Finishing up
I can’t believe how much the both of us had slept. It wasn’t just the side-effect of the motion-sickness tablets as Kim, who wasn’t taking any, was sleeping off all the choppiness.
We woke at 0545 to pack and had breakfast at 0700 before disembarking at 0800. Gandhy, hailed a few taxis to take us from San Cristobal’s main pier to the Interpretation Centre where we learnt a bit about the geology of the archipelago and the human history.
Those not finishing the cruise were free to explore thereafter while the Israeli pair and the both of us returned to the pier around 0930 to await our luggage. It was a short wait before we said goodbye to the Israelis who headed to the airport while we walked to the Dolphin House Hostal.
We were fortunate enough to get our room around 1000. Our rooftop room came with a large outside area which offered views of the harbour.
View from our rooftop balcony.
We both rested for the remainder of the day, feeling wobbly, floaty, tired and unmotivated. The wobbliness was very evident attempting to read things at the Interpretation Centre whereas it wasn’t obvious on any kind of hiking excursions. We noticed through the cruise that our brains couldn’t function well remembering our activities and excursions; it felt like total mush. Even for someone like Kim that doesn’t suffer from motion sickness, there is a big toll on the mental function resulting in extreme lethargy. I rate it worse than jetlag!
We went out briefly for a yummy lunch of fish ceviche and then dinner of lobster ceviche and rice. San Cristobal’s main town Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of the entire Galapagos but is smaller than Puerto Ayora. It has a sleepier feel and sadly didn’t have a popular eating street like that in Ayora. Nevertheless, good food was available at good prices but the lobsters weren’t laid out alive (or dead) all day.
Summary for Galapagos
- Even though I’m not crazy about nature, I enjoyed seeing and learning about everything on land, in the sky and sea, plus the climate and the geology.
- Research before we came suggested a minimum of 10 nights and that was about right. We could have made it a day or two shorter if we had chosen to recover from the last-minute cruise back on the mainland and not dived. The more days you have, the better choices of last minute cruises (dates, itineraries and prices) you’ll have.
- I could have easily spent an extra day or two just relaxing in Puerto Ayora cheaply.
- Many tourists visiting the Galapagos are mainland Ecuadoreans and from other countries. Our guide told us that only 40% of visitors are from outside this region, made up of 30% USA and 10% others. Around the main towns, there appears to be fewer “clearly foreign” (eg. white) visitors than that as those from the USA seem to be on group itineraries and cruises.
- While Galapagos is expensive, don’t wait till you’re old and rich to come. This place is best enjoyed when you’re mobile and active, especially the rich underwater life.
Tips for Cruising including “Last Minute”
- Our 5d/4n itinerary was of the perfect length for us. Our cruise-mates from Israel correctly pointed out that things were starting to repeat themselves. We could have done a much longer cruise and seen only a few things that were different.
- A 5d/4n itinerary on our boat cost USD2600pp normally but we got it for USD1200pp. So that’s about 55% off. We have seen bigger discounts but the dates didn’t suit.
- When rationalising the cost of a last-minute cruise, take into consideration the savings you’d have from accommodation, meals, inter-island boats and costly day-trips. Even on a last-minute basis, the cruise costed more but it offered us more land and snorkel outings than we would have otherwise done. Bear in mind an outing from a main town can be USD100-200!
- Bear in mind that cruises operate on a two-weekly cycle made up of four separate itineraries altogether. On days when there are guests joining and leaving, there is considerable free time onboard or on land.
- Depending on your itinerary, your cruise may return to the same safe haven (eg. Baltra near the airport) for several nights in a row despite taking you places during the day.
- Always ask for the name of the boat and google for lots of pictures before accepting the deal. Easier said than done with bad internet.
- Prepare for seasickness! I did find my body adjusting but it was still necessary to take pills throughout the cruise in July, which is part of the choppy season. Even people who weren’t normally affected by seasickness felt queasy.