To get to Baltra airport (GPS) for a 10AM flight I was advised to take the 7AM bus from the terminal at the edge of town. I got up at 6, determined to get a coffee and pastry before heading to the airport. I expected this was not uncommon in a town of tourists catching a diving tour at the… Read more »
Off the boat and onto solid land, though it doesn’t feel so solid. A short walk to see the captive tortoises at Darwin Station, and that’s the so called 8th day of the cruise. I parted ways with the other passengers as they took the arranged ride to the airport and I went to the hotel to rest, write these… Read more »
The last, though technically penultimate, day of the Galapagos cruise was one full of luckily timed sightings. On the morning walk at the red beach, we saw a rare bright red bird which the guide said lives in the highlands and never ventures so close to the sea. At the same beach we had another opportunity to swim with two… Read more »
Retrospective On the visit to Santiago and Bartolome Islands I saw, for the first time, lava that actually looks like what I imagined lava to look like. The Galapagos are incredibly different from the volcanic lands of Iceland. A large area is covered by black streaks and swirls of lava flows. For contrast, heaps of iron-heavy rusted red ash sprout… Read more »
Retrospective On the first real day of the cruise we got out in the “panga” (dinghy) to see the rock formations along the shore of San Cristóbal Island, where the ocean has eroded giant archways into the soft stone. We then went snorkeling off the panga near some rocks a bit out on the ocean. The current was strong and… Read more »
South America Day 33 continued – Retrospective There are nine passengers on the boat including myself. There is a Swedish family of four with two little blond girls, like in Full House. There are two young German speaking Swiss girls traveling together, and another young German girl. My roommate is a nice Dutch guy a few years older than me…. Read more »
Retrospective The Galapagos flight is special security-wise. Despite being a domestic flight, the process is much like going through customs. They want to make sure no organic contaminants make it onto the islands. There is a special checkpoint at UIO to check the bags. They also charge a $20 fee at this point. There are a couple of customs-like cards… Read more »
Galapagos cruise confirmed for 8 days/7 nights on the cheapest boat “New Flamingo.” Ran into United’s $75 fee for booking an award flight within 3 weeks. The GPS flights have disappeared from British Airways’ site. Got my certificate for finishing Spanish school: level B1 in Spanish, assuming more practice. Costs Flight booking fees included. Cost today: $144.18 Cumulative cost: $2,518.84