Ecuador and Galapagos (February 2011)

My spouse and I traveled to Ecuador in mid-February of 2011. We flew to Quito, where we checked into the JW Marriott. We ate our first dinner at the hotel bar. The following day, we joined our tour group (yes, we had to take an organized tour through the cruise line; we tried to avoid a cruise, but it just was not possible to visit many islands without the smalls ship.) Our group visited the cathedral in Quito, followed by the Equator monument, and lunch in a local restaurant. We ate dinner again in the hotel bar rather than with the group. The following day, we boarded our short commuter flight to the Galapagos, where we boarded the Celebrity Expedition. Because we booked our package somewhat late, there were only suites left available on the small ship (92 passenger, with only 46 cabins, about 9 of which were suites). Although small, the ship was well-appointed, and we enjoyed our time. The cruise was amazing to see so many animals unafraid of humans and such varied landscape. After cruising for 7 days, we returned to Quito for the night, where we again dined in the hotel restaurant ourselves rather than joining our group. (It was a Sunday night, and they could not serve alcohol at the bar, although oddly, we were able to order some beers from room service.) What an amazing trip - second only to our East African safari in 2007!

 

Hotel/Ship:

JW Marriott Quito Link to my review

Celebrity Xpedition Link to my review

 

Restaurants:

• Hernan Café Link to my review
• The Rock Link to my review

 

 

Galapagos: The Rock (February 2011)

Dining at The Rock is a truly pleasurable experience. Our great variety of meals and drinks will truly satisfy the cravings of your palate.

Our MISSIÓN is to provide a welcoming and natural entertainment spot within the Galapagos Islands for both national and foreign tourists, offering exclusive and original cuisine accompanied by quality service. By doing so, we hope to become the best option for those who visit the islands and support the touristic and social development of them.

Our VISION is to establish ourselves as the best chain of bars and restaurants in both Ecuador and in the world, expanding and generating the value attached to our line of products and services, with the same level of quality of service and cuisine, and with a focus on our touristic, ecological and social vision; for the benefit of our current and potential clients.
Our VALUES are leadership, quality service, punctuality, commitment and common sense.

Our history took place in isla Baltra, Galapagos in the period 1941-1945. At that time, Ecuador donated an old military base to the United States of America so it could be used to protect the Panama channel during World War II. Baltra’s people never refered to the island as “Baltra” as it can be found in maps, nor used the military code name “Base Beta”. They simply called it “The Rock”.

“The Rock” has been described in many ways. During her visit to Galapagos, Eleanor Roosevelt said: “It is as if the earth spit out rocks of many shapes and sizes”. American pilots described it saying “Baltra, five thousand square miles of rocks without trees” or “You move one rock with great effort to find out that there are more rocks underneath”. Around four thousand US soldiers came to this place called “The Rock” waiting for a war that never reached this place. US soldiers had to face long periods of monotony, isolation and loneliness. Fortunately, they had “The Galapagos Beer Garden”, the first bar in the Galapagos islands, where they could spend the nights having fun and relaxing.
The Rock bar-restaurant invites you to remember those moments of fun and relax that took place at “The Galapagos Beer Garden”.

Galapagos: Celebrity XPedition (February 2011)

My spouse and I took the Celebrity Xpedition cruise to the Galapagos in late-February 2011. So much has been written about this cruise and ship that I'm not sure that I have much new information to share, so I’ll just focus on some of the things that I haven’t read before. We booked a suite, which we felt was worth the additional money. It was wonderful to have a balcony so that we could be outdoors in a private area without other guests. Some of the other benefits of the suite included thrice-daily maid service, which was actually needed because we were showering two and sometimes three times a day before and after excursions and meals. We also received a bottle of champagne, daily fruit in the morning, and daily hors d'oeuvres in the afternoon after we returned from our excursions. We were not invited to the captain’s dinner, though, which was supposedly a perk of the suites. Some suggestions that we wish we had known prior to the cruise follow.

•        Get the correct luggage limits before leaving home (it seems that the cruise line has changed the air carrier between Quito and Baltra, and the lower luggage limits that the cruise line gave us no longer applied).

•        Do not wear brightly-colored clothes on the excursions; stick to neutrals so that you blend in with the surroundings.

•        Invest in a pair of Keen sandals, preferably a pair with the toe-protection feature; it won’t be necessary to change your shoes after a wet landing and before beginning your hike.

•        Bring your iPod; there’s a docking station/clock in the cabins, and it will provide entertainment (there is a TV, but we can’t comment on its usefulness because we didn’t turn it on).

•        Be sure to attend the 7:30 briefing to learn about the next day's activities and sign up for the appropriate fitness level; hors d'oeuvres are hand-passed intermittently prior to the briefing.

•        The “strenuous” activities (rather than the “easy” activities) are not all that strenuous. The cruise line doesn’t even use those terms; more often, the activity choices are described as either “long” or “short”.

•        It is better to sign up for an excursion and then cancel/not participate than to try to squeeze onto an excursion for which you haven’t registered.

•        Don’t forget to sign out when you leave for an excursion and then sign back in when you return to the ship in order to ensure that no passenger is left behind.

•        Upon returning to the ship, use the sanitizer and cold towels (although oddly, these are presented to you on deck 3 before you remove your life jacket, not on deck 4 where it would make sense because it’s right before you begin eating and drinking).

•        The automatic wake up telephone calls work well.

•        Sign up for your dinner selections ahead of time (the night before, following the 7:30 briefing), to reduce organic waste aboard the Xpedition by 25%.

•        The smallest table in the dining room seats 4 people, so a party of 2 will find it difficult to ever dine alone; however, you can request your meals anywhere on the ship, so it is possible to find a private spot.

•        The outdoor terrace on deck 5 isn’t just for the use of the suites; it was rarely used on our cruise.

Prior to booking the cruise, we were concerned that we might not be able to participate in our desired activity level because of staffing issues. We wondered, “What if the two of us are the only ones who want to take the strenuous/long excursions? Will they make us take a less active/shorter excursion because they can’t possibly dedicate one naturalist to guide just two people?” But we needn’t have worried; the activities director somehow works magic each day, and everyone participates in their desired activities with no need for compromise.

Galapagos: Hernan Café (February 2011) Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island

At its location at the busiest intersection in town in Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz, lively Hernan Cafe often packs a crowd, and serves up decent (if unmemorable) pasta, pizza, fish, and meat dishes.

Quito: JW Marriott (February 2011)

My spouse and I stayed at the JW Marriott Quito for two nights in mid-February 2011 prior to a Celebrity Xpedition cruise to the Galapagos and again for one night in late-February 2011 after our cruise. So much has been written about this hotel that I'm not sure that I have much new information to share, so I’ll just focus on some of the things that I haven’t read before. Windows in the rooms open (or a small part of the large window opens), so you can get fresh air in your room. No beer is served on Sundays in either the bars or the restaurants; however, you can have alcohol delivered to your room via room service to “skirt the issue”. Smoking is permitted in the lobby bar and outside the main entrance. The breakfast buffet is rather extensive, as others have said, and if you want a Diet Coke or something that you don’t see on the buffet, just order it - we didn’t have to pay extra for a few carbonated beverages at breakfast. Although we reserved a suite on the cruise, we weren’t placed on the executive/concierge level in this hotel; however, all the suite passengers seemed to be located together in the hotel on a high floor with views of the swimming pool.The rooms were spacious, as were the bathrooms, with separate standing shower and soaking tub. This is a nice Western-style hotel, and foreigners need not worry about feeling comfortable.

Newark: SpringHill Suites Newark Airport (February 2011)

My spouse and I stayed at the SpringHill Suites Newark in mid- February 2011. We have stayed at the this property before (see my July 2010 review titled “Newark: SpringHill Suites Newark Liberty International Airport: Park and Fly Package Makes It a Decent Choice”). There was plenty of parking, despite being here over the President’s Day Weekend which could be a popular getaway time. The hotel didn’t seem to be at capacity, and it was easy to fit on the airport shuttle that is shared between the Springhill, Courtyard by Marriott, and Fairfield Inn. We walked to the Courtyard Marriott for dinner, which was a more acceptable meal than the last time we ate there (for our July 2010 Springhill stay), probably because we knew what to expect (or not to expect). I don’t have much new information to add to my last review except for details on the airport shuttle. The last time we stayed at the SpringHill (in July 2010), the shuttle driver dropped guests directly at the airport terminals. This time, the shuttle driver said that he would need to drop us at the AirTrain station so that we could take the train one stop to the airport. Fortunately, we were able to convince him to drop us at the terminal instead, but we will be prepared to have to take the train on our next stay. On our return, we weren’t so lucky; we needed to take the AirTrain to the first stop and wait for the shuttle there. The wait was quite long, and it was very cold and windy. It is possible to wait inside, but with all passengers waiting together for all hotel shuttles, it can get crowded, and we were afraid that if we didn’t wait outside, we wouldn’t make it onto the first shuttle. Despite the shuttle obstacles, we will stay here again, because this is the only Hilton-branded Newark airport hotel that seems to offer 14 days of free parking with their hotel packages (the other Hilton properties offer 7 days, and sometimes only 3 or 4 days, of free parking, with extra days possible but pricey).

Theatre: Anthony Bourdain at the State Theatre

Attention all foodies: Anthony Bourdain, aka "the bad boy of cuisine," has been booked to perform at Easton's State Theatre in February.

"No Reservations: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain" is scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 11.
In his Easton appearance, Bourdain will share the stories behind his life, books, travels and his show. And he'll take questions from the audience.

Bourdain is executive chef at New York bistro Les Halles, host of Travel Channel's "No Reservations" and the author of bestseller "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly."

"Kitchen Confidential," published in 2001, is both memoir and tell-all of Bourdain's culinary journey. He shares anecdotes of other chefs (sometimes changing their name) and inside information on the business. The book was well received by critics and readers, and made Bourdain a celebrity.

Link to the Morning Call review here

When Anthony Bourdain, Travel Channel star and best-selling author, rolls into Easton for his Feb. 11 appearance at the State Theatre, he won't be cooking or passing out samples.

Bourdain will instead dish up a wide-ranging conversation flavored by his worldwide travels and tempered by his culinary experiences in professional kitchens.

The sharp-tongued chef who stars in "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," first earned his ticket out of the kitchen and his passport to the world by writing the best-selling "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly."

After he's talked for 45 to 50 minutes, he'll take questions from the audience. But be warned: This chef who has gulped the still-beating heart of a cobra and a seal's eyeball, along with other stomach-wrenching nibbles including ants, doesn't want to be asked, "What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten?"

His extreme-cuisine days, as the star of "A Cook's Tour" on the Food Network, are over. "I don't miss them. I've eaten it all, been there, done that. [Andrew] Zimmern does that now. I mean it still happens sometimes as I travel. I'm offered things that are very different than you are used to, and I still eat them. But I don't go out looking for those foods," he says.

He's also tired of questions about whether those "wild side" foods ever made him sick and how he stays so thin as he eats his way around the world.

"I'd much rather be surprised by difficult, awkward or embarrassing questions than keep answering those questions again and again," he says.
 

During a brief phone interview before leaving to film another episode of "No Reservations" in Brazil, Bourdain admits he has no scripted plan for his night onstage in Easton. "I'll talk about whatever's on my mind. Whatever is making me angry … whatever I'm excited about," he says.

Right now, he says, "I'm pretty happy about the way the world of food and restaurants are going, but I still get angry about some of the food writing that's done, if it is done badly or dishonestly. I really dislike people who claim to love food but who, in fact, hate the people who prepare the food. It's an entitled class of food writers who make me cranky."

He says, "I also get cranky about anyone who abuses or belittles or lies about food. Now that I have traveled the world and seen how proud people are of their food, I hate bad food … fake Italian or fake Mexican food. That makes me cranky. Olive Garden commercials make me a little testy … I also don't like to see TV chefs abusing food. I'm not a fan of Sandra Lee and some of the stuff I see on the Food Network. It's debatable if some of it should be called food or whether it should be fed to anyone you love." 

Will people want to hear this culinary ramble? If their reaction to "Kitchen Confidential" can be used as a measure, you bet! After all, Bourdain is the guy who opened diners' eyes to restaurant realities such as how Sunday breakfast buffets dispose of leftovers and why it's not a good idea to order fish on Mondays.

Bourdain, once labeled the "Bad Boy of Cuisine," is tired of that moniker, too. "I never took it too seriously. It was silly when it was first used. I was 44 then, and hardly a boy. It's even sillier 10 years later. I feel no obligation to live up to it or live it down."

However, he admits he's proud that network officials decided to run discretionary advisories about the program's content. "It tells people that my show is for adults. I'm grateful for the distinction at a time when most television is made deliberately for idiots."

Bourdain's show really isn't your typical armchair travelogue of all that's beautiful about a country. He often shows the seamier side of countries riddled by poverty or war, and travels to places most people would avoid as readily as the plague. A recent episode, for example, shows Bourdain and his crew descending into a mucky Jamaican cave to see 2 million bats.

On the road for at least 225 days a year (175 are required just for the show, and the others are devoted to public appearances and book tours), he admits it is tough spending so much time away from his wife, Olivia, and 3-year-old daughter, Ariane, and confides, "If you've noticed a suspiciously high number of shows focused on Western Europe, it's because I can take my wife and daughter along."

 

So why is he on the road for this speaking engagement? True to his straight-shooting reputation, he says, "It is incredibly lucrative and it's also fun. I get to make money but I also get to meet my fans and find out what they're thinking."

Who are his fans? "That changes, depending on the day of the week. Early in the week, viewers are younger and mostly restaurant people. On Fridays and Saturdays, when most restaurant folks are working, it's an ethnically diverse and older crowd. Sometimes, 40 to 50 percent of the fans who are responding to the show and my books are Asians and Asian Americans."

Now in his seventh season of "No Reservations," and well beyond the 100th episode, Bourdain isn't worried about running out of places to visit.

"I could do a show in China every week and still die ignorant of all it has to offer … I'm looking forward to another trip to Japan in a few weeks. … We've never done a show in Burgundy. Going anywhere in Italy is a joy. I'm still hoping governments will change in Burma and Iran so we can shoot there … I love Copenhagen. I love going to Vietnam because it's the perfect confluence of really proud people who are passionate about food and great ingredients and a beautiful landscape …" his voice trails off.

But Spain probably is his happiest destination. "It's the home of the most creative cooks in the western world," he says.

He's optimistic about the movement of eating local and producing organic and sustainable foods but adds, "The way we've been eating is killing us. It's actually a national security problem that makes me hope the government will step in and find ways to punish unhealthy eating and reward healthier eating. Of course, with the price of ingredients increasing, the ration of proteins to vegetables and starch will change. Eventually, we'll have to eat more like the Chinese because economies will demand it."