Day 13 in Ecuador

Saturday in the Galapagos Islands

I entered the dining room at 6:55 a.m. and I was the only one there! Must’ve been a rough night for everyone and they were all sleeping in! Strangely empty and quiet. Sergey, the Ukrainian, arrived at 7 on the button, and then the others started showing up.

Tatiana called us all together before breakfast and announced the news: Chile had just had an 8.8 earthquake and the Navy had ordered all the ships to leave coastal areas and head for deeper water until further notice. Our yacht was underway as she was speaking. We all had breakfast and discussed the possibilities of a tsunami and what it would look like to us. After about an hour she said our Captain had heard that we could follow our regular itinerary, so we all got ready for the first snorkel of the day as the yacht headed for the coast.

Once the yacht was back nearer to shore of Isla Champion (a small islet just off the coast of Isla Floreana), we donned our life jackets and boarded the "panga" for a ride to the cliffside of a large outcropping of lava rock. There was a fair amount of current at this area, but once overboard and into the water, we had visibility of at least 100 feet. There was not as much particulate matter in this location, and it was stunning. Saw so many fish I can’t remember all the species, but there were parrotfish of every color, sea turtle, tube fish on some sort, electric blue fish, and many that are in the fish guides and many that aren’t. It was truly wonderful! Also saw both a black-tipped and white-tipped reef shark. The white-tipped shark was probably at least 7’ long, whereas the black-tipped was probably only about 4’ long. Saw tons of star fish on the bottom, plus a bright purple skinny legged one. I tried to remember every fish I saw, but when looking through the guide books for pictures and names, they all looked so different.

Back onto the yacht via the "panga", we showered and freshened up while the yacht motored down the coast of Isla Floreana to a place called "Post Office". This is where, during the years after Charles Darwin, travelers would leave post cards (sans stamps) and other travelers coming by would check the postcard stash to see if there were any to be delivered in the direction they were going. If there were, those secondary travelers would hand deliver the previous traveler’s mail. The tradition has continued, so we "panga’d" over to the area, landed, and walked into the unique “Post Office” area. We were each handed a stack of post cards to look through and see if there were any we could hand deliver, or at last resort stick a stamp on and send once we’re home. Somebody from California had just left tons of postcards for all their friends in CA, so I ended up with probably 12 postcards to either hand deliver or stick a stamp on! What a hoot! Of course I left one at the post office, too – for Mom! I have more postcards for the rest of my family, but I wanted to make sure everyone really got one, so those I am sending from home, including another one for Mom.
After the postcards, we jumped into our snorkel gear and dashed into the lovely water. We saw a penguin swimming around right near us, and a small sea lion, and a good-sized sea turtle, and many more fish of every kind. There was also a blue-footed boobie watching all our antics. The water is such an azure blue that you feel like you’ve really entered an ideal heaven. Except for the king-size horse flies that think you are the best thing they’ve tasted since the last touristas. One of our group, the Italian man, got bit three times very badly, and one of the welts swelled up to two-inches in diameter!

I finally tired of snorkeling – the visibility was not as good here as during the earlier morning outing, so I swam in to the beach and started exploring by foot the side areas to the cove. Believe it or not, there is a soccer field and a bench and quite a bit of litter just behind some bushes from where we snorkeled! What a shock! I told Tatiana later, and she said it is where the crews of some of these tourist boats play in teams against each other when they have the time and no tourists on board! I mentioned they should at least pick up their litter, but she didn’t respond. Sheesh! It’s so typical of what one sees everywhere. Sell the front, don’t check behind the curtain.

Back on the yacht, we freshened up again and had lunch – starting with spinach soup and popcorn, then shrimp and pepper steak and lots of veggies, finishing with a bowl of sweetened peaches (probably canned) for dessert. Pretty delish!

The yacht changed location again and was positioned just off Punta Cormorant. Around 2:30 we all panga’d to the green silica beach and hiked inland to see the flamingos. The inland shallow lake is brackish – part fresh water and some salt water influence from the tides. The flamingos originally flew here from Florida, and decided they liked it, and stayed. Tourista Flamingos! It happened a long time ago, so now they’re considered indigenous.
Tatiana gave us some human history of Isla Floreana, regarding the first people who came here (Germans), and the intrigue that occurred during their stay (murder by poisoning, etc.). We hiked on around the small lake, and the path headed downward and we were back at the ocean again – a lovely white sandy beach where the sea turtles lay their eggs. There was one lone bachelor sea lion, and we also saw several golden rays and sea turtles as dark shapes in the water. Lots of colorful orange, red and blue crabs scurried over the beach and lava rock, and frigate birds winged overhead checking for buried eggs.

We turned around and headed back up the same trail and were met by another tour group coming in. Tatiana took us on another short trail to an area right on the side of the lake where the flamingos were within a stone’s throw. After a short time there of photo opportunities and gawking, we went back to our snorkel bags at the beach edge and donned our gear – this was my last snorkel for my Galapagos trip. It was excellent!

The water started off with not much visibility, but as we got further out along the cliffside we got up to about 70’ visibility. Saw a sea snake digging its way into the sand until it disappeared, puffer fish, trumpet fish, sea turtle, incredible star fish, camouflaged fish, and so many more – I am in the process of IDing them.

Finally, we had to head back – the rest of the group had already returned to the beach and Kristina and I were the last ones out. We headed back and saw a two baby flounders, and lots more interesting fish. Loaded into the "pangas" and got back to the yacht. We were met with snacks and juice. This time in the snack department there were meat and cheese in fried pouches. They were delicious.

Took yet another shower and this time washed all the salt out of my hair – it’s the last time I’ll shower before returning to Quito. And it’s such a great shower – the best I’ve had my whole time in Ecuador - better than any in hostels I've stayed. Took a cervesa up to the top deck and started getting eveyone’s email address while the most spectacular sunset was under way.

The view of Isla Floreana as we were leaving just got better and better – the sun has been out all afternoon and now we could finally see the whole island. It is a very old island, low in profile, but very beautiful in character with many ancient lava cones throughout the surface, and many with hollow craters inside. At the same time the sunset was putting on a glorious show of orange and pinks against the turquoise blue evening western sky, whiole on the other side of the boat the full moon was rising against the deepening blue eastern night sky – wow! Truly spectacular. These are the kind of moments you want to live in forever, and that remind you how perennially majestic is this planet called Earth.

Tatiana gave us a briefing again before dinner regarding tomorrow’s activities, especially for those of us leaving, and we had a complimentary cocktail again from the bar. We toasted everyone – Tatiana, the crew, the bartender, and each other. What a great group it’s been! Then dinner was brought to the buffet! A beautiful roast Turkey, quite well decorated with carved colorful veggies, and lots of yummy hot dish vegetables and potatoes and even green beans that were excellent! I was very impressed and we all ate quite heartily. For dessert an incredible chocolate cake with chocolate icing was served! What a great way to end this trip to the Galapagos – the “last supper” was superb!

The rest of the evening was taken up with the details of preparing for Sunday’s departure. There was tipping the crew and guide, paying off the bar bill, catching up the journal, packing, checking flight times and making sure I still had all the proper legal paperwork to fly and pass customs, of which there is a bit. And we had to set our clocks early as we have one more hike tomorrow - Sunday – before those of us leaving must depart. We have to rise at 5 a.m. tomorrow and be on deck ready to board the "panga" by 6.

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Day 12 in Ecuador

Friday in the Galapagos Islands

It was quite a night with the ship rolling to and fro and at one point my stainless steel water bottle went flying to the other side of the room with a crash, right off my night table. Fortunately I cultivated sea legs back when I was younger and crewed on racing sailboats, so it doesnt usually take too long to adapt to this type of movement, but still it was a bit intense.

After breakfast we got prepared for our morning excursion to the west side of Isla Espanola. We boarded what they call “Pangas” – which are rubber Avons – and did a dry-exit onto an old concrete staircase leading up to the beach. There were sea lions literally everywhere – you had to be careful where you stepped. And then there were the Christmas iguanas everywhere – named for their red and green coloration. And then the little lizards everywhere, and then the gulls and natural boobie birds (their feet are gray, not blue) and many other birds. We walked very slowly along this path shooting pictures left and right, and at least 6 other tour groups were already ahead of us or following us behind. There were a lot more people using this area than I had expected to see. At least 6 other tour boats were anchored in the water near ours.

We had no rain but high overcast, which was actually a blessing. Tatiana was highly knowledgeable on all the animals and birds and their life cycle, etc. She’s truly an amazing young woman. She pointed out many different birds who were hiding their chicks or egg underneath them, and taught us much about each animal we saw. She pointed out the natural “blow hole” created by a crack in the lava along the edge of the island, and we all happily snapped pictures.

Coming out the trail the same way we went in, the sky cleared off and the sun became quite intense. We caught lots more pictures and then finally boarded our “Panga” for the return to the yacht. They have a warm water hose on the stern boarding deck where we showered off sandy feet and packs, then placed our shoes in the shoe rack outside the main deck dining entrance, and THEN partook in our mid-morning snack of unhealthy food they had waiting for us. The bartender is amazed I won’t drink the artificial drinks they serve. I stick to my water, but I do munch on the fava beans they offer – all the rest is garbage in my opinion.

Our yacht quickly pulled anchor and motored over to the east side of Isla Espanola, and after lunch we had the opportunity to kayak, so I didn’t miss it! I love to kayak! The Ukrainian man, Sergey, and I went together. Apparently he had never kayaked before, but he did quite well. We paddled over to the base of the large point of land where so many other tours were already snorkeling and went the opposite direction from them. We immediately spotted about 4 or 5 blue-footed boobies. Apparently they’re not supposed to be around this time of year, so it was fantastic to see them. There were also a couple of young seals rolling and playing in the water, and it was a hoot to watch their antics. Many crabs of every size and color were scaling the rock walls, and we had to be careful because all of a sudden you’d round a corner and there would be a cave that would try to such you into its cavernous depths with the water’s current. It was truly a beautiful paddle, but after about 20 minutes we headed back to the yacht so we could go snorkeling. Most of the rest of our group was already out seeing the underwater sights.

As soon as the London couple returned with their kayak, the four of us headed over to the Cliffside and began snorkeling – this time we were in for a real treat! The visibility was about 80’ though there was still a slight amount of particulate matter in the water column. The fish were so plentiful you could look in any direction and see 10’s if not 100’s of them, in every shape and color imaginable! It was snorkeling at it’s finest! We meandered along the splash zone enjoying fish in large schools, small schools, rainbow colored, camouflage green colored, you name it we saw it, until we snorkeled almost past the end of the large point and were getting fairly close to shore. Our tenders picked us up in the “pangas” and shuttled us back to the yacht.

Lunch was served as our yacht motored its way back to the western part of Isla Espanola where we all boarded the “pangas” again to head to the perfectly white sand beach, where the sea lions were lazing around in droves and one young babe was hunting for its mother. Walked the beach for about 20 minutes, then decided to go snorkeling. Donning snorkel gear I headed out to the large rock just offshore, and saw 5 Manta Rays and a host of sea cucumbers, as well as many of the same types of fish we had seen earlier on the day’s first snorkel.

Came back to the beach and stretched out with a towel on the white coral “sand”, and fingered the coral powder. It has such an amazing feel and texture to it – quite different than sand. Kristina, of the Toronto couple, came and joined me, and from our vantage point we could watch all the snorkelers and boats, gaze at the ocean’s incredible turquoise water, and see the sea turtles and rays swimming below the surface. What a spectacular afternoon!

Finally, we boarded the “Pangas” and went back to the yacht, and the hot tub was ready!!!! Talk about living the life! The hot tub is on the top deck, which is an open air deck except for the canopy which covers about 2/3rds of it. The maximum capacity for the tub is supposed to be three people, but we squeezed 5 people in, laughing hysterically and waving wilding to the other tourists in other boats as our yacht motored away into the sunset with us in the hot tub on the top deck. We felt sorry for them as we were living the life and they had no hot tub on their boat. Talk about being on the other side of the fence…it felt very strange to be with, for the moment, the group that seemed to have it all!

Showered the salt stickiness off and joined everyone in the communal area of the dining room for a briefing on Saturday’s itinerary, and then a celebratory toast to Kristina and Alan for their 10th Anniversary, and a special dinner in their honor. I sat with them at their table and Sergey joined me there. After dinner and visiting, the Holland couple were watching part 3 of the BBC documentary on the Galapagos Islands. I watched a part of it with them, but then turned in for the night. The seas are really rocky and I was starting to feel slightly nauseated, so decided it was time to lie down.

With one hand crammed in between the wall and my mattress and using that as an anchor, I rode through the night fairly well, waking once early in the wee hours (aroud 3:30 EST) when a large wave tossed the yacht so violently that it knocked over the heavy wooden desk chair (was that a shock wave from the Chilean earthquake?), which I decided to leave lying on the floor for the night because it couldn’t fall any further.

Tomorrow we go to Isla Floreana – which means “Charles”, and which is supposed to be the only island to have the last living mockingbirds that gave him the insight into his theory of evolution.

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Day 11 in Ecuador

Thursday trip to the Galapagos Islands

The alarm woke me at 6 a.m. out of a deep sleep. Showered quickly and packed mostly, then zipped up to the Terrace rooftop where there is a free Wi-Fi signal, and figured out how to put Automated Response emails out to alert potential guests at my upcoming retreat that I will return their communication this Sunday.
My tour company ride was 10 minutes late in picking me up, but he managed to get me to the airport by 8 a.m. through a very circuitous route all around hell and begone! He probably had a perfectly logical explanation for it, like at this time of the morning the normal route to the airport is nothing but a snarl of traffic jams, but I really wondered if he knew where he was going for awhile, because I know the city fairly well now, and it sure seemed like maybe he didn’t.

A couple of tour company workers greeted me at the airport and helped me get the necessary papers for the trip – it all took at most 15 minutes, then I was through security (even my full water bottle!) and into the waiting lounge at the gate. Met up with a lovely couple from Toronto, Kristina and Alan, who are down here celebrating their 10th Anniversary - and we're on the same cruise tour! They are doing the 8 day tour, and I’m only here for 4 days, which in actuality is really only 3. We chatted away while waiting for our 9:15 boarding call, and I showed them my MagicJack and let them use it to call Canada.

Finally we boarded a bus which delivered us to the AeroGel plane. My seat was 3A, third row back from the front with a window! I’ve never ridden this close to the front of a commercial airlines – made me almost feel first class, even though this flight didn’t have a separate section for that. Kristina and Alan were seated right behind me.

It was a quick trip to Guayaquil, and during the last half hour of approach we were able to see the massive flooding that has devastated just since Monday both Cuenca and Guayaquil, and probably many more towns between those two. The torrential rains that have been happening here in South America are causing a lot of damage everywhere. Even Machu Pichu in Peru is inaccessible now due to massive mud slides that have totally closed off vast areas to access, even for those who live there.

We had to wait on board for about 40 minutes while the plane was refueled and new passengers boarded, then we were up and out over the great Pacific Ocean…for what seemed forever! It is 600 miles from the coast of Ecuador to the Galapagos, but somehow I thought we’d get there more quickly. Our flight lasted about an hour and forty minutes. Just before landing at San Cristobal Island, they announced they were going to spray for bugs, in compliance with the New World Order – oops, mistake – I meant the World Health Organization. So they went up and down the aisles opening the overhead baggage compartments, and sprayed something (no doubt an insecticide) from a yellow can into them. It was a very quick procedure and probably not too much spray dissipated into our breathing area, but I covered my nose anyway and tried not to inhale for awhile until it dissipated, all the while thinking how silly this procedure is. If I were a stow-away bug or insect, I could’ve completely outwitted this attack.

We were greeted at the very hot and humid open-walls airport by our yacht tour guide. Her name is Tatiana and she is the sweetest and most knowledgeable guide – perfect demeanor and education for her job! Once we were all checked through customs we boarded a bus that took us by a huge gaping hole in the mountain where they are excavating soil for structures such as airports and foundations for more buildings, through downtown Puerto Baquierizo and to the pier. It’s pretty sad going through this town, which is quickly becoming a city. All the ugliness of humans stands stark against the backdrop of one of the most naturally beautiful and wondrous places in the entire world.

Walking out to and on the pier there were sea lions EVERYWHERE. Now, I grew up with sea lions, seals, pelicans, large seagulls and large fish. These wonderful animals generously inhabit the regions of California’s coast, not to mention Oregon and Washington’s coast as well, and the Pacific coast of Canada, too. But I have to say that I was pretty amazed at how many there were and how they have integrated so well with humans that they just lie around anywhere totally trusting they have nothing to fear. They line the steps up and down the boat ramps, they lie on anybody’s boat they can get onto and sunbathe and sleep, they lie underneath the boat ramp in the most precarious places where you’d think they possibly could get squished between plank and dock with a sudden wave surge, and they lie on the sidewalk out to the pier where you must step sensitively around them.

Our large rubber boats, like Avons, picked us up and we bee-lined it for our Yacht, the Grand Natalia. Beautiful yacht! Well-maintained highly varnished carved wooden columns grace the main dining area, and all around the ship the wood is prevalent and immaculately kept, which takes a lot of work for those of you not familiar with the damage salt air and water can do.

Tatiana gave us a talk about tour protocol; safety, sanitation, animal treatment, meals, water intake, etc. Then we had lunch – what a spread! There is a mini-buffet where two hot foods are under cover, and the other 4 hot foods are in regular stainless steel serving dishes. The food was actually pretty good, and I ate more than I normally would. We had a little time off after lunch and I got my room organized…it is a beautiful room.

We rendezvoused at 2:45 p.m. at the stern to pick out snorkel gear, then were transported back to the town pier with the Avon, bussed to a cove, and walked a few hundred meters through dunes and plants and sea rocks to the snorkeling location. Again, sea lions everywhere, and a number of interesting looking birds, but sadly there was a group of locals or Ecuadorian tourists who were also using the cove, and they were clearly not terribly eco-conscious.

Nonetheless, we waded out through them and began snorkeling. Saw a number of colorful fish, such as the Parrotfish (which you can see many of in Hawaii or even the north coast waters off B.C. and down to California), Trumpet fish, Panamic sergeant major, Lizardfish, Black striped salema, and so many more. There was even a sea turtle with a 3’ long shell napping on the bottom til 8 of us were hovering over it, looking at it, and of course it got nervous and swam off.

My mask and snorkel were having a wardrobe malfunction (mask leaking and continual fogging, snorkel constant bad leak - couldn't breathe without taking it off), so I swam in. The visibility was not all the great – maybe 12’ tops, and I’ve snorkeled such incredible places in the world that this, as nice as it was in its own way, was sub-spectacular for me.

Back on shore several other tour guests said the same about it being less than anticipated, and one had even seen what he thought was a human turd float by his mask! Now, since then I’ve seen the sea lions turds, and they are gargantuan and could easily be mistaken for a human turd, so possibly what he saw was sea lion, not human – one can only hope. Also, on the beach there was some plastic and Styrofoam litter – not too much compared to beaches in Mexico and even California and other states, but enough to call attention to the fact that human pollution is everywhere, even here in what is perceived to be one of the Last Bastions of Unadulterated Nature on the planet. Sadly, not so. There are more than 100 tour and cruise ships that ply these waters regularly, and they leak oils and fumes into the sea, no matter how well regulated they might be. And people somehow believe that lime peels are biodegradable in the ocean, so you spy the occasional squeezed lime halves floating around. I say this so that if you have any interest in visiting the Galapagos, you may wish to do so sooner rather than later. It’s quite clear that this place has been under persistent pressure from humans, and while it is still quite good now, it is easy to see that ten years from now it will be much different.

There was a mother seal nursing her baby on the beach, which became the object of much photography from our group. Finally we all took the bus back into town and had 15 minutes to shop (I bought 6 postcards of Galapagos animals and birds to send to my family members), and back to the yacht again, where snacks were served (none healthy, so I barely nibbled on a few salted fava beans and chose my water bottle over their artificial drink).

Shower and clean-up time came next and everyone vanished. The yacht grew quiet and I went up to the top deck where the lounge chairs are and sunbathed for maybe 15 minutes. According to the other passengers, it’s been raining most of their 4 day trip. So I was feeling lucky for this day, but didn’t want to overdue it as the sun is very intense down here and it’s easy to get burned, even for a person like me who can take a lot of sun and very rarely burns.

Back down two flights to the main deck I went to the bar and ordered a cervesa. The beers on this yacht cost $2.50 and are half the size of the beers on the mainland - in other words they cost twice as much and are only half the size! Visited with the bartender and learned he has worked many cruiselines before. Some of them were out of Costa Rica and he almost got to go to Alaska twice but the U.S. wouldn’t let him work on his ship as an employee in U.S. waters. Amazing!

Just before dinner was served, Tatiana had us meet in the sitting area for a briefing. A welcome cocktail was served to each of us (something creamy with rum in it – good thing it was small) and we took turns introducing ourselves. There is a couple from Italy (she speaks English, he doesn’t), a couple from London, a couple from England, Kristina and Alan from Toronto (celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary), a couple from Holland, a young man from Ukraine (a photographer/writer on camera equipment), and myself. A group of 12 very sweet people - what luck!

Then the buffet was open and we all filled our plates and sat at the well-dressed, colorful tables. I sat with the Toronto couple I had met in the airport, and our guide sat with us, along with the Ukrainian man. Interesting conversation and lots of laughter. Dessert was served after they had cleared everyone's plate – a nice pie-shaped slice of what tasted somewhat like crème brulee. Yum!

Later in the evening the Holland couple began watching the BBC’s documentary DVDs on the Galapagos Islands on the flat screen this yacht has – it was excellent and we watched the first two parts of a three-part series. Then off to my cabin with a very rocky night in store as the yacht motored to the next island –Isla Espanola. My sea legs are not quite adjusted yet.

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Day 7 in Ecuador

Sunday – Travels from Vilcabamba to Quito

I woke before the alarm, laid in bed and tried to determine if I was going to miss this place. I started to believe I would. Didn’t even shower (had enough showers yesterday to last a week!), just grabbed my bags and headed to the reception/restaurant area where I finished up Friday’s blog, had breakfast with a number of well-wishing friends, called the taxi and was delivered to the Vilcabamba bus station.

I was 30 minutes early for my bus, so I started exploring and discovered that the Sunday market was under way on the other side of the bus station! It was like a normal Farmer’s Market in the states, and I enjoyed walking around. All of a sudden behind me someone was saying “I knew if I waited a little longer you’d show up!” It was Daya! What a wonderful surprise. We started gabbing and then a friend of hers walked by and she introduced me to her – Kim Evans. Kim and I started talking and Daya said good-bye, she had to go, and Kim and I kept on babbling and I quickly learned that she is one of the Citizen Journalists for Mike Adams! Small world even here in Vilcabamba! So she started telling me how she got into it, etc. – most interesting and gives me renewed confidence that it just might be possible to earn a living at writing. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, of course, but then I never was about getting rich.

Finally I was worried I’d miss the bus, so said my good-byes and scurried around the bus terminal – my bus was in dock and the young bus assistant put my luggage in the hold. Pretty soon we all boarded and I luckily grabbed a window seat. The ride was beautiful and seemed to go by pretty fast. It was lovely seeing the incredible green valleys again on the way to Loja.

At the Loja terminal, there was a full hour before my next bus to Cuenca, so I wandered the shops inside the terminal and bought a couple apples and some Queso (cheese), pronounced ”kay-so”. Everything else in the shops looks like junk food.

Went out to where the busses dock and sat in a seat alongside the building with hoards of other folks waiting for their busses. Giant mesh bags of tubers, onions, and other vegetables, and immense bags of rice, were the luggage of some of the travelers. There were at least 5 different bus companies using this Terminal, if not more. It was very busy, and amazing to see how they all orchestrated their maneuverings so as not to hit each other as they pulled in and out of the rather small Terminal. It was like watching ballet, almost. Or Cirque de Soleil. It’s a dance. When I used to do archaeology I was mesmerized many times watching 3 or 4 gargantuan backhoes working side by side excavating a singular trench, and thinking they were all in such coordination and “knowing’ of exactly where each other was at each precise moment – it was like ballet, or living art. The Loja Bus Terminal reminded me of that.

Finally the bus to Cuenca arrived and the very handsome young bus assistant (reminded me of Matt Damon) put my luggage in the hold. I was one of the first to board, so I had my pick of seats, and as I wandered down the aisle I spied a window seat that looked just perfect for me. I plopped down, stowed my heavy carry-on under the seat in front, and watched the other passengers board. It was then that I noticed they were checking seat numbers against their ticket, and I suddenly realized I hadn’t looked at my ticket for a seat number – I’d just sat down in what looked like the best seat in the bus for me. I quickly grabbed out my ticket and checked the seat number – it was 19. Then I stood up and looked to see what number was listed on the luggage stow above me. This is where it gets weird….I was sitting in seat number 19!!! How bizarre! But how perfect! Once again, one of the strange little wonderments that seem to happen when you travel sometimes.

The trip to Cuenca was supposed to be 4.5 hours – and I fell asleep pretty soon after we started. The countryside is beautiful but after awhile you just have to nap. Somewhere in the first hour of the trip I was awoken by the most noxious chemical smell…I looked to the rear of the bus and it appeared that a mom with a baby may have had a diaper, or sans diaper, accident, and the bus attendant was back there helping her. I think the smell was a disinfectant, which these Latin American countries seem to use liberally and with no concern. I was almost unable to breathe, and I had not been able to slide my window open when I’d tried earlier, so I put a napkin close over my nose and held it there with both hands, feeling like I wasn’t getting enough air, but unable to breathe any other way than through the napkin. Within about 10 minutes of the problem, the young “Matt Damon” saw my problem and quickly opened my window for me – what a relief!! Of course I gave him a hearty “Muchas Gracious” (Many Thanks, or Thank you Very Much). I kept my nose out the window and breathed deep breaths of fresh air, trying to clean out my system. Meanwhile, there were other babies and all the rest of the full busload of folks who were all breathing it and behaving as though nothing had happened! I was the only gringo, so I guess that makes the difference – they’re used to these smells, and I am not.

The ride was long, but the country was appealing. Lush and green, major valleys and major mountains everywhere. Sprawled landscape of farms and towns – big sky country. Just stupendous to look at. We finally arrived at Cuenca, and I caught a quick taxi to the airport which was very close by, and amazingly it was only 4 p.m. at the airport! The bus had managed to make up the half hour it lost at a construction area just outside of Loja! I knew they were driving like idiots, but I hadn’t known they’d be able to make up that much time.

The airport was at sleep – no one but a couple of information folks were there. They told me that everything wakes back up at 5 p.m., but that there was a food court upstairs. I went upstairs, and they also had free wi-fi (I’m really liking these free wi-fi airports), so I had a ensalada pollo (chicken salad) and caught up my Saturday log. When I finally went downstairs again, the place was packed!!!

What a transformation! People everywhere! Got my ticket and went through security (you don’t have to take your shoes off, unpack your computer, or even take your coat off down here!), and then into the waiting area where I met a wonderful family from Connecticut. They had done the Galapagos already and gave me lots of great leads for my trip there. Finally we all boarded the Tame flight, which ended up departing 30 minutes late. The pilots deftly avoided a lightning storm somewhere to the west (I saw several large sky light-ups out my window) and we landed in Quito at 8 p.m.

As soon as I exited the terminal a man came rushing up to me and asked if I needed a taxi. I said yes and asked if he knew the Chicago Hostel. He said yes and loaded my stuff into his cab quicker than you could say lightning! The police were standing near his car and not too happy he was parked there, and then I noticed he didn’t have a meter, nor a taxi sign on the roof, and his car was black, not yellow like the other taxis, and I started wondering if I had made a big boo-boo. We had already settled on the price of $7.00 for the trip before I entered the taxi, and now I wondered if he really knew where Chicago Hostel was. I gave him the address, and then he said it’s a long way, it would be $10.00. I was very firm in my response that he had agreed to $7.00, so he acquiesced and still remained friendly – what a relief. We exchanged a little info and it turns out he’s from Columbia! There seem to be a lot of people working in Ecuador from Columbia. He finally found the Hostel, though it was a little different way than I was used to going, which caused me a little concern at first, but he seemed sure he knew where he was going once he saw the address, so I calmed myself and did not panic. Once there, I tipped him a dollar so he didn’t feel like he’d lost too much, and the Chicago Hostel let me in. Yippee! I finally made it! It was so great to finally plop my bags down and relax in my room!

What a long day of travel! But it was good, and now I just finished a cervesa and am going to bed! Tomorrow I hope to book passage to the Galapagos! It will be fantastic to be where Darwin and the Beagle were…I’ve been hearing incredible stories of people swimming with the sea lions and turtles and everything else on these tours…can’t wait to snorkel amongst the wild sea animals.

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Day 2 in Ecuador

Hello again from tropical Ecuador…the adventure continues.

My first night in Quito was at the Chicago Hostel which I recommend wholeheartedly if you’re ever down this way. It’s about half-way between New Town and Old Town, so pretty quick to get to either, and in a nice quiet area not far from a beautiful park.

I was rummy with fatigue, but couldn’t let the day go to waste, so visited with some Danes, Swedes, Brits and later some Canadians – it’s a world wide group of travelers down here. Then I wrote you all the first installment from the rooftop terrace of the Hostel – incredible views from there – and watched a BatMan movie that was playing in the common room with the fellow who picked me up at the airport and the two Brits. Later we caught the bus ($.25) for a ride into New Town where we had the most delicious steak I may have ever eaten at an Argentinian Steak House. Returned to the hostel and finally crashed.

5:30 a.m. my alarm went off and I was still not used to the new time zone. I had lost many hours of sleep in the flights, but managed to get myself up. My previously arranged taxi arrived at 6 a.m. on the button! The owner of Chicago Hostel had told me I had to be at the airport for my flight to Loja a full two hours before its departure. My taxi got me there lickety-split - the roads were free and clear at that hour of the morning - and we arrived at the airport at 6:30 a.m. When I attempted to check in, I learned that the ticket counter wouldn't be checking in my flight for another hour!

So, now with an hour to burn, I wondered around the airport and learned they are building a brand new airport that should open this year (2010). It is being built by three companies – Canadian, Brazilian and one from Houston. Amazing! It will be larger than their current airport, and more out-of-town.

Then I began to watch the folks preparing to take the morning flight to the Galapagos, and even met some of them and learned some info about tours over there, etc. What’s terrific is to see so many families taking their kids to the Galapagos. One group who had organized their own trip had two couples with kids, 5 kids, and one older couple, so they had 3 generations in one family going together. How wonderful! There were many sets of couples who were in their 60’s and 70’s or so, which was also impressive.

Finally it was time to get my ticket – no problemo – and I proceded through security into the waiting area. And, delightedly, there was free wi-fi again! So I checked email and answered a bunch, and then boarded my Tame flight to Loja which had a total of maybe 15 passengers on a plane that could have held over 100 people. It was a quick 50 minute flight above the clouds which seem to blanket most of Ecuador right now, and we were served fresh-tasting orange juice that didn’t taste artificial in the least! It tasted almost fresh-squeezed! I was impressed.

Upon departure at the Loja airport I was met for the second time ever in my life by a person holding a sign with my name on it. My driver and I made a speedy get-away from the crowds and terminal – how delightful. And then the gorgeous 2 hour ride all the way to Vilcabamba through the most verdant, abundant plant-filled wide expansive valleys, stunning ridge lines, steep dropping canyons – awesome. Once again I was reminded of Pandora in the movie Avatar. We passed small towns and crossed rivers, and finally arrived at Vilcabamba. It is a small town, very pleasant looking with a town square surrounded by businesses, restaurants and trees. My driver drove on another 3 kilometers to my destination. Pulling into the driveway of my hosteria was gorgeous - flowering plants and trees and artistically arranged landscape was in every direction. These folks have created an oasis!

The Hosteria Izhcayluma is enchanting. It has individual cabins, or dorms, or shared rooms, a pool and jacuzzi, a Spa, a restaurant, bar, movie room and pool table. I was terrifically glad I booked my private cabin over a month ago! This is Carnival week, and though the holiday is finished tonight it gets pretty crazy in the small towns. The big thrill is throwing buckets of water on people – they just can’t get enough of it. Another thrill is foaming people with big cans of pressurized foam – I don’t know what kind it is, but looks somewhat like shaving cream. Anyway, the town is inundated with people, though they’re mostly leaving now to go back home to their cities. There is a real scarcity of rooms to be had in small towns at the last minute during this national holiday.

I had lunch at the little restaurant at the Hosteria. It’s open air, and has a couple of beautiful hosteria-owned dogs that meander through, looking for pets and maybe a hand-out. The squack of parrots in nearby trees frame the spectacular views of the valley from the lunch table. The place is stunning!

After lunch, I took the taxi ($1.00) into town, and spent 2 hours exploring the Town Square area and its shops and restaurants. I did get hit on the backside once with water, as there were hundreds of kids gathered around a town square (park) that were engaged in water and foam fights, but for the most part I avoided the dangers. Took some pictures and learned about horseback rides into the National Park, then caught the taxi back to the Hosteria for dinner.

During dinner of chicken in red wine sauce, rice, braised potatoes and salad ($5.25) with a HUGE Pilsner beer ($1.25) I ended up meeting more people – a couple from Oregon and then a woman from Germany and another from Canada – and learned alot of travel info from them. Great folks traveling! It's been awhile since I'd traveled like this, and I’d forgotten how fun it is to meet other globe-trotters.

At 9 p.m. the kitchen cooks and waiters erupted in water fights and hysterical laughter and screaming and tearing through the restaurant in chases after each other so I called it a night. If employees had behaved like that in the U.S. they would have been instantly fired, but here it’s different - and it's the end of Carnival. Before retiring I borrowed a plug adaptor to recharge my laptop battery - I had forgotten to bring one, and they’re essential for these countries. My laptop plug requires the ground prong, and of course none of the outlets in my cabin have the third hole. But fortunately my neighbors (new friends from Canada) had one they loaned me for the night.

I hope I’ll be able to sleep. There are the strangest noises going on outside on my deck somewhere…it sounds like some kind of animal is chewing on the deck! And some of the cries and calls and other noises I’m hearing I’ve never heard before – a little unnerving, as there is nothing but a glass wall between me and the deck. I’ve locked the glass door and before that I went out once to investigate, but saw nothing. Meanwhile, the outsides of the glass are covered in very large moths trying to get in because my bed lamp is on…Hmmm. If you don’t hear from me again it’s because whatever is eating the deck somehow got in and found me tastier !! More news tomorrow, hopefully!

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