyard, i.e., the southeastern United States.

The World Heritage Centre publishes a list of World Heritage sites around the world that are based on culture, nature, and a mix of the two.  While a disproportionate number of sites appear to be in Europe, at least according to their map, the list certainly contains world treasures that we should protect.  I believe that the list may suggest some bias on the behalf of the “Deciders”, but the list continues to grow and hopefully will become more diverse.

Currently there are 851 properties on the list of which 660 are cultural, 166 are nature, and 25 are both cultural and nature.

So far I have visited the following sites and would include each one on my world heritage list

Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay (1979, 2007)

Palace and Park of Versailles (1979, 2007)

Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct) (1985, 2007)

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims (1991)

Paris, Banks of the Seine (1991)

Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae (1986)

Acropolis, Athens (1987)

Archaeological Site of Delphi (1987)

Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza (1988)

Monastery of Batalha (1983)

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon (1983)

Monastery of Alcobaça (1989)

Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Church (1987)

Tower of London (1988)

Everglades National Park (1979)

Independence Hall (1979)

Redwood National and State Parks (1980)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1983)

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1987) ^#

Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (1987)

Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (1989)

 Galápagos Islands (1978, 2001)

 City of Quito (1978)

 Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg (1996)

 Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn (1996)

 Historic Centre of Vienna (2001)

 Historic Centre of Prague (1992)

 Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec (1995)

 Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue (1987, 2002)

(Yellow diamonds () are cultural sites, Green circles () are nature sites, and Red circles        () are nature sites in dange.)