Friday, November 1, 2013

Quito

Quito


After a week on the ship in the Galapagos, with limits on water usage, Miriam and I luxuriated under long showers before heading out to see the historic district of Quito.  We learned that Mondays are the changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace, only two blocks away, so we wandered up to see that event and also looked for locations that Miriam’s dad had photographed in the 1970’s.  Much had changed, but we did locate San Francisco Square and the churches close by.

Church in Plaza Grande

Part of San Francisco Square

Typical Historic District street

Plaza Grande - Quito

After the colorful ceremony changing the guard, with many people in traditional Ecuadorian dress, we had lunch at “Mea Culpa” restaurant and then back to the hotel to finalize packing for the trip home.  

Changing of the guard

Colorful Uniforms

Lots of Pomp & Ceremony

Guards at main palace entrance
Traditional Dress

More Photo Ops during ceremony

The Delta Airlines red-eye flight left Quito at 1130 PM and landed in Atlanta about 0600.  Both of us were able to doze on the flight.  In Atlanta we were able to use our Global Entry (NEXUS) cards, bypassing both the lines at immigration and customs.  The flight back to Seattle on Delta was uneventful, just long after the flight from Quito. 

Galapagos Islands - Days 7 & 8

South Plaza


On our last full day we were at South Plaza on a mooring buoy when we had our 0730 wakeup.  At 0900 we had a dry landing and walk, seeing a cactus forest, land iguanas, red billed tropic birds, swallow tail gulls and a bachelor sea lion colony.  Returning to the landing site we saw several large bull sharks cruising along the shore looking for stray sea lions to feed on.
Cactus Foreston South Plaza

Swallowtail Gulls on South Plaza

Red Billed Tropicbird

Swallowtail Gull

Bull Shark cruising next to shore and sea lion

More cactus forest on South Plaza

North Seymour Island



Heading back north to North Seymour Island we tied off to a mooring buoy and headed into shore for a dry landing to look for the Magnificent and Great Frigate Birds, which nest on this island.  The Frigate Birds mate all year long and we were able to see the inflated neck pouches of the male birds.  We also saw more Boobies and Iguanas.  By the time we returned to the landing site, the wind and chop came up as we were leaving, making the return to the boat exciting.  Since the buoy was on a lee shore, the captain elected to leave and find some calm water for the farewell dinner.  We finally anchored near Baltra.  At 2100 we were underway once again, this time in heavy seas all the way back to Wreck Bay on San Cristobal Island where we anchored at 0600.
Male Frigate Bird

Putting on a show for the females

Baby Frigate Bird

Booby Chick

Juvenile Frigate Bird

Another Blue Footed Booby

Female Frigate Bird with chick

Final Morning in Galapagos Islands


Disembarkation took place at 0800, followed by a visit to the Galapagos Interpretive center, a walk around the town, and then the few blocks to the airport for the flight on Aerogal back to Quito.  We covered 385 nautical miles during the trip, landing on four major islands and several minor islands.  The only major wildlife we missed on the Southern Itinerary was the Flightless Cormorant, which is only found on the Northern Itinerary.  Due to a change in park regulations, we were also not allowed to land on Isabela Island and see the crater at the Negra volcano, but not a great loss compared to our own Mt. St. Helens.  The wildlife is heavily oriented to birds and reptiles, along with the sea lions, and the islands are more arid than we ever imagined.

Our suitcases heading for shore

Sea Lions on the main street on San Cristobal

We had an uneventful flight back to Quito and were met at the airport by the travel company, which took us back to the Patio Andaluz Hotel in the historic district.

Galapagos Islands Day 6 - Oct 25

Volcanic Islands

Sometime during the night the crew raised the anchor and Letty headed out of Academy Bay and around the west side of Santa Cruz Island to the northern most area where an island known as “Chinese Hat” which actually looks like an old fashioned Chinese farmers hat.  Chinese Hat is next to Santiago Island.  Tying to a mooring buoy we headed in to Chinese Hat island for a wet landing and a hike across the lava fields of the island looking at the first types of vegetation to grow in the lava fields following an eruption.  We also walked over many lava tubes, some of which were broken open.  There was no new wildlife, just raw scenery on lava fields.
Sunrise over Chinese Hat
Santiago Island

Views from Chinese Hat
New Life in the Lava

Miriam

Patrick in Lava Fields

Broken Lava Tubes on Chinese Hat

Sea Lions and Lava Lizards

Sally Lightfoot Crab getting ready to molt

After returning to the boat we donned our wetsuits and snorkeled along the shore of Santiago Island, seeing Marbled Manta Rays, White Tipped Reef Sharks, and the usual variety of fish, including several types of parrot fish.  The water visibility was much improved over previous snorkeling trips.

Volcanic remains on Bartholome Island

Volcanic crater from top of Bartholome Island

Incredible views from Bartholome Island

View of Santiago Island Volcanic Cones


Returning to the Letty we had lunch while motoring to Bartholome Island.  After the normal siesta, we headed into the island for a dry landing and then a climb of 400 steps and a boardwalk to the top of the island for a spectacular view across Bartholome to Santiago Island with numerous volcanic cones dotting the horizon.  Returning to the ship we again donned our wetsuits for the last deep water snorkel of the trip around the base of a volcanic spire before returning for our afternoon briefing and dinner.