Day 8 Back to Santa Cruz

We took a very early boat back to Santa Cruz at 6am (though we did find out that there was a later option in the afternoon with some, but not all ferry companies) the ride was much less bumpy than normal and I am happy to report that I did not get sick!

We dropped our bags off at Hotel Santa Fe and headed off to find some snacks. We had a cappuccino and cookie at Galapagos deli which was a good place for a snack, ice cream, sandwiches, and pizza. 

We then began our walk to the Charles Darwin research station and along the way our first taxi cab driver from the island pulled up in front of us and pulled out my prescription sunglasses that I thought I had lost forever. I guess that there really is no stealing on this island (I should note though that they did have red lipstick on them, which I surely don't wear, so I assume someone tried to keep them until they realized they had prescription lenses). In any case, I am so excited and relieved to be reunited with my glasses!

At the Charles Darwin Center we saw a few varieties of giant tortoises large and very, very small. This is a breeding center in addition to a research station. They also had some land iguanas that we had not seen in the wild. They were an interesting yellow color. 

On our way back to the hotel we stopped off for lunch at a place called Lo & Lo and I had a traditional fish dish with the fish baked in a plantain leaf packet. Super yummy!

After a quick rest at the hotel we walked to Tortuga bay, which is said to have one of the nicest beaches in all of South America. The walk was long and we were very tired at this point so when we finally arrived at the beach we just hung around for a bit and checked out the animals.

Our hotel (Santa Fe) was ok, but there was no hot water while we were there and in the morning there was no electricity which made it difficult to get ready. At least they gave us 20% off the price for that.

We grabbed dinner at a Japanese restaurant and we both had a sort of veggie burgers cooked on a heated volcanic rock and split a soup made from yuca, corn, and queso. An excellent dinner. 

On the way back to the hotel for the night we grabbed some ice cream --more likely gelato-- at the Galapagos deli and then went back to the hotel to pack and get ready for tomorrow.

Day 7 Los Tuneles

We took a tour today to Los Tuneles which started at 8:30am. We paid $70/pp which was a discounted price since we have our own wetsuits and snorkel gear.

After a 20 min boat ride we stopped at a large rock that jutted out of the water, it used to be a volcano, and has just crumbled into the ocean over the years. This rock is a favorite of Black-footed (masked) Boobies. I might have some photos on my other camera, but for now I have no photos to show.

After another 20 mins of boat ride we reached the Tuneles which are old lava tunnels in the ocean. We arrived during high tide so we could mostly see only the tops of the tunnels, but during low tide the view is spectacular. Because of the reef and volcanic tuneles the boat has to surf the waves going into the area. 

We got off the boat and explored some of the lava tunnels on foot. There we found tons of blue footed boobies, including some fuzzy white babies. I promise, when I get home I will update this post with some cute pics. We then went snorkeling outside of the tunnels area where we saw turtles, lots of sharks, puffer fish, and tons of rainbow fish. I took an underwater camera and am hoping to have some decent photos when I get home.

Lunch on the boat was a meager roll with butter and queso on it. However, as we don't eat meat, we pretty much expected to get something like that. 

We arrived back on Isabela around 2pm and had the guide leave us at the docks so that we could walk back to town and check out some sites on the way.

Right next to the docks is a boardwalk leading to Concha de Perla. The boardwalk runs through the mangroves to a small bay with calm waters. What is so interesting about this place is that the boardwalk is littered with lounging sea lions. When we got to the end there seemed to be two friendly sea lions playing and posing with a Japanese family. One of the sea lions then dived into the water and came back with a changed attitude. Perhaps it was a bull (male) as he kept charging us and blocked the path on the boardwalk so that we couldn't get by. Luckily, the Japanese couple decided they were leaving soon after we tried and failed and they had learned how to move the aggressive sea lion. Apparently, if you clap you hands while moving away from the sea lion, it will follow you. So that was our chance and we snuck out with the family. This was good timing for Dylan as it allowed him to practice Japanese.

For dinner we went to Isabela Grill which had a modern exterior and tables and chairs, but the walls and ceiling, and etc showed the age of the building. In any case, the food was good. Dylan had a stuffed Lobster, which is different from our Maine lobsters as they have no claws. I had another fish dish, which was pretty good.

The most interesting thing by far at this restaurant was the dessert. I got a grilled peach with ice cream dessert that came with strawberry whipped cream and chocolate sauce. It was such a crazy mix of flavors that it reminded me of something a little kid would make for their first try at making a desert. Of course it was still good and I promptly devoured it all! 

Day 6 Wall of tears and Centro de Crianza de Tortugas

Today we had a nice breakfast at our hotel with made to order eggs, toast, fruits, yuca with cheese fried "dumplings", and bread. There was also some nice looking bacon. 

We took a taxi ($5/pp) to the wall of tears (Muro de las lagrimas). This was a Penal colony in the 1950's and as a way to keep the prisoners busy they were forced to build a large wall that is now 100 meters long and 7 meters tall. The horrible conditions endured by the prisoners resulted in the wall being named the wall of tears. 

We then began our LONG walk back to our hotel and stopped at a bunch of lookout points and other sites along the way. We saw lots of giant tortoises just roaming in their natural habitat, lots of black marine iguanas, and our first look at blue footed boobies.

Once we finally made it back to town, most of the restaurants were already closed for siesta time. So we had to grab some snacks from the mini markets to eat. The pickings were very slim and we ended up with just some chocolate and some cookie type crackers.

We the explored the dock area to see hundreds of small black marine iguanas basking in the sun.

The last excision we took for the day was to walk the lagoon path behind our hotel to the tortoise breading center. Along the way we saw lots of birds, but the most magnificent ones were the two flamingos. The breeding center had tons of baby giant tortoises. Talk about cute!

Day 5 Los greitas and the horrible horrible boat ride

We started today with our last breakfast at Angermeyer hotel, which was again shared with the birdies. We then packed up our bags and got into our swim suits. We left our bags at the hotel and then went for a walk to Los Greitas, a wonderful crevasse filled with clear blue water. There are some large fish that got into the crevasse as babies and then could not get out, so snorkeling is pretty good here. There was a group of local young girls who need to ask an English speaking person some questions for school, so of course they came to me. They video recorded the conversation too. This is becoming a common occurrence for me when I visit other countries! 

We made our way back to the hotel to grab our bags and brought them to the company running our next ferry to Isla Isabela. We grabbed a quick bite at a restaurant on the same road as we had dinner a 2 nights ago with John. After some confusion I ended up with a dish of grilled pork and rice and beans, while Dylan got a salad with rice and grilled fish. If you don't know, Dylan and I do not eat any meat other than fish. However, given our rush to get back to the ferry and lack off ability to communicate, I just ate the pork. It was very good as was the fish. And low and behold neither the pork nor the horrible bumpy boat ride made me sick! I think the secret is 2 Dramamine pills and sea band.

Our boat to Isla Isabela was even worse than the one to San Cristobal. Everyone was packed so tightly into the boat that we were squished, probably 4 more people in the boat that there should have been. Everyone kept sliding to the back of the boat with each successive bump on the water and us at the back of the boat kept getting squished even more than I thought was possible! One people got sick and there was no room for her to throw up off the boat, so she just went on the floor. I'm so glad that wasn't me, but boy did I feel bad for her.

On a good note, our hotel on Isabela is beautiful. The Iguana Crossing hotel is located on the western side of town and is quite the luxurious eco-hotel. It has a salt water pool and hot tub, though you have to give 2 hours advance to use the hot tub so they can warm it up. There is also a nice restaurant and bar. The hotel takes Eco to the extreme. When you use the shower or water from the facet it only turns on for 8 seconds and then you have to press it on again. 

We just wandered around town and then had a nice dinner at our hotel. 

Day 4 Kicker Rock and Los Loberas beach

Last night we requested an early breakfast so that we could still eat before our snorkeling tour. When we sat down at a table, directly facing the water and nearly over the water, we were brought plate after plate of food. They served us plates of fruit, bread, eggs, and yogurt. It was too much food, but oh so good. We had lots of Darwin's finches trying to share our food.

We then set off for San Cristobal in a small boat for a very LONG and bumpy ride. Even with me using Dramamine and sea bands, I was still horribly sick the entire ride. To make it worse, I was sitting  in the back of the boat and had a stream of water poring on me the entire ride, so  I was soaked and sick. However, I was quite impressed that I made it about 2 hrs before I finally let go of my breakfast into the ocean! 

I was so sick the entire day, so I didn't take any photos except for a few under the water. So I don't have anything cool to show for today. 

Once we arrived at San Cristobal port, we were quickly sent back to another boat. Luckily, it was a catamaran an was a pretty smooth ride. We had three chances to go snorkeling and a bit of time to spend on a beautiful white sand beach. The first snorkeling site had almost no animals, I don't know that we even saw any fish. However, the second site at Kicker rock was teaming with animals. We got to see some sea turtles, hammerhead sharks and another type of shark, a sea lion, and lots of fish (though the fish lacked the brilliant colors we have seen elsewhere). I passed on the last snorkeling opportunity which was back at kicker rock as I was not feeling well. To tell you the truth, the water was very rough near kicker rock and the first time I was about to go in and threw up right into the water where I had to jump in. I jumped right into in! Ick right? Well there were about 5 people behind me that still had to jump in and they all had just seen me throw up where they had to jump in. Sorry!!

The lunch on the boat was surprisingly good, but I really could eat too much for fear that I would get sick once again on the boat back to Santa Cruz. 

Somehow, with a bit more Dramamine and a better seat where I could try to sleep, I didn't get sick. We ended up eating dinner at our hotel where we shared a salad and Dylan had a plate of quinoa tortillas and plantain tortillas and I had a fish dish with rice and a creamy white sauce made with wine. The meals were small and good, but certainly not the best of the food we have had so far.

Day 3 Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

IThis morning started with a flight on LAN Airlines to the Baltra airport on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos. Once at the airport we had a long process to go through. We first had to register and pay a $10 fee, then our bags had to be checked for any fruits or nuts that could grow on the island, then bring our bags to be checked for the flight, then finally we went through security. LAN always has nice plane with comfy leather seats. The flight was a quick 2 hours though the guy on the side of me was a bit camera crazy, taking pictures out the window incessantly. 

The first view of the Galapagos from the plane fits the typical description of a desolate uninhabitable land reminiscent of the surface of Mars or the moon. At first look it seem a wonder how any animals could survive here. 

The Baltra airport is very small but modern. We had to get our bags inspected again and pay another fee of $100 to enter the national park.

As luck would have it, we met another American, John from San Francisco, while waiting for a bus to take us to the channel we had to cross to get to Santa Cruz. This first bus was free, then the ferry across the strait was $0.80 each. When we got off the ferry I decided to find John and see if he wanted to share a cab so we could split the cost. When planning the trip I had wanted to check out the highlands on my way from the airport to Puerto Ayora, but was worried about the safety of our bags. It turns out that our cab driver was willing to take us for a bit extra dinero and claimed that there is no stealing on the island. So we took a chance went for it. We stopped at Los Gemelos (the twins), a pair of volcanic craters, then the driver took us to Rancho Primicias where a lot of giant galapagos tortoises call home, and finally, we explored a lava tunnel. The tortoises were very cute, but didn't seem to like when we got close. It was very common for them to growl or hide their heads in their shells and we never even got that close. We saw at least a few different types of tortoises, but since we didn't have a guide I don't know which was which type. 

The lava tunnel was cool, but the fact that it has lights strung throughout the tunnels made it seem like a tourist trap. There was a cool section where we had to crawl to get through, but over all, I would say there are better tunnels/caves to explore.

We then headed down to Puerto Ayora and John was dropped off first at his hotel and then we were dropped off at the water taxi dock where we grabbed a ride to our home for the next two nights, Hotel Angermeyer. 

After checking in, we took the water taxi back to town and walk around. We ended bumping into John getting a town tour from his hotel manager and we joined them. The we spend a lot of the afternoon trying to find tours we wanted to do for tomorrow. We couldn't decide, so the decision was put off until after dinner. We went to a street that is closed down at night and the many small local eateries spread out there chairs and tables into the road. They all had big grills at the front of the restaurants and serve up cheap, delicious food. 

We end up spending a lot of time with John while he was on the island and chose to do a day trip together to Kicker Rock and Los loberas beach near San Cristobel.

And I leave you for today with this cute little bird that helped me eat breakfast.

Day 2 Guayaquil

This morning Dylan and I had breakfast at our hotel. It was a mix of yogurt, baked goods, cheese, and eggs. It was a bit uninspiring, but I noticed after I ate that I could have requested different types of eggs and pancakes. So, tomorrow that is the plan! 

After breakfast we began our adventure for the day. Our first stop was Parque Boliviar, which is a wonderful park filled with large iguanas, birds, fish, and turtles. We were there during the iguana feeding time and got to see them munching away on lettuce. 

Across the street from the iguana park was the Guayaquil cathedral, so we popes in there for a bit to check out the architecture. The outside was quite elaborate with a gothic flare, while the inside seem modest, but still quite beautiful, in comparison. 

The next stop was the Museo Municipal (free-yay). Everything was in Spanish, which helped me get through the museum pretty fast--normal I MUST read everything! The museum was filled with Inca and pre-Inca ceramics and lots of paintings of important people in the history of Ecuador. 

We then went to the city market, were there was piles of fresh fruits and veggies, bunnies and pigeons in cages for sale--most likely to eat--, and many stalls filled with all types of cheap china made goods. This was not a tourist catering market, but one for the people who live in the area.

Lunch time came and so we found a small shop selling fried cheese empanadas and grabbed some. Then went back to the hotel for a quick rest. 

In the afternoon, we walked north up the Malecon past a tropical garden, the IMAX theater, and the Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporaneo which was unfortunately closed for renovation. From there we walked to the artisanal market, which was filled with handmade Panama hats (really called Montecristo hats which originate in Ecuador and not Panama), sweaters, leather bags, and many other goods.

For a quick snack and coffee we stopped at cafe California. Dylan had a flan and I a coconut pastry. Yum! 

For dinner we went to La Canoa at the Hotel Continental. Seating was outside, which is nice since it gets a bit windy in the evenings here and the cool air feels nice after the hot humid day. I had a delicious soup made with shrimp, albacore tuna, yuca, tomatoes, and onions. Dylan's meal was a seafood rice dish that was also quite tasty.

After dinner, we returned to our room to prepare for our trip tomorrow to the Galapagos!