Galápagos 2013: Vacation, Evolved - Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
San Cristóbal Airport is on the western end of San Cristóbal Island and is very small. Virtually every commercial flight that lands there comes from Guayaquil, and our Aerogal flight was no exception, although our stop off in that city was so short that we didn't even get off the plane.
We landed in the early afternoon of Monday, December 16. When we disembarked we found that the airport was so small that it was more or less a large Quonset hut with no walls. Our luggage was collected by the tour group, and we then took a short five minute bus ride through the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to the harbor. We immediately saw sea lions lying on various rocks and docks, which we thought an auspicious sign.
We rode out to the boat on a panga, which is essentially a small motor boat that could hold approximately 12 passengers. The M/Y Letty is far too large to get in close to shore under most circumstances, so we would take panga rides to and from the shore instead. Our landings throughout the trip were split between 'dry' landings where we stepped out of the boat on to a dock or a rock, and 'wet' landings where we stopped off into water ranging from a few inches to two feet deep.
In any event, we were soon aboard the M/Y Letty. Our suitcases were waiting for us in our state rooms. tigerlily_blue and I shared a small cabin toward the rear of the ship that had its own private full bathroomp; our parents were across the hallway in a room that was virtually identical aside from having a single large bed. The beds were short; I'm not a tall man and my feet nearly went off the end. I'm given to understand the other eight guest cabins were similar in size.
Our hosts gave the eighteen assembled guests a quick briefing, and then we went ashore to see some sights. A quick panga ride brought us to a trail leading to the main public beach for the town. We hiked no more than 1/3 of a mile to a sandy beach. Despite the overcast weather there were many locals swimming and tanning, but they had to compete with sea lions for the prime spots. We were advised to stay two meters away from sea lions on land, because at this time of year there were many baby sea lions and while their mothers were pretty relaxed, the adult males could potentially be very protective. Here we took the first of MANY sea lion photos; you have been warned.
My understanding is that the beach was near Frigate Bird Hill, which is believed to be where Charles Darwin made his first landing in the Galápagos Islands. On a fun side note, Darwin managed to become the most important man in the history of the Galápagos Islands despite having only been on the islands for just under five weeks.
The beach was in a protected inlet; the outer edges of the inlet were black volcanic rock. Here we saw the first of many marine iguanas and brown pelicans, as well as some sort of plover, a yellow warbler (variety uncertain) and a few of the crabs that we were to encounter repeatedly throughout the trip.
After a pleasant hike we returned to the Letty. We quickly learned that the usual pattern was to be briefed on the next day's activities before dinner. In many ways this aspect of the trip was like summer camp - we were told where we were going to be, what time we needed to be ready to go, and what equipment we needed, which usually translated to "wear shoes that can get wet" or "don't wear shoes that can get wet" and "bring sunscreen. Always." Now that I think about it, I'm not sure summer camp was ever that structured.
Anyway, after this first night's briefing there was a "Captain's Welcome" where we were introduced to the eleven crew members on the ship, followed by a delicious dinner. The food on the Letty was uniformly excellent on every day of the trip, but the steak that night was something special. We went to bed early, but those who stayed up a bit could hear the motors starting up as the crew prepared to move the ship to Tuesday's destination.
Photos from this day of the trip can be found here (no FB account needed). My sister's comments on the day can be found here.
We landed in the early afternoon of Monday, December 16. When we disembarked we found that the airport was so small that it was more or less a large Quonset hut with no walls. Our luggage was collected by the tour group, and we then took a short five minute bus ride through the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to the harbor. We immediately saw sea lions lying on various rocks and docks, which we thought an auspicious sign.
We rode out to the boat on a panga, which is essentially a small motor boat that could hold approximately 12 passengers. The M/Y Letty is far too large to get in close to shore under most circumstances, so we would take panga rides to and from the shore instead. Our landings throughout the trip were split between 'dry' landings where we stepped out of the boat on to a dock or a rock, and 'wet' landings where we stopped off into water ranging from a few inches to two feet deep.
In any event, we were soon aboard the M/Y Letty. Our suitcases were waiting for us in our state rooms. tigerlily_blue and I shared a small cabin toward the rear of the ship that had its own private full bathroomp; our parents were across the hallway in a room that was virtually identical aside from having a single large bed. The beds were short; I'm not a tall man and my feet nearly went off the end. I'm given to understand the other eight guest cabins were similar in size.
Our hosts gave the eighteen assembled guests a quick briefing, and then we went ashore to see some sights. A quick panga ride brought us to a trail leading to the main public beach for the town. We hiked no more than 1/3 of a mile to a sandy beach. Despite the overcast weather there were many locals swimming and tanning, but they had to compete with sea lions for the prime spots. We were advised to stay two meters away from sea lions on land, because at this time of year there were many baby sea lions and while their mothers were pretty relaxed, the adult males could potentially be very protective. Here we took the first of MANY sea lion photos; you have been warned.
My understanding is that the beach was near Frigate Bird Hill, which is believed to be where Charles Darwin made his first landing in the Galápagos Islands. On a fun side note, Darwin managed to become the most important man in the history of the Galápagos Islands despite having only been on the islands for just under five weeks.
The beach was in a protected inlet; the outer edges of the inlet were black volcanic rock. Here we saw the first of many marine iguanas and brown pelicans, as well as some sort of plover, a yellow warbler (variety uncertain) and a few of the crabs that we were to encounter repeatedly throughout the trip.
After a pleasant hike we returned to the Letty. We quickly learned that the usual pattern was to be briefed on the next day's activities before dinner. In many ways this aspect of the trip was like summer camp - we were told where we were going to be, what time we needed to be ready to go, and what equipment we needed, which usually translated to "wear shoes that can get wet" or "don't wear shoes that can get wet" and "bring sunscreen. Always." Now that I think about it, I'm not sure summer camp was ever that structured.
Anyway, after this first night's briefing there was a "Captain's Welcome" where we were introduced to the eleven crew members on the ship, followed by a delicious dinner. The food on the Letty was uniformly excellent on every day of the trip, but the steak that night was something special. We went to bed early, but those who stayed up a bit could hear the motors starting up as the crew prepared to move the ship to Tuesday's destination.
Photos from this day of the trip can be found here (no FB account needed). My sister's comments on the day can be found here.