Over the last couple of days we´ve taken in many of Quito´s attractions. Yesterday we took a series of local buses out to the Equator Park, El Mitad del Mundo. Aboard the bus were mothers nursing babies, women with pails of mangos, a guy trying to hawk embroidery thread, and an endless supply of guys selling little packets of potato chips. The park was a bit empty in that it was a weekday, making it easy to take lots of clear photos of the monument. The monument itself houses an impressive exhibit featuring dioramas of the many tribal peoples of Ecuador. After looking through a well-designed exhibit on the history of man´s efforts to measure the earth (beginning with the Greeks and featuring lots of French scientists) and poking around many of the gift shops we headed back to our hotel in Mariscal district of Quito. Rather than another colorful busride, we shared a cab with a delightful couple from the Boston area that we´d met on the flight to the Galapagos.
Today I again attempted public transit, this time on a metro-bus over the the Grand Plaza. It´s an impressive set of government buildings, churches, exhibition halls and of course a well-appointed plaza. After surveying a heavily gold guilded church, I found my way into a photo-exhibit featuring winners of the world press association´s annual contest. It was an amazing display, some of my favorites were tourists (in bathing suits) attending to African refugees on an island off of Spain and the wedding photo of an American girl and her Iraqi war vet husband whose face was so mangled by injuries he barely looked human.
In the afternoon I hooked up with Andy for a visit to Quito´s Cultural Center which houses museums, a dance company, a library and a theater company. We spent several hours looking through a fabulous museum which looks at Ecuador´s social and artistic history, beginning with pre-columbian artifacts, onto the Spanish conquest (with all of its challenges) onto Simon Bolivar´s successful fight for independence and finally a selection of work from a variety of contemporary artists.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Galapagos Tortoises
Golden Land Iguana
These are a completely different species from the water iguanas that roost along the sea rocks.
Backlit Galapagos Cactus
Much of the island terrain is desert... These begin as plants and eventually grow into trees...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Galapagos Wind Down
Yesterday we visited the Charles Darwin center and took in yet another exhibit on the unique geology of the Galapagos. Then we met more tortoises that we being bred so as to "repatriate," the islands back to a time before colonists, pirates and an environmental movement. Afterwards we visited a huge lava flow-cave that took about 15 minutes to walk through. There were some parts that were so low that we had to crawl on our bellies. It was slippery, a bit unnerving and altogether amazine.
Later we wandered through a huge field that sported tortoises whose line had never gone extinct. Perhaps it was a confluence of living on an island with no natural water source (unlike Floreana and San Cristobal) which had discouraged the arrival of 16th century pirates and such. After lunch I took a 40 minute walk to a beach which sees very few tourists (due to the long walk). It had the whitest smoothest sand and perfect waves. I swam a bunch and then borrowed a friend's boogie board so as to seriously ride some of those delicious waves.
After a final dinner which featured a big hunk of tuna on a lava rock (which enabled one to cook it as little or as much as they desired), we had sea lion honking contests and called it a night. Today was largely dedicated to getting back to Quito. The trip involved a taxi to the edge of Santa Cruz Island, a short ferry to Baltra Island, a bus to the airport, a plane ride to Guayaquil, refueling the plane, another plane ride to Quito, a short bus ride to the terminal, and a van ride back to the hotel.
I can't believe that in a couple of days I'll be returning to winter rains and cold. I'm not ready.
Later we wandered through a huge field that sported tortoises whose line had never gone extinct. Perhaps it was a confluence of living on an island with no natural water source (unlike Floreana and San Cristobal) which had discouraged the arrival of 16th century pirates and such. After lunch I took a 40 minute walk to a beach which sees very few tourists (due to the long walk). It had the whitest smoothest sand and perfect waves. I swam a bunch and then borrowed a friend's boogie board so as to seriously ride some of those delicious waves.
After a final dinner which featured a big hunk of tuna on a lava rock (which enabled one to cook it as little or as much as they desired), we had sea lion honking contests and called it a night. Today was largely dedicated to getting back to Quito. The trip involved a taxi to the edge of Santa Cruz Island, a short ferry to Baltra Island, a bus to the airport, a plane ride to Guayaquil, refueling the plane, another plane ride to Quito, a short bus ride to the terminal, and a van ride back to the hotel.
I can't believe that in a couple of days I'll be returning to winter rains and cold. I'm not ready.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Santa Cruz Island (the tourist center)
Today we finished visiting laid back Isabel Island where the streets are covered with sand and the beach is just about empty. We took in more Iguanas and snorkeled amongst sea turtles and some of the most beautiful fish I´ve ever laid my eyes on.
After gathering together our things, we took one more long boat ride (about two hours) and landed on Santa Cruz Island, the center of Galapagos tourism. The streets are lined with curio shops, tour agencies, Internet Cafes, and non-stop restaurants. And the bay is filled with huge tour ships, each housing upwards of 100 people. Feels like a bit of culture shock compared to the slow-paced worlds of Isabel and Floreana Islands. The main good thing (as far as I´m concerned) is that there is broadband Internet, enabling me to easily load photos!
After gathering together our things, we took one more long boat ride (about two hours) and landed on Santa Cruz Island, the center of Galapagos tourism. The streets are lined with curio shops, tour agencies, Internet Cafes, and non-stop restaurants. And the bay is filled with huge tour ships, each housing upwards of 100 people. Feels like a bit of culture shock compared to the slow-paced worlds of Isabel and Floreana Islands. The main good thing (as far as I´m concerned) is that there is broadband Internet, enabling me to easily load photos!
Iguana Waiting for Action
The most important thing for male iguanas is to find a desireable spot to see and be seen. Once properly placed, the females appear!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Snorkeling
I have finally mastered snorkeling! The last time I´d tried (in Jamaica), my mask didn´t fit well and kept leaking water...and then I got horribly seasick from the rocking currents. This time our guide stuck with me until we found a properly fitting mask--one that would stay on steadily and not disrupt my contact lenses! With that in place I pushed through all of that anxiety of feeling like I was gasping for breath and allowed myself to just swallow gently and breathe through my mouth.
I dove off of our boat and onto an amazing site. Outcroppings of coral...the most gorgeous fish in the world (at least MY visual world)--gold, turquoise, black, bright orange, and then schools of sharks! And then sea tortoises....and finally the cutest sea lions--which seemed primed to play not just with each other, but with ME! No underwater camera...sorry. But believe me, it´s all true!
I dove off of our boat and onto an amazing site. Outcroppings of coral...the most gorgeous fish in the world (at least MY visual world)--gold, turquoise, black, bright orange, and then schools of sharks! And then sea tortoises....and finally the cutest sea lions--which seemed primed to play not just with each other, but with ME! No underwater camera...sorry. But believe me, it´s all true!
More Galapagos
I´ve been offline a couple of days because we´ve been on some pretty remote islands. We visited Floreana island that has a very small human population (around 100) and a very intriguing history. Several German families were drawn to the island in the early 1900s to live an ascetic life...then a baroness came with three lovers and plans to build a 5 star hotel. The German families vetoed her plans..and then the lovers got into disputes (having no possibility of cooperating on a project to please the baroness) and ultimately did each other in. Before then, the island was a hide-out for pirates who helped themselves to the huge tortoises (which provided oil and portable food for those long sea journeys).
These days there is a rather spartan hotel on the island (which we stayed at) and a tortoise reserve. It was the closest to a desert island paradise that I´ve ever seen. While I could imagine just sitting on the edge of the sea for weeks, writing up a storm and engaging in the sort of ascetic life those German families sought, we were scheduled to leave the next day for Isabella Island.
Isabella has about 2,500 human inhabitants and a gradually increasing population of tortoises. Five different subspecies are being bred so as to repopulate those that were destroyed by pirates and a maniacal farmer named Antonio Gil. So why repopulate the island with slow-growing tortoises? Obviously it´s not for their meat nor their fat nor their speed. Simply it´s for tourism. "Galapagos" means giant tortoise...and thus they must be restored! And all of those goats that have inhabitated tortoise niches are in the process of being eradicated. There is no such thing as a pristine ecological niche. All that they are doing here is re-creating a vision of one!
Today we rode horses and then hiked along the lava flows of several of the volcanoes that have formed this island. It´s the largest of the Galapagos Islands and amazingly diverse. This morning we were in a light rain storm up amongst the still-warm volcanoes...and then descending we passed through coffee plantations...and then finally back to the edge of the sea with beautiful beaches.
These days there is a rather spartan hotel on the island (which we stayed at) and a tortoise reserve. It was the closest to a desert island paradise that I´ve ever seen. While I could imagine just sitting on the edge of the sea for weeks, writing up a storm and engaging in the sort of ascetic life those German families sought, we were scheduled to leave the next day for Isabella Island.
Isabella has about 2,500 human inhabitants and a gradually increasing population of tortoises. Five different subspecies are being bred so as to repopulate those that were destroyed by pirates and a maniacal farmer named Antonio Gil. So why repopulate the island with slow-growing tortoises? Obviously it´s not for their meat nor their fat nor their speed. Simply it´s for tourism. "Galapagos" means giant tortoise...and thus they must be restored! And all of those goats that have inhabitated tortoise niches are in the process of being eradicated. There is no such thing as a pristine ecological niche. All that they are doing here is re-creating a vision of one!
Today we rode horses and then hiked along the lava flows of several of the volcanoes that have formed this island. It´s the largest of the Galapagos Islands and amazingly diverse. This morning we were in a light rain storm up amongst the still-warm volcanoes...and then descending we passed through coffee plantations...and then finally back to the edge of the sea with beautiful beaches.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Galapagos Sea Lions
Sea lions have free reign here, sleeping on park benches, stairways and hanging in large camps on the beaches.
Galapagos Launch
The evening before last I arrived in Quito to connect with my tour of the Galapagos Islands. Andy and I had searched the net for days and settled on a 10-day GAP tour that was land-based. Many tours are ship-based, meaning that one lives on board a ship during the time they spend on the islands. We wanted to get to know the islands more intimately (by sleeping on them). I was also anxious about being in a constant state of seasickness (before discovering the power of Bonine) and thought that a land-based tour would be more settling.
First impressions: I had this idea that the Galapagos Islands were (and always had been a pristine) national park. Hardly. They were the outposts of pirates and whalers in the 1500s who ruthlessly destroyed tortoises and such. When Darwin came to study adaptation (which led to his theory of Natural Selection) in mid-1800s, there were already settlements in place on several of the islands.
Arrival: We flew into Baltras which houses the primary airport on the island of Santa Cruz. That airport was absolutely filled with tourists who were either leaving after their week or so long stays or who were arriving. Tour guides thrust signs into the air to gather their groups. Tim, an athletic guy with sandy blonde hair from New Zealand met our group. After claiming our bags we were whisked into a bus for a quick ride over to a motor boat. We then took a nearly 3 hour ride bouncing through rough seas to get to San Cristobal Island. Despite having drugged myself up with Bonine, I suffered. I sat quietly closing my eyes, hoping that ride would end...
San Cristobal is home to many Spanish speaking Ecuadorians, many who were born on the island. There are ranches and farms as well as low-keyed tourist offerings like day-trips, a number of small hotels, and a bunch of cozy restaurants. The first afternoon we went bike riding
through groves of coffee, papayas, etc. Today we took the boat out and snorkled in two amazing coves. I could not believe my eyes! I frolicked amongst baby sea lions, swam amidst countless schools of fish, and got upclose and personal with sea tortoises and sharks. Later we visited a culture and nature interpretive center and then went over crunchy lava fields (all of the islands are volcanic).
Tomorrow we´re off to Floreana, a small island that sports a rich social history including a 19th c. woman who came here with her three lovers with the intention of growing rich through opening a successful hotel. Instead the lovers fought each other other jealousies, with several ultimately losing their lives.
We have a super-early morning wake-up call, so I´ll write more the next time I can get online.
First impressions: I had this idea that the Galapagos Islands were (and always had been a pristine) national park. Hardly. They were the outposts of pirates and whalers in the 1500s who ruthlessly destroyed tortoises and such. When Darwin came to study adaptation (which led to his theory of Natural Selection) in mid-1800s, there were already settlements in place on several of the islands.
Arrival: We flew into Baltras which houses the primary airport on the island of Santa Cruz. That airport was absolutely filled with tourists who were either leaving after their week or so long stays or who were arriving. Tour guides thrust signs into the air to gather their groups. Tim, an athletic guy with sandy blonde hair from New Zealand met our group. After claiming our bags we were whisked into a bus for a quick ride over to a motor boat. We then took a nearly 3 hour ride bouncing through rough seas to get to San Cristobal Island. Despite having drugged myself up with Bonine, I suffered. I sat quietly closing my eyes, hoping that ride would end...
San Cristobal is home to many Spanish speaking Ecuadorians, many who were born on the island. There are ranches and farms as well as low-keyed tourist offerings like day-trips, a number of small hotels, and a bunch of cozy restaurants. The first afternoon we went bike riding
through groves of coffee, papayas, etc. Today we took the boat out and snorkled in two amazing coves. I could not believe my eyes! I frolicked amongst baby sea lions, swam amidst countless schools of fish, and got upclose and personal with sea tortoises and sharks. Later we visited a culture and nature interpretive center and then went over crunchy lava fields (all of the islands are volcanic).
Tomorrow we´re off to Floreana, a small island that sports a rich social history including a 19th c. woman who came here with her three lovers with the intention of growing rich through opening a successful hotel. Instead the lovers fought each other other jealousies, with several ultimately losing their lives.
We have a super-early morning wake-up call, so I´ll write more the next time I can get online.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Butcher Counter with Canine Freeloader
Every meat department has a cadre of dogs looking for handouts!
Otavalo Markets and Such
I gave myself a couple of days to explore Otavalo which is a major indigenous stronghold. Quichua (not Quechua) speaking peoples live here...and the region is known for excellent crafts production. Master weavers and leather workers create exquisite work...and then there are the new age artists who work with "ecologically correct" materials like seeds and bark as opposed to plastics and glass.
The hotel I stayed in is run by an expat American who has called Ecuador home for the last 30 odd years. We chatted for awhile, noting all the American anthropologists we've both know. Then she launched into her astrological analysis of my personality...somewhat accurate, but hey we all believe what we want to!
While in town I wandered through a small anthropology museum at the university campus and then caught a cab up to a nicely designed condor park The park was designed by a Dutch NGO and fits beautifully into the hilltop landscape. After peering over the entire town, I proceeded to walk about 4 miles through Indian villages on my way back to town. That evening the hotel offered a special Quichwa concert featuring charangas (small guitars) and Andean flutes and drums. It was quite exquisite.
Then this morning I jerked myself awake at 6 am to check out the Saturday animal market. There two-week old calves, baby pigs, goats, chickens and sheep were offered for sale. It was a rather informal affair wherein buyers approached purveyors and/or purveyors shouted out their prices to all interested parties. Being a tourist with a camera, I was hit upon, too. Knowing I was unlikely to buy a goat or a pig, enterprising women with photos of themselves weaving, approached me to buy their beautifully woven scarves. And yes, I spent some money, too.
Afterwards I wandered through more of the Saturday markets--fruits and vegetables, housewares and then for the busloads of tourists: a sprawling crafts market. I bought things I'd never even realized I wanted, like a painting of an ancient Quichwa calendar on a lightly processed bark. With my daypack brimming with stuff, I decided I'd made my contribution to the artisans of Otavalo and packed up my púrchases. I caught a dollar taxi which took me to the bus terminal where I boarded a two dollar bus back to Quito. I sat in front with the bus driver, the fare collector and a young women. Between bites of sugar cane cubes (juicy and delicious), they decided to tell me about about the dating and mating practices of Ecuadorians. The guys would proclaim one thing while the young woman would laugh in their faces. Can't say I learned any take-home facts, but nonetheless we were all in stitches over each sex's claim over what the other one was like!
On the edge of Quito, I was dropped off at a spot where I caught a cab over to my hotel. Andy was already settled in (he{d arrived yesterday). After awhile we met with the 14 others (largely Europeans) who will be part of our Galapagos tour group. It promises to be a great tour. Tomorrow we catch a 7 am flight, leaving the hotel right before 6 am. I{m excited.
The hotel I stayed in is run by an expat American who has called Ecuador home for the last 30 odd years. We chatted for awhile, noting all the American anthropologists we've both know. Then she launched into her astrological analysis of my personality...somewhat accurate, but hey we all believe what we want to!
While in town I wandered through a small anthropology museum at the university campus and then caught a cab up to a nicely designed condor park The park was designed by a Dutch NGO and fits beautifully into the hilltop landscape. After peering over the entire town, I proceeded to walk about 4 miles through Indian villages on my way back to town. That evening the hotel offered a special Quichwa concert featuring charangas (small guitars) and Andean flutes and drums. It was quite exquisite.
Then this morning I jerked myself awake at 6 am to check out the Saturday animal market. There two-week old calves, baby pigs, goats, chickens and sheep were offered for sale. It was a rather informal affair wherein buyers approached purveyors and/or purveyors shouted out their prices to all interested parties. Being a tourist with a camera, I was hit upon, too. Knowing I was unlikely to buy a goat or a pig, enterprising women with photos of themselves weaving, approached me to buy their beautifully woven scarves. And yes, I spent some money, too.
Afterwards I wandered through more of the Saturday markets--fruits and vegetables, housewares and then for the busloads of tourists: a sprawling crafts market. I bought things I'd never even realized I wanted, like a painting of an ancient Quichwa calendar on a lightly processed bark. With my daypack brimming with stuff, I decided I'd made my contribution to the artisans of Otavalo and packed up my púrchases. I caught a dollar taxi which took me to the bus terminal where I boarded a two dollar bus back to Quito. I sat in front with the bus driver, the fare collector and a young women. Between bites of sugar cane cubes (juicy and delicious), they decided to tell me about about the dating and mating practices of Ecuadorians. The guys would proclaim one thing while the young woman would laugh in their faces. Can't say I learned any take-home facts, but nonetheless we were all in stitches over each sex's claim over what the other one was like!
On the edge of Quito, I was dropped off at a spot where I caught a cab over to my hotel. Andy was already settled in (he{d arrived yesterday). After awhile we met with the 14 others (largely Europeans) who will be part of our Galapagos tour group. It promises to be a great tour. Tomorrow we catch a 7 am flight, leaving the hotel right before 6 am. I{m excited.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Archaeological Remains Along the Inka Trail
The trapezoidal windows and doors prevented earthquake damage.
Inka Trail Campground
Each encampment had between 5 and 15 tents. The larger tents were for cooking and dining. The porters carried all of these plus cooking gear and food for everyone.
The Top of the Highest Pass of the Inka Trail
The guys featured here were my very enthusiastic guides!
Chicha Vendors Along Inka Trail
Chicha is a locally made corn beer--the pink version is quite sweet.
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