Enough independence! Time to rejoin the care of a Lindblad expedition team, so we met our new group at the Hilton Hotel at Guayaquil airport. Our flight to the Islas Galapagos was about 08:00am. We were there ready to go, but unfortunately the group flight which brought most of our co-expeditioners from Miami had to turn back enroute and be replaced by another aircraft. This arrived at about 04:00am, so we were accompanied by a lot of very weary travellers on our (90 min Avianca) hop to Galapagos. They proved to the stoic and tough.
Galapagos capital Puerto Baquerizo Moreno as seen from from Endeavour II anchored in Wreck Bay.
The Galapagos Islands, which are officially known by Ecuador as Archipiélago de Colón,, (reference to Columbus again?) are a collection of 18 main volcanic islands which straddle the equator, and are famous for a huge number of endemic species which, on his Beagle voyage, helped Charles Darwin come to his world-changing understanding of evolution.
Visitors are made to feel welcome on the island of San Cristobal.
The airport is on the island of San Christobal, named after the patron saint of seafarers, and once called Chatham Island by the English. The main town nearby is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galapagos, off which was anchored our home for the next week, National Geographic Endeavour II. The town itself was sleepy, hot and dusty. A string of waterfront cafes and gifts shops were doing slow trade. There's an election coming, it seems, and the place was livened up by the occasional passage of flag-festooned utes playing loud music and slogans. Sea lions laze everywhere, and we got our first glimpse of marine iguanas.
The town features a novel map of Islas Galapagos, and it's being enjoyed by one of the resident sea lions.
The hot and sunny beachfront at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
You just have to walk around these local pets.
This guy is waiting for the restaurant to open?
The Endeavour II is the largest of the Lindblad-National Geographic ships on this three-expedition itinerary of ours, although still smaller than the L-NG Orion on which we went to Antarctica last year. It takes 90 passengers with a crew of about 50. The Endeavour II is registered in Guayaquil, and the entire crew (or at least those we met) are Ecuadorian, including the mariners and the hotel staff. Our cabin #409, immediately behind the bridge, was spacious and comfortable. The whole ship has been refitted for L-NG recently, so it has a new and modern feeling.
Sea lions swim around expectantly as we load onto Zodiacs for our first embarkation onto Endeavour II.
The expedition leader, Vanessa, and the naturalists on the expedition staff, are almost all natives of the Galapagos Islands - again, its good to be able to say that L-NG have employed locals for this purpose, and their love of their homeland is manifest.
By our count, there are 9 Aussies on the guest list, 6 Canadians, and the rest of the 90 are from all over the USA.
Loud electioneering is in the air in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno.
We had the opportunity to visit a nearby Interpretive Centre (1988) at the Galapagos National Park, where there was a steep uphill walk to Cerro de las Tijeretas, Frigate Bird Hill. Obligingly, we saw some frigate birds and could peer into a cove called Puerto Grande where Charles Darwin's Beagle sheltered on arrival in San Christobal. The cove is obviously a favourite snorkelling and swimming spot for local teenagers.
Galapagos Interpretation Centre at gateway to Galapagos National Park on Frigate Bird Hill.
Lulu was our group's guide. Like all the others, she is a native born Galapagan.
Twitchers looking for a mocking bird?
And then a glimpse of the elusive Galapagos mocking bird.
Local youngsters snorkelling in the Puerto Grande.
Nesting magnificent frigate bird.
Backlit by the late afternoon sun, the Endeavour II in Wreck Bay.
Well camouflaged, still catching the last rays of sun.
The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno as seen from Frigate Bird Hill.
Frigate Bird Hill cactus. Cactus flowers are food for Galapagos mocking birds.
Our first sunset from Endeavour II.
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