Xpedition

The Xpedition was our home for seven days. (I believe this is a Galapagos hawk in the foreground.)

Here's a little better view of the bow superstructure.

Unlike other cruises we've been on, the captain offered an 'Open Bridge' -- which meant that while the ship was at anchor, passengers could visit the bridge. I think Sandy and I were the only ones who exercised this privilege because the officer on duty was a little surprised at our arrival. But it was interesting to see all the instrumentation -- including a LAN (Local Area Net, for you lan-lubbers). Operating the vessel looked a lot like a very expensive video game -- only real.

The small figure on the top deck is me -- everybody else went shopping on shore. It was a lonely afternoon.

The following two pictures will give you an idea of our accommodations. It was very comfortable with adequate storage -- plus you were rocked to sleep every night.



Our ship never docked. All transfers were done by the Zodiacs. This prevented us from transporting foreign organisms onto the islands. Even our luggage was delivered by Zodiac. It was not a pretty site and I decided I really did not want to watch.

Here you see the stern where we loaded and unloaded into the Zodiacs. After the first day, it became routine and we could get in and out of the rafts with great alacrity -- especially when there was a Bloody Mary waiting on the fantail.

The Zodiacs were stored on deck -- two on the bow and two on the top deck at the stern. They were unloaded before each excursion then lifted back into place when everybody was back on board.

After unloading, the Zodiacs would circle waiting to pick up passengers.

Once we were loaded -- usually 16 soles at a time -- we'd be on our way to a new adventure. There were two sets of excursions each day. Each set had a more aggressive agenda and the other tour would be less challenging. We found that even the 'aggressive' treks were not that difficult.

Beside the driver, each boat had a naturalist. I must say, they were all excellent, very professional. extremely knowledgeable and committed to preserving the islands. They were all Ecuadorian, typically born and raised on the Galapagos. In the course of the week, with two excursions each day, we got to know them all. Without a doubt, they were the hi-lite of the trip. (The food and wine were good too.)

Then, of course, when the mission was accomplished, the weary adventurers would return, comparing events during their respective adventures.

This was before the Bloody Marys were delivered.