BALTRA & DAPHNE ISLANDS

-too much guayacil for my taste
-is it just me or is it getting hot out here?
-diego en fuego

We were up early again at 6:30am with a quick shower, breakfast and then to fetch our boarding passes from the representative from the airline who thankfully was stationed in the lobby. Celebrity chartered an Avianca plane for the 2 1/2 hour flight from Mariscal Sucre (Quito) to Baltra Island with a fuel stop in Guayacil. In Guayacil we deplaned while the aircraft was refueled for our next and final stop at Baltra Island, Galapagos, Ecuador.

After a short wait we all enplaned once again but once out on the runway were told the aircraft had a computer malfunction. The sad music from Planes, Trains and Automobiles (the movie) played in our heads as we returned to the gate. From that point it became a series of delay after delay. First 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes...and so on.
Around 1pm, we were given a box of crackers and a juice box and at 2:05pm we finally departed for Baltra Island.

On board the Zodiac which took us to the Celebrity Xpedition ship

We arrived at the airport and were greeted by Celebrity ship employees and escorted to the buses that were waiting to take us to the Zodiac boats where we would then be taken out to the ship which was waiting for us just off shore.

Our room was very nice but as in the case of most expedition ships, very small. We were lucky to have one of the few rooms on the ship that had an outside deck. Our captain announced a fire and safety drill and a brief orientation regarding the activities for the following day. Our options were either a long walk and snorkeling or a short walk and snorkeling. We opted for a short walk and snorkeling because we wanted to take photos and didn't want to be rushed. Throughout the remainder of the cruise each day everyone was offered at least 2 different excursions, one more strenuous than the other which was a tad more laid back. This made it perfect for folks with physical limitations.

---

After the briefing we went to the ship's only dining room for dinner. The restaurant host seated us with another couple. Suffice it to say,  we quickly learned to choose our dinner companions well before entering the dining room. We had friends who had saved a seat for us but sadly we did not see them and we certainly suffered for it. Nuff said.

Exhausted after dinner, we went back to our room and finished unpacking and got ready for bed. Our room shared a wall with the Bridge so at about 1 am, we heard a bunch of loud noise and excitement as crew members entered and exited the Bridge. Michael and I woke up and chatted about the noise for a few minutes and promptly fell back asleep.

At about 4:30 am, the Captain made an announcement that a Wolf Volcano was erupting on the north side of Isabela Island for the first time in 32 years. So clearly what we heard at about 1 am was the Captain spotting the explosion and readying the crew for the change in course. We grabbed our cameras and met other folks out on the deck of the ship to take photos and look at the spectacle. It was amazing. Lava was spewing straight up into the air and flowing down toward the ocean. Our ship maintained a safe 2 1/2 mile distance from the site but you could smell the ash and see the lightning bolts behind the clouds. Many of us stayed up all night to watch the sunrise as the dark sky turned to a beautiful blue. What a spectacle!

One of the naturalist guides, Diego Paredes, was out on deck to shoot photos with us and it was his photos that were used by CNN, Wall St. Journal and others in the news shots that appeared the following day. As an aside, Diego who was shy and quite low key was given the nickname of Diego En Fuego by various guests onboard our little ship.