Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises
Cruise Ship: Celebrity Xpediton
Cruise Destination: Galapagos Islands
Cruise Dates: October 17 - October 26, 2008
Guest Contributors: Peter and Boh
Pre-Cruise in Old Quito Town
Boh and I arose at 3am on 17 October in Buenos Aires to catch our early flight to Quito, Ecuador, via Lima, Peru.
By early afternoon, we found ourselves checking into the JW Marriott in downtown Quito.
The next morning, we joined our Celebrity Xpedition group - who would later accompany us to the Galapagos Islands - for a tour of the Quito old town. The morning proved to be quite entertaining.
Our first stop was a magnificent gothic basilica set atop a hill looking over the Spanish colonial town. Standing outside the basilica we could look down over a series of whitewashed colonial buildings. On a distant hill, a massive statue of the Virgin Mary watched over the town. Milling outside the basilica were a range of indigenous children selling colorful shawls, bags and paintings.
After a tour of the basilica, our group was shepherded to the town square. On one side of the square stood the presidential palace. Next to it, on the right, was a recently opened luxury hotel where rooms apparently go for $2,000 per night. On the far side of the square stood a bishop's residence.
The middle of the square was marked by a monument to Ecuador's independence from the Spanish, achieved - if memory serves - in 1834. Milling around the vibrant square were myriad tourists; native children offering more products for sale or, as an alternative, a quick shoe shine; and the local constabulary who periodically blew their whistles to discourage the native children from harassing the tourists.
We did not take advantage of the shoe shining services, however, Boh did give one of the young boys a thrill by giving him a small koala as a toy. The boy looked at us uncertainly, before running off to show his prize to his mate.
Flying proudly atop the presidential palace, we could see Ecuador's stunning flag. The top stripe is a brilliant yellow, representing Ecuador's gold reserves. The middle stripe is a deep blue, said to represent the sky. The lower stripe is literally blood red, to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the fight for independence.
The highlight of our tour of the old town was probably a visit to a Jesuit church which has been painstakingly restored with gold leaf, so that all of the interior glimmered like an enchanted hall from a fairytale.
Standing in the Middle of the World
After lunch, our tour group visited a park dedicated to Ecuador's fascination with the Equator.
After all, whilst the Equator runs through a number of countries around the globe, only Ecuador and Equatorial Guinea have dedicated their name to their latitude.
That said, standing on the Equator was fun. We had our photo taken with one foot in the southern hemisphere and the other in the northern hemisphere. We then proceeded to joyfully jump from one hemisphere to the other.
The Galapagos Islands
We finally arrived in the Galapagos Islands on 19 October after a two hour flight from Quito.
The Galapagos Archipelago is made up of nine principal volcanic islands, 600 nautical miles west of Ecuador, on the Equator. Until this trip, I thought they were uninhabited. However, we have now learned that there are approximately 30,000 permanent residents who have congregated on four of the islands.
The majority of the islands, however, are protected as national parkland and are populated only by an extraordinary abundance of wildlife. More about the local inhabitants later...
We learned during a visit to a history museum on the island of San Cristobal that the Galapagos Islands have had an interesting history including being: a hideout for pirates during the 17th century; a penal colony for criminal Ecuadorians; and an American military base after Pearl Habour. The islands even boast their own murder mystery involving the disappearance of a German Baroness and her three lovers.
However, the Galapagos Islands are, perhaps, most famous for a visit made by Charles Darwin in 1835 on board the HMS Beagle. It was during his visit that Darwin observed that many of the islands' natural inhabitants had developed in a unique way in order to thrive in the local environment and that even the same species of Finch - for example - had developed with slight variations on different islands. Based upon these observations, Darwin developed his theory of natural selection and, ultimately, evolution.
A Week of Unparalleled Adventure in the Galapagos Islands
Our week-long voyage around the Galapagos Islands involved at least two shore excursions each day, at two different locations. We would wake each morning to find ourselves anchored at a new place and, usually after breakfast - but sometimes before - we would take off on one of the zodiac craft for our morning adventure. A zodiac is a flat bottomed boat with inflatable rubber sides propelled by an outboard motor. Each zodiac carries 16 people, plus pilot and guide. Life jackets are mandatory.
After two hours of hiking, climbing or snorkeling - as the case may be - we would return to the mother ship for a buffet lunch on the rear deck. As we ate, Celebrity Xpedition would set sail for a new location.
In the late afternoon, we would line up to board the zodiac again for our second expedition of the day. This was our favorite time. These treks usually ended with the sun setting over the ocean causing the sand, rocks and low shrubbery of the islands to be cast in a heavenly, golden hue.
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