Galapagos Explorer 2 :Ecuador and Galapagos Islands August 2012

[Familygoboston]

Back in our room, we ready for a 9 AM pick up with Leo from Ecuadorian tours. We enjoy another buffet breakfast at the Latin Cafe and meet Leo and our driver Patricio, right at 9. Because its a beautiful clear day, Leo wants us to start at the El Panecillo and see the Virgin of Quito Monument with views from the hill of the volcanoes while the clouds are holding off. This drive to old town on the major byways, and then on the curvy roads, leads us up to a beautiful viewpoint of Quito and all of the central valley. No fewer than 8 volcanoes are in clear view, and Cotopaxi is still showing in its snow capped glory. We pay the dollar to climb the Virgin monument and enjoy the views all around. Inside the "virgin" statue there are interesting dioramas of the stations of the cross as well as panels explaining how the statue was built. There are few little shops here also.

 

(photos of El Panecillo)

 

 

 

(view of Cotapaxi from Virgin of Quito)

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

Afterwards, we take our mini bus to old town, we pass Calle La Ronda, though we don't get to visit here. We could easily spend another day in Quito, there are a few more churches (more churches!!) and several more excellent museums we would like to see another time. Also, the local market in the park and dining out at Plaza Foch, all of which we couldn't fit into this trip!

 

(photo of Calle La Ronda)

 

 

We start our city tour at Independence Plaza. We see the courtyard at the Archbishops Palace and pose with the guards at the Presidential Palace. We walk to the Compangia de Jesus, and take a tour with our guide. This is called the "gold church" and the pictures do not do it justice...it is truly a dazzling experience to go into this church. The magnificent gold everywhere. This church has been restored beautifully, and the post cards they sell you ( no photos allowed inside) do not come close to the splendor you see inside this church. A further walk to the San Francisco, which is also very detailed, but still under massive renovation. This is the oldest church and the art is amazing. Many friezes and statues have been removed, but some of the original Moorish wood ceilings that fit together like a puzzle still remain centuries later.

 

(photos of Old Town Tour)

 

 

(Presidential palace)

(our family with the guards- as you can see, we will be in nobodies' brochure! And you can't blame mom for that hat...its mine, but you will note I never actually dared to wear it! Something about which, today, I am very grateful!!)

 

 

 

 

View from Presidential Palace

 

[Familygoboston]

(Compagnia de Jesus exterior)

 

 

(a peek at all that gold...no indoor photos allowed, but this view is!)

 

 

(Typical vendor in Old Town)

 

 

Overall, we feel very safe here. Several times we are approached by people to buy cocoa leaves, have a shoe shine (we are in sneakers!) or buy lottery tickets of some sort. We are never bothered by pickpockets or anyone looking sketchy. There is a huge police presence in the square. There appear to be several different branches of police here, transit, metropolitan (who give tours and guard statues) , police at the Presidential Palace and others.

 

I get a very strange vibe from all the local people here about the police. I can best describe it as unease or mistrust. Of course, no one says anything directly about it, but this was just my feeling after meeting, watching, and wandering with several native people. I get the distinct idea that people here are still mistrustful that their government is not corrupt. The feeling I got was one of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I suppose this is what happens when you have so many presidents and governmental changes in such a short time. But for now, things feel safe and people appear to be prospering and the everyone seems industrious. It's quite possible, we are only shown the things the government wants us to see, but I imagine this happens in many places!

 

After visiting the Old Town, we take the bus back to the Marriott where we get a small snack at the cafe in the hotel shop area. Afterwards my DH begins the packing process, while the girls and I go to the pool for a while (it's best not to disturb him when he's in full packing mode! )

 

After our swim, we clean up and head for an early dinner back at Crepes and Waffles since it was so well received the previous night. Our tour friends, C and F are there shortly after us. They did a very good full day tour in Mindo with Grey Line, booked directly at the hotel, just yesterday after hearing about our day. They had a great experience, so that is another option and one that does not require a lot of advance planning.

 

C & W is again excellent- we all try something different tonight. It's incredibly busy, even at 5:15 PM, many Quito families are celebrating special occasions; three special cakes, balloons or desserts make their way through the dining area while we are there. We thoroughly enjoy watching local young people, and multi generational families enjoying their evening out. They seem happy to share their restaurant with foreign visitors, and we share smiles and see them chuckling over our attempts at Spanish with the waitresses. My DD's do a pretty fair job, having taken Spanish for years, but DH and I can't manage much ourselves!

 

Returning from C&W, we spend the evening readying for our trip home. There is a printer in the lobby for checking into the airport and printing boarding passes. We've been told by our guides that by checking in early, we can avoid a big line up at the airport and proceed directly to bag drop.

 

Also, as part of our post nights with tour, we get breakfast in the morning, since our 5:50 AM departure is before the buffet opens, we have the option of getting a boxed breakfast ( ham and cheese sandwich, yogurt, juice and cereal) or a continental breakfast delivered between 5-6 AM which is just juice and croissants. So we opt for boxes to be delivered at 5-5:15. ABD has also arranged our airport transfer, and our driver will be here to get us to the airport at 5:50 AM for our 8:50 am flight to Miami. A big TS named Isaac is roaring up from the Caribbean this weekend, not expected to make landfall in Fl till Sunday or Monday, if it doesn't veer off into the gulf, so we are hoping to make it through Miami without any problems.

 

TIPS For the big City

-wear as little jewelry as possible; one business man we met said, "try to look like a missionary". I thought this was great advice!

-use the smallest camera practical- its less invasive of peoples privacy and less noticeable to thieves

-stay together with your family or guide, and follow their instructions. If alone without a guide, look alert and pay attention to who is around you.

-use a clip wallet or cross body bag to hold small denominations, copies of your passport and an easily cancelled credit card (leave the bulk of your cash, passport and another CC in your safe)

- if visiting churches, try to wear pants or capris, not shorts and be sure you are respectful about photos and other restricitions.

 

Again these are tips for any city and I felt this one was far less threatening to me than many American Cities I have been in, so don't let the news or reviews scare you off from seeing this wonderful place!

 

Aug 25: The Journey Home

We are awoken by our box lunches arriving right at 5 AM...the hotel service is very efficient. We dress, gathered our bags and met the driver in the lobby. The transfers always require a pick up 3 hours early for airport drops. I understand why, but your mileage may vary. AT 6 AM , there is no traffic in the city and we arrive at the airport in 15 minutes. Once at the ticket counter, our family is able to use priority check in which doesn't take more than 10 minutes, passport control is about a 20 minute wait (you'll finally get your passport stamp here...yeah!) and there is no one in line at security. You have to pass through the duty free shops to get to the gates and your carry on bags will be inspected at the gate again. You cannot bring liquids of any sort (coffee, water) into the gate area, even if they are purchased beyond the security check point, but we noticed they let people sit in a restricted area to finish up coffee (my DM did this and we referred to it at the "group W " bench - maybe you know the reference;-) If any one of these areas bogs down, as it might if several flights are going out at once, you can see why they build in the extra time to make it through the process. Since we move through quickly, we have about 2 hours to wait (and shop) But if your pick up feels too early, you can certainly plan to do your own transfers.

 

Our trip home was truly uneventful, which was good, we were tired and anxious to get home to our pets. We didn't need any more "adventures". But we have many wonderful stories to tell of our time in Ecuador and the beautiful people we have met...and now this story is over! Thank you for following along and I do hope if you are reading to research your own journey, that you have a wonderful adventure!!

[Familygoboston]

Packing List: (approx six days worth- then do laundry or double for no laundry)

Clothing

6 pairs underwear

2 pairs of wool socks for highlands

PJ's with an extra top

2 skorts/shorts

2 pairs long pants (or combine these by using zip off convertible pants)

1 pair of capris for travel days

4 cotton spandex sleeveless blouses

one lightweight cardigan to match all blouses- to dress up in the evenings

4 quick dry tee shirts

one sun dress for adult night on the ship

comfortable walking shoes or sneakers

long sleeve safari shirt to protect arms in the sun on hikes

2 bathing suits

1 surf shirt

bathing suit cover up (more for pool use as you will be in a wet suit in the Galapagos)

1 pair of amphibious closed toe sandals

sun hat

sunglasses

windblock fleece or wool sweater

rain jacket/windbreaker

lightweight fleece gloves (ear band, or wool hat if you get cold easily)

Optional:

lightweight robe and slipper- The JW provides these, but for the cruise which may require late night visits between family rooms or cabins, its nice to cover up;-)

exercise clothes (we are work out fiends but with the pace and the elevation, we never got to the gym)

 

Gear

a comfortable day pack

money belt for passports and money on transfer days and city visits

a small clip wallet or cross body wallet for keeping petty cash and room keys on your person during transfer days

reading glasses/extra prescription glasses

camera (bring your chargers...same plugs as US; for Europeans, bring an adaptor)

extra memory cards...we change these out in areas where theft or water damage could cause loss, that way we only lose the days photos, not the whole trip!! (or down load nightly if you bring an ipad or laptop)

binoculars

mask and snorkel

headlamp or flashlight

electronics (and chargers) for plane and bus rides (ipads, phones or game systems)

water bottle holder sling for kids

bag with your toiletries

Optional: Dry bag for camera equipment if you must be sure it will stay dry and it's useful for wet or dirty laundry too, though for most zip bags are fine!

 

Other stuff that helped us out

duct tape for marking similar looking tour bags, and marking kids snorkels for quick ID in water, marking water bottles

travel laundry detergent packs or all in one toss in style cloths

lots of extra 2 gallon zip lock bags for wet and dirty clothing

packages of M& Ms and nuts for snacking on planes and other times

bug stuff and sunscreen and lip balm with SPF

note book for recording sightings, names of guides, numbers of snorkel bags, changing travel details, new friends email addresses

 

First Aid Kit

Prescription medications: your regular stuff plus at least 2-4 extra days worth, ask your travel doc about antibiotics for gastro upsets or infections, altitude pills.

Gastro: Imodium, laxative, rehydration salts (check the pedi aisle for the kind you add to water, not bigger than a pack breath strips), tums/rolaids

Pain relief: advil (extra if you plan to use it for altitude), tylenol, ambesol ( for teethers or tweens with braces), antibiotic cream/spray

Allergy/Itch relief: Benadryl, *cortisone cream or spray, claritin

Cold relief: *chloraseptic (in little blister packs) *nasal decongestant spray, and zinc lozenges (if you usually take these when you feel a cold coming on.)

Motion relief: ginger gum, sea bands, chewable dramamine and bonnine

Other: *eye drops (Quito is hard on the eyes), *antifungal cream ( a broad spectrum one will cover a variety of possible locations), *sun lotion and *bug stuff

Bandaids

blister bandaids

 

There is a good chance of finding any of these things in a local pharmacy in Quito or in one of the towns, but its nice to have it in your room in the middle of the night. The doctors on our trip carried more than this, ;-) but as a layperson, this is a far as I am going to self treat before getting professional assistance! Bring children's formulations if you kids are too young for adult. I left this kit ( which fits in a gusseted quart bag) in my hotel room and just pack a "go bag" with smaller quantities in back pack for excursions to handle a little emergency on the road. Remember to take the liquids and gels * out and put them in your little gel bag for international airport security. My go bag is a snack size zip lock bag.

 

Go Bag

*antibiotic spray

bandaids and blister bandaids

chewable dramamine, bonnine pills and some ginger gum

tums

advil

immodium

1 or 2 bug wipes (I use natrapel picardin bug wipes...in case we forget the repellent in our day bag)

lip balm with SPF

And I always carry one tube of sunscreen in my back pack for reapplications

 

 

Documents

passports- check these when you book...will they expire less than 6 mos after your trip? If so arrange to get new ones now!

copies of each passport to carry around with you when pp are locked up.

medical cards for family

credit cards- pick one with out an international transaction fee,( capitol one) and notify your bank before leaving

copies of credit cards and insurance info to leave in the safe in case cards are stolen/lost

guide books- pick just a couple, one of the Galapagos and one with maps of Ecuador; helpful when making notes after excursions

docs and itineraries

airline e docs

vouchers for tours or travel

insurance info and emergency contacts

cash parceled out in envelopes for market (smaller bills) and guides ( large bills, less bulky for them and you!)

folder or large manila envelop to store collected paper work and receipts and scrapbook items

 

Things Not Needed

Water bottle, you are provided either bottled water or a GE II bottle for water during the trip.

Jewelry, other than earrings and a simple wedding band; better to leave this in your safe deposit box at home

high heels- you wont really be able to wear them touring or in the islands and its to rocky on the ship to wear them...they aren't worth bringing!

[NeuroQueen]

An absolutely breathtaking review. The pictures are unbelievable. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this review. I have read all of your trip reports, but this one was spectacular. Happy cruising!

[Familygoboston]

Thank you! Thats very kind! It seems there are so many beautiful subjects in Ecuador and the Galapagos to photograph! And I can't take any credit for the photos...those are all DHs hard work.:D

[Familygoboston]

For lenses I used the 24-120 f/4 VR on the D4 and the 70-200 VR with the 1.4TC on the D800 (in DX mode). The former camera/lens combination was my “go to” rig. The latter camera/lens was only used on the islands in the Galapagos to get me some needed reach without a lot of weight. I also brought the 16-35 that I used for the interiors as well as the rainbow. I thought I’d use the 16-35 more, but found the 24mm end of the 24-120 plenty wide enough most of the time and the 24-120/70-200 & TC combination effectively gave me 24-420 f/4 between the two cameras. I carried them on a dual BlackRapid strap (highly recommended). For the Quito shots I used the 10-30 and 30-110 Nikon 1 lenses on my V1.

[gambee]

Thanks for the review, it's lovely!

 

nice pictures too, was there a lot of movement in the ship?

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for the review, it's lovely!

 

nice pictures too, was there a lot of movement in the ship?

 

Thanks so much! Here's the thing...we had mostly cruised larger ships (more than 2000 passengers) or been on small boats (less than 50 feet), so we did find there was more motion when under way that the large cruise ships generally, but I have been in large cruise ships in rougher waters that had more motion.

 

Everyone definitely noticed it, but so very few people were really were bothered enough by it to have it spoil their trip. And most of those were suffering with something else (exhaustion, dietary tummy upset) Everyone in my family except DH used some kind of remedy at some time, but then was fine. The ship is generally moving the largest distances in open water at night, so taking something won;t affect you. There are no "sea days" so twice a day you are on land and not moving. I think that made it easier to manage than say a TA cruise, where you are at sea moving for days.

 

Another thing: because it's a small ship, you really are always near a window or no more than a few steps to the deck.where you can see the horizon and re adjust your brain.

 

Hope that answers your question! Ultimately, I wouldn't let the idea that its a smaller ship and you'll feel the motion deter you from trying the trip!

[gambee]

The only other thing is the budget, these cruises can be very expensive with all the air travel and hotels accounted into it, not to mention the cruise itself. None the less it is something to keep in the back of my head for when the time is right. Thank you som much for sharing with us, it is much appreciated!

[Familygoboston]

You are welcome...I always love to read reviews of trips I might take one day...just read an Asia trip review!

Enjoy Allure!

[Riverwinds 13]

What a wonderful, comprehensive review. I enjoyed! We are going next April and I am very thankful for the tips you outlined. They will come in handy. Thanks Again!:D

[Familygoboston]

Thanks! I see you are sailing Celebrity, I think the " flow" of the ships activities is very similar and certainly the general tips will apply. I did a lot of research on the Celebrity boards before I went, and found them bpver helpful but there just wasn't much else out there which is why I wanted to post something so thorough;)

 

I'm leaving in a few weeks on PG to French Polynesia and I'm just now going through a years worth of notes and saved links to other peoples reviews to remember all the " tips" people had for me! I'm happy to pay it forward!

 

Are you planning some pre nights or headed right to the cruise? I know that Celebrity does offer some extentions, some of the same places i reviewed here.

 

Have a blast in the Galapagos it's amazing!

[rlpolobear9]

Great review I guess you can check another item off the bucket list.

 

Truly awesome pictures but it seems like it was one of those trips that the memories/stories will last a lot longer than the pics.

[Familygoboston]

Great review I guess you can check another item off the bucket list.

 

Truly awesome pictures but it seems like it was one of those trips that the memories/stories will last a lot longer than the pics.

 

Thanks! My family is trying to get to every continent...DH and I have 5 down- 2 to go;) But really, it is about time spent together as a family. Our family loves wildlife, so that's what we were after on this trip, and it didn't disappoint!:D The problem with the bucket list, is it only gets longer; I go to a place and then start dreaming of going back!

[e01061]

Thanks for an amazing review, and such beautiful pictures! You're right... the more you read, the longer the bucket list becomes! We are trying to decide our next trip...and the more we read, the harder that decision becomes! A trip like this sure is tempting though! Thanks for sharing!:D

[jimbri]

Wonderful review. Thank you.

[Sinppu]

 

 

 

(do you see the pattern here? Excited kids, oblivious snoozing sea lions!)

 

Ohhh LOVE LOVE LOVE :D

 

Thanks for the great review. My compliments to the photographer as well :)

[Ilovevacations22]

I feel so privileged to have seen these stunning photographs...amazing quality. I can't wait to show my kids in the morning...it's like a much more personal issue of National Geographic!

 

And your family is gorgeous...you ARE the brochure subjects!

[Wilda]

As always...a fabulous review! Thank you :)

[Familygoboston]

As always...a fabulous review! Thank you :)

 

Thanks Wilda! It was fun to write, and even more fun to go!;)

[Familygoboston]

Wonderful review. Thank you.

 

Ohhh LOVE LOVE LOVE :D

 

Thanks for the great review. My compliments to the photographer as well :)

 

Thank you! I was away on another trip and missed these, so glad you enjoyed!

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for an amazing review, and such beautiful pictures! You're right... the more you read, the longer the bucket list becomes! We are trying to decide our next trip...and the more we read, the harder that decision becomes! A trip like this sure is tempting though! Thanks for sharing!:D

 

So true! I've been getting brochures for Far East on Azamara, and that sounds interesting. We are on hold for while planning till I know where my DD goes to college and what the schedule is. We've got 2 trips for their breaks this spring, but not much planned after that!

[rsharp83]

Wow, what a trip. Great review. Likely not on my list of places anytime soon. But I really enjoyed your insightful review.

[Familygoboston]

Wow, what a trip. Great review. Likely not on my list of places anytime soon. But I really enjoyed your insightful review.

 

Thanks Randy! Just wait till you cruise...you might just get hooked!;) I did enjoy this small ship and very active, outdoorsy itinerary! Allure will be a very different experience, but I hope you enjoy it!:D