Day 15 - Friday - June 15, 2012

Today was to be our last full day in Ecuador and we were scheduled to take a tour to the equator. Luis was our guide for today and he picked us up at 10:00 am and we headed north.
Interestingly enough we found out that there are really two equator sites in Ecuador. The first is La Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world), which is the location calculated by the French in 1736 as the equatorial line and which is also the basis for the metric system. There is a huge monument here to mark the spot. About 2 miles east is a museum called Museo Solar Inti Nan which houses the true equator line as calculated by a GPS. In this museum there are exhibits such as seeing water drain clockwise in the south but counter clockwise in the north, balancing an egg on a nail head on the equator line and trying to walk a straight line on the equator while feeling the forces of the north and south converge on you. It was all quite interesting and informative and we enjoyed our visit here.
Upon leaving the museum, Luis took us to a nearby town that specializes in fritadas which is fried pork. So we stopped at this little hole in the wall family business that had a whole pig hanging in the back where they cut pieces of pork from it and then they deep fry it in this wok style pan out front. They serve it with two kinds of corn, plantains and potatoes and it was all very tasty. The three of us had a full lunch with soft drinks for a total of $8.30. I am still amazed as to how much food you can get in the local cafeteria style places for such little money.
After lunch, Luis dropped us off near our hotel and we walked up the street, got some ice cream and headed over to Plaza Grande. We sat and did some people watching for a while and man do I mean people watching. I am still amazed as to how many people there are in such a small area such as Quito, and why are they all walking around all day long? Don't they have to work? From about 6:00am to 6:00 pm the streets are bustling, then it settles down a bit only to start up again the next morning.
After a while we headed back to the hotel and finished packing and chilled out for the rest of the day. We had some sandwiches at the hotel for dinner and then off to bed early some we have to get up early for a long travel day tomorrow.

Day 14 - Thursday - June 14, 2012

Today we were scheduled for a day tour to Otavalo to go to the outdoor market that they have where the indigenous people all sell their hand made products. We were picked up at 8:00 am by Gabriel and started a long ride towards Otavalo. Along the way Gabriel told us of a lot of the history of Quito and the surrounding areas.
Our first stop was in Cayambe at a local family bakery where they make bizcochos which is a biscuit that is made only in this area of the country. The one family bakery that we visited had about 6 people around this huge pile of dough all making these biscuits. They make between 5,000 and 6,000 of these biscuits a day using authentic wood burning ovens which makes them unique to all the other bakeries selling bizcochos s they all use traditional ovens.
A little further down the road and we were looking out at a view point to the Cotacachi volcano. It was a bit cloudy today but that added a bit to the view that we witnessed.
The next stop was at the famous Otavalo market. Unfortunately is was not Saturday when the market is more lively with many more people as well as the animal market nearby, but still we enjoyed walking that market and seeing the wares that people had. I got to practice my haggling skills which I am not good at but Dave helped me to stand my ground a bit on some items and we scored a handbag, a couple of belts, a hand pained bowl and a really nice alpaca wool blanket. I was really happy with the purchases we made and the price I paid for things.
Next Gabriel took us to Peguche to see the waterfall called Cascades de Peguche. The area is a nice quiet area in which the local community has taken over the the upkeep of the park area and they have a nice camping area and have made a walkway to the waterfall. It is not a large waterfall but it is a nice place to visit and just chill for a little while.
Our next stop was at a local family's weaving shop. The lady showed us how they collect and comb the wool, then spin it into strings, collecting a ball of the string to use to weave. She then showed us how she colors the different threads. She takes water and then adds different items to make the colors such as some nuts are used to make brown, she used a plant to make the green and then she showed us how she used a bug that lives on the cactus plants. First if you just crush the bug and use the blood, you can make red, if you then put some citrus juice on that, it makes orange and lastly if you add baking soda to that, it makes a deep maroon color. They next showed us how they used the loams. There was an old traditional one that it used by men whereby they sit on the ground and wrap the loam around their back and then weave the pattern in front of them. One of the young guys sat at the more modern loam and he just worked so quickly and effortlessly, or at least it looked that way to us.
Lastly we went up Cotacachi and we walked through the main town to see their leather goods. Every other store was selling some type of leather and I wonder how anyone decides which store to buy from. We stopped in a couple of stores just to see the prices and they were more than what we would pay in the states but they may have been a bit better made as well. We didn't buy anything here but it was nice to see the local industry.
After this we made our way back to Quito and because of traffic it took a little longer but we made it back by 4:00 which was good because we could use a rest before dinner.
Tonight we went to Mea Culpa for dinner which is located in the Plaza Grande. It was set in a nice colonial setting overlooking the plaza. We started with an appetizer of shrimp, scallops and asparagus in an olive oil and cayenne pepper sauce and it was very good. The scallops were slightly overcooked but the flavor of it all was great. Dave had the tenderloin which was served with mushrooms in a port wine sauce and I had the chicken which was served in a champagne sauce which was a little sweet but still very good. We were going to attempt dessert but we were too full after our entrees so we had to pass.
We headed back to the hotel and even though it was a little later tonight, about 8:30, the streets were still busy and we walked back without a problem.
It was a long day and I was happy to be able to get some rest as tomorrow is our last full day in Ecuador.

Day 13 - Wednesday - June 13, 2012

Well we had a good night sleep and slept until 8:00 am and then showered and went for breakfast.
I hadn't really planned much for the day but since it looked to be a clear morning we decided to head up to the viewpoint at El Panecillo which is located on a hill overlooking Quito and is a statue of the winged Virgin. We got a taxi because it is quite a hike and I heard that it is not safe to walk. When we arrived at the top of the hill, the taxi driver offered to stay and wait for us. We paid $1.00 each to go into the base of the statue where we climbed up the base till the second floor where there were windows to view outward. There was a stairwell to go up to the first balcony but it looked small and steep and I was getting claustrophobic just looking up it so we didn't go any farther. The view from up there was amazing and we were both surprised as to how many houses there were within and near Quito. After a while we had the taxi driver drop us off at the Plaza Grande.
Walking the streets we were overwhelmed first of all by how many people there were around and second by the number of stores and how they were placed. It seems like the lower level of each building had store after store after store. The width of each store is not more than 10 feet and the depth may have been double that for some. The mixture of stores was so diverse as well. The would be a small store, next to a party store, next to a store selling underwear, next to a small cafeteria restaurant. It really does make your head spin.
Aside from all these streets filled with all these stores and all these people, there are of course the sites to see in the historic center of town.
We saw the Presidential Palace, and we toured the Cathedral Primada de Quito which was also in the same square. We walked up to the Basilica and also toured inside here as well. This cathedral was very large and there was a small mass going on at the time but they allow you to visit and not disrupt things so we walked around and admired mostly the stained glass and the view from the back of the church to the front made it seem almost endless.
We walked around a bit more trying to get our bearings and it was around lunch time so Dave saw one of the small cafeterias that was quite busy with locals so we decided to eat there. For $3.50 for the both us of us, we got a local Ecuadorian soup that had yucca, meat, corn and broth and a plate of fried chicken, rice and beans plus a glass of juice....really, it was $3.50!!!!!! For the both of us....
After this we walked around a bit and were sitting in the Plaza Grande when we spotted two of the kids that were on our Galapagos cruise. We called them over and talked for a while. They were trying to decide if they were going to go to Columbia first or just travel south through Peru. I envy them being so young being able to see so much but at least Dave and I are able to do some things.
We headed to the room for a little while to chill a bit before deciding what to do for dinner.
The receptionist at the hotel gave us recommendations so we will try one of those out tonight.
We headed out about 6:30 back to the Plaza Grande to the Palacio Arzobispol which houses a lot of shops and restaurants. We ate at Hasta la Vuelta, Senor where we had empanadas, and Dave had the grilled chicken and I had the shrimp in garlic sauce and everything was very good.
We left full and waddled our way back to the hotel. It was only about 7:30 and not too dark and there were still plenty of police around so we walked back to our hotel and made it without incident.
Another great day in the city.

Day 12 - Tuesday - June 12, 2012

Well, this morning was the last breakfast on board and while we ate, the crew collected our luggage and sent them off to shore for our trip to the airport. We were docked at the southern end of Santa Cruz and we had to make our way to Baltra at the northern end of the island which proved to be an adventure.
First we took a panga ride ashore then we hopped on a bus and we did one last quick walk in the highlands of Santa Cruz and then continued on the bus until we reached the water again and then we had to take a ferry in which all of our luggage was thrown on the top of the ferry. We only went a short distance and then we were off the ferry and onto another bus that finally brought us to the airport. We wandered through the small market that is outside of the airport and then eventually we had to check-in for our flight.
Finally we are on our way back to Quito for a few more days. We arrived in Quito earlier than scheduled and I didn't find a driver with our name waiting so I asked the lady at the taxi stand and she gladly said that she had a driver to take us but what I didn't realize until it was too late was that she was giving me a regular taxi and we had to pay for it and by the time I figured that out it was too late. So, we paid the guy and thought lesson learned. A while after we were checked in our travel agent called because our actual driver had gone to the airport and could not find us. I told her of our mishap and she apologized and said that she would send over a refund to us at our hotel which I thought to be very nice since it was our fault anyway.
Dave and I were pretty tired today so we just hung out at the hotel and had dinner here as well which was pretty good and at a decent price as well.
Finally we will be sleeping without any motion and without having to get up early.

Day 11 - Monday, June 11, 2012

The motion last night was quite rough but Dave and I fared pretty well with our patches and I only had one slightly queasy moment which passed fairly quickly.
The ship stopped moving by 3:00 am so people could get a few hours of sleep in if they didn't last night.
Today we visited the island of Floreana which is one of only four island that are inhabited. We were met by some sea lions on the dock and then by William who is a descendant of the Ritters who settled here back in the 1930's. We drove in a truck up to the highlands where we hiked for a little while to see some of the early settlements and some caves that were used by the pirates. We were also able to see some tortoises along the way and even witnessed one taking a bit of a stroll.
Next we headed up the side of one of the mountains to get a glimpse inside one of the collapsed volcanos as well as the volcanos behind it. The walk was nice but I stepped on a nest of fire ants which kept biting at my ankles. Dave helped me get rid of all of them and I had no residual side effects from it but man do they bite hard.
Then we traveled down to Fredo's farm and some of the descendants of the Ritters prepared us a great lunch of veggies, salad and both steak and chicken. They were very gracious to us and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit there. It was like being at a big family reunion and they all wanted to make sure that we had enough to eat.
Now it's time to get back on the boat and start the next leg of our journey to Santa Cruz.
This last journey was a little rough as well but it was during the day which seems to have made it easier. We arrived in Puerto Auyro  just before dinner and we had a sort of farewell cocktail reception with the entire crew since tomorrow will be a bit hectic as we have to disembark. The crew on board was very nice, attentive and helped us all a little with our Spanish.  I'll comment now about our naturalist guide for the week. Fausto was a very well educated person who knew plenty about the Galapagos as he had been a guide for 20 years but we felt that there were a few times that he bent the rules that he was supposed to enforce particularly those that dealt with distance to the animals. But overall we did not let it affect our experience and we saw some amazing things.
Tonight after our last dinner on board we took a panga ride into town for a walk around the port and to buy some souvenirs. Then we had to head back on board and get some packing done.

Day 10 - Sunday - June 10, 2012

This morning was our first real early morning as we got up at 5:30 so that we could take a panga  ride through the mangroves at Bahia Elizabeth on Isabela.  Somehow Dave and I were on different pangas  but they stayed pretty close together. We started off by getting close to a very small island where there were about 6 cormorants and one little sea lion sleeping on the rocks. The sun was coming up in front of us too and we got some good shots of it as it rose.
Next we went towards the mangroves and we saw some cow-nose rays in the water which we had never seen before. They have an orange color to them and a shape like the eagle ray. If you were quick enough, you got to see a couple of penguins here and there but they were fast and didn't stay on top of the water very much. The drivers shut off the panga  engines and paddled through so as not to disturb anything too much. We saw glimpses of turtles, sea lions and cormorants and overall was a nice peaceful ride.
We got back on board ship for breakfast and then the ship moved a little south and after a quick rest we were off to snorkel through some lava caves where we saw dozens of sea turtles swimming around along with some of the usual tropical fish. It is amazing that there is so much color in the fish yet the water is colder and there is hardly any coral at all in some spots. Lastly we saw a sea lion that was just done swimming hoisting himself up onto the rocks to take his nap.
Back to the ship and a bit of a rest until lunch.
Lunch today started with some fish cerviche which I enjoyed but Dave passed on due to the abundance of red onions. The main course was pork and it seemed almost as though they had roasted a whole pig. It was very tender and juicy.
A short rest and then a walk on Punta Moreno on Isabela. There wasn't much in terms of wildlife to see here. We hiked over big lava rocks and saw a couple of lagoons in which one there were some flamingos. Even though the hike was a little less than an hour it was extremely hot so when we got back to the ship Dave and I decided to skip the afternoon snorkel this time. Instead we hung on the top deck and had a couple of beers.
Once everyone was back from snorkeling the ship got underway to reach our next port which was to be Floreana. It was quite a long trip and the waves were quite large. Dinner was quite the experience in that most people were feeling a bit green and did not eat too much for dinner. Tonight everyone went to bed pretty early and strapped in for a bumpy ride.

Day 9 - Saturday - June 9, 2012

Last night was a very restful sleep. We were both feeling well and since the boat traveled earlier in the day, it was already anchored and the water was very calm for the night. So, we woke up refreshed and headed to breakfast which today features pancakes and everyone seemed to be pleased with that.
About 8:00 we head out for the first excursion which will take us to Punta Espinosa on Fernandina island. This was a dry landing into a path that ran through the mangrove trees. The highlight here was more marine iguanas but first we saw what looked like a little mouse in our path but Fausto says it was a Galapagos rat. As we hike through the mangroves we come upon a beach area that is loaded with marine iguanas. They are basking in the sun climbing on each other, laying on each other and spitting out salt through their noses, especially if you get too close.
They really were not amused or threatened by us so we got to walk pretty close up to them while still respecting their space.
Along our path we also saw the bones of what is thought to be a small whale. You could still see many characteristics of the creature from the bones that had been found.
We also saw the lava effects on this island which are formed into rope shapes along the ground.
Towards the end of our hike we saw two Galapagos Hawks that were in different trees and we could hear them calling to each other.
Lava cactus also grow here and it was strange to see that they need very little soil to set roots into. As we were looking at some of the cacti, we were near the edge of a small crack in the lava and we saw three racer snakes down in the little canyon. They look a lot like our garden snakes only bigger. Fausto claims that two of them were mating but I don't know you would tell. As we made our way back to our launch site we came across some sea lions hanging out. A couple were in the water and a mom and baby were on land and one had plopped himself down in a crevice in the lava.
After this we headed back to the boat, got our wetsuits on and went snorkeling. Here we saw some marine iguanas feeding on the seaweed at the bottom of the ocean. We also saw some unusual green sea urchins. I caught a couple of glimpses of a sea lion but he was very fast and didn't stick around long.
Back on the boat for lunch and then we moved down a little and across to Isabela  island again and stopped at Bahia Urbina where we saw the land iguanas which are much more colorful than the marine ones and we saw Galapagos tortoises as well. There were also a few other sights such as fairly large hermit crabs and some little yellow warblers.
All in all today was a good day and we got to see quite a bit of new things here.
Per usual dinner was good. Tonight was pieces of steak in a little bit of sauce which was just an a jus type sauce. There were mashed potatoes as well which went pretty fast.
Tonight Fausto  gave a presentation on the island of Floreana which we will be visiting on Monday. Apparently the first inhabitants were prisoners from the mainland that they sent out to the islands since there was no real way to get back to the mainland. Next came rich folks who tried to turn the prisoners into slaves but after a while the prisoners revolted and killed their masters. Ecuador had wanted to promote the islands and since Floreana had a fresh water source, they invited people to come and they would give them land for free. Some of the Europeans thought it would be a great life so they packed up and moved to Floreana. Once here some were trying to rule over the others and then they just disappeared one day and no one knew where they went. It seems like the island has quite a history of violence. And on that note, we are sent off to sleep.