Trip Index
Okay, it's been quite some time since my last post, but I've been busy and wanted to dedicate good time to the blog to not sacrifice quality.
Today, I finally turned 40! (the celebrating seemed to last for months, didn't it?) I didn't feel much different when I woke up, though it felt like my bones seemed to be making more cracking noises. Kaleb surprised me with a birthday card that he carried all the way from home. :)
Unfortunately, today was also when we said goodbye to Celebrity Xpedition, our home for the past seven nights. I filled out the comment card and deposited it at the naturalist's
desk. Although the disembarkation documentation said we would receive
our boarding passes before leaving the ship, they ended up being
distributed at the airport.
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| one last photograph from the ship |
We took one last zodiac ride to the pier, then boarded the bus to Baltra airport. Since we had some time to spare, Kaleb and I went to the souvenir shops to buy some last-minute Galapagos gifts.
When we were directed to go to the security line, we waited for almost an hour with hardly any movement. Turned out that the X-ray machines were not functioning and everything had to be hand-searched. Since we were flying charter, security gave priority to passengers on commercial flights. We watched as an AeroGal charter arrived with the June 24th Xpedition passengers...just a week ago, that was us!
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| waiting in the security line |
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| ...along with the rest of the cruisemates |
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Once we made it through security, Kaleb and I were directed to a "VIP" waiting lounge where there were padded benches and free soft drinks at the bar. A short time later, it was time to board; our seats were in the back half of the plane, so we were directed to board at the tail.
We had the same seat assignments as before, and since the two people in my row had upgraded to Business Class roundtrip, Kaleb was able to jump over and we and the British couple across from us had the rows to ourselves again.
Lunch was a choice of chicken or beef, with a caprese salad, roll, dessert (tres leches cake, mmm) and a chocolate candy.
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| sirloin I think |
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| like chicken cordon bleu |
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The charter landed in Quito and we took buses back to the Marriott. If you look out the window on the way there, you can notice some nice art alongside the roadway.
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| the soon-to-be-old airport |
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| view of the city from our room |
Room keys were distributed at the Xpedition desk area. We didn't have long to relax before we got back on the bus to go on the shopping trip, led by Fatima with Ivan for security. The bus dropped us off at the
La Mariscal Handicraft Market.
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| one of many aisles full of vendors |
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| not sure what those treats are! |
Many of the stalls sold the same kinds of things, like t-shirts, leather goods, knick-knacks that end up collecting dust in your home. The only thing I bought there was some Ecuadorian chocolate; I could not haggle because the stall was "company owned", though they took credit cards.
We returned to the bus after around 45 minutes, then drove to another shopping spot, a more upscale souvenir store, where the prices were higher, but the quality was much better.
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| driving by a craft fair in the park |
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| arriving at Galeria Latina |
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| cool carvings |
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| textiles |
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| expansive store |
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| woodwork was amazing |
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| surprised to see molas here |
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| impressive transformations of the tagua nut |
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We ended up buying a couple of
tagua nut carvings (blue footed booby and turtle), an ornate wooden box, and a piece of
patchwork art depicting Andean life.
Returning back to the hotel, we settled on a meeting time with Sharon and the "BBC" crowd to have our last dinner at the hotel's steakhouse, La Hacienda. The Celebrity group were seated in a large room apart from the more intimate, candlelit main dining area, but it was still a beautiful space. A special menu was offered for Celebrity guests, though that didn't stop cruisemates sitting at other tables from adding on thick sliced steaks that arrived sizzling on a metal platter. During the dinner, we received the sad news that Lonesome George had passed away that morning. I was shocked and kept mumbling to myself, "I just
saw him moving around yesterday!!!" I seriously thought that it was a hoax.
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| a possible shock to cruisemates not to have alcohol for dinner after drinking it all week |
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| mostly communal dining |
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| bread and herbed butter |
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| something to dip the bread in |
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| potato soup |
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| very delicious caprese salad |
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| sea bass, with a ramekin of perfectly cooked and seasoned risotto |
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| tasty beef tenderloin |
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| tres leches, yet again! can't get enough of it |
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| chocolate cake, so delicious |
Not too much later, all the servers surrounded our table and presented me with a birthday brownie and sang a song.
It turned out Sharon had informed the wait staff of my special day...so thoughtful of her to remember conversation about my birthday, and to make sure that there was a big table of folks to help me celebrate it. :) This was unexpected and it made the last night of our Galapagos adventure that much more special. Thanks Sharon!
(
Editor's note: I had inserted a notation in my booking for a June 23 birthday celebration on the ship as that was the last night of the cruise, but it didn't happen. It wasn't a big deal for me, but if you expect to celebrate a special occasion during dinner, it's best to reconfirm with the dining room manager. I could have reconfirmed, but it seemed awkward to do it for my own day-before-birthday.)
Our flight was at 6:24am the next morning, so we were on the 4am shuttle. With the new Quito airport opening soon, either the shuttles will leave 2 hours earlier (2am shuttle anyone?) or perhaps Celebrity will come up with a scheme where people stay overnight at a closer hotel.
The restaurant was open early for breakfast buffet. There wasn't a hostess to seat us, just one waiter overseeing the tables. Everyone on the bus was so tired. We had no problems checking into our flight. The United ticket agent noticed that I was Premier Gold and informed me that I had complimentary access to the "VIP" lounge. We also saw our cruisemates Brandt, Megan and James inside. There was a spread of breakfast foods but having eaten not too long ago, we just grabbed some beverages.
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| I am really tired |
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| buffet |
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| pats of condiments in their own little dishes, along with small bites |
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| chilled fruit and juices |
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| hot chocolate machine! |
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There were newspapers with the death of Lonesome George splashed across the front page...can't believe we had just seen him walking around less than 24 hours before he died.
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| RIP Lonesome George |
Our flight from Quito to Houston included breakfast: ham and egg "croissandwich", chocolate chip muffin, and fresh fruit salad.
We had a couple of hours to wait at the Houston airport before our return flight home, so we grabbed lunch at
Pappadeaux. Fortunately, we were seated immediately despite it being pretty full, and when we told our server that we only had an hour to eat, he was very quick with delivering our food. It probably helped that we only selected appetizers and a dessert, as the buffet that was offered looked pretty bad.
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| watermelon lemonade and cerveza |
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| lobster roll sushi (such a big cup of soy sauce) |
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| oyster duo |
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| crab cake |
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| huge slice of cheesecake |
We arrived back in Phoenix with no issues. Driving back to Kaleb's house, we encountered a bunch of tall
dust devils! I think one crossed the road and we drove into it, but they aren't the same as tornadoes, so no harm done.
And that was the end of our Galapagos adventure!
A few closing thoughts: Going to the Galapagos is a unique and unforgettable "mark-this-off-your-bucket-list" thing to do. You are going there to follow in Darwin's footsteps and view many unique flora and fauna. If you are an avid nature photographer, the Galapagos will not disappoint. When considering an Xpedition cruise, know that it will not be a "regular" cruise ship experience, nor is it luxurious in the traditional sense, given the high price of the cabin fare. (plus getting only one credit to your Captain's Club account if you're not staying in a suite!) The food on board is not gourmet, but it's pretty decent considering that you are in the middle of nowhere. There aren't very many activities on board, no pool, limited workout equipment and no kids club. If you are considering bringing young children on Xpedition, keep in mind that from my observation, it seemed that the parents were limited in the excursions they could participate in (ie. no long walks or advanced snorkeling). Aside from these few limitations, you will get an extraordinary experience: the naturalists are top-notch, the ship never felt crowded even though it was at capacity, the excursions were well-planned, and everything is taken care of, especially if you purchase the 10- or 11-day cruisetour that includes the charter flight to Baltra. The Machu Picchu add-on is pricier than if you planned it on your own, but it is nice to have the assurance that Celebrity will take care of everything. If readers have any questions about the cruise that I didn't cover or would like me to help with planning, feel free to contact me at the email address in the "About Me" section on the left hand side of the page...I'd be happy to assist! I also want to thank the contributors to the
Xpedition mega-thread on Cruise Critic for all the valuable tips I've received prior to the cruise, and hoped that I've paid it forward through sharing my experience.
And now to answer the question on the tip of your tongue...where in the world will Kat Kong be going next? The next big trip will be during Thanksgiving week...5 nights at the stunning
Zoetry Casa Del Mar all-inclusive resort in Los Cabos. Zoetry is in the same family of resorts as Secrets, Dreams, and Now; this boutique-style hotel offers "Endless Privileges", and even serves organic foods in the restaurants. Kaleb and I had such a good time at
Secrets Maroma Beach a couple of years ago that we wonder if Zoetry can top it...we will find out in November!
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