Virtual Galápagos

Tuesday, 31 July

Our 2013 non-Phaeton adventures are just 19 days away.  Where will we go?  The unveiling of our plans will be posted soon.

In the meantime, the prospect of tons of new video footage to process was all the incentive Mui needed to finish the editing work on last year’s wonderful trip to the Galápagos.

If you’d like to take a virtual trip to the Galápagos and walk in our footsteps, click here to go to the online album we created on Vimeo.  You will get to visit Santiago, Rábida, Isabela, Bartolomé, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, San Cristóbal, and Kicker Rock; not to mention explore Quito and its environs with us.  You will get to enjoy close encounters with fearless wildlife on land and sea, and in the air; and get to do some snorkeling, too.

If you’re interested in the story of our trip, click here to go to the first of many posts from our Itinerary B Xpedition trip with Celebrity.  All of the posts are in the July 2012 archive in the sidebar.

Kicker Rock: A Sunset Circumnavigation

Friday, 13 July (Part V)

After our beach time at Cerro Brujo (post here), we returned to the Xpedition with a level of excitement that belied the great time we had on our landing.  Why?  Because the ship was heading to nearby Kicker Rock.  Sure, we’d already seen the rock as we sailed by it on our way to Cerro Brujo, but now we were going to do a sunset circumnavigation of this iconic landmark of the Galápagos.

THE ARROW POINTS TO Kicker Rock, the location of our sunset circumnavigation.
[MAP COURTESY OF THE GALAPAGOSISLANDS.COM WEBSITE]

After washing away the salt and sand from our afternoon on the beach, we collected our cameras and headed to the ship’s bow on deck 6 for the circumnavigation.  En route, we enjoyed the company of Nazca boobies in flight.

Often referred to as the Masked Booby, the ones in the Galápagos have recently
been determined to be a separate species now known as the Nazca Booby.
The bird on the left is an adult; the one on the right is a juvenile.

Kicker Rock is a 485-foot (128 m) high tuff cone that was formed when boiling lava encountered the cold ocean and exploded; it has since been eroded into two parts.  At one time, small vessels were allowed to navigate through the small channel between the rocks, but not anymore.  The rock, which is a nesting site for many birds, including the blue-footed and Nazca boobies, and frigatebirds, got its English name from its slight resemblance to the shape of a boot.  I think it’s Spanish name — León Dormido, or sleeping lion — is more fitting.

From the harsh mid-day light to the golden light of sunset.

Sipping our drinks, we chatted with our fellow-passengers as the ship continued its approach to Kicker Rock.  Unlike the sort-of circumnavigation we did of the Daphnes, this time the Xpedition did a full circle around the rock, giving everyone fantastic opportunities to take pictures from every angle.  That Mother Nature cooperated to give us the golden light that photographers crave was a bonus.

It’s this silhouette, which resembles a sleeping lion, that gives Kicker Rock
the Spanish name of León Dormido.

Rather than give you a bunch of static photos, here’s a short clip that Mui put together to show you the different angles of Kicker Rock and how the mood changed as the light changed.

A 30-minute circumnavigation in 56 seconds.

Around 6:45p, as the sun crept lower and lower on the horizon, the Xpedition left Kicker Rock behind and set course for the next and last island we will be visiting before we end the cruise in Baltra on Sunday.

In the golden glow of the sunset, we bid Kicker Rock adios.

We are grateful that Mother Nature cooperated with our plans for the sunset circumnavigation.

The 7:00p briefing was indeed brief and 20 minutes later we were at the dinner table with the Passmans.  I recall the food was good, but what left us with a lasting impression was the delicious Chocolate Crunchy we had for dessert.  This was a “could have had a second helping” moment, but we behaved ourselves ;-)

Our selections from the Day 6 Menu.

The heat and humidity today was quite draining, so we were happy to skip the karaoke in the Discovery Lounge and return to the cabin for a reasonably early bedtime.  One more day of exploring awaits us tomorrow.

San Cristóbal: En Route to Cerro Brujo

Friday, 13 July (Part III)

We returned from our wander around Puerto Baquerizo, cleaned up, and went in search of food to sate our grumbling tummies.  Today’s theme lunch in the dining room was Mexican and offered many tasty options for us to take up to our usual spot on deck 5.  Though the humidity was higher than on previous days, the movement of the ship as it relocated further up the coast of San Cristóbal generated enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable as we enjoyed our meal.

Even though we knew there was a circumnavigation of Kicker Rock planned later in the day and that we would have plenty of opportunities to photograph it, when this iconic rock formation came into view, we couldn’t resist getting a photo or two.

Cerro Brujo (left) and Kicker Rock; the sites of our scheduled activities for this afternoon.

Two to Travel take advantage of another photo op in the Galápagos Islands.

After relaxing a bit on deck 6, I left Mui to nap up there and went to the Discovery Lounge for a discussion with the naturalists that was billed as Life in the Galápagos.  This turned out to be informal conversation groups hosted by the naturalists; I sat with Alexis and about 10 passengers.  A few take-away points:

• About 2% of the landmass of the archipelago is used for settlements and farming.
• About 1% of the landmass is used for tourist visits.
• The number of tourist boats that can operate in Galápagos waters is capped at 85 for the next five years; licenses will be revisited at the end of that time frame.
• Of the 85 boats, 4 are the size of the Xpedition (90-100 pax), 2 carry 50 pax; and the remaining are quite a bit smaller.
• Tourism in the archipelago dates back to 1961; first conservation measures went into play in 1967.

The rest of the conversation revolved around personal questions about living and guiding in the Galápagos.  It was interesting to hear that there are three levels of certification provided by the National Park Service.  Level I requires at least a high school diploma; guides can answer general questions.  Level III requires a university degree in tourism or natural sciences and fluency in two languages.  Level II falls in between the two and requires at least four years of experience.

All licensed guides receive training in conservation and natural sciences under the auspices of the Charles Darwin Foundation, and are tested by the National Park Service.  Candidates must score over 80% in order to receive their certification, and must continue to attend seminars and workshops to stay up-to-date on the latest information.

The Xpedition Naturalist Guides
We’ve been out with Alexis (third from the left); William Cox (in the middle);
Fatima (the only female guide on the boat); and David (on the far right).
[photo courtesy of Celebrity Xpedition]

We wrapped up shortly after I asked Alexis if he had a favorite island.  He said that each is different and offers something unique, so he enjoys going back to each and every one of them.  I did get the sense that those islands that offered diving opportunities perhaps had an edge in his heart.

I can understand why Alexis couldn’t pick one island over the other.  If asked, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite as each one we’ve visited has offered a different experience …

… from the varied colors and textures of the landscape, the spectacular sunrises, and the magnificent night skies of the archipelago …

… to the slow flight of the ship-following magnificent frigatebirds around the Daphnes …

… to the bulk-sighting of marine iguanas, and the interaction between the Galápagos hawk and the sea lion that had miscarried its fetus at Puerto Egas, Santiago …

… to the fearless Galápagos mockingbirds on the beach at Rábida …

… to our first close encounter with blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants as we cruised in Elizabeth Bay, Isabela …

… to the fantastic, other-worldly lava walk at Sullivan Bay, Santiago …

… to the stairmaster trek up to the top of Bartolomé …

… to the flamingos of Las Bachas, Santa Cruz …

… to the male frigatebirds showing off their gular pouches, and the nesting blue-footed boobies that showed us their eggs and their hatchlings on North Seymour …

To my list, Mui would add swimming and snorkeling with sea lions, sea turtles, and rays.  Yes, indeed; every island we’ve visited so far has offered something special — and we’re not done yet!

And speaking of not being done, time to join our group for the next landing on San Cristóbal!