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Published: March 20th 2023
Taking My Advice
and going for the GalapagosOur morning started with a 3:30 pick up to take us to the airport. Not my favorite time of day, but even I was up and ready for this. After almost a year of planning and waiting, it was time to fly to the Galapagos Islands. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened, tray table stowed and your seat is in the full upright, most uncomfortable position because we are cleared for takeoff.
Our flight had to stop at Guayaquil for 45 minutes to pick up travelers before heading approximately 600 miles out to sea, landing on Baltra Island. All flights to the Islands depart from Quito or Guayaquil. At the airport we spotted two ladies who had been on our tour at the real middle of the world. I liked them, so decreed that I would allow it. Spoiler alert, they are amazing woman and I really enjoyed spending time with them. Watch for the names Barb and Diane in future tales from this trip. As we flew closer to the island airport, the skies turned an amazing shade of blue. There were fluffy clouds, and there was a lot of excitement building for me. Suddenly, we were
on the ground, and the adventure was about to begin.
Walking through the muggy heat along the tarmac, I was once again the kid before Christmas. Holy crap, there was an iguana off the side of the path. Wow, there was another one. Thoughts of calm down, and hold your horses should have been going through my head, but I pushed them aside to listen to the one that told me to take a picture of the Eco Airport sigh. Fortunately, Dave and Merry Jo were tuned into the excitement, so we all posed for not just one picture, but another round of shots because the first ones didn’t look just right. No mind that all the passengers were trying to move through our shot. We passed through the migration, had our passports stamped, our carry-on bags x-rayed and watched as a dog climbed over our checked luggage sniffing for illicit foods and such. Ecuador is serious about preserving the Galapagos Islands, and work to ensure that nothing is brought onto the island that shouldn’t be.
Since I was a nerd early on in life, I loved the first day of school. Seriously, I loved it, and today
was just like that. A Metrojourney representative was corralling all the passengers of the yacht Isabella II to drop their luggage with him, then follow another towards the bus that would take us from the airport. It was like teachers getting students to the proper school bus on that first day. I sized up the group of passengers in the group as we waited. Most people would say how they silently sized them up, but anyone who has met me knows that is not my style. We were waiting for 4 more people, so I asked I we could just pick 4 that we liked. That was not the case but did let everyone know I was going to be a handful. Barb and Diane stood near us, while we waited and chatted. I was pleased with our group, felt an instant connection to those two. Soon the remaining passengers arrived, and we headed off to the bus to take us to the dock where we would board Zodiac boats to take us to the yacht. This was going to be good. I could just feel it.
While we were waiting to board a Zodiac, aka dinghy, we donned
our life jackets for the first of many, many times, and were shown the “Ecuadorian handshake” This is for safety and has each person grab the forearm of the other for stability. Yup, I had this. Into the Zodiacs we went, and out into the amazing turquoise water we sailed while watching frigate birds soar overhead. As we approached the Isabella II, our home for the next 7 days, our guide pointed out a swarm of sharks surrounding her. Fish come to eat the barnacles and such from the boat, and the sharks come to eat the fish while pelicans float on the water also trying to eat the fish. Now, let me tell you, when it was my turn to get off the dinghy, I escalated the “handshake” to the “Ecuadorian Death Grip”. Sharks? I am an indoor person. I don’t even like swimming pools, so there was no way I was falling into that water. Safely aboard, we were taken to the bar, my comfort zone, for a welcoming blackberry juice, to wait for the remaining Zodiacs to arrive, and to revel in the accomplishment of simply being in the Galapagos Islands.
With a group of 36
passengers and a crew of 33, I knew that we were in for some personal service. I work daily to provide this to my customers, so when I have the opportunity to receive it, I absolutely love it. The Isabella II is an older ship but has been nicely updated and was comfortable. Our guide told us, and we were all about to learn this for real, that this was not a vacation; this was an experience. (He may have said adventure. I was so busy looking around that I couldn’t focus that much.) We were issued our wet-suits, snorkeling masks, flippers, a numbered mesh bag in which to put our gear and shown our assigned hook for storage. After a welcoming information session, we were escorted to our cabins to relax for a bit. My cabin was one of 2 single cabins but was spacious and I was happy to call number 14 home for the next 6 nights. Following a jarring fire alarm, we mustered on the Sun Deck for a safety briefing. It was clear from the no nonsense way this was done that safety really is a priority. It was good to know. During the pandemic,
some ships had not been fully maintained and several fires have recently occurred. Once we were thoroughly briefed, it was time for lunch and then to get ready for our first wet landing on Las Bachas beach on the northern shore of Santa Cruz Island, the most populated island.
From the Zodiac, there are 2 different types of landing, and paying attention ahead of time is key. Wet landings are where the dinghy stops in the water, and the passengers slide around and simply step out into the water. A dry landing is when the dinghy pulls up to a pier or dock and everyone gets out without getting wet. Today’s landing was wet and was onto the most beautiful white sand beach imaginable. With only 36 passengers, we were divided into groups of 12, with a Naturalist Guide. No one is permitted to visit the Islands alone; each person has to be with a guide. Again, this is taken seriously, and we were not allowed to wander off, but for good reason. Turtles nest on the sand, and careless feet could crush the eggs. I was impressed with how passionately our guide felt about this.
As we
walked along the beach, we saw these brilliant red crabs scurrying along the black lava rocks. They were so brilliant that they could almost be called vermilion. They are actually called Sally Lightfoot crabs and are abundant on the islands. As we all clamored around snapping picture after picture, our guide laughed and told us that we were going to see these everywhere, and not to take a hundred pictures the first day. And yes, he was right. He was also right when he told us the same regarding sea lions. Forcing myself to stop framing the perfect shot, I followed the group to a brackish lagoon where flamingos are often found. Not today. There was 1 lonely flamingo on the far end. When out in nature, things don’t always go right, animals don’t always show up and the weather doesn’t always cooperate. Such is life on the road, and I am fine with it. I took a few obligatory shots of the little guy, then headed back to the beach where we were able to go swimming and get our first chance to enjoy the warm, clear, turquoise water.
Now, as I said above, I am more of
an indoor person. I enjoy sitting and reading with a view of the pool from the window, but not necessarily being in the pool. I was content to just wade in the water. I did wear shorts today, so was working on the mindset of swimming. Soon, peer pressure in a good way started coming towards me from Merry Jo and Dave. They love the water and were in their element. After waffling and being playfully heckled, I removed my shirt, yes in public, and headed into the ocean. And two things happened. First, I loved it. The feeling of floating and being in the water was amazing. Second, no one was blinded by my oh so white torso. In fact, I don’t think anyone paid any attention. Thus, my inner turmoil was resolved, and Brenno was now a beach bum. It was such a fun time swimming with Dave and Merry Jo that we were on the last Zodiac heading back to the ship. It was a truly spectacular start to the trip.
Dinner the first night had a lot to prove in my book. The lunch buffet was very nice, and the servers came around with an
electronic version of the menu so we could pre-order our dinner. I was sad that I couldn’t collect or take pictures of the menus, but it was good for the kitchen so they could create it daily with what was fresh. I get it. Let me say that I was impressed with dinner. I had a beet salad, seared fresh fish that looks like grouper in my picture with a light coconut sauce, and a warm banana cake with fresh homemade ice cream. It was clear that the crew in the kitchen knew what they were doing, and I was happy as the proverbial clam. After a day in the sun, there is nothing like a good dinner to put the day to rest. And after dinner, that is exactly what I did. I went to bed, rocked to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship. Breakfast was scheduled for 6:30 the next morning, and we were going to hit the ground running.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Reliving the Experience
We had such a great trip and this blog proves it! LOL. Oh so many memories we've created together and we are just on day one.... Love traveling with you friend. We knew if you got out of line we could toss you to the sharks! Your vibrant personality became a friend to everyone on board. Eager to read more of the story.