I met Debs and Rosie nice and early at the main square of Puerto Ayora and we found a taxi and headed to meet the Love Boat at the airport. After the embarassment of putting our boat stickers on our shirts, we were met by our guide, Cesar. Cesar is a wiry, leathery, old sea dog of a guide, aged 69 with 35 years' experience in the Galapagos. He has seen it all. We got to the Love Boat and met our fellow passengers - the Aussie couple Vi and Aaron; the Israelis Mati, Bar, Michal, Maetal and Yael; the Austrians Claire and Silvia; the UK's Kevin and his son Joe; Hector from Spain; and Sara from the US. The Friendship was a three level boat with a great upper deck for chilling, bird watching and island gazing.
Each night Cesar gave us a briefing on the next day's adventures which included a few hours on each island, plus 1-2 hours snorkelling, lunch plus a siesta. By the time dinner came around we were pretty tired but always keen for more. Our island itinerary:
Day 1: Baltra Island and Bachas Beach
Day 2: Plazas Island and Sante Fe Island
Day 3: Espanola Island
Day 4: Floreana Island
Day 5: Santa Cruz Island, Charles Darwin Station and Parte Alta
Day 6: Rabida Island and Chinese Hat
Day 7: Bartolome Island and Sullivan Bay
Day 8: North Seymour Island and Baltra Island
We spent the eight days wandering about the Galapagos Islands and experiencing some of the most amazing wildlife I have ever seen. Not only do you see everything but you see hundreds of creatures of all species - territory guarding, mating rituals, nesting, births, young rearing and game playing and so much more. Combined with the unique volcanic landscapes it was a magical trip. Certainly one of my all time top 5 favourites.
Meet some of the characters:
Blue footed boobie: brilliant colour feet and an impressive diver for fish.
Marine iguana: a modern dragon including spikes, which dives for seaweed and blows salt from its nostrils.
Land iguana: similar to the marine but comes in three varieties - all cream, red and yellow belly.
Penguin: stands to attention on the rocks and dives for sardines in front of your face.
Sealion: the dog of the sea, so playful and loves to blow bubbles in your face - beware of the dominant male.
Reef shark: our constant companions and thankfully "vegetarian".
Green turtles: unafraid to swim below us with graceful style.
Eagle spotted ray: impressive in formations of 20+ as we cruised by.
Lava lizard: the much overlooked funky small lizard of the lava flows.
Frigate bird: male has impressive red inflatable skin flap under chin for attracting females.
Photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/GloryOfGalapagos815June
Saturday 30 June 2007
Thursday 21 June 2007
Ecuador: Diving the Galapagos Islands with the biggest fish on the planet (4-7 June 07)
(photos are here - http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/GalapagosDiving)
I headed back to Quito sad to be leaving Banos but excited about the reason for my coming to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands. After a bit of pfaffing about in Quito I jumped on an Aerogal plane for Baltra, the island hosting the main airport for the Galapagos. The airport, currently being renovated, was awash with colour and cries as tourists slapped their boat name stickers on their person and ever-patient guides try to link up their groups. My boat cruise didn't start for 3 days so I headed for the island of Santa Cruz and the main town of Puerto Ayora. The first impression was of the barrenness of the islands but the phenomenal throngs of wildlife, starting with sealions lolling on the Baltra jetty and many typeas of large birds crowding the skies.
I dumped my stuff at the El Peregrino B&B and headed straight for the Scuba Iguana shop to see which dives I could do in the next 2 days. Luckily there was one spot left the following day for a spot I had researched - Gordon Rocks. The guy in the dive shop laughed when I asked about the chances of seeing hammerheads and turtles, he said "Of course we'll see them, we'll also see manta rays and whale sharks too". I then did the 45-minute walk to Turtle Beach (Playa de Tortuga) for a swim and along the way saw dozens of marine iguanas perched on the rocks near the beach, animals that swim and surf as they search for their favourite food, seaweed and then blow out the excess salt through their noses, leaving crusts of silver that harden on their heads. Damn funky looking reptiles.
I wandered about Puerto Ayora by myself that evening, finding the row of outdoor eateries where the locals go and soaking up the island atmosphere. I must admit that I don't like doing dinner by myself. Breakfast and lunch are fine but I get bored with myself at dinner. I crashed pretty early after making a sizeable dent in 100 Years of Solitude as the dive trip started at 7am.
I rocked up to the dive shop on the dot of 7am and met a stocky, red head South African called Steve who was also on the trip. Steve was travelling around South America for 9 months - all on the back of a flame red, FZ150 motorbike, which is a Chinese Harley lookalike with a small capacity engine and tons of attitude. Man, he had some stories. Then I met a Frenchman who not only used to own a dive shop on Madagascar but sold it to buy a yacht and travel the world with his wife for three years. Fabulous characters and good to be underwater with them.
The first dive we dived straight down and immediately spied a group of 20-30 hammerhead sharks searching the reef. They are skittish so soon moved away. We swam up to the edge of the old volcanic crater which forms Gordon Rocks above the water and over the edge we saw 4-5 more hammerheads and two of them around 3-4m long came to check us out and were just 2-3 metres away. Magic. We also saw heaps of schoolfish and turtles plus reef sharks. Then we had a break for food and snorkelling with sealions which was wonderful unless you got too close to the dominant male.
The second dive was a little harder as the currents had lifted so the dive master told us to drop down and hang onto the rocks and look around before he would decide when to move off. A few people were caught a little but I managed to drop straight down. We were at about 10-15 metres and suddenly the dive master began frantically pointing and ringing his bell. Out of the deep blue and random groups of fish came this huge shadow silhoutted against the surface above, that resembled a giant space craft. WHALE SHARK! This is the largest fish on the planet and extremely rare. I creamed my wetsuit right there as I had never seen one alive before. I swam over to it as it cruised past and without thinking and contrary to my usual good wildlife habits touched its smooth and exquisitely decorated back as it swooshed past. It also had a scraggly beard of remoras. We swam around with it for 10-15 minutes and I was on a high for...well, I still am!
That afternoon and night we celebrated and Steve and I told the story at every bar, restaurant and cafe we went to. This was day 2 in the Galapagos. Wow.
That night Steve and I met up with two UK girls in Puerto Ayora's Bongo bar - Debs and Rosie - who turned out to also be on the Friendship boat. We renamed it the 'Love Boat' and spent many an hour and several cube libres speculating as to the character of our other passengers and crew.
(more photos are here - http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/GalapagosDiving)
I headed back to Quito sad to be leaving Banos but excited about the reason for my coming to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands. After a bit of pfaffing about in Quito I jumped on an Aerogal plane for Baltra, the island hosting the main airport for the Galapagos. The airport, currently being renovated, was awash with colour and cries as tourists slapped their boat name stickers on their person and ever-patient guides try to link up their groups. My boat cruise didn't start for 3 days so I headed for the island of Santa Cruz and the main town of Puerto Ayora. The first impression was of the barrenness of the islands but the phenomenal throngs of wildlife, starting with sealions lolling on the Baltra jetty and many typeas of large birds crowding the skies.
I dumped my stuff at the El Peregrino B&B and headed straight for the Scuba Iguana shop to see which dives I could do in the next 2 days. Luckily there was one spot left the following day for a spot I had researched - Gordon Rocks. The guy in the dive shop laughed when I asked about the chances of seeing hammerheads and turtles, he said "Of course we'll see them, we'll also see manta rays and whale sharks too". I then did the 45-minute walk to Turtle Beach (Playa de Tortuga) for a swim and along the way saw dozens of marine iguanas perched on the rocks near the beach, animals that swim and surf as they search for their favourite food, seaweed and then blow out the excess salt through their noses, leaving crusts of silver that harden on their heads. Damn funky looking reptiles.
I wandered about Puerto Ayora by myself that evening, finding the row of outdoor eateries where the locals go and soaking up the island atmosphere. I must admit that I don't like doing dinner by myself. Breakfast and lunch are fine but I get bored with myself at dinner. I crashed pretty early after making a sizeable dent in 100 Years of Solitude as the dive trip started at 7am.
I rocked up to the dive shop on the dot of 7am and met a stocky, red head South African called Steve who was also on the trip. Steve was travelling around South America for 9 months - all on the back of a flame red, FZ150 motorbike, which is a Chinese Harley lookalike with a small capacity engine and tons of attitude. Man, he had some stories. Then I met a Frenchman who not only used to own a dive shop on Madagascar but sold it to buy a yacht and travel the world with his wife for three years. Fabulous characters and good to be underwater with them.
The first dive we dived straight down and immediately spied a group of 20-30 hammerhead sharks searching the reef. They are skittish so soon moved away. We swam up to the edge of the old volcanic crater which forms Gordon Rocks above the water and over the edge we saw 4-5 more hammerheads and two of them around 3-4m long came to check us out and were just 2-3 metres away. Magic. We also saw heaps of schoolfish and turtles plus reef sharks. Then we had a break for food and snorkelling with sealions which was wonderful unless you got too close to the dominant male.
The second dive was a little harder as the currents had lifted so the dive master told us to drop down and hang onto the rocks and look around before he would decide when to move off. A few people were caught a little but I managed to drop straight down. We were at about 10-15 metres and suddenly the dive master began frantically pointing and ringing his bell. Out of the deep blue and random groups of fish came this huge shadow silhoutted against the surface above, that resembled a giant space craft. WHALE SHARK! This is the largest fish on the planet and extremely rare. I creamed my wetsuit right there as I had never seen one alive before. I swam over to it as it cruised past and without thinking and contrary to my usual good wildlife habits touched its smooth and exquisitely decorated back as it swooshed past. It also had a scraggly beard of remoras. We swam around with it for 10-15 minutes and I was on a high for...well, I still am!
That afternoon and night we celebrated and Steve and I told the story at every bar, restaurant and cafe we went to. This was day 2 in the Galapagos. Wow.
That night Steve and I met up with two UK girls in Puerto Ayora's Bongo bar - Debs and Rosie - who turned out to also be on the Friendship boat. We renamed it the 'Love Boat' and spent many an hour and several cube libres speculating as to the character of our other passengers and crew.
(more photos are here - http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/GalapagosDiving)
Books I am reading
A quick note on books. Read 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho to start things off, which is apparently one of the best selling books ever. A lovely and uplifting story about travelling and seeking your 'personal legend' but the end is a little corny and neat, unless you are really homesick.
Next was 'God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy which blew my mind and in addition to being a wonderfully exhausiting story of love and family, reminded me of how children filter the impact of adults. Gawd what a emotional experience and I loved it all.
After that was '100 Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which certainly lived up to its reputation as the epic Latin American novel. A superb tale of one family's history which captures all the political, social and personal sufferings and triumphs of a 100 years, I reread so many pages just to try to keep up. Very convincing on the notion that poverty produces the strongest love.
Now am reading 'The Lost Heart of Asia' by Colin Thubron which is non-fiction travel writing on his journey through the countries of central Asia (the 'Stans) that I am thinking of visiting after the Middle East.
Let me know if you are reading something good...
Next was 'God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy which blew my mind and in addition to being a wonderfully exhausiting story of love and family, reminded me of how children filter the impact of adults. Gawd what a emotional experience and I loved it all.
After that was '100 Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which certainly lived up to its reputation as the epic Latin American novel. A superb tale of one family's history which captures all the political, social and personal sufferings and triumphs of a 100 years, I reread so many pages just to try to keep up. Very convincing on the notion that poverty produces the strongest love.
Now am reading 'The Lost Heart of Asia' by Colin Thubron which is non-fiction travel writing on his journey through the countries of central Asia (the 'Stans) that I am thinking of visiting after the Middle East.
Let me know if you are reading something good...
Ecuador: Birthday, baths, biking and toffee in Banos (30 May - 3 June 2007)
(photos are here - http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/BanosEcuador)
After a very reasonable start, Jim the Kentucky scoundrel and I jumped on a bus bound for Ambato which took less than an hour. At the Ambato station, we managed to leap aboard a bus for Banos just as it left the terminal. The good thing was that it left straight away rather than the usual 465 minute wait for more passengers. The bad thing was that it was full so we had to stand.
Standing enabled me to experience the full spectrum of sellers who jumped on board every few minutes. It is much harder to resist when standing, especially as hot slabs of 50c coconut cake waft past. My favourite was the guy in shirt and tie and briefcase who launched into a rhythmic lecture and produced fantastic diagrams of the human body plus photos of people suffering everything from TB to brain cancer. At first I thought he was a public health campaigner but then he produced the packets of herbal drink powder which he claimed would cure all. I didn't know how to say "recurring dislocated shoulder" in Spanish so had to say no.
The bus began to find its way through the mountains which gave us some fabulous views of the surrounding lush valleys. Just as we arrived in Banos around midday, I got a seat. The bus dropped us on the highway near the markets and Jim and I set off for the Plantas Y Blancos (Plates and Whites - whatever!) hostel where I scored a tiny room but Jim decided to seek out a more salubrious pad down the road. We then surveyed the town. Banos is situated on the slopes of Tunguraha Volcano which famously erupted in 1998 causing the government to evacuate residents who then demanded to return and riots ensued. It is a tourist town but has a great atmosphere as many Quitenos (Quito residents) head here for a break from the city.
Given that 30 May was my birthday, Jim and I decided to celebrate in style. First was a lengthy soaking in the thermal baths after which Banos gets its name. There are various types - bugger hot (48C), medium and cold pools as well as a natural cold shower which is water diverted from the superb waterfall that is the backdrop to the baths. We grabbed a tasty spit roast chicken, beans, potatoes plus soup and drink for $1.50 and headed to the bars. After a few drinks and games of pool at one small place on Alfaro st, we found our way into the Leprechaun Bar and a group of random travellers keen for a big one. I was forced to drink random cocktails for most of the evening and danced until some not-so-sensible hour of the not-so-early morning. Damn good birthday.
The next day Jim and I hired bikes and did one of the most enjoyable rides of my life, mostly because almost all of the 20km was downhill. We followed the road that leads to Puyo on the edge of the Amazon jungle. Along the way we gazed at waterfalls, sheer cliffs and winding valleys. We also took out lives into our hands and did bridge jumping which is kinda like bungee jumping except the rope doesn't bounce and you swing rather than fall straight down. Amazing.
That night we were joined by Kelly, the Alaskan, who decided to meet us in Banos for a couple of days before she started with UNICEF in Macas, south of Puyo. Somehow we ended up in the Leprechaun bar again for some more funky tunes and somehow Rage Against the Machine came on again. Another not so early night that ended with a rather enjoyable walk home in soft rain.
The next day Jim decided to head back to Quito so Kelly and I found a lovely cafe on the square run by a Danish-Ecuadorian couple where we had delicious warm, brown bread and fresh juice of maracuya and other tropical fruits. We then did the bike ride again (second time was better by far!) and I watched Kelly do the bridge jump. At the bottom of the ride we came to the Pailon de Diablo waterfall where the river plunges into a narrow chasm forcing the volume of water through at such a rate that it feels like you are in the middle of a tornado. At the bottom of stairs that lead you close to the falls and deep inside the spray, a local told us that the devil lives in the falls (hence the name) and that if you scream at him he will blow spray at you. We tried and were rewarded with a thorough soaking. After squelching out of the valley, we were thankful when a truck cooperative took us and our bikes back up the hills to Banos.
Way too soon it was time to head back to Quito for my trip to the Galapagos! On the way to the bus station I grabbed some of the world famous Banos toffee which they stretch and shape in many of the shops along the main road.
(photos are here - http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/BanosEcuador)
After a very reasonable start, Jim the Kentucky scoundrel and I jumped on a bus bound for Ambato which took less than an hour. At the Ambato station, we managed to leap aboard a bus for Banos just as it left the terminal. The good thing was that it left straight away rather than the usual 465 minute wait for more passengers. The bad thing was that it was full so we had to stand.
Standing enabled me to experience the full spectrum of sellers who jumped on board every few minutes. It is much harder to resist when standing, especially as hot slabs of 50c coconut cake waft past. My favourite was the guy in shirt and tie and briefcase who launched into a rhythmic lecture and produced fantastic diagrams of the human body plus photos of people suffering everything from TB to brain cancer. At first I thought he was a public health campaigner but then he produced the packets of herbal drink powder which he claimed would cure all. I didn't know how to say "recurring dislocated shoulder" in Spanish so had to say no.
The bus began to find its way through the mountains which gave us some fabulous views of the surrounding lush valleys. Just as we arrived in Banos around midday, I got a seat. The bus dropped us on the highway near the markets and Jim and I set off for the Plantas Y Blancos (Plates and Whites - whatever!) hostel where I scored a tiny room but Jim decided to seek out a more salubrious pad down the road. We then surveyed the town. Banos is situated on the slopes of Tunguraha Volcano which famously erupted in 1998 causing the government to evacuate residents who then demanded to return and riots ensued. It is a tourist town but has a great atmosphere as many Quitenos (Quito residents) head here for a break from the city.
Given that 30 May was my birthday, Jim and I decided to celebrate in style. First was a lengthy soaking in the thermal baths after which Banos gets its name. There are various types - bugger hot (48C), medium and cold pools as well as a natural cold shower which is water diverted from the superb waterfall that is the backdrop to the baths. We grabbed a tasty spit roast chicken, beans, potatoes plus soup and drink for $1.50 and headed to the bars. After a few drinks and games of pool at one small place on Alfaro st, we found our way into the Leprechaun Bar and a group of random travellers keen for a big one. I was forced to drink random cocktails for most of the evening and danced until some not-so-sensible hour of the not-so-early morning. Damn good birthday.
The next day Jim and I hired bikes and did one of the most enjoyable rides of my life, mostly because almost all of the 20km was downhill. We followed the road that leads to Puyo on the edge of the Amazon jungle. Along the way we gazed at waterfalls, sheer cliffs and winding valleys. We also took out lives into our hands and did bridge jumping which is kinda like bungee jumping except the rope doesn't bounce and you swing rather than fall straight down. Amazing.
That night we were joined by Kelly, the Alaskan, who decided to meet us in Banos for a couple of days before she started with UNICEF in Macas, south of Puyo. Somehow we ended up in the Leprechaun bar again for some more funky tunes and somehow Rage Against the Machine came on again. Another not so early night that ended with a rather enjoyable walk home in soft rain.
The next day Jim decided to head back to Quito so Kelly and I found a lovely cafe on the square run by a Danish-Ecuadorian couple where we had delicious warm, brown bread and fresh juice of maracuya and other tropical fruits. We then did the bike ride again (second time was better by far!) and I watched Kelly do the bridge jump. At the bottom of the ride we came to the Pailon de Diablo waterfall where the river plunges into a narrow chasm forcing the volume of water through at such a rate that it feels like you are in the middle of a tornado. At the bottom of stairs that lead you close to the falls and deep inside the spray, a local told us that the devil lives in the falls (hence the name) and that if you scream at him he will blow spray at you. We tried and were rewarded with a thorough soaking. After squelching out of the valley, we were thankful when a truck cooperative took us and our bikes back up the hills to Banos.
Way too soon it was time to head back to Quito for my trip to the Galapagos! On the way to the bus station I grabbed some of the world famous Banos toffee which they stretch and shape in many of the shops along the main road.
(photos are here - http://picasaweb.google.com/nickchasingthesunrise/BanosEcuador)
Sunday 17 June 2007
Ecuador: Quilotoa Loop (29 May)
After the usual brekkie of eggs, tea and fruit, it was time for the Quilotoa Loop. We met the solid looking red 4WD at the tour place and were greeted by Alex, our guide and driver. Let me say at this stage that anywhere in the world it is very hard to be both a good guide and a good driver but full credit to those who try. We picked up a married couple - Dominican Republic and Spanish - and hit the road. The Quilotoa Loop took us through some spectacular countryside - Andean villages, plunging cliffs and canyons, green hills and the villages nestled amongst them.
Apart from some quick photo stops our first real stop was at the Laguna Quilotoa. Alex made us close our eyes and walked us over to the edge. When we opened our eyes, the sight was breathtaking and one of the most amazing I have seen in South America. The laguna is in an old volcano´s crater which has steep cliffs that drop off 400 metres to the water below. The laguna is many shades of green and as the water wells up from below, some blues and creams also appear. We walked down in less than half an hour, meeting cows and llamas along the way. The way up was tough and took over an hour, which was not helped by Alex telling us “solo dies minuto mas” (just ten minutes more) every ten minutes. He was great on the local knowledge though, having studied to be a guide at university.
The loop then took us on a bumpy road that wound in and around the mountains and alternated between just dirt (most of the time) to some stones to cobbled to sealed. We lunched in the misty village of Chugchilan at the cute Hostal Cloud Forest.
The rest of the trip back to Latacunga took us through the villages of Sigchos, Toacaso, Saquisili and Pujili with the snow capped mountains of Cotopaxi and Ruminahi and Iliniza making guest appearances along the way. Everyone seemed to be happy with me being DJ and managed to introduce a few people to Silverchair, Electric Eels, Rastawookie plus some cracker tracks from Gatecrasher and others.
Looking back on it I think the uplifting music may have been the bad influence on Alex. Also the rain had started, turning the dirt road into a slippery mud track. The first two times Alex spun the car out were ok, we just lost traction and slid a few metres. I should point out that this road is at times up to 4,000m high and there are no guard rails - nada.
The third time was not so much fun. We came around a corner and he lost control. The rear of the car swung out and we slid, spinning faster as we neared the edge. Somehow, the curve of our slide took us to the edge, not over and then back to the other side which saw us thump into the ditch of the inside of the road. We were stuck and had to enlist the help of a passing truck of people to help us push the car out. We laughed and shook and I also had a little chat to Alex about control and perception. I also changed the music to Nora Jones.
We arrived safe and sound back in Latacunga and after some ok lasagne and beers, we looked forward to relaxing in the town of Baños.
Coming up: bathing, bridge jumping and biking in Baños.
Apart from some quick photo stops our first real stop was at the Laguna Quilotoa. Alex made us close our eyes and walked us over to the edge. When we opened our eyes, the sight was breathtaking and one of the most amazing I have seen in South America. The laguna is in an old volcano´s crater which has steep cliffs that drop off 400 metres to the water below. The laguna is many shades of green and as the water wells up from below, some blues and creams also appear. We walked down in less than half an hour, meeting cows and llamas along the way. The way up was tough and took over an hour, which was not helped by Alex telling us “solo dies minuto mas” (just ten minutes more) every ten minutes. He was great on the local knowledge though, having studied to be a guide at university.
The loop then took us on a bumpy road that wound in and around the mountains and alternated between just dirt (most of the time) to some stones to cobbled to sealed. We lunched in the misty village of Chugchilan at the cute Hostal Cloud Forest.
The rest of the trip back to Latacunga took us through the villages of Sigchos, Toacaso, Saquisili and Pujili with the snow capped mountains of Cotopaxi and Ruminahi and Iliniza making guest appearances along the way. Everyone seemed to be happy with me being DJ and managed to introduce a few people to Silverchair, Electric Eels, Rastawookie plus some cracker tracks from Gatecrasher and others.
Looking back on it I think the uplifting music may have been the bad influence on Alex. Also the rain had started, turning the dirt road into a slippery mud track. The first two times Alex spun the car out were ok, we just lost traction and slid a few metres. I should point out that this road is at times up to 4,000m high and there are no guard rails - nada.
The third time was not so much fun. We came around a corner and he lost control. The rear of the car swung out and we slid, spinning faster as we neared the edge. Somehow, the curve of our slide took us to the edge, not over and then back to the other side which saw us thump into the ditch of the inside of the road. We were stuck and had to enlist the help of a passing truck of people to help us push the car out. We laughed and shook and I also had a little chat to Alex about control and perception. I also changed the music to Nora Jones.
We arrived safe and sound back in Latacunga and after some ok lasagne and beers, we looked forward to relaxing in the town of Baños.
Coming up: bathing, bridge jumping and biking in Baños.
Tuesday 5 June 2007
Ecuador: Latacunga (28 May)
After paying a seemingly large amount of money for my Galapagos trip, I checked out of the Secret Garden and headed south for the Cumanda bus station where I boarded a bus for Latacunga. This was to be my drop off for the Quilotoa Loop, which has been described as a must do by many fellow travellers and the book. This was my first real chance to see Ecuador´s countryside and the road took me into the Andean highlands that form the backbone of the entire continent – we passed through many small towns, most of them with concrete shops and houses, plenty of stray dogs, mix of Quichua (indigenous) and Spanish faces and some gleaming churches.
The bus dropped me just off the Pan Americana highway on the outskirts of Latacunga around 5pm so I headed into town and found the Hotel Central which was clean and right in the centre (funny that). The señora and I chatted in Spanish for a while and I am pretty sure she and I agreed that around the world people are getting married later…or possibly we agreed that I would marry her daughter later - either way it was…nice. I set out to find myself a tour for the following day.
As I hit the road to find the right tour, I must say here that two people in Ecuador have already commented that I like to check out tours properly…ok, one may have hinted that I am anal. Of course I killed them for saying that but will also outline my approach so I can set the record straight. First, I always check out at least 3 agents, more often 6-7 and a mix of those in the book and not. In addition to the questions on cost and activities, I check out the guide´s knowledge and languages, the car, whether I can plug in my digital walkman, where and what lunch etc will be. Plus I bargain and get them to write it down on the back of their card. Not so bad huh? Whatever.
All of the operators told me I needed a minimum of two people. This is the worst thing about travelling on your own – ok, there are other things too. The converse is also true that single people can often just jump on a tour that is going rather than having to wait. I hit the pavement again and spied a hombre clutching a Lonely Planet striding down the street. I accosted him and asked whether he was keen to do a trip to Quilotoa. The reply, shaped by a mellow southern US accent, was owned by Jim Higgins, the public lawyer, infamous scoundrel of Kentucky and my partner in crime for the next few days.
Jim and I booked the trip and then met for dinner at La Mama Negra. The owner showed us around this dark decorated and very cool 5-floor colonial style mansion with a restaurant, bar, several function rooms, disco and many nooks and crannies. They served us Latacunga´s speciality ‘chugchucara´ which is a huge plate of soft fried pork, rice, potatoes, bananas, toasted corn plus cheese empanadas all doused with akhi (sauce of chilli, onion, tomato and lime) - all washed down with Pilsener, Ecuador´s light but very drinkable beer. We got an early night as we had to leave at 7.30am for the loop.
The bus dropped me just off the Pan Americana highway on the outskirts of Latacunga around 5pm so I headed into town and found the Hotel Central which was clean and right in the centre (funny that). The señora and I chatted in Spanish for a while and I am pretty sure she and I agreed that around the world people are getting married later…or possibly we agreed that I would marry her daughter later - either way it was…nice. I set out to find myself a tour for the following day.
As I hit the road to find the right tour, I must say here that two people in Ecuador have already commented that I like to check out tours properly…ok, one may have hinted that I am anal. Of course I killed them for saying that but will also outline my approach so I can set the record straight. First, I always check out at least 3 agents, more often 6-7 and a mix of those in the book and not. In addition to the questions on cost and activities, I check out the guide´s knowledge and languages, the car, whether I can plug in my digital walkman, where and what lunch etc will be. Plus I bargain and get them to write it down on the back of their card. Not so bad huh? Whatever.
All of the operators told me I needed a minimum of two people. This is the worst thing about travelling on your own – ok, there are other things too. The converse is also true that single people can often just jump on a tour that is going rather than having to wait. I hit the pavement again and spied a hombre clutching a Lonely Planet striding down the street. I accosted him and asked whether he was keen to do a trip to Quilotoa. The reply, shaped by a mellow southern US accent, was owned by Jim Higgins, the public lawyer, infamous scoundrel of Kentucky and my partner in crime for the next few days.
Jim and I booked the trip and then met for dinner at La Mama Negra. The owner showed us around this dark decorated and very cool 5-floor colonial style mansion with a restaurant, bar, several function rooms, disco and many nooks and crannies. They served us Latacunga´s speciality ‘chugchucara´ which is a huge plate of soft fried pork, rice, potatoes, bananas, toasted corn plus cheese empanadas all doused with akhi (sauce of chilli, onion, tomato and lime) - all washed down with Pilsener, Ecuador´s light but very drinkable beer. We got an early night as we had to leave at 7.30am for the loop.
Ecuador: characters and being on a mountain above a storm (26-28 May)
In April I travelled with Sarah P to Mudgee for Charlie and Damien´s wedding. Although I only knew a few people, it was a wonderful weekend. After a fabulous ceremony under the willows at a winery, we headed inside for the reception where I was put on the singles table (wasn´t aware these things existed!). After the speeches the night then revved up and we headed to the local pub and danced til the wee hours to awesome covers such as Rage Against the Machine, ACDC and many more. The best thing was hanging out with a random bunch of characters and just having a great time in a new place with the locals. Spening time with characters is probably the highlight of travelling for me and the Mudgee weekend experience steeled my conviction to do this trip. I tell this story so I can introduce some of the characters I have met along the way.
First that I met at the Secret Garden hostel was Kelly, a viviacious law student and ex-teacher from Alaska, USA. We spent the first couple of nights arguing about everything from the modern novel to the trappings of dating. She tried to convince me that the reason that Australia and Canada don´t have great novels (compared to the US and elsewhere) is that these countries haven´t been through comparative suffering. Yeah, whatever. Will try to get her into some Sally Morgan, Henry Reynolds, Patrick White, Peter Carey, Kate Grenville, David Malouf or Tim Winton. Kelly is interning with UNICEF in Macas, in central Ecuador. Kelly and I also met up again later in Banos but more of that later.
Then I met Sarah, a passionate engineer and experienced mountaineer from Victoria who wowed me with the intricacies of car production in Hungary and its resulting social impact. Sarah was also inspired to join me to climb Ruca Pichincha, a 4,860 metre mountain behind Quito. We set out early and caught a taxi to the TeleferiQo - the cable car that takes you from the edge of Quito up the slopes of the old volcano to 4,100 metres. We then set out to climb to the summit. It was a hard slog with the altitude and we got to the final section around 3-4 hours later. That´s when the hail and snow started.
A few people ahead of us turned back but we pushed on - we could see the top and didn´t come all this way to just turn around because of some rain! We added an English guy, Mark, to our group and faced the mountain. The final section was part scrambling through shifting dirt and then the final 30 mins was essentially rock climbing. Finally we made it to the summit! The weather then cleared a bit and we caught glimpses of the magnificent view over Quito and beyond. Well worth the minor suffering.
We then started the faster trip downhill and to give us energy Sarah and I decided to stop and have some cake. Mark decided to push on which turned out to be a very important decision. 10 mins later the weather closed in and a huge storm that had been lurking at one end of the Quito valley decided to spread its reach and rolled in angry dark clouds with forked and sheet lightning and great crashes of thunder. Sarah and I decided to wait it out in a cave as the watched the lightning striking not only the cable car car station below but the electricity towers and even the exposed path down the saddle of the volcano - where we were supposed to be...and where Mark was.
Sarah and I waited for a couple of hours and as the afternoon deepened we realised that we could be looking at a very cold night on the mountain. Resolving to avoid this if possible, we watched the fanastic pyrotechnic display below and the accompanying snow storm. Luckily the swirling mass of the storm moved off to one side of Quito and we took our chance. We dashed down the mountain and despite some more hail it was a relatively easy trip. The fading light meant that we used the snow to find the path and arrived back at the cable car station around 7pm. I found out a week later when I bumped into Mark in Quito that he had taken shelter somewhere on the way down and that the cable car had been closed by the lightning for several hours and he was expecting us to appear at any time.
Sarah and I had a tea and thirst quenchers at the cafe before heading back to the hostel and a warm shower and the pleasure of clean sheets and a mattress, not the cave we had been dreading. Great stuff.
First that I met at the Secret Garden hostel was Kelly, a viviacious law student and ex-teacher from Alaska, USA. We spent the first couple of nights arguing about everything from the modern novel to the trappings of dating. She tried to convince me that the reason that Australia and Canada don´t have great novels (compared to the US and elsewhere) is that these countries haven´t been through comparative suffering. Yeah, whatever. Will try to get her into some Sally Morgan, Henry Reynolds, Patrick White, Peter Carey, Kate Grenville, David Malouf or Tim Winton. Kelly is interning with UNICEF in Macas, in central Ecuador. Kelly and I also met up again later in Banos but more of that later.
Then I met Sarah, a passionate engineer and experienced mountaineer from Victoria who wowed me with the intricacies of car production in Hungary and its resulting social impact. Sarah was also inspired to join me to climb Ruca Pichincha, a 4,860 metre mountain behind Quito. We set out early and caught a taxi to the TeleferiQo - the cable car that takes you from the edge of Quito up the slopes of the old volcano to 4,100 metres. We then set out to climb to the summit. It was a hard slog with the altitude and we got to the final section around 3-4 hours later. That´s when the hail and snow started.
A few people ahead of us turned back but we pushed on - we could see the top and didn´t come all this way to just turn around because of some rain! We added an English guy, Mark, to our group and faced the mountain. The final section was part scrambling through shifting dirt and then the final 30 mins was essentially rock climbing. Finally we made it to the summit! The weather then cleared a bit and we caught glimpses of the magnificent view over Quito and beyond. Well worth the minor suffering.
We then started the faster trip downhill and to give us energy Sarah and I decided to stop and have some cake. Mark decided to push on which turned out to be a very important decision. 10 mins later the weather closed in and a huge storm that had been lurking at one end of the Quito valley decided to spread its reach and rolled in angry dark clouds with forked and sheet lightning and great crashes of thunder. Sarah and I decided to wait it out in a cave as the watched the lightning striking not only the cable car car station below but the electricity towers and even the exposed path down the saddle of the volcano - where we were supposed to be...and where Mark was.
Sarah and I waited for a couple of hours and as the afternoon deepened we realised that we could be looking at a very cold night on the mountain. Resolving to avoid this if possible, we watched the fanastic pyrotechnic display below and the accompanying snow storm. Luckily the swirling mass of the storm moved off to one side of Quito and we took our chance. We dashed down the mountain and despite some more hail it was a relatively easy trip. The fading light meant that we used the snow to find the path and arrived back at the cable car station around 7pm. I found out a week later when I bumped into Mark in Quito that he had taken shelter somewhere on the way down and that the cable car had been closed by the lightning for several hours and he was expecting us to appear at any time.
Sarah and I had a tea and thirst quenchers at the cafe before heading back to the hostel and a warm shower and the pleasure of clean sheets and a mattress, not the cave we had been dreading. Great stuff.
Friday 1 June 2007
Quito (23-25 May): old city and hunting Galapagos
After a fun flight from NY to Miami, the plane emptied most of its larger, louder and whiter passengers and took on smaller, chattering and colourful ones. I managed to get a window seat for the Miami-Quito leg which was awesome as it was about 4pm and Mt Cotopaxi (snow covered mountain on the Equator) came into clear view and the pilot banked obligingly so I could snap a few pics (will post when I can).
I arrived in Quito around 7pm and set out for the main road outside the airport and flagged down a cab. This is when my Spanish was first tested. The last time I went to South America I did a little of the Berlitz tapes and could manage but this time I was less prepared. Luckily some of it has stuck in my mind somewhere and I could get to the hostel. Luckily the (Lonely Planet) book was spot on and the Secret Garden hostel became my wonderful home for the next few days. It has four floors which can hurt but the journey is well worth it for the top is the terrace with a big long communal table and the most fabulous view of the old city.
Central Quito is basically divided into the old and new city. The old city has cobbled roads, numerous churches and plazas all in the old colonial style. No Incan buildings remain as the king raxed the city just before the Spanish arrived so they couldn´t do it themselves. Quito is meant to have a crime problem and you are always warned about being out after dark but I had no problem although was mostly in groups.
I wandered around for the first day, just getting used to the altitude and orienting myself with the city. I could have wandered those streets and alleys for days, such a beautiful town. Tested my spanish some more and generally felt good about being on the road. I met Kevin from Scotland who works on natural heritage with the UK government and who is travelling with his son, Joe, who is volunteering with a wildlife company north of Quito. He and I joined forces to hunt down what many consider to be the ultimate in wildlife trips - The Galapagos Islands! I had been told by a Swiss woman that I could do it on my own and others had recommended various boats and operators. I decided to do both. I booked an 8-day trip on the Friendship boat with naturalist guide and then added 3 days before it so I can explore on my own. I will be there from 4-15 June and in addition to frolicking with marine iguanas, boobies and giant tortises am hoping to dive with hammer heads, manta rays, sea lions, whale sharks and much more. Can´t wait!
I arrived in Quito around 7pm and set out for the main road outside the airport and flagged down a cab. This is when my Spanish was first tested. The last time I went to South America I did a little of the Berlitz tapes and could manage but this time I was less prepared. Luckily some of it has stuck in my mind somewhere and I could get to the hostel. Luckily the (Lonely Planet) book was spot on and the Secret Garden hostel became my wonderful home for the next few days. It has four floors which can hurt but the journey is well worth it for the top is the terrace with a big long communal table and the most fabulous view of the old city.
Central Quito is basically divided into the old and new city. The old city has cobbled roads, numerous churches and plazas all in the old colonial style. No Incan buildings remain as the king raxed the city just before the Spanish arrived so they couldn´t do it themselves. Quito is meant to have a crime problem and you are always warned about being out after dark but I had no problem although was mostly in groups.
I wandered around for the first day, just getting used to the altitude and orienting myself with the city. I could have wandered those streets and alleys for days, such a beautiful town. Tested my spanish some more and generally felt good about being on the road. I met Kevin from Scotland who works on natural heritage with the UK government and who is travelling with his son, Joe, who is volunteering with a wildlife company north of Quito. He and I joined forces to hunt down what many consider to be the ultimate in wildlife trips - The Galapagos Islands! I had been told by a Swiss woman that I could do it on my own and others had recommended various boats and operators. I decided to do both. I booked an 8-day trip on the Friendship boat with naturalist guide and then added 3 days before it so I can explore on my own. I will be there from 4-15 June and in addition to frolicking with marine iguanas, boobies and giant tortises am hoping to dive with hammer heads, manta rays, sea lions, whale sharks and much more. Can´t wait!
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