Galapagos - Kicker Rock

click image to enlarge

7 AM on Day 4, the sun is rising behind Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido in Spanish or Sleeping Lion). This island is found off the northwest shore of San Cristobal Island. It is a massive angular rocky block very similar to Gibraltar.

Xpedition has dropped anchor and the Zodiacs are being lowered in preparation for a special morning activity. There is only one activity offered: Early Circumnavigation around Kicker Rock - Zodiac Ride Only. Since I'm telling you about this, you guessed it, we did get up early to partake in this activity and are very glad that we did so.

Kicker Rock's size alone is impressive but even more interesting is the cliff that splits the rock into a narrow passage. The Zodiacs took us up close to Kicker Rock, also going thru this narrow passage.

This interesting formation is referred to as a Tuff structure. Tuff is formed when the ejecta and ash from a volcanic explosion mixes with water vapor. The resulting formation has a cement finish. As we visited this island we saw more sea lions, frigate birds, that we circling high above the rock, and other inter-tidal zone life.

We spent about an hour circling Kicker Rock and taking plenty of photos. If you'd like to see more pictures, see our Kicker Rock album. Breakfast was waiting for us in Darwin's Restaurant when we returned to the Xpedition.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Celebrity Xpedition - Day 3 North Seymour Island

click images to enlarge

North Seymour Island is located at the central area of the Archipelago, just north of Baltra. Following the mandatory Life Boat Drill, the ship's Zodiacs began loading passengers for our first activity.

There were two options, a High Intensity Activity - Dry Landing at North Seymour Island and a Low/Medium Intensity Activity - Zodiac Ride and Dry Landing. In order to accommodate all passengers, the Zodiacs first drop the groups doing the dry landing on the island and then return for those that opted for the medium intensity activity.

You may be wondering what a Dry Landing is. It is exactly as it sounds. You can wear hiking boots or any other sort of comfortable shoes without fear of them getting wet. It is advisable to wear sturdy, yet comfortable shoes and use a hiking stick on most Dry Landings.

Those that took the Dry Landing walked on an uneven path which took them inland to observe frigate birds and possibly Land Iguanas. Eventually, they arrived at a beach area where Galapagos Sea Lions, Blue Footed Boobies, and Marine Iguanas were observed.

We opted for the Zodiac ride along the coastline which searched for Galapagos Fur Seals, Lava Herons, and Swallow Tailed Gulls. The Geology of this region is quite impressive due to the limestone trapped between two layers of basalt lava.

Following the Zodiac ride, we too made a dry landing on North Seymour Island where we hiked along a portion of the trail observing Blue Footed Boobies, Galapagos Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas, and Frigate Birds. The male Frigate Birds have red throat pouches that extend to attract the females. Blue Footed Boobies have blue webbed feet. We'll see them again later in the week.

The only difference between the two activities was the length of the hike. In both cases, you had a good opportunity to see the inhabitants of North Seymour. Our Cruise Director had joked that we would take our first 300 pictures of Sea Lions during this activity. That wasn't far from the truth since we definitely did see quite a few of them during our visit.  View our Galapagos - North Seymour Island  album.

We boarded our Zodiacs for the return ride to the ship which was anchored nearby. Back onboard, Captain Fausto Pacheco, Master of the M'V Xpedition and his officers welcomed us with a toast which was followed by the briefing of the next day's activities. Our first day in Galapagos had been amazing. There hardly are words to describe our first experience following in Darwin's footsteps.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Galapagos - Day 3 - Welcome Aboard

click image to enlarge

Passengers gathered in Discovery Lounge for a welcome aboard drink and check in. The Guest Relations staff made their way through the passengers to complete the embarkation process. the process went rather smoothly and soon we were off to our cabin and then on to a lunch buffet in Darwin's Restaurant.

We had time to settle in before returning to Discovery Lounge for a briefing about the afternoon activities.

At 3 PM, Jorge Parrales, our Cruise Director, made a short presentation, explaining the shore excursion we'd be doing later in the afternoon. As was the case most of the time, there were two choices - High Intensity Activity - Dry Landing at North Seymour Island or Low/Medium Intensity Activity - Zodiac Ride & Dry Landing at North Seymour Island. The presentation showed the terrain and the wildlife we were expecting to see. The major difference between the two excursions was the length of the hiking.

I'll detail the shore excursion in a separate post. Following the excursion, we returned to the ship, freshened up, and once again met in Discovery Lounge for drinks before dinner. Every evening, around 7 PM, the Cruise Director gives a briefing concerning the following day's activities. At the conclusion of the briefing you then sign up for the activities that interest you. This helps the crew plan for Naturalists and Zodiac crew needed.

Dinner was served at the conclusion of the presentation. Other than the extra briefing when we got onboard, this is a typical day aboard the Celebrity Xpedition in Galapagos. For some more pictures, see our Celebrity Xpedition - Welcome Aboard Album.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Celebrity Xpedition - Day 3 - Flight to Baltra

click images to enlarge

Sunday, August 31st we bid farewell to JW Marriott Hotel Quito for our new home for the next seven days: Celebrity Xpedition. Our luggage was taken to the Quito Airport via truck and we followed by motor coaches.

Upon arriving at the airport, we went through security and were shown to VIP lounge where we waited for our flight to Baltra. Our flight was a charter on TAME Airline. We flew from Quito to Guayaquil where we made a short stopover to refuel. On the flight from Quito, we had breakfast which consisted of yogurt topped with cereal. The flight to Guayaquil was about an hour.

We landed in Guayaquil and were instructed to remain seated with our seat belts open. This was a security measure incase anything were to go wrong during refueling. It didn't take long for the refueling. Additional passengers boarded our flight. We learned later that they were the naturalists and some crew members.

On the flight from Guayaquil to Baltra we were served lunch which consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich. Drinks were available, including wine which was the same wine we'd be served throughout the cruise.

Once again, the flight was about an hour. We deplaned and walked to the airport lounge. We checked in with Celebrity and received our Galapagos National Park paperwork and cards. After completing our check in process, we boarded a bus for a short ride to the site where we'd meet the Zodiacs which brought us to the ship.

The first thing we learned was the Galapagos handshake. Every time we entered or exited the Zodiac, we'd use this handshake to assure our safety. As you can see from the picture, the handshake involves clasping right hands of a naturalist or crew member and yourself. Even if the Zodiac were to move due to a wave, you have a firm grip and can safely exit the craft.

Once onboard we were greeted by the staff, shown to Discovery Lounge, and offered a glass of champagne. Embarkation was completed in the lounge and we headed to our cabin to drop off our carry-on bags. Lunch was being served in Darwin's Restaurant on Deck 3.

In my next post, I'll continue with the activities for the remainder of our first day onboard Celebrity Xpedition.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional Photos can be found on our Exotics Shutterfly page

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers