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Ecuadorian Amazon & The Galapagos Islands

By : Sullivan Peraino
Trip Begins September 1, 2012
Trip Ends September 12, 2012

We headed back in time to the deceivingly desolate Galapagos Islands for a cruise through Santa Cruz, Genovesa, Santiago, and Bartolome Islands. We then then continued to the lush Amazon Basin, where we enjoyed four days exploring the forest floor and canopy surrounding Sacha Lodge.
See my photos : Ecuadorian Amazon and The Galapagos Islands

Want to go? Grand Odyssey: Northwestern Islands, Sacha Lodge

I went to: Ecuador, Quito, Casa Aliso, Galapagos, Bartolome, Santa Cruz Island, Fernandina, Isabela, Genovesa, Santiago, Rabida, San Cristobal, Lobos, Chinese Hat, Black Turtle Cove, Highlands, Dragon Hill, Charles Darwin Center, Amazon, Sacha Lodge, Chinese Hat, Darwin Bay, Pinnacle Rock, Coca
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September 1, 2012
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September 1 - At the Middle of the World

Casa Aliso, Quito

My current coordinates are 45'N, 79'24''W. I am barreling toward the equator at 538 miles per hour, bound for Quito, Ecuador.

Hooray! I made it on the plane this time - with eardrums intact. I am headed to Ecuador for 11 days. We arrive at 10PM and then board another plane in the morning to... begin drumrole... THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS! We are cruising for 5 days on the Grand Odyssey, a 16-passenger luxury yacht. On Friday, we then fly from Quito west to the Amazon Basin. My biodiversity level for the month of September is going to reach a record high. I am so excited!

We arrived at the Casa Aliso Hotel after midnight, and while the restaurants nearby were closed, the staff made us ham and cheese sandwiches and brought a bottle of Argentinean wine to our room. We felt welcome in Ecuador right away!

September 2, 2012
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September 2 - To the Galapagos!

Dragon Hill, Santa Cruz Island

Galapagos! I can say with absolute certainty that this is one of the most extraordinary experiences I have ever had in my life. We transferred to the ship from the open-air Baltra airport. Upon boarding we discovered that we were two of only 6 passengers, creating a crew:traveler ratio of nearly 2:1. We me our guide, Gustavo, and had a quick briefing on the ship's rules and the plan for the week. We then discovered that we were the only couple assigned to the upper deck. We ran up the two stairways to our cabin, #1, and found that we were upgraded to the Odyssey Suite! The cabin has a writing desk, a plush couch and a huge flat screen TV (not that we'll ever use it). The king size bed sits at the end of the cabin, with chocolate brown and tan accents matching the hardwood floors. We have 7 2.5'x 3.5' windows looking out onto the ocean and the basaltic Galapagos Islands, many of which appear out of the ocean like floating rocks. The rest of the yacht is just as impressive, although our small number does make the myriad lounges and enormous, polished wood tables seem eerily empty. The lower deck houses the engine room, the crew's quarters, the kitchen, and the spa. The main deck is an open-concept lounge and seating area, combined with the bar and 5 tables for meals. There is also a game area, with a flatscreen, Wii, and numerous board games.

A flight of steep stairs on the port side leads you to the upper deck, where you turn right to find a patio table and queen size sun lounge. Our cabin is starboard, just next to the bridge. Another narrow flight of stairs gets you to the 'planta alta' or 'solaria', or 'sun deck' if you choose to speak English. The planta alta provides half shade and half sun, with a jacuzzi at either end, a bar, and a dozen plush lounge chairs.

The food has been beautiful in presentation, and just as delicious as it looks. The flavors are different every day, from filet mignon to ginger marinated ahi tuna to crisp plantains in a wreath of spicy green peppers. The crew is incredible, and as most speak only Spanish, I am getting to practice quite a bit. Chavi is the bartender, and despite the dubious correlation he is also our closest friend on board.

After boarding the yacht in Baltra, on Santa Cruz Island, we motored around the island for 2 hours to Dragon Hill. The hill is a volcanic cone poking through the rusty basalt landscape, surrounded by deciduous Palo Santo bushes, which are grey and free of leaves at this time of year. Once anchored, we donned wetsuits and went out in the panga for snorkeling along the volcanic shoreline. Before we had even dropped out of the boat, our guide pointed toward the turquoise shallows and yelled, ''Look! A turtle!'' Upon hopping in, the second my mask dipped below the surface I knew it was going to be incredible. Parrot Fish, Needle Fish, brightly colored blues, greens, oranges and violets flashed all around me. As I was following a large Sergeant Major, a huge green and brown mass appeared from the silty shadows. I swam toward it and just as I thought it was lost, a Green Sea Turtle sailed right beneath me! The turtle continued to swim around me so closely that I could see the specs in it's irises, I was that close.

September 3, 2012
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September 3 - Chinese Hat

Chinese Hat, Galapagos

After a night spent motoring north, I awoke to the eeriest landscape I have ever seen. We sailed into Black Turtle Cove, where the ominous island of Chinese Hat rose out of the ocean in perfect symmetry. We went snorkeling along the shore of Isla Santiago, where Candelabra Cacti stood lone and erect amidst the volcanic rock and red Carpet Weed. As it cooled, the lava formed intricate passages, tunnels, and overhangs under the water. John swam down to peek under one such ledge, and immediately bolted for the surface. He ripped out his snorkel and spurted, ''A shark!'' I took a quick breath and dove, expecting a small nurse shark or similarly friendly species. As I reached the bottom and peered under the ledge, a 6' White Tipped Reef Shark slowly undulated out into the water, only a few feet from my face. Needless to say, I screamed through my snorkel and gaped as the shark made its way through a dark tunnel nearby. I have never encountered a marine predator of that size before. I later learned that at 6 feet, it was a fully-grown adult male.

We paddled inflatable kayaks back to the boat, with no rudder it was a bit of a hilarious challenge. We each kept yelling, ''Left!'', ''Right!'', only to end up in the wrong direction. Eventually the panga came to our rescue. Our guide Gustavo and the rest of the crew had quite a laugh!

Thirty minutes later we were back on board, dressed for a hike on Chinese Hat. The beach we came ashore on was a napping spot for six sea lions, including three pups! The dominant male, or Beach Master, remained stoic about 20 yards away, monitoring his harem and surveying the rising tide. We kept a safe distance from the sea lions, but even at that proximity our closeness to the animals was unreal. After snapping two dozen photos, we hiked toward the point, catching sight of a Galapagos Hawk and finding the skeletons of two sea lions. We approached the point and the further breakwater, and as the sun set yet another, larger Beach Master emerged from the waves and propped himself up on the sand, perfectly backlit by the purple sunset.

In the evening, after a spectacular dinner and a few hours in the top deck jacuzzi, we hung on tight for a night navigation far north, to the northwestern most island of Genovesa. The night was a perfect combination of delicious Ecuadorian food and being rocked to sleep. The seas became rougher after midnight, and eventually our cabin became a deafening cacophony of slamming drawers and banging closet doors. The morning came early, but the surprise view waiting outside the cabin doors each morning was becoming a great motivation for waking up.

September 4, 2012
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September 4 - Genovesa

Darwin Bay, Genovesa

At 6AM, I opened our cabin door to find myself in the middle of Bahia Darwin, an enormous crescent bay, formed from a collapsed caldera, as wide as three football fields and shaped like a perfect half-moon. The 75 foot sheer, vertical cliff sides provide ample nesting and shelter areas for sea birds and sea lions. The island is 1.9 million years old, Genovesa and the rest of the northern islands were formed by lava seeping through the Cocos and Nazca tectonic plates. Endemic Swallow Tail Gulls with red legs and red rings around their eyes breed here, they do not land on any other islands in the archipelago. They have been sighted 80 miles off the coast of Chile, but this is the closest they have been seen to the mainland. They only come ashore in the Galapagos.

Red Billed Tropic Birds swoop overhead, making remarkably elegant crash landings into their nests. Without enough strength in their legs to support their body, they must glide into the holes in the rock where they have laid their eggs. Yellow Crowned Night Herons cling to the crumbling black and grey rock, staring into the deep, cobalt blue water. Fur Seals lay upon rocks as far as 25 feet out of the water, seemingly waiting for the tide to bring the surf to them. They are joined by sea lions, and are identifiable by their external ear flaps, which sea lions do not have. We learned that the lazy behavior of the seals and lions is not quite as enjoyable as it appears. They are actually allowing the acids that have accumulated in their bloodstream during deep dives to dissipate, waiting for the cramping to subside before they head again into the depths.

Sally Light-Foot crabs skitter over the rocks and tease the seals and sea lions as they nap. The crabs are a monochrome black as juveniles, helping them camouflage against the dark basalt. As they mature, they become a bright, vibrant red.

We climbed a wooden staircase to the top of the cliffs and found ourselves on an expansive plateau, with bare Palo Santo trees and huge Yellow Cordia bushes with pretty flowers. In nearly every bush, between every tree, on every single patch of bare ground there was a nesting pair of Swallow Tail Gulls, Blue- and Red-Footed Boobies, Warbler Finches and Vampire Finches. Less than 20 minutes of hiking led us to the opposite shoreline. A bare, cooled lava field crossed by gaping fissures appeared to be one of the most unfriendly and desolate landscapes imaginable. It took only a few moments, though, to begin seeing that the sharp rock was teeming with life. Morning Glory and Lava Cacti grew sporadically, and Frigate Birds and gulls filled the sky overhead. Gustavo told us to keep an eye out for owls, and not five minutes later a huge brown owl dove from overhead and into a nearby crevasse, carrying a smaller bird in its clutches. We walked along the edge of the fissure and were able to stand only 15 feet from the owl as it ate its catch. The Galapagos Owl's bright yellow eyes stayed on us and provided a look into the stare of a predator.

We finished the day snorkeling along the cliff side, scouring the rock walls beneath the surface of the ocean. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a 6 foot wide Eagle Ray gliding past us! The bright white and iridescent blue spots along the black body gleamed in the silty water. We swam along with it until it disappeared into the depths below us. With the rock wall dropping almost completely straight down into the water, we wondered what other creatures waited just beyond our visibility.

September 5, 2012
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September 5 - Bartolome and Santiago

Pinnacle Rock, Bartolome

We made it back to the northern shore of Isla Bartolome, where the Grand Odyssey anchored near Sullivan Bay! Isla Bartolome is quite small, a volcanic peak bare of vegetation with the exception of Grey Mat Plants. The soil is a dark rusty red, made of large grains of eroded basalt and volcanic ash. A wooden boardwalk led up the mountain, taking us higher and higher. As we reached the top viewpoint, we could see 360 degrees around the island, to Isla Santiago in the misty distance, and down to the twin crescent beaches on either side of Pinnacle Rock. Pinnacle Rock juts out of the beach like a sharp tooth, towering fifty feet above the flat beach and breaking waves. Later, after hiking back to the yacht, we took the pangas to the beach below Pinnacle Rock, where no one had come ashore since the last tide. The unbroken, golden sand provided a scenic dressing area for putting on our wetsuits, masks, and snorkels. We waded into the water, making for the porous rocks surrounding the giant spike. We immediately encountered a black Marine Iguana, swimming on the surface. Watching the lizard use it's flat tale as a rudder made the feeling of being in a prehistoric time even more present.

We swam around Pinnacle Rock, seeing enormous conch shells with bright red and purple snails extending their filaments in the search for food. Vibrant green sea anemones and psychedelic red and black star fish occupied every nook and cranny of the underwater passages, the colors almost too vivid to believe. A fully-grown White Tipped Reef Shark sailed past us, and just as we exchanged excited looks through our masks, a small black torpedo jettisoned between us and the rock wall. The torpedo turned out to be a tiny Galapagos Penguin! The bird moved so fast under water it was nearly a blur. With a penguin and shark sighting in the span of only a few moments, we came to realize just how incredible visiting the Galapagos Islands can be.

September 6, 2012
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September 6 - Tortoises and Futbol

Charles Darwin Center, Santa Cruz Island

This morning we bid farewell to the Grand Odyssey, leaving our new friends on board. We disembarked on Santa Cruz, boarding a small bus for the highlands. We drove up out of the cloud cover, past fincas and small homesteads into dense forest. We finally pulled into the Charles Darwin Research Center, a sanctuary for the famed Galapagos Tortoise! A light rain created mist and fog throughout the grounds, making our surprise even greater when an enormous, lumbering tortoise made it's way out of the foliage. When startled, the tortoises retract their lanky necks into their shells, emitting a loud hissing noise as the air inside their carapaces escapes. After seeing nearly 15 tortoises and taking several rain-soaked photos, we climbed back into the bus for our final ride to the airport.

Upon arrival back in Quito, we were met by Adventure Life Ecuador's Coordinator, Betty Jaramillo. It was so great to finally meet her, after two year's of only email correspondence! Betty took us to have traditional 'helados de paila', ice cream made in a copper pot. I immediately chose the Guanabana flavor, my favorite fruit in South America!

After enjoying our helado we drove up the Pinchincha volcano to Betty's house, also the home to the Adventure Life Ecuador office. We met the rest of the crew, and John was invited to join a soccer game between Adventure Life and another local tourism competitor. After two hours at 10,000 feet, of course he was ready to play soccer!

September 7, 2012
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September 7 - Into the Amazon

Coca, Ecuador

Our alarm failed to sound this morning, making for a frantic dash back to the airport. We took a 25-minute flight east into the Amazon Basin, landing in Coca. Coca is a small port town on the banks of the Napo River. We boarded a 45 foot long motorized canoe, and began to speed up the Rio Napo. The Amazon forest encroached onto the silty banks, at this time of year the water lies over 20 feet below the vegetation. We were on our way to Sacha Lodge! We spent two hours in the motorized canoes at nearly 35 knots, and then came ashore on wooden boardwalks that led us two miles into the jungle. The path ended at a small dock in a very narrow swamp, where dugout canoes waited to carry us into the lagoon. As we waited for the guides to load the canoes, a high-pitched chirping noise began to come from the trees. A troop of Spider Monkeys came to greet us!

We sat low in the canoes as the guides paddled us into the open water, revealing an expansive black lagoon surrounded by dense forest. At the opposite side, the thatched roofs of the lodge came into view, our home in the Amazon for the next four days!

More to come soon...

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