Travel tips and hypes

Common sense approach to international travel -any travel, for that matter- is to watch what you take in (air, water, food) and listen to your body.  You can avoid most health problems that way, allowing you to enjoy your trip thoroughly.

• How fit do you have to be to enjoy the Galapagos?  Not an issue - anyone who can pay for the trip can go.
  
  A long time ago, tourism industry discovered that the best thing for the industry is to take anyone, anywhere they want to go, and charge them for it.  Furthermore, tourism should continue regardless of political, social, environmental adversities.  This has rewarded them handsomely (If you can spare $60-75K, you can even go to the top of Mount Everest, or Antarctica, or space!)  This is good for tourists as well - especially those with physical limitations.
  
  (Some Examples of how Tourism ignores adversities: 1. When I was trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal in 2009, their prime minister resigned and his supporters were protesting in the capital city of Kathmandu.  No effect on tourism.
  2. On 9/11/11, US State Department had issued worldwide alert for US citizens.  That day was the second day of our trek around Mount Kailash - a locally politically volatile area of Tibet, but tourism was unaffected.
  3. In Ecuador, US State Department had issued warnings about the aftermath of 4/19/16 earthquake as well as continuing warnings about Zika Virus.We didn't hear a thing about it at all during the trip.)

Seriously, though:

• Food - your requirements can be easily accommodated with advance notice.
• Size - cruise ship doors are narrower than usual, so your girth may become an issue at some point.  Check beforehand.
• Getting to your room - two rooms adjacent to the two engines on our Catamaran had regular stairs to walk down to.  The rest had wooden ladders right from the hatch/skylight to get down to your room floor.  One missed step and you could land in your bed (or bathroom) in a hurry.  If you have knee/hip/joint problems, this could be a show stopper.
• Hikes - Most hikes are gentle or no rise at all - you are walking by the beach. - Some hikes require walking extensive distances on uneven rocks and boulders.  Not only is it stressful on your knees, ankles and feet (can be minimized with good hiking shoes), you are likely to miss a step if you are looking around and NOT paying attention to where you are stepping.  Tumbles are likely to happen towards the end of the hikes when you are tired.  You'd want to be extra careful if you are carrying heavy backpack full of camera equipment such as zoom lenses and tripods.- Some hikes are uphill (to get to the nesting birds, for example.) and can be narrow, uneven, dusty and slippery when wet.  Hiking poles may help, but not necessary.  Watch each step and take it slow.  Let the fast people go ahead so you can take your time.  Guides allow plenty of time for everyone to complete the hike and enjoy all the sites along the way. 
• Swimming - Statistically, 99.7% of people would float if thrown in the water - provided they don't panic and keep breathing air (face above water.) - Ocean water being more buoyant makes it even easier to float (waves notwithstanding.)- If you are wearing a snorkeling mask with a breathing tube, then even waves don't matter.- Wearing swimfins makes floating even easier. - If that's not enough, your ship can provide you with a lightweight flexible (not the rigid foam one.) life jacket. - After that, swimming is effortless - the water is warm and calm, and very clear.  There are fish, turtles, sea lions and sharks in the water, but neither they nor you have anything to fear about. - Sun protection is highly recommended - I prefer quick drying long sleeve rashguard shirt instead.  It also keeps water-borne bugs or plants from brushing against your body.  Of course, on the very first day, while swimming/snorkeling by the shore, I got stung by a jellyfish on my left knee.  By the time I was able to check my knee, there was nothing except the stinging sensation and some redness, which went away on its own after a few hours.-  Jellyfish stings are relatively common for people swimming, wading or diving in seawaters. The long tentacles trailing from the jellyfish body can inject you with venom from thousands of microscopic barbed stingers.  In Australia, beaches have to be closed during summer months due to jellyfish.

• 

  Life vest if you need.

• Snorkeling - As you can see in the picture above, in most locations, water is very clear so fish, sea lions, penguins, rays, sharks and turtles can be seen even without snorkeling - right from your boat.  However, snorkeling gets you much closer to action and for much better view.
  - Once you figure out a good fit for your mask, how to breathe through the tube and how to use fins (wear neoprene socks to prevent blisters and chafing from fins.) it is a wonderful experience.  You can snorkel as much or as little as you choose.
  - During colder season, you may need to rent a wetsuit to keep warm.  When you are done snorkeling, raise your hand and the Zodiac will come pick you up.- It helps to stay in a group so there are more eyes looking for those fast moving or hidden/disguised sea creatures. - Having an underwater camera is a great way to capture your memories.  It helps if the sun is shining, otherwise, pictures can be too dark or cloudy.  Also, GoPro has a limitation of having to get close to the object for greater clarity.   
• Diving - You need a special permit and go with a dive guide for this.  You may want to plan a separate trip for diving by itself.

Other thoughts:

• Motion sickness - if you are susceptible to it, either in car/motor vehicles, airplanes or boats, be sure to take/carry medication like Dramamine or Bonine, whatever works for you.  On our cruise, some people got carried away and tried so many things at once (magnetic wristband, patch behind ear and medications noted above.) that they never figured out what worked.  Something did work though - may be just the length of time on the water!
• Air - if you have allergies, carry your favorite (Zertec or Claritin) with you.  In my experience, travel usually cures allergy symptoms that you may already have - be it change of environment, or filtered air on airplanes, and don't need any medication at all.
• Water / Liquids - you are well advised to be super extra careful with these because in most cases, liquids are the primary cause of dietary issues.  Best to drink reliable bottled water, or hot drinks such as coffee or tea, and avoid cold drinks, juices and ice creams.  Watch for ice in your drinks as well.
  - In a new country, I take no chances with this for the first 2-3 days, and sometimes not at all.  Tasting new flavors of ice creams can be tempting, but I refrain even when the locals "guarantee" the quality.  You couldn't make me eat ice cream the day before my trip to Machu Picchu, the primary reason for my trip - no matter what.
  - I believe that most municipalities take pride in the quality of their water supply, and would suggest that it is safe for you to drink tap water.  Yet, in so many countries, hotel bathrooms have signs recommending NOT to use tap water - even to brush your teeth.  Hogwash!  How about taking a shower then?  Coffee machine?  Swim - in a pool or ocean?
  - Our 4-star hotel in Quito ($200 per night) had such a sign and gave us two bottles of water to use instead.  Really?
• Food - Well cooked food is always safe.  That means, no salads or other uncooked dishes.  Soup is usually a safe choice.  Fruit that you peel, like bananas, are safe, but grapes and apples only if you wash with "safe" water.  Otherwise, just avoid.
  - We visited an orphanage in Peru, and were invited to have lunch with the children.  I only had soup, but someone else ate chicken drumstick and suffered the entire night.
  - Occasionally, you hear airline flight attendants make announcements seeking medical help ("is there a medical doctor on board?")  In most cases, you don't find out what that was all about.  On our flight back to SFO, a woman one row ahead of us kept getting up and going to the restroom right from start.  After a lot of seat switching, reclining and trips to restrooms, the flight attendant finally announced "is there a medical doctor on board?"  Luckily, there was one.  He examined the woman, and gave whatever medication was available in the flight emergency kit.  He checked on her a couple more times during the rest of the flight.  Apparent food poisoning on the previous flight (?) - the woman was fine by the time we landed.  Exhausted, but well enough to smile at us to let us know that she was fine.  The flight attendant, on the other hand, was completely distracted.  Our service certainly suffered.  Moreover, she was busy filling out paperwork almost until the flight landed.  Just a reminder to watch what you eat and to listen to your body during travel. 
• Fried food - One definition of well cooked food is fried food.  If you have had the "pleasure" of eating out for extended period, such as when on vacation, you realize that most food is more oily/fatty - whether fried or not, than you'd prefer.  Food available easily (Fast Food) is almost always so.  Even if you love McDonald's, eating there for seven days in a row makes you NOT wanting to go there for weeks and months.  Any case, a couple of counter-intuitive stories about that:
  - One inexpensive way to increase calorific content of food is to fry it.  Many countries with food shortages have resorted to this strategy - voluntarily or otherwise - in the past.
  - Fried food tastes so much better (French Fries, anyone?) that it is easy to get hooked on to it - and difficult to get off!
  - Well, you can use this to your advantage while traveling.  Eat freshly fried food - preferably cooked in front of you - without having to worry about food poisoning (of course, it matters what's inside!)  If you declare that you like food without bones, that solves a lot of problems.
  - Depending on the city/country, you'll find street vendors selling food - AND locals enjoying in droves.  Tourists will be warned to AVOID such foods, but could all those locals be so wrong?  So here is my argument (buyer beware!!!)
  - Street food is very convenient, readily available, made right in front of you, it is cheap AND very tasty - believe me.
  - Don't know if it is the smog and dust from all the cars passing by, barely washed hands of the cook, or barely washed dishes, or unknown quality of food ingredients, or the ambiance, it just tastes GREAT.  Give it a try sometime.
  - I asked our guide in Quito as we were driving by some street vendors, and our conversation went almost as above.  He agreed.  In the end, I didn't try it, but I very well could have.  It was quite fashionable in Mumbai to go out for street food late at night when we were students, and it is still fashionable in some areas of Mumbai to do so for everyone young as well as young at heart.  I did the same in China when I stayed for longer periods of time, but I didn't in Cusco, Peru only because we were there only for a short period of time.
• Food on cruise ship - All of the above was on our minds when we boarded Nemo I, a first class charter catamaran.  We were promised quality food - cooked on board by an excellent chef (True.)  Water desalinated on the boat and therefore, safe to drink (it was.)  Hot coffee, tea, chocolate available 24 hours,  Drinks of course were extra.
  - All meals had salads, fruit and cheeses in addition to cooked dishes - meats, fish, pasta, etc. as well as desserts.  All was safe to eat as far as we could tell.
• Sea legs - Even if you had no issues with sea sickness during the cruise, be prepared to wait to get your land legs back.  Being on the boat for so many days, you (your mind, really) get used to the gentle rocking of the boat all the time.  You learn to balance yourself while walking to compensate for that.  And then it becomes automatic.  So much so that even after you get off the boat and are on solid land, you continue to feel the floor swaying under your feet.  Here we were - in Quito sitting down or standing up, in our hotel, in old town Quito, or at the Equator Line, and I had to tell the floor to "stop shaking!"  That lasted for two full days - gone by the time we reached Peru.
• Immigration - As I have noted before, having US Citizenship has privileges.  Many countries either don't require visas for US citizens (also Canadian, Australian and EU), or give you one on the spot at the airport when you arrive.  That's also true in Panama, Ecuador and Peru.
  - You still have to go through the immigration process, of course.  All newer passports have a computer chip, which when swiped gives the immigration officer all the information they need about you.  They may still take your picture and fingerprints (e.g. Panama) and ask the standard questions - where are you coming from, what purpose, and how long are you staying.  Some process families together (e.g. US and Peru), others separately.
  - In Panama City (PTY), when we reached immigration after dropping our bags off at the Airline Club, there were six counters open and NO waiting.  They directed us to go to two separate counters and were very chatty.  Joking with immigration officers is something I consciously avoid, but this one was an exception.
  - In Quito (UIO), we were the first few to arrive at Immigration.  As usual, there were more counters for residents and only a few for international passengers.  Because they weren't busy yet, we were directed to go to the resident counter.  The man I went to was either new or not familiar with international (or just plain confused.)  As I walked towards him, he first asked if I was an Indian.  Then after reviewing my passport, he had to consult the person at the next counter every step of the way.  In the meantime, he asked me the same questions 3 separate times.  I wasn't sure if he wasn't listening, or he didn't believe me.  In the end, after confirming that I planned to stay in the country for 10 days, he gave me a 60 day visa.  Go figure.
  - In Galapagos - Baltra (GPS) - they checked the passport although the flight was domestic, collected $100 cash Park entrance fee and gave a cheapo map as a souvenir.  Not really immigration.
  - In Peru, the only country where we had to connect from international to domestic flight (and reverse on the return trip.)  We landed in Lima from Quito on an international flight and had overnight (8 hour layover.)  Just before immigration, they were directing international passengers to transit lounge, but because our connecting flight was NOT international, we couldn't go.  We had to clear immigration/customs, basically out of the airport, before turning around and going back to domestic flight.
  - Our return flight from Cusco to Lima was a domestic flight.  After coming out to baggage claim and almost exiting the terminal, we had to turn right back through security (which was quick) and then through immigration (which wasn't quick.)  Such a colossal waste of everyone's resources and time - not just here but just about in all countries!
  - Back in the US, big airports now have the combined immigration / customs kiosks where all family members can process their passports together - one after the other.  You answer the same questions you did on the paper form, including those for customs.  This prints a paper receipt which you then take to the immigration officer, who confirms the information again - very duplicative!  Luckily, if the immigration officer checks the appropriate box, customs officer just keeps the form and lets you go.  Otherwise, you may need to scan your bags.
• Customs - If you are bringing some goods in to the country, customs would like to know, stop you from bringing prohibited items - usually, plants, seeds, livestock, etc., and charge customs duty if you have any dutiable items.  Since we travel light - with only a backpack, customs is usually a non-issue.  However, in most places, they have you put all your bags through the scanners - which as best as I can tell, no one is watching.  May be they have audible signals if prohibited items are detected, but I never heard any.
  - As a typical bureaucracy, they require you to fill the form one per person, even though the form has a box asking how many people are in your family.  We tested it by filling out only one form in Panama, and that did not work.  The customs officer won't even give us another blank form.  We had to go back, find a second form, fill out so they could process us.  Funny thing was: they then rushed to take our incomplete form, stamped it without even looking at it, and let us go. 
• Fumigating airplanes - Something that never made any sense to me, but some countries, including India, require airlines to spray Lysol (or something similar) throughout aircraft just before landing.  Flight attendants point canisters towards the ceiling as they spray while walking from front to the back of the plane.
  - In Galapagos, to ensure that no unintended life form gets on the islands, check-in bags are separately inspected for organic matter and tagged before accepting.  Furthermore, before landing, they fumigate the overhead bins and the carry-on luggage - by three flight attendants walking in a row.  The first one opens the overhead bin, the second -usually a man, one step behind the first one - sprays inside the bin, and the third one then closes the bin.  They do bins on one side while going towards the back of the plane, and then the other side as they return.  Don't know how effective that was, it looked harmless to humans and definitely hilarious. 
• Trip costs - Like all standard cruises, you pay one all-inclusive price for the entire cruise. That means, once you get to your starting point (Quito, in our case.) airport transfers, hotel with breakfast, round trip airfare to Galapagos, Meals while in the Galapagos, Naturalist guide while on yacht, All Transfers, Snorkel equipment, Three single kayaks (did not use) and Galapagos Transit Control Card ($20 US Cash) payable in Quito, are included.
  - NOT INCLUDED IN TRIP COST: Lunch and Dinner meals while in towns or cities, Bar tab onboard Galapagos cruise, Insurance, International flights, Entrance to Galapagos National Park ($100 US Cash), Tips and gratuities, Wetsuit Rental (8D $35) - not needed.