My wife and I had a long list of places to visit in our “golden years” – mine was a bit more on the adventurous side, while her interests were more around culture, food and tennis. But we had a lot of overlap, and the Galápagos Islands were one of those. So, as I started to peruse the many tour catalogs I had received, it was an easy pick for me. We had looked at National Geographic before – Jan was not into cutting costs/comforts, and the NG/Lindblad trips had it all. So, I signed up for a fall trip, leaving plenty of time to start gearing up!
National Geographic/Lindblad tours are quite a bit different from traditional cruises – their ships are all relatively small, so there are fewer guests, only one dining area, no shows or casinos, no pools or playgrounds for children – just the basics, but these are all extremely well done. The focus is all on exploring the destination, and providing the tools and guidance you need to get the most out of the experience. The ships are packed with zodiac boats for getting you out to shore for hiking, snorkeling gear, kayaks, paddle boards – pretty much everything you need for the adventure. The staff includes National Geographic photographers, naturalists, and locals who know the culture and history of where you are going. They cover all the bases.
So, off I went to Ecuador (they own the islands) for my first solo trip. I was OK with the travel, since I was used to that from years of consulting, but absolutely petrified about being on a small ship, with 84 perfect strangers. I knew I was going to have to walk up to a table in the dining area and ask “May I join you?” What if they said no? My fears were totally unfounded. Pretty much anyone on a NG trip is there for the same reasons, be it photography, snorkeling, hiking, and for the most part, enjoy making new acquaintences. By the time we boarded the ship on Isla San Cristobal, I had already met 5 or 6 couples, and a few others who were interested in photography. After a day or two on board, I was usually invited to join groups for lunch or dinner rather than having to wander around to find somewhere to sit.
The problem with touring the Galapagos Islands is that there are at the very least 11 islands worth visiting, spread out over an extremely large chunk of ocean. You have to cross the equator to visit a few of them. And you can spend more than a day on each of these islands – they really are amazing. This particular trip covered the eastern islands, which included two of the inhabited islands. The largest island, with the active volcanos, is included in a different tour. I’ll catch that the next time I go there.
I could probably write a few pages about this trip, but that was not my intent for starting this blog, so I’ll just cover a few highlites of the trip:
If you are familiar with Charles Darwin, and his Origin of Species, you know about the finches, and the variations of the same species found on different islands. Not much has changed other than the extinction of many of the animals due to human presence. Ecuador manages the islands as a national park, so there are very strict rules on tourism, and who gains entries to the remote islands. This is not a place to party on the beach. Because of these rules and the lack of more recent human activities (whaling, hunting, etc) the animals have no fear of us, and basically ignore you as your group meanders along trails. It is bizarre. On one hike, we were able to gather around a female sea lion feeding her newly born pup…from a foot or two away. Birds nest on the trails, and completely ignore you as you step over or around the nest. Large iguanas just about sit still as you walk right up to them to snap a photo. At one lagoon, an immature flamingo wandered through our group, on the way to the beach. I was sitting on a rock at one stop, photographing a pelican, when a big sea lion waddled up to me, stopped a few feet away and checked me out, then waddled away. I’ve never quite seen anything like that before. It is a birder’s paradise – there are so many species of birds, and it is so easy to spot and photograph them. Here are a few shots of some of the beasties we saw:
The tour also included a stop at the Darwin Center on Isla Santa Cruz – this is one of the locations where they breed the giant tortoises. We also visited a “ranch” where the tortoises are wild, doing there thing. Which is basically lumbering slowly around, eating grass, and then fertilizing on the other end. Rubber boots are a must.
We had a few snorkel opportunities on the trip – the water is quite cold there, even with the proximity to the equator, thanks to the Humbolt current passing through from Antarctica. At a couple of locations, we were lucky enough to have visitations by playful juvenile sea lions. They just enjoy showing off. We also saw penguins in the water (and on the shore).
And finally, here is the ship, sitting in the middle of an enormous volcanic caldera (flooded obviously)
The trip was fantastic, and I survived being on my own for 10 days. I did learn something else about travel from my wife. First or business class is the only way to fly. Worth every penny. It takes the pain out of flying.
One sad note from this trip. A few days into the trip, I received a message from my sister-in-law (they had Wifi on the ship) that my brother was in the hospital. I had just spoken with him a day or two before, while I was waiting for my next flight in Miami. Two days later, he passed from stage 4 liver cancer. Ouch. The crew let me use the ships satellite phone to make some calls, and were so helpful the next few days. I decided to keep on with the activities, since my brother was so excited about me being on this trip – he and his wife were master birders, and had been to the Galapagos Islands before. Later that day, I was sitting alone below the bridge, just meditating, when I noticed what looked like the Bat Signal in shadow, moving around on the deck. I looked up to see a squadron of frigate birds, riding the air wave from the bow of the ship (we were moving to the next location)
I took that as a sign to keep enjoying the trip.
The Traveling Widower 