Fields of the Ecuadorian Lowlands
Taken by Kathy Drouin on February 3, 2009.
Taken as we approach the Andes, about to make a major ascent from sea level up to about 2500 metres in the next 2.5 hours.

When we'd booked our flights to the Galapagos, we'd arranged to fly back into Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. While it sounds like there is a lovely riverfront promenade and some neat historical districts, Guayaquil itself wasn't really the attraction, just where the flight lands. Mostly, we'd heard great things about Cuenca, which is a good 12 hour bus ride from Quito, but only a mere 3-1/2 from Guayaquil. Theoretically.

When we'd booked them, we'd intended to spend a night in Guayaquil and then head up into the Andes the next day, but having just had a one night stay on San Cristobal, we weren't really up for another night of just unpacking our bags so that we could pack again. We decided that though it would make for a long day, we'd head straight through to Cuenca.

Sea Lions at Bartolome
Taken by Kathy Drouin on January 31, 2009.

Our past few days on a boat have been fantastic. The scenery and animals have been fantastic, as has been the food and the snorkelling.

Day 1

Our schedule worked out well, since the boat had gone to the Darwin centre in the morning, something we'd already done, and in the afternoon the Santa Cruz highlands were on the schedule. The main attraction was the tortoise sanctuary, basically just some private property that has ideal conditions and lots of food for the tortoises, but with open access to the national park. Our guide talked about how the tortoises had been decimated during the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were a popular food supply for pirates. Since the tortoises can live for up to a year without eating, they can be a fresh source of meat when a ship doesn't have many ports it can safely stop in for resupply. It's estimated that about 300,000 tortoises were taken or killed during this period, and since they have such long lives - 150-200 years or so - recovering the population is a slow process.

Also on tap was a walk through a lava tube - basically just a cave, though interesting in that it was almost as perfectly regular, more like a subway tunnel than a cave.

Day 2

For our first uninhabited island, we stopped at North Seymour, just north of the airport on Baltra. Don't ask me where South Seymour is, I have no idea. The island itself wasn't overly interesting, as it was covered by similar vegetation as the Santa Cruz lowlands. However, it was an island with no history of iguanas until the '30s, when scientists of the time figured that they must have been wiped out by some sort of calamity, so they introduced them from Baltra. This was good, since later the conversion of Baltra into a US military base during WWII killed off the iguanas native to that island, and they've been able to reintroduce them using the new population on N. Seymour. However, though the plants look the same, they're far less resilient to iguanas, and they haven't been doing so well. Estevan, our guide, told us that once the population on Baltra was large enough to self-sustain, they'd go through and remove all the iguanas that remained on N. Seymour.

Then came snorkelling time, which was fantastic. The visibility was great, and there was a bit of everything on the bottom. The most common fish in these parts is a large flat fish with a yellow tail, which we later learned was called a yellowtail surgeonfish. Also, we saw a cornetfish (a long, almost clear, tube-like fish), a stingray, sea lions, and a white-tipped shark. And loads of various colourful fish. It was fantastic. Though Kathy would like to mention that while snorkeling off a Zodiak seems practical, getting back in isn't a skill that everyone possesses.

While making our crossing to the second stop, Bartolome, we had the real treat. Our ship ran into a pod of dolphins, and they came to investigate the boat. The snap decision was made to go snorkelling right there, at a random spot in the middle of the pacific. So we did. To be honest, the dolphins are far more interested in boats than people, so the view from in the water wasn't as good as it was on the boat, but the crew used the zodiacs to attract some, and it was good. The sounds of dolphins under the water are quite different and more melodic than the squeaks you hear on the surface. Stay tuned for the fantastic dolphin pictures taken from the boat.

At Bartolome, we snorkelled again, this time with penguins. The cold water currents allow this very northerly species of penguin to live on 4 islands in the archipelago. Again sharks and stingrays, which seem to be everywhere in these islands. The sea lions are also everywhere. A couple of large ones had planted themselves on the beach, right in the midst of another group of visitors.

The land trip to Bartolome wasn't all that interesting. It's mostly lifeless, as the volcanic rock contains too much magnesium to support most species. One of the two types of plants we saw was a type of cactus which breaks up the rocks, allowing more life to move in. Eventually - maybe in a couple million years - you might be able to see similar species on Bartolome to the other islands. The landscape is kind of neat, though - from the top of the island looking down, it's much easier to see the volcanic tuffs and dried lava flows - it really does look like it erupted only recently.

Day 3

For our last full day on the boat, we had stops at Plazas and Santa Fe islands. No snorkelling at Plazas, just a land trip with much the same species of cactus as elsewhere. The land iguanas were out in force here, as were the swallow-tailed gulls. Many pictures of those to come when we get home. Once again, the sea lions were everywhere - we had to step over one on the small dock, just to get back into the Zodiak. They really seem as though they couldn't care less about all the people around them.

Santa Fe was a bit more interesting. The cactii there grow taller than elsewhere, making them harder for the iguanas to get at the food. So a unique species of land iguana evolved there. It is a different colour than the usual land iguana, but the main difference is that it is territorial, which most iguanas don't seem to be. This way, all it has to do is wait for fruit to drop from the cactii in its territory, and then eat once it's on the ground.

This was our last snorkel stop, and it was again amazing. The bay where we snorkelled had maybe 30 or 40 eagle rays just kind of swimming in circles. The eagle rays are much more majestic and active than stingrays which are just kind of bloblike and sit on the bottom. There's also a small reef there that is a popular resting stop for sea turtles. Unfortunately, we couldn't actually find the reef while we were in the water, but we did run into a (very large) turtle while we were returning to the boat. I was also very startled when two huge sea lions swam past me at full tilt. Kathy thinks swimming with sharks and rays is just a wee bit intimidating, even if the real danger is minimal.

Day 4

Which brings us to today. Our last excursion as part of the cruise was a bit disappointing, as it was just a visit to the interpretive centre at San Cristobal, which pretty much reiterated much of what our guide was telling us. And I couldn't quite figure it out, but I think that the part on sustainable tourism was trying to tell us that tourists should spend more money, and that would make it more sustainable. Kind of fuzzy logic if you ask me.

Anyway, we're flying back to the mainland tomorrow. We've decided not to stay in Guayaquil, since it just means another one night stop, which I don't think we really want right now, so instead we'll probably just get straight on a bus for Cuenca. That also means just one long travel day, instead of two shorter ones.

More sea lions on boats
Taken by Kathy Drouin on February 2, 2009.

Just a quick note to say that we are boarding the boat today, the Estrella del Mar II, and will be back on solid ground come Monday. Don't expect to hear from us until Tuesday evening, when we'll be back in Guayaquil (on the mainland), though maybe if we're lucky we'll find some 'net on Monday.

Giant Tortoise
Taken by Neil and Kathy Carey on January 27, 2009.
A female at the Charles Darwin Research Station, on Isla Santa Cruz.

We arrived in the Galapagos on Tuedsay morning, and have been having a great time. The first night we stayed in a not so nice motel type place, but have since moved to a very nice hotel, complete with air conditioning and hot water - aren't we spoiled!

We were planning on travelling over to Isabela island, but decided against it for less travel time, and more bumming around time. It was a good decision.

The first day we pretty much walked around town, got a feel for the place, watched the local wildlife - pelicans, sea lions, marine iguanas, crabs, etc. We took a walk over to the Charles Darwin research station, which was nice, but crowded with tour groups (one of which I'm sure we'll be a part of on Friday). We got to walk through a couple of enclosures with the giant tortoises, and got some really nice pictures (as above). The better photos will come once we've returned home, as the files from the Canon are very large, and cumbersome to upload, and we're not sure that these computers can handle raw image files. Unfortunately, there were a couple of tour groups at the centre that were not really obeying the 'don't get too close to the animals' rule, and were getting right up close and personal to one tortoise in particular so they could all have their pictures taken.

The town of Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz (the main island), has a very nice small town feel to it, despite all the tourism (ie, gift shops and overpriced tourist restaurants). The people have been very friendly and welcoming, and have been humouring us with our broken and minimal Spanish. Though we are improving. Today is our last full day on Santa Cruz, and we've finally figured out where all the local restaurants are hidden - sort of on a side street a few blocks away from the main strip. We had a set lunch there today, including pop, for $8, which is less than what one main dish costs at most of the restaurants on the main strip. And it was quite good.

Yesterday, we switched hotels and signed up for a snorkel trip. About 20 minutes or so out by motorboat, to a small island, and along the way we watched marine iguanas swimming in the bay, and saw a couple of blue footed boobies along the rocks. The snorkeling was really nice, once I got over my water panic (tends to happen with me every time I try diving or snorkeling - it takes a few minutes to convince my mind that I CAN actually breath under water). We saw many colourful fish, including a large school of them that swam all around us - what a neat experience. The second stop we made was near a small cove - we swam around the rock outcropping, then got out and climbed over some rocks (not easy in bare feet!), and back into the cove, where we swam near sharks and tortoises! We missed the tortoises, though our guide borrowed the underwater camera (thanks Beth!!), and hopefully we'll get a picture. We did see the sharks, and I must say, that's a bit of a freaky experience. They were about 1 to 1.5 meters in length - not huge, but not exactly small either.

The last stop was at another part of Santa Cruz, where we hiked a bit to see some sea lions, and many marine iguanas, sunning themselves on rocks. We got to see what the inside of a large cactus looks like, and I regret that we didn't have the camera to take a picture - the inside looks a bit like a beehive, except instead of individual cells, the cells are formed by long ligaments that touch in intervals all the way up the stock. Very fibrous.

All in all, sunburn aside, it was a very fulfilling day. The water was fairly warm, and wildlife amazing, and the excercise felt good. The air is clean and fresh, and we've been taking a very relaxing pace. And the air conditioned room has done us worlds of good!

We awoke today to pouring rain. Pouring.

The rain stopped around 10, about the time we stepped off the most sardine-packed tram I have ever ridden in my life. But that's part of the adventure. We wandered around Mariscal Sucre, also known by some as Gringoland, or the tourist district. Travel agencies abound! We were in search of one, though one in particular that had been recommended. We did inquire at the travel agency located in the hostel, but didn't think the offered deals were really great.

We ended up at the Galasam travel agency, where we booked our Galapagos cruise - 4 days on a first class boat, for $700 USD each. That was a much better deal than others we'd seen, albeit a day shorter than we were hoping for. I think she said regular price for this was $1300. She offered us 8 days, which would have been great, for $2200 each - and that was the last minute deal. Ouch.

So we leave for the Galapagos first thing tomorrow morning, will spend a couple of nights on our own on a couple of the islands (there are local boat ferries between some), then hop on the cruise on Friday morning. Yay! We'll also get one extra night on the island of San Cristobal at the end, and fly out from there.

We've also changed our plan a little bit, in that instead of flying back to Quito afterward, we will instead fly to Guayaquil, then maybe make our way over to Cuenca, which we initially thought we wouldn't have time for. From there we'll head north, making our way slowly back to Quito. There is the possibility of a brief jungle excursion, but we haven't figured that out yet.

Kathy in the Garden
Taken by Neil and Kathy Carey on January 24, 2009.
A nice change from Canada.

We have successfully arrived in Quito, but the getting here was quite a stressful ordeal. Winter flying is rarely a pleasant experience, and yesterday was no exception. We had a very early flight from Edmonton, so wakeup was at 4am. That means I had to operate on 4 hours of sleep, since we had a symphony concert the night before, followed by me being a bit too wound up to go straight to sleep.

The delays began early. Boarding started as expected, but the lineup quickly stopped moving - the people at the front of line were being stopped at the plane end of the tunnel. The gate people then told everyone to sit back down, boarding was delayed, as the de-icing fluid was frozen...a more concentrated batch of anti-freeze had to be whipped up before we could get underway. That was only about 15 minutes, and then we boarded the flight, still enough time left to get going on time.

Money!
Taken by on October 22, 2005.
Pretty self-explanatory. A heap full of money. Yes, I took it myself.

After stressing about it for a couple months, our savings plan is back on track for the trip, so we should be about where we should be come departure time. Which has left me some time to start worrying about another problem - how to get our money out.

Normally, this hasn't been a problem, I just pull out my bank card and get some cash out. But with the favourable exchange rate earlier in the year, I changed about half the trip budget into US dollars, since that's what's used in Ecuador, and this has complicated life a bit. Currently, it's being held in an ING direct account - to earn some interest - which can only be transfered to another Canadian bank, it can't be withdrawn directly. I'd figured that all I'd have to do is open up a USD account with a regular bank, and then I'd be able to withdraw the money from an ATM in Ecuador. Turns out this is not the case...none of the major banks allow ATM access to their USD accounts.

So I've come up with two possibilities. It looks like some of the big international banks - HSBC and Citi - might let me open a regular chequing account denominated in US dollars, and I'm waiting for HSBC to get back to me about whether or not this will come with a debit card. If that doesn't pan out, the last resort is RBC, which allows you to open an account with RBC Centura - their American subsidiary - and transfer money between that and a Canadian account...this seems a little over complicated.

Really, I've done pretty well for having exchanged the money early, all I want to do is not lose out on those savings by having to cycle the money back through a Canadian account in order to actually get cash out in Ecuador. It just seems like this really shouldn't be so hard.

Llama
Taken by Wil Macaulay on February 27, 2008.

We've long been talking of a trip to Ecuador, but I had serious doubts whether it would happen. But as of last Friday, we have tickets. These are probably the messiest set of tickets I've ever had to book. I was buying one ticket with Aeroplan points, and they won't make arrangements for a cash ticket, nor will they sell tickets for any airline outside the Star Alliance. So I had to book a ticket to Bogota, Colombia on points, and then separately booked a flight to Quito, Ecuador through Expedia. Kathy's ticket was booked through Air Canada all the way to Quito. We're on the same flights, though, just possibly not sitting together. And I never before realised how much of a pain online booking can be. I think they go out of their way to make the process complicated.

But it's done now, so its official. January 24 to February 15, 2009, Kathy and I will be in Ecuador. I, for one, am really excited. I've started looking up things I'd like to do and see while we're there. I really want to get off the tourist trail a bit, so that makes it a little more difficult to research. So far, the coolest thing I've found is the Santa Lucia Cloud Forest, which looks like it'll be loads of fun.