Patty

I just finished uploading photos from our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos. We cruised on the Archipel and visited San Cristobal, Espanola, Floreana, and Santa Cruz islands and spent a couple of extra days in Puerto Ayora. We also spent some time in Quito and one night at the Bellavista cloud forest reserve. I've posted links for 2 albums - one from mainland Ecuador and one from the Galapagos. Some of the photos are 35mm that I scanned and uploaded so the images are not that crisp. But I wanted to show some of the underwater and beach scenes. I've disabled the sign in requirement so you shouldn't have to register with ofoto to view them:

http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=jy877nh...&y=-bxt7yy

http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=jy877nh...&y=-85ilr0

I'd be happy to answer any questions about our trip as well.

LindyE

Hi Patty!
I've tried several times to view your photos and can not get to them. Is there any other info you can provide for ofoto that would get me to them?

I'm beginning to plan our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos (probably in March) and looking at your photos would be great.

Would you recommend the Archipel? I've just recently begun boat research and am a bit overwhelmed with the choices.

Thanks so much!

Patty

Hi LindyE,

If I copy and paste the links into my browser, I get a page that says "Mark and Patty has shared photos with you", then I just click on "view photos". What are you getting? If it still isn't working, email me at [email protected] and I'll try emailing the links to you directly.

We were very happy with the Archipel with one minor exception. We hadn't realized that this boat does not have air conditioning. It worked out OK for us as the evening temps were cool enough and if we left the windows open and turned on the ventilation system (it circulates the air in the cabin, kind of like a fan), it was comfortable to sleep in. In March it will be a little warmer so it just depends on how tolerant you are to heat. I'm normally not very good with sleeping in heat but was just fine. Other than that, I would highly recommend this boat. The crew was very accomodating, we had an excellent guide, the boat is fairly new, clean, and comfortable, and being a catamaran, the ride felt stable. They are also equipped for scuba diving and have two kayaks on board. It's not a luxurious boat just very comfortable, but it's not priced in the luxury category either. The food is simple and tasty. Meals were served buffet style and usually consisted of a salad, two vegetables, and a meat dish. We had fish, chicken, beef, and seafood paella on various days. Lunch always started with a bowl of hot soup, it sounds strange but was welcomed after a cold snorkel! My only quibble with the food would be the lack of any desserts other than fruit cocktail.

It was a bit overwhelming for us too choosing between the boats. In the end we decided that we wanted the intimacy of a smaller vessel but not give up too much in creature comforts and I think we found a good balance. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask or email me directly.

Percy

Hi Patty
Thank you for posting your pictures.
Looking at them brought back happy memories from last year.

I think that anyone going to Ecuador and the Galapagos should view these pictures and look at how the yacht it, the terrain on the Islands and what people are wearing for clothes and shoes(sandals).

Also there are wet and dry landings and those going to the Galapagos can view this also,as well as the pangas that take you from the yacht to the Island.

Thanks again Patty, gald you had a good time
Percy

Percy

Patty

Forgot to mention, but nice pictures of Ecuador also.
Isn't that Virin of Panecillo something and the view terrific from that high up above the City of Quito.
I am assuming that you saw the beautiful Old Part of Ecuador City.!

Also , the most hummingbirds I ever saw in my life were at the Bellavista Cloud Forest.

They virtually come and sit on you if you stand still with food in your hand.

Great pictures
Percy

Patty

Hi Percy,

Glad you enjoyed my pictures. Yes we did tour old town that day too. Another place I hadn't mentioned was the museum at the Casa de Cultura with archeology and art exhibits. We thought that was very worthwhile. We also got to stop at the equatorial monument and a volcanic crater on our way to Bellavista, so we were able to fit a lot in during our short time on the mainland.

sandy_b

Hi Patty,

Those are GREAT pictures! I have saved them and your emails (yours and Peg's and Percy's) to use in planning my Galapagos trip in Jan 06.

Thanks for posting them,
Sandy (in Denton)

sjb0115

Hi Patty,

Your pictures look great! Thanks for all the good information you given on the site. Was the Galapagos worth the money to get there and cruise the islands?

Patty

Yes, I thought it was absolutely worth it! Even my husband who initially was reluctant to go thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I had AA miles that I redeemed for our flights to Quito so that saved us some $$.

sjb0115

I'm thinking of going April/May/June 2005 timeframe. How did you like going in May? How was the weather? Was there anything that you think you missed by going at this time of year? Do you think there are any disadvantages going this time of year?

I've read the post from Percy and others about the best time of year, as well as done extensive research on the Internet and travel guides. So it seems this is the best time for weather and wildlife. Although quoting Percy, "there isn't a bad time to go...". What are your thoughts? Thanks again!

evelyntrav

Amazing photos, Patty.

What camera did you use? I am thinking of replacing my expensive SLR with a digital camera, but am concerned about the quality of the photos. Yours look wonderful. When you used the telephoto, did you have to use a tripod?

peg

Patty, great pic's. I almost have the same peligan picture, the one on the motor of the boat. I am glad you put them up to view, if I wasn't so lazy I would post my on the net.

I think we stayed in the same cottage at Bellavista. Did you have the whole thing to yourselves? Was Travis still guiding there?

If anyone wants to see some pic's, I will be glad to send a couple. All of mine were taken with a Minolta Dimage X digital camera. [email protected]

Give me a day or so to respond, as I made a promise to my best friend to cut back on working on the computer, so I do not check my e-mail that much on the weekend.

Percy

sjb0115

You probaly have the outline of the month by month weather temperature that I posted in a reply a short while back.

The best months to be there are:
May-June and
November- December,

However , you will still never see everything that goes on there because of the life cycle pattern of the animals and birds.

let me give you a short month by month outline for the birds and animals and you pick what is most interesting to you.

January:
male iguanas turn color to reddish tone to attract females.

February:
nesting season for the Masked boobies

March:
Albatrosses begin their courtship dance.

April:
Tiny sea turtles break out of their eggs.

May:
Band-rumped storn Petrels are mating.
These birds seem to walk on water!

June:
Giant Tortoises migrate to lowland to lay their eggs.

July & August:
Nesting season for Blue Footed Boobies.
( I went in late August/ Early September and saw these cute , just hatched baby Blue Footed Boobies)

September & October:
Mating season for the Galapagos penquins and Galapagos Fur Sea Lions .

November:
Sea Lions pups are born. The Humbolt current makes its way from the tip of South America, bring with it increased amount of food( plankton) ,so there is more bird feeding going on.

December:
The Giant Tortoise babies hatch.( This is from the eggs that were layed in June) .

This is just a partial list..we still have the short eared Owls and the Galapagos Hawks and Finches and Land iguanas and Marine iguanas,and the Flightless Cormorants and the Red Footed Boobies and the......guess I will stop here !!!

So you see sjb0115, there is never a "bad" time to visit the Galapagos .

You have the month by month weather outline and now I have given you a bit of Mother Natures pattern...

Happy chosing !! and hope your research on the Galapgos is going well.

You will start seeing birds as soon as you get off the airport at the Galapagos.
When you walk into the open air airport, those are Finches flying about inside the airport.!!!!, now look up above ,those are Frigate birds.!!

It is a 5 minutes bus ride to the ferry to take you across to the next Island to Santa Cruz..while waiting for the Ferry,look up again,those are Blue Footed Boobies diving into the water like a spear!!!!, plus Masked Boobies also, plus Frigate birds.

At first it really is a sensory overload , but a nice one, because right away you start seeing what you came to see.
Good Luck sjb0115
Percy

Patty

sjb0115,
We were in the Galapagos the first week of May. Our weather was varied as this is the transitional period. We had sunny, hot days which alternated with cooler, overcast days. It seemed like if there was bright sunshine one day, the next day was sure to be overcast and vice versa! If I went again, I would still go during this time period. It's the end of the rainy season, so the vegetation is still green. The water temp averaged in the low 70's (it was a little warmer in shallow spots and colder around the western islands). I didn't think that we missed out on anything by going this time of year (although now that I read Percy's post, I'm not so sure... baby boobies sure sound adorable). Like Percy said, there's probably no bad time. I've read that the amount of marine life increases in the cold season, so if you dive that might be a consideration. Sep/Oct are supposed to be the optimum months for diving.

evelyntrav,
I used a 35mm Nikonos V underwater camera for the snorkeling and beach pictures. And a very, very old Canon Powershot S10 point and shoot digital for all of the dry landing sites and mainland Ecuador photos. I'd love to trade up to a digital SLR now that they've come down a little in price. I'm told that these are comparable to a high end 35mm SLR. I did not have a tripod with me, I didn't really even use the telephoto much since you can get so close to the animals!

Hi Peg,
Yep, I think you told me that was the cabin where you stayed. We were in the first room downstairs and there was someone on the other side also. The upstairs was empty so we would go up and use the hammock up there on the balcony. We explored the entire dome too and looked through the upstairs room in the bamboo house. There were quite a few guests there the night we stayed and even more arrived the next day. A funny thing happened, we were having lunch just before heading back to Quito, and in walks two of the fellow passengers from our Galapagos boat! What a coincidence. They hadn't planned to stay there and were on their way to Mindo but decided to stop. We got to catch up with them and hear some stories about the 2nd half of the cruise. I did not meet Travis, Nelson was the only guide there both days. We didn't believe him at first when he said we'd need those rubber boots and rain ponchos, but when it started pouring half an hour into our hike, were we glad to have them!

sjb0115

Thanks Patty and Percy!

Patty,
Did you use the flash for your underwater pictures? If so, how did the sea lions and fish respond to it? Did it frighten them at all?

Also, you may have alreayd seen this, but I saw the below URL on another post recently in "Latin America" about special processing for underwater pictures that will bring out all the colors of the fish, etc. I've never used sea processing before but it looks interesting. Here's the link to the Kodak site that explains it further.

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQueri...q-locale=en_US

Did you need to bring both your snorkeling equipment and Nikonos while hiking the island? Or did you go back to the boat to get this equipment after the hikes? If you had to pack everything you needed for the day, what did you do with your Canon and other things while snorkeling? How safe was everything?

Thanks!

Patty

I didn't use a flash for my underwater pictures. As a matter of fact, we were instructed by our guide never to use flash when photographing any of the animals as it may startle them. It was a bit tricky trying to photograph the sea lions as they dart around you so fast! I have lots of photos of sea lion parts and bubbles. They love to blow bubbles at you

Thanks for the link to the sea processing. I had never heard of that before. It seems to bring back the reds and yellows.

Our snorkeling was all done from a panga and were separate excursions from the other landings. So on the snorkeling trips, I only brought my gear and my Nikonos. For the island landings, I would either bring the Canon or Nikonos depending on whether it was a dry or wet landing and whether we were hiking or spending time on the beach. Sometimes we brought both and just put the Canon in a dry bag. You do get some sea spray on the panga rides so it's important to have something to protect your camera and other stuff. We also brought our own binoculars. We went back and forth from the boat 3 times each day - 2 landing sites and 1 snorkeling trip. Your guide will hold a briefing each evening and let you know what to expect and what you need to bring with you.

Hope this helps.

kcsc

Hi Patty,

Nice pictures! Did you see any penguins or sharks? If so, where?

Patty

kcsc,
We did see a Galapagos shark while snorkeling at Devil's Crown. And we managed to miss both penguin sitings! One person from our boat saw a penguin underwater while snorkeling (same location) but by the time she tried to get everyone else's attention, it was gone. Then two people saw penguins on the far end of the beach at post office bay on Floreana island. But we had opted for the hike inland instead that afternoon.

Patty

Oops, that should read "sightings"

LindyE

Hi Patty!
I've been out of town and finally had a chance to look at your photos. I got them with no problem. They are great and thanks so much for sharing them! They encourage me more to keep working on our Galapagos trip plans!
Thanks!