The Galapagos Islands - February 2010
Day 1 - Arrival at Baltra & North Seymour Island

The flight from Guayaquil to Baltra takes a little over an hour and half in actual time. In reality, it's a trip back in time to an era where one would expect Clark Gable to step from the cabin of a propeller plane, wipe a bead of sweat from his brow, and toss his panama hat into the dusty wind. The airport in Baltra has one runway that also functions as its single taxiway. Only a single air carrier - AeroGal - lists this airport in its repertoire and those waiting for a flight know that to miss theirs could leave them stranded until Darwin comes back from the dead.

From the airport, you take a short 10 minute drive to the pier where you meet the ever present sea lions, who laze about in the midday sun like dogs escaping the heat. You can step over them or around them and they will pay you the same heed a blind man does a naked woman. From the pier to the Celebrity Xpedition (our ship) is by rubber Zodiacs. Anyone expecting a covered tender would do well to lower their expectation immediately.

The Galapagos is an archipelago made up of 13 named islands, a bunch of smaller islets, and numerous rocks protruding above the Pacific Ocean. Our first stop is North Seymour Island where we get to see the wildlife that inspired Charles Darwin so many years ago.

Introduction

Day 2