9/30 - 10/5
We went back to our original hostel for the night since we got in after 10pm. We woke up the next morning and moved to Loki Hostel which is bigger and has more people. Loki is an awesome hostel. The building is 450 years old. The beds were pretty comfortable. We had originally planned to stay one night but Sara ended contracting pneumonia and had to stay at the hospital for two nights. Loki is a relaxing place that overlooks the center of Cusco. The only problem is that I feel like I am in England and not Peru because 75% of the people staying here are English. We are currently working out plans to go to Bolivia. We have talked to a lot of people and although it is recommended not to go there by the US media we have found out that the areas of the country we would like to see are safe. We feel comfortable going to bolivia and are very excited to see the sites there. More later.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sheer Exhaustion
9-26-08
So the 4am wakeup wasn't too enjoyable. The taxi was late so we could have probably slept in till at least 4:20. We were taken to a market where we met the rest of our group. The van they had hired only had 9 seats and we were eleven so me, an Australian named Glenn, and Karin (one of the Swedes). I slept in the taxi, 1. because i was tired, and 2. because I didn't want to be awake to see our crazy driver drive off a cliff. We arrived about 25 minutes before the rest of the group (again I was trying to figure out why the taxi drove so fast since we were so far ahead of the rest of the group). We met the rest of the group, ate breakfast, and started our trek. We started in the town and walked along the road most of the first day. Although walking along a road where trucks and vans past was not the greatest experience the views of the Andes were indescribable. 19km (12 miles) later we arrived at our campsite. We had views of both the Salkantay Mountain and another enormous glacier mountain. It was cold that night and we were all exhausted so we played some cards, ate dinner and went to bed very early.
9-27-08
We woke at 6am and hike 4 miles up to the highest point we would hike during the trip. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and we were not able to have a full view of the Salkantay Mountain but we did get an idea of how big it was. We were 4600 meters which is about 15000 feet above sea level. We continued on and hike and additional 14-19km (9-12 miles)(our guide was a little funny about the numbers so we are not sure exactly how far we hiked, but it was far. We arrived at our second campsite and the sky opened up about 10 minutes later. It poured all through the night.
9-28-08
We awoke extremely tired from two days of difficult hiking. We hiked through the jungle and along a river. The scenery was amazing and although we started seeing some bugs around the hike was still very nice. We arrived at our campsite which was abolutely infested with bugs. They were everywhere and absolutely loved Unger. He had a cloud following him around everywhere we went. A van took us down to the hotsprings at Santa Teresa. It was relaxing after 3 days of hiking. The night was definitely the worst night of sleep since the ground was uneven and there was a lot of noise since our campsite was next to a road. We all woke up eaten alive. I have bug bites all over my arms and lets and 5 days later there still big welts and they itch a lot. We found out they are sand flies which in my opinion are worse than mosquitos.
9-29-08
The last day was the worst day of the trek. The guide did not give us the option of doing the first half of the hike in a van or walking and it was along a road with lots of cars kicking up dust. We ate lunch at the hydro-electric power plant where the train station starts. We spent the second half of the day walking on train tracks. It got very repetitive, difficult and boring. We did however see our first glimpse of Machu Picchu very far below the mountain, so that was nice. After 4 days of hiking and 70-80km which is about 45-48 miles of hiking we arrived in Aguas Calientes. We had an option to climb up another mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu but I decided I was a little too tired. Unger and Elli went. I ate lunch and relaxed. We went to dinner with the group and had pizza.
9-30-08
We woke up at 4:20am and waited for the bus to Machu Picchu. We were able to get on the first bus. We got in and went straight to Huayna Picchu mountain which is the famous mountain that is behind Machu Picchu in all the pictures. They only allow 400 people up each day so we were happy to be the first people up the mountain. It was a difficult time since we were all still tired from our trek but the views at the top made it worth it. We stayed up there for about an hour and then went back down to meet our guide for the tour of Machu Picchu. Unger and I decided only to do part of the tour and instead just sat there and looked at the incredible ruins from a lookout point at the top of the ruins. We then walked down to Aguas Calientes, ate lunch, checked internet, and met the group for happy hour at a bar down the street from the hotel. We caught the train to Ollantytambo and then caught the bus into Cusco. Overall the trip was a success and I was happy I was able to accomplish it.
So the 4am wakeup wasn't too enjoyable. The taxi was late so we could have probably slept in till at least 4:20. We were taken to a market where we met the rest of our group. The van they had hired only had 9 seats and we were eleven so me, an Australian named Glenn, and Karin (one of the Swedes). I slept in the taxi, 1. because i was tired, and 2. because I didn't want to be awake to see our crazy driver drive off a cliff. We arrived about 25 minutes before the rest of the group (again I was trying to figure out why the taxi drove so fast since we were so far ahead of the rest of the group). We met the rest of the group, ate breakfast, and started our trek. We started in the town and walked along the road most of the first day. Although walking along a road where trucks and vans past was not the greatest experience the views of the Andes were indescribable. 19km (12 miles) later we arrived at our campsite. We had views of both the Salkantay Mountain and another enormous glacier mountain. It was cold that night and we were all exhausted so we played some cards, ate dinner and went to bed very early.
9-27-08
We woke at 6am and hike 4 miles up to the highest point we would hike during the trip. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and we were not able to have a full view of the Salkantay Mountain but we did get an idea of how big it was. We were 4600 meters which is about 15000 feet above sea level. We continued on and hike and additional 14-19km (9-12 miles)(our guide was a little funny about the numbers so we are not sure exactly how far we hiked, but it was far. We arrived at our second campsite and the sky opened up about 10 minutes later. It poured all through the night.
9-28-08
We awoke extremely tired from two days of difficult hiking. We hiked through the jungle and along a river. The scenery was amazing and although we started seeing some bugs around the hike was still very nice. We arrived at our campsite which was abolutely infested with bugs. They were everywhere and absolutely loved Unger. He had a cloud following him around everywhere we went. A van took us down to the hotsprings at Santa Teresa. It was relaxing after 3 days of hiking. The night was definitely the worst night of sleep since the ground was uneven and there was a lot of noise since our campsite was next to a road. We all woke up eaten alive. I have bug bites all over my arms and lets and 5 days later there still big welts and they itch a lot. We found out they are sand flies which in my opinion are worse than mosquitos.
9-29-08
The last day was the worst day of the trek. The guide did not give us the option of doing the first half of the hike in a van or walking and it was along a road with lots of cars kicking up dust. We ate lunch at the hydro-electric power plant where the train station starts. We spent the second half of the day walking on train tracks. It got very repetitive, difficult and boring. We did however see our first glimpse of Machu Picchu very far below the mountain, so that was nice. After 4 days of hiking and 70-80km which is about 45-48 miles of hiking we arrived in Aguas Calientes. We had an option to climb up another mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu but I decided I was a little too tired. Unger and Elli went. I ate lunch and relaxed. We went to dinner with the group and had pizza.
9-30-08
We woke up at 4:20am and waited for the bus to Machu Picchu. We were able to get on the first bus. We got in and went straight to Huayna Picchu mountain which is the famous mountain that is behind Machu Picchu in all the pictures. They only allow 400 people up each day so we were happy to be the first people up the mountain. It was a difficult time since we were all still tired from our trek but the views at the top made it worth it. We stayed up there for about an hour and then went back down to meet our guide for the tour of Machu Picchu. Unger and I decided only to do part of the tour and instead just sat there and looked at the incredible ruins from a lookout point at the top of the ruins. We then walked down to Aguas Calientes, ate lunch, checked internet, and met the group for happy hour at a bar down the street from the hotel. We caught the train to Ollantytambo and then caught the bus into Cusco. Overall the trip was a success and I was happy I was able to accomplish it.
Cusco
9-22-08
We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Highlight of the day was finding a restaurant called Mijunachis. It had 3 menus that ranged from 10 soles ($3.00) - 15 soles ($5.00). The menus were three courses which included an appetizer, soup, and entree, and also tea or lemonade. We ordered Alpaca (our first time trying this food). It tasted kind of like beef but probably a little gamier. We ultimately ate there 4 more times during our stay in Cusco. Great city.
9-23-08
Sara and her friend Elli were checking into the hotel as we were waking up. We decided we wanted to continue to get acclimitized by walking around the city some more (on a side note I had been taking altitude sickness pills for two days and they caused blurry vision which I thought was altitude sickness. It wasn't fun not being able to see for two days but once the pills wore off I got my vision back) We took Elli and Sara to Mijunachis and they liked it too. We started looking for a tour operater so that we could do the Salkantay trek. We went to South American Explorers and they recommended a company called Quechuas. The owner seemed like a nice guy and quoted us a price of $210 for 4 nights, 5 days, entry to Machu Picchu, hotel on the last night and train back to Cusco. This price was a lot better than the $430 that Unger and I almost spent to do the Salkantay Trek. We decided to book the trip that would leave on September 26. We went back to the hostel relaxed for a little while and then went to the store to buy food since Unger and I were cooking dinner for the girls that night. We made chicken and pasta but the pasta turned out soggy and clumpy (Not our fault, we didn't have a strainer). We then decided to watch a movie. We started Hostel which I thought was completely appropriate since we were staying in a hostel in South America but when we got to the point in the movie where the guy cuts the kids achilles tendons I was forced by the other three to turn the movie off. We watch 40 Year Old Virgin instead; not a bad second choice.
9-24-08
We wanted to do some excercise to make sure we were ready for our trek. We took a taxi up the the ruins that are about 6 miles from Cusco and then hike down the mountain stopping at about 4 or 5 sets of ruins on the way (a little advice if you are ever in Cusco: don't leave your hotel wearing just shorts and a tee shirt because the weather can change very very quickly. We left and it was about 80 degrees and by the time we got to the top of the mountain the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. I ended up buying an alpaca sweater which I very much overpaid for. Peruvian crafts people = 1, Brian = 0) The ruins were interesting and we got lost several times and had to ask for directions on how to get to the next ruins. I'm pretty sure we left Unger in charge of directions. The last set of ruins we encountered before Cusco were incredible. There were 3 tiered walls that probably went up about 100 feet or so. It started to rain so we made our way back to Cusco. We met the Swedish girls and went to a restaurant called Kusikoy. We proceeded to order our entrees and Unger, Sara, and I decided it was time to sample the little Peruvian delicassee, Kuy. We had actually decided earlier in the day, hence the restaurant's name Kusikoy. Now this is a very special dish and takes about 40 minutes, since I guess they put it on a rotisseree or something. We ate our entrees and about 10 minutes later the waiter brought the little critter out. Now, the best part about this meal is that they don't filet, skin, remove paws, head, etc. The cook the little guy up, full body intact and serve it just like that. It arrived with teeth still intact as well and a huge pepper in its mouth. I thought it was a nice touch. I can't really explain how it tastes so I will just say that it tastes like the dark meat of chicken, with a little bit of a difference. I enjoyed it but will probably never eat it again. Scratch that off my list of things to do before I die. I am unhappy to say that the most expensive meal by far I have eaten in South America was a rodent. The good news is that I didn't get sick.
9-25-08
It was a very uneventful day. We wanted to try to conserve some money, since at the moment with Machu Picchu and Galapagos we are haemorrhaging money. So we hung out at the hostel, went to the store to buy water and snacks for our hike, ate at Mijunachis, and returned to the hostel. We met with our guide so we could go over a little pre-trek information and then I went out to dinner with an Irish girl we had met in Quito who happened to be staying at the same hotel in Cusco. I had to finish packing up before our 4am wakeup and I barely slept about 2 hours.
We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Highlight of the day was finding a restaurant called Mijunachis. It had 3 menus that ranged from 10 soles ($3.00) - 15 soles ($5.00). The menus were three courses which included an appetizer, soup, and entree, and also tea or lemonade. We ordered Alpaca (our first time trying this food). It tasted kind of like beef but probably a little gamier. We ultimately ate there 4 more times during our stay in Cusco. Great city.
9-23-08
Sara and her friend Elli were checking into the hotel as we were waking up. We decided we wanted to continue to get acclimitized by walking around the city some more (on a side note I had been taking altitude sickness pills for two days and they caused blurry vision which I thought was altitude sickness. It wasn't fun not being able to see for two days but once the pills wore off I got my vision back) We took Elli and Sara to Mijunachis and they liked it too. We started looking for a tour operater so that we could do the Salkantay trek. We went to South American Explorers and they recommended a company called Quechuas. The owner seemed like a nice guy and quoted us a price of $210 for 4 nights, 5 days, entry to Machu Picchu, hotel on the last night and train back to Cusco. This price was a lot better than the $430 that Unger and I almost spent to do the Salkantay Trek. We decided to book the trip that would leave on September 26. We went back to the hostel relaxed for a little while and then went to the store to buy food since Unger and I were cooking dinner for the girls that night. We made chicken and pasta but the pasta turned out soggy and clumpy (Not our fault, we didn't have a strainer). We then decided to watch a movie. We started Hostel which I thought was completely appropriate since we were staying in a hostel in South America but when we got to the point in the movie where the guy cuts the kids achilles tendons I was forced by the other three to turn the movie off. We watch 40 Year Old Virgin instead; not a bad second choice.
9-24-08
We wanted to do some excercise to make sure we were ready for our trek. We took a taxi up the the ruins that are about 6 miles from Cusco and then hike down the mountain stopping at about 4 or 5 sets of ruins on the way (a little advice if you are ever in Cusco: don't leave your hotel wearing just shorts and a tee shirt because the weather can change very very quickly. We left and it was about 80 degrees and by the time we got to the top of the mountain the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. I ended up buying an alpaca sweater which I very much overpaid for. Peruvian crafts people = 1, Brian = 0) The ruins were interesting and we got lost several times and had to ask for directions on how to get to the next ruins. I'm pretty sure we left Unger in charge of directions. The last set of ruins we encountered before Cusco were incredible. There were 3 tiered walls that probably went up about 100 feet or so. It started to rain so we made our way back to Cusco. We met the Swedish girls and went to a restaurant called Kusikoy. We proceeded to order our entrees and Unger, Sara, and I decided it was time to sample the little Peruvian delicassee, Kuy. We had actually decided earlier in the day, hence the restaurant's name Kusikoy. Now this is a very special dish and takes about 40 minutes, since I guess they put it on a rotisseree or something. We ate our entrees and about 10 minutes later the waiter brought the little critter out. Now, the best part about this meal is that they don't filet, skin, remove paws, head, etc. The cook the little guy up, full body intact and serve it just like that. It arrived with teeth still intact as well and a huge pepper in its mouth. I thought it was a nice touch. I can't really explain how it tastes so I will just say that it tastes like the dark meat of chicken, with a little bit of a difference. I enjoyed it but will probably never eat it again. Scratch that off my list of things to do before I die. I am unhappy to say that the most expensive meal by far I have eaten in South America was a rodent. The good news is that I didn't get sick.
9-25-08
It was a very uneventful day. We wanted to try to conserve some money, since at the moment with Machu Picchu and Galapagos we are haemorrhaging money. So we hung out at the hostel, went to the store to buy water and snacks for our hike, ate at Mijunachis, and returned to the hostel. We met with our guide so we could go over a little pre-trek information and then I went out to dinner with an Irish girl we had met in Quito who happened to be staying at the same hotel in Cusco. I had to finish packing up before our 4am wakeup and I barely slept about 2 hours.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Lima
9-20-08
Lima was a big city. We only stayed for a few days which was good because as I have just said Lima is big and overwhelming. We woke up and found out where an American bar was (typical Americans). We walked about 30 minutes to the bar and when we saw the prices we realized we did not have enough money. So we took a taxi back to the hostel got some more money and walked to the bar...once again. We proceeded to drink beer and watch 8 hours of American football. Absolutely incredible, probably my favorite day in South America (ok that is a lie, but it was extremely enjoyable). We watch Florida stomp Tennessee and then the highlight of the day was definitely watching Georgia make ASU look stupid. Now the score was only 28-10 but Georgia was driving and decided to show some mercy at the 1 yard line by just downing the ball. ASU would not have had that much class if the roles were reversed, but Georgia does and UofA has a better record than ASU. OK enough football talk since I am traveling in South America right now and should be concentrating on Soccer or whatever other sports the rest of the world watches. Cost of food today = $7.00, cost of beer = more than food. The end...good night.
9-21-08
We woke up and the hostel owner lent (loaned? I don't know, I speak spanish now, nos presto) us some fishing poles. These were ocean rods that would about 10 feet long and were prepped and ready to catch some monster fish...or sharks. I was pumped. We walked about a mile to the water, ready to tackle a giant from the sea. We cast our lines in the water, let them soak for a while just like the pros do (about 5 minutes), started reeling in our lines and realized we were both caught on the rocks. About 15 minutes later we were both able to unhook our lines from the rocky depths of the Lima coast. Attempt number 2: I was ready. This time I cast the line so far there was no way I was caught on the rocks. Let my bait soak, just like the pros (3 minutes) went to reel my line in, and this time I had a monster...rock. I fought and fought with this rock, and finally it got the best of me and snapped my line. Oh by the way the same thing happened to Unger. We both went to put new hooks on and try again when we realized the only other hooks we had did not have holes in them. I don't know what you do with a fishing hook that doesn't have holes. But I know what we did, called it a day and walked back to the hostel, dejected from our two extreme fishing failures on this trip. I know the fishing gods are just waiting until we fly fish in Argentina, where we will reel in monster trout and set records, but it is still frustrating right now. I'm a patient fisherman though. Total trip time = 3 hours. Total fishing time = 7 minutes. We went back to the hostel and met our two Swedish friends (Ellinor and Karin) which we had met earlier in the day and decided to get some pizza with them. We went back to the hostel and they taught us how to play Yatzee before we went to bed.
9-22-08
We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Great city.
Lima was a big city. We only stayed for a few days which was good because as I have just said Lima is big and overwhelming. We woke up and found out where an American bar was (typical Americans). We walked about 30 minutes to the bar and when we saw the prices we realized we did not have enough money. So we took a taxi back to the hostel got some more money and walked to the bar...once again. We proceeded to drink beer and watch 8 hours of American football. Absolutely incredible, probably my favorite day in South America (ok that is a lie, but it was extremely enjoyable). We watch Florida stomp Tennessee and then the highlight of the day was definitely watching Georgia make ASU look stupid. Now the score was only 28-10 but Georgia was driving and decided to show some mercy at the 1 yard line by just downing the ball. ASU would not have had that much class if the roles were reversed, but Georgia does and UofA has a better record than ASU. OK enough football talk since I am traveling in South America right now and should be concentrating on Soccer or whatever other sports the rest of the world watches. Cost of food today = $7.00, cost of beer = more than food. The end...good night.
9-21-08
We woke up and the hostel owner lent (loaned? I don't know, I speak spanish now, nos presto) us some fishing poles. These were ocean rods that would about 10 feet long and were prepped and ready to catch some monster fish...or sharks. I was pumped. We walked about a mile to the water, ready to tackle a giant from the sea. We cast our lines in the water, let them soak for a while just like the pros do (about 5 minutes), started reeling in our lines and realized we were both caught on the rocks. About 15 minutes later we were both able to unhook our lines from the rocky depths of the Lima coast. Attempt number 2: I was ready. This time I cast the line so far there was no way I was caught on the rocks. Let my bait soak, just like the pros (3 minutes) went to reel my line in, and this time I had a monster...rock. I fought and fought with this rock, and finally it got the best of me and snapped my line. Oh by the way the same thing happened to Unger. We both went to put new hooks on and try again when we realized the only other hooks we had did not have holes in them. I don't know what you do with a fishing hook that doesn't have holes. But I know what we did, called it a day and walked back to the hostel, dejected from our two extreme fishing failures on this trip. I know the fishing gods are just waiting until we fly fish in Argentina, where we will reel in monster trout and set records, but it is still frustrating right now. I'm a patient fisherman though. Total trip time = 3 hours. Total fishing time = 7 minutes. We went back to the hostel and met our two Swedish friends (Ellinor and Karin) which we had met earlier in the day and decided to get some pizza with them. We went back to the hostel and they taught us how to play Yatzee before we went to bed.
9-22-08
We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Great city.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Galapagos Islands
I will start by saying this is the most incredible place I have ever been to in my life. It was everything I was hoping it would be and then some. Our round trip flight, $100 park entry fee, visit to four islands, food and all other misc expenses ended up costing a little under $1000. It is not cheap to get there but we did a pretty good job financially due to the fact that we did not even have a hotel or any tours booked when we showed up on the islands. I highly recommend to anybody that comes down to South America (specifically Ecuador) to go to the Galapagos. Plan the Galapagos when you are planning your budget. It is worth every penny. And unless you go during the months of April, May, or June, don´t listen to anybody who tells you you have to plan your cruise, or daytrips, or whatever ahead of time. This is completely false during non-peak season and we received 30-50% off of every trip we took by booking on the island. And you do not need to take a cruise either. People told us we were crazy not to set up a cruise, but in reality we stayed at a nice hotel for $12.50 per night and did not have to stay in a tiny stateroom with a shared bathroom and rocking ship all night. Now we were able to spend maybe $500-$700 on a cruise which is going to give you the bare minimum. If you can afford $1300 or more there are some very nice last minute cruises to take but Unger and I are poor travelers and decided just to stay on the island and do day trips.
9-13-08
We woke up early in Guayaquil to catch our 9:45am flight to Baltra Island in the Galapagos. The flight took about 1:45 minutes. The very first thing we had to do when we got off the plane was pay our $100 park entry fee, that stung a little but we knew it was coming. We couldn´t really figure out where the $100 went because because we had to pay other little fees for everything else as well. We got our luggage and jumped on the first bus (the only free bus) which took us about 15 minutes to the end of Baltra Island. We then got on a ferry that took us across a channel which took about 10 minutes and cost about $0.80, so not a lot of money, but once again where did our $100 go, because the research centers on the islands (where we would have expected the money to go) are all privately funded. We got off the boat and then took another bus about 45 minutes ($1.80) into Puerto Ayora which is the town where we would be spending the next four nights. As stated before we had no reservation and went to sit on a bench to figure out what we were going to do. Take a cruise or don´t take a cruise? was the main question we were asking ourselves. This guy on a bicycle showed up and asked us if we had any plans yet. We said no and proceed to follow him to his office which was a travel agency. He tried to sell us a 5 night cruise that was leaving 30 minutes later. Unger was ready to go if the guy would give us the right price. Luckily he would not go any lower than $600 and we didn´t think it was worth it for what he was offering (We found out later that the boat we would take called the Friendship is one of the worst boats in the Galapagos and the guide speaks very little English and Galapagos Spanish which is very much different than mainland Spanish. Also the captain is usually drunk and the engine breaks down all the time and they just fix enough so when the next group gets on the boat they don´t know any better. So once again I am glad the guy would not go any lower on the price. We went in search of an internet cafe to see if Gal, our Israeli friend, had arrived yet since he was supposed to be on the same flight and definitely was not. As we were walking out we ran into Gal and Sara (our English friend who we met in Quito and travelled to Cotopaxi with. Sara is traveling for 2 years and is the nicest and most genuine person we have met on our trip). They happened to have a hotel that had four beds so we tagged along and arrived at a lovely little hotel called Hotel Espana. They had hammocks and couches set up in the main common area and the room was clean with a private bathroom. Shortly after arrival a taxi picked us up and we went on a land tour of Santa Cruz Island. We went to Los Gemelos which are two gigantic sink wholes caused by volcanic disturbances. We then went to a farm where giant turtles live naturally. It was incredible to see the lazy, 100+ year old turtles just lounging around in the wild. The farm also had a ping pong table. Unger and I played to 2 and I think I won. He might say differently but I´m pretty sure I won. We got back in the taxi and were then taken to the lava tubes, which were formed when Los Gemelos collapsed (for the record most of this information was told to us in Spanish and Unger did only a little bit of translating so I´m happy with my progress of this language). The lava tubes are these huge caves that we walked through for about 20 minutes. At one point we had to crawl through the mud on our hands and knees (it had rained). We were then taken back to the hotel where we showered and then went up the street to the hostel owner´s uncle´s restaurant, which was basically an outdoor BBQ. I had fish, beans, and rice for $5. We went to bed early after a long day of travel and touring.
9-14-08
Sara and Gal woke up early to go diving. Now even though the owners of the hotel thought Unger and I would be able to go (with absolutely no experience, and you are supposed to be licensed even in Ecuador) Unger and I chose life over drowning and went to the Darwin Research Center to visit primarily Lonesome George (if you don´t know Lonesome George is 150 year old giant turtle who happens to be the last of his species. Scientist have been trying to get him to impregnate a similar species of turtle for some time, but at Lonesome George´s age I would be picky too. Now rumor has it that they gave him some turtle Viagra and he has impregnated I believe 3 females, so Congratulations Lonesome George. You are going to be a daddy!) We saw the Iguanas, other turtles, read about some of the history of the islands, and of course saw Lonesome George. There were a lot of tourists there so Unger and I got out of there quickly. We next walked to the opposite side of town and began our trek towards Tortuga Bay. Tortuga Bay is a beach that is only accessed by walking down a 2km (1.2mile for the only country in the world that doesn´t use the metric system) and then additional 1km on a white sand beach. We arrived at this isolated beach which had very little surf because of the rocks protecting it from the ocean. It was incredible. The weather was nice and there were not a lot of people there. I put sunscreen on and asked unger to help me out with my back. He said he would but in a little while and I wanted to go swimming so I said screw it (see photos for outcome of my decision not to wait). We tried snorkelling but the water was not clear at Tortuga bay so we couldn´t see much. We laid in the sun, ate some snacks, had some beverages and left later in the afternoon. On the way out we saw rays, sharks, finches, a bunch of iguanas and about 7 sea turtles about 20 feet from the shore. It was awesome. We met Gal and Sara and and decided to go (well Unger decided to go, I just followed with everybody else) to Las Grietas which I believe translates to "the cliffs" because that is what they were. Anyway, along with the same theme, I value my life so decided I did not want to jump the thirty feet into a very narrow strip of water. Gal and Unger did it. I'm starting to think maybe I have a fear of heights, or maybe more a fear of just jumping off those heights. I have had several dreams where i am falling off a cliff to my death so maybe my fear is warranted. Afterwards we went back to Esther´s (hostel owner) uncles restaurant. Why change a good thing?
9-15-08
So we decided to take a day trip to Floreana (an island). We had to be at the docks at about 7am and Esther and Roberta (other hotel employee) made us empenadas. They ended making us empenadas every day we were there. For some reason they liked us. I don't know why. So we went down to the dock and got in this little boat. It was a miserable ride. The boat was not very comfortable and pretty small so every wave it hit we could feel. We arrived in Floreana to see sea turtles and marine iguanas right next to the dock. We were taken up the mountain there and then hiked through a giant turtle reserve and then around some ruins. The views were amazing. We then went back to the boat and ate a pretty good lunch. I think it was fried rice. After we stopped at our first snorkelling site called devil's crown. It is a very small island off the coast of Floreana and the wild life is amazing. From blue footed boobies to white frigate birds, black frigate birds, masked boobies, pelicans, etc. We say rays, fish, sea turtles, sea lions, etc. It was amazing. We then went to Champion Island (another small island that drops off into very deep water. We saw a lot of the same wildlife there but there was an incredible amount of fish and I saw a yellow tail tuna which I tried to catch to make sushi, but it was too fast. We got home around 5pm, went back to Esther's uncles restaurant and went to the hotel for bed. Very early wakeup the next morning.
9-16-08
Woke up at 4:30am. Roberta had empenadas waiting. I promise we insisted the night before she not wake up to make them but she did anyway. We couldn't let them go to waste so of course we ate them. Boarded the boat which to our pleasant surprise was quite a bit bigger than the Floreana boat. Oh by the way we were heading to Bartolome (highlight of the trip). The boat had two floors and on the upper deck had pads set up. I definitely went right back to bed because i believe the boat ride was about 3 hours. I'm not sure the exact time but that sounds about right. I woke up about an hour into the ride and enjoyed the views of rays jumping out of the water and birds flying along side the boat. It was quite a sight. We arrived at Bartolome and I was immediately blown away. Every island is unique. I'm not going to try to explain it but my photos illustrate my point. Please view. Anyway we got off the boat and walked up the trail. It was about 30 minutes to the top. We enjoyed amazing views of multiple islands (I don't remember how many but I think it was 3 or maybe 5). We stayed up there for about 20 or 30 minutes and then headed down to the boat to eat lunch. It was fish, good. We then were taken in a dingy to our snorkelling spot. We left from a beach so different than Floreana but just as amazing. We saw thousands of fish and the highlight of the day was definitely watching about 15 blue footed boobies dive into the water at extreme speeds and then swim around to catch fish. They look so goofy on the ground but are very graceful in the air and even in the water. After snorkelling we got back in the boat and returned to Santa Cruz. We discussed going back the Esther's uncle's but found out it was closed. Esther's aunt was at the hotel and was going to make us lobster but the store she was going to buy the lobster from was closed (once again we insisted that she did not do this but once again for some reason they liked us). We decided instead to go with a big group to eat Pizza. Went to bed.
9-17-08
We woke up at a reasonable hour and went back to Tortuga Bay since Gal and Sara had not been there yet. The weather was not as good as the first time we were there but there was a blue footed boobie that we were able to get extremely close to and get some great photos. We then returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage since we were headed to Isabella for a 2 day tour. Unger and I are dumb and almost missed the boat. At times I wish we had because this boat was by far the worst boat ride I have ever been on. The boat was tiny, packed with about 18 people, had two different size engines (I swear, the smaller one did nothing), and every time we hit a wave we went flying in the air. I'm going to have permanent damage to my back and my internal organs have all shift from the impact. But when we arrived, and saw how beautiful Isabella is, we forgot about the boat ride (ok that is a lie, but at least Isabella is beautiful). We went to the hotel which was pretty nice (had TV and AC, two things we take for granted in US hotels). We were only at the hotel for a few minutes as we had a tour of the turtle reserve (yes, we saw a lot of turtles, but they are pretty cool), followed by a walk through the lagoons to try to see flamingos. We saw 3 flamingos in one lagoon but they were really far away. We then got to the last lagoon and saw one flamingo really close up. It had a broken wing and our guide told us it just hangs around at this one lagoon and is always there. This sounds really bad but we think they maybe broke the wing on purpose so that the flamingo can never fly away the tourists will keep coming back. We ate dinner at the hotel and went to bed.
9-18-08
We woke up early and took a van to Sierra Negra Volcano. The beginning was completely foggy and muddy but the top was incredible with unbelievable views. We hike to Chico Volcano which is smaller. We learned that there are 5 volcanos that formed Isabella which is the biggest of the Galapagos Islands. We ate lunch at Chico and then returned. In total we hike 10 miles which was good excercise and good warmup for Machu Picchu. At sea level I did fine. We will see what happens in Peru. We went back to the hotel, changed and hike Las Tintas which had hundreds of iguana, some sea lions, crabs, of course, and a pool where white tipped reef sharks could be seen. We then went snorkelling for the 5th time which was still great and we saw quite a bit.
9-19-08
We woke up at 5am, took the 6am boat back to Santa Cruz. Although it was the same boat there were half the people and since it was morning the sea was more calm. We were also prepared for a very long day so this was just the beginning. We went to the hotel, collected our luggage, said goodbye to Esther and Roberta, and took the 45 minute bus (which Hanne and Norman happened to be on) to the 10 minute boat which connected to the 15 minute bus ride to the airport. You can see where I'm going with this. We flew to Guayaquil which took 1 hour 45 minutes and as soon as we got off the plane collected our luggage and checked in to our next flight which was too Lima and was another hour and 45 minutes. it was the nicest plane I have ever been on and Unger and I were wishing the flight was longer since we got free snacks (doesn't happen in the states anymore) and free movies, tv shows, games, etc (also doesn't happen in the states anymore). Once we arrived we cleared customs, since it was an international flight. Unger and I are dumb and we both lost or could not locate, you choose, our entry tickets into Ecuador. The customs agent was not happy with us but let us fill out new tickets. We then got into a taxi which took us 45 minutes to Miraflores district (gringolandia II) where our hostel was. We went to bed after a very long day of travel. I already miss the Galapagos Islands.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Skip Guayaquil
9/13/08
The bus ride was terrifying as usual. But instead of the normal terror of hitting a pedestrian or car, this time it was the drive through the Andes. At times the road was barely wide enough for two cars and right next to the toad was a 1000 foot cliff. And of course if a car or truck was going too slow the driver passed him. But we did get to watch Fast and the Furious 1,2,&3 and also the beginning of Torque; four award quality movies. I think these might be the movies the Ecuadorian bus drivers watch when they learn to drive. Guayaquil was an ugly bustling city that smells bad. I'm glad we didn't spend any time there. On the plane right now waiting to leave for the Galapagos Islands. I am extremely excited as I believe this will be the highlight of our trip.
The bus ride was terrifying as usual. But instead of the normal terror of hitting a pedestrian or car, this time it was the drive through the Andes. At times the road was barely wide enough for two cars and right next to the toad was a 1000 foot cliff. And of course if a car or truck was going too slow the driver passed him. But we did get to watch Fast and the Furious 1,2,&3 and also the beginning of Torque; four award quality movies. I think these might be the movies the Ecuadorian bus drivers watch when they learn to drive. Guayaquil was an ugly bustling city that smells bad. I'm glad we didn't spend any time there. On the plane right now waiting to leave for the Galapagos Islands. I am extremely excited as I believe this will be the highlight of our trip.
We didn't even go to the hot springs
9-10-08
So we arrived in Banos which is famous for its hot springs. We spent three days there and didn't even make it to the hot springs. Oh well. The town was still a lot of fun. We woke up early and I began this blog. I got about two days worth complete and then we left to wander around town. Banos is this little town surrounded by huge green mountains on all sides. Everybody here is very nice as it is kind of a tourist town. We had some empenadas for breakfast and then rented some bikes. We began riding out of Banos and down toward the next town. Now it was enjoyable but we rode right on the road, yes the same road that the crazy bus drivers use. (We arrived when it was dark so I had no idea what the road was like. I'm glad it was dark because I would have panicked knowing the bus driver was driving as fast as he was with a gigantic cliff right next to us. Hey I'm assuming they train their bus drivers to avoid driving off cliffs, so we were probably safe) At one point we had to go through a tunnel that was pitch black. It was kind of terrifying. Next to the road was also about a 1000 foot cliff that led to a river. The highlight of the ride was the 6 or 7 waterfalls across the river. We stopped in a small town and hiked down to the river where there was a bridge across and a great view of a waterfall. We ate lunch and then negotiated with a truck driver who drove us back into Banos so I could make my 2pm Spanish lesson. The lesson was good. I got to talk with the teacher for two hours just in Spanish which was good practice. There are mostly English speaking people at the hostels so it is heard to practice Spanish. After the lesson we went to a bar to watch the Ecuador-Uraguay soccer game. They tied 0-0 (kind of boring). Not as good as being there. We went to dinner and then came back tot he hostel and played card games. A good day.
9/11/08
Today we woke up and went to this sort of farmer's market. We had fried egg, rice, chorizo, avocado, lettuce, potato cakes and beets with a cup of coffee for $2. I also purchased 3 $0.10 empenadas for later. What can I say? I like to eat. We hiked up a trail to this statue and hung out for a while. We then hiked down and stopped at the market again. Our fried Diego, from Guadalajara had never had South American empenadas before. He at 11. Unger and I each had 4. Unger and I went back to the hostel for a nap while the girls and Diego went to do a form of bungie jumping. You jump off a bridge and when the rope catches you swing back and forth. It only costs $15 and DIego was able to go twice for $20. What a smoking deal. Even with that great price I still just didn't feel the urge to go. If I'm going to plummet to my death I want to have paid more than $10 to do so. Unger and I decided to cook dinner at the hostel. We made pasta with meat sauce and melted chees. It tasted pretty good. We then went to a bar to meet my two teachers and another student (girl from Colorado). We sang Karoake (not me, but Unger sang Back Street Boys) and went back to the hostel and went to bed.
9/12/08
We woke up this morning, went and ate breakfast at the same place as yesterday and are now on a 7 hour bus ride to Guayaquil. Hopefully it will only take 7 hours (and we will live). Tomorrow we leave for the Galapagos Islands. More to report later.
So we arrived in Banos which is famous for its hot springs. We spent three days there and didn't even make it to the hot springs. Oh well. The town was still a lot of fun. We woke up early and I began this blog. I got about two days worth complete and then we left to wander around town. Banos is this little town surrounded by huge green mountains on all sides. Everybody here is very nice as it is kind of a tourist town. We had some empenadas for breakfast and then rented some bikes. We began riding out of Banos and down toward the next town. Now it was enjoyable but we rode right on the road, yes the same road that the crazy bus drivers use. (We arrived when it was dark so I had no idea what the road was like. I'm glad it was dark because I would have panicked knowing the bus driver was driving as fast as he was with a gigantic cliff right next to us. Hey I'm assuming they train their bus drivers to avoid driving off cliffs, so we were probably safe) At one point we had to go through a tunnel that was pitch black. It was kind of terrifying. Next to the road was also about a 1000 foot cliff that led to a river. The highlight of the ride was the 6 or 7 waterfalls across the river. We stopped in a small town and hiked down to the river where there was a bridge across and a great view of a waterfall. We ate lunch and then negotiated with a truck driver who drove us back into Banos so I could make my 2pm Spanish lesson. The lesson was good. I got to talk with the teacher for two hours just in Spanish which was good practice. There are mostly English speaking people at the hostels so it is heard to practice Spanish. After the lesson we went to a bar to watch the Ecuador-Uraguay soccer game. They tied 0-0 (kind of boring). Not as good as being there. We went to dinner and then came back tot he hostel and played card games. A good day.
9/11/08
Today we woke up and went to this sort of farmer's market. We had fried egg, rice, chorizo, avocado, lettuce, potato cakes and beets with a cup of coffee for $2. I also purchased 3 $0.10 empenadas for later. What can I say? I like to eat. We hiked up a trail to this statue and hung out for a while. We then hiked down and stopped at the market again. Our fried Diego, from Guadalajara had never had South American empenadas before. He at 11. Unger and I each had 4. Unger and I went back to the hostel for a nap while the girls and Diego went to do a form of bungie jumping. You jump off a bridge and when the rope catches you swing back and forth. It only costs $15 and DIego was able to go twice for $20. What a smoking deal. Even with that great price I still just didn't feel the urge to go. If I'm going to plummet to my death I want to have paid more than $10 to do so. Unger and I decided to cook dinner at the hostel. We made pasta with meat sauce and melted chees. It tasted pretty good. We then went to a bar to meet my two teachers and another student (girl from Colorado). We sang Karoake (not me, but Unger sang Back Street Boys) and went back to the hostel and went to bed.
9/12/08
We woke up this morning, went and ate breakfast at the same place as yesterday and are now on a 7 hour bus ride to Guayaquil. Hopefully it will only take 7 hours (and we will live). Tomorrow we leave for the Galapagos Islands. More to report later.
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