Sunday 30 January 2011
Saturday 8 January 2011
Adios!
So, my final post from Ecuador...
I was pretty resigned to coming home until I just read that Stevenage beat Newcastle in the FA Cup. If that's not a reason to stay put, I don't know what is!
Last night Guayaquil did a great job of reminding me that I'm a city girl at heart. We had a great night in the old town area of Las Penas and ended up in a bar with a live singer. I got to practise my 'moves' to Juanes amongst others and no-one even laughed at me. I even got to try out my one salsa 'routine'. I call that a success!
After a nice lie in this morning, we've done the 'Guayaquil highlights' tour. I think this city gets a undeserved bad press. There is lots to see and do and I've felt as safe as you can feel in any major metropolis.
So, I'm off to repack my backpack for the umpteenth time this trip and have a nice cold shower! It's very hot and sticky here so I'm slightly dreading the shock that London's weather is going to be to my nicely warmed up system. Ah well, all good things must come to and end.
Thank you for reading. I'll post a link to Flickr with all the photos once I've had a chance to do some editing (i.e. remove all photos of me!) and add captions.
Hasta pronto!
I was pretty resigned to coming home until I just read that Stevenage beat Newcastle in the FA Cup. If that's not a reason to stay put, I don't know what is!
Last night Guayaquil did a great job of reminding me that I'm a city girl at heart. We had a great night in the old town area of Las Penas and ended up in a bar with a live singer. I got to practise my 'moves' to Juanes amongst others and no-one even laughed at me. I even got to try out my one salsa 'routine'. I call that a success!
After a nice lie in this morning, we've done the 'Guayaquil highlights' tour. I think this city gets a undeserved bad press. There is lots to see and do and I've felt as safe as you can feel in any major metropolis.
So, I'm off to repack my backpack for the umpteenth time this trip and have a nice cold shower! It's very hot and sticky here so I'm slightly dreading the shock that London's weather is going to be to my nicely warmed up system. Ah well, all good things must come to and end.
Thank you for reading. I'll post a link to Flickr with all the photos once I've had a chance to do some editing (i.e. remove all photos of me!) and add captions.
Hasta pronto!
Paradise lost!
Well, not entirely lost but Guayaquil feels pretty much like coming back to earth with a bang. From peace and quiet to car horns and throngs of people!
Our final morning was spent on the island of San Cristobel before catching a midday flight back to the mainland. Jon was there to meet me again and this afternoon (after another cuppa) we head out into Guayaquil city centre to visit the cemetery. Yes, the cemetery!
Turns out that Jon and I also have a morbid fascination for cemeteries in common. You can tell a lot about people by how they bury their dead, you know!
This evening Christian is cooking for us Ecuadorian style but we might venture out for a drink in town before a full day of sightseeing tomorrow. Should be fun!
Can't believe that tomorrow is my last day. Boo!
Our final morning was spent on the island of San Cristobel before catching a midday flight back to the mainland. Jon was there to meet me again and this afternoon (after another cuppa) we head out into Guayaquil city centre to visit the cemetery. Yes, the cemetery!
Turns out that Jon and I also have a morbid fascination for cemeteries in common. You can tell a lot about people by how they bury their dead, you know!
This evening Christian is cooking for us Ecuadorian style but we might venture out for a drink in town before a full day of sightseeing tomorrow. Should be fun!
Can't believe that tomorrow is my last day. Boo!
Friday 7 January 2011
Who needs David Attenborough?
Today was Giant Tortoise Day and they didn't disappoint.
Unfortuantely, we first had to encounter civilisation in the form of Puerto Ayora, the town on the inhabited island of Santa Cruz. I was getting used to living a cash free, car-free existence!
Once we made it up into the Highlands though, we felt back at home. I had some misconception that we'd be pretty lucky if we saw a Giant Tortoise in the wild. In the end, I felt like I was tripping over them! And they don´t call them Giant for nothing! They are like boulders with legs.
The males weigh about 600lbs and the females 200lbs which is why I was rather concerned when our naturalist Cathy spotted two of them mating!! Cathy was pretty excited so I guess this isn't something you get to see everyday. It did feel a bit like being part of a David Attenborough documentary but, as the only group to have seen it, we feel pretty smug!
My giant tortoise photo collection may now rival my sea lion photo collection - sorry!
The rest of the morning was spent visiting some of the geological sights on Santa Cruz - two collapsed volcano craters and a lava tunnel which were pretty impressive. And we had lunch at the Finch Bay Eco-hotel where we could also take a dip in their lovely pool.
In the afternoon, we went to the Darwin Centre which I have to admit was the most depressing moment of my trip so far. I know that they have to do something to protect the tortoises but the centre was so uninspiring and the tortoises looked so miserable compared to the ones we had seen out in the wild. Definitely something to miss if you are planning on a trip.
Can't believe tonight is my last night on board the Santa Cruz. I better dash to catch the last rays of sunlight on the deck.
In Darwin's footsteps...
(Written 9.30pm on Wednesday 5th January)
I already feel a bit like an old hand at this! After an early wake-up call, we disembarked to go to the island of Rabida which is very red due to the amount of iron in the volcano sediment. We went for a fantastic walk witnessing a wide variety of wildlife going about its daily business and then it was time to brave the waters again.
I learnt to snorkel yesterday so today (in the spirit of 'do more stuff') I thought it was high time I joined the expert snorkellers for the deep water snorkelling off the dinghies! It was like entering another world. I made friends with another sea lion and swam with all manner of tropical fish, some nearly half my size! Very cool.
Oh, and on the way back in the dinghy we saw a Manta Ray - it was HUGE! Almost worth the rather interesting sun burn I now have on the backs of my thighs. Sitting down tomorrow might be a challenge!
After lunch and a siesta (I've never slept so much or so well!), we went back out to the island of North Seymour which is the nesting ground for Frigates and Blue-footed Boobies. We saw the male Frigates blowing out their red pouches to impress the females and the Blue-footed Boobies feeding their young. And we were so close to it all that you almost had to duck to avoid being flown into!
We then wandered back along the beach where we encountered a very young sealion pup and its mother amongst the colony. I could have watched them for hours.
This evening has also been really special. We watched our first proper sunset over the water and had cocktails up on deck. I've been adopted by a really nice Canadian family who feel like old friends already!
Tomorrow, giant tortoises...!
I already feel a bit like an old hand at this! After an early wake-up call, we disembarked to go to the island of Rabida which is very red due to the amount of iron in the volcano sediment. We went for a fantastic walk witnessing a wide variety of wildlife going about its daily business and then it was time to brave the waters again.
I learnt to snorkel yesterday so today (in the spirit of 'do more stuff') I thought it was high time I joined the expert snorkellers for the deep water snorkelling off the dinghies! It was like entering another world. I made friends with another sea lion and swam with all manner of tropical fish, some nearly half my size! Very cool.
Oh, and on the way back in the dinghy we saw a Manta Ray - it was HUGE! Almost worth the rather interesting sun burn I now have on the backs of my thighs. Sitting down tomorrow might be a challenge!
After lunch and a siesta (I've never slept so much or so well!), we went back out to the island of North Seymour which is the nesting ground for Frigates and Blue-footed Boobies. We saw the male Frigates blowing out their red pouches to impress the females and the Blue-footed Boobies feeding their young. And we were so close to it all that you almost had to duck to avoid being flown into!
We then wandered back along the beach where we encountered a very young sealion pup and its mother amongst the colony. I could have watched them for hours.
This evening has also been really special. We watched our first proper sunset over the water and had cocktails up on deck. I've been adopted by a really nice Canadian family who feel like old friends already!
Tomorrow, giant tortoises...!
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Lost for words...
I snorkelled with a sea lion today. I don't think there's much I can add to that really!
Oh, and I saw some tiny little Galapagos penguins. Our naturalist, Cathy, says I can't take one home with me which I think is pretty mean. Something about conservation...
And last night I spent an hour looking up at the night sky and saw stars from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
I don't think I'm going to come home... :o)
Oh, and I saw some tiny little Galapagos penguins. Our naturalist, Cathy, says I can't take one home with me which I think is pretty mean. Something about conservation...
And last night I spent an hour looking up at the night sky and saw stars from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
I don't think I'm going to come home... :o)
Tuesday 4 January 2011
Out of this world
Writing today from my boat which is currently moored off Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos.
Internet slow and expensive so will have to keep short out of necessity - a real shame as I have a lot to say!
Soon after landing at Baltra airport I knew this was going to be pretty special. Just waiting for the dinghies to take us out to our boat, I saw several sea lions, a marine iguana and a grey heron. Not bad for starters!
Having settled in on board, we then went out for a trip on to the dry land and have seen some pretty astonishing stuff. I kinda wish I'd taken Tania's advice and bought the expensive camera but instead I am looking at everything through my binoculars and trying really hard to take excellent mental photographs! Unfortunately they will be harder to share with the rest of you...
The first thing we saw were some more majestic marine iguanas just wandering around and basking in the sun. They are huge and very dark (camouflaging against the lava) and have to sunbathe in order to bring their body temperatures back up after swimming in the sea. The males are slightly larger and apparently they have seven females on the go at the same time!
The Sally Lightfoot crabs on the other hand stand out strongly against the rocks. They are a bright orangey red and I can't get over how many of them there are.
The land iguanas were harder to spot hiding in the undergrowth but we still managed to find three including a fully-grown male catching the last rays before bedtime.
But my favourite spot so far is a pair of flamingos just feeding in a salt water pond. Our naturalist says we were very lucky to see them and I couldn't get over how startling pink they are! Of course, you'll have to take my word for that as they will be tiny specks in the distance in my photos!
We also saw lots of other bird life including Darwin's finches and some Galapagos Mockingbirds. The unique thing about these Mockingbirds is that they don't mock. Having migrated here around 3.5 million years ago there wasn't really anything for them to mimic so the gene needed for that particular skill has slowly disappeared from the species.
Missing Jon but lots of nice people on the boat so will hopefully make some friends!
Monday 3 January 2011
Back in Guayaquil
Just a very quick blog tonight as it's already 10pm and we have to eat and get a reasonable night's sleep before Jon's 7am class and my 8am pick up for the airport.
This morning, my run of good luck when it comes to modes of transport continued when the taxi we had hailed to take us up to a tree house in the mountains started overheating half way up the hill with steam coming through the dashboard. However, we were soon on our way again in a different car.
Another day, another spectacular view. This time of Tunguruhua spurting out volcanic ash clouds. And we got to witness it from a beautiful little tree house nestled in the mountainside and from a rather perilous looking swing which takes you right out over the edge. I've noticed that Ecuadorians aren't that big on health and safety...!
The rest of the day has pretty much been spent on the bus back to Guayaquil. Seven and a half hours in the end but lots to see out of the window when it was light and Scrabble to play when it wasn´t!
Off to the Galapagos tomorrow. Can´t wait!
This morning, my run of good luck when it comes to modes of transport continued when the taxi we had hailed to take us up to a tree house in the mountains started overheating half way up the hill with steam coming through the dashboard. However, we were soon on our way again in a different car.
Another day, another spectacular view. This time of Tunguruhua spurting out volcanic ash clouds. And we got to witness it from a beautiful little tree house nestled in the mountainside and from a rather perilous looking swing which takes you right out over the edge. I've noticed that Ecuadorians aren't that big on health and safety...!
The rest of the day has pretty much been spent on the bus back to Guayaquil. Seven and a half hours in the end but lots to see out of the window when it was light and Scrabble to play when it wasn´t!
Off to the Galapagos tomorrow. Can´t wait!
Sunday 2 January 2011
How to start a New Year
Last night/this morning seems a very long time ago now but it was certainly a LOT of fun!
We got in at around 4am after a New Year's party unlike any other I've ever been to. So many great moments to share but a particular favourite of mine was zooming up to the volcano viewing platform on what Jon and I christened the party bus dancing in our seats to the Macarena. That tells you all you need to know really!
Everyone was out on the streets having a great time and midnight was spent watching our favourite effigy go up in a ball of flames before searching out a recommended bar and dancing the night away. You'll be relieved to hear that the music did improve a little!
I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking on my return.
After a brief but good sleep we were up again this morning to explore the scenery around Banos.
Jon and I share a New Year's resolution: do more stuff. So, that's exactly what we did!
In fact I did the scariest thing I've ever done for starters... I watched Jon jump off a bridge into a ravine! I genuinely think I was more terrified than him! I also discovered how easy it is to bond with other women regardless of language barriers - just watch men do stupid things together!
Before that I had already done the second scariest thing ever. I sped across a different ravine on a zip wire with nothing but a little harness to stop me from plunging into the depths below! Totally exhilarating!
After all the daredevil antics we spent the rest of the day serenely marvelling at the waterfalls in the area and getting very wet as a result. The natural beauty of this country is astounding and some of the butterflies I've seen today are too beautiful to describe.
Having successfully 'done stuff' we're now back at the hostel for some hammock time before heading out again for dinner and the thermal spa. Not a bad way to end another exceptional day.
Sending you all lots of New Year wishes from South America's best kept secret!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We got in at around 4am after a New Year's party unlike any other I've ever been to. So many great moments to share but a particular favourite of mine was zooming up to the volcano viewing platform on what Jon and I christened the party bus dancing in our seats to the Macarena. That tells you all you need to know really!
Everyone was out on the streets having a great time and midnight was spent watching our favourite effigy go up in a ball of flames before searching out a recommended bar and dancing the night away. You'll be relieved to hear that the music did improve a little!
I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking on my return.
After a brief but good sleep we were up again this morning to explore the scenery around Banos.
Jon and I share a New Year's resolution: do more stuff. So, that's exactly what we did!
In fact I did the scariest thing I've ever done for starters... I watched Jon jump off a bridge into a ravine! I genuinely think I was more terrified than him! I also discovered how easy it is to bond with other women regardless of language barriers - just watch men do stupid things together!
Before that I had already done the second scariest thing ever. I sped across a different ravine on a zip wire with nothing but a little harness to stop me from plunging into the depths below! Totally exhilarating!
After all the daredevil antics we spent the rest of the day serenely marvelling at the waterfalls in the area and getting very wet as a result. The natural beauty of this country is astounding and some of the butterflies I've seen today are too beautiful to describe.
Having successfully 'done stuff' we're now back at the hostel for some hammock time before heading out again for dinner and the thermal spa. Not a bad way to end another exceptional day.
Sending you all lots of New Year wishes from South America's best kept secret!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Banos, Ecuador
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