Ecuador and the Galápagos

Well, it´s been a while, but I have a good excuse. I´ve spent the last two weeks babysitting--I mean traveling with my parents (just kidding, guys). After my harrowing journey into Quito, I picked them up from the airport on February 22nd. We only had a day and a half in Quito before flying out to the Galápagos, so we went the 22km outside the city to the site of the equator, of which there are two of them (who knew?). One of them is the government owned monument (that big imposing one with the ball on the top), and the other "real" one is about 400m away in a private museum. Supposedly GPS coordinates place the equator there. The official monument was in a compound of gift shops and restaurants, and since we went on Carnaval, it was a free for all of kids (and adults) spraying shaving cream and water. This time, no one was spared. The private museum had a collection of somewhat hokey experiments to play with (balancing an egg on a nail, watching the coriolus effect change the direction a sink of water would drain, among others, none of which seemed particularly legit). However, it was undeniably fun to hop from one side to the other at both equators.

We left from Quito on the 24th for the Galápagos islands and our 8 day cruise. It was amazing. Everyone who comes back from Galápagos has stories of how you can walk right up to the animals, who are unafraid and friendly. I decided to test this theory. The first thing I did while waiting on the pier to be brought to the ship was to go introduce myself to a sea lion who was lounging on the dock. I boldly walked up to him, began to squat down to chat, and then screamed and made a quick retreat as he started to charge me, barking loudly. Sea lions are comically awkward on land, but this guy somehow made that waddle intimidating. Starting out well.

The boat was beautiful. It was a 16 passenger (we had 12) motorized catamaran, and they meant business when they labeled it "luxury". We were on it´s second voyage in Galápagan waters, and although a few kinks had yet to be ironed out, it was still amazing. The food was a work of art (literally, the guide said the chef spent more time making animal sculptures out of fruits and veggies than making meals), and the jacuzzi and sun deck on top were a nice touch (and a great place to watch a sunset). Our days started at 6am with the omnipresent soft easy listening music and a wake up call, followed by breakfast at 630, ready to disembark around 730. We would then have a shore excursion (guided walking tour on one of the islands for animal watching or landscape viewing) or dingy ride along the rougher coasts for bird spotting. We would then usually return to the boat around 1030 or 11 for a snack and time to rest and shower before lunch at 1230. Back on land (usually a different island by this point) or snorkeling at 230, back onboard for another snack and sunset at 530, dinner around 7, hang out until going to sleep. And then all over again. There was quite a bit of eating going on... This continued for 8 glorious days of surreal landscapes and even more surreal animal encounters (there were times that we literally had to wade through iguanas and politely ask the giant tortoises to stop blocking the path).


After the cruise, we flew into Guayaquil, Ecuador. The cruise included two nights in a 5 star hotel on mainland, the first of which we took in Guayaquil. It was a little different than the type of traveling I had been doing...but certainly not an unwelcome change. We headed out the next day for Baños, and for my parent´s first South American bus journey. Eight hours later we arrived to a downpour in Baños. The three of us crammed in a taxi with a British couple who were standing nearby and were dropped off at the hostel. The next day we did a half day white water rafting trip that took us into the jungle. Next up: canyoning, which is a fancy name for repelling down waterfalls. That was a lot of fun, highlighted by the fact that at one point (okay maybe more than once) I slipped and was suspended upside down face first with water pounding my face. Never a dull moment. We then visited the namesake of the town, the natural hot springs that were just a few blocks from our hostel.


After Baños, we headed down to Cuenca, Ecuador´s third largest town, and arguably one of the most quaint and beautiful. It was here that Dad found that you can order gin by the glass as opposed to by the shot, and that you really do get a glass full of gin. God bless Ecuador. A day of exploring the city and we were back on the bus the next morning for Guayaquil, a day before my parent´s departure. Time flies when you´re on a whirlwind tour.

Now? I´m on a beach in a sleepy little town called Montañita with more surf board rental shops than residents, I´m pretty sure. I´m going to relax, for a little... Drink some salt water and maybe see if I can learn how to conquer a wave. It´s hard work being on vacation!


Most of the Galápagos pictures on here were taken by Jon (who´s hanging out with me and our sea lion pal in the picture below). He caught some awesome shots.

More marine iguanas than you can shake a stick at.

Giant tortoise

The Galápagos penguin

Blue footed booby, doing the Blue footed Booby Dance

Land Iguana