Dean & Ginny's excellent adventures...  

Trip to The Galápagos--02/07: Part 1  Part 2 >>  Part 3 >> Part 4 >> Part 5 >> Part 6 >>

 

 

<< "Right this way to real adventures!" the sea lion beckoned.  We'd seen a program on public TV about the Galápagos and thought it looked like fun.  One week later we were there!

We drove to Miami and flew into Quito, Ecuador.  We spent one night there at a quaint hostel, Fuente de Piedra--The Stone Fountain. 

Hostel in Quito

That night we took a taxi to Cafe Mosaico, a lovely restaurant overlooking the old part of Quito.  What a view!  

 

We started our meal in the daylight on our mosaic table with a classic design, but as the sun went behind the hills, the lights of the city created a whole new vista.  We could see churches, statues, a small bullring, and various neighborhoods.   The inside of the restaurant was also interesting. The cooks work behind this wine bottle bottom window.  A devil with antlers above the fireplace is softened by fresh flowers. 

There were other fireplaces and the classic Greek nudes on the doors of the men's and ladies' rooms left no doubt about which was which.  The 1960s Rock 'n Roll background music seemed a bit out of synch with the ambiance of the place, though.

The next morning we caught an early flight to "The Islands" on AeroGal Airline to the small airport on San Cristobal Island.

The unique Casa Blanca overlooked the dock area.>>

We had a little bit of time to roam around town.  This is a growing port city with some ingenious building methods and inventive delivery vehicles.    We learned later that it's rare for residents to own cars and motorized vehicles are mostly taxis and buses.

<< No fancy gates or terminals here.  On our way in, we paid the $100 per person park entrance fee.  Our guide Enrique (Kique for short--pronounced key-kay) gathered the 16 passengers for Athala, our boat.  We boarded a bus to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galápagos,  where we had lunch.  We went to an interpretive center where Kique explained the geology of the islands, and then back to the town.  

Soda and beer on the islands are only available in returnable, reusable bottles.   It's like going back in time.

<< We were amazed at the number of sea lions (not seals) that greeted us at the dock and the beach.  They also climbed aboard unattended boats in the harbor.   Need a taxi?

 

This picturesque workboat  has at least one sea lion basking in the afternoon light on the gunwale. >>

 

 

<<  We boarded The Athala, via yellow inflatable dinghies, or pangas, that we'd become quite familiar with by the end of the trip.   We used them for both wet and dry landings.  This first one was dry--we didn't plop our feet into the water like when we'd land at a beach.

This was an 8-day cruise and I'm not going to stay with the order of happenings, so the following pages will be by subject.

On board The Athala >>

Top of page:

Sky bar   

Sky-Bolt Enterprises Where great ideas come out of the blue.

© Sky-Bolt Enterprises 2001-2007