Category: 2019 South America

Friday, March 22 – transit from Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina

The flight to Mendoza is a little less than one hour. The cost of the round trip was $180. There is also a bus option for about half the price, and it’s supposed to be a beautiful trip through the Andes, but it takes about seven hours, with possible additional delays at the border. So, due to my short window, I went with the plane. I discovered during my online check-in that LATAM had automatically assigned me to their premium seating section.With all the flights I’ve taken I must have achieved some new frequent flyer status. Bonus! Too bad this round trip is my last booking with them!

Mendoza is known for their wine and food. So, as this is the last stop on my journey, we’ll call this the Wine Down of my adventure! I picked a B&B with great reviews, at a cost of $59/night.

Saturday, March 23 – Mendoza

The day started out with a leisurely morning. I had three visits scheduled for the late morning and afternoon. First was a short taxi ride to an olive oil factory called Laur. Next, I walked across the street to a winery named Carina E. Finally, another short taxi ride to the winery Carmelo Patti, where Carmelo himself was there to supervise the generous tasting menu (which was free – my favorite word!). From there it was a 30 minute walk back to my B&B.

Sunday, March 24 – Mendoza

Today the B&B arranged a couple winery tours for me. Unfortunately, things went rather awry. These wineries were further away and specific taxi service was reserved. However, upon arrival at the first stop, the fare quoted by the driver was three times what I was told it would be by the B&B! On top of that, the start time I was told for the tour was not correct. I was rather annoyed by this combination of events, so I just blew off the tours and went back to the B&B. I must say though, that as far as I can recall, this is the first screwed up day of my 11 week trip. So, I really can’t complain too much. And I partly blame myself for this too, as I could have done more work to organize the day, rather than relying solely on the B&B’s input.

Each night the B&B serves a totally baked from scratch dinner (including the bread) for the guests who request it (cost: $22). I had reserved a dinner for tonight, and now hoped it would help salvage the day. The dinner ended up being for me and a lovely couple from Buenos Aires. It was a delicious meal with good conversation. What started out as a bad day turned into a nice ending.

Monday, March 25 – transit from Mendoza to Santiago

The one-way transit cost to and from the airport in Mendoza was $17. The flight today is international, but there wasn’t a need to get to the Mendoza airport very early, as it’s a pretty small place.

In Santiago, I’m staying at the same airport hotel as last week. The cost is $75/night (incl breakfast and airport transfers) for two nights, but I had earned a free night from Hotels.com, so I used it here.

Tuesday, March 26 – Santiago Airport Hotel

and now, the end is near…

Today is a day of relaxation before I head back to the States tomorrow.

Random Thoughts…

Favorite Part of the Trip: I would say meeting so many friendly and interesting people has been the best part of this journey. That includes fellow travelers, locals, and those that are part of the tourism industry. Of course, seeing all of the amazing places of this continent was also a joy!

Least Favorite Part of the Trip: Early morning wake ups! Whether is was to catch a flight, take an excursion, or view the sunrise, it was painful! That being said, each alarm resulted in a worthy conclusion! Runner-up: Taxi drivers!

Step Count Update: As of yesterday, my total step count for the trip stood at 1,094,990. The average per day is 14,408. The maximum day was 28,062 in Iguazu Falls. The minimum was 1,986 on a lazy day in La Paz.

I pretty much used everything that I packed, which makes me feel good! And I only lost one thing – a sock!

When I was originally thinking about this trip I figured a budget of $200/day, all-in. With the only bookings remaining being a night’s hotel in Chicago and a bus ride to Madison, it looks like I’ll come in comfortably below that. And when you take into account the money I saved by being away from home (canceled internet/cable, reduced gas/electric, no groceries, no fuel, suspended health club membership, etc.), I’ll be well under the budget. Nice! And as I’m sure you’ve noted, probably 1/3 of the cost of this journey was two trips – Galapagos and Easter Island.

I have now had the privilege to visit 66 countries*. I feel fortunate to have had the means and opportunity to experience the great diversity of people and cultures that exist on this beautiful planet. It’s also humbling to know that but for the incredible luck of being born in the United States, I never would have had this opportunity. How many more countries will I visit? Hard to say, but I know I’m going to keep it up as long as I have the funds and health to do so. And there’s so much more to see (as you’ll note in the list below)!

*Country count based on those recognized by the United Nations. So, I’ve been to England, Scotland, and Wales, but that is only one country – the United Kingdom. Same goes for Martinique (not a country, part of France), St. Croix (U.S.), and Easter Island (Chile). On the other hand, I’ve been to Vatican City, which is considered a country. I only count countries in which I’ve spent significant time. For example, when I visited the Golden Triangle, I spent a few hours in Laos, but I didn’t count that. And I absolutely do NOT count airport layovers!

Percentage of Countries on Each Continent Visited

• Europe: 54%
• South America: 50%
• Asia: 44%
• North America: 39%
• Oceania: 14%
• Africa: 6%
• Antarctica: 0%

Tomorrow I fly to Chicago, and then take the bus to Madison on Thursday. So, this will likely be the last Journal Entry for my trip. I’ve had a blast doing it, hopefully you’ve enjoyed following along. Thank you so much to all of you who have provided comments, or sent me emails and texts. As a solo traveler, it was especially meaningful to hear from you!

Until my next journey…

Spoiler alert re Easter Island – Expectations met! (of course, the new header picture probably gave it away!)

You may remember in a previous post my mentioning that when Eleanor Roosevelt first saw Iguazu Falls she uttered “Poor Niagara”. Well, with the update to the header picture, I’m now saying “Poor Iguazu”!

Monday, March 18 – transit from Santiago to Easter Island

My departure to Easter Island was at 9:30am. I noticed, however, on my last trip out of Santiago that there was a huge queue waiting to check-in for the Easter Island flight. So, I figured I should consider it similar to an international trip and get to the airport 3 hours early (didn’t want to miss this flight!). But then I was told by the hotel staff that construction at the airport could cause traffic delays, so I should tack on another hour to be safe. Adding in the 30 minute drive to get there, I’m departing the hotel at 5am for my 9:30am flight! (Cost of taxi: $35. Ugh! But it’s my own fault because I knew what it would be, since I stayed at this hotel previously) And yeah, I got there way too early! Oh well…

The airline booking for the trip is not something that benefited from the last-minute attitude I’ve had throughout this journey. I made the reservation about 6 weeks ago and paid $1,200 for the round trip (more than my round trip fare from the States). Booked well in advance, the fare would be about half what I paid. One redeeming factor though was the fact that I had a premium economy seat for the five hour flight (economy was sold out!).

All flights to Easter Island from Santiago are via a Boeing Dreamliner, and ours was completely full! It’s pretty amazing that this type of plane flies into the little one runway airport of the island. But then, you’re told that the airport has also welcomed planes such as the Concorde, 747 and A380. This is all due to the fact that the runway was upgraded by NASA so that it could be used as a provisional landing site for the space shuttle. Pretty cool!

I booked a B&B for three nights. The total cost was $548, which included airport transfers, breakfast, a full-day tour, rental car for one day, and the $80 national park pass. Seems like a good deal, right?

Some quick Easter Island background: The native Rapa Nui are believed to have settled on the island (Isla de Pascua in spanish) as early as the 10th century. Europeans first arrived in the early 18th century. The famous statues of the island are called moai, and approximately 900 have been inventoried. They represent the living faces of deified ancestors. The stone platforms on which the Moai sit are called Ahu. The current population of the island is around 8,000, with the majority located near the only town, Hanga Roa.

I spent the afternoon walking around the area near the B&B and in town. A short walk from the B&B is the site called Tahai.

Step Count Update: After much walking over the weekend in Santiago, and more today on the island, I have passed the one million mark for the trip. Cool!

Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20 – Easter Island

Tuesday was set aside for the full day tour with the owner of the B&B, Paul. He is from the States, but first traveled to the island in the early ’60s to assist with the restoration of the archaeological sites and the moai. So, obviously he has a vast knowledge of the Rapa Nui and was an excellent guide. Joining us on the tour was another guest at the B&B, Sophie, an optometrist from New Zealand. She was fun to hang out with and it turned out to be a great day!

The next stop was Anakena. Located here are a white coral sand beach and two ahus; Ahu-Ature has a single moai and Ahu Nao-Nao has seven, two of which have deteriorated. Anakena is unusual for Easter Island in that it is one of only two small sandy beaches in an otherwise rocky coastline.

Our next stop was at a site that turned out to be one of my two favorite places on the island – Rano Raraku. It was a quarry that for about 500 years supplied the stone from which about 95% of the island’s moai were carved.

We went back to Tahai this evening to check out the sunset, but unfortunately clouds on the horizon spoiled it. The same thing happened last night too. Tomorrow’s my last night, I’m desperate!

I had one of the B&B’s rental cars reserved for Wednesday and Sophie had it reserved for Thursday, so we decided to team up and share it for both days. I’m happy we did that because it was another fun day roaming the island with her. We started the day early, returning to the previously mentioned Ahu Tongariki to catch the sunrise…

And what a beautiful sunrise it was! We will be returning to this amazing site again later in the day.

Finally, it was back to Tahai for the sunset. Tonight is my last night; will my luck turn positive?

We departed the B&B at 7am to catch the sunrise, returned 14 hours later after watching the sunset – it was a wonderful day!

Thursday, March 21 – transit from Easter Island to Santiago

My flight didn’t depart until 2pm today, so I took advantage and made a return to Tongariki for the sunrise (Sophie felt like yesterday couldn’t be topped and decided to sleep in. Was she right?)

On the way back to the B&B I needed to fill the tank on the rental, so this was a good opportunity for one final fuel price check: $4.74/gal

Sadly, it was then time to say goodbye to Easter Island. An amazing place!

I’m traveling to Mendoza, Argentina tomorrow, so I just booked a hotel near the Santiago airport ($76, incl breakfast and free shuttle service (yes!)).

Thursday, March 14 – transit from Cuenca to Quito

Had a morning departure for the short flight from Cuenca to Quito. The cab fare to the airport was $3 (yes!!). Since I’m heading to Santiago tomorrow, I just booked a place by the airport in Quito. The airport hotel that I stayed at last week was fully booked, so I went with a B&B that had good reviews. Cost: $24 for the night plus $10 taxi fare each way to/from airport.

Here are some pictures from the B&B (a very cute place!)…

Sidenote: I was joined at breakfast by another guest – a young women from Germany. She mentioned that she was traveling to Costa Rica, but was out of money, so she was a little scared (I guess!). Obviously she was angling to extract some funds from me, but I sidestepped that topic!

Friday, March 15 – transit from Quito to Santiago

My flight left around noon today, so it was nice to have a leisurely morning. I am connecting through Lima again, but my layover is only about three hours this time (you may recall that my previous layover here was around 10 hours!). The downside to my noon departure is that I will be landing in Santiago around 11:30pm. (One-way flight cost: $467) That’s one of the reasons I booked the same hotel as my previous stay in Santiago – familiarity upon arrival in the middle of the night! I also liked the hotel and the neighborhood where it is located. I ended up paying a little more this time around ($76/night, incl breakfast).

So, our flight was a little late leaving, immigration at the airport was incredibly slow, and I opted for a shared minivan instead of a taxi to my hotel ($11 v. $28; I can’t help it!!) – all that equates to a 2am arrival at the hotel. I was the second to last (out of 5) drop off from the minivan, but I must say I kind of enjoyed observing various parts of Santiago during the late night drive.

Travel Note: On the flight from Quito to Lima I spotted an elderly gentleman wearing a UW cap. He was accompanied by his wife. I was going to give them a shout out…until they caused a massive bottleneck during boarding because they were sitting in the wrong seats. After that I figured it would be best not to be associated with them!

Sidenote: I’ve enjoyed my time in Bolivia and Ecuador, but I’m looking forward to the return to Chile (and Argentina) for a couple reasons: a) I’ll no longer need to be concerned about what I eat and drink, and b) Rather than disposing of it in the wastebasket, I’ll now be able to flush my used toilet paper!

Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17 – Santiago

It was a beautiful weekend in Santiago – clear skies with a high temp of around 80. I was on a mission these two days – to find a carving (or carvings) of the Easter Island Moai statues, made from Lapis Lazuli, which is a stone native only to Chile and Afghanistan. There are many shops and markets in Santiago that sell items made from this stone, so it was fun for me to walk around and check them out. One problem – I thought I could remember the carvings that I liked and the prices that were best, but soon they all started to blur together! (Yes, I’m rather dense!) So, I spent Saturday exploring the shops and Sunday going back and taking pictures (and notes) of the ones I liked. I finally ended up buying two on Sunday. (my 2nd and 3rd, and likely last, souvenirs of the trip)

I took a few pictures (besides those of the Moai carvings!) during my roaming around, but most of areas I covered I had photographed during my last stay in Santiago. So, here are a few pictures of my roaming and a couple pictures of my purchases…

The photos of the carvings I purchased are those taken during the investigative phase of my shopping mission. Therefore, they’re not the greatest quality. I would’ve posted better pictures, but each carving is now wrapped and protected for travel, so I didn’t want to undo that.

Tomorrow I’m traveling to Easter Island. It’s the part of the trip that I’ve been looking forward to most. Hopefully I won’t be let down!

Sunday, March 10 through Wednesday March 13 – Cuenca

My days in Cuenca turned out to be rather low-key. I had thought about taking a couple excursions, but ended up just doing a fair amount of city exploring and lounging around the B&B. I was frankly kind of tired after the Galapagos trip and thought a few relaxing days would be a good idea.

Cuenca is a nice town, but it’s plagued by what I’ve witnessed in a few of the other places I’ve visited on this trip – rather dirty and much graffitti. Also, traffic is ugly, contributing to poor air quality. So, as far as this being a top international location for retirees, I don’t necessarily see it. In my opinion, the main thing it’s got going for it is the low cost of living (but I guess that’s rather critical in retirement planning!). A nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here!

Here are some pictures from my city roaming…

Here are some examples of the various architectural styles of the old town…

A couple more churches…

Below are pictures of the Pumapungo archaeological site (15th century Inca), located in the historic center of the city.

These markets vaccinate me…

Pop Quiz: Where are Panama Hats made? You probably can guess the answer is Ecuador. So why Panama? When exporting the hats they were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas, and Europe. They subsequently acquired a name that reflected their point of international sale – “panama hats” – rather than their place of domestic origin.

There where many hat shops in Cuenca, of varying forms…

Sidenote: I mentioned that the U.S. dollar is the currency of Ecuador. Well, do you remember the Sacagawea dollar coins that were tried (and failed) in the States? They have found new life in Ecuador! It is definitely used more than the dollar bill. I also received the JFK half dollar in change.

Thursday, March 7 – Puerto Ayora

Sadly, my last day in the Galapagos. All good things must come to an end! Today I took a hike to Tortuga Bay. It was a nice walk through town followed by a fairly long brick-lined path to the beach. TripAdvisor recently named Tortuga Bay one of the Top 10 beaches in the world. I’ll let you be the judge!

Friday, March 8 – transit from Puerto Ayora to Quito

My flight to Quito was at 11:30am, with the recommendation being that passengers should leave Puerto Ayora three hours early to allow for the wait times to catch the ferry to Baltra Island and the bus to the airport. Instead of taking the bus to the ferry I opted for a shared taxi at a cost of $10. That’s double the bus cost, but worth it to confirm the timing and reliability of the ride! (I’m a big spender, I know!)

Since I was departing the next day for Cuenca, I just booked a hotel near the airport. The hotel cost was $29 (incl breakfast), with an $8 transfer from the airport and a $5 transfer back to the airport. (the higher pickup cost must be due to the fact that somebody was waiting for me at arrivals) I’m loving all of that!

Saturday, March 9 – transit from Quito to Cuenca

Cuenca is known for its historic city centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also has a mild climate due to an elevation of 8,400ft (a nice break after the heat of the Galapagos!). And finally, the city has shown up on many “best places to retire” lists. (Not that I’m thinking of retiring here! But it must be a decent place if it makes the lists, right?) So, for all of those reasons, I thought it was worth a look.

I will be here until Thursday. I booked a B&B for $39/night (nice!). The round trip airfare from Quito was $119. Here are some pictures of the B&B; it’s a very nice place! (And did I mention it was $39/night?)

Step Count Update: As predicted, the pace I set in January was unsustainable. On January 31, the average daily step count for my trip was 17,500. My average now stands at 14,200. Still not bad though, right? Especially considering the number of days I’ve spent at high elevation!! I have noticed one thing that I think is kind of cool – I’m on pace to take 1 million steps for the trip.

Galapagos Island Snorkeling Pictures

We were lucky to see a wide variety of creatures during our snorkeling excursions, including sharks, rays, sea lions, eels and a wide variety of fish. The two major omissions were a hammerhead shark and a sea turtle. (no need to get greedy!) Here are some pictures…

Wednesday, March 6 – transit from M/S Cachalote Explorer to Puerto Ayora

It was somewhat sad to be finishing our cruise, but I think six days was about right. Taking into account the close quarters, hectic pace, and familiarity with the other passengers, crew and environment, I don’t think an eight or ten day option would have been an added benefit for me.

Following breakfast we were transported to the Baltra Island airport. This was great for the five in our group who were flying out that morning, but the rest of us were extending our stay in Puerto Ayora. So, you know what that meant…the bus/ferry/bus procedure to get into town. Oh well!

I stayed at the same hotel as my previous visit here, but the rate was a little higher this time. I think this is mainly because I wanted to book it early – before I got on the boat – knowing that I wouldn’t have internet access while on the cruise. Two nights @ $66/night.

I spent the afternoon roaming around the Charles Darwin Research Station. The Charles Darwin Foundation and the CDRS are undertaking research to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity in the Galapagos Archipelago. The main focus of the visitor areas is the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.

The nine of us from the cruise who stayed in Puerto Ayora met for one last time over dinner and drinks in town. It was a nice way to end the trip. (but we forgot to take a group photo!)

Funny Story: I met a couple from Canada who were staying at the same hotel in Quito. We were both looking to book a last-minute Galapagos trip, so we spent a fair amount of time comparing notes. We also went on the day trip to Otavalo together. Well, they left Quito for the Galapagos one day before me, so we said our goodbyes. Fast forward two days and I’m walking down a side street in San Cristobal when I hear someone calling my name. You guessed it, my friends from Canada! Weird, right? Hang on, there’s one more chapter. Today in Puerto Ayora our group from the cruise agreed to meet at the town’s main pier. As I’m walking there, I hear my name called out again. Yup! And the bizarre part is that they were only in town for a short window during a break on their cruise. They were getting back on their boat 20 minutes after they saw me. Small world…

Final note about the cruise: At certain times today after getting off the boat I noticed myself rocking back and forth a bit. Kind of funny. It took me back to the times when we’d spend all day on Lake Mendota. I got the same feeling then.

Saturday, March 2 through Tuesday, March 5 – aboard the M/S Cachalote Explorer

The days on the boat were busy. We had at least three excursions per day – a combination of hikes and snorkeling. On one day we had an option to go kayaking; I did that. We visited six islands during our six day cruise. One thing that surprised me was how diverse the landscapes were between the different islands. Another surprise was how incredibly tame the animals were. They have no fear of humans.

Considering we’re in the rainy season in Ecuador, we got extremely lucky with the weather – no rain at all. And another nice bonus was the lack of clouds at night, which resulted in amazing stargazing opportunities!

Of course I took loads of pictures. I’ve picked some of the best to post here…

In my next entry I’ll include some pictures from our snorkeling – I didn’t take the pictures, but I did see all the things in the photos. Promise!

Thursday, February 28 – transit from Puerto Ayora to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal Island

Tomorrow I will be meeting my cruise boat on San Cristobal island, so this afternoon I’ll be taking a ferry there from Puerto Ayora.

I spent the morning exploring a little bit more of the town.

The ferry service amounts to multiple converted pleasure boats, all departing at the same time from Puerto Ayora to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. All passenger bags must undergo an inspection at the dock prior to boarding the boats. This makes for a rather hectic atmosphere.

The ferry ticket must be purchased at least a day in advance, and costs $30 (in addition, a 50 cent payment for the shuttle boat service from the dock to the ferry is required at each end of the trip – why not just add this into the price of the ferry ticket?)

This boat ride reminded me of my time working offshore in the Bay of Campeche. We would depart Ciudad del Carmen in a crew boat for the four hour ride to the platforms. That was on a much larger scale than this, but a similar concept. One advantage I had working offshore was that I was part of the “management team”, so I could make the ride up top in the wheelhouse. No such luck on this ferry boat ride!

After checking into my hotel, I spent a little time walking along the San Cristobal waterfront. My hotel was pretty basic, but clean, with hot water and cold A/C! Cost for one night: $39.

Friday, March 1 – transit from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to the M/S Cachalote Explorer

My Galapagos cruise starts today! Pickup is at 12:30pm, so the morning was spent roaming around San Cristobal.

There were nine of us who gathering on the dock in San Cristobal to board the Cachalote. The boat holds 16, but there were already 5 on board who started their cruise two days earlier. The 14 consisted of:

• A 75 year old woman from England – she participated in less than half of the excursions (but hey, I guess you have to give her credit for showing up!)
• A couple in their 60s from England who own a travel company
• Another couple in their 60s from England – retired teachers who spent their early years working in Africa
• A family of four from Scotland spending a year traveling the world (Wow!). The parents are in their 40s, and their daughters are 9 (Evie) and 7 (Bella). The girls were a delight. We ended up spending our siesta times playing card games.
• A couple in their 30s from Australia (but he’s from Venezuela and she’s from Ireland). They too are spending a year traveling the world (what!).
• A couple in their 30s from Switzerland (she’s from Germany) who are, wait for it, spending a year traveling the world (are you kidding me!).

It was a nice mix of people and we all got along great. And I like the fact that I was the only one from the United States. (I tend to find US tourists rather obnoxious – but wait, I’m a US tourist!)

And a nice bonus was the fact that I had a cabin to myself. I was willing to share, but the final passenger list didn’t support it. (When I booked last minute I knew there was a full cabin still available) The single supplement on these cruises will run anywhere from 50% to 100%, so that was a significant savings for me.

We boarded the boat for lunch and then returned to San Cristobal for a rather insignificant 1/2 day excursion to the interior of the island. Then it was back to the boat for dinner and an overnight trip to our next destination – Española (Hood) Island.

March 8th: It’s good news /bad news time. The bad news is my time in the Galapagos is over. The good news is that I am now back in Quito with fast internet, so it’s time to update my journal! I’m a few days behind, so I plan on catching up with multiple journal entries over the next few days (that’s assuming I have a fast internet connection in Cuenca, where I’m off to tomorrow).

Wednesday, February 27 – transit from Quito to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

I have a 9:30 departure this morning, but I need to leave the hotel around 6:30 because a) it’s a long drive to the airport; and b) extra time is required at the airport because all bags to the Galapagos undergo an inspection to make sure no restricted foods, plants, etc. are brought on to the islands. (Similar to Australia or New Zealand) Taxi fare: $30 (ugh, too expensive!)

There is a segregated Galapagos area at the airport. This is where the bags are inspected and a Transit Control Card is obtained for $20. This card must be kept and submitted at the airport when departing the islands. It is used by the government to control immigration to the Galapagos.

There are two airports in the Galapagos (surprising, I know). I am flying to Baltra Island. Basically the only things on the island are the airport, some military installations, and a fuel depot. Upon arrival at the airport passengers essentially go through something similar to immigration control. At this time a $100 Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee is paid (cash only).

My ultimate destination is Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island. To get there, the following takes place:

• Board a bus to go from the airport to the ferry landing ($5, 10 minute drive)
• Take a ferry from Baltra to Santa Cruz ($1, 10 minute ride)
• Board a bus to go from the ferry landing to Puerto Ayora ($5, 45 minutes). Taxis from here are also an option, but they are $25. (Nope!)

After checking into my hotel, I did a little roaming around the town…

Side Note: Being on the equator, I was curious how Ecuador defined its seasons throughout the year. Although the December-February timeframe is the warmest part of the year, they consider it winter, because it is also the wettest time of the year.

Monday, February 25 and Tuesday, February 26 – Quito

Before I start, a couple things I forgot to include in my Sunday entry…

During the drive to the volcano, our tour guide mentioned that on Sunday in Quito major streets are closed to traffic to allow for walking, jogging, bicycling, etc. Just like Santiago! And Jakarta! I’m sensing a worldwide movement here!

I’ve spent the last two days mainly working on booking my Galapagos trip. I thought I was so smart waiting until the last minute to finalize my plans. Huge savings would be mine! What I failed to realize was that next week is the carnival celebration in Ecuador. Doh! Ultimately though I got a good boat, with a good itinerary. I probably didn’t save as much as I could have on the cruise, and I know I spent more than typical on the airfare. The flight issue also forced me to head to the islands a couple days before my cruise starts. (but I think that’s actually a good thing) My boat departs on Friday, but flights were either fully booked or exorbitantly priced on Thursday and Friday, so I depart Quito tomorrow. I’m also extended my stay in the islands on the back end of the trip. The cruise ends on Wednesday, and I’ll depart on Friday. So, I’ll have about 9 days total in the Galapagos.

The details. The name of my boat is the Cachalote Explorer. (clicking on the name will direct you the boat’s website) I am taking the ‘Hood’ itinerary (6 days / 5 nights). The list price on the trip is $3,300. I paid $1,920. So, I saved a little over 40%. I heard of others saving more than 50%, and I could have done that on some of the other cruises I was quoted, but I didn’t like the ship size (too big) or the itinerary. My roundtrip airfare was $550. I think it’s typically in the $400 range.

I’ve booked a B&B on Santa Cruz island for tomorrow night at $49. Then on Thursday I’ll take a ferry to San Cristobal Island, where my cruise departs on Friday. (I still need to book my Thursday night hotel)

I’ve read that the internet service is rather slow on the major islands, and I’m not sure if we’ll even have any service on the boat. So, this could be my last entry for the next 10 days or so. I’m sure you’ll miss me. Right!