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Hiking Galapagos - A Walk through time

Middle of the Earth - Latitude 00' 00'00'

By : Dirk Ortega
Trip Begins September 15, 2009
Trip Ends September 26, 2009

The words "Adventure Life" certainly described this hiking tour of Galapagos. Adventures were had from day 1 through the final return. WHAT FUN!! The animals, people and country was amazing...

Sep 15 - ArizonaTravel Day 1 - Phoenix to Quito
Sep 16 - QuitoDay 2 - Quito
Sep 17 - Hotel EugeniaDay 3 - San Cristobal - first day
Sep 18 - San CristobalDay 4 - San Cristobal - second day
Sep 19 - Leon DormidoDay 5 - Santa Cruz - first day
Sep 20 - Charles Darwin CenterDay 6 - Santa Cruz - second day
Sep 21 - Santa Cruz IslandDay 7 Isabela Island - first day
Sep 22 - IsabelaDay 8 Isabela Island - second day
Sep 23 - IsabelaDay 9 - Return to Quito
Sep 24 - Hotel EugeniaDay 10 - Otavalo - first day
Sep 25 - Hacienda PinsaquiDay 11 - Oatavalo - second day
Sep 26 - OtavaloDay 12 - Return home

See my photos : Hiking Galapagos - A Walk through time

Want to go? Hiking Galapagos

I went to: Galapagos, Ecuador, Santa Cruz Island, Isabela, San Cristobal, Charles Darwin Center, Leon Dormido, Quito, Otavalo, Hacienda Pinsaqui, Hotel Eugenia

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September 15, 2009

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Travel Day 1 - Phoenix to Quito

Arizona

The trip started out on a late note as we had to leave Phoenix at about 7:00 pm and arrived in LA at about 8:30...But of course our next flight from LA to Quito, Ecuador via Panama, didn't leave until 2:00am. Which gave us time to change terminals, sit around for 3 hours waiting for the COPA airlines desk to open and watch all the other passengers drag their 5 pieces of overweight luggage up to the scale, weigh them then take them back and try to repack…repeat..repeat. I thought the plane wasn’t going to get off the ground, with so much luggage. We boarded the plane and got fed, we slept a bit, then got fed again. We flew into Panama, changed planes and got fed, finally arriving in Quito about 1:30pm. There we were met by a friendly Adventure Life Guide – Daniel, and driver – Carlos. We were whisked from there through the vibrant streets of Quito and delivered to the Hotel Eugenia. That afternoon we rested up and did a little exploring using our “almost native” Spanish, (maybe they should be “almost naive") and of course had to feed ourselves.

As we lay there on our floor that evening, having gained 75 lbs each, and not being able to climb on the bed, we looked through the beautiful window out at a Ecuadorian sky that was CLOUDY!

September 16, 2009

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Day 2 - Quito

Quito, Ecuador

Day 2 in Quito, we woke early, had breakfast of scrambled eggs, burnt toast (Tami made her own), and bottled water…Oh did I forget to mention that nowhere on this trip could you drink any water from the taps, or brush your teeth with that water, all had to be bottled.

Today we had signed up for a tour of Quito and the “Middle of the Earth”.

Daniel came early and along with our faithful driver Carlos, we first went to beautiful downtown. We visited the Basilica, a huge church located in Old Town Quito. Great views of Quito's compacted housing from the top of the Basilica...and we climbed about 200,000 stairs to get there. We also saw the main square “Plaza de Indepencia”, famous for the monument to Marshall Sucre, second only to Simon Bolivar in fighting for South American Independence. We had to take some detours because the teachers were protesting, a recurring theme on the trip. They were protesting the Government's trying to have them tested periodically before allowing them to teach. We visited the "Virgin of Quito" statue, overlooking Quito. This was made entirely of aluminum plates, in the valley, disassembled and carried up to the top of this hill and reassembled. All the plates are numbered in order to correctly put her together again.

We next went to “Middle Earth”, (not the J.R.R. Tolkien version), but Mitad del Mundo the actual Latitude of ’00.00.00’. The place was called “Inti Nan Museum”, lies on the equator, and at this place we saw demonstrations of strange phenomena, including the clockwise, counterclockwise and lack of both in draining water. Also real SHRUNKEN HEADS, they even had How To Guides, so watch out…Then we fed ourselves at Mama Clorinda’s, GREAT Tamales wrapped in plantain husks…and waddled back to the hotel.

September 17, 2009

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Day 3 - San Cristobal - first day

Hotel Eugenia, Quito

On this day we ate breakfast – more scrambled eggs – and headed to the airport. Of course this wasn’t as planned, because the van had a flat tire before it got to us. Short delay and then we were flying out to the Galapagos Islands. This is a short flight, about 650 miles west of mainland Ecuador. We met our fantastic guide Felipe and our traveling companions – Craig and Marie from Seattle, Jennifer and Ken, from Virginia, Jay and Victoria from Connecticut, and Michelle and Tiffany from California. We would get to know them all in the next few days. We took off and were fed our second breakfast. After a short stop in another large Ecuadorian city, Guayaquil, we were off to our first Island stop, but not before being fed our 3rd breakfast.

We landed on San Cristobal, went through customs, where they sprayed us and the luggage down (recurring theme), paid our $100, Galapagos entry fee, and were transported to the Optunia Hotel. Where we were fed a huge lunch!

After lunch we waddled to the SharkSky rental shop for snorkel gear and wet suits (for the frigid). We then waddled up Frigate Hill past sleeping Sea Lions, to view Frigate Bids (the ones with the big red sack under their chin (males) and the statue of Charles Darwin. Then down to the water where some snorkeled and some watched native animals. We then hiked back in the dark. One thing to mention as we are on the equator, the Sun rises at 6:00am and sets at 6:00 pm everyday. We then returned back to the hotel and of course went to dinner. That evening we shared our room with some native ants.

September 18, 2009

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Day 4 - San Cristobal - second day

San Cristobal, Galapagos

This day Tami and I got up early, walked around in the mist, taking pictures of the Sea Lions, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, and Yellow Warblers. Then back to the hotel and had of course BREAKFAST. We then all boarded a small boat for the first of our several “3 hour tours”…We rode out to Isla Lobo to snorkel with the Sea Lions, Sea Turtles, Blue footed Boobies and see some large black Marine Iguanas. Most of the “frigid” snorklers that had rented wetsuits didn’t wear them as the water was warmer and very clear. Felipe was able to get a young sea lion to “fetch” and play with a Sand Dollar.

We then continued on the boat to a place called “Leon Dormido” (Sleeping Lion), or more commonly called “Kicker Rock”. We saw Blue Footed Boobies and actually swam with a couple of Galapagos Sharks – I thought with all the weight we had gained we looked like giant Blowfish, so that’s what probably kept the Sharks away.

We then returned to the hotel and of course, had lunch! Now I should explain this wasn’t your normal American sandwich lunch. This is typically their largest meal of the day. So we would get soup, salad, fruit and entrée (usually fish) and it was all delicious. Specially prepared by the hotel chef.

That afternoon they used dollies to wheel us to the base of EL Junco, the site of an extinct volcano which holds at its cusp, a large fresh water lake. The approach to this is a very vertical trail which was muddy and slippery (recurring theme) and set of wooden steps leading to a mist and cloud shrouded lake. But a short wait, and the wind cleared it up.

We were able to watch Frigate Birds dipping for a drink into the fresh water, and to wash the salt water from the ocean off their wings.

We then went to one of the Tortoise breeding centers to observe. We saw a small tortoise "Genesis" which was aptly named as it was the only one to survive the first breeding attempt.

When we were returning on the rickety bus, flying down the mountain in the fog and then darkness, I was sure we would have hit some other vehicle, but we didn’t even see one.

Then as we neared the town, BAM BAM…two flat tires...So Felipe stopped a couple of vehicles and had some taxis (seem to all be 4 door pickups) take us back to town. More adventure…then we fed ourselves dinner. And I must describe the “Macho Fish” dish I had. It was a large serving of Sea Bass, covered with Shrimp and a large lobster tail…burp..excuse me.

Returning to the hotel we were offered a new room without ants and a great balcony. Excellent!

September 19, 2009

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Day 5 - Santa Cruz - first day

Leon Dormido, Galapagos

Today we were up early, packing to move to the next island - Santa Cruz, but of course, had to have breakfast...As we arrived at the dock for departure, there was a Dr. waiting to check us all, literally. They were very concerned about the swine flu, so everybody got the "spray". Then the adventure began with a bang as Tami started down the ramp...Swoosh! her feet went out from under her and BAM, she hit the Ramp and slid down a ways. EVERYBODY was concerned, except Tami..she was laughing hard...so of course I had to tell her she should have held on to the hand rail and been more careful. I mean come on watch your step. The Dr. checked me and I took two steps on the ramp and down I went! Talk about Karma...serves me right. Everyone else was very careful.

Then most of the morning was spent on another "3 hour tour", but this one was literally 3 hours, on a small boat, on very choppy water...several of our fellow group members, didn't seem real enthusiastic after the first hour or two...but none volunteered any "chum" for the fish (if you know what I mean)...along the way we had some dolphins accompany us, and sightings of Albatross and Frigate Birds.

We arrived at Santa Cruz and two taxis (more 4dr trucks) picked us up and drove us to the Hotel Fernandina. The rooms were much nicer than the Hotel Optunia, but no food, oh well. We then walked to the lunch spot, El Chocolat. A nice restaurant. We had a vegetable soup, which we put popcorn in, a great tradition in Ecuador, that we should adopt. Then a fish fillet and potatoes, veggies and of course chocolate cake.

We were then force marched to the Darwin Research Center, looking like bowling balls, rolling down the road. This is the home of the most famous Tortoise in the world, Lonesome George. Although I am not sure why they call him lonesome, he had several female companions in his pen.

Tortoises don't come into their sexual maturing until about 25 years, and live for quite a while. George is supposedly 150 yrs old. Imagine that and still frisky.

We also visited with several large tortoises who were on a feeding platform. But as on all the Islands, no touching any of the animals.

The last activity of the day was a hike to Tortuga Bay. Famous for the pirate stories. Didn't see Johhny Depp, but it was supposed to be a great place to surf. There were a lot of sea turtles also swimming in the bay. (Tortuga means turtle in Spanish) The waves were large and constant, and then we discovered just 100 yards on the other side a completely calm bay, with large Mangrove trees. In between we saw many many Marine Iguanas and even one in a tree. Felipe said he had never seen one in a tree..Photo Op..

We went back and all went separate ways to explore the town and eat of course. We went to the Cafe Del Mar...food was good. While there Craig and Marie stopped in and she ordered a hamburger. What showed up was a bun the size of a small dinner plate and a burger just larger than a quarter...I guess beef shrinks on the equator...

September 20, 2009

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Day 6 - Santa Cruz - second day

Charles Darwin Center, Galapagos

Did I mention yet that there are two seasons in the Galapagos? The rainy season, where it rains 3 or 4 times a day, but the skies are clear and the Dry season, where it doesn’t rain (it mists in the highlands) and the sky is cloudy all the time.

Well today we were hiking to El Puntudo, a volcano that is in “Media Luna”. The trail first goes to the agricultural zone near the National Park Boundary, the Miconia zone and then leads to the Fern and Sedge zones. These are very distinct, especially in the rain, as the mud gets slicker! Several of our companions chose not to go today for various reasons and missed a real adventure. We were able to see Lava mounds, Lava that has formed a dome and the dome has been opened. The last 300 yards of the climb is straight up, and Tami was the only female to venture and complete this climb. I was right behind her, at least part of the way, then I slipped and recreated part of the scene from “Romancing the Stone”...the scene with the mud slide....I was flying for about 40 yards. But, eventually stopped and climbed back up to the top.

It’s funny how people react to certain situations. On the way up we were all watching our steps, trying to keep out of the puddles and not get our shoes too wet. While on the way down, we just sloshed through it all and didn’t worry about how wet our shoes got (or our shorts).

We got back to the bus and had a box lunch. Sandwiches. Now I should explain Ecuadorian sandwiches, being an American we are used to excess in food servings. Well The Ecuadorian version of a sandwich is the Big Bread (although not as big as the former mentioned Hamburger Bun), with a single slice of cheese and a slice of, in this case ham. Sliced so thin that if it were a garment, it would be the “cloak of invisibility”, or look like it. But what the hey, after already tripling my weight so far, I could use a snack.

We then made our way to a Tortoise Preserve which was not really a preserve, but more of an area that free tortoises can come on their own and live without human intervention.

There were quite a few large tortoises there and we also got to see a frisky male. But he couldn’t seem to find the position. We also got to try on LARGE tortoise shells, I don’t know how they move with this RV on their back, they are huge…

We then visited some lava caves. These were caves carved out by the lava when the volcanoes were active.

For dinner Felipe had recommended a restaurant called Angermeyer Point. A nice restaurant out on the point of the town Puerto Aroya. So we needed to take a water Taxi.

Well that was the first of a comedy of errors that ended up right. We went to the wrong dock, but were able to talk a boatman (not a water taxi) into taking us to the restaurant.

Well he dropped us off, and the hostess approached us and said they were actually closed.

They were having a small dinner party for some cruise ship guests who were being cooked for by their chef. So she asked if we could come back tomorrow, but as we were leaving the next morning we could not. So we asked her if she could call us a water taxi so that we could return. She left and came back a few minutes later and said the chef had agreed to cook just for us!! So we got to sit right on the point (the picture shows a green umbrella) and had a great meal of Lobster Thermidor, crab salad and this sampler desert that was scrumptious!! They had to call a barge to get us back to the mainland, the water taxis were too small…

September 21, 2009

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Day 7 Isabela Island - first day

Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

Today we got up early and had breakfast – scrambled egg buffet and headed out to the dock for another “3 hour” boat ride, to the island of Isabela. We had to go through the usual customs search and spray then wait for the boat. The boat ride was actually only two hours, but the water was choppy and we had a few more people that were not enjoying the ride.

When the boat approached the island, we could see the penguins and the Blue Footed Boobies that inhabit this place.

We checked into the La Casa Marita, a nice hotel that had it’s own beach front and large rooms. Tami and I got a nice one facing the beach, with a bed that looked like a Double King.. which was good, because that is about all that would hold us at this point. Then we went for lunch.

We had lunch at the restaurant Los Delphinos. It consisted of a soup, a rice mound surrounded with shrimp, octopus and calamari…it was delicious and I was starving, being reduced to only one breakfast. I ate all of mine, but Tami decided to diet as she didn’t like the calamari or octopus.

We had a chance to snorkel and saw a lot of Pilot Fish, and some really iridescent fish that I had no idea what they were. Tami saw a Spotted Eagle Ray and they had a playful Sea Lion that would zoom right up to you then zoom away. Unbelievable how fast they can swim.

That afternoon we took the boat to Los Tintoreras. This is a small portion of the island that has zillions of Marine Iguanas. They weren’t aggressive and would just move out of your way as you walked. After landing we immediately found a young Sea Lion, who looked like it wanted to be hugged..BUT NO TOUCHING…We then circled the island and saw Blue Footed Boobies, Penguins, and bird called an Oyster Catcher. We also were able to see some White Tipped Sharks, about 10ft long. There were quite a few in this one area that was designated “Shark Resting Area”.

That evening we ate as a group at the hotel...Spaghetti.

September 22, 2009

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Day 8 Isabela Island - second day

Isabela, Galapagos

Today was the final hiking day. So it was up early, Eat breakfast and then out. We first went to the Tortoise Preserve where they were breeding the Cerro Paloma Tortoises. Scientists found that when they took blood samples of tortoises of the island, these particular ones were different and they found that there only existed four males and 1 female in captivity. They have found a couple more females and have successfully bred many offspring. They were quite funny when being fed, the small ones moved quite fast.

We were also able to see the different stages of the tortoises evolving from egg to tortoise. We also found the tree made famous by Snow Whites stepmother...not really, but it is called the Poison Apple Tree. You are not supposed to eat the apples or even touch the tree. But the funny thing is it is not poisonous to the tortoises!!

We left and came upon a couple of feeding flamingos, and then spotted a Galapagos Hawk. It was swooping around and then swooped down and picked up something. When we were able to get close enough we could see that it was a lizard. Reminded me, aren’t we due for second breakfast…

Our next trek took us to the fabled Sierra Negra at about 3700 ft. The volcano, with the world’s second largest “calderon” or crater (about 10Km x 7Km), created when the land collapsed after an eruption.

It was a bus ride up to a certain point and then about a 8Km round trip hike. We got up to the top and all we could see was fog like clouds rolling over the edge of the claderon. It was very impressive. We then took a group picture and then a few of us decided to go further, while a few decided to remain there (sort of). We hiked another 2 kilometers and were on the edge of the calderon looking down, when I remembered hey it’s noon (lunch time), and that it was Sept 23rd, the Equinox. This only occurs twice a year, and it’s when the Sun is directly above the Equator. Because of this, instead of seeing your shadow to the front or rear of you it is exactly under you, just barely the size of your feet. So then we got a great demonstration by Felipe with some MacGyver type construction using cardboard and tape from my first aid kit. I knew that after carrying that around for 10 days that it would come in handy…

We then hiked back down, and the bus took us to Campo Duro. A sort of camping area. The thing about this place though is that it already has tents erected, where people come and rent, and then the place cooks for them and has a “tiki” bar in the center. The food was great and the chicken was actually cooked in this giant tortoise shaped oven, created from lava rock.

We then returned back to the hotel to cleanup and tour the town and it’s 2 stores. Well 7 minutes later, we were back at the hotel. We had dinner again at the hotel, and during dinner Felipe informed everyone that one of the small planes flying us to meet another plane that was taking us back to the mainland was broken and we would be taking another “3 hour tour” boat back to Santa Cruz.

September 23, 2009

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Day 9 - Return to Quito

Isabela, Galapagos

Today we had an early departure 6:00am….but not before breakfast. Felt sorry for the women who had served us dinner late the night before and then had to get up earlier than normal today to fix us breakfast…

We caught the same boat this time back, water was much smoother, but still affected some of our group. Then we landed back on Santa Cruz, had to get the hand gel treatment and then got on a bus from the southern tip of the island of to the northern tip. A 45 minute ride to the Ferry, that crosses between Santa Cruz and the island of Balta…We were also reunited with the rest of our luggage. I didn’t mention earlier that we had to leave the majority of it before going to Isabela, because we were returning on those small planes..that broke down and forced us to take another boat ride and wear the same underwear for 3 days…

We then took a bus to the Airport. Lots of vendors outside just waiting for all the departing tourists who are desperate to buy their aunt Mildred that last minute hand carved toilet paper holder.

We were unlucky enough to get a return flight that went straight to Quito, non stop, meaning only one meal.

We were met at the airport by of course Daniel and Carlos, and whisked back to the Hotel Eugenia. That would be the last time we saw our companions as most had an early flight out, meaning they had to leave for the airport 3 hours ahead (3:00am or so)…

Tami and I went looking for dinner, (as I had only had 2 meals that day, and I was sure I was wasting away). We returned to Mama Clorinda’s, where we indulged in some soup and those excellent tamales. There was an extra bonus; strolling musicians came in while we were eating and entertained us with the guitar and pan flute.

September 24, 2009

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Day 10 - Otavalo - first day

Hotel Eugenia, Quito

Today we were starting our two day trip to Otavalo and surrounding towns. Many of the towns and villages nearby are famous for their own particular crafts. Cotacachi is the main place for Ecuadorian leather products. In San Antonio, they specialize in wood furniture and carvings. And of course Otavalo is famous for its textiles and the Saturday market.

Bright and early Daniel and his faithful companion, Carlos, picked us up. As today was Friday, we were going to go and see the surrounding towns and sights, so we could save Saturday for the Otavalo textile market and the famous “Animal Market”.

We took a leisurely drive up and up and up, then down, down…Along the way we had magnificent views of the other existing volcanoes and the agricultural diversity of the area, and particularly this area is known for growing a large portion of the Roses and other flowers supplied to the United States. There are vast green houses all along here.

We stopped at a small shop called “El Danzante” (The dancer). An old established place that sold ceramic and clay-like art. But actually it was made of something similar to dough (unfortunately not edible), that was then either left to dry or hardened in ovens. An amazing array of articles form small Christmas ornaments and dolls, to elaborate renderings of Noah’s Ark.

We visited another “Mitad del Mundo”, Middle of the Earth monument and then on to Cayambe. As I mentioned, some of these smaller towns were all focused on a single industry. Cayambe’s claim to fame is the “Biscochos”, cookie like biscuits that are not normally sweet. We visited a small shop where they were busy churning out 1000’s, that were hand rolled and baked in a hot wood fired stove. Of course we had to try some (I mean it was already 10:00 and no second breakfast in sight). And what better way to have them then with a hot cup of chocolate, at least that is what Tami thought. Well she took a large sip and it melted all the skin off her tongue. Not good in the pain department, but a great way to lose future weight.

Daniel provided us with a good feel for the landscape and its folklore. One of the tales was of the volcanoes, Mojanda and Imbabura. They threw large stones across the valley. But Imbabura’s didn’t go quite as far and his rock fell short near Peguche, which is revered by the pre-Incan people and even today they have a waterfall where thousands of people come for the summer solstice (June) to be blessed by a Shaman and bathe in its waters. Mojanda and Imbabura fought each other for the hand of Coatachi, who became Imbabura’s wife and they had Pichincha, an active volcano.

We then stopped in at a small home that was a nice surprise. Inside was a older gentleman who created musical instruments. He gave us a demonstration on making a pan flute and then proceeded to demonstrate his proficiency on at least 8 different instruments, all of which he builds.

We then visited Cotacachi and it’s leather shops, but being from Phoenix we could not use any of the exquisite jackets and outerwear. So Tami bought a small leather wallet and we had lunch. Tami ordered the Sea Bass, which was the size of a dinner plate. She couldn’t eat it all, so we took it with us and gave to an old gentlemen in the town square. He was very grateful.

Our next portion of the whirlwind day took us to San Antonio, no not Texas, but the small town famous for its wood furniture and carvings. There were some fabulous beds and dining tables, but as they didn’t fit in my backpack, we didn’t get any, only a few small carvings.

As we were driving around, we noticed that many people were waiting on the sides of the road for the bus. Not at a bus stop, just anywhere, and the bus stopped. Also apparently the lines dividing the road and the signs designating “no passing” are for decoration only.

These people passed anywhere, sometime four across, on a two lane mountain road! But we didn’t see one accident, and no one shot at each other when cut off.

We ended the day by us checking in to the Hacienda Pinsaque, a former textile mill that has elegant gardens with peacocks and horses.

September 25, 2009

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Day 11 - Oatavalo - second day

Hacienda Pinsaqui, Otavalo

Day two of Otavalo, started badly..no breakfast for me…I was getting a tinge of Montezuma’s revenge, or maybe Quechua’s revenge as we are in Ecuador. I accidentally forgot to brush my teeth with bottled water, but not sure that was the cause.

We left early for the famous Otavalo market, and got to the Animal market, during the heavy trading. This is not like your normal Auction. All the people bring their animals, from Cows and Horses, down to guinea pigs. Did I mention that Guinea Pig’s are a delicacy there? They also sell rabbits, but just for pets. Anyway the negotiations are fast and furious. You just walk up to someone and ask how much and start haggling. It was great fun to watch, I almost sold Tami, but I couldn’t carry home the goat and 2 ducks.

Next we wandered over to the other side of town for the textile markets. This like 5 square blocks of wall to wall textiles. Everything from hats, to poncho’s to rugs to table cloths and sweaters…All supposedly hand made, but a lot of repetitious patterns.

Tami was a fierce negotiator, she could ask how much in Spanish, but couldn’t understand them when they quoted a price in Spanish…luckily we had Daniel who was a good negotiator and understood their answers.

I was still not feeling well and stopped at a Pharmacy for some drugs. I bought 6 pills that cost me $101.20…seems like a lot huh? Well $1.20 for the pills and $100 for the rolled up painting I had purchased earlier and left at the pharmacy….

We then proceeded to a small shop just around the corner from the house where we had the musical instrument lesson the day before. This time it was a small weaving shop.

We then were treated to a demonstration of not only weaving, but actually starting with the raw wool and spinning it by hand into yarn, then shown the various herbs and plants used in dyeing the yarn the different colors. The woman was very talented and indicated she was one of the very few women who could weave, as most women were relegated to just creating the yarn and the men did the weaving. She showed us a particularly interesting Loom, it was actually an old Incan loom that she still used. She made some intricate designs with it, but they were limited to a one time setup on yarn. Meaning whatever you started with is all you could use, no adding on. I ended up purchasing a small tapestry that she had made on this tool.

We then headed up to, a freshwater lake at the base of the Cotacachi Volcano, which stands at about 16000 ft. There was a nice restaurant and we had lunch overlooking the lake. It was beautiful, but windy.

We then returned to Quito for our last night in Ecuador. We checked back in to the Hotel Eugenia and both thought that maybe changing toothbrushes could help our current stomach problems, so we wandered over to the local “SuperMaxi”, no not what you think, but a grocery store, for toothbrushes and to use up any remaining Ecuadorian change we had. They use the American dollar, but have some of their own coins.

As we were both exhausted, and stomach conscious, we didn’t want to search too far for dinner and ended up going to the Burger King near the hotel. It was actually the nicest fast food place I had ever been in, and the fries were good.

September 26, 2009

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Day 12 - Return home

Otavalo, Ecuador

Well today was our final day in Ecuador. We decided not to do too much as we have to leave for the airport at 1:30pm, three hours before our flight.

We spent the time packing and repacking and repacking…I feel like the poor souls at the beginning of our trip, weighing their luggage at the deserted COPA Airlines counter.

We packed in all our souvenirs and gifts for everyone after deciding we would each wear 10 sets of clothing on the plane to not have overweight luggage…

We could easily accommodate that after our “revenge” episodes. In fact I was down to svelte 350lbs…

We then walked around, discovering the appliance store, that sold motorcycles and large stereos and stumbled upon the Crepe and Waffle, a restaurant I had read about on the internet and wanted to try. But as it was Sunday, it was of course closed. So we wandered some more and came upon a nice little Gelato shop called Monte Bianco. Good flavors and a lot of product for the price…Let that be a lesson!!

We made our way back to the hotel and were picked up by Daniel wearing his colors supporting the local Soccer/Futbol team, and Carlos. After a short familiar drive, we got to the airport and had to wait in line for over an hour to have our luggage checked in.

While in line we watched others pay $7 to have their luggage wrapped in plastic and I commented what do they do for security checks, but supposed they just used x-ray.

Then we waddled with our carry on's and 10 layers of clothes over to the Departure Tax booth...you see they even charge you to leave the country...about $40.00.

We then proceeded past all the duty free shops and into the waiting area. We had been sitting there a while when I heard my name called, but missed why. So I asked the woman at the reception desk and she said no it wasn’t my name. So then my name was called again 10 minutes later and I was asked to report to the same reception desk I had checked with before. This time they said yes it was me and along with 4 other gentlemen we were escorted down to the luggage area (out of the building) to have our luggage hand searched. I determined later that this is a sexist country, as they only required men to come and have luggage checked. As I got down there I found it wasn’t even my luggage, it was Tami’s!! As I tried to remember the combination on her locks, I thought "What kind of stuff did she pack? Was it the 22 rolls of toilet paper?" So I opened it, they sorted through it and of course found nothing. So I had to put it back together and make sure it got on the plane. As I am doing this, I notice a man dressed like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. I recognized him from the a fore mentioned “Wrapping Station”. Sure enough his $7 wrap had to be cut off before they searched his luggage. So I didn’t feel so bad then.

We boarded the plane and were fed. And it was a quiet flight.

We then changed planes in Panama, were fed again – TWICE, and arrived in LA about midnight. It was at least 40 minutes for our luggage to come out as we landed in one terminal, had to have the Guards from the Wizard of OZ march us out to a bus and be transported over to the International terminal, to be processed by customs and then just breeze past customs check.

Resembling a Turkish caravan, we then dragged our luggage and carry on’s, outside to try and find a bus to transport from the International Terminal to our fly home terminal. They have these blue marked areas to wait for that bus, and we only saw two. After ½ hr we saw hundreds of buses going to the parking lots, but no terminal bus. So we decided to walk, I thought we would be stopped by a policeman and asked if we had a parade permit. We made it in about 15 minutes and then sat for 4 hours waiting for the check-in desk to open.

We had an uneventful flight back to Phoenix, unfortunately no meal.. and arrived home about 10:00am…home sweet home…

We had a fantastic time, along with some good friends, the unplanned speed bumps and curves are what made the trip such an adventure.. I would highly recommend Adventure Life as a travel company as their guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. I also would recommend the Galapagos hiking trip versus a boat trip. You really get to know the land (as my rear end can attest from my slides). To all our companions, hope to see you again..keep in touch…What made the trip was the non-scheduled things, like the flat tires and the "closed' restaurant, those are the things you remember.

Hope you got something out of this little blurb .. enjoy the pics…