Kayaking from the Endeavor

 

Single and double kayaks as well as stand-up paddle boards are stored on the Endeavor when not in use.

Kayakers and paddle-boarders go back onto the zodiac when their time is up.

We Love Kayaking…

Here we are on our kayak next to the mangrove trees. 

Three flamingos were unexpectedly wading near the water where we were paddling.
For some reason, our fellow passengers kept taking photos of us in our kayak.

Photos other than the ones I’m in are © 2024 by mae sander

The Endeavor II

From August 17 until August 24, we visited several of the Galapagos Islands on the Lindblad-National Geographic Endeavor II along with approximately 90 other passengers and a large staff of naturalists, hospitality workers, and the ship’s crew members from Captain to seaman. Here are some photos to give you an idea of the experience.

Lifeboat drill — first activity on every ship.

In the lounge as we get underway.

Viewing the rock formation from the deck. You can see several of the many children who were onboard.
One of the naturalists ran a special program for kids.

Having a drink on deck as we approached the tiny island of Daphne Major.

The Bridge is always open. We looked it over when the ship was anchored, so no activity.

Zodiac Cruises

Getting ready to board a zodiac for one of several activities each day.

On the zodiac, ready to go ashore.

Bringing the zodiacs back on the ship so we can sail to somewhere else.

Three Meals A Day

Breakfast buffet.

The omelet chef.

The dining room, decorated for an Ecuadorian lunch. Did you know that Panama hats are made in Ecuador?

Pumpkin soup: first course of Ecuadorian lunch.

Our usual waiter and two of our frequent dining companions.
At right: Rich Reid, photo instructor, NatGeo photographer, award-winning filmmaker.

The kitchen.

Everyone who had a birthday during the voyage received a cake and enthusiastic singing by the waiters.
Len was the first as his birthday was the day we boarded the ship.

Between meals you could always have a drink from the fridge in the lounge.

In Our Cabin

The Lounge

Afternoon and evening presentations in the lounge were often fascinating, including talks on the history of the Galapagos Islands, on their volcanic origins, and on the family history of some of the naturalists, whose families were among the early settlers.

One night in the lounge a band from Santa Cruz Island played, and four dancers performed.
Here’s Len joining the dancing.

Goodbye to the Endeavor

The way the staff handled the luggage as we disembarked was amazing.

All photos  © 2024 mae sander

Back in Our Groove

We flew from the Galapagos to Quito, Ecuador, on Saturday, and checked into our hotel by dinnertime. The hotel has several restaurants, and we chose to eat in the most casual -- that is, at the bar. The menu had several Ecuadoran dishes, so I tried the goat stew which was quite good.

Our plane on Sunday wasn't until almost midnight, so we spent the day resting in the hotel with an excursion by taxi to a well-known artisan market, which I'll write about eventually. After returning to the hotel from the market, we had lunch in a different casual restaurant called Quito Cafe.

Final lunch in Quito: salad and passionfruit cheesecake.
Diet Coke is the same as here: the fine print says "aspartame."

Travel with Lindblad includes all airport shuttles, which we greatly appreciated. We were picked up around 7:30 for our final goodbye to Ecuador. I have many more photos and much more to say about the trip.

In the Quito Airport.

We arrived in Detroit around noon, and are now decompressing from our truly exciting trip. Fortunately our flights were on time with no surprises.

Passengers waiting for luggage in Detroit. The mural shows famous Detroiters.
The largest face (above the monitor) is Rosa Parks, who lived much of her life here.

Blog post and photos © 2024 mae sander

Quito Street Art

 

Many roundabouts had sculpture in the center.

On the way to the airport last week.

The street art in Ecuador has been fascinating throughout our trip. And there will be more!

At the end of the voyage

Our week traveling in the Galapagos Islands on the Lindblad-National Geographic Endeavor II has ended. This morning rather early we left the ship on the familiar zodiac boats, arrived at the dock near the Balta Island Airport, checked in and waited for the plane, and finally flew to Quito, Ecuador. Tomorrow night we’ll return to the Quito airport and fly home. I’m happy that I finally have fast enough internet to post more photos. Needless to say, I will be posting lots more photos and thoughts from the trip after we finally get home, and I’ll also be reading blogs by my blogger friends! 

Galapagos Sea Lions

Galapagos Sea Lions are a separate species from other Pacific sea lions. We saw them constantly.
They swim vigorously in the sea, climb up the rocky shore, and bask on the sandy beaches. 

On some beaches we saw a large number of mother sea lions with their cubs. This mother and
baby were on a sandy beach.

 Another day, a baby was sitting on a high rock; its mother came up  from the sea and called it with loud barking. In response, it skooched down the rocks and then began to nurse.

Many of the babies were left alone while the mothers went out to catch fish.
After giving birth, the mothers stay with the babies for a few days — but then mom has to eat!

The last beach of the last day of our trip, we waded in the surf to board the zodiac boats that would
return us to the ship. Of course a few sea lions were sleeping on the beach.

The Zodiac Boats

Blog post and all photos © 2024 mae sander