Jon and Joan's Excellent Adventure in Ecuador

I’ve never been to South America before and that made today and the start of our vacation all the more exciting, giving me the adrenaline needed for the getting up at 4 am for the first leg of the journey. Now that we’re here, looking forward to the next two weeks sends shivers up my spine. The first two flights were perfect, on time and smooth. Just one small problem in Miami; everyone was in their seats but workmen needed to fix the door in the ceiling that holds the life boats so it wouldn’t clunk open during the flight (you learn something new everyday!). The Captain apologized and stated it would only take about ten minutes to fix. Everyone clapped for the workmen when, sure enough, just ten minutes later they head down the aisle, job completed. Then mysteriously, then plane still didn’t move. The Captain came back on the intercom to apologize profusely; it seems that no grounds crew had been assigned to our plane so we were all on the plane but our luggage wasn’t. Loud moans erupted and passengers peered out the windows, maybe in hopes of encouraging the missing grounds crew to appear. An hour and a half later we were finally cleared for take off. Always have a good book along for just such situations. As soon as we were level, the drink cart came down the aisle. Surprise! One free drink of each passenger’s choice. I had water anyways. The flight grew from bumpy to really bumpy to extremely bumpy. The captain came on repeatedly to ask passengers to stay in their seats. The stewards/stewardesses buzzed up and down the aisles reminding passengers to please sit down; then, “You need to sit down!” They must have been pretty frustrated because the Captain came on and gave a small but serious talk about the dangers of flying in turbulence for passengers who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. He ended with, “If I need to, I will come back there and make sure you are staying in your seats.” I have to admit, I had a small chuckle and thought he sounded just like me when my children were little and I was frustrated with their behavior. In Quito, they had a great system for going though customs, better than other countries we have visited. From the organized line, a small screen directed us to the next available agent. It went pretty fast until we reached the other side and a line that resembled a massive blob, waiting to have a heat sensitive picture taken (at least we think that is what is was because the person coughing between Jon and I was sent off to another area). I clicked into my teacher mode, and started thinking of how to organize all the people to get in line without blobbing in. Of course, I told Jon my thoughts and he kindly reminded me that I was on vacation and I should leave it alone. Good idea, I’m going to remind myself on the rest of the trip if needed. In the blob line, I was thinking of the poor driver who was waiting for us with our late flight. Coming out we saw the “Curti” sign, and behind it a welcoming smile. In the packed crowd waiting, tired from a long day, and speaking little Spanish, she was a breath of fresh air. The driver loaded up our suitcases and on the way to the hotel, Valerie told us about Quito. She got us checked in to the Hotel Eugenia, where the last thing I remember is falling asleep to the music of the drive by band on the bus.

Alex, our guide for our tour of Old City Quito picked us up at 8 am. We hadn’t stepped three steps out of the hotel when a older man with the most sincere smile stopped us with a friendly greeting in a combination of Spanish and English, took a small wrapped package out of his shoulder pack, and began to describe the scene from Ecuador painted on sheep skin. It truly was wonderful, filled with bright colors and small details, and seemed a good price. I felt bad when I decided I was sure to see more of the same in our travels and shouldn’t jump into buying so quickly. Out first stop was an overlook over a valley. As we viewed the scene he filled us with background knowledge about Quito and Ecuador. I found the information quite interesting, especially about one of Ecuador’s main exports, roses. He explained that except on Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, roses can be purchased for a dollar a dozen. Since our anniversary is coming up, I mentioned to Jon that it sounded like a great time to buy roses. After a short trip through the “newer” part of Quito, we arrived at the Basilica of the National Oath, built starting in 1892. We were surprised because it looked so much older, perhaps because of the style. The stained glass and building was beautiful inside, but the neatest part were the gargoyles, which were all the animals native to Ecuador. We spotted penguins, tortoises, iguanas, dolphins, anteaters, and monkeys. The next stop was the Presidential Palace. After a few words with the guards, we walked right up to the front door! We were amazed as we had just visited the White House last summer and the security check was vastly different. I took Jon’s picture with one of the guards at the door, who held their position much like the guards at Buckingham Palace. The guard was dressed in the uniform they wore from the time of their independence from Spain. Inside the door was a courtyard closed off with an iron gate, but we could still peer inside and see a meeting going on. As we walked through the city we learned more about the rich history of Ecuador, the Inca influence, and their struggle for independence. We were surprised to learn that in the last 12 years there have been 18 Presidents, one serving for as short a time as an hour! We stopped to see Lady Liberty in the park across from the Presidential Palace, honoring their independence, and saw what looked like a number of small shops in the ground level of the Presidential Palace. When we asked Alex, we learned that because the old part of Quito has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site, the outside of the buildings cannot be changed. In order to earn money for building upkeep, small shops are rented out in the lower levels of government buildings and churches. In a nearby museum of religious art, we saw beautiful paintings and statues from the 18th Century. Admiring the shine, Alex told us that the statues were polished with the saliva of a person and the bladder of a lamb over and over. It made me think more than once I had come to Ecuador mostly to see wildlife, and found that I was fascinated about what I was learning about their history. Our next stop was the Church of the Compania of Jesus, built in 1605 and taking 160 years to finish. Everything was covered in gold leaf, which I usually think of as gaudy. But it wasn’t, and I found myself enjoying just sitting in one of the pews and soaking in the details and the beauty. Taking our time as we wandered through, we stopped to look in the mirror near the altar, which makes it easier to see the domed ceiling. I felt like I was in a Harry Potter book, having dipped my face in and being transported to another realm through the pensieve. We stopped to look more closely at the statues that wore dresses. Alex told us that they were mass-produced in the 18th century and had only a head, hands, and feet. Here, they wore exquisite brocaded velvet dresses, made by nuns and stitched with silk and gold threads. Before we left, we stopped near the front of the church and Alex had us look at the back entrance. Our challenge was to find what was not symmetrical. Jon discovered it pretty quickly, but I’ll leave the I Spy Mystery for you to discover the secret of when you visit. Our next stop was driving up the crooked streets to the Statue of the Winged Virgin, itself beautiful, but also offering a spectacular view of the rooftops and expansiveness of the city of Quito. Our morning tour over, we asked to be dropped off back in the center of the old city to have the afternoon to explore. We spent our time wandering the streets, stopping in small specialty shops like the plumbers or kitchenware. On the street, a young girl of about 10 was selling scarves, and I stopped to look at what she was selling, but since I don’t wear scarves, apologized, saying no. In some of the little bit bigger stores, Jon was amazed that they would sell everything from washers, dryers, stoves, strollers, dishes, stereos, air compressors, and motorcycles. We went back to the Plaza San Francisco and sat on the steps, watching small children holding hands, filling their other hands with birdseed, and dashing off with smiles on their faces to feed the birds. Ice Cream was sold from a cart, with the cones made and resting on a chunk of dried ice. The same scarf seller found me, and with great, but polite salesladyship, said, “Please, nice lady. Would you like a scarf?” Then she showed me the colors available, “Blue, red, green, black…only $3.” Jon thought it was pretty funny and suggested I take up wearing scarves so I picked one out. I handed her a five-dollar bill but she only had one-dollar change. So she quickly explained something to me in Spanish, of which I understood nothing, pointed to a group of people sitting on another set of steps, set her bag of scarves down by my feet and ran towards that group of people, returning quickly with my change. I put the scarf in my jacket pocket, and just a few minutes later was approached by another scarf seller, who I recognized as part of the scarf seller family. I took my newly purchased scarf out of my pocket and explained I had just bought one, and with the best smile on her face said, “Nice lady, you would like to buy one from me too.” It was very tempting. I asked the family, who, dressed in traditional clothing, were busy knitting, winding yarn into balls, and selling scarves, if I could take a picture of them. They looked like they had such wonderful family spirit. I almost wished I could just sit down with them and work on what they were dong. Only $1 for a picture, a bargain. We wanted to get more pictures of the gargoyles at the Basilica, so headed back up the hill. We noticed there were people in the towers, found out how to get there, bought tickets, and started up the steps. After a set of steps we came to a landing that led us to the wood bridge with rope handles which is over the curved ceiling but below the roof of the church. Then we climbed up a ladder, now we were roof level. To reach the spire was two steep ladders higher. On the spire platform felt like we were blowing in the wind, but what a view! Another visitor told us we could climb the other tower and how to find it. We went back across the ceiling, climbed spiral staircases and three sets of ladders (inside this time) were at the top and got to ring the church bells. What a fantastic place! Back down the hill we stopped in at a grocery store for snacks. Water was 16 cents! A street musician was playing a pan flute hooked up to speakers – beautiful. Alex had told us to make sure we took a taxi from the taxi stand he had showed us, and that it must have the red taxi emblem on the side. Back at the taxi stand, there were no taxis and no stand. It had been replaced by police cars, about 25 police officers with shields and batons, and the metal barriers I have seen put up for crowd control. It became more apparent to me I should have learned more Spanish when we asked one of the police officers where the taxi stand went. He was so gracious as to find another officer who spoke English and flagged down a taxi for us. Twenty minutes later and for only $2, we were back at the Hotel Eugenia. Outside at the stoplight I stopped to watch a juggler who was entertaining drivers as they waited in traffic. We quickly packed our suitcase for the Amazon and headed out to look for a restaurant. Just a few short blocks away, we found Adriana Mariá Romero Valarezo. We didn’t speak Spanish, the waiter didn’t speak English, so we smiled and nodded our heads a lot, and had a great dinner. I love it here and wish we could stay longer. In the old part of Quito, it looks like everyone appreciates what they have and the smiles are contagious.

This morning our tour guides picked us up for our trip to Sacha Lodge, dropped us at the airport after connecting us with the Sacha Lodge representative, who got us organized, told us the airport and Coca were closed so we would be flying to Lago Agrio and taking a bus to Coca, pointed us in the right direction for our flight and off we went. The next challenge was trying to figure out when our flight was going to take off. With the help of another traveler we met on the van, we learned the passengers had already boarded and we had to hop on for a short bus ride to our plane. On arrival, the plane was only about half full. About 20 minutes later, the rest of the passengers arrived – seems they had not understood when the plane was boarding either. The flight was smooth, the attendants were helpful and efficient, and the box lunch was tasty and there was no charge. Jon and I thought that perhaps some of the American airline companies could learn from the Ecuadorian companies. The one stall for each sex bathrooms had long lines while we waited for our luggage. Onto the toasty bus and off we went. The beginning of the ride was hilly, filled with curves, and marked with a yellow line. After two petroleum trucks with large FLAMMABLE signs on them passed us on a hill and corner, I became grateful to have a side window to look out of. About halfway there, the land became flatter and small towns filled with colorful adobe or concrete buildings appeared. Large oil company complexes that seemed out of place from the rest of the buildings were near some of the towns. At first I found myself slightly grumpy at having to take a bus but found it was almost like a gift. It offered me a glimpse into the countryside in the Amazon area, something I would have missed completely if not for the bus ride. Houses were on stilts for protection from the critters that live around them. Many houses looked to be one room, some with no windows, some with bars on the windows. Colorful laundry was flapping on the line and along the roadside snaked an oil pipeline. We recognized corn growing as one of the crops, some homes had the most beautiful flower gardens, and chickens dotted yards with chicks racing after them. But most of all, it was the children. Three kids were working together with a stick three times taller than they were to get something out of a tree. One kid was swinging another in a hammock. Ahead of us in a delivery truck with an open bed were a group of five children riding in the back. They were perched on different items in the back and I was worried they might fall out. They had a system down pat, what to grab when there was a curve or a speed bump, and there were a lot of them. They were engaged in a cheerful conversation, smiles lighting up their faces and lots of laughter. At a police checkpoint on the road, I looked up and they were gone. As we inched forward for our turn at the checkpoint, I would see part of a head pop up and quickly down again, then another head. They passed through the checkpoint, and two seconds later they resumed their same positions. When our bus passed them on the road, they all smiled and waved to everyone. We arrived in Coca, had a quick lunch, and boarded the motorized canoe for our trip down the Napo River to Sacha Lodge. I found myself amazed that the whole way there, the river was so incredibly wide. River traffic included other motorized canoes, small canoes paddled by families or children, and barges with trucks and supplies. About an hour into the trip we heard a clunk, felt a jerk, and shortly thereafter pulled up at a sand bar along the river, and off came the motor. Quite skillfully and looking like they had done it before, two of the three Sacha Lodge employees in charge of our trip had the motor repaired and we were back on our way in a short time. We pulled up to the Sacha Lodge dock about two hours later and had our first rainforest hike. It was only supposed to take about 20 minutes, but most of us kept stopping to take it all. As small groups arrived at the dock, we were helped into a flat-bottomed canoe with small chairs with backs (quite comfy), and one host began paddling us down a small canal. Except for the music of birds and the dip of the paddle, it was totally silent. We were all savoring the beauty and experience. The canal opened up into a large lake, and we caught a glimpse of the thatched roof of Sacha Lodge. It can only describe it as magical. We were welcomed into the lodge with jungle juice. After a short orientation, we headed off to our cabin, complete with a great porch with a hammock. We once again found ourselves saying, “Can you believe this is so great” even though we had read about it and seen pictures online. Waiting for dinner, we met some of the other guests on the dock and enjoyed the sun, view, and conversation. I had my journal along, and wrote down all the great ideas for trips to go on in the future from the travel information from others. As the sun set, bats swooped out of the sky catching bugs, and we learned how to identify the southern cross in the sky. We met our guide, got fitted with gumboots, and had dinner with our group, Thumbelina, Karen, Jon, myself, and our guide, Julio. As we got ready for bed, our conversation circled back to how incredibly lucky we thought we were to be here.

This morning our wake up time was 5:30. Our wake up call is a knock on the door and a pleasant “Good Morning.”. Julio told us we needed to rise early and hope for no rain or sun so we could see the birds in action on the Canopy Walk. It sprinkled intermittently, but from two of the towers we were able to see a variety of birds in the distance. We probably wouldn’t of spotted them ourselves, but with Julio and our Native guide, Angel, they seemed to be able to pick them out by bird calls. The best sighting of all was two toucans. When I think of the rainforest, I always think it will be just like The Great Kapok Tree, with wildlife everywhere for me to see. I wasn’t disappointed because I thought just being up in the canopy walk was exciting, climbing up to the top without any problems (I did count the steps on the way down but I’m not going to tell you how many), and when we descended, waiting to flutter by in a grand show was an iridescent Blue Morpho butterfly. Spectacular! Enjoying our snack after our morning hike, Julio came in and asked if we saw the monkeys. “What monkeys?” we exclaimed and zipped out onto the boardwalk, followed the sounds, and came upon Spider and Black monkeys, up close and personal, jumping from tree to tree over the boardwalk. It was non-stop entertainment. Spectacular again! After lunch we were waiting in our cabin for our canoe trip along Anaconda Creek. Resting on the back porch, we heard a commotion in the jungle that sounded just like the monkeys from the morning. Following the sound behind our cabin, our third spectacular of the day. We spent 20 minutes watching spider monkeys all around us. Some were high up, some lower, and crossing right by like we weren’t even there. What a high! Later we had no luck spotting Anaconda’s, but it was peaceful and beautiful, especially with a light sprinkle of rain hitting the water. On the night walk tonight I found that Angel is one amazing wildlife spotter. Especially great was the teeny frog on a giant leaf. Tomorrow morning is up at 5 am. I’m wiped out.

I slept like a log and got right up for the morning knock at 5 am, surprising, since I am not a morning person. We took another magical canoe ride back across the lake with lots of birds out in the early morning and set out on the hike to the Napo River. Ten minutes in, there is a large commotion in the trees. First, we see a squirrel monkey follow a branch high on a tree, disappear in the foliage, and then leap an incredible distance down to some foliage in another tree. As we all exclaimed how cool that was, we see another monkey heading up the same branch. Then another, and another. It was like a little interstate highway for monkeys – they must have followed the same path for ten minutes. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any greater than that, Capuchin monkeys came through the same area! We saw lots of branches moving, heard something fall to the ground, heard a lot of chatter, and then we saw them. One stopped to try to pull a giant nut off a tree and acrobatically battled with it for a couple minutes. It was so entertaining we had to laugh, and then we laughed more because we were sure he was turning and looking at us. Finally, SUCCESS! He immediately sat down to work on peeling his nut, took one bite, picked it up and carried it under his arm, off to where we couldn’t see him. We all turned and looked at each other in absolute amazement. The short ride down the Napo to Yasuni Nacional Park was another kind of beauty. The river was foggy, and birds and trees appeared through the fog. By the time we got to Yasuni, the sun was shining. Along the way, Julio told us that parrots and parakeets eat a daily dose of clay to neutralize the toxins created in their bodies from the seeds they eat. I was so surprised to learn that they come from as far as 20 miles Our first stop was the Parrot lick. Only about eight parrots were there and small, even with binoculars. One of the other Naturalists with a group there let Angel use his spotting scope to take some incredible close up pictures for us. One of the rules is everyone needs to be quiet – it was so hard not to ooh and ahh. Our next stop was the Parakeet lick. Along the way we were stopping to view flowers, native medicinal plants, and a giant leech along the path when Angel rushed back along the path to tell us the parakeets were there. Hurry! What a reward. There were 150 to 200 parakeets flying in and out of the lick. What a huge racket they made! We watched for 15 minutes when something scared them and in a mad rush, they flew out of the lick, toward the blind and up and over. Looking at them before they flew, we didn’t realize there were so many because some were in a small cave that was part of the lick. They stayed in the trees above continuing their talking, and then, suddenly, they took flight into the sky. It was one of the most spectacular sites I have seen! On the way back across the lake, we saw that they had all the gum boots out drying on the dock. We went back and hung our soggy clothes outside in hopes they might dry too. Before lunch, Julio took us to a tree just behind our cabins to see the pygmy marmoset who lives there. He makes little holes in the bark and sucks out the sap. We caught a glimpse of him high in the tree and returned to our cabin. I tried to relax and read my book but that pygmy marmoset was on my brain. I took the short walk back out, and there he was. After watching for a few minutes, I knew Jon shouldn’t miss it, so went back to get him. We spent the next half hour tiptoeing around the tree, getting great videos of him. After lunch we went back to watch the pygmy marmoset again and then cooled off with a swim in the lake and went fishing for piranhas. Jon caught one so we got a close up look at the teeth. Good thing they don’t like people. They are masters of nibbling the meat off the hook without being caught. Thumbelina thinks they work in a pack and I think she is right. We hiked out to the swamp, and took a canoe ride in a search for wildlife and flowers. We spotted several great orchids, and a bright moon in the darkening sky with the trees of the jungle silhouetted, but best of all was the social spider web. Just before the canoe house was a spider web that was about ten feet tall, five feet wide, and 20 feet deep. It was covered in hundreds and hundreds of small (about the size of my little finger nail) spiders. Night was a barbeque on the dock and a night canoe ride on the lagoon in search of a caiman. We saw the mom caiman and her baby. Wow. What a day.

This morning we woke up to a steady downpour in the rain forest. I found myself thinking that this was great, it should rain in the rain forest. Yesterday was so sunny it was hard to imagine that it was a jungle – so much for another one of my preconceived notions. Over breakfast the rain slowed to a sprinkle, and by the time we reached the other side of the lagoon on our way to the Kapok Tree Tower, we only felt the drips from the trees. For an hour we saw brightly colored yellow, turquoise, and scarlet birds, eating the seeds from the strangler fig that will slowly kill the kapok tree in the next 70 years. What we thought was a termite nest in a tree turned out to be a wasp nest with a lot of action going on. We saw dark, ominous looking clouds approach, rain began, and within seconds it is a downpour. Angel had to bail out the canoe. The downpour continued on the 25 minute ride back to the lagoon with Karen bailing out the canoe. Even with ponchos, we were soaked through. Reaching the lagoon, the rain lightened, and as we stepped out of the canoe it stopped. Fifteen minutes later the sun was shining. Heading back to our cabin to change into dry clothes, we stopped to look at the raindrops glistening from the plants. With him so close by, we decided to visit the pygmy marmoset but he wasn’t out. While we waited for him, two capybaras came through, playing a game of chase. There are big puddles on the way back to our cabin and as we stood in a puddle watching, thousands of ants scurried up and over the buttresses of trees, leaves and logs, following an ant superhighway route. We wondered if they were trying to get away from the puddles or something else. It felt great to peel off our soaking clothes and hang them out on the clothesline. We have little hope of them drying. In the afternoon we went back to feed our pygmy marmoset addiction and were rewarded with him being down close to the ground. Later, we headed out for a late afternoon visit to the canopy walk. We saw fewer birds than we saw the first time, but many rainbows. The best part was the hike out through the puddles. I learned just how great those gumboots were. We stayed a bit too long, and by the time we were down from the tower, night was closing in. It was a slow hike back to the lodge. Luckily Thumbelina and Angel both had flashlights to help us out. Tonight we pack up our soggy clothes to get ready to leave at 6 in the morning. I find myself wishing I would have taken more videos of things I learned about to take back to my students. I will try to do that in the Galapagos.

Yes, I did count the speed bumps. We had a racecar wannabe bus driver on our way to Lago Agrio. His strategy was to drive like mad until you reach a speed bump, slow quickly, bounce over the speed bump, and then floor it again. Always use both lanes to drive around corners and pass into traffic because they will slow down. By the time we arrived in Lago Agrio in a record time of only one hour and 45 minutes, I felt sick to my stomach. Luckily I had the flight to recuperate on and by the time we got back to Quito, Valerie was waiting for us and we headed right out of Quito. We had a lot of time to see the view from the Pan American highway and learn more about Ecuador. Oil, roses, and tourism are the three big money makers in Ecuador, and there are had a lot of rose farms in this area. Limestone caves dotted the sides of the roads. People come and dig out the limestone and use it to brush on their houses. It keeps the houses fresh-looking, warm, and helps to keep out yellow fever. We stopped at a shop that made Bizcochos, twice-baked sponge cakes that taste a little like pie crust. They were tasty warm and would be good with jam. The locals eat them with cheese. I learned that guinea pig is the most traditional food in Ecuador and think I should try it, even though I am not an adventurous eater. We stopped in Cotacachi, a town that won a prize from Unesco because every person in the community learned to read and write. I think that is so great! Visited some stores in the leather market. Found a gorgeous purse in a store that was closed. Rats. We arrive at white washed Hacienda Pinsaqui and are warmly greeted, Valerie is so excited when she sees what room we are put in, and when we enter, I see why. The room is two rooms and a giant bathroom with a claw foot tub. The first thing we decided to do was unpack all of our soggy clothes and hang them around the room to dry. We even unpacked those we didn’t wear, because they were soggy but at least not soaked. Heading outside, we wandered the grounds to enjoy the view and peacefulness. Heading back in we stopped for a welcome/orientation to the Hacienda and drank the most wonderful tasting hot tea made with cinnamon and anise. We are told, “This house is your house” and they really made us feel that way. At dinner I had prawns sugared in liquor – fantastic. We headed back to our room and were welcomed with a fire crackling in the fireplace, our quilt folded down, a hot water bottle with a soft flannel cover tucked in under the covers, and a chocolate on each pillow. We wondered what they thought of us, with our clothes draped all over the room looking like there had been an explosion. The hot water bottle kept our feet warm almost the whole night, and we needed it.

This morning we opened the curtains and found peacocks looking back at us. We decided to walk around the grounds again in the daylight and found we wished we had come earlier yesterday. If gave us a sense of tranquility. Our gracious hosts/hostesses directed us to another dining room for breakfast. In it was a giant fireplace taller and wider than we have ever seen. The walls around the windows were two feet thick. We were in the older part of the Hacienda. Our breakfast discussion was thinking about life during the time of Simon Bolivar and thought it would be fascinating to read more about it. Valerie was waiting for us when we returned so we grabbed our bags, admired the giant lock on the front door one more time, and waved goodbye to one of our hostesses. It felt like family was waving goodbye to us. Our first stop was in a little village near Otovalo named Cascade de Paguche. We drove up narrow stone streets past well-kept adobe homes nestled closely together with a lot of dogs wandering the streets. Many of the vendors who bring goods to Otovalo Market live and work here and we visited a family. They had a store in their home and a workshop in the basement. One of the women showed us how the loom works, made yarn from alpaca fur, and showed us all the things from nature they used to dye their yarn, breaking open seeds and coloring the yarn. Our hostess wore traditional clothing that represented her indigenous group. It was intricate and beautiful. We learned that the hats of their traditional clothing meant that they were from a certain religious group and that during the occupation, the Spanish used this as a type of discrimination. In the Otovalo area, men traditionally wear their hair in a braid down their back. If they do something wrong, their braid is cut off. Now that’s peer pressure. We also learned a little bit about a shaman’s medicinal cures, focusing on natural medicine and added to our list to learn more about. I loved learning about history and traditions. Otovalo Market was packed with vendors, but not many customers early in the morning. My plan was to look at everything first before I bought anything. It worked for about two rows of vendors. Jon pointed out to me I would never remember where everything was and I needed to find out the prices so I could compare so I started asking which led to dickering over prices and we were hooked. Our first purchase was a Panama hat for Jon to replace the hat lost at Sacha Lodge – only $12 down from a starting price of $18. The vendors were always polite, always complimentary, I was called “beautiful lady” a lot, and always willing to negotiate. Mostly we paid about 60% of asking price. A few vendors wouldn’t negotiate, but had started at a fair price much lower than others to begin with. As we wandered through we watched embroidery floss bracelets being made with lightning speed and sweaters knitted. I now wish I would have asked one of the bracelet makers if I could film them – it was amazing to watch. The vendors saw Jon as a good target for buying. Maybe it was all the bags we were carrying, but I would turn around and he would have another coat on and be saying, “What do you think?” with a big smile on his face. The vendors would have another one in another color or style ready for him to try on. He loved to negotiate. We left the market after three hours, not quite getting through the whole thing. I could easily have spent twice that amount of time. Before lunch, we drove to Cotacachi Volcano National Park. It reminded us of Crater Lake in Oregon. There is a 14 km trail that goes around the lake that looked like a great place to hike. We hiked up the path for about 10 minutes and really noticed the elevation change effect on our lungs – it was 3,450 meters high. Our home is only about 1,000 feet above sea level, and that’s over 11,000 feet! One of the best parts of driving up to the park was what we saw on the way. Small groups of people dressed in traditional clothing were walking up the hill, a large load in a cloth that looked like a sheet slung over their backs. Children were holding hands, playing with joyful smiles, laundry was flapping from clotheslines, people were working in their fields by hand. On the way back down, we saw some of the same people walking up the hill. I imagined what great health they were in and how I would become a lot less materialistic if I had to put so much work into getting everything I buy home that way. I had asked to see a school and Valerie showed me one. It was surrounded by a fence topped with barbed wire. She said that was to stop break ins which made sense but made me sad. To me, it didn’t create a very inviting place to go to school and learn – but I think that might be using my perspective in someone else’s culture. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant in Cotacachi and I ordered cuy/guinea pig. They laughed when I asked if they took the innards out first. While we were waiting for our lunch to arrive, I saw a small band walk by. I asked Valerie to ask them if they could come in and play and they did! They played three songs of traditional Ecuadorian music and even children riding their bikes by on the street stopped to listen. It was muy bueno! I asked how much I should tip them, Valerie explained that the way they earn their living was playing music for free and having people buy their CDs. I had wanted to buy a CD of traditional Ecuadorian music so this was perfect! When my cuy arrived at our table it still had its head on. I gritted my teeth and tried not to think of a cute, furry little pet guinea pig, peeled off all the deep fried skin, and tried to find meat on the little ribs. It was paper-thin. I tried breaking off a leg and didn’t find much meat there either. Luckily, Jon had ordered a meal that had three kinds of meat, so he shared some of his. We stopped to check if the purse store was open, no luck. Before we hopped back in the van, we stopped to get a helado de fruitas, which we discovered on our drive down yesterday. It is made locally, means fruit with cream, and could be compared to a dreamsicle. Many homes and fences have political ad signs written on them. Some have faces of the candidates, some only the slogan, but always vote. Jon thought it was a better and cheaper way to run a campaign than the millions spent in the U.S. I stopped to take a picture of one and had Valerie translate: Say YES to a new constitution for a better education, health, and life. This was from two years ago when the people voted yes for a new constitution. Depending on who we have talked to, there are mixed reviews on the success of the new constitution. We think we have finally figured out driving in Ecuador. Our Adventure Life driver is wonderful, never taking chances. Perhaps he has sensed our surprise as we watch with amazement as people pass the car who is already passing while oncoming traffic is approaching on a hill. The road we are traveled on is two lanes, but about three lanes wide. We think the yellow line down the middle is just a line to divide the road in half. To pass, the driver gives two short beeps and begins to pass. The car being passed moves closer to the side of the road, where sometimes there are not shoulders and may even be a drop off for a drainage ditch. We have not seen one accident or even a dented car. They must have the system fine-tuned. We stopped at a small roadside building and I wondered what we were doing there. It was the rose store! I picked out cream-colored roses and pale pink roses. They came in bouquets of 24 for $1.25! I had to get two bouquets because it was for 29 years. When we go back to the hotel, we borrowed two vases from the front desk, I arranged them, and we put one in the bathroom as an air freshener, where we had again hung out our soggy, smelly clothes to dry. We traded in the books we had finished at the little book exchange shelf in the Hotel Eugenia and picked out a new one to read on the next leg of our journey.

In the morning, we deliver two dozen roses to the front desk clerk at the Hotel Eugenia, bringing a smile to her face. When Valerie picks us up, we give her the other two dozen. She delivers us to the airport, and gets our forms ready and stands with us as we check in for our flight to the Galápagos. When we saw other people in line that were confused, she helped them out too. We feel so fortunate that our first trip to South America has been so worry free thanks to the help we have received from our guides. Onboard the plane is a group of about 30 exuberant students who. On takeoff, they all throw their hands up in the air like we are on a roller coaster. Great food and friendly service onboard. Stepping off the plane, each person needs to place both feet completely on a soapy looking mat that must be to prevent the spread of things that should not be coming into the Galápagos. After a customs check, we meet our host, Galo (“like the wine but with one l”) from the Millenium, and head to the harbor by bus. We take the pangas to the Millenium and get shown to our room. We are upgraded from a twin bed room to the king size bed room, what luck. A daily meeting is at 6:45 and dinner at 7:00, so we have time to go back to town and explore for a few hours. On the way in we see pelicans sitting on a small rowboat, and sea lions inhabiting a fishing boat. We wander through shops and find a lot of goods from the Otovalo area, only at higher prices. I buy postcards to send to my students. The beech is filled with sea lions and it is so pleasant to sit along the water. Back on the Millenium, we sat on the top deck and looked out over the harbor, watching a sunset. At the meeting before dinner, we met the crew and our fellow passengers from Switzerland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Norway, and the United States. Everyone was served a creamy drink and we toast to what Galo describes as "our new Millenium family." At dinner we learned more about our fellow passengers, many of who are backpacking through South America or even the world. I got out my notebook and recorded more travel ideas. It made me wish we could take off a year from work and travel just like they are doing. I wondered if I could be so brave and adventurous and could work out all the details.

When we went to bed last night we were in the harbor. We were going to start cruising during the night, and once we started up and left the harbor we didn’t get much sleep. The catamaran pitched from side to side. It was pointless to try to lay on our sides because we flopped back and forth in bed. Going to the bathroom was a real challenge. We don’t have our sea legs yet and hope to get them soon. When we stopped near our first island, the rocking improved greatly. Opening our curtains, we feasted our eyes on an island with a rainbow whose end was right before our eyes. At breakfast there were some green-looking passengers. One of the passengers who had been on from the previous group told us that that was the worst night so far – that was a big relief. Our first stop was a wet landing in Gardner Bay on Española. As we approached we saw and heard the beach filled with sea lion beach bums. Many were snoozing in groups, young were nursing, some were frolicking in the waves. We saw blue-footed boobies dive-bombing into the water to fish, lava lizards zipping away across the sand as we approached, and a mockingbird hopping after us chirping away. It was a feast for the eyes. Galo had told us the rules were that we could not approach closer than meter, and I thought we would be lucky to get within one meter of any wildlife. I was wrong. The sea lions pretty much didn’t move as we approached. One of them had what looked like a tight collar around it’s neck from getting caught up in garbage left by people in the ocean. We followed the path of a sea turtle who had laid it’s eggs just two or three days before our arrival. Wandering down the beach, we stopped to sit on some rocks and soak it all in. Snorkeling after lunch, we decided to rent wetsuits so if we thought the water was too cold we could stay in longer and enjoy the view. They were only $30 for the trip. We snorkeled by Isla Tortuga, staying close to the rocky shore. Our initial fear that we would be swept away by strong currents quickly disappeared. There were thousands of small fish in the water, some brightly colored red with yellow stripes. Bigger fish were here and there, spiny sea urchins dotted the floor, and a few sea lions joined us frolicking in the water. Forty-five minutes and time was up – it flew by quickly and we were never cold. We smacked our salty lips as we climbed up into the panga. In the afternoon, we had a dry landing at Punta Suarez on a beach/rocky area filled with marine iguanas and sea lions. The marine iguanas were everywhere, draped over rocks and each other. The colors surprised me, they were shades of red, pink, turquoise, and green. It was smelly from guano, but the smell soon seemed to disappear just a few minutes after we were there. Sally lightfoot crabs were scuttling over the rocks, their babies still black and hiding from their predators in cracks between the rocks. If we approached, they scuttled quickly away to safety. Lava lizards were playing a game of statue tag. We followed a path that was marked with small wood posts painted black and white through waist high saltbush. Around the first bend was our first view of blue-footed boobies. The male was slowly raising one little blue foot and then the other, doing his mating dance, and we were right there, only a few short meters away! Overhead screeched a group of red-billed tropic birds, red beak with all white feathers ending in a long slender tail feather. They are beautiful in flight but made a loud screeching sound over and over again, announcing their arrival as they wheel past above. As we were watching the blue-footed boobies, a group of tropic birds screeched by overhead, and plop, poop splattered on my hand. As I laughed, Galo told me that if you get pooped on by a bird, it is a sign you will have a lucky day. He was right, it was a I never knew I could get so close to wildlife lucky day indeed. We continued on our hike and saw Waved albatross’ sitting with their downy chicks. The chicks breathed in and out like a dog panting to help keep them cool. Waved albatrosses mate for life, so we saw many pairs and others waddling by. At one point we stopped and looked in just one direction and saw 14 sitting on their nest. At the blowhole, we stopped to see it blow, shooting 25 feet into the air with an exploding sound. A Galápagos hawk was perched on a nearby branch, looking majestic like an eagle. We saw many ground finches, a brown pelican, and frigatebirds floated by above, pumping their wings intermittently As we sat silently on the cliffs edge enjoying our view, Jon commented that this would be a great place for a cottage.

This morning we landed at Cormorant Point, where there are no cormorants and the sand on the beach is a greenish/blackish color. We hiked up and over a small hill to a brackish lagoon, the home of flamingos. The highlight of the morning happened just after we arrived. One flamingo decided to move a short distance by flying. It was so cool. I can best describe it as a long pink cigar with a beer belly hanging down. It flew in slow motion, only about two feet over the water and a short distance. I was so busy being amazed I forgot to get my camera out. The rest of the flamingos were wading through the water feeding but I had never seen one fly. In the afternoon we stopped at Post Office Bay and mailed a post card to my mom. I also wrote a note on it thanking the person who will deliver it. Digging through the postcards to be sent, I found one going to Madison, Wisconsin – exactly the place I was sending one to! Galo thanked me for carrying on the tradition of Post Office Bay. He is so sincere about his job and the sharing the wonders of the Galapagos with us. Today we snorkeled at two different locations. In the morning was at Devil’s Crown. Because it was a little rough, he let us out of the pangas so we could go in with the current and circle around the rocks. The rocky areas were filled with colorful fish and a great blue sea star. One unhappy sea lion hissed in the face of a person, giving her quite a fright, and slapped his flipper at other people in our group. Snorkeling in the afternoon was on the beach just off Post Office Bay. It was a little cloudy, but our group spread out and called out to each other when we had found something – three sea turtles and two manta rays.

This morning we arrived at Santa Cruz. Of the 16 members of our Millenium family, 12 are leaving to continue their journey throughout South America, only two are heading home. We all hop on a bus to a private farm in the highlands where Galapagos Tortoises live. On the trip, we watched the foliage turn from stunted, brown and dormant to thick, green, and tall, a great example of how fertile the highlands soil is. I have seen pictures of tortoises and knew they weighed up to 500 pounds but when one first came into view, it was so impressive. We all crowded around the tortoise for a good view and watched in silence as he slowly lumbered away. The only sound I heard was the constant click, click, click of camera shutters and softly whispered wows. Spotting a guava, the tortoise slowly bent his head and picked it up in his mouth, the pink insides of the fruit squishing out around his mouth. We could see lots of little gnats flying around his head as he chewed. In a small, muddy pond three more tortoises stood motionless, their heads tucked into their shells while a pintailed duck moved across the surface of the water, wagging his head back and forth like a dog’s tail. Searching for food, finches hopped over the ground, from branch to branch on low bushes, and even picked seeds out of fresh tortoise dung. We had thought we would see a few tortoises, but there must have been at least 15. We all took turns taking each others pictures behind the tortoises. We posed for one with Jon’s fingers saying two and my fingers nine for our 29th anniversary. Walking across an open field with few trees to see more tortoises, well-camouflaged Darwin’s finches popped off the ground and took flight in various directions away from us. On seeing us, a few tortoises tucked their head in, and a few others breathing sounded like Darth Vader, perhaps indicating we should leave them alone. Jon and I explored the deceased tortoises’ shells and the different geometric patterns of the shell tops. Jon backed his legs into a shell and lifted himself up on all fours as a tortoise and exclaimed the shell was heavy, giving him the feeling what it would be like to wear a tortoise shell all the time. When we arrived back at the dock, we said good byes to all our family members. It is amazing how quickly I felt I got to know them and enjoyed their company. I thought the next group couldn’t possibly be as great. In the afternoon we met our second Millenium family, from Switzerland, the United States, Israel, Holland, Brazil, and Sweden. Together we visited the Charles Darwin Center. The baby tortoises were the most interesting because of the size. It was hard for me to get excited about the rest of the zoo animals because it was so much better to see them in the wild. Walking back to the dock, we wandered through different art galleries. There were many temptations, but no way to get larger items safely home. I guess I prefer to live with the memories of our experience, something my aunt calls “food for the soul.” She is so right. At dinner Jon told the four people we were sitting with that it was our 29th anniversary. Two of them congratulated Jon and shook his hand, the third shook both of ours. Jon laughed and asked why they weren’t congratulating me, and one said in surprise, “Oh, you’re married to her?” We all had a big laugh but I am still not sure if they misunderstood what he said or if they thought Jon had left his wife at home and brought his girlfriend along. When I get home from this trip, one thing I plan on doing is to learn Spanish. At our table, Peter spoke three languages, Uri and Bridget spoke four languages, and Martin spoke six languages (he is also a language teacher). Jon and I speak one language. My experience on this trip has been amazing, but it is also eye opening. I feel I bring my experience to a different level if I could carry on a conversation in Spanish. Bridget told me that just before this trip she had gone to language school for five weeks in Cuenca and now speaks conversational Spanish. It is definitely something I would like to try.

At Santa Fe we arrived to a beach with much younger sea lions than we had previously seen. They were much more energetic, playing with each other, and quite curious about who the visitors to their beach were. On a hike, the giant cactus like plants (opuntias) stood out like sentries all over the island and we spotted many yellowish land iguanas blending in with the rocks. They are much bigger than I thought, many about two feet long from nose to tip of their tail. We found one munching on one of their favorite foods, opuntia. When another approached, it was chased off – boy, can they move fast. Beautiful little yellow warblers dotted the bushes. We wondered how many pictures we needed to take of one little yellow bird before we got a whole bird picture with it’s head looking toward the camera. The answer is about 20 tries. This is our first vacation without our 35 mm film camera and we both are happy that we did not drag it along. We are up to 1,800 pictures – somethings bound to be great! On the landing at South Plazas, Galo had to coax a sea lion off the steps. He was not to be moved, so we climbed the rocks. It looked like a flat piece of rock tipped up at an angle and covered with rocks, low-lying bushes tinted red and yellow, with giant opuntias littered throughout. We climbed the short hill and were stopped in our tracks by the 360° view. Steep cliffs, land iguanas, yellow warblers, swallow-tailed gulls, pelicans, cactus finches, lava gulls, sea lions, and red-billed tropic birds, their screeches almost drowned out by the blowing wind. Sometimes the spray from the ocean would reach the top of the cliff. We looked down into the ocean just off shore and saw hundreds of neon green colored yellow-tailed mullet churning up the water. We stopped often, and savored another 360° view. A sea lions skeleton rested near the cliff top edge, where after a shark bite it came to die, and three years later is only bleached bones. When it was time to leave the island I wanted to stay right where I was.

A spectacular view of a giant brick red cliff greeted us when we opened our curtains today. On the beach I know I finally got a video of the bullet dive of a blue-footed boobie, and a rather less graceful looking fishing pelican in which can best be described as a skim the water and flop in move. An American oystercatcher pecked its way down the beach, and four pelicans roosted in a row along the cliffs, looking like little statues up on pedestals. The brackish lagoon is no longer home to flamingoes and has been taken over by sea lions. It is rather smelly and one of the only places I have seen so far on the islands that I could not find beauty in. Looking up at the hill, the top was greener, and a distinct line forms where the plant life is ghostlike. They looks like dead plants although Galo tells us they are dormant, and the top of the hill gets water from mist to keep it green. Snorkeling we see a sea star village with variations of color and pattern and thousands of tiny little fish. The wet suits have been great, we stay out every time until the very end. From the sand to the rocks, Santiago is a black island. The volcanic formations swirl, flow, form cones, arches, recessions and layers like works of art. Adding splashes of white are the latrines/perches of the birds. In one spot the guano has heated up from the sun and formed a bright, shiny layer of white over the dark rocks, making it look like marble. In several recessions, salt had crystallized. Hiding down near the shore were a group of fur seals. We stopped to watch Darwin’s toilet flush. We watched as head after head of marine iguanas appeared from different directions in the water, all heading toward shore. As they got closer we could see their tails swishing through the water, and then they climbed up, and joined the several hundred other iguanas on the rocks. Oftentimes, they piled right on top of each other, looking a bit like iguana dominoes. Baby and juvenile iguanas joined the group. We could get so close we could see each spine along their backs and the shadows they made along their bodies. Small sneezes came from the some, releasing the salt from their system. It was yet another time when we just sat and enjoyed the show put on by the animals with scenery provided by the rocks, sun, and water.

There were two highlights today: the splendid view from the hike to the summit and snorkeling with penguins. The hike to the top was interesting the whole way up with variations in lava flow leaving the rocks looking sometimes like stalactites, strips of different colored cake batter poured down the mountain, and rocks scattered like we were visiting another planet. Once at the top, everyone posed for a picture of our Millenium family and Galo snapped a picture with each camera. On the way to the snorkeling beach, our pangas headed over to see the penguins fishing near the rocky shore. They jumped out of the water and shook their little tails. As we entered the water, birds started diving into the water. Galo told us to head for the birds, and we were rewarded with snorkeling with penguins. They shot through the water just like I saw in an IMAX movie on Antarctica – only I was right there!!! After five minutes they were gone, but the water was clear and the views were wonderful. There were volcanic formations under water, flows, small cones and arches. We saw bigger fish here than we have seen at other places, and ones that looked like they had big lips Last night Galo wanted us to watch Master and Commander so we could preview what we would see today. One by one we trickled off to bed. So this afternoon we finished up the movie. It is much more beautiful in person. We had to get fuel for the boat so I spent part of the down time learning about Uri’s travels though South America and seeing the pictures that went with it. I added more places to travel to on our list, along with great recommendations about what to see when we go. Erik is coordinating an email list so we can exchange pictures. Jon joined some of the other guys for a game of Galápagos poker. I knew it is getting serious when Peter got up and returned with sunglasses, so I headed out to the deck to watch the sunset. We were already underway to our final stop tomorrow, and coming up behind us was a sailing ship. We joked that it may be the Acheron from Master and Commander. Tonight we were served lobster and the chef decorated a cake, thanking us for joining them. It has gotten me to pondering that on each leg of our journey, every single person from Ecuador who we have encountered on our trip has made it a wonderful experience. I feel almost like I have been spoiled with great service. Every tourist I have met, except one, has been fantastic to meet. I have learned something new from each one that I hope I can take back with me and learn from.

In the morning we had the choice between walking on the beach or snorkeling – it was a unanimous decision. Along with thousands of fish we saw two sea turtles and one ray. Somehow it wasn’t quite as exciting because we knew it was all going to end soon. After Galo gave all of us hugs goodbye and a quick stop to buy ice cream, we headed off to the airport at 10:30. For the nine of us leaving, it gave us a chance to chat some more at the airport about upcoming plans. Back at the Hotel Eugenia we got our same room back. A few of the roses we left at the desk seven days ago are still looking good. We headed back to our favorite local restaurant and I ordered the exact same thing and it was wonderful again (shrimp cooked in lime and a spinach salad with apples and strawberries in a yogurt garlic sauce). At the tiny corner store we bought snacks for our early breakfast at 2:45 to get ready for a 3:15 pick up. They asked us a question and we were not sure what it was they were saying, but they had big smiles on their faces and it reaffirmed that my language skills are lacking. Eventually I figured out that they were asking where we were from, and I remembered from my Junior High Spanish that we were from the Estados Unidos! This brought big smiles and, I’m pretty sure, words of welcome to us. Smiling is contagious, we left the store with big smiles of our own.

Last night we tried to go to bed at 9 pm but the band bus circled the block about every half hour with vibrant music and honking horns. To our surprise the phone rang in our room at 9:45. It was Betty from Adventure Life telling us our pick up time was at 3:50 am. I thought I didn’t hear her correctly so I repeated it several times. I hung up the phone with relief, another half hour of sleep. In the car on the way to the airport the streets were empty. Some cars beeped their horns and went right through the red lights. Ever wondering, we asked our driver why there weren’t flashing yellow lights. He replied that at this time in the morning, people are worried about being robbed while stopped. Jon told him to feel free to go right through those red lights. At the airport, everything was humming. We headed through a helpful check in and sat in the waiting room, exhausted from rising and sad to be leaving. From the window we saw the Andes and a great view of snow-covered Cotacoxchi with the sun rising behind. As we took off from Quito we had a clear view of more snow-covered peaks and fog-shrouded valleys. We picked out the Winged Virgin on the hill, looked back to see the Basilica, and thought of the first day our Ecuador adventure began. I feel I have learned and seen so much but have so much more to learn and see. It truly was excellent. On the flight from Miami to Chicago we met a man who works for a credit union in Wisconsin and was in Ecuador and Peru working to set up credit cards. He told us that Ecuador has had 13% inflation and people are really struggling. My heart sank when I thought of everyone out there like westerners saying charge it. A great part of the beauty of our trip to Ecuador is that it wasn’t like home. First stop at home was our list of vacation dreams. We checked off Galápagos and Amazon and added five more. Wednesday, July 22nd Today I delivered my Post Office Bay Galápagos postcard to an address on Gorham Street in Madison. I hoped the person would be home and the person who sent the postcard would be visiting so I could meet him or her and they would tell me about their trip to Ecaudor. I was disappointed when they weren’t there. I can see that it won’t be easy to get over such a fabulous trip. TRIP ADVICE 1. Look for an open post office right away. I bought postcards to mail and sent them when I got home because I couldn’t find an open post office. Postage runs from $2 to $5 depending on where you are mailing from. 2. At Sacha Lodge, always bring a flashlight on 4 pm hikes even if your guide doesn’t remind you. It gets dark quicker at the Equator than at home in the Northern Hemisphere, and especially dark in the jungle. 3. If you want to try to avoid seasickness on the Millenium, sit on the deck in front of the Captain, look at the horizon, and breathe in the fresh air. 4. Bring slipper socks with grips for walking during rough seas. 5. If you have children, read Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr together. I haven’t seen the movie version, but I know the book is better. It will give you all a great reference for frigate birds, seal lions, marine iguanas, and volcanic islands. 6. To pack we brought a duffel bag folded up inside one of our suitcases. We used it as our second suitcase on our trip when we left behind a larger one at the hotel. It can also be used as the soggy, smelly clothes suitcase. 7. We brought older clothes and purchased inexpensive clothes at Goodwill for our trip. As we wore them, we left them behind. This made room for all of our purchases and we actually ended up with lighter suitcases going home than when we came. 8. Jon bought a pair of prescription goggles on ebay for about $30. We had checked in advance to see if they had any on the Millenium and they didn't. Other passengers were disappointed at what they couldn't see. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE To watch video clips of wildlife and experiences from our trip go to youtube and type in the same title as this journal title or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZRpem4YCQw August 22, 2009 The postcard I sent from Post Office Bay was delivered to my mom on the 15th - exactly five weeks from the Galapagos to Madison, Wisconsin. She wasn't home at the time, but asked other residents of the retirement community she lives in if they knew who delivered it. Turns out a "nice young couple" tried to find her to deliver it in person - they really wanted to talk about their trip! More travelers with an excellent adventure!