Ecuador: Part 1: Tena, Amazon Jungle, Baños

Our first night began in Quito with a brief meeting with our guide Giovanny. Some of us went out to dinner where within twenty minutes the power went out, again. We ate over candle light and headlights of a car. Power did not return until early the next morning. What a way to begin a trip!

The following morning we arrived by bus to Tena. After a few hours of roaming the streets we gathered for dinner at Chuquitos. After a drink and the rain clearing we gathered at a small stadium for the cultural celebration Napo Raymi. Numerous indigenous dances were performed by children and adults.

The next morning four of us; Bill, Troy, Tara and myself decided to delay our jungle excursion for a few hours to raft the Rio Jatunyacu. The river is a class 3, not as intense as I am used to but still entertaining. Since the water was a bit calmer we were able to play around a bit more. Our two safety guides let us take turns in the ducky to make it more challenging and give a new perspective to the river. After a fun filled day spent in the water we met up with the rest of the group and settled into our jungle lodges.

Before we set off for our hike Giovanny made sure all of us had our faces painted with natural pigment. Myself and four other travelers opted to hike the more challenging four hour route (roundtrip). The climb was challenging. Our local guide used his machete to cut a narrow pathway through the jungle. Hot and exhausted, finally arriving at our destination, a swim along a waterfall was welcome relief.


During our descent it began to pour. Samuel cut down large leaves to use as a natural umbrella. A large bowl of soup awaited us upon our return. Later that afternoon we were shown how they make local drinks, string from surrounding trees and crafts- all natural and organic. We also took turns with a blow dart, a bunch of bananas being our target.


At night we were treated to a performance of traditional Quichua dance and song. After the children and adults performed all of us were invited to dance as well. I showed numerous photos of my travels to the family. Everyone, kids and parents alike were enthralled with my camera. A few kids had taken photos of a soccer game we played earlier that day and were really excited to see images of themselves.
Sadly, the next morning we had to leave for Baños. I absolutley loved the community visit, could have stayed longer. If I ever make a return visit to Ecuador this would be a priority.

A ride on the back of a truck and a bus ride brought us to the small town of Baños. Here we saw three waterfalls. For one fall we had to take a cable car across a wide ravine to gain a closer view. Another fall included a short hike and crossing a swing bridge. Upon our return to Baños I toured the town for a couple of hours before my spa appointment. For $35 I spent an hour trapped in a steam box and received an hour facial and body massage. Absolute heaven! A great reward to myself for all the hiking Ive done.


The relaxation didn´t last too long. The next morning JiaMin, Daniela and I went on another hike. About 30 minutes into our journey we had a spectacular view of the town. We continued our trek in hopes of a glimpse of Tunguraha Volcano. Somehow we must have taken a wrong turn, or maybe it was just the cloud cover- we did not see the volcano. Still a great morning exercise and an opportunity for some great photos.

Galapagos: Part 2: I´ve evolved. Have you?

North Seymour- Day 5. During our walk we saw a few frigate birds displaying their red gular pouch. Unfortunatley I wasn´t able to get close enough to photograph them well enough. But their mating ritual is something to discuss. The males expand the red gular pouch (takes about 20 minutes), and perch utop a bush with wings fully extending and flapping furiuosly hoping to intice females. Blue footed boobies did

 appear again as well as sea

 lions, marine and land iguanas.

Fifteen passengers left this day so I was left alone on the yacht (with the crew) to wait for the next arrivals. I became La Reina del Pelikano (the queen of the Pelican). But fear not! There were sharks circling the boat that provided some entertainment. They made their appearance shortly after the guide told me I could go swimming if I wanted to. No thanks after seeing 3 sharks! I also enjoyed the peace and quiet, caught up on journal entires etc. At about noon 13 new passengers arrived.

After the new travelers settled in we went to Bachas Beach for a brief walk and snorkeling. On this beach there were remains of old posts from a pier the US used during construction of the Panama Canal. Some people joked that it could possibly be a future archeology dig for me.

The next morning we woke up to the view of Sombrero Chino near the island of Santiago. Our walk offered different view points of volcanic scenery. Once again sea lions, iguanas, lava lizards and crabs blanketed the shore and landscape.

After a mid morning snorkel we sailed to Bartolome for more volcanic scenery. We first began our visit with another snorkel expedition. This time we came across a reef shark and a large manta ray. A penguin quickly swam away from the group and ofcourse a few sea lions swam among us.

To prevent further destruction from the large amount of human traffic a wodden pathway was built on the island. I guess someone took the liberty of counting the steps to the top of the mopuntain; 350. I had been enjoying the variety of scenery, wildlife of the islands but nothing prepared me for the next landscape I was about to see.

I don´t think my photograph does justice to the magnificence of this view. Absoulutely breathtaking. I was told it is the most photographed/popular view the Galapagos has to offer. Any magazine, brochure, doucmentary is sure to include this very spot.

I´m not sure what could possibly top the view but seeing the Galapagos penguins was my favorite second part to day 6. They are the second smallest penguins found in the world and are also becoming rare. Increasing heat, hurricanes and El Niño have all desimated the population, leaving only 800 pairs left.

At James Bay we walked along a black volcanic beach. Here we saw numerous finches, doves and mockingbirds. There was a large marine iguana colony and the males were dutifully protecting their respective ¨harems¨. Some scurring around and spitting occured but none of the males iguanas got into a dual. A natural swimming pool had sea lions and a sea turtle playing around. A few dolphins were also seen swimming off in the distance.

Sailing on to Rabida Island. This is another volcanic beach with

a deep/rich red sand. A few shorts steps from the beach is a lagoon. Flamingos weren´t around this day but a few sea lions were cooling off in the water.

I opted out of the snorkel trip to spend more time on the beach admiring 

the view and searching for more wildlife. Birds fluttered about and lizards ran around. Several young sea lions were milking from thier mothers, watching the older ones play and some were resting. The final night sail was back to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz.

Early the next morning a tour of the Darwin Research Center was the final stop. Since 1964 this facility has been assisting The Galapagos National Park in the preservation of this environment. This also serves as the training center for all naturalist guides. Corrals house a few giant tortoises as well as young tortoises. At the age of 3 or so the young tortoises shell has hardened enough to be sent into the wild where, hopefully, they will spend the next 150 plus years.

The most famous of the Giant Galapagos Tortoises is Lonesome George. Years ago he was the only tortoises found on his home island. He shares his corral with two females who are the closest relation of his species. Many unsuccessful attempts have been made to produce offspring. Within the next few months the scientists will know whether the eggs that have been incubating will actually produce live young tortoises.

Any words I could find to describe this trip wouldn´t give it it´s proper justice. I am absolutely thrilled I took on this adventure. I don´t think you need to have studied Anthropology or even agree with the theory of evolution to appreciate The Galapagos. Just think:

Galapagos: A dream trip. Conquered!

On January 7th I arrived in Santa Cruz, one of the 13 main islands of the Galapagos. We quickly boarded our 72 foot yacht, the Pelikano. The 16 passengers consisted of travelers from Canada, England, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Ireland. Our first stop was a visit to the highlands to view the infamous giant tortoises in their natural environment. Mostly males live in the highlands and it is during the mating season that the females leave the lowlands to procreate.

Scattered about the lush green landscape they are something to see upclose! I was surprised by how easily they moved around. Some estimated ages ranged from 80- 120 plus years! It isn´t unheard of for some of the giant tortoises to live to 200 years. During the walk we also entered a lava tunnel. An owl was perched on a ledge ready to greet us. There were also numerous birds- finches, flying about.

We returned to the yacht for some sailing, a daily briefing, an introduction of the passengers to the crew and a welcome toast- a delicious piña coloda! The food served was always delicious. You couldn´t possibly go hungry with the large breakfasts, lunches and dinners with tasty desserts.


Day 2 was spent on Floreana Island. We landed on Cormorant Point, where numerouse sea lions were resting on the brown beach.There is a great mystery to this island. A baroness and her two lovers, a German doctor and his mistress, and a German couple with their young son all came to settle on this island. Disappearances and mysterious deaths occured, no one is quite sure what happened.


After a snorkel trip at Champion Rock, where we saw a variety of colorful fish, sting rays and more sea lions we took a trip to Post Office Bay, also on Floreana. A barrel was placed here in the late 18th- century by English whaling vessels to be used as a post office. Passing ships would stop to leave mail for loved ones, collecting at the same time any mail destined for for ports on their itineraries. Today the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off and pick up unstamped letters to be carried to other destintaions. There was one pre stamped envelope to someone in New Hampshire. I intend to mail it when I return to the states and add a little note.


On day 3 we had a dry landing at Suarez Point on Española Island. Wildlife here consists of red marine iquanas, sea lions, waved albatross, blue footed booby, masked bobby, doves and finches. We spent a good few hours walking around taking in the scenery and certainly a large quantity of photos. I often lagged behind the group to "snap away". Late in the morning we sailed to Gardner Bay, ate lunch, snorkeled off the dinghy and then had a beach landing.




We saw more sealions (they were found pretty much everywhere). Mockingbirds would often follow you around, showing no fear of people and they seemed to especially enjoy my water bottle.



Our night sail brought us to Santa Fe, day 4. This island is populated with the Prickly Pear Cactus. I highly enjoyed the contrast of the green cacti against the blue ocean along with the red and gray brush that is present on the island. Land Iguanas are also very popular to view. Lying around everywhere you definitely had to make sure you were looking at the ground, they would move quickly and upon taking one step back there would often be another one nearby.




After another delicous dinner we set to North Seymour. Come back to read about days 5-8 of my tour of The Galapagos!

Colombia: The trip that began it all!

This past June I spent 9 whirlwind days in  Colombia. My flight arrived late in the evening of June 19th. Somehow amid the chaotic rush of travelers I found my buddy Pablo and his cousin. After a long day of travel a delicious home cooked dinner of empanadas, a corn dish and flan awaited me. 

Our first stop the next day was Cerro de Monserrate. We (Pablo, two of his cousins and myself) took the funicular railway up the mountain, definitely an energy saver! The view of Bogota was spectacular. The church at the top of the mountain has become a mecca for pilgrims due to a statue of the Fallen Christ to which many miracles have been attributed. There were a few walls covered with plaques giving thanks for such miracles performed. After perusing the shops we took the cable car down the mountain to explore the city.

 

Plaza Bolivar was filled with vendors; food, clothing, trinkets, etc. The mayor's house is adajacent to the plaza and the President's house is only a few blocks away. Street performers lined the area and a group of young girls were performing a traditional dance.

We walked over to Iglesia de San Francisco, the oldest surviving church in Bogota. Viewing pre-Colombian pottery at an archeology museum was entertaining (at least for me).

We walked around a lot, stopping for a very large lunch and later in the day for some coffee. It was of great surprise to Pablo's relatives that I do not drink coffee. Blasphemy!

Pablo and his younger cousins showed me what Bogota has to offer for the night life. We went to two bars, the Bogota Beer Company and The Irish Pub-Bogota Colombia. I walked away with a pint glass from the beer company- a nice little souvenir! 

A day trip to Zipaquira to tour the salt mines was next on the agenda.  

Several different artistic depictions of Christ's suffering were carved in the salt. The big draw is the Salt Cathedral. Services are held at the underground church but weddings are not performed. The cathedral can accommodate 8400 people! A video presentaion showed just how expansive the salt mines are, several floors/layers of mining. 

I flew from Bogota to Cartagena to meet up with my friend Karmi. Shortly after arriving we boarded a bus to Taganga. Arriving later at night the only thing to do was to head over to Mojito Net, a small internet cafe with nightly live performances. Karmi, some of her friends and other talented travelers performed. The next day we spent a few hours sunning and swimming at Playa Grande. I did a little snorkeling but sadly there wasn't much to see. 

Karmi, a friend and myself took a taxi and motorcycles over to Minca. We spent the night playing cardsand drinking apple wine. Early the next day we went for a walk through the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta. Our walk led us to the Blue Pool, not sure where the name comes from, the watering hole was neither clear nor blue but it's chilled water was a welcome refreshment from the heat! After a cool down and a walk back into town we left Minca for Santa Marta to catch a bus to Tayrona National Park.

We arrived at the park after closing hours. However the ranger was kind, let us in and said as long as we hurried we could get to Arrecifes before nightfall. We prepared sandwhiches for dinner and later a group of travelers, Israelis and Americans, introduced us to Yanniv, an Israeli card game. 

The next morning we set out early to see the ruins of the the pre -Hispanic town of Pueblito. On our way we passed by other beaches, campsites and many travelers. The hiking trail consisted of large rocks/boulders. Some of the areas required a great amount of

balance,whether it was walking on some logs, jumping over some deep crevices or just avoiding any misstep and falling down! This was definitely not a hike for the weak or uncoordinated. (we also were wearing cheap sandals throughout the whole hike)

Pueblito was inhabitaed from about 200 AD-1600 AD. The numerous terraces served as foundations for the homes, ceremonial centers and other structures. Some descendants of the Tayrona people have reconstructed homes to replicate the originals. We ate lunch at the site and then began the arduous hike back down. We stopped for a swim at one of  the beaches before returning to our sleeping area. One of the beach bums talked to us for about 2 hours or so about the most random things. He provided a great deal of entertainment, trying to follow his train of thought was a workout! 

As Karmi and I were about to settle into our hammocks for the night, I noticed the beam was split. We slowly sat on our hammocks and heard more cracking. Luckily we were both standing when the piece of wood broke in half. I was surprised by how restful of a nights sleep you can actually get in a hammock. Although two nights of it seemed to be just enough for me. 

We left the park the next morning and returned to Tagana. Another stop at Mojito Net was in order and once again Karmi and some of her friends gave a performance. We also went to El Garaje, a bar and dance club. We met up with one of the travelers we met at Tayrona and other travelers that were at Mojito Net. It was a great last night in Colombia and we didn't return to our hostel until about 6-7 am. 

Later that morning we left for Cartagena so I could fly back to Bogota. All the travelers I met along the way really got me thinking that I better start traveling soon. So, by the time I arrived back in the states I had partially convinced myself that an extended period of time off would do me some good. I think it was only within a week that I was 100% sure this was what I wanted/needed to do. So shortly after the new year my first trip will be to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands! I'll do my best to post updates.

Florida: Sun, Palm Trees and Hockey?!

I spent a few days in Zephyrhills visiting my Godmother Lynne and her partner Bob. Our first stop was Silver Springs- "Nature's Theme Park". Here we saw numerous alligators; "tamed" and wild, birds, bears, panthers, cougars, giraffes, etc. To celebrate the holidays a festival of lights was on display. Walking around outside in a t-shirt, listening to Christmas music playing and viewing a winter wonderland felt a bit odd without the cold temperatures or snow.

A glass bottom boat took us around the springs. A diver squeezes her way into the narrow break and measures the depth every year, currently 80 feet. Our guide informed us that Numerous movies; Tarzan, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Rebel Without a Cause, Legend (to name a few) and television shows; Sea Quest, Crocodile Hunter were filmed here. After production of one movie ended three replicas of ancient greek statues were left behind at the bottom of the springs and have since been used for other projects.

I was last at the Dali Museum in 1990. I really enjoyed my visit then -

such sophistication for an 11 year old! (sometimes I think I have regressed) So I wanted to make a return visit after all these years and an increased appreciation for the artist. The museum was much smaller than I remembered. Numerous works were removed for a temporary exhibit on artist Wifredo Lam. Construction of a new, larger and hurricane proof museum is slated to begin sometime this month and should be opened early 2011. Guess that's cause for another visit!

Continuing with our classy afternoon, we went to the Florida Orange Groves Winery. You will not find a single grape in their selection of wines. This unique winery produces wines made from mangos, grapefruits, oranges, bananas, carrots, tomatoes, etc. We sampled many varieties(all for free) and purchased a few bottles. 

From art and wine to hockey! The Buffalo Sabres were visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lynne and Bob graciously allowed me to wear my jersey. I had thought I would be heckled by those pesky Lightning fans but to my surprise I was surrounded by Sabres fans! The whole arena was about 50/50 Lightning and Sabres. Nothing to worry about at all. 

The game was a close one. Buffalo would score then within a minute or two Tampa would answer back. After the 4th goal scored by the Sabres I figured it would only be a matter of time before the Lightning struck again. (such copycats, pun intended). However, Buffalo was able to hold them off and WIN! Needless to say I was thrilled with the outcome. Being a good sport I bought Lynne and Bob a round of drinks, they needed something to brighten their spirits and I wanted to make sure I had a ride home! We stopped by Trolleys where they have a post game call in show and raffle. I won a 25 dollar gift card to Starbucks and Lynne won 2 tickets to Universal Studios. A great end to a fun evening!

When I left Tampa the temperature was 74. In Albany I was greeted by a chilly 10 degrees! Ah, the northeast- Home Sweet Home!

Spain: Part 3: Madrid

A two hour Renfe train ride brought us to Madrid, the capital of Spain. Upon exiting our metro stop we came across this statue.

 The statue weighs about 20 tons and is the symbol of Madrid. Not sure what the significance is of a bear eating fruit off of a strawberry like tree, if anyone can offer any insight that would be greatly appreciated!

Madrid offered another NYC type vibe. Very crowded, loud, and our walk along the Gran Via was much like walking along Times Square. Ryan and I noticed some scantily clad "ladies"- "ladies of the evening" h

anging out in this area. 

(no, Ryan was not harassed. Nor did he make any propositions.) 

 

Onto a different topic~

Interested in art?

We went to three art museums while in Madrid. Museo Nacional del Prado, containing works by Goya, El Greco and Rembrandt, among others. Museo Thyssen- Bornemisza and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. Picasso's Guernica is on display at Reina Sofia. Guernica was a small village chosen for bombing practice by Hitler's army. The town was bombed for three hours and left 1600 civilians dead or severely wounded.  

The Palacio Real underwent construction from 1738 to 1755 after the previous royal palace was destroyed by fire. The current King and Queen do not reside in the palace. With 2800 rooms I hope their decision was not due to a lack of space! 

We continued to walk around the city. Ryan and I agreed a stop for Chocolate con Churros (thick hot chocolate with thin slices of fried dough) would be a nice treat. This "treat" had become a daily occurrence during our stay.

The Royal Palace: Day and Night

After a whirlwind two days in Madrid it was time to say goodbye to Spain. It was eerily quiet at 8 am when we left our hostel for the airport. Would I return?- YES! (but that is how I have felt about every country I have visited. So far.)