Live from the Galapagos on Silversea November 5-12

[RachelG]

 

 

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[57 varieties]

Thank you for this wonderful blog. Bringing back memories.

[duct tape]

The lava is stunning! Loving this!

[joe_90]

Me too

 

 

I will go into training just to make myself fit to do this.

 

 

Joe

[Mac Cruiser]

Rachel; many thanks for your response. Keep up the great reporting as it's very helpful to receive first hand and current reports of cruise and the islands.

Mac Cruiser:)

[RachelG]

November 8, 2016--Rabida island, Galapagos

 

Another smooth night's sailing brought us for an early morning at Rabida Island. We had to be ready to start our excursion at 7:15 am. Looking our the windows, I could see some reddish colored cliffs on the right coming down to a long red sand beach curving all around to the left. There were tree covered hills rising behind, with lots of green mangroves closer to the water but incense trees and cacti appearing as you went further up the hills. Weather was overcast and not too warm with temps in the low 70s and a light breeze.

 

We motored ashore for a good morning hike. First we visited a brackish lagoon right behind the beach where we saw a lone flamingo. He let us get very close to him and posed for photos. There were lots of smaller birds as well--oyster catchers, fly catchers, doves, warblers, and in the distance, we saw 4 hawks flying. We went up and up on the trail trying to get closer to the hawks, but they remained elusive.

 

After hiking a couple of hours, not difficult but definitely with some elevation gain, and failing to get closer to the hawks, we hiked back down to the beach where a whole bunch of sea lions had hauled up on shore. They let us get really close, with one of them being very curious and trying to get closer than the 2 meters away that we are supposed to keep from any wildlife. We had to keep backing up as he was really interested in us.

 

Anyone who wanted could go snorkeling off the beach. George thought the water was warmer than yesterday, and visibility was clear. He saw some sea turtles as well as sea lions in the water.

 

We were allowed to hike along the beach as far as we could go, until we reached the cliffs. Lots of pretty shells, and at the end was a mother sea lion with a not very old baby.

 

Kayaking was also on offer for those who desired. They have 8 2 person kayaks, so you do have to sign up for that.

 

Delicious lunch at the grill. I again had a big salad. Followed it up with prawns like I had the other night in the restaurant. They are huge, and perfectly prepared. Grill is definitely the go to spot for lunch.

 

A lazy afternoon followed by zodiac rides. We went all along the shore and cliffs looking for sea birds, sharks in the shallow clear water, and marine iguanas. It was pretty windy, but we had a fine time.

 

They did a pre dinner wine tasting (all South American wines). For dinner, lobster was on offer, and I think that is what most people chose. After dinner, our friend Jerry, who is a professional singer, teamed up with the onboard pianist and did a good show in the lounge.

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for keeping us up to date, sounds like a fabulous rip.

[RachelG]

 

 

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[RachelG]

 

 

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[NanciEA]

Thanks so much for posting. We're doing the exact trip in January and we're getting very excited reading your posts!

[RachelG]

November 9,2016--San Cristobal Island Galapagos

 

We awoke again quite early as we had to depart for our excursion to the Galapagos tortoise sanctuary at 7:15. The morning was cooler, in the 60s, and it was very overcast, foggy and spitting rain. We were anchored off of San Cristobal Island. In the distance were big breaking waves, with surfers already and ready to go. Past this was a harbor, with every imaginable small boat from total rust bucket to luxury yacht at anchor. Too shallow for the ship to enter, so we went ashore via zodiac to a good dock.

 

The town is typical South American small seaside town. Lots of small restaurants and hotels, souvenir shops of varying quality, hardware stores with a lot of nautical supplies. We boarded a bus to take us up into the highlands to the galapagueno, the refuge and breeding center for Galapagos tortoises.

 

The climate here is totally different than the areas we have been previously on this trip. Much cooler, wetter, with green vegetation and dense bushes and trees. Lots of small villages on the way to our destination with kids, dogs, cats, and lots of free range chickens. We drove mostly though dense fog.

 

As we arrived at the tortoise center, it had cleared slightly. We encountered tortoises in all stages of life, from tiny baby to adult. They are confined as infants to protect them from rats, but when they get bigger, they can roam around at will. So it is common for them to be on the paths. Lots of photo ops. They are really quite amazing.

 

We took a walk around town afterward. Lots of made in China junk, but mixed in was some high quality locally made stuff, so you have to look around.

 

A zodiac ride brought us back to the ship for lunch at the grill. Wonderful ceviche, salad, and grilled sea bass for me. George had a hot dog, onion rings, and fries, so he is not going the health food option. But he said they were excellent.

 

After a nice nap (or lecture on geography if you were more energetic), we had the afternoon activity. Option for a fast or slow hike, both rated strenuous, and exactly the same except for the speed, or beach time and snorkeling. While we were eating lunch, the ship sailed to the other side of the island. This side is more remote, with no villages, just stark peaks that reminded me of Patagonia except not as tall. Much drier than the other side of the island.

 

We had a wet landing on a fine green sand beach with a high surf. Not a few of us, me included, got wet. After putting on hiking shoes, we went up and up, about 400 ft elevation gain in very short order, basically scrambling on a boulder trail. After that, it leveled out a bit, but still was rocky and uneven. Great views all around. Definitely not easy, but worth it. Coming back down, it was almost dark, so we had to pick up the pace a bit. A couple of people got very wet getting back in the zodiacs.

 

Great dinner in the grill which in the evening turns into a hot rocks format where you cook your own meal on lava rocks. The steak was actually really good, like we would have at the house. Lots of fun laughing with friends.

[frantic36]

Rachel this all sounds wonderful and definitely the type of trip we would enjoy doing. We are big into seafood as we can get lots of it fresh here.........so your meals are making me salivate.

 

I like the ability to do some active excursions as well, with a chance for a nap after :D.

 

Julie

[RachelG]

 

 

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[RachelG]

November 10, 2016--the USMC birthday--Espanola Island, Galapagos

 

We have a rocky ride over to this island during the night, so much that it woke me up a couple of times, this first significant motion we have had on this trip. We also had the first opportunity to sleep in a little on this very active journey.

 

Those who wanted could sign up for early morning kayaking, but otherwise, they started running zodiacs over to the wide sandy beach every 30 minutes, and you could come and go as you pleased for snorkeling off the shore and beach time. The day was warm and sunny, perfect for the activities.

 

On the beach were lots of sea lions, including a couple of babies. They were pretty noisy compared to the ones we had seen previously, and a lot more active, playing in the surf. One baby was trying to nurse, but mom was a bit irritated with him apparently as she was trying to take a nap.

 

I did a lot of walking on the beach, a good one for exercise as it was quite long and sandy, with few rocks. On one end, the waves came in really high which was sort of hypnotizing.

 

There was a lone pelican in the water. On the way back, a sea turtle swam by us in the zodiac, but impossible to get a picture as I had stowed my camera in the backpack so it wouldn't get wet.

 

George went deep water snorkeling and saw a shark. He also swam with a bunch of sea lions. Water was very cold, so this would not be my thing.

 

Lunch at the grill featured a delicious coconut seafood stew, as well as lobster and grilled fish. You could also order a burger or pasta, but the seafood is way better.

 

Major internet connection problems all morning and afternoon, which were fixed right before our afternoon excursion at 3:15. There was a lecture prior to the excursion, but I was too aggravated trying to get on the Internet to communicate with my office.

 

The afternoon excursion was to a large rocky beach/outcropping on the other side of the island. It was a dry landing, but very windy, so the ride in the zodiac was not dry.

 

Lots of sea lions all over, many with pups, some just a few weeks old. There were hundreds of red and black very large marine iguanas lazing on the rocks.

 

The path was very irregular and rocky. You had to judge every step as there was not flat surface at all. There were two options--long and short--with the short option just not going as far. The long option allowed you to see two blowholes as well as nesting sites for the albatross, something we had not previously seen on this trip.

 

The baby albatrosses were really cute, much cuter than the adults which are kind of gangly and awkward. The babies still had fluffy down instead of feathers. Were able to get really close, and we saw some of the adults doing their dance as well.

 

On the way back, we saw two hawks up close, just sitting in some bushes, as well as a couple of mother sea lions nursing their babies.

 

By the time we got back to the zodiacs, the sun had gone down, and the wind was blowing much harder. Getting back on the ship was pretty scary what with both the ship and the zodiac bobbing up and down, but the strong guys helped everyone get back on board safely.

 

Lovely dinner at the captain's table. He is really a nice guy. We are number 4 as far as days on Silversea on the ship! That is crazy. Anyway, we had more lobster, and it was delicious.

[RachelG]

 

 

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[RachelG]

 

 

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[jpalbny]

Great stuff, Rachel! Espanola was one of our favorites, and your description brings it all back very nicely. Can't believe that it has been five years since we were there!

[RachelG]

November 11, 2016--Veterans Day-- Santa Cruz Island

 

After another slightly rocky night sailing, we arrived at Santa Cruz Island, and the largest town in the Galapagos. It was very overcast with temps in the low 70s. There were big swells, so getting into the zodiacs was more challenging.

 

For the morning, the options were a trip by bus into the highlands to a farm where there are lots of tortoises or you could stay in town and go the tortoise center where Lonesome George used to live. He died 4 years ago, and his body is currently begin preserved in the US, but they have lots of other tortoises to see. Since we had been there previously, we decided to go into the highlands.

 

The bus went higher and higher, and it got more and more foggy and misty. All of a sudden, there was a huge tortoise right in the middle of the road. So we went around. In just a short distance, there was another, then another. Supposedly there are 4000 on this island, and I think we saw all of them as they are everywhere.

 

At the farm, we saw many more then walked through a huge lava tube. They had local coffee for sale which was very good.

 

On the return to town, we walked around a bit and shopped a little. They have a fish market where the local fishermen bring their catch to sell. At the market, there were probably 20 pelicans waiting for handouts plus a very domesticated sea lion, who was right next to the lady cutting up fish and getting the leftovers.

 

Back to the ship for lunch, it was still very overcast and misty. The grill had a whole roasted pig as well as grilled tuna and fried calamari on offer. Since it was the last day, I splurged and split an order of calamari with George.

 

We repositioned to the other side of the island after lunch. We anchored near a very small island off the coast of Santa Cruz Island and took the zodiacs to shore. There were a long and short hike options--again on the same trail with the long just going farther. This island has a cactus forest. No other trees at all, just huge cacti with thick brown trunks. The only other vegetation is a succulent plant that grows very y to the ground between the rocks and is bright red, very pretty.

 

There are land iguanas here of a different variety. They are camouflaged being a brown and grey color like the rocks, so you have to pay attention to not step on them. The path was pretty rocky and irregular though not as bad as yesterday. It was extremely windy, especially near the cliffs where we watched the seabirds taking off and landing.

 

For those on the long option, we were able to see the bachelor sea lion hangout. They were just like a bunch of college guys, lounging around on the rocks after a big meal.

 

At last, upon reboarding, the sad day had come. Time to pack. Everything was put up in short order. There was a final farewell toast followed by dinner. More lobster for those who wanted it, but I chose pork loin which was actually really good. It was accompanied by hominy which a lot of people would not appreciate, but which I being from the south love.

[duct tape]

What a quick trip! It only seems that way, I guess. Thanx for taking us along.

[liptastic]

Rachel really enjoyed your posts and photographs. Thank you for taking the time to report. Safe travels home. Jean.

[RachelG]

 

 

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[RachelG]

 

 

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[spinnaker2]

Rachel

Thanks for your posts.

AMAZING.

[RachelG]

November 12,2016--disembarkation and on to Guayaquil

 

After a very rocky night, we had to get up early to be out of the cabins by 7:30. Luggage had to be out at 6, so we set that out last night.

 

Breakfast was available until 8:30. We did not disembark until 9:30, so they showed some of the David Attenborough documentary on the Galapagos. I had seen it before. We still had internet access so did some work.

 

At the airport, checkin was very fast, with a double line dedicated to our group. Most people flew to Guayaquil but some were continuing on to Quito. We arrived in Guayaquil at about 3:30. Silversea provided a transfer and overnight hotel, even for those not doing their air, for $39 pp which is a great deal in anybody's book. The Hotel Oro Verde is very nice and modern, with good air conditioning which is a must in the hot humidity of Guayaquil. Also excellent water pressure for the shower.

 

We met up with most of the group for drinks. Some flew back on the red eye tonight, while the rest of us are up early in the am for a 4:45 transfer to the airport.

 

This trip has passed really quickly!

[RachelG]

Final thoughts

 

This was really a special cruise. Silversea is definitely tops in his market, leaps and bounds ahead of their nearest competitor. We loved the ship in general. The public spaces are far superior to those on Explorer, and the cabins are larger and nicer.

 

Food was definitely much better than expected. The seafood was outstanding. They used a lot of South American recipes, appropriate for the location, and I found it fun to try direct things.

 

The guides were definitely for the most part better than we had had on xpedition. Of course, there were some we liked more than others, but that is a personality thing.

 

Negatives:

 

Water pressure in the showers is sometimes fine, but sometimes non existent. When everyone comes in after active excursion and is getting ready for dinner, there is no pressure.

 

While the majority of the crew is wonderful, there were a couple of crew members that need retraining or perhaps a different job. One girl at the front desk was just clueless. I went to the desk to ask a question, and she said "you have to call reception for that." I said "this is reception."

 

They need a real future cruise consultant on the ship. I was trying to book a future cruise, and it is still messed up. My TA is going to have to sort it out. I filled out the form with all the information, then the same clueless girl argued with me that I had not filled out the form, even though she had it in her hand. She ended up waitlisting me for a cruise I am already booked on. I just gave up.

 

Internet was usually adequate, but there were a couple days when it just disappeared.

 

While the salad bar at lunch was fine, there were no real salads on offer at dinner, except in hot rocks. They had good soups, but I much prefer a salad before my main course.

 

This is definitely a cruise for people who are very active and ready to get out in nature. The age demographic was mostly 50s and 60s with a few younger and older. There were no kids on this cruise, though I think it would be fine for older children and teenagers who are interested in nature and can follow the rules of staying on the path, not touching things, etc.

 

 

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