We are back in Quito. When I woke up and looked at my foot it wasn´t blue or even that swollen, which is really good. But it still hurts. We finally had to buy a ticket to Lima Peru, which is more, much more than we were expecting to pay. We did it and its official. We leave Ecuador tomorrow...hopefully.
So today we spent the day at the internet cafe getting caught up on blogs and still uploading pictures. Hopefully the next time I catch up we will be in Peru.
02/21/08
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Machala/Guayaquil/Quito
This morning we woke up and had some breakfast. Next we were off to the airport. We were supposed to get there at 11. We were there. Our plane was supposed to leave at noon and we would be in Guayaquil by 12:30. Well, by 12:30 the airport told us that the plane wouldn´t be ready until almost 4 and to come back around 3. We were not pleased. We had no place to stay and our plans were getting changed again. We had our tickets changed and at this point our final destination was going to be Quito. Only becasue the way things were going we would be there late and Guayaquil, the city we were getting ready to go to was flooding! So we decided to go to Quito...again and leave for Lima Peru the next day.
We went and had lunch then came back to the ridiculously small airport. Still no plane. they were trying to get us a new one because ours had a flat and the airport was so small that it didn´t have room for a spare tire. So we kept waiting. This airport was so small that the people who worked at the ticket office were also the people who worked at the airport. We kept waiting and waiting.
It came to the point that it was 6:00 and we had no plane. People were walking back and forth through security without caring. Finally at 6:45 we had a plane. it made it so that our 7:00 connection to Quito would be shot. Finally a little puddle jumper plane came, for all of us 12 passengers. they didn´t even turn off the engine for us to get on the plane. There were no flight attendants. We barely had our seat belts on before the plane started moving. No safety talk. We were off! Once we lñanded in Guayaquil our connection was delayed due to rain (rain came in handy). We had about 20 minutes to wait some more for our plane. We got on and were headed back to Quito.
I was done with Quito and now we are headed back. We can´t take buses because of all of the mudslides. It is such a mess. Finally when we arrived back into Quito we grabbed our bags and ran for a cab. We had an hour before our hostal would close and we would have nowhere to stay. At thispoint we weren´t even sure that the hostal would have a room for us.
Outside while going to the cab in the rain with my two backpacks, my foot gets caught in a trench filled with water and I face plant! It was painful. A little man tried to help me up, but with ll of my bags and having him try to help from another side of the fences, it just wouldn´t work. So I got up and in the cab, covered in nast and water.
We got to the hostal and they only had the dorm room left. We took it with 15 minutes to spare. Once I looked at my foot, it was swollen and a little blue. The man who runs the hostal massaged and put some weird ointment on my foot and wrapped it with a bandage. He was taking care of me. It was cute. Then we went to bed after a long day of waiting...and falling.
02/20/08
We went and had lunch then came back to the ridiculously small airport. Still no plane. they were trying to get us a new one because ours had a flat and the airport was so small that it didn´t have room for a spare tire. So we kept waiting. This airport was so small that the people who worked at the ticket office were also the people who worked at the airport. We kept waiting and waiting.
It came to the point that it was 6:00 and we had no plane. People were walking back and forth through security without caring. Finally at 6:45 we had a plane. it made it so that our 7:00 connection to Quito would be shot. Finally a little puddle jumper plane came, for all of us 12 passengers. they didn´t even turn off the engine for us to get on the plane. There were no flight attendants. We barely had our seat belts on before the plane started moving. No safety talk. We were off! Once we lñanded in Guayaquil our connection was delayed due to rain (rain came in handy). We had about 20 minutes to wait some more for our plane. We got on and were headed back to Quito.
I was done with Quito and now we are headed back. We can´t take buses because of all of the mudslides. It is such a mess. Finally when we arrived back into Quito we grabbed our bags and ran for a cab. We had an hour before our hostal would close and we would have nowhere to stay. At thispoint we weren´t even sure that the hostal would have a room for us.
Outside while going to the cab in the rain with my two backpacks, my foot gets caught in a trench filled with water and I face plant! It was painful. A little man tried to help me up, but with ll of my bags and having him try to help from another side of the fences, it just wouldn´t work. So I got up and in the cab, covered in nast and water.
We got to the hostal and they only had the dorm room left. We took it with 15 minutes to spare. Once I looked at my foot, it was swollen and a little blue. The man who runs the hostal massaged and put some weird ointment on my foot and wrapped it with a bandage. He was taking care of me. It was cute. Then we went to bed after a long day of waiting...and falling.
02/20/08
Cuenca7Machala
I felt a little better today. We woke up and had breakfast then were off to the bus station. We were on our way to Machala. We were one of the only people on the bus for a while. But it stopped and picked up some more passengers along the way. We watched a really bad movie in Spanish that was a horrible bootlegged copy. The bus ride was about 5 hours or so. We were witting right in the front which wasn´t bad. The ride was pretty good. It was bumpy in parts but nothing too bad. It was like a ride at Disneyland. Then it started to rain a little and our window leaked. That was fun. So we ended up holding the bags we brought on board.
Once we got to Machala, the supposed banana capital of the world, we found a hotel. Once we found a hotel we went to get a bus ticket to Tombes Peru. When we got to the bus station, we were shocked to hear that the bus we wanted is not running now due to a strike in Peru. We don´t know if its a boarder strike or a transportation strike, or how long it would go on. So our only option was to fly. We spent forever at the tame(local airline office) andbought a ticket to Guayaquil for noon the next day. This hassel has taken all day. we went back to the hotel ate dinner and went to bed.
02/19/08
Once we got to Machala, the supposed banana capital of the world, we found a hotel. Once we found a hotel we went to get a bus ticket to Tombes Peru. When we got to the bus station, we were shocked to hear that the bus we wanted is not running now due to a strike in Peru. We don´t know if its a boarder strike or a transportation strike, or how long it would go on. So our only option was to fly. We spent forever at the tame(local airline office) andbought a ticket to Guayaquil for noon the next day. This hassel has taken all day. we went back to the hotel ate dinner and went to bed.
02/19/08
Cuenca Day 1.5
I woke up and felt a little better. I still had cold symptoms, but didn´t feel the ickyness. I called my parents and let them know that we made it and were finally making our way South. My dad meets us in Peru in March, so we were heading that a way. Then we walked around the town.
We found this very nifty Inca wall formation. it was jsut there. Then we went to the Banco Central Museum in Cuenca. It was so neat. it had plenty displays of cultural dress, festivities, traditions, art, artifacts and many more displays. It was really interesting, despite the fact that I couldn´t read many of the information signs because they were in Spanish. It had a display on tribes in the Amazon, which Sarah loves. They had 5 shrunken heads. I still have an issue with those. The kinda give me the willy´s.
Behind the museum was another traditional Inca rock formation and crop graden. There were many different kinds of corn and vegetables in grand designs. They also had a giant flower/botanical garden full of great flowers. The flowers of course attact bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It was so great. They also had ducks! So cute. Further along they had an sport dedicated to different types of tropical and local birds. That was nifty! Beautiful colored parrots and other birds. As I was leaving...llamas caught my eye. I have seen my first llama. it was so much fun. We spent a lot longer at the museum than I though we would have.
Then we had lunch. I had the best sandwich and lunch since I have been here. I love sandwiches and everytime I try and order them, they say, we don´t have any. But this place did. And it was good. So after lunch we tried to get a taxi to the bus terminal so we could buy a ticket to go to Machala. A costal town that has buses that will take us accross into Peru. We stopped 2 different taxis and they said that they wouldn´t take us. So we walked back to our hotel and caught a taxi there. We got our bus ticket and went back to the hotel. We got all packed up again and went to bed. Very cool day.
02/18/08
We found this very nifty Inca wall formation. it was jsut there. Then we went to the Banco Central Museum in Cuenca. It was so neat. it had plenty displays of cultural dress, festivities, traditions, art, artifacts and many more displays. It was really interesting, despite the fact that I couldn´t read many of the information signs because they were in Spanish. It had a display on tribes in the Amazon, which Sarah loves. They had 5 shrunken heads. I still have an issue with those. The kinda give me the willy´s.
Behind the museum was another traditional Inca rock formation and crop graden. There were many different kinds of corn and vegetables in grand designs. They also had a giant flower/botanical garden full of great flowers. The flowers of course attact bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It was so great. They also had ducks! So cute. Further along they had an sport dedicated to different types of tropical and local birds. That was nifty! Beautiful colored parrots and other birds. As I was leaving...llamas caught my eye. I have seen my first llama. it was so much fun. We spent a lot longer at the museum than I though we would have.
Then we had lunch. I had the best sandwich and lunch since I have been here. I love sandwiches and everytime I try and order them, they say, we don´t have any. But this place did. And it was good. So after lunch we tried to get a taxi to the bus terminal so we could buy a ticket to go to Machala. A costal town that has buses that will take us accross into Peru. We stopped 2 different taxis and they said that they wouldn´t take us. So we walked back to our hotel and caught a taxi there. We got our bus ticket and went back to the hotel. We got all packed up again and went to bed. Very cool day.
02/18/08
Quito Day 13/ Cuenca Day 1
It´s official. i woke up today with a cold. Sore throat, sniffles, headache, fever. I am not to happy about that. But, we are leaving Quito. We packed our bags and checked out of the hostal. We were allowed to leave our bags until we had to catch our plane which was nice.
We and one of the girls from North Carolina, Kimbough, went to one of the best views in Quito. We climbed into the virgin. This is the only statue in the world where the Virgin Mary has wings. So we went up to her and climbed inside. She did have a pretty good view of the town. So we could leave Quito saying that we have been inside the Virgin and had a great view of Quito.
We came bck to the hostal and had some lunch. The jewelry man came back for our second round picks. I am very happy with what I bought. Then we were off to the airport. We are on our way to Cuenca by plane because they only have 8 hour night buses, and we think that 8 hours is a little much and the night buses are not supposed to be the safest. So we decided to take an hour flight instead. We were originally going to take the bus to Baños, then RioBamba and then Cuenca, but plans changed due to the errupting volcano near Baños.
Once in Cuenca we checked into our hotel, had some dinner and crashed watching an english movie. I had a cold and was not up for much. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and with lots of rest we can explore Cuenca.
02/17/08
We and one of the girls from North Carolina, Kimbough, went to one of the best views in Quito. We climbed into the virgin. This is the only statue in the world where the Virgin Mary has wings. So we went up to her and climbed inside. She did have a pretty good view of the town. So we could leave Quito saying that we have been inside the Virgin and had a great view of Quito.
We came bck to the hostal and had some lunch. The jewelry man came back for our second round picks. I am very happy with what I bought. Then we were off to the airport. We are on our way to Cuenca by plane because they only have 8 hour night buses, and we think that 8 hours is a little much and the night buses are not supposed to be the safest. So we decided to take an hour flight instead. We were originally going to take the bus to Baños, then RioBamba and then Cuenca, but plans changed due to the errupting volcano near Baños.
Once in Cuenca we checked into our hotel, had some dinner and crashed watching an english movie. I had a cold and was not up for much. Hopefully tomorrow will be better and with lots of rest we can explore Cuenca.
02/17/08
Quito Day 12
So today we picked up and extra Spanish class. We could use it. Then we took our teacher to lunch to say thank you for all that she has done to help us. I was a little on edge today because I woke up with a sore throat. So we went back to the hostal after lunch and hung around. Later in the afternoon a man came buy selling unique jewelry. It was great stuff. i ended up buying some. I was scraping for change and needing to have him come back tomorrow so I could have time to go to an ATM. He was very willing to do so. I was so excited. He was so nice and all of his jewelry was unique. He even custom made pieces. It was so much fun.
Later that night, I had promised these two girls from North Carolina that I would go out dancing with them. I didn´t feel good at all but I had tols them I would go and the other person who was supposed to go baile dout on them, so I felt obligated.
Once we were ready to go out, the hostal family called us a cab, walked us to the door, spoke to the cab driver, it was all very cute. They were very protective of us. When the cab dropped us off....5 blocks from where we needed to be, we were a little irritated. The Mariscal, where we were, was not the safest at night. We knew this once we started walking and heard 8...EIGHT gunshots. I was ready to go home right then. I didn´t want to be anywhere where people were getting shot! But I trooped on. We got to the club and had a pretty good time...
UNTIL...I found myself a stalker. I was being nice and said that I would dance with him...once. it was a BobMarley song, I knew how long it was. But the DJ decided to play a Bob Marley medley that went on forever The guy started to sarinade me. I was not having it. I told him I was done. The girls with me were bad wing people too. So I was making up all sorts of excuses. Then when the guys was following me around the club, I got to use a little assertiveness training. NO MORE DANCING! His friend eventually got the clue and made the guy leave me alone.
Then while we were getting our groove on...the music changed and we had a sailor man do a little striptease. That was interesting. He was a freaky little sailor. Once his little show was over me and one of the other girls were waiting by the door so we could all go home. While we were waiting for our third person, we spent plenty of time oogling this really pretty door man. We could have watched him for quite a while. It got to the point that everytime he would walk by we would giggle because we had talked so much about him. HE WAS PRETTY.
Once we finally got our slacking third party we took a taxi home. I´m glad I went out, but I would have been just as content staying at home. I still didn´t feel well and I heard people get shot and picked up a stalker. Not my idea of a fun night. But despite the unfun times, overall, I had good time.
02/16/08
Later that night, I had promised these two girls from North Carolina that I would go out dancing with them. I didn´t feel good at all but I had tols them I would go and the other person who was supposed to go baile dout on them, so I felt obligated.
Once we were ready to go out, the hostal family called us a cab, walked us to the door, spoke to the cab driver, it was all very cute. They were very protective of us. When the cab dropped us off....5 blocks from where we needed to be, we were a little irritated. The Mariscal, where we were, was not the safest at night. We knew this once we started walking and heard 8...EIGHT gunshots. I was ready to go home right then. I didn´t want to be anywhere where people were getting shot! But I trooped on. We got to the club and had a pretty good time...
UNTIL...I found myself a stalker. I was being nice and said that I would dance with him...once. it was a BobMarley song, I knew how long it was. But the DJ decided to play a Bob Marley medley that went on forever The guy started to sarinade me. I was not having it. I told him I was done. The girls with me were bad wing people too. So I was making up all sorts of excuses. Then when the guys was following me around the club, I got to use a little assertiveness training. NO MORE DANCING! His friend eventually got the clue and made the guy leave me alone.
Then while we were getting our groove on...the music changed and we had a sailor man do a little striptease. That was interesting. He was a freaky little sailor. Once his little show was over me and one of the other girls were waiting by the door so we could all go home. While we were waiting for our third person, we spent plenty of time oogling this really pretty door man. We could have watched him for quite a while. It got to the point that everytime he would walk by we would giggle because we had talked so much about him. HE WAS PRETTY.
Once we finally got our slacking third party we took a taxi home. I´m glad I went out, but I would have been just as content staying at home. I still didn´t feel well and I heard people get shot and picked up a stalker. Not my idea of a fun night. But despite the unfun times, overall, I had good time.
02/16/08
Quito Day 11
Today is my day of rest. My knee is a little sore, but I think the weather was changing. It suddenly got cold and rainy. I have taken in 6 days of Spanish in 4 hour chunks, my brain hurts and we are getting ready to leave. So I hung out at the hostal after Spanish and chatted with some people.
In the evening somehow I became a translator for the hostal family and a guy claiming he had paid his bill. I am not the person who should be in the middle of this battle. Surely there had to be someone else who spoke English and Spanish. Nope! i was apparently it. That is a sad state. So, I tried my best to translate while they fought with each other. it was a difficult posission to be in. I believe the hostal family. The guy did many things that I didn´t believe and he kept changing his story. But I was strictly translating.
It was a very low key day with spanish movies and trying to label some of my pictures from inside. A day of rest with no paranoia about being on the streets. Just sitting and talking with people. uneventful, yet interesting.
02/15/08
In the evening somehow I became a translator for the hostal family and a guy claiming he had paid his bill. I am not the person who should be in the middle of this battle. Surely there had to be someone else who spoke English and Spanish. Nope! i was apparently it. That is a sad state. So, I tried my best to translate while they fought with each other. it was a difficult posission to be in. I believe the hostal family. The guy did many things that I didn´t believe and he kept changing his story. But I was strictly translating.
It was a very low key day with spanish movies and trying to label some of my pictures from inside. A day of rest with no paranoia about being on the streets. Just sitting and talking with people. uneventful, yet interesting.
02/15/08
Quito Day 10
Well.. Apparently today is Valentine´s Day! We were very unaware. This holiday is not nearly as commercialized as it is in the U.S. Same routine again, Spanish in the morning, our teacher Paola bought us flowers. It was so sweet. Then I was needing to upload more photos, (I still have more to go) so I went to the internet cafe, called my mom and tried to get caught up again. i fall behind very fast when i don´t do this daily. While I was at the cafe, Sarah was walking around.
Once we had dinner and went back to the hostal a party was waiting for us. The hostal family was having rum and cokes. Free of charge rum and cokes. Sprite and Rum once the coke was no more. These are also very strong drinks. I was basically held captive and forced to drink with the family. They pulled a Kostia on my and said that it was disrespectful not to take a drink when one is offered to you. And once you take it, you must drink it. It was the most "peer pressure" I think I have ever experienced, and thts hard considering who my friends are. Anyway, out of complete respect I stayed and drank with them. After my 6th or 7th "soda" and rum, I decided that it was time to do my Spanish homework and go to bed. Yep I had school in the morning. But I did get some slack because my teacher was there and kept cheersing everyone. Another Kostia Tradition.
It was a really fun party. lots of music, dancing, gabbing, and watching old Latin Singers from the 70s and their videos. I was given a new Ecuadorian name. Margarita was not cutting it apparently, but the new name is "Pepita". i have no idea where it came from, but like the drinks, out of respect you take things that are given to you, including names.
I had fun practicing my spanish with two young girls who were visiting. They were 11 and 8 from Guayaquil. We discussed the importance of "High School Musical". it was so much fun, plus it was free. I can say it was probably the most fun I have had on a Valentine´s day.
02/14/08
Once we had dinner and went back to the hostal a party was waiting for us. The hostal family was having rum and cokes. Free of charge rum and cokes. Sprite and Rum once the coke was no more. These are also very strong drinks. I was basically held captive and forced to drink with the family. They pulled a Kostia on my and said that it was disrespectful not to take a drink when one is offered to you. And once you take it, you must drink it. It was the most "peer pressure" I think I have ever experienced, and thts hard considering who my friends are. Anyway, out of complete respect I stayed and drank with them. After my 6th or 7th "soda" and rum, I decided that it was time to do my Spanish homework and go to bed. Yep I had school in the morning. But I did get some slack because my teacher was there and kept cheersing everyone. Another Kostia Tradition.
It was a really fun party. lots of music, dancing, gabbing, and watching old Latin Singers from the 70s and their videos. I was given a new Ecuadorian name. Margarita was not cutting it apparently, but the new name is "Pepita". i have no idea where it came from, but like the drinks, out of respect you take things that are given to you, including names.
I had fun practicing my spanish with two young girls who were visiting. They were 11 and 8 from Guayaquil. We discussed the importance of "High School Musical". it was so much fun, plus it was free. I can say it was probably the most fun I have had on a Valentine´s day.
02/14/08
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Quito Day 9
Again, the same kind of routine. Breakfast and Spanish. After Spanish we went to the Mariscal District in New Town to find the bus station to try and get a bus to Cuenca Ecuador. We have been putting off a decission of where we want to go and how to get there because there is an erupting volcano that is causing us to change our plans. The only bus we found going to Cuenca was an 8 hour night bus. We heard night buses in Ecuador were not the best idea, so we walked down the street a little ways and found a fairly inexpensive flight. So we leave on Sunday to Cuenca, Ecuador and making our way South to meet my dad in Lima near the begining of March.
Only continue reading if you have a stable stomach.
Once we bought our tickets we were going to go to an internet cafe to upload more pictures when we were stopped by a sign...Manicures and Pedicures. needless to say we were sidetracked. We waited our turn and each had a manicure and a pedicure. granted it was not the best one I have ever had, but it cost me 6 bucks! can´t hardley get mad at that. it was pretty different though. At home we get more massage time for the hands and feet and warm water.hear we get little massage time and cold water. Then the strangest thing happened. The lady shaved my feet! I know that I have dry and rough skin on the feet, but not nearly enought to have a shaving. it was the nastiest thing I have ever seen. She kept shaving and loads of skin went flying off and piling up on the floor. My feet were not that bad. It was disgusting to watch, I can´t even imagine how she did it. She got a big tip!
After we had nice nails...and feet...we went to a sports bar called shooters. It was a nice place. We had some good beers and hamburgers. i watched soccer and tried not to inhale too much smoke (they can smoke in bars here) and Sarah decided to talk to a lady. Well she ended up flirting with a Lesbian who made fun of us for not drinking that much. We each only ordered one drink (2 each by the end of the night) and all of the other tables which had 4 people at them had huge keg like dispencers. They were tall and had a tap at the end. I guessed it was 2.5-3 pitcher equivalent. Well it was still amusing because Sarah´s new girlfriend kept trying to talk to us and laugh at us the rest of the night. It was amusing.
We then took a cab home because it was dark and chatted with some people in the hostal. The family who owns the hostal are super nice. They asked us if we wanted a drink tomorrow and what kind we wanted. We were so confused and were asking all sorts of questions as to why the celebrations. They then told us it was Valentine´s Day. LOL we had no idea and laughed for a while. it was funny and then we decided that we would attend the party that they are throwing tomorrow. Its supposed to be an all girls party. We´ll see what happens.
02/13/08
Only continue reading if you have a stable stomach.
Once we bought our tickets we were going to go to an internet cafe to upload more pictures when we were stopped by a sign...Manicures and Pedicures. needless to say we were sidetracked. We waited our turn and each had a manicure and a pedicure. granted it was not the best one I have ever had, but it cost me 6 bucks! can´t hardley get mad at that. it was pretty different though. At home we get more massage time for the hands and feet and warm water.hear we get little massage time and cold water. Then the strangest thing happened. The lady shaved my feet! I know that I have dry and rough skin on the feet, but not nearly enought to have a shaving. it was the nastiest thing I have ever seen. She kept shaving and loads of skin went flying off and piling up on the floor. My feet were not that bad. It was disgusting to watch, I can´t even imagine how she did it. She got a big tip!
After we had nice nails...and feet...we went to a sports bar called shooters. It was a nice place. We had some good beers and hamburgers. i watched soccer and tried not to inhale too much smoke (they can smoke in bars here) and Sarah decided to talk to a lady. Well she ended up flirting with a Lesbian who made fun of us for not drinking that much. We each only ordered one drink (2 each by the end of the night) and all of the other tables which had 4 people at them had huge keg like dispencers. They were tall and had a tap at the end. I guessed it was 2.5-3 pitcher equivalent. Well it was still amusing because Sarah´s new girlfriend kept trying to talk to us and laugh at us the rest of the night. It was amusing.
We then took a cab home because it was dark and chatted with some people in the hostal. The family who owns the hostal are super nice. They asked us if we wanted a drink tomorrow and what kind we wanted. We were so confused and were asking all sorts of questions as to why the celebrations. They then told us it was Valentine´s Day. LOL we had no idea and laughed for a while. it was funny and then we decided that we would attend the party that they are throwing tomorrow. Its supposed to be an all girls party. We´ll see what happens.
02/13/08
Quito Day 8
Today was the same routine. We got up, had breakfast and had spanish class for four hours. After our rediculously long day of Spanish we decided that we needed to go outside and go for a walk or do something.
We walked to this great church that is right outside our window called the Basillica. It was gorgeous! First it was huge. I bet a football field was as long as this church is high. It is made out of concrete and every window inside was a gorgeous stained glass picture. Absolutely fantastic. It reminded me of the church in Disney´s, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Outside had great steeples and gargoyles! each gargoyle was different. they had traditional looking ones, dragons, turtles, birds, monkeys, etc. It was great! i am so bummed that it is so unsafe to take my camera out because this church, especially the outside is picture worthy. Normally people can climb to the top of the bell tower and get a great view of the city, but it was closed when we went due to siesta. (half if not more of the town closes down in the afternoon to take a nap or rest) I find siesta a bit annoying because it starts when we get out of class, so we can´t do much stuff. But it was still magnificent despite the fact that we couldn´t climb to the top. i hear its a huge liability anyway because its a bit unsafe and has many steep stair cases. it was still worth the walk down the street and up the hill.
Then for dinner we went to the guy on the corner, near our hostal who sells BBQ shishcabobs (Sp?) everyone has been talking about his great BBQ but hes not open all the time. Well when we went in search for food he was open. We decided to have some, despite the fact that we might get sick because its not the most sanitary, but we ate it anyway. We all lived and neither one was sick.it was pretty good. We took a risk and it turned out to be in our favor.
02/12/08
We walked to this great church that is right outside our window called the Basillica. It was gorgeous! First it was huge. I bet a football field was as long as this church is high. It is made out of concrete and every window inside was a gorgeous stained glass picture. Absolutely fantastic. It reminded me of the church in Disney´s, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Outside had great steeples and gargoyles! each gargoyle was different. they had traditional looking ones, dragons, turtles, birds, monkeys, etc. It was great! i am so bummed that it is so unsafe to take my camera out because this church, especially the outside is picture worthy. Normally people can climb to the top of the bell tower and get a great view of the city, but it was closed when we went due to siesta. (half if not more of the town closes down in the afternoon to take a nap or rest) I find siesta a bit annoying because it starts when we get out of class, so we can´t do much stuff. But it was still magnificent despite the fact that we couldn´t climb to the top. i hear its a huge liability anyway because its a bit unsafe and has many steep stair cases. it was still worth the walk down the street and up the hill.
Then for dinner we went to the guy on the corner, near our hostal who sells BBQ shishcabobs (Sp?) everyone has been talking about his great BBQ but hes not open all the time. Well when we went in search for food he was open. We decided to have some, despite the fact that we might get sick because its not the most sanitary, but we ate it anyway. We all lived and neither one was sick.it was pretty good. We took a risk and it turned out to be in our favor.
02/12/08
Quito Day 7
Today was our first day of Spanish Class. We have class from 9-1. Our teacher is super nice and bubbley. her name is Paola and she has been a big help. I´m thinking that with this refresher course I will be able to remember what i have blocked out from high school. Class was exhausting though. Hard work and a lot of information to remember.
After class I crashed and took a nap. I know I have such a hard life. Once I woke up, I took my Spanish homework and went downstairs to the living room type room to talk to people and begin my homework. Once it came time to really work on my homework, my teacher and her son came in. Her son came up to me and said "Buenos Noches" (which means good evening/good night) and stuck his hand out for me to shake. It was so cute. he couldn´t be older than 5. Adorable.
then we went to the kitchen to make dinner...sandwiches are a great new meal for us. We sat around and talked to a Swiss and Canadian guy also staying in the hostal. They are pretty good company. By 8:00 we were in the kitchen chatting up a storm and got shushed by a lady sleeping down the hall. We were apparently being to loud. 8:00! I thought you were still aloud to be noisey by 8:00, especially in a youth hostal. So we decided to go downstairs and be loud, where it was permisable.
02/11/08
After class I crashed and took a nap. I know I have such a hard life. Once I woke up, I took my Spanish homework and went downstairs to the living room type room to talk to people and begin my homework. Once it came time to really work on my homework, my teacher and her son came in. Her son came up to me and said "Buenos Noches" (which means good evening/good night) and stuck his hand out for me to shake. It was so cute. he couldn´t be older than 5. Adorable.
then we went to the kitchen to make dinner...sandwiches are a great new meal for us. We sat around and talked to a Swiss and Canadian guy also staying in the hostal. They are pretty good company. By 8:00 we were in the kitchen chatting up a storm and got shushed by a lady sleeping down the hall. We were apparently being to loud. 8:00! I thought you were still aloud to be noisey by 8:00, especially in a youth hostal. So we decided to go downstairs and be loud, where it was permisable.
02/11/08
Quito Day 6
Today was catch up day! We spent most of the day at an Interenet cafe catching up on blogs and starting to upload pictures. I called my parents and caught up on emails. I did pretty good considering how far behind I was.
One startling event that happened is while we were in the cafe, a boy ran in screaming and crying. he ran towards the bathroom and gotten stopped. Rushing in after him was a man, who then dragged him out screaming and crying. We had no idea what was going on. It was nice to see the owners of the cafe finding out what was going on. it turns out the boy had probably stolen something and gotten caught because accross the street, where the man had dragged him were a few police officers. It was still a very disturbing scene.
Later that night while chatting with people in the hostal we started hearing stories about people getting mugged, robbed or sprayed with mustard. This was a lot of people to prove as a coincidence. We decided that now when we go out, if we go out that we will not carry anything with us and if we have to, we will be on a strict lookout. i don´t like the feeling of not trusting people. this isn´t me, but I also don´t want my things stolen. Its very sad actually because Quito has some nice buildings and scenary which would be very picture worthy, but no i don´t want to take the risk of getting my camera stolen, so I leave it at the hostal. Its very unfortunate.
02/10/08
One startling event that happened is while we were in the cafe, a boy ran in screaming and crying. he ran towards the bathroom and gotten stopped. Rushing in after him was a man, who then dragged him out screaming and crying. We had no idea what was going on. It was nice to see the owners of the cafe finding out what was going on. it turns out the boy had probably stolen something and gotten caught because accross the street, where the man had dragged him were a few police officers. It was still a very disturbing scene.
Later that night while chatting with people in the hostal we started hearing stories about people getting mugged, robbed or sprayed with mustard. This was a lot of people to prove as a coincidence. We decided that now when we go out, if we go out that we will not carry anything with us and if we have to, we will be on a strict lookout. i don´t like the feeling of not trusting people. this isn´t me, but I also don´t want my things stolen. Its very sad actually because Quito has some nice buildings and scenary which would be very picture worthy, but no i don´t want to take the risk of getting my camera stolen, so I leave it at the hostal. Its very unfortunate.
02/10/08
Quito Day 5
Today we had an early morning. We woke up around 5:00 am to catch a bus to a town called Otavala about 2 hours away. this town is supposed to be spectacular on Saturday`s because it turns into a huge market. Early in the morning, around 5, there is an animal livestock market, which I was not that into seeing. knoing many of these animals destinations was enough for me. But we got up so we could go to the crafters market.
We arrived at Otavala around 8:00 just as it was opening. It was so amazing. it was huge! There were streets lined with booths and tables of vendors selling scarves, blankets, ponchos, pottery, jewelry, art, bags, etc. There were so many different colors patterns and designs it was unreal. i went to town shopping. Not really, I was pretty tame considering.
All of the women at the market were dressed in native wear, black skirt with a pretty belt, an embroidered white top and shall. They were carrying babies and loads of goods on their back. it gave the market much more character. They were beautiful. i wanted to take pictures, but didn´t because I didn´t want to offend anyone, or pay them for their picture.
that was such a fun experience. I almost want to go back and get some more goodies.
02/09/2008
We arrived at Otavala around 8:00 just as it was opening. It was so amazing. it was huge! There were streets lined with booths and tables of vendors selling scarves, blankets, ponchos, pottery, jewelry, art, bags, etc. There were so many different colors patterns and designs it was unreal. i went to town shopping. Not really, I was pretty tame considering.
All of the women at the market were dressed in native wear, black skirt with a pretty belt, an embroidered white top and shall. They were carrying babies and loads of goods on their back. it gave the market much more character. They were beautiful. i wanted to take pictures, but didn´t because I didn´t want to offend anyone, or pay them for their picture.
that was such a fun experience. I almost want to go back and get some more goodies.
02/09/2008
Quito Day 4
Today we ventured into Old Town Quito. We were walking around and stumbled onto the Wold Press Photos of 2007. I had never seen one of these displays before. It was amazing. I feel like I have been very naieve with my knowledge about global issues and world news. Some of the pictures were very disturbing and eye opening.
we also went to a church called St. Augustine. it was absolutely beautiful. From wall to ceiling it was painted blue, green and pink pastel with intricate designs. It looked like victorian style wall paper. I wish I didn´t feel weird taking pictures in churches because it was magnificent.
We also went into a church and museum called Cathedral Primada. This had many earns of worshiped individuals, giant pipe organs, tombs, paintings and sculptures. Some of my favorite items in the museum were outfits worn by old preists, bishops, cardinals and other church personel. They were so intricate and luxurious it was amazing. The other nifty item was an original gregorian chant book made by hand. you sould see the animal hide it was printed on and the letters were so perfect. It was great.
Then we decided to experience the trolly... I have never seen such a huge cluster _____ of people in my life. These are so crowded I can´t even explain. Before people can get off the trolly, people squeeze into it, which makes it even more difficult to get out. i was trying to get out and got stuck between a railing and the doors when they opened. I had to literally shove people out of the way so i could make it out. its crazy. A person needs to start pushing their way to the doors 3 stops before theirs so they can insure that they will make it out. It was a good day none the less.
02/08/08
we also went to a church called St. Augustine. it was absolutely beautiful. From wall to ceiling it was painted blue, green and pink pastel with intricate designs. It looked like victorian style wall paper. I wish I didn´t feel weird taking pictures in churches because it was magnificent.
We also went into a church and museum called Cathedral Primada. This had many earns of worshiped individuals, giant pipe organs, tombs, paintings and sculptures. Some of my favorite items in the museum were outfits worn by old preists, bishops, cardinals and other church personel. They were so intricate and luxurious it was amazing. The other nifty item was an original gregorian chant book made by hand. you sould see the animal hide it was printed on and the letters were so perfect. It was great.
Then we decided to experience the trolly... I have never seen such a huge cluster _____ of people in my life. These are so crowded I can´t even explain. Before people can get off the trolly, people squeeze into it, which makes it even more difficult to get out. i was trying to get out and got stuck between a railing and the doors when they opened. I had to literally shove people out of the way so i could make it out. its crazy. A person needs to start pushing their way to the doors 3 stops before theirs so they can insure that they will make it out. It was a good day none the less.
02/08/08
Quito Day 3
Today was Tourist Day! Had a blast. Me Sarah and some other girls from the hostal went to Mitad Del Mundo! Also known as the Equator! I had so much fun! We took a bus out to the Equator and paid our few dollars to get in and went wild. Well, not really. We got some pictures and went shopping a little. There was nobody there, quite bizzare. Then we went to a museum next door where supposedly the real equator is located. One, the giant monument was desinged accroding to astrology and the museum next door by GPS.
The museum was so much fun. we learned about the Ecuadorian culture and tribes in the Amazon. Then we went to the actual equator line and did different experiments to prove that we were truely on the equator. it was so cheesey but loads of fun. I balanced a raw egg on a nail, saw the water going to clocwise, counterclockwise and straight down a drain depending on the hemisphere.
On the bus ride back, I had sat down in a seat next to an old man. I practically crushed him because my butt was so big for the seat. I ended up sitting on his lap a little bit. I was really embarassed, but he didn´t say or do anything. Once I realized by butt was bigger than the seat, it hung in the isle. Poor old man. But the day was good we talked with a bunch of people in the hostal and had another bad dinner with cooked pasta and tomao paste.
02/07/08
The museum was so much fun. we learned about the Ecuadorian culture and tribes in the Amazon. Then we went to the actual equator line and did different experiments to prove that we were truely on the equator. it was so cheesey but loads of fun. I balanced a raw egg on a nail, saw the water going to clocwise, counterclockwise and straight down a drain depending on the hemisphere.
On the bus ride back, I had sat down in a seat next to an old man. I practically crushed him because my butt was so big for the seat. I ended up sitting on his lap a little bit. I was really embarassed, but he didn´t say or do anything. Once I realized by butt was bigger than the seat, it hung in the isle. Poor old man. But the day was good we talked with a bunch of people in the hostal and had another bad dinner with cooked pasta and tomao paste.
02/07/08
Day 4 in Guayaquil
I cannot believe I forgot to write about this day! our last day in Quayaquil was so much fun. we went walking around town and found ourselves attacked (in a good way) by these guys on the street who plastered us with stickers. there was a huge demonstration in the streets that day. over 150,ooo people were participating and we were in the middle of it. There was a march, music, speakers, food, dancing, etc. We had so much fun! We were a little nervous at first wearing these stickers because we had no idea what we were advertising, but we didn´t want to take them off in case that was insulting. We later found out that it was a protest againt the president of guayaquil who was not using the tax dollars appropriately. A man named Jaime Nebot was the speaker who was loved by the people. It was such a fun experience. the march took place down 9th and octubre and lasted all day. At first it was very unnerving because there were bus loads of riot control police officers prepared with sheilds and weapons, however they just watched all day because it was a very peacful demonstration. Oh yeah, I had many more boyfriends this day. I am getting a little sick of having so many boyfriends...
01/24/08
01/24/08
Quito Day 2
Our hostal is great. We have booked it through the next week and signed up for spanish classes. I am a little paranoid about being in Quito because people keep sharing stories about getting robbed or mugged or having mustard thrown on them. It is a little unnerving. I hate not trusting people, which this town seems to have reputation as being very untrustworthy.
We decided to go exploring and went into the "New Town" to go to an internet cafe and get some money. we had no cash left thanks to the Galapagos. well when I was signing one of my American Express Checks at the place, I messed up on the date (repeating the same action causes me to do that every once in a while) and the lady wouldn´t take it! I signed it RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER! I was a little irritated.
Then I went down to the Fugi camera store and had all of my pictures on my memory card backed up onto a CD. I think this was a good move on my part. I still have issues trusting technology.
We then walked all over looking for a grocery store because we are in a hostal, (which I love the atmosphere!) and have the use of a kitchen. After a few weeks its nice to be able to cook on your own. We looked for ever to find a grocery store, which is limited here. very few ingrediants that we are used to and very few fresh foods. We found one that had noodles and "tomato sauce" which was tomato paste. well dinner was absolutely horrible! first, Sarah had dropped the jar of sauce on the floor and it broke. Then to make it even worse I wasn´t paying attention and put the noodles in the water before it was boiled. So we had nasty soggy noodles with no sauce and hamburger with no spice and cheese that didn´t melt. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten.
Today was pretty uneventful and hopfully tomorrow qill be better.
2/06/08
We decided to go exploring and went into the "New Town" to go to an internet cafe and get some money. we had no cash left thanks to the Galapagos. well when I was signing one of my American Express Checks at the place, I messed up on the date (repeating the same action causes me to do that every once in a while) and the lady wouldn´t take it! I signed it RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER! I was a little irritated.
Then I went down to the Fugi camera store and had all of my pictures on my memory card backed up onto a CD. I think this was a good move on my part. I still have issues trusting technology.
We then walked all over looking for a grocery store because we are in a hostal, (which I love the atmosphere!) and have the use of a kitchen. After a few weeks its nice to be able to cook on your own. We looked for ever to find a grocery store, which is limited here. very few ingrediants that we are used to and very few fresh foods. We found one that had noodles and "tomato sauce" which was tomato paste. well dinner was absolutely horrible! first, Sarah had dropped the jar of sauce on the floor and it broke. Then to make it even worse I wasn´t paying attention and put the noodles in the water before it was boiled. So we had nasty soggy noodles with no sauce and hamburger with no spice and cheese that didn´t melt. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten.
Today was pretty uneventful and hopfully tomorrow qill be better.
2/06/08
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Leaving the Galapagos
Today we woke up and went to breakfast. Then we caught a cab with Barbara and Verna to the fairy which take us to Baltra Island where we catch a bus to the airport. We ahd to wait forever for our flight. We did some shopping at the airport and took in the last part of the islands.
Once we started boarding the plane I was in line and waiting for this group to enter together. Then this dumb old man started yelling at me to push infront because "these people" will never let us in. i really wanted to yell at him, but instead I yelled at him in my head. We are all gonna get on the same flight and we all have assigned seats so it really doesn´t matter the order that we get on. then he started pushing.
Once we went through security him and his wife crowded me while I was collecting my stuff. I have never felt bad for hitting an old person with my backpack and I still don´t. Once we were n the plane, we were headed to Quito.
It was about an hour and a half flight to Guayaquil and another 45 minutes to Quito. once we got to our hostal, we loved it and booked for the rest of the week and the following week. We also signed up for a week long spanish class. The hostal was clean and safe and had hot water(which works weird), laundry service and breakfast all for very little. It was great. then we again crashed pretty early and had to realize we were no longer in the Galapagos.
02/05/08
Once we started boarding the plane I was in line and waiting for this group to enter together. Then this dumb old man started yelling at me to push infront because "these people" will never let us in. i really wanted to yell at him, but instead I yelled at him in my head. We are all gonna get on the same flight and we all have assigned seats so it really doesn´t matter the order that we get on. then he started pushing.
Once we went through security him and his wife crowded me while I was collecting my stuff. I have never felt bad for hitting an old person with my backpack and I still don´t. Once we were n the plane, we were headed to Quito.
It was about an hour and a half flight to Guayaquil and another 45 minutes to Quito. once we got to our hostal, we loved it and booked for the rest of the week and the following week. We also signed up for a week long spanish class. The hostal was clean and safe and had hot water(which works weird), laundry service and breakfast all for very little. It was great. then we again crashed pretty early and had to realize we were no longer in the Galapagos.
02/05/08
Port Ayora Day 1
We woke up early and caught our speedboad/ferry this morning. We were headed back to Santa Cruz and port Ayora where we would spend our last night in the Galapagos. We arrived at Port Ayora around 9:00 and checked into a hostal and went to breakfast. We spent the day shopping in town and exploring the city. We went back to the Darwin Center to take our time and walk through. I had a lot of fun. I love shopping.
We were walking down the street and saw a fish market where they were cuting up and selling fish. Not that interesting to me. however, there were about 20 pelicans and a seal begging for scraps which were gladdly given to them. it was so much fun to watch. The seal was so patient and never tried to take anything that was not his. The pelicans were so crowded, it was just really fun to watch. It was a nice and relaxing say, plus I love shopping! it will be sad to leave tomorrow.
02/04/08
We were walking down the street and saw a fish market where they were cuting up and selling fish. Not that interesting to me. however, there were about 20 pelicans and a seal begging for scraps which were gladdly given to them. it was so much fun to watch. The seal was so patient and never tried to take anything that was not his. The pelicans were so crowded, it was just really fun to watch. It was a nice and relaxing say, plus I love shopping! it will be sad to leave tomorrow.
02/04/08
Isabella Island Day 3
Today was so much fun, but it did have its rough parts. we woke up and walked to the hotel to meet our guides to the Sierra Negra volcano. We got in buses and were driven about an 30 minutes to an hour up the mountain. When we got out of the car there were saddled horses waiting to take us another 1.5 hours to the crate of the volcano. It was so beautiful. very green and covered in trees and flowers.
The ranchers paired us up with our horses. I was one of the last ones on a horse. I didn´t even get a horse! I got a MULE! Why does everyone else get a horse and I only get a mule? Not Fair! besides, my mule was slow and pokey and only wanted to eat. it wa consistently in the back of the pack. Once we finally reached the top it was amazing. The crater was huge, second biggest in the world. It had a diameter of 6 miles. i couldn´t get the whole thing in a picture it was so big.
After the horse ride, my mule ride we went on a hike to a neighboring volcano, chico. It was about an hour and a half hike. the rocks were slippery and lose. Thills are all up and down on these rocks. very tricky to keep you balance. i know because I slipped and scratched the back of my camera after I had taken a picture. I was so mad, i´m still mad. When we finally got to the top we sat down and had lunch. It was really hot so we dreaded the climb back. it was a nice workout. Once back, we picked up the people who didn´t go on the hike (stories if you ask) and got back on our horses, MULE to head back down the volcano.
Again, my mule was slow and no matter what happened she really wouldn´t go. When has anyone seen a donkey run? Doesn´t happen. Well apparently it does because our guide came up behind me and spanked my mule, which I named pokey. she started to run, then she stopped. I had a stubborn little ass, but I can´t really complain because my stubborn ass was hauling my ass up a volcano. i gave her credit. that is not an easy thing to do. then I started cracking up becaue i was making crude jokes in my head about my stubborn as and getting spanked to get her going and what not. i let out a lown pitch scream because the guide would sneak up behind me and spank my mule, who would then take off for a little quick jog and would catch me off guard.
I continued laughing because when pokey would speed up it reminded me of this infomercial we saw on the boat about an exercise machine that shakes your fat way. i thought this was doing about the same thing. Later pokey really didn´t care if she was spanked or not, she was done going fast and took her time all the way down the hill.
This one guy had a mamma horse and the baby colt followed uu up the hill. It was so cute. It was hard because the guy rode the mom pretty hard and the baby couldn´t keep up and walked next to us, but then would cry because she couldn´t see her mom. It was sad.
We, me and Pokey, finally made it back to the site where we started. We got back in the bus and went back to the hotel. We had some down time and used it to pack because we had to catch the ferry/speedboat at 6:00 the next morning. Once we were ready and had some down time we went to carnival on the beach. It was a lot of fun. there was a ton of music and drinking and waterfights. We watched the sunset and sat and talked for a while. We met up with barbara and Verna too. Later we decided to call it a night because we had done a lot and had an early morning the next day. This was a really fun day despite my little mishaps and disappointments.
02/03/08
The ranchers paired us up with our horses. I was one of the last ones on a horse. I didn´t even get a horse! I got a MULE! Why does everyone else get a horse and I only get a mule? Not Fair! besides, my mule was slow and pokey and only wanted to eat. it wa consistently in the back of the pack. Once we finally reached the top it was amazing. The crater was huge, second biggest in the world. It had a diameter of 6 miles. i couldn´t get the whole thing in a picture it was so big.
After the horse ride, my mule ride we went on a hike to a neighboring volcano, chico. It was about an hour and a half hike. the rocks were slippery and lose. Thills are all up and down on these rocks. very tricky to keep you balance. i know because I slipped and scratched the back of my camera after I had taken a picture. I was so mad, i´m still mad. When we finally got to the top we sat down and had lunch. It was really hot so we dreaded the climb back. it was a nice workout. Once back, we picked up the people who didn´t go on the hike (stories if you ask) and got back on our horses, MULE to head back down the volcano.
Again, my mule was slow and no matter what happened she really wouldn´t go. When has anyone seen a donkey run? Doesn´t happen. Well apparently it does because our guide came up behind me and spanked my mule, which I named pokey. she started to run, then she stopped. I had a stubborn little ass, but I can´t really complain because my stubborn ass was hauling my ass up a volcano. i gave her credit. that is not an easy thing to do. then I started cracking up becaue i was making crude jokes in my head about my stubborn as and getting spanked to get her going and what not. i let out a lown pitch scream because the guide would sneak up behind me and spank my mule, who would then take off for a little quick jog and would catch me off guard.
I continued laughing because when pokey would speed up it reminded me of this infomercial we saw on the boat about an exercise machine that shakes your fat way. i thought this was doing about the same thing. Later pokey really didn´t care if she was spanked or not, she was done going fast and took her time all the way down the hill.
This one guy had a mamma horse and the baby colt followed uu up the hill. It was so cute. It was hard because the guy rode the mom pretty hard and the baby couldn´t keep up and walked next to us, but then would cry because she couldn´t see her mom. It was sad.
We, me and Pokey, finally made it back to the site where we started. We got back in the bus and went back to the hotel. We had some down time and used it to pack because we had to catch the ferry/speedboat at 6:00 the next morning. Once we were ready and had some down time we went to carnival on the beach. It was a lot of fun. there was a ton of music and drinking and waterfights. We watched the sunset and sat and talked for a while. We met up with barbara and Verna too. Later we decided to call it a night because we had done a lot and had an early morning the next day. This was a really fun day despite my little mishaps and disappointments.
02/03/08
Isabela Island Day 2
Since last night we went to bed before 8:00, we got up fairly early. we realized we didn´t like our hotel and wanted to change. We had made a fast decision the night before because we were tired and now were well rested and ready to make a decission. It was time to move because we had a chicken farm right next to our window and the rooster had no concept of morning. he crowed at 3:30 and every half an hour until almost 10:00 it seemed.
We moved to a hotel down the street on a recomendation from a couple of traveling friends from Australia we met the day before. Tom and leela were at the hotel and invited us to go snorkeling with them. we were a little snorkeled out. we said thanks and decided to make plans for the four of us to visit the volcano the next day. we had some breakfast and then headed into town to book the tour.
We couldn´t find a place to book the tour so insted we went on a 12km walk to a turtle reproduction and breeding center. It was a nice walk to the center and we saw the turtles, some birds and iguanas. I even saw a chickin in water. On the way back we walked on the beach. This is such a cool little town, Port Villamil. All of the streets are sand and their are coconut trees all around and cabana and plam leaves. There is also an enormous amount of hammocks. It is such a nice little place.
So, Finally we found a place that had a guided tour of the volcano. However, these people only speak spanish, and we barely speak spanish. When they were giving us directions to pick up our tickets and meet tomorrow, they new that wehad no idea where to go,so the man decided to walk us down there. it was so nice. he felt sorry for us and knew that we would probably get lost on the way. Anyway, we got out tickets and went back to the hotel to rest because we walked a lot and it was hot outside.
later that afternoon we went for a drink with Tom and leela. tom cooked us a snakc (baked potato in the microwave) but when you don´t have anything else, it worked. We later went to dinner and ran into two women they had met in port Ayora, barbara and verna from utah. We called it a night pretty early because we needed to get up early tomorrow to go to the volcano. I am so excited for tomorrow, Sarah is not.
02/02/08
We moved to a hotel down the street on a recomendation from a couple of traveling friends from Australia we met the day before. Tom and leela were at the hotel and invited us to go snorkeling with them. we were a little snorkeled out. we said thanks and decided to make plans for the four of us to visit the volcano the next day. we had some breakfast and then headed into town to book the tour.
We couldn´t find a place to book the tour so insted we went on a 12km walk to a turtle reproduction and breeding center. It was a nice walk to the center and we saw the turtles, some birds and iguanas. I even saw a chickin in water. On the way back we walked on the beach. This is such a cool little town, Port Villamil. All of the streets are sand and their are coconut trees all around and cabana and plam leaves. There is also an enormous amount of hammocks. It is such a nice little place.
So, Finally we found a place that had a guided tour of the volcano. However, these people only speak spanish, and we barely speak spanish. When they were giving us directions to pick up our tickets and meet tomorrow, they new that wehad no idea where to go,so the man decided to walk us down there. it was so nice. he felt sorry for us and knew that we would probably get lost on the way. Anyway, we got out tickets and went back to the hotel to rest because we walked a lot and it was hot outside.
later that afternoon we went for a drink with Tom and leela. tom cooked us a snakc (baked potato in the microwave) but when you don´t have anything else, it worked. We later went to dinner and ran into two women they had met in port Ayora, barbara and verna from utah. We called it a night pretty early because we needed to get up early tomorrow to go to the volcano. I am so excited for tomorrow, Sarah is not.
02/02/08
Isabela Island Day 1
Once the bus had left us at the Darwin Center, we walked into town and booked a ticket on a ferry to Isabella Island. We dropped off our luggage and walked around Port Ayora. we had lunch and went window shopping to pass the time.
It was time to get onto the ferry, also known as a speed boat. it was a 2 a half hour ride squished between two strangers. not the best experience but we lived through it. Once we got to our hotel wehad something to eat and then ended up going to bed really early. We are officially on our own int he Galapagos. No more adult summer camp.
02/01/08
It was time to get onto the ferry, also known as a speed boat. it was a 2 a half hour ride squished between two strangers. not the best experience but we lived through it. Once we got to our hotel wehad something to eat and then ended up going to bed really early. We are officially on our own int he Galapagos. No more adult summer camp.
02/01/08
Cruise Day 8
Today is the last day of our cruise. We woke up and went to the Island of Santa Cruz at port Ayora where we began our adventure. we came on land and went to the Darwin Center. I thought it was really enjoyable. We learned about the turtles and specific turtles, Lonesome George and Super Diego.
Lonesome George is the last turtle of his kind. They thought that this species had been extinct until George was found. He is the last one! They put him in an inclosure with two females of a similar species. George was scared. he had grown up all alone and now has to interact socially, and hopefully sexually with these two females. Then two males were placed in the inclosure to help george learn what to do, this scared Geroge even more. So they were removed, eventually George learned social behavior but has yet to create babies. The next step will be artificial insemination to save this species. George is approx. 75 years old.
Then Super Diego. A different species. There were only twelve of this species left. 2 males and 10 females. The Darwin Center sent out messages throughout the world to locate any other turtles and Diego was found at the San Diego zoo (hense the name). He was put into the inclosure with the rest of his kind. It happened to be breeding season and Diego was SUPER! He helped in the process of saving this species. he apparently had to be taken out of the enclosure because he was a little to super.
Once we left the Darwin Center, we were handed our bags and said our goodbyes to everyone we had met. Everyone was continuing to the airport and we were starying on the island for a few more days. When saying our goodbyes we saw Fabrizio (our old guide) with his new group...awkward. This wa such a great experience and if people have the money I would recomend going on a cruise of the Galapagos. It is worth it to have a guide who is trained (a naturalist 3). It was the most amazing experience.
02/01/08
Lonesome George is the last turtle of his kind. They thought that this species had been extinct until George was found. He is the last one! They put him in an inclosure with two females of a similar species. George was scared. he had grown up all alone and now has to interact socially, and hopefully sexually with these two females. Then two males were placed in the inclosure to help george learn what to do, this scared Geroge even more. So they were removed, eventually George learned social behavior but has yet to create babies. The next step will be artificial insemination to save this species. George is approx. 75 years old.
Then Super Diego. A different species. There were only twelve of this species left. 2 males and 10 females. The Darwin Center sent out messages throughout the world to locate any other turtles and Diego was found at the San Diego zoo (hense the name). He was put into the inclosure with the rest of his kind. It happened to be breeding season and Diego was SUPER! He helped in the process of saving this species. he apparently had to be taken out of the enclosure because he was a little to super.
Once we left the Darwin Center, we were handed our bags and said our goodbyes to everyone we had met. Everyone was continuing to the airport and we were starying on the island for a few more days. When saying our goodbyes we saw Fabrizio (our old guide) with his new group...awkward. This wa such a great experience and if people have the money I would recomend going on a cruise of the Galapagos. It is worth it to have a guide who is trained (a naturalist 3). It was the most amazing experience.
02/01/08
Cruise Day 7
Today we went to Floreana Island. We walked through a lava tube in the morning. It was a very steep climb into the tube and a part that was hard to stand up, but when we got to the bottom there was no problem. It was completely dark and we needed flashlights. Once we were down there someone wanted to turn off the flash lights and enjoy the silence. I was affraid that I would start laughing, but warned the group. But I was not the first one to start laughing. people started making noises, which then made it appropriate for me to laugh.
Once that was over, we climber out of the tube and went to a little place called Post Office bay. This is a little mailebox created a long time ago by whales and explorers. People would put letters in a box and when new people arrived they would search through the mail and if any of it was going to their home, they would take it and hand deliver the letter. it would take up to 5 years sometimes. This is still active for tourists today. I placed a post card in the box and we will see if it ever makes it where it was going. We were allowed to snorkel off the beach, but I was a little tired. Instead I sat and watched. i was also invited to play soccer with all of the cabin boys.
Later we went snorkeling at a place called Devils crown. It was the best snorkeling of the trip. we were snorkeling from the pangas again, wich always makes me nervous but I feel more comfortable when Antonio snorkels with us, despite the fact that he provokes the sharks. When we got into the water it was so clear and deep you could see nothing but blue. it was rather creepy. Once we swam closer to the rocks we began seeing all sorts of sea life. once I looked down I had a minor freak out. I was swimming over 6 or 7 sharks. They were circling right below me! It was so hard to keep my legs still and not freak out. it was by far the scariest thing ever! I moved away slowly after observing the sharks. Then i saw a school of rays. they are so graceful in the water. We saw many schools of fish and even fish we had yet to see snorkeling. it was so clear and blue. it was so quietyou could hear the fish. Snorkeling was amazing. perfect conditions and many different animals. Again, another great day.
In the afternoon we walked to Punta Cormorant and saw iguanas and flamingos. We also saw the usual sea lions and SEA TURTLES! Absolutely amazing. The sea turtles were coming on shore getting ready to lay eggs. An absolutely spectacular event. We were so close, we backed off to give them space. it has to be hard to be a sea turlte. i could have watched them all day long. i got some pictures, but I tried to keep my distance so I wouldn´t put these animals in any more distress. then we went back to the flamingos and Antonio told us about the history of the island and the animals.
We went back to the boat and had a farewell cocktail (very strong, good bartender) then we had some bottles of wine and chatted until the morning. We had to finally go to bed and make sure our belongings were packed. This was such a fun group of people, it was again hard to say goodbye.
01/31/08
Once that was over, we climber out of the tube and went to a little place called Post Office bay. This is a little mailebox created a long time ago by whales and explorers. People would put letters in a box and when new people arrived they would search through the mail and if any of it was going to their home, they would take it and hand deliver the letter. it would take up to 5 years sometimes. This is still active for tourists today. I placed a post card in the box and we will see if it ever makes it where it was going. We were allowed to snorkel off the beach, but I was a little tired. Instead I sat and watched. i was also invited to play soccer with all of the cabin boys.
Later we went snorkeling at a place called Devils crown. It was the best snorkeling of the trip. we were snorkeling from the pangas again, wich always makes me nervous but I feel more comfortable when Antonio snorkels with us, despite the fact that he provokes the sharks. When we got into the water it was so clear and deep you could see nothing but blue. it was rather creepy. Once we swam closer to the rocks we began seeing all sorts of sea life. once I looked down I had a minor freak out. I was swimming over 6 or 7 sharks. They were circling right below me! It was so hard to keep my legs still and not freak out. it was by far the scariest thing ever! I moved away slowly after observing the sharks. Then i saw a school of rays. they are so graceful in the water. We saw many schools of fish and even fish we had yet to see snorkeling. it was so clear and blue. it was so quietyou could hear the fish. Snorkeling was amazing. perfect conditions and many different animals. Again, another great day.
In the afternoon we walked to Punta Cormorant and saw iguanas and flamingos. We also saw the usual sea lions and SEA TURTLES! Absolutely amazing. The sea turtles were coming on shore getting ready to lay eggs. An absolutely spectacular event. We were so close, we backed off to give them space. it has to be hard to be a sea turlte. i could have watched them all day long. i got some pictures, but I tried to keep my distance so I wouldn´t put these animals in any more distress. then we went back to the flamingos and Antonio told us about the history of the island and the animals.
We went back to the boat and had a farewell cocktail (very strong, good bartender) then we had some bottles of wine and chatted until the morning. We had to finally go to bed and make sure our belongings were packed. This was such a fun group of people, it was again hard to say goodbye.
01/31/08
Cruise Day 6
Today was a fun and yet trecherous day. We are on the island of Española. In the morning we went to Gardner bay and walked along a gorgeous beach with hundreds of sea lions. the waster was so clear and blue it was amazing. We also saw birds, crabs and iguanas. We had plenty of time to walk and enjoy the beach with these magnificent creatures.
Then we went snorkeling from the beach. We again saw many fish and rays. Antonio even poked at a shark and it came out for a little bit and then went back into hiding. i was breathing so hard when he was playing with the shark. I know that sharks usually don´t attack unless provoked, I felt that he was being provoked. Apparently I was wrong though.
After lunch we went on a long hike, approximately 2 hours. We saw sea lions, christmas iguanas, blue-footed boobies, hawks, nasca boobies and galapagos gulls. The sun was so hot and just beating down. i believe it was 108 degrees. Luckily we got caught in a down pour of rain which felt so good after getting an intense beating from the sun. But the rocks were slippery and we were soaked. We again learned a lot and had a good day despite getting burned and caught in a down pour and being exhausted. (Plus more fun stories about people on the boat)
01/30/08
Then we went snorkeling from the beach. We again saw many fish and rays. Antonio even poked at a shark and it came out for a little bit and then went back into hiding. i was breathing so hard when he was playing with the shark. I know that sharks usually don´t attack unless provoked, I felt that he was being provoked. Apparently I was wrong though.
After lunch we went on a long hike, approximately 2 hours. We saw sea lions, christmas iguanas, blue-footed boobies, hawks, nasca boobies and galapagos gulls. The sun was so hot and just beating down. i believe it was 108 degrees. Luckily we got caught in a down pour of rain which felt so good after getting an intense beating from the sun. But the rocks were slippery and we were soaked. We again learned a lot and had a good day despite getting burned and caught in a down pour and being exhausted. (Plus more fun stories about people on the boat)
01/30/08
Cruise Day 5
Today we landed on San Cristobal Island. We took the pangas to the shore and rode in a bus to the highlands to a turtle conservation and breeding station. We learned a lot about the history of the turtles and how they became endangered and on the verge of extinction. We were allowed to walk around the park so me and Sarah went on a trail. we came to a point that looked like the trail had ended and went back. on the way back, we passed our group. we thought nothing of it, until they didn´t come back. we were lost. So we went back up the trail and kept going and finally came to the turtle nursery. At the nursery the keep the turtles protected in cages until their shells harded to avoid getting eaten. They were so small. Its funny because at a year old, Galapagos turtles look like our pet turtles.
Then we came back to town and were allowed to shop. it was fun, but I found nothing that I loved, which is hard for me to believe. We were also allowed to stroll on the sea lion beach. it was nice to get off the boat for a while and walk around. However, I almost had land sickness. i could barely stand still, I would fall and sway. It was a very weird feeling.
We got back on the boat and went snorkeling on Sea Lion Island. i have never swollowed so much salt water in my life. We swam with at least 20 sea lions and it was so much funn I kept smiling and laughing, hense the large amount of salt water intake. We also saw about 3 rays as well.
After snorkeling we went back to the boat and changed to go on sore at Sea Lion Island. When getting on shore there were so many nursing mom and baby sea lions we had to walk on rocks not to get in their way. Apparently mommy sea lions and can get fiesty when disturbed. i was on the second boat and by the time the first boat had made it to shore, Antonio had to jump in our boat because the male sea lion was not happy and trying to attack him. once the male sea lion was back in the water we had to hurry on shore in case he came back. Once onshore there were a ton of sea lions. Many babies and even sea lion afterbirth material. So when I say baby sea lions, I mean baby sea lions. we also saw mating and nesting blue-footed boobies. We again learned lots of interesting information.
Once back on board it was Heidi´s 60th birthday and we had cake. She was on land all day because the fiance was not doing well. they actually stayed on San Cristobal for the rest of the trip. I have a lot of funny stories about the people on the boat, so if you want to know, just send me an email.
After dinner monica and Juan Carlos started a dance party. Surprisingly I was very reserved because it was real dancing. Not "Margaret style dancing". I had so much fun sitting and watching. i eventually joined in but I was really having fun watching. it was so funny because Monica and juan Carlos did an interpretation of the Blue-footed Booby mating dance. It was again a good day!
01/29/08
Then we came back to town and were allowed to shop. it was fun, but I found nothing that I loved, which is hard for me to believe. We were also allowed to stroll on the sea lion beach. it was nice to get off the boat for a while and walk around. However, I almost had land sickness. i could barely stand still, I would fall and sway. It was a very weird feeling.
We got back on the boat and went snorkeling on Sea Lion Island. i have never swollowed so much salt water in my life. We swam with at least 20 sea lions and it was so much funn I kept smiling and laughing, hense the large amount of salt water intake. We also saw about 3 rays as well.
After snorkeling we went back to the boat and changed to go on sore at Sea Lion Island. When getting on shore there were so many nursing mom and baby sea lions we had to walk on rocks not to get in their way. Apparently mommy sea lions and can get fiesty when disturbed. i was on the second boat and by the time the first boat had made it to shore, Antonio had to jump in our boat because the male sea lion was not happy and trying to attack him. once the male sea lion was back in the water we had to hurry on shore in case he came back. Once onshore there were a ton of sea lions. Many babies and even sea lion afterbirth material. So when I say baby sea lions, I mean baby sea lions. we also saw mating and nesting blue-footed boobies. We again learned lots of interesting information.
Once back on board it was Heidi´s 60th birthday and we had cake. She was on land all day because the fiance was not doing well. they actually stayed on San Cristobal for the rest of the trip. I have a lot of funny stories about the people on the boat, so if you want to know, just send me an email.
After dinner monica and Juan Carlos started a dance party. Surprisingly I was very reserved because it was real dancing. Not "Margaret style dancing". I had so much fun sitting and watching. i eventually joined in but I was really having fun watching. it was so funny because Monica and juan Carlos did an interpretation of the Blue-footed Booby mating dance. It was again a good day!
01/29/08
Cruise Day 4
We had an early wake up call today. We had to get up at 6:00 to go to Black turtle Cove so we could see sea turtles, pelicans, rays, frigate birds and sharks. There wa even a blue heron. we went out in the pangas and toured the cove. Saw many turtles mating and rays swimming along. even a bunch of sharks. Jose, one of the panga drivers, knowing my fear told me to look in the water. I eaned over and he pushed me. i didn´t go in but it wasn´t funny. Especially since that morning I had seen a bunch of sharks circling our big boat.
we went back to the boat and had breakfast and said our goodbyes to our new friends, Charlotta, Carlos, jean Carlos (from Guayaquil) their friends Tealy and henny (from Holland) and Oscar and his dad Gert (from Germany). It was sad to see everyone go. We also said goodby to Fabrizio. (Apparently was an unprofessional and unethical guide who got demoted to another boat.) If you want to hear more of the detals and "Chisme" or "gossip" let me know.
We then had lunch and had time to lay around the boat. I fell asleep in the sun and got a little burnt. I got ready to go snorkeling in the afternoon but decided not to. i had sen my fair share of sharks today. So i hung out in the panga with Pablo, the other driver. The water was merky and I was told that i didn´t miss much. it was funny because Pablo pushed Sarah in. That was amuzing at least. Especially because once we got back to the boat and were coming down stairs, her pants fell down and she mooned me. partly because we hadn´t done laundry in forever and everything was hanging off of us, but none the less having Pablo push her in was a sweet revenge.
When we got back to the boat I fell asleep in the sun again. i woke up to meet our new guide Antonia who was absolutely FANTASTIC! I could tell that he truely loves his job and cares anout what he does. I learned so much from the 4 days with him. After Antonio came on board, he walked into Monica and Juan Carlos singing tango and opera to us, the new people came. one group was a family from Switzerland, the father, mother Heidi, Son Silvan, son Stephan, stephan´s fiance, and daughter Martina. Then a couple of friends Marylin who is English but from Canafda and her friend Hiya from Israel(?). We never saw the fiance because she had been sick and was still getting sick all night.
In the afternoon we went to Plazas Island where there were a ton of frigate birds and iguanas. Then there were hundreds of sea lions. The surrounding land was a beautiful red color. I was so close to all of the animals it was really hard not to touch them. But I didn´t. Antonio taught us so much about the land and the animals it was unreal. I am so thankful to have Antonio as our guide.
After dinner the 8 original guests discussed the gossip that is going on with our old guide and all got on the same page. I had a headache before dinner and it continued. I figured it was from too much sun and not enough water. I also think it got worst smelling the smoke from the cigarettes that people were smoking. The boat startred moving and it didn´t help the situation. All of the new guests were sick in their rooms and we decided to go and help Jose drive the boat. we were up there for a while chatting away and then I really had to go to bed because I didn´t feel well.
Well I went and laid down and Sarah was brushing her teeth. All of a sudden i burst into the bathroom and threw up about 4 times. It was a bad combination of thing in the day. but then I fell asleep really easily and felt fine.
01/28/08
we went back to the boat and had breakfast and said our goodbyes to our new friends, Charlotta, Carlos, jean Carlos (from Guayaquil) their friends Tealy and henny (from Holland) and Oscar and his dad Gert (from Germany). It was sad to see everyone go. We also said goodby to Fabrizio. (Apparently was an unprofessional and unethical guide who got demoted to another boat.) If you want to hear more of the detals and "Chisme" or "gossip" let me know.
We then had lunch and had time to lay around the boat. I fell asleep in the sun and got a little burnt. I got ready to go snorkeling in the afternoon but decided not to. i had sen my fair share of sharks today. So i hung out in the panga with Pablo, the other driver. The water was merky and I was told that i didn´t miss much. it was funny because Pablo pushed Sarah in. That was amuzing at least. Especially because once we got back to the boat and were coming down stairs, her pants fell down and she mooned me. partly because we hadn´t done laundry in forever and everything was hanging off of us, but none the less having Pablo push her in was a sweet revenge.
When we got back to the boat I fell asleep in the sun again. i woke up to meet our new guide Antonia who was absolutely FANTASTIC! I could tell that he truely loves his job and cares anout what he does. I learned so much from the 4 days with him. After Antonio came on board, he walked into Monica and Juan Carlos singing tango and opera to us, the new people came. one group was a family from Switzerland, the father, mother Heidi, Son Silvan, son Stephan, stephan´s fiance, and daughter Martina. Then a couple of friends Marylin who is English but from Canafda and her friend Hiya from Israel(?). We never saw the fiance because she had been sick and was still getting sick all night.
In the afternoon we went to Plazas Island where there were a ton of frigate birds and iguanas. Then there were hundreds of sea lions. The surrounding land was a beautiful red color. I was so close to all of the animals it was really hard not to touch them. But I didn´t. Antonio taught us so much about the land and the animals it was unreal. I am so thankful to have Antonio as our guide.
After dinner the 8 original guests discussed the gossip that is going on with our old guide and all got on the same page. I had a headache before dinner and it continued. I figured it was from too much sun and not enough water. I also think it got worst smelling the smoke from the cigarettes that people were smoking. The boat startred moving and it didn´t help the situation. All of the new guests were sick in their rooms and we decided to go and help Jose drive the boat. we were up there for a while chatting away and then I really had to go to bed because I didn´t feel well.
Well I went and laid down and Sarah was brushing her teeth. All of a sudden i burst into the bathroom and threw up about 4 times. It was a bad combination of thing in the day. but then I fell asleep really easily and felt fine.
01/28/08
Cruise Day 3
In the morning it was the same routine. Our morning hike was to Bartolome Island, which was a huge lava flow. It was really rocky and unsteady which made the hike a little more tricky. it was really interesting, but you had to watch where you stepped because some of the rocks that you thought were solid and steady, were not.
On the morning snorkeling tour I felt pretty good, there was nothing scary seemed to be happening. We were snorkeling from the panga again, which is not my favorite, because if there is something scary, you can´t escape, unlike if you were snorkeling fromt he beach where you can always book it to shore. Well I am doing my thing looking at the pretty fish and creatures when somebody yelled shark! I think to myself screw this (more explicit terms were used) and turned around to get back on the boat. When i turned around, everyone and their grandma were swimming toward me...INCLUDING THE SHARK! Freaked me out! It was about a 6 foot white or silver tipped reef shark. i could tell because I was that close. however i lived with no bites but a near heart attack.
We went back to the boat for lunch and then went and walked up a giant crater. with a great view. This was on Santiago Island. i had to literally step over sleeping sea lions to make it to the trail. that was pretty cool. it was very prety, but a long way up. Many and many stairs to the top. When we came down, the sea lions or lobos as they are called here were still unwilling to move, so once again we had to step over them. The we were off to the beach on Santiago to snorkel.
Snorkeling again, I was not sure if I was ready to get back in after the experience this morning, but i decided to try. I was on the beach and could get away if I needed to. I took my underwater camera with us this time. It was so worth going back into the water. We were snorkeling with penguins and a sea lion and a marine iguana. It was so much fun! Some of the penguins were busy mating, but the others were playing with us in the water. The sea lion was so much fun. He would swim straight at your mask and then right when he would crush into you, he would turn. She did circles and was extremely playful. i hope the pictures come out. I also missed my real camera pictures of the penguins because I didn´t take it out in the panga because I was affraid it would get wet. So I really hope the underwater pictures come out.
When we got back on board we had dinner and chatted some more. Then jean Carlos came running through the cabin screaming dolphins. We followed him outside and a pod of dolphins were lining the boat. it was amazing. they were so close i thought we might run over them but they would speed up and splash in front of the boat everytime. i wanted to go and get my camera, but I was sointo them and didn´t want to miss anything. I am hoping that someone will give me copies of their pictures because it was so amazing. We also had a farewell cocktail that night for the people who were on the 4 day cruise and our guide. Lots of gossip came out of that tomorrow night. This was another spectacular day!
01/27/08
On the morning snorkeling tour I felt pretty good, there was nothing scary seemed to be happening. We were snorkeling from the panga again, which is not my favorite, because if there is something scary, you can´t escape, unlike if you were snorkeling fromt he beach where you can always book it to shore. Well I am doing my thing looking at the pretty fish and creatures when somebody yelled shark! I think to myself screw this (more explicit terms were used) and turned around to get back on the boat. When i turned around, everyone and their grandma were swimming toward me...INCLUDING THE SHARK! Freaked me out! It was about a 6 foot white or silver tipped reef shark. i could tell because I was that close. however i lived with no bites but a near heart attack.
We went back to the boat for lunch and then went and walked up a giant crater. with a great view. This was on Santiago Island. i had to literally step over sleeping sea lions to make it to the trail. that was pretty cool. it was very prety, but a long way up. Many and many stairs to the top. When we came down, the sea lions or lobos as they are called here were still unwilling to move, so once again we had to step over them. The we were off to the beach on Santiago to snorkel.
Snorkeling again, I was not sure if I was ready to get back in after the experience this morning, but i decided to try. I was on the beach and could get away if I needed to. I took my underwater camera with us this time. It was so worth going back into the water. We were snorkeling with penguins and a sea lion and a marine iguana. It was so much fun! Some of the penguins were busy mating, but the others were playing with us in the water. The sea lion was so much fun. He would swim straight at your mask and then right when he would crush into you, he would turn. She did circles and was extremely playful. i hope the pictures come out. I also missed my real camera pictures of the penguins because I didn´t take it out in the panga because I was affraid it would get wet. So I really hope the underwater pictures come out.
When we got back on board we had dinner and chatted some more. Then jean Carlos came running through the cabin screaming dolphins. We followed him outside and a pod of dolphins were lining the boat. it was amazing. they were so close i thought we might run over them but they would speed up and splash in front of the boat everytime. i wanted to go and get my camera, but I was sointo them and didn´t want to miss anything. I am hoping that someone will give me copies of their pictures because it was so amazing. We also had a farewell cocktail that night for the people who were on the 4 day cruise and our guide. Lots of gossip came out of that tomorrow night. This was another spectacular day!
01/27/08
Cruise Day 2
After being awaken many times by fairly intense rocking in the middle of the night, and getting very little sleep we were awaken by our morning breakfast bell. The usual routine on the boat was a wake-up call around 7 (every "call" was the ringing of a bell. Summer camp for grown ups) We missed the wake-up call but heard the breakfast call at 7:30. Around 8:30 or 9:00 we leave in our little pang boats and go on our morning hike. By 10:45 - 11:00 we are back on the boat and getting ready to go on our morning snorkeling adventure. Then by 12:00 or 1:00 we are back from snorkeling and have lunch. Then around 2:45 we go out for an afternoon snorkeling trip (never in the same place) and are back on board by 3:30 - 4:00 for our afternoon hike. By the time we get back from the afternoon hike it is almost 6:00 and dinner is getting ready. We eat and then sit around and chat until we decide its time to go to bed and start all over again. It seemed as if we were always busy.
So thats the usual schedule. Today however, we woke up late, had brakfast and went on a hike to North Seymour Island. We walked all over the island and saw a bunch of animals. We saw marine and land iguanas, frigate birds, sea lions and blue-footed boobies. It was so much fun! Especially because many of the birds were nesting and we could seem the mating dance of the boobies(HILARIOUS) abd some eggs and even little chicks. I think we have some good pictures. I learned a lot about the animals and the land. (Very exciting stuff for a life science buff!!!) I could not believe how close we could get to some of the animals. It was so incredibly hard not to touch them! I love to touch them! But I managed not to.
Next was our snorkeling adventure. I hate sharks. Super scared of sharks and was really debating not going. However, I was peer-pressured into it and the crew made fun of me saying that Galapagos sharks are all vegetarian. So i gave in and got all my equipment. My mask and snorkel, flippers and wet-suit. I look pretty good in all that equipment. It was great visibility and we saw tons of different colored fish, starfish and little sea creatures. No shark sightings so it was a good day. We snorkeled from the panga (our little boat) I was affraid that if I got out and in the water, I wouldn´t be able to climb my big butt back into the boat, however, I was able to manage, it didn't look pretty.
We went back on board and had lunch, then a had a little down time and went on a hike to Las Bachas. We saw a whopping one flamingo and then went snorkeling from the beach. I was not a big fan of this snorkeling trip because the water was merky and you couldn't see much. I don`t like not seeing what`s in front of me and decided that I would get out. There was also a really strong current and it just didn`t feel right. Once we got back to our hboat and got showered the crew was having fun and jumping off the boat. They tried to get me to jump off the boat. First, I had just gotten all of the salt water off of me and had no desire to take another shower. Second, I am not jumping off a 5 story boat into the middle of the ocean. They got Carlos and Jean Carlos to jump off the 4th story, I watched.
Then at dinner we talked for hours and sat around. it was a lot of fun. I could call it a great day.
01/26/08
So thats the usual schedule. Today however, we woke up late, had brakfast and went on a hike to North Seymour Island. We walked all over the island and saw a bunch of animals. We saw marine and land iguanas, frigate birds, sea lions and blue-footed boobies. It was so much fun! Especially because many of the birds were nesting and we could seem the mating dance of the boobies(HILARIOUS) abd some eggs and even little chicks. I think we have some good pictures. I learned a lot about the animals and the land. (Very exciting stuff for a life science buff!!!) I could not believe how close we could get to some of the animals. It was so incredibly hard not to touch them! I love to touch them! But I managed not to.
Next was our snorkeling adventure. I hate sharks. Super scared of sharks and was really debating not going. However, I was peer-pressured into it and the crew made fun of me saying that Galapagos sharks are all vegetarian. So i gave in and got all my equipment. My mask and snorkel, flippers and wet-suit. I look pretty good in all that equipment. It was great visibility and we saw tons of different colored fish, starfish and little sea creatures. No shark sightings so it was a good day. We snorkeled from the panga (our little boat) I was affraid that if I got out and in the water, I wouldn´t be able to climb my big butt back into the boat, however, I was able to manage, it didn't look pretty.
We went back on board and had lunch, then a had a little down time and went on a hike to Las Bachas. We saw a whopping one flamingo and then went snorkeling from the beach. I was not a big fan of this snorkeling trip because the water was merky and you couldn't see much. I don`t like not seeing what`s in front of me and decided that I would get out. There was also a really strong current and it just didn`t feel right. Once we got back to our hboat and got showered the crew was having fun and jumping off the boat. They tried to get me to jump off the boat. First, I had just gotten all of the salt water off of me and had no desire to take another shower. Second, I am not jumping off a 5 story boat into the middle of the ocean. They got Carlos and Jean Carlos to jump off the 4th story, I watched.
Then at dinner we talked for hours and sat around. it was a lot of fun. I could call it a great day.
01/26/08
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Cruise Day 1
It´s official! We are going to the Galapagos on an 8 day cruise. We packed our bags in Guayaquil andwent to the airport to get on our plane to the land of giant tortises. Once we got on the plane, we were stunned because somehow we ended up in first class. I will not complain about that mistake. We arrive at the galapagos airport and have to be sanitized by the crew to make sure we aren´t bringing any foreign germs into their islands. We are off the plane, grab our luggage and are shuffled into a bus to take us to a ferry. The airport is on Baltra Island and we needed to take a ferry to Santa Cruz Island. Once we get off the ferry another bus, just for our boat, Queen of Galapagos! That´s right a luxury catameran that has 5 stories, 10 crew members (cabin boys), the captain, a natualist 3 guide, and 16 guests. It was a great boat.
Once we get onboard and have our room assignments we get shuttled back to land, Port Ayora and take a bus to the high lands to visit the giant turtles. That was so amazing. They are so big! I knew they were big but I could scrunch up into their shell. We walked around and could go right next to them. We could hear them breath. Sometimes they growled when people would get too close and they didn´t like it. It was such a peaceful area filled with flowers, green grass and tress all around. There were even ponds for them to go swimming if they needed.
(Sidenote to those who understand...if you don´t understand send me an email) The day before I left to the Galapagos, I was terrified about snorkeling with sharks. I sent Micaela a message on myspace asking for encouragement and strength. I told her that I hoped to see her there, since be both had longed to go and visit the animals we both cherrished. As soon as I got out of the bus to walk into the field, butterflies appeared and circled me, then followed me on the walk through the turtles. It was an amazing experience. Later, before every snorkeling trip we had, a butterfly flew by the boat. She was looking out for me, letting me know it would be okay. The rest of my adventures on the island were butterfly free, only whne I first got there and before every snorkeling excursion.
Once we were done visiting the giant turtles we went into town and were allowed to go shopping for an hour or so. I love shopping, but only bought postcards, which I have yet to send, sorry guys. It was nice to look at the city and slowely get used to the surroundings.
After shopping we got back on board an had a welcome coacktail, where the crew were dressed up in their cute little white uniforms. We had our drink (good and strong...the bartender was very genorous) and then had dinner and got to know everyone on board. It was such a mix of people, but we had so much fun!
There was a family from Guayaquil, Carlotta, carlos and their son Jean Carlos. Theyown a giant bakery in Guayaquil. Carlotta and Jean Carlos were able to speak English, which was nice for us. They had two friends, Henny and Tealy from Holland, who were bakers and have since retired and go around and help struggling bakeries. They came out for a visit and went on the cruise with their long time friends. Next was this woman, Perla, who was traveling by herself. she seemed to have traveled all over by herself and has done very well. She was much older and had a lot of spunk. She only spoke spanish but was determined to talk to us! Then a father and son team from Germany. gert is a retired doctor and speaks very little English but had good knowledge about beer. His Son Oscar spoke German, English and Spanish. He was very helpful at times. These people were only on the cruise for 4 days.
The rest of the 8 day members were Monica and John Carlos from Argentina. The are learning English, and are quite good. They tried to teach us some Spanish, but we weren´t that good of students. these two are spitfires and full of energy, as you will hear later. They had been traveling with another couple from Argentina, Anna and Noberto. Anna doesn´t speak English but is desperately trying. Noberto had been holding back and knows more English than what he had lead us to blieve. Then a couple from Australia, John and Lavina. We had many great nights of conversations and laughs with them. This was such a fun group of people! We had a blast.
So how the boat worked, is we would travel at night (most of the time) and in the morning we would wake up, have breakfast, go on a hike to see plants and animals, come back to the boat and go snorkeling, come back to the boat and have lunch. After lunch we would have a longer hike with more plants and animals and then an afternoon snorkeling trip. come back to the boat and have dinner and chit chat for the rest of the night. Get up and do it again the next day.
The first night, we were awaken by the boat rocking. It was pretty bad but we all lived and had to get used to the motion of the boat. We were able to get back to sleep and embrace the rocking. It was a great first day and introduction to these unbelieveable islands.
01/25/08
Once we get onboard and have our room assignments we get shuttled back to land, Port Ayora and take a bus to the high lands to visit the giant turtles. That was so amazing. They are so big! I knew they were big but I could scrunch up into their shell. We walked around and could go right next to them. We could hear them breath. Sometimes they growled when people would get too close and they didn´t like it. It was such a peaceful area filled with flowers, green grass and tress all around. There were even ponds for them to go swimming if they needed.
(Sidenote to those who understand...if you don´t understand send me an email) The day before I left to the Galapagos, I was terrified about snorkeling with sharks. I sent Micaela a message on myspace asking for encouragement and strength. I told her that I hoped to see her there, since be both had longed to go and visit the animals we both cherrished. As soon as I got out of the bus to walk into the field, butterflies appeared and circled me, then followed me on the walk through the turtles. It was an amazing experience. Later, before every snorkeling trip we had, a butterfly flew by the boat. She was looking out for me, letting me know it would be okay. The rest of my adventures on the island were butterfly free, only whne I first got there and before every snorkeling excursion.
Once we were done visiting the giant turtles we went into town and were allowed to go shopping for an hour or so. I love shopping, but only bought postcards, which I have yet to send, sorry guys. It was nice to look at the city and slowely get used to the surroundings.
After shopping we got back on board an had a welcome coacktail, where the crew were dressed up in their cute little white uniforms. We had our drink (good and strong...the bartender was very genorous) and then had dinner and got to know everyone on board. It was such a mix of people, but we had so much fun!
There was a family from Guayaquil, Carlotta, carlos and their son Jean Carlos. Theyown a giant bakery in Guayaquil. Carlotta and Jean Carlos were able to speak English, which was nice for us. They had two friends, Henny and Tealy from Holland, who were bakers and have since retired and go around and help struggling bakeries. They came out for a visit and went on the cruise with their long time friends. Next was this woman, Perla, who was traveling by herself. she seemed to have traveled all over by herself and has done very well. She was much older and had a lot of spunk. She only spoke spanish but was determined to talk to us! Then a father and son team from Germany. gert is a retired doctor and speaks very little English but had good knowledge about beer. His Son Oscar spoke German, English and Spanish. He was very helpful at times. These people were only on the cruise for 4 days.
The rest of the 8 day members were Monica and John Carlos from Argentina. The are learning English, and are quite good. They tried to teach us some Spanish, but we weren´t that good of students. these two are spitfires and full of energy, as you will hear later. They had been traveling with another couple from Argentina, Anna and Noberto. Anna doesn´t speak English but is desperately trying. Noberto had been holding back and knows more English than what he had lead us to blieve. Then a couple from Australia, John and Lavina. We had many great nights of conversations and laughs with them. This was such a fun group of people! We had a blast.
So how the boat worked, is we would travel at night (most of the time) and in the morning we would wake up, have breakfast, go on a hike to see plants and animals, come back to the boat and go snorkeling, come back to the boat and have lunch. After lunch we would have a longer hike with more plants and animals and then an afternoon snorkeling trip. come back to the boat and have dinner and chit chat for the rest of the night. Get up and do it again the next day.
The first night, we were awaken by the boat rocking. It was pretty bad but we all lived and had to get used to the motion of the boat. We were able to get back to sleep and embrace the rocking. It was a great first day and introduction to these unbelieveable islands.
01/25/08
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