Day 4 (26 June 2017) – Puerto Lago to Galapagos Islands - Adventures by Disney Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Tour (23 Jun – 2 July 2017)

I don’t know when I started this annoying habit of waking up 30-45 minutes before an alarm was set to go off but this morning was no different. I tossed and turned for abut 40 minutes and finally got up just a couple minutes before my 4 am alarm went off.

We got dressed and finished packing up our things making sure to put our suitcases outside our door by 4:30 am. They did have us double check and make sure that our bags were both accounted for before putting it on the bus. It took about 1.5 hours to get to the Quito airport where we grabbed bags with a sandwich, chips, pear, juice box, and chocolate bar as we got off the bus. We were reunited briefly with our suitcases, went through security which involved scanning our suitcases and placing a ziptie on each bag. We then got in a line at the ticketing desk where we got our boarding passes and checked our suitcases in. We went through security one more time and then got to the VIP lounge which was very nice for Disney to arrange for us to wait in. We relaxed for about an hour and then boarded the plane.

After takeoff, our first stop was in Guayaquil but we just stayed on the plane. Soon we were taking off again and headed to Baltra in the Galapagos Islands. On the way, Rhys was able to take a few shots of the volcano in the distance that was actually higher up than our plane.

We arrived into Baltra around 11 am – having gained an hour. What struck us right away besides how flat the island is was also how pretty desolate it was – much like a desert including cacti. It was noticeably warmer on the islands. The line through immigration was pretty long and we had been given visas and the standard immigration forms to fill out. We passed through immigration then had another bag inspection before picking up our suitcases.

We took our suitcases outside and had them put on a large truck which would be taking our bags straight to the Santa Cruz II. We then boarded a bus and waited for a bit as the rest of the passengers (non-Disney) boarded as well. The drive to the pier didn’t take long at all.

When we pulled up to the boarding dock, we saw our first Galapagos inhabitant: a land iguana. There were also some small black crabs on the rocks. We posed for family pictures by the ‘Welcome to the Galapagos Islands” sign then put on our life jackets (we were expected to wear these every time we got onto a zodiac or panga and waited to board the panga which would take us to the Santa Cruz II. We were instructed on the correct way to exit off the panga – always with both hands free and taking turns from each side of the panga so the balance wasn’t thrown off, and grabbing the wrist/forearm of the person helping you on/off the panga as they grabbed your wrist/forearm.

We got on the ship safely and were greeted with a cool wet washcloth and some juice. We were checked in promptly and given our room assignments. An interesting thing they did on the boat that we’ve never experienced before is their “No Key” policy. You can lock the door when you’re in the room but once you leave, the door remains unlocked. There is a safe in the room to put valuables in. This made it much more convenient as we could come and go very easily.

Lunch was at around 12:30 in the dining room – buffet style. Plenty of vegetables which I loved. We went back to our cabin after lunch and our suitcases had magically arrived so we unpacked. The cabin is pretty decently sized with 2 twin beds, a fairly good amount of storage, no tv (2^nd time this year we’ve been on vacation to somewhere with no tv), standard bathroom with teeny tiny shower, and storage space underneath the beds. Surprisingly, this isn’t always standard on cruises and it poses a problem of where to store your suitcases. We had an AC control which we immediately turned down as low as it would go – the cabin was pretty warm and didn’t cool down until after the ship got moving following our expedition after the sun went down.

We relaxed for a bit until about 2 pm when we had a rather long briefing in the Panorama Bar. Both the cruise director as well as the head naturalist gave us instructions about how to behave while on board as well as on expeditions. There were about half a dozen different certified naturalists who would be on every expedition that we took. We were all pretty tired having gotten up around 4 am – it was a little hard to stay awake during the briefing but there was a lot of good information. The Galapagos Big 15 are the wildlife that we would looking for while in the islands – we were told that we would see at least 10 on this trip but seeing all 15 would be very difficult in just one trip. The ships in the Galapagos Islands are only allowed to carry up to 100 people including the crew so there were only about 50 passengers on board and as many crew members.

We were divided up into groups that we would be going on expeditions with – by cabin number it looked like. Each group had an animal name. Our group was the frigates. Each day’s itinerary would be posted on several bulletin boards on each deck to just take a picture of. I appreciated how mindful they were about wasting paper and preserving the environment. We had the standard lifeboat drill with our life jackets out on the panorama deck and then returned to our cabins to get ready for our first expedition where we would be taking a hike and then having an opportunity to swim on the beach.

I put on a swim suit and cover up with my water shoes and packed a backpack with a towel, sunscreen, bug repellent, etc. We reported to the library (where the coffee machine and cookies are – a very popular room. The oreos were gone in about 30 seconds flat) and waited for our group to be called. We disembarked from the back of the ship this time after “checking” ourselves out. A magnet system they had in place to make sure everyone was accounted for. Red magnets by your room number that yo would remove when you returned to the ship. We got onto the panga that took us to the beach for a “wet landing” meaning we would be getting off the panga into about knee deep water and wading to the beach. We met our naturalist tour guide, Indira or “Indi”, who would be our guide for the rest of our cruise

We went off on a hike and immediately saw a turtle in the water followed by iguanas sunning themselves on the beach. They’re black and blended in very well with the black rocks. There were an enormous number of orange crabs on the rocks and we got to see a sea lion laying on the beach. Indi pointed out all the wildlife she saw and gave us some basic information about the things we were seeing. What was amazing about most of the animals we saw was how laid back they all were – eyeing us but not afraid and running away from us. A yellow warbler followed us along the beach as did a stingray who even came partly up out of the water on the beach and seemed to be eyeing us.

We returned to the beach where we had been dropped off and were given about an hour to swim which the kids had a marvelous time doing. Just standing in the water it wasn’t too cold and there were little sand colored fish swimming around.

We took the 2^nd panga back to the ship where we rinsed the sand off our shoes/feet before checking ourselves in on the magnet board. We showered and cleaned up then headed to the bar for a drink. The specials of the day was a Moscow Mule and Iguana Urbina. We opted for the latter not knowing exactly what Urbina was but it tasted good anyways. Rhys ordered a Moscow Mule. The drinks were charged to our room and the bar staff kept a running list of which you get a copy at the end of the evening during dinner.

There was another briefing at 7:15 to go over the plans for the next day including our options – long panga ride vs deep sea snorkeling in the morning; snorkeling and/or walking tour in the afternoon - as well as instructions on where to be at what time. Wake up call was going to be at 6:45 am followed by breakfast at 7 am. The long panga ride groups would be leaving almost 2 hours before the deep sea snorkeling group who had to meet to get their wet suits and snorkeling equipment issued first.

Following the briefing, there was a cocktail party where the senior crew on the ship was introduced and we all toasted with the captain. Dinner followed immediately afterwards and would be a served dinner that we had pre-ordered during lunch. I had the Caprese Salad, the Prawn Cream Soup, the Fish Fillet with White Coconut Sauce, and the seasonal fruits for dessert. The food has been quite good so far no the ship.  We also received our pin of the day.

Lauren stopped by our table during dinner and Air Dropped some pictures to us from our trip to the Center of the Earth – they turned out really well and had been labeled with Adventures by Disney. I couldn’t wait to see all the other pictures that both she and Robby have been talking all along!

After dinner, we turned in pretty early having been up since around 4 am.

Next post: Day 5, 27 June 2017 - Buccaneer's Cove & Egas Bay, Galapagos Islands

Day 3 (25 June 2017) – Puerto Lago/Otovalo - Adventures by Disney Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Tour (23 Jun – 2 July 2017)

The sun come up at around 6 am which woke me up and I finally got out of bed at around 6:30 am. The bed was a just a little too firm for my tastes. I got dressed and took my laptop with me to have a walk around the resort. There's a field with some vendors and a bunch of llamas, a tennis court, and a mini soccer field.


 One thing that was pointed to us by Robby was that houses in Ecuador were always in a state of “incomplete” as family units were added to existing houses when new members were added to the family. There were many houses that were abandoned as well as ones that had upper stories with rebar and blocks sticking up waiting for the next level to be added when the family could afford it. It gave the country a very unrefined and “rough” look. Rarely were any of the houses made of wood or brick so I was very surprised that the Puerto Lago Country Inn that we were staying at was so nice and all the guest houses were made of wood. The property was beautifully maintained.

When I got done walking around, I went to the end of the pier by the lake and sat by the water intending on finally getting caught up on my blog. A friendly little cat came over which surprised me a bit since the seats were out over the water. It snuggled in my lap as I finally got my blog started for this trip. I’ve also been struck at how many dogs there are everywhere – all just wandering around and many just laying on the sidewalks or by the road. It seemed every street corner in the more rural areas had a dog on it.

I didn’t get too far with my blog when Seth wandered over and we decided to go get some breakfast which was in the small solarium off the restaurant. Bread was on the table as well as butter and jelly – the scenery was beautiful overlooking the water and the mountains in the distance. We were offered coffee and many different types of juices. We were asked how we liked our egg prepared and everyone then received a basic American type breakfast with a piece of bacon and some fruit.

After breakfast, we made our way back to our room but stopped by to get a closer look at the llamas who didn’t seem too worried about our presence. No spitting took place which was a good sign. I didn’t realize the noises that llamas make as I’d never been so close to one before. The little llama in the picture was making a soft humming noise.

At 9:15 we gathered near the bus and turned our room keys in for the day. The bus ride to the kite flying area on the way to Parque Condor wasn’t too far. Everyone got a kite and were invited to fly them which was fun to watch the kids running around, having fun, getting out of breath due to the altitude and watching the wind pick up and die down over and over. The day had started off pretty sunny but as the clouds moved in, the wind seemed to pick up more. I think Robby’s wind summoning abilities may have helped as well. A few Adventurers were able to get their kites flying pretty high up. I think Seth got to claim “highest kite of the morning”.

Robby using his wind summoning powers

We re-boarded the bus and drove the rest of the way to Parque Condor which was a raptor sanctuary where we were told that about 80% of the birds in this park had been shot at one time. The park was only about 10 years old and developed to educate the Ecuadorian public about the benefits to these birds and to teach newer generations that birds of prey weren’t a danger to a family’s livestock as they had once been believed them to be.

We walked through the park’s exhibits with Robby explaining each bird that we saw ranging from hawks to owls to condors (whose wing spans can exceed 10 feet). We stopped about half way for another group photo and some family photos. When we finished seeing the owls, we made our way over to the auditorium and watched as a handler showed off some of the raptors in the park. A couple of the birds had a different idea about where they wanted to fly to and sort of wandered off for a little while.

We watched for just a little while longer and then made our way back to the front of the park and re boarded the bus for the 20 or so minute ride to the house where we would be having lunch: the Hosteria Hacienda Pinsaqui.

We were met out by the front gate by another Andean band who escorted us down to the house playing music along the way. Once we reached the house, we were greeted and oriented by a member of the family. Everyone was given the opportunity to make empanadas with the chef. The dough was a simple wheat flour, egg, water, sugar, and butter mixture and the filling was a type of farm cheese. After being shown how to crimp the edges of the empanadas and most of the kids getting to try it, they produced a plate of cooked empanadas for us to taste – it was a sweeter dough than I was expecting. Not as flaky as other empanadas I’ve had which is my preference. (Although Robby did point out his preference was to make empanadas using carbonated water instead).

Next was a demonstration making some ice cream consistency sherbet. They used blackberry juice in a large metal pot that was sitting on top of a mixture of ice and salt. The chef hand turned the pot in circles and scraping it down as the juice got more solid. The secret “creaming” ingredient (meringue) was added and then we were all invited to taste some of it – it was delicious to enjoy a dairy free ice cream like treat.

Our lunch wasn’t quite ready yet so we went down to the gardens to look at some of the trees and plants. We also wandered over to watch another solstice celebration that was ongoing. It wasn’t long before out lunch was ready and we headed back to the house to enjoy a BBQ lunch including potatoes, roasted vegetables, fried plantains, salad, chicken, chicken sausage, beef, and some other type of pork sausage. The food was quite good and followed by a slice of chocolate cake.

After lunch, we walked over to the other side of the patio from where our lunch had been served where they had already set up a painting activity for us. Small bamboo troughs (incense holders) had the basic outline of a condor and we were provided brushes, water, and colored paint to decorate them with. It was fun sitting outside enjoying the nice weather, beautiful scenery, and painting our projects. Once we were done, our masterpieces were “enhanced” by the real artists and would be delivered to us later in the day.

We boarded the bus and had another 20 or so minute drive to the Otavalo market where we would be given time to do some shopping. We were instructed on the fine art of bargaining – expected with the vendors and it was recommended that we go even half the price they asked for and work our way up to about 70% or so of the original price. Lauren explained an additional twist on our shopping adventure. ABD was giving each of us $5 to spend in the market for a gift to be used in a "Crazy Cui" aka “white elephant” gift exchange that we would be participating in later. Challenge accepted. It didn’t take us long to find a couple of items for the exchange – a small painting of local Ecuador scenery with a tiny easel and a glass coffee mug painted with Ecuadorian scenes. It turns out that Rhys was quite the expert negotiator and he enjoyed himself a lot bargaining with the vendors and scored himself a few items including a wood carving of a blue footed boobie for me. (An ongoing joke from when we first booked this adventure). I captured a picture of Rhys bargaining with a local – he looks like a giant compared to the Ecuadorians most of whom are very short in stature.

We re-boarded the bus for the last time that day and returned to the resort to rest and clean up a bit before dinner. There was no hair dryer in our room so I went out to the reception house and was given a hair dryer that didn’t seem to plug into the wall very well and sounded like a small plane trying to take off. It was a bit smoky smelling as I dried my hair so I only dried it about half way and then gave the poor hair dryer a break before coming back later to finish up.

Dinner was at 6:30. I was very excited to have more empanadas and had ordered the sea bass this evening. Everything was delicious. Dessert was some sort of fruit pie which was ok especially since I was really stuffed at this point. We headed back to our room and packed a few things together as wake up call was at 4:15 am for a 4:45 am departure for the Galapagos Islands. Lauren and Robby did drop by after dinner to check on us and to drop off our incense holders which had been “enhanced” by the professionals with some added color.

Empanadas

Sea Bass

Fruit Pie

Next post:  Day 4, 26 June 2017 - Puerto Lago to Galapagos Islands