Live from... Silver Origin. Sept. 16-23, 2023

[twangster]

At 2:30pm there was a talk in the Explorers Lounge to explain the debarking process the next morning.  Luggage had to put out by 11pm so I returned to my cabin to change for the beach and start packing.

 

Not a bad view from my bathroom.  

 

 

I’ve also been meaning to go through the Discovery Theater in the Basecamp.

 

 

 

It's a pretty impressive way to research each stop.

 

 

 

[twangster]

Time for our beach break.  After such a hectic go, go, go week it was nice to have a slower day to recuperate.  This brings us to our second last zodiac ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then we arrived to a gorgeous beach with fine white sand.

 

 

Wet landing of course.

 

 

Nikolai calls the wildlife on the radio and tells then to start doing their thing.

 

 

The beach time was open for us to do whatever we wanted.  We could swim, lay in the sun or explore.  They only asked that we lay on beach towels and not directly on the sand.

 

 

 

 

Sea Lions doing Sea Lions things.

 

 

 

 

 

This Sea Lion was rolling in the waves as they broke near the edge of the beach.  Most were resting.

 

 

It was pretty cool sharing a beach with these Sea Lions.  We didn't bother them and they didn't bother us.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by twangster

[twangster]

Crabs everywhere who stayed near their holes burrowed in the sand.  Any time one of use got near they all disappeared back into their holes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by twangster

[twangster]

More species from the Origin arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

Blue Footed Boobies were fishing.  It’s hard to catch a small object hundreds of meters away going 100 km/h diving unpredictably into the water to catch a fish but here a few attempts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

A week ago I would have said... "Look a bird!"

 

Now it's "There is an American Oystercatcher".

 

 

 

 

What a glorious afternoon. 

[twangster]

Back to the ship.  Sigh.  

[twangster]

After a shower and the Gin and Tonic delivered by my butler Danny I ventured top side to find us underway slowly heading back to the harbor where we would disembark in the morning.

 

The Celebrity Flora joined us for a sunset sail past Kicker Rock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

This never gets old.

 

 

Pre-dinner cocktails and in place of a lecture on our last night it was Galapagos Trivia.

 

We were asked to come up with creative names for trivia teams.  The winner was team “I Love Boobies and I can not lie”. 

 

 

With my luggage out in the hallway before the 11pm deadline I had some time to enjoy the ship one last night. 

 

Several people were up on the star gazing deck enjoying a sky full of stars.  Once they left to put their luggage out I walked the ship and discovered some crew heading to shore.  Many of them are local and have family here.  Hopefully some managed to get home briefly between cruises. 

 

 

After they left some Sea Lions were fishing using the underwater lights of the ship to attract fish.  Flora joined us again.

 

[twangster]

Day 8 - We Start Our Return Home

 

Breakfast buffet from 6am to 7am then we were asked to meet in the Explorers Lounge and be out of our cabins so they could start the cleaning and sanitization process.  It looks like we have a new zodiac captain.

 

 

 

[twangster]

At 7:30am the Blue team was the first to debark the ship for the last time.

 

 

 A final wave to our amazing zodiac drivers.

 

 

With that it was our last zodiac ride to the harbor of San Cristobal.  

 

 

 

[twangster]

Of course there were Sea Lions doing Sea Lion things.

 

 

 

The 5 minute bus ride to the airport.

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

At the airport we were reunited with our luggage that was waiting for us.  LATAM once again requires that each passenger check in with their own luggage.

 

 

There are a couple of small gift shops before security.

 

 

Once they opened security there is a small deli shop and the Magna Lounge for those with Priority Pass access or $35 per person.

 

 

 

 

Soon enough our aircraft arrived and deplaned the incoming passengers.  Then it was our turn to board.

 

 

 

 

The picture I took seven days ago versus the picture of our flight today.  

 

 

 

Besides the row I was seated in what else has changed? 

 

In the first picture we were mostly strangers.  Now?  We are mostly on a first name basis with so many new friends.  

 

We all shared a special trip aboard a magnificent vessel with an awesome crew.

 

Seventy nine of us all united with an experience that will live in our memories for a lifetime. 

 

What a trip.   

[twangster]

The flight back to the mainland was uneventful and we were soon descending into Guayaquil.

 

 

The arrival back to Guayaquil was very easy.  No customs since we were considered a domestic flight.  A brief wait for luggage and then into the terminal where Silversea was waiting for us. 

 

Corina who was my guide for a Guayaquil tour on the Cable Cars a week ago was there to queue us together before we boarded busses back to the Hotel Ore Verde.

 

 

The final night Hotel stay was included in my package.  Meals were not.  We are back in the world of having to find our own sustenance.  

 

Some passengers stayed on the plane in Guayaquil for a quick connection to Quito, some guests had evening flights and some guests had next day flights home from Guayaquil. 

 

For Guayaquil hotel guests shuttles were arranged for approximately three hours before your flight time.  With an 8:17am flight on Sunday morning I was asked to be down in the lobby with my luggage at 5am.  

 

It was all very easy.

Edited September 25, 2023 by twangster

[twangster]

After a stop at the airport gift shop it was a meal in the hotel restaurant and a few bar drinks then to my room to post a few pictures here before going to bed for a 4am wake up call.

 

A shuttle bus just for me was waiting at 5am.  A Silversea representative accompanied me, wheeling my luggage right to the Copa Airlines check in counter and he escorted me to the entrance for the terminal security area.  From here I was on my own.  Immigration took my passport and boarding pass for a rubber stamp followed by the x-ray machine and metal detector.  Laptops out but shoes stayed on. 

 

By 5:25am I was airside in the terminal.  Pretty easy process.  I saw the last of an American Airline flight to Miami boarding but the airport was pretty empty with few international flights at this hour.  There were gift ships, duty free and a couple restaurants open where I grabbed a bagel with egg sandwich for $9 USD including a coffee.  

 

The whole process of international flights, the two night pre-cruise stay, the charter flight to the Galapagos and the post cruise events in reverse may seem confusing or daunting but it was all pretty simple.  Even a Blue Footed Booby or an ornery male Sea Lion could do it.  

[twangster]

Here are the daily Chronicles in PDF format specific to this cruise.

 

Day 1 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 2 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 3 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 4 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 5 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 6 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 7 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

 

Day 8 Chronicle_North Central OR230916007.pdf

[twangster]

Cruise Summary

 

This has been hands down one of the best cruises I have experienced.  It was so worth it.  When can I come back?  I want to do the Southern Galapagos itinerary next time.

 

It’s hard to put into words just how incredible this experience has been.  

 

The Galápagos Islands have been on my bucket list for some time.  What a phenomenal way to get there.  I realize now there are mistakes I have made.  The first is that I waited too long to visit the Galápagos Islands.  The second is that I didn’t book a back to back cruise to see even more.    

 

There were so many nights I put my head on the pillow thinking about the amazing experience I had earlier that day.  Can it get any better I thought?  And then it did the very next day.    

 

Silversea made it all very easy.

 

As far as food goes we are all unique with our preferences and tastes.   I try not to comment on food because my tastes are different than everyone else.  What I crave or dislike shouldn't matter to anyone.   Having said that I ended up eating more fish than I normally do and I found myself liking it more than I normally do.  I enjoyed the wines offered each night.

 

Leaving the ship for the last time yesterday was a little emotional.  Over a lot of non-expedition cruising on a variety of cruise lines I have never felt that before.  I'm really going to miss the Silver Origin and the phenomenal team that made this trip something I'll never forget.

 

I haven’t seen many threads about the Galápagos Islands as a destination so I hope you have found this helpful and I thank you for viewing.  

[Grand Duchess]

5 minutes ago, twangster said:

Cruise Summary

 

This has been hands down one of the best cruises I have experienced.  It was so worth it.  When can I come back?  I want to do the Southern Galapagos itinerary next time.

 

It’s hard to put into words just how incredible this experience has been.  

 

The Galápagos Islands have been on my bucket list for some time.  What a phenomenal way to get there.  I realize now there are mistakes I have made.  The first is that I waited too long to visit the Galápagos Islands.  The second is that I didn’t book a back to back cruise to see even more.    

 

There were so many nights I put my head on the pillow thinking about the amazing experience I had earlier that day.  Can it get any better I thought?  And then it did the very next day.    

 

Silversea made it all very easy.

 

As far as food goes we are all unique with our preferences and tastes.   I try not to comment on food because my tastes are different than everyone else.  What I crave or dislike shouldn't matter to anyone.   Having said that I ended up eating more fish than I normally do and I found myself liking it more than I normally do.  I enjoyed the wines offered each night.

 

Leaving the ship for the last time yesterday was a little emotional.  Over a lot of non-expedition cruising on a variety of cruise lines I have never felt that before.  I'm really going to miss the Silver Origin and the phenomenal team that made this trip something I'll never forget.

 

I haven’t seen many threads about the Galápagos Islands as a destination so I hope you have found this helpful and I thank you for viewing.  

Thank you so much for taking us along this wonderful trip! Better than any Silversea brochure to have me convinced that I need to do this, and soon. Now I’d better start some training to get those creaky knees in working order for zodiac landings… 

[jpalbny]

It's been 12 years since we visited the Galapagos and you're sorely tempting me to go back. Thanks for taking the time to put together this great report! And the pictures were spectacular. Much appreciated.

[lincslady]

Same here - best bird pictures I have ever seen.  What an unbelievable variety.

 

Thank you so much.

[highplanesdrifters]

@twangster. Thank you so very much for a truly excellent report.  The photos, excursion reports, and detailed explanations of transit put you in the top.

[twangster]

One thing I didn't mention...

 

Silver Origin has a staff photographer who joined us various on excursions.  On the last night he played a video of clips he captured during this voyage.  All of the content in the video was from this cruise.

 

For those of us that signed the photography waiver, we were presented with a thumbdrive that contained the video and some of the still pictures that he took.  On a couple tours he was sitting next to me on the zodiac and I recognized the angle and subject of some of his photos which are very close to some of the pictures I captured.  

 

He had a GoPro with him that he stuck in the water for scenes like the rays swimming in the lagoon.  That approach never occurred to me as it would eliminate any glare from the sun on the water.  Very clever.  

 

They said the video could be shared so I'm hoping to post it soon.

[cruiseej]

@twangster  Again, many thanks for taking so much of your time to inform, educate and amuse us with your trip. As I look forward to our Origin trip next July, I will re-read your report from the beginning. 

 

You were kind enough to share information about your photo gear when I asked partway through your trip. Now I'd like to follow up asking about your photo workflow on a trip like this. I often find when we travel that pulling a memory card, sticking it in my laptop and downloading the pictures for safekeeping is about all I have time for as we're traveling. You did so much more, so I welcome learning from your approach. Do you download to a laptop? What software do you use for importing all the shots? You have a watermark on all your photos; I'm assuming that's from some batch editing software you use? Do you review and do some editing of photos each day, like deleting bad ones or adding location/caption information? (Will I remember what bird that was 6 months or 6 years from now if I don't caption it right away?)  Do you do any cropping and toning of the photos, or are these all as you shot them? Some of the underwater shots look like underwater lighting, and some are bright and vibrant; did your phone's software do that correction automatically, or did you do some post-processing to bring up the colors? Sorry for all the questions, but I love learning from the techniques of other photographers.

 

I still can't figure how you had time to do all you described, and download, edit, and upload pictures and commentary each day. Did you sleep? 🤣

 

Thanks again!

[twangster]

4 hours ago, cruiseej said:

@twangster  Again, many thanks for taking so much of your time to inform, educate and amuse us with your trip. As I look forward to our Origin trip next July, I will re-read your report from the beginning. 

 

You were kind enough to share information about your photo gear when I asked partway through your trip. Now I'd like to follow up asking about your photo workflow on a trip like this. I often find when we travel that pulling a memory card, sticking it in my laptop and downloading the pictures for safekeeping is about all I have time for as we're traveling. You did so much more, so I welcome learning from your approach. Do you download to a laptop? What software do you use for importing all the shots? You have a watermark on all your photos; I'm assuming that's from some batch editing software you use? Do you review and do some editing of photos each day, like deleting bad ones or adding location/caption information? (Will I remember what bird that was 6 months or 6 years from now if I don't caption it right away?)  Do you do any cropping and toning of the photos, or are these all as you shot them? Some of the underwater shots look like underwater lighting, and some are bright and vibrant; did your phone's software do that correction automatically, or did you do some post-processing to bring up the colors? Sorry for all the questions, but I love learning from the techniques of other photographers.

 

I still can't figure how you had time to do all you described, and download, edit, and upload pictures and commentary each day. Did you sleep? 🤣

 

Thanks again!

 

I use Adobe Lightroom.  As I import them into Lightroom I quickly rate them marking candidate shots with a 2 star rating.  Then I go through the two star candidates looking at things like focus to rate the next set of candidates with three stars.  Based on how many three star candidates remain I may go through once one more time to narrow it down further.  

 

Once I have a reasonable number of photos I color grade and crop each one.  

 

The trick really is once you start you have to keep up or else you will quickly get far behind.  

 

Underwater photography is tricky due to the color spectrum available.  The deeper you go the less color there is.  If something is on the seafloor 30 feet down there won't be a lot of color to work with.  So I try to capture pictures at shallow depths but sometimes your subject, such as a Sea Lion, has other plans.  Sometimes I'll dive down to get closer so that shot has more color compared to a wide angle shot from the surface.  

 

Had I realized all we would see underwater I would have stepped up my underwater camera gear.  Live and learn.