The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; Machu Picchu, Peru and Panama City, Panama March 6 -19, 2009
My favorite guide book for information is the Lonely Planet series. I don't care for their attitude on traveling on a shoe string budget and using public transportation, but I really like the content and candor in detailing destinations. For instance, the opening paragraph on The Galapagos, islands says:
“You can't help but think think you have stumbled upon an alternative universe some strange utopian colony organized by sea lions – the golden retrievers of the Galapagos – and arranged on principles of mutual cooperation.” [..] “What's truly special is that the creatures that call the islands home act as if humans are nothing more than slightly annoying paparazzi.”
To me, that really is a fitting description. Add to it that some of the islands are barren of vegetation and you feel like you are on the moon. But just when you think that every island is the same, you will suddenly find yourself on San Christobal Island and it feels like you are somewhere in the South Pacific!
But let me go back a few days and start our trip in the Ecuadorian city we first landed in, Quito – the capital and second largest city of Ecuador with a population of about two million. Quito's old town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has finished a massive restoration that today invites visitors to enjoy historical architecture; deep history, yet modern and comfortable accommodations. The city lies in a valley so it's stretched 27 miles long yet only about two miles wide. There is not a north/south/east/west orientation to the city, just a north, central and south. The airport is north and you are never far, although planes overhead affects almost everyone. (the city is building a new airport or so I am told by the taxi driver).
We were to stay three nights which would give us two solid days for touring, We started the first morning with a walk from our hotel, the Dann Carlton Hotel in the new city. We found a wonderful market for all things alpaca, leather and t-shirts. Prices are extremely reasonable. For instance, I bought a casual shoulder purse with travel compartments, made of leather, for just $14.00 and I probably should have bartered harder.
After some fun shopping and a nice lunch, we are ready for a three hour city tour arranged by Metropolitan Touring – the major tour operator in Ecuador. Now, my friend Posey is the perfect Lonely Planet traveler, do it yourself with a book, whereas Ray and I enjoy the “luxury” of someone doing the driving and telling us what everything is, and why. We win and I'm so glad! The streets of the old town are incredibly steep and I don't want to think of the huffing and puffing we would have been doing in already high elevation of about 9000 feet! There was still plenty of opportunity for a walking tour as Andreia took us to the main square where we visited historical buildings, walked around for an hour or so, and stopped for a cup of tea. It was a well balanced tour and brought us back to the hotel.
The higher elevation does slow you down and none of us had much of an appetite probably because of the altitude sickness prevention pills we were taking, so we skipped dinner and had a healthy night's sleep.
Our second day started with a visit to the wonderful botanical gardens of Quito. Ecuador has over 1000 species of orchids and we were going to see them all! The gardens have a great greenhouse of orchids, so we got what we wanted.
Today is Posey's day for touring so we negotiated with a cab driver to take us from the gardens, to an archeology museum, out of the city to La Mitad del Mundo, back to the city and to the TeleferiQo.
Skip the guide book instructions about public transportation and negotiate with a cab driver. We did our afternoon adventure for $40 – three of us and about five hours (plus a hamburger for the driver).
La Mitad del Mundo may be considered by some too touristy but this is the place where Charles-Marie de La Condamine made the measurements in 1736 showing this as the equatorial lines. This gave rise to the metric system and proved that the world is not perfectly round, but that it bulges at the equator. I think it's worth the visit and the picture!
It only took about 30 minutes by taxi and we had a cheap lunch of hamburgers and fries, got some goofy pictures and enjoyed ourselves.
Our next destination is the TeleferiQo, Quito's newest tourist attraction – a sky tram that takes you 2.5 km up the flanks of Volcan Pichincha to the top of Cruz Loma. This is all worth the views of more than just the city! It's also worth paying the extra fee to take the express line as lineups can last for hours – particularly if it's the weekend.
Speaking of weekends, it's a perfect time to be in Quito – there is not a lot of traffic and I think it would otherwise be horrendous. I also really enjoyed the fact that the locals don't sit on their car horns! It is actually a quiet city!
It is now time to move on to our next location, the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles from mainland Ecuador. Our morning flight from Quito stops for 45 minutes in Guyaquil, and then in 90 minutes puts us in Baltra, one of the two main airports of the Islands. We are met at the airport, taken to the boat after a 10 minute bus ride and after the necessary safety formalities and lunch, we start at our first stop at Dragon Hill, Santa Cruz island.
I'm not going into detail about each island and stop but will give you the routine you can expect. There are two types of “landings”, dry and wet. The actual ship you are staying on does not dock, rather you transfer between the ship and land by way of zodiac boats which locally are called pangas. Wet means the panga will go to a beach and you slide off into knee length water and with a dry landing, the panga comes to a rocky edge that you navigate off. In either case, safety is the key issue with the tour operator and you will be properly assisted by strong young men!
Generally there are two landings a day and the sightings are all very different, so don't miss any. Every expedition is lead by a naturalist (ours was Diego) who will point out important details and the guide is also at your disposal for questions. Each ship will break down into small manageable groups of about 10 -14 people and you stay with this group throughout your trip.
There are opportunities for snorkeling or glass bottom boat rides to see life under the water. If you want to go diving, plan well ahead as most ships are not equipped for spontaneous dives.
Obviously all meals are served on board in an open seating arrangement. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style, and dinner is table service. You have the opportunity to move around and pick different tables and enjoy new company every day if you so wish.
You can decide on a 3, 4 or 7 night trip. We took the 4-night and I found it to be a really good balance of almost all that is the Galapagos. However, if your interest is more about the volcanoes, (live, but not active) or you hope to see a lot of the Ecuadorian penguins, you should consider any tour that includes the islands of Isabella and Fernandina. We only saw two penguins, and the species are the third smallest in the world. But remember, you can't command the wildlife to be available for photos when you want them!
There's also a great variety of boats and ships depending on your comfort levels. We were on the MV Santa Cruz which I would categorize as budget to moderate. It was comfortable, clean and sufficient, but the rooms are small, single beds, bathrooms even smaller, the showers like hotdog buns. No evening entertainment (which they should have done lectures or films), but the food was adequate, tasty and well presented.
Everything is included in the package except for gratuities and beverages. The recommended tips are $10 from each of you for the boat crew, $7.00 for the guide, and the bartender is what you feel you want to give based on your time spent with him! These are all per day quotes. Purchase your sunscreen lotion and items like that in advance as they are very expensive on the islands or on the boats. Only 3% of the Islands are inhabited so you don't have access to supplies that easy.
Overall, I was very pleased with the whole trip for balance of sightseeing, expectations, accommodations, flights, etc.
Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
We departed the Galapagos from San Cristobal Island for Lima, Peru. We had to pick up our luggage in Quayaquil and then re-check for the Lima flight and there is a departure tax to be paid before boarding the flight to Lima. We stayed one night in Lima as our flight to Cusco, Peru would be early the next morning. Now having done this, if you are not planning on visiting anything of Lima, I suggest getting a hotel right at the airport. Our package included a hotel in Miraflores about 30 minutes away but since we arrived at 8.00pm and were departing the hotel at 7.00am, it would have been more convenient to just walk across the terminal to the Ramada Hotel. Most tours have the hotel in Miraflores because it is the nicest part of the city, so more comfortable for the US tourist. If you have extra time to enjoy a day or evening, then by all means go to Miraflores.
There's an airport tax departing Lima even though we are taking a domestic flight.
The flight from Lima to Cusco is 90 minutes and is comfortable, but busy as thousands of tourists pass through weekly. Cusco is the gateway to Machu Picchu, are these are the most visited areas of Peru. The city is approximately 400,000 in population and it's historical past retains a firm grip on the present. Massive Inca-built walls line steep, narrow cobblestone streets and form the foundations of modern buildings. The heart of colonial cities are the plazas lined with churches and mansions turned into hotels and restaurants. This is the soul of the city.
The main road is the Avenida El Sol which of course will either get to everywhere or will have what you are looking for. Our hotel, the Jose Antonio was at the tip (starting or ending), so we were within two blocks of the Plaza de Armas. The train station (for Machu Picchu) is the San Pedro Station. The airport is only about 20 minutes away.
For sightseeing in Cusco and the surrounding area, you must purchase a Boleto Turistico, which will cover about 99% of all museum entry tickets. Unfortunately, you can't buy individual entry tickets, and are forced into the all or nothing. Machu Picchu is not included in this ticket and must be purchased separately. There are some really wonderful Inca ruins to visit before going on to Machu Picchu such as Saqsaywman, Q'enqo,Tambomachay, Pisac and Ollantaytambo.
Around all these sites are locals dressed in their best traditional costumes and with their finest llamas hoping to be photographed. Please be considerate and tip them if you take their photo. That's what it is all about, earning a little cash. If you don't agree with this, don't take pictures.
The Sacred Valley, lies about 15
kilometers from Cusco and here you will find Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Pisac
is well known for it's markets on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Here's a
secret – after your tour bus drops you off on the main street, find the
lesser streets, don't just follow your guide forward. Go where it is less
crowded. You wil find the same goods but the prices may be better. Also,
be sure to find the real local section, where the local people are shopping
for fruits and vegetables, clothes, bath needs, etc. Much more interesting
than more of the same blankets and scarves you can find anywhere in Cusco.
Our day for Machu Picchu is finally here. There's a train from Cusco to
Agua Caliente but to save time we drive to Ollantaytambo and catch the train
there. This way it is only 1 ½ hours to Machu Picchu. The scenery is
beautiful following the Urabamba River with mountains around us. The best
side is to be on the left as the scenery is better whereas the right side is
hugging the mountain. When we arrive at Machu Picchu Pueblo, another name
for Agua Caliente I am really surprised at how modern the train station is
(the train was as well). From here you must take a bus that crisscrossed up
the mountain in sharp switchbacks. Don't look out the window if this is not
your cup of tea!
We finally reach the end and there it is, Machu Picchu in all it's glory just as in pictures! But don't be fooled that it's going to be easy to explore. There's still some uphill walking to be done.
The entrance fee is about $45.00 above the train and bus ride. So, a day's outing is going to cost you about $150.00 with the train.
There is only one hotel in Machu Picchu, the deluxe Sanctuary. If this is not your league, you can find more budget accommodations in Machu Picchu Pueblo – before the bus ride. If you stay there a night, you will have the advantage of getting to Machu Picchu very early in the morning before the crowds arrive by train from Cusco. Currently, the site allows about 2500 people per day, so in high season, it can be very busy and have lines for the entrance.
We return again by bus and train, and this time disembark at Poroy to save time by avoiding about four train switchbacks which aren't exciting enough to spend another hour on the train. It's now dark anyway so there's nothing to be gained. Most folks get off here and take a taxi or if part of a tour, their tour bus is waiting to take you back to Cusco which is only about 20 minutes at this point.
All in all, a full day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu is about 12 hours.
Our adventure ends that night and we have an early departure back to Lima the following day. In hindsight, I would add an additional night and space it with two nights in Cusco, one night in Machu Picchu Pueblo, then another night again in Cusco, It was all such a busy three days that we really didn't get a change to just enjoy the plaza area and snoop around the narrow streets with hidden treasures in Cusco. If your passion is Inca history, add another night – there are just so many excellent sites to visit.
As with The Galapagos adventure, everything went so smooth and easy. We did this all as a pre-booked tour and itinerary so we didn't have any transportation issues or standing in lines for entries. Tour guides are great for bypassing long lines! We tipped about $10.00 from each of us per day for the guide and half that for the driver. The other advantage to this tour was that the guide pre-checked us in to all flights and had our boarding passes in his hands so we even avoided the lines for airport check in. (Can't avoid security lines though)
Panama City, Panama
Well blow me away; this is not what I expected. I knew that Panama City had high rise buildings but I was not prepared for the growth that is happening. There are numerous projects on the go with many large corporations relocating in Panama. Luxury hotels and condos keeping up the pace and the current values are something to look at closely if you are interested in property in a foreign and US friendly country.
We scheduled a full day tour with a local company and at 8.30am a driver was at our hotel to take us to the visitor's center at the Miraflores Locks to view the canal (which was well worth the time), the historical old city (which could just has easy be Havana, Cuba or San Juan, Puerto Rico,) across the causeway, over the Bridge of Americas and pretty much covered the highlights of the city.
Panama really has a lot to offer visitors and not just the city. There are many eco-friendly rainforest adventures, cultural and indigenous villages, fantastic beach resorts, casinos (if that's you thing) and late nightlife. The people are friendly, the traffic in the city is terrible and overall the destination is of great value for your dollars. Speaking of dollars, the official currency is called the Balboa, but the paper currency is US dollars.
This was only a day stop in Panama so we were gone the next day but vow to return for a longer visit and to stretch outside of the city. I think Panama is a great alternative to Costa Rica if you like the outdoors and nature but still want the comforts of simple but comfortable accommodations. I am not aware of any luxury resorts outside of the city or the beaches.
It has been a very busy 13 nights, and 14 days of adventure. We experienced cool mountain weather, tropical equatorial zones, wildlife, cultural history, diversified terrains and two major unique sites; the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu. This was not a trip where we enjoyed sleeping late each day or partying all night but it was truly rewarding as a learning experience that our world is very diverse and how we can so easily visit so much in such little time.
I do not think we could have accomplished as much in this time if we had not pre-planned or pre-paid much of the elements required to move around as much. Your time is much to valuable to mess around in a lineup!
