Galapagos day one

Ok going to have to finish off the Cuba posts later so will do my Galapagos posts.

Wow what a first day - crabs iguanas flamingo turtle laying eggs lizards lots of birds gorgeous landscape and a beautiful white sand beach to swim in!

First island visit was Santa Cruz at Bachas Beach. There were a few world war 2 remnants to see aside from the wildlife.

I have lots of photos of the crabs as they are so colourful and fun to photograph.

I could stare at the iguanas all day - they are so prehistoric looking.

We had a good flight from Guayaquil and were met by the naturalist from the boat. The government mandates that cruise operators employ a naturalist for each cruise.

Our naturalist likes our cruise operator the best as she said they take it seriously which is good to know!

I looked at lots of reviews to narrow my choice and decided first class was the way to go. The only standard higher is luxory and the boats tend to be bigger with more people which is not what I wanted.

Next I researched the two goverment mandated routes and decided on the west route which visits the younger islands.

Next I decided a catamaran was the way to go as they have more stability.

I then looked at the interiors of my finalists to make sure there were lots of places to hang out and that the staterooms had balconies.

We are on the Tip Top ll run by the Rolf Wittmer family. Wittmer was a pioneer in Galapagos of eco tourism and died a few years ago.

The catamaran we are on is fantastic! I will post photos later. Our stateroom is huge with a really large bathroom.

I did book a room with a balcony which we didn't get for unknown reasons but the room we ended up with was better for margy in terms of stairs as it is on the same level as the dining room and the muster station. In fact I am liking not climbing the stairs as well! It is also more stable than the higher level where the rooms with the balconies are. Finally its so hot sitting on the balcony would have been too hot.

The crew is amazing!!!! Really the best. We are going to leave them a huge tip. They take care of your every need and are so professional and thoughtful. The bursur became margy's best friend and he takes care of her beautifully. He is always near her and carries everything for her and helps her up and down stairs. He even gets her second helpings and extra dessert! He also put aside some orange juice just for margy and I! The crew have worked out the best way to get margy in and out of the zodiac and call out 'margy' when they are ready for her!

Next is the food. Its really good and so much if it. We also have a mid morning snack and a snack with the pre dinner drinks. The pre dinner drinks are one of my favourite times as you get to relax on deck with a pina colada watching the sunset.

The bar didn't have any cocktails so I organised for pina coladas to be made for me each evening as spirits and wine are too heavy for me on a cruise. They started off in small glass but I now I am getting a huge glass!

The gentle rocking of the catamaran is like being in a hammock so it suits me perfectly. I really think I could become a cruise person!Read more