Day one of our great journey, the guy on the riding vacuum in the airport keeps passing back and forth as I try to sleep. I contemplate his demise.
We missed our flight. Not due to our being late or absent but to our flying standby and people having the nerve to show up to claim their seats. We got here late last night to catch the 1:00am flight. My dad brought us. Both Cambria and I have slept on and off. Otherwise I have spent my time playing on the ipod. What a great time passer!
June 2, 2011
We spent last night in the Salt Lake City airport. The next morning we got on the flight to Quito at 7:00am. We had a short layover in Atlanta where we ate lunch and rested for a bit. We made it on the plane and got first class! I was surprised at the amount of room I had for my long legs to stretch out. It was very nice. If that wasn’t enough, they brought out a whole thousand course meal that was absolutely amazing! In contrast with being a coach passenger I could see how much differently they even spoke to me up here. It quite felt nice in an elitist party sort of way, but I wasn’t complaining. We later arrived in Quito at 10:15pm. We waited at the bag carousel as all the bags passed us by over and over again. The carousel turned off and our bags were nowhere to be found; they did not arrive. Come to find out the airplane was too small and they had to leave our bags behind. Luckly we had a days worth of clothes in our carry on bag till they could bring our bags on tomorrow nights flight. We grabbed a taxi which was too expensive and after searching around town for a while we found the house of Xavier and Vivi Alcivar. They are a member family Cambria knew while living down here. We talked for a while then went to bed. I fell asleep right away but Cambria had slept on the plane so it took her a while. I guess during the night the following story happened. Xavier had turned on the alarm system and, little to our knowledge, there is a motion detector as well. So Cambria strides out into the hallway on her way to the bathroom. Boom! The alarm screamed through the house. Vivi woke up scared and told Xavier that someone was in the house. He came out into the hall half asleep, turned off the alarm, didn’t think twice about Cambria’s dark figure standing in the hallway, and went back to bed. I was too deep asleep and heard nothing.
Well, this morning after an empanada breakfast from Vivi, we headed out to buy a few needed items. Cambria showed me where she used to live and I got to see Carcelin. They are not kidding when they say everything is made out of concrete & cinder block!
We later caught a bus to la Marin, which is an area in the historic district of Quito. We did a bit of shopping and had lunch at a great little hole in the wall for $3.50 total. As we walked through the streets, an older man came up to me and asked in English if I needed any help and said he is a
tour guide. We ended up taking his offer to take an hour
tour through the historic district. We walked all over! We saw where the president lives, the national library, old catholic churches, and the most beautiful buildings lining the streets like walls of a grand hallway. We really enjoyed the tour. The guy ended in a little shop and wanted us to buy some sort of hat which was kind of weird.
Once that was over, we caught a taxi up to El Panecillo which is an enormous statue of the virgin mary which overlooks the city in a breathtaking 360 degree view. I took a few panoramic photos while up there. Since the city is so big and everything is made of concrete it was an amazing sight. For as far as you could see there were rolling concrete hills.
Our taxi then took us to La Basilica which is a crazy huge cathedral. I bet you can’t guess what it is made out of...yep, concrete. We saw quite a few churches and large cathedrals on our tour but none were as plain and beautiful as this one was. The others had walls filled with statues of saints, paintings lined every free surface, and gold leaf adorned all the corners and pillars. When we entered La Basilica there was none of that. It was a bit dark but the smooth, dark gray concrete rose straight from the floor, which a curve here and there. It was just enough to show the beauty and grandeur without having to show off it’s price. As my eyes rose up the columns toward the top, resting in the concrete were the most beautiful stained glass windows, with such vivid colors which perfectly caught the afternoon light. The exterior was more adorned than inside. It had animals, statues, intricate curves and jagged steeples. It had a nice courtyard and some large pretty steps. There was a way to go up on the roof and look over the city but they closed when we got there. We left the wide courtyard and rode a very cramped bus home. That night we played a strange version of Bingo with Xavier, Vivi, and their boys Kevin and Jeremy. After reading scriptures with their family we went our separate ways and went to bed.
June 3, 2011
Today we woke up, got ready, and caught a bus to Otavalo which is a city to the North of Quito. It is a newer city and is very beautiful. The sidewalks are paved with tiles and the streets are cobblestone. We ate at a little chicken place then met up with Jairo and Lucy. Cambria lived in the same apartment as Lucy on her mission. They are awesome people. We are staying the night at their house and the room we are staying in actually has carpet! It’s weird. They are going to drive us around tomorrow to see some of the sights. Cambria put it well when she said they have hearts of Gold. I am excited for the morning.
June 4, 2011
Today we woke up and went to the market in Otavalo. It is an enormous market, full of indigenous clothing, bags, jewelry, rugs, statues, and all sorts of other stuff. It looked like everyone in town had something to sell. We bought a few gifts there. Before that we went to the animal market, but it was nothing special. It was a bunch of undernourished farm animals and smelled really bad. We then went and got a little Chevy truck. Jairo and Lucy drove us up to El Parque del Condor where they had a short walk around a bird refuge. There were large cages where birds were kept including the condor, which is enormous! From there we could see Cambria’s area where she served her mission. It was at the base of a volcano. The whole area was on a slope and she explained how they walked up the hill all the time. I loved seeing it. Afterward we went to a little city called Cotacachi where they do a lot of leather work. I bought a jacket and a belt. Cambria bought a purse. We then drove to a town named Ibarra where they are known for their wood working. We bought some beautiful small statues. We left there and drove back to Otavalo and ate dinner. The bus ride home was long. We took the last few seats by the bus driver and my legs were so squished. There wasn’t much space so the bus monkey offered to put our bag full of gifts on the big dashboard. I moved to another seat when someone got off and had a great conversation with a Columbian man who was traveling to Quito for his first time ever. I was able to tell him about where we visited in Quito and he seemed excited to see the city. I was able to talk to him a bit about the church as well.
Well, we got off the bus, got a taxi and got back to Xavier and Vivi’s house. While getting out of the taxi I asked Cambria if she had grabbed all the bags from our seat. He mouth dropped as she said “Oh no, I left the bag with all the gifts on the bus!” Her heart sunk. We jumped back in the taxi to head back to the terminal where we hoped the bus was going. Cambria was so worried and felt so bad. I was worried too but somehow a calm came over me and I began to pray. I asked that we find our bag. All I desired was the happiness of my wife while on our vacation. I ended my prayer and tried to keep my mind filled with nothing but faith. Cambria ran into the terminal while I paid the slowest taxi driver in the world. I slung all our bags all over me and went jogging through the terminal. I ran past waiting busses supposing Cambria had looked in them. I then heard a man yelling at me to see if I was going where his bus was about to leave to. All the busses do that to get as many passengers on as they can. I yelled “no, I’m looking for my bag I left on a bus!” He yelled back “this is it!” He ran onto the bus and emerged with our bag in hand. I felt so blessed and knew that God was watching over us. Ten seconds later and the bus would have been gone. It took me some time to find Cambria, but she saw me from a distance I held up the bag. She yelled out in joy. There is no better feeling in the world than to see her so happy. We caught a taxi home, showered and are now headed to bed. I am a very happy man.
June 5, 2011
This morning we got up and made French toast for the Alcivar family we are staying with. They enjoyed it very much and had never had it before. We then caught a taxi to church. We took the two duffel bags fill of church clothes to the church that our ward had donated. They were very grateful and the bishop said they were going to give it to families in need. They had a few in mind.
It was wonderful to see Cambria see people that knew her from her mission. The sisters would come up to her and give her a huge hug while almost in tears. I already knew she was a great missionary but to see how much the people love her was a great blessing to me and something I will never forget. How could you not love someone as amazing as her? I truly have an amazing woman as my wife.
We walked home from church since we didn’t have bags full of clothes. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining through the clouds. We walked past all sorts of weird flowers and plants lining the front of brightly painted cinder block walls. While at church Cambria made plans to go by the houses of a few members. We changed out of our church clothes and walked down to Carcelen Bajo to a members house. Their house was huge, and of course made of concrete. Cambria shared pictures from facebook that the sister wanted to see. Her husband walked us to where some other members lived, the Tonato family. They are a family that got baptized when Cambria was there. They weren’t at church because the wife was feeling sick. We only found the husband at home but are going back tomorrow. He said that Cambria had a huge part on getting him baptized. Now his parents are baptized too.
We then walked to the bishops house which is a very humble home as well. We talked of a while then the missionaries came over and we ate bread and cheese with chocolate milk. I am really enjoying hot milk with a little sugar in it. Their milk here is great. We watched a video of a skit that Cambria and other missionaries did while she was here. It was nice to see a video of her while on her mission. They drove us home afterward which was nice because it was really late. Cambria just said she is cold so I am going to warm her up now so she can fall asleep.
June 6, 2011
We got up pretty early today and grabbed a taxi to the Teleferico. It is a lift that took us to the top of a mountain that is 4,100 meters high, or about 13,500 feet. We had to pay more since we are foreigners. I think it’s way unfair and you would never see that in the United States. I don’t know if they are trying to make more money or if they are trying to hinder tourism. On the small tram car we met a British girl who was visiting by herself. We spent the day with her splitting taxi fares to see the sights. We reached the top of El Teleferico and got out. It was difficult to breathe, especially as we started hiking up the trails that took us further up into the mountain range through grass covered mountain tops and small valleys. It was a very cloudy day and we could see the clouds close in around us as we ascended up the tram. It was too bad it wasn’t a clear day so we could see all of Quito and the surrounding volcanoes. We could see a bit more clearly through the fog at the top than on the tram. There was a church up there which made it feel a bit eerie as sheets of fog waved past us like a flag slowly flapping in the wind. For a minute or two the fog lifted and exposed the tip of a volcano which was so close we could hike to it in an an hour or two. Then like all the volcanoes around here it disappeared into the clouds again.
When we got back down we caught a taxi with the British girl and headed to La Mitad del Mundo, (the center of the world). I thought it pretty neat to be on the equator. Cambria and I got a picture of us kissing across the equator. We then went inside the ten story monument and took an elevator to the top. From there we walked down stairs which lead to the interior that held a ten story, square museum. While circling around the central elevator shaft we got closer to ground level as the museum progressed. It mostly talked about the many indigenous groups of Ecuador. We ate lunch afterward ten got a taxi back in to town. We helped the British girl find another taxi back to her Hotel, then went home ourselves to the Alcivar family's house. We had planned to go with them up to Carcalen alto to eat empanadas as a family night treat. We had such a great time, and the empanadas were great. They were stuffed with either meat or cheese and you would open them up a little and pour in either Aji or sugar. Afterward we visited the Tonato family who got baptized while Cambria was a missionary. They are a wonderful and a humble family. Afterward their oldest boy Jefferson walked us to the taxi stop and hugged Cambria goodbye. She got in the taxi and as I shook his hand he looked at me and asked “cuidala” or “take care of her.” He is a great young man at 17 years old is getting ready for his mission in a few years. He is excited. We got back to the Alcivar's that night and packed our bags. In the morning we are leaving Quito.
June 7, 2011
This morning we finished packing and cleaned the room we had been staying in. It was one of their kids, Jeremy's room. He slept in Kevin’s room and we got to share Jeremy’s twin size bed, with my feet hanging off the bed. It was pretty fun and a very great place to stay. Vivi had cooked french toast with the last of my french toast batter and we had our last breakfast at their house. We went outside to watch Kevin and Jeremy go to school and to say goodbye for the last time. We watched as they left down the road in their little Volkswagen bus sized van, waving goodbye out the back window till they couldn’t see us anymore.
It was now our turn to leave. We got our bags together and headed out to grab a taxi to the bus terminal where we would leave toward Baños. As our bus drove around the back way across Quito it wove back and forth, following the curves of the enormous hill which stood at what I thought was the eastern border of Quito. While driving I learned that the hill stood between two vast valleys. The suburbs of Quito stretched past that hill for as far as the eye could see, or at lest until the cement house covered hills blocked my view of whatever lay beyond them.
We got to the south terminal and I had to use the restroom. I walked up to the desk that stood between the women’s and men’s bathrooms. There stood a woman who immediately asked me “urinal o papel?” (Urinal or paper). Feeling a little hesitant of a middle aged latin woman asking me about how I would go about using the bathroom, I answered, “papel.” I paid my .15 cents and was handed my ration of toilet paper which couldn’t have been more than a foot long. At that moment I thought it a bit ironic that I was reading a book about communist Russia and food rations. I couldn’t help but see a parallel. I almost expected to see the Soviet hammer and sickle insignia plastered on the front of each stall as I entered the bathroom.
Once we paid for our bus to Baños and climbed aboard, we headed out with a three and a half hour long trip ahead of us. I was able to read a good portion of my book. We passed through Ambato which is one of Cambria’s areas. I loved looking around and hearing her point out places she recognized and stories about being there.
We arrived in Baños and immediately felt the humidity. The temperature was great and at a much lower altitude than Quito, I found breathing to be less of a chore. A taxi took us down out of the main town toward the river where our hostel was. It is a great place with clean wood floors, a queen size bed, and a hammock out on the porch that overlooks the river at the base of the greenest mountains I’ve ever seen. Also, we can throw the toilet paper in the toilet! I was excited about that. The mountains are quite steep, but people somehow live and farm on slopes I would struggle to even stand on. It is truly amazing.
The owners of our hostel, an Australian and a New Zealander, called us a taxi which for $20 would take us to see the waterfalls for three hours. Our driver spoke Spanish in a strange meter and tone such that it made him sound Italian. He drove along the high mountain roads which had been paved with cobblestone since Cambria had been here last. They also constructed a wall for safety. The first waterfall we went to was pretty cool. We took a tram that looked just like a large metal wire basket. It went out across the gorge and right past the front of the waterfall. We got off on the other side to stand on a bridge almost right above the waterfall. We had a radio that the little latin woman had given us to let her know when we were ready to come back. We stood in the basket for five minutes trying to talk into what we thought was a broken radio before she saw us waving our arms around. She ran back to the little shack where she left her radio. The tram itself is strong but inside the shack resides what may be the oldest, dirtiest diesel engine I’d ever seen. It was the backbone of their whole $1 per person operation. The next tram had an engine just as old but repainted within the last 15 years. It looked like the took the whole front of an old orange tractor off and installed it at their tram. This basket took us downward into the gorge where we were able to walk up to the base of two very large waterfalls. It was great to walk around in the mist that filled the air as the water crashed off the rocks at the bottom.
The last waterfall was by far my favorite. We had to hike down into the gorge along a trail that I swear I saw in an Indiana Jones movie. It was complete with large palm leaves, vines, moss, and the occasional runoff stream crossing the path. I thought a monkey attack or natives shooting darts were both very possible scenarios. We got to the bottom and there was a good hike partway up the other side to the waterfall. We got closer and closer as the ominous roar grew louder and louder. Suddenly we emerged onto a man made stone platform where the waterfall was in full view. It crashed down into a hole that was only about 100 feet wide. The water churned and every inch was a bubbly white which gave it its name “El Pylon del Diablo” (The Devil’s Frying Pan). We carefully walked down wet cobblestone steps to two different landings that progressed closer and closer to the water. I felt small standing at the base of such a powerful waterfall. We tool a small trail that lead up to the side of the waterfall, right next to the top. Dug out of the side of the cliff face, we crawled through the trail. It had a fenced slit only two or three feet wide that looked out over the water below as we slowly curved upward toward the top. Cambria took a picture of me with my hand out in the water. We didn’t go all the way behind the waterfall because there was still water dripping like small faucets scattered all over.
June 8, 2011
Today we took an hour long bus ride to Puyo, a little town on the edge of the Amazon region. It wasn’t a bad temperature there but I was sweating due to so much humidity. Cambria didn’t mind it much and said Guayaquil is worse. We got a taxi to what Cambria thought was the monkey park she’d been to before but as we got farther down a dirt path she said nothing looked familiar. She realized it wasn’t the same place she’d been to before. We said oh well and decided we’d see the monkeys here anyway.
We walked in to the makeshift front booth/gate and paid our $4 entry fee. We got instruction for what to do after walking down the dirt path toward a building and some outdoor cages. It was during this instruction that I realized the monkeys weren’t all in cages. A lot were free to walk around, to climb on you, and to play with. We opened the front gate and a lot of monkeys ran out, which they said was ok because they come right back since they get fed there. The first monkey to get to me climbed up me then jumped over the three foot fence. The next monkey came up to me, climbed to my shoulders and sat down with her feet around my shoulders and her hands on my head. She then climbed over to Cambria where she stayed in the same position for quite a while as we walked around. Then it jumped down to go get food. We saw one little monkey jump into a turtle cage and start poking and pushing the turtle before rolling it on its back and running off. One of the volunteers there was playing with a little monkey, throwing it around and letting it swing all over his arms. Next we took a path that led down into a more dense jungle area with tall trees, vines, and all sorts of plants all over. We were definitely in the Amazon region.
As we began on the path Cambria picked up a monkey who then climbed onto my arm and nestled into my chest like a baby with his arm wrapped around my side. His tail wrapped around the front of me and his head rested against my shoulder. We walked like that for most of the long trail through the jungle. When we circled back to the main area, we talked to a latin man who took us on a guided tour backward through the trail, only this time as he walked he whistled a distinct call so that the monkeys would follow. As we walked he told us about the different monkeys and their names. About 15 monkeys swung along in the trees above us. Others walked along the ground occasionally running past us through our feet. As they swung they would often jump onto our shoulders for a small break or dangle from our arms for a second before jumping to a passing tree. We went to a rocky clearing around which the small river ran and watched the resident five month old rescue otter, Adam, play around in the water while the monkeys searched for food. While walking back, Cambria, having worn flip-flops, got bit by a few ants with pincers that were so big you didn’t need any help seeing them. She danced around as I steadied her and the guide helped pluck them off her feet. She was find and laughed although she said they did hurt a lot. I had the most amazing time and will never look at monkeys the same again. They called us a taxi and we went to a little place to eat almuerzo (a set lunch menu item). After taking the bus back to Baños we walked the 3km back to our hostel where we rested for a while. Cambria read in a hammock chair in our room while I laid out on the hammock on the balcony and swung back and forth while reading my book.
We then got in our swim suits and went to the local hot springs which was a warm welcome to soothe the body after a lot of walking and hiking. We met a couple from Oregon and had a great time chatting about our trips. We were stared at by a lot of people around due to our slight farmers tans and white skin where our shirts had covered during our trip. When we got home we got packed to leave to Guayaquil in the morning.
June 11, 2011
Well, we made it to Guayaquil on Thursday. It wasn’t a bad bus ride since we took a few breaks at stops where we could use the bathroom. When we got here I immediately started feeling the miserable heat and humidity. I swear I have never sweat so much while doing so little. We were picked up from the bus terminal by Oswaldo, the brother of Silvana. Cambria served part of her mission with Silvana. We ate at their uncle’s house, and spent the evening setting up the chapel at the church for the reception. All in all it was very pretty but the latin women were driving me crazy with how much “flare” they wanted and the crazy amount of work they put into it. After setting up tables that I think were scavenged from the ruins of post WWII Hiroshima, we stuffed ten chairs around each of them. The tables should have only fit maybe six people uncomfortably. Later at the reception no more than six sat at any given table anyway. In truth they put a lot into it and in the end it was an a very beautiful evening. Friday morning we got our church clothes on and caught a taxi to the Temple. It was so beautiful and looked almost identical to the Bountiful Temple except it wasn’t as wide. Surrounding the Temple were palm trees both tall and short, flowers, and low cut bushes who’s tops were blanketed in small bright red flowers. It made for a perfect place to take wedding photos. Speaking of which, their photographer fell through on them and they asked me to be their photographer. I was glad I brought my nice camera and was able to get some great photos to help them remember their wedding day.
The sealing ceremony was very nice and my first I’ve heard in Spanish. There were a lot of tear filled eyes in the room, Including Cambria’s. I am beginning to see how strong of a bond she and Silvana have. They seem like two eternal friends, born into this world with a language and distance barrier that was broken when their missions brought them together. I was told by Silvana’s mom that Silvana was struggling on her mission and was very homesick. Then when Cambria later go there, everything in her mission changed for the positive. I don’t doubt it. Cambria’s light shines brightly wherever she goes, and it’s hard not to be happy while around her.
When we got out of the Temple we did photos around the Temple grounds. Their little old sealer walked us around posing in demonstrations of photos that I supposed he’d seen people take in the past. We got a lot of great photos. We then went to the reception. It was supposed to start at 8:00 p.m. But traffic was horrible and people didn’t really start coming till 9:00. The family didn’t show up till 10:30. After taking photos outside they started around 11:00. We ate and danced the night away till 2:00 in the morning. Mostly I followed the couple around taking photos. I took photos of the food, friends, family, decorations, dancing, cake cutting, and bouquet throwing. It was a long night but I was honored to help them capture their memories. Mostly I tried to mimic our wedding photographer who did such a great job. When we got back to the hotel I finally crashed at 3:00 a.m.
Today Cambria woke me up with breakfast she had brought up to our room. I ate then slept till noon. We got up and walked down the street to meet some of Silvana’s family to see what they had planned for the day. We first drive with them to the church to get all the last decorations that had been boxed up and cleaned the building. The floor is all tile so we pretty much swept and mopped everything. Afterward we went to the Artisan’s market, which was really cool. They have all sorts of hand made goods from clothes to leather to wooden and marble statues & figurines. We bought some small marble Galapagos animal statues. We bought them here since they will cost much more in the Galapagos.
Next, everyone was hungry and wanted to go to McDonalds. It would not have been our first choice but it’s what the others wanted so we agreed. It was a funny McDonalds situated on what is known as el Malecón 2000 which is a pier that runs along a large portion of one of many Guayaquil bay fronts. We ate by the floor to ceiling windows, with nothing below the floor but water. I almost expected a gourmet meal as I opened my small box but all I saw was a burger that I’m sure looked the same at a Mcdonalds in the Bronx. As we ate, a large fake pirate ship docked nearby headed out into the bay with its sightseeing passengers.
After lunch our friends went back home while Cambria and I walked the few kilometer length of the pier. It was filled with monuments, large beautiful trees, and pretty fountains. The trees had multiple trunks and had spread out really wide in the tops with fluffy, light brown fur-like plants draped over the limbs, hanging down toward the ground. We walked by an 1800’s clock tower which looked more British than Ecuadorian. A monument to those who contributed to the pier was erected. Around 30 large sheets of glass were lined up like dominoes with the names of thousands upon thousands of contributors etched in them. Green lights lined the edges of each piece of glass, illuminating the whole sheet. As we walked between them and looked down the line of endless jumbles of letters we were suddenly in the matrix itself. Luckily we made it back to the real world and continued down the pier.
At the end of the pier there were stairs up a very large hill. They sat between endless shops and clubs. Each step was numbered with a flat etched rock on each riser. While walking toward the lighthouse at the top Cambria noted that it felt much like how she pictured Greece, with bustling shops and people living on hillside towns with restaurants all around. After looking out over the city for a while we came down and caught a taxi home.
Cambria thought she was starting to get a cold so we bought tablets with calcium and zinc in them. They were large and flat and Cambria handed me one to take. Soon I realized that they were not supposed to be chewable. The effervescence kicked in as my mouth started to bubble and fizz all over. As Cambria laughed uncontrollably I rushed around looking for water. I finally found our camel pack and filled my mouth with water while holding my mouth open while all the bubbles formed. I had to slosh them around to get them out before I could swallow. I did that three times before the tablet was gone, all while Cambria was still unable to stop laughing. It was all great fun. She is now asleep and I’ve been listening to the City of Angels soundtrack while writing. I’m tired and I think it’s about time to join her.
June 13, 2011 (The Galapagos)
We woke up early and got breakfast delivered to our room. We packed our bags and left half of them at Gita’s house. The other half we packed with what we would need for the Galapagos. We left from Guayaquil and landed on Isla Baltra 2 hours later. It is a small island barely off the shore of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. It used to be a United States air base during WWII and was later turned over to the Ecuadorian government. It was an extremely small airport that was just a pavilion with short walls built around it leaving a 4 foot gap open to the elements. A bus took us down to the ferry. It was a short ferry ride across a narrow channel to the main island where we got a taxi to take us the 45km to Puerto Ayora. While driving he asked us if we wanted him to take us to Las Gimelas (the twins), which are a pair of large sink holes. The road goes right past with a sink hole directly on either side. We then drive a ways to a large area filled with grasses and trees where a lot of wild tortoises live. We were able to see three or four really large tortoises that had to weigh hundreds of pounds.
They said that in this area during their hot season there are around 100 tortoises. We then put on some mud boots and walked to where there were lava tunnels. When lava is running it likes to find the lowest and weakest way to go, so it forms tunnels. They grow and become huge after millions of years. These were well over twice the size of a subway tunnel but at one point near the end it was only about three feet tall. We had to crawl under to the other side. It is all lava rock and the neat thing is that as we walked we could see how it was shaped by the lava. There are curves and cuts in the rick that are so beautiful and unique. What looks like mounds of churned up mud under your feet is actually dense lava rock. Lava dripped down the walls and hardened in small balls periodically along the drips. It looked much like thick sap you find on the side of a tree, only black and red and hard as a rock. Well, it is rock.
When we got out of the caves we waited for our taxi driver who had walked back out to get the car to come around and pick us up. We then took the rest of the drive into Puerto Ayora, the main tourist town of all the Galapagos Islands. We checked into La Peregrina Bed & Breakfast and went out to walk the main street. The street is named after Charles Darwin himself. He did a lot of research in these islands to help prove his theory of evolution. We then arranged a day trip for the morning to go to another island. All I know is that there are probably sharks where we’re going snorkeling, and that freaks me out. I will get over it and survive my fear. We ate at a nice little local/Italian place where Cambria got pasta and I got tilapia. It was great to sit out on the second floor patio and look out over the water. They were showing a great video of the Galapagos while we ate. We then walked around their little artisan market which was neat. After buying groceries we are back in our little room and are headed to bed. We are getting up early for our day trip to Isabela Island.
June 14, 2011
We woke up two hours early because we got confused with the time change and set our clocks the wrong direction. We went back to bed swim suits and all. After waking up the second time we had everything ready to go on our day trip. Isabella Island is the largest Island in all of the Galapagos and was formed by about 5 volcanoes, some of which are still active. On our way to the door our taxi driver from yesterday was waiting with a friend who he wanted us to go with right that instant on a day trip. We had told him yesterday we would talk to the guy and that was all. But there he was, next to another guy who was our actual day trip guy. So we said sorry and left the taxi driver pretty mad at us. Our tour guide said the taxi drivers think they own a certain tourist and try to have them go through the taxi driver for everything. That way they make money for referrals, rides, and every other little thing they can make any profit off of.
Well our medium sized boat left Puerto Ayora with 15 tourists aboard and headed out to what was quite a choppy ocean. At full speed it was to take two hours and fifteen minutes to get to Puerto Villamil on Isabella Island. One guy was sick the whole way there, we felt bad for him. I felt a little dizzy and stared out at clouds the whole way as a means to keep my mind fixed on something somewhat steady. I couldn’t blame the sick guy at all. The front of the boat slammed into the water over and over again. I swear I could feel my spine slowly compressing and I must be an inch or two shorter now.
While fixated on the clouds one actually learns a lot. I watched the clouds to the right of the boat which stood somewhat still, while the clouds to the lt moved much differently. They met the still clouds then turned and followed the boat like dolphins of the sky. Aside from the constant waves, there was another level of waves but on a much larger scale. At 100 yards each these waves arched up and down forming constantly shifting hills and valleys. While our boat was in a bowl we could scarcely see, but once atop an oceanic hill we could see for miles on end. These waves were never ending in all directions. Through all this I imagined many times about how having a wave runner out there would be absolutely amazing! It would make for perfect jumps larger than the ones I am always looking for on the lake. The boat finally arrived at our destination and we disembarked for our day trip. We took a small bus in to town and visited a baby tortoise hatchery. They breed them, wait till they are five years old, then release them into the wild when their jaws are strong enough to fend for themselves. We also walked the local wetlands where we saw pink flamingoes which are not native to the islands. They are an endangered species here but since they have no impact on the ecosystem they are not protected. We walked through the village where they have roads made of compacted sand with palm trees all over. We ate an amazing almuerzo with rice, fried plantain chips, and fresh tuna smothered in an amazing coconut sauce.
Our guide told us we had an hour free to go to the beach before we continued. Cambria and I sat together looking out at the waves while a light misty rain began to fall. Cambria laid down and took a nap while I walked out to a point where there were black lava rocks and a lot of splashing waves. The rocks were covered in marine iguanas like ants at a picnic. They didn’t really run far from me as I walked by. I took a ton of photos there, both of the iguanas and the waves. Afterward we went back to the docks where a smaller boat took us out to Las Tintoreras which are little flat volcanic islands covered in rocks, low trees, cactus, and marine iguanas. We took a small hike to see a channel where sharks and sea lions swim through. We saw both swimming alongside each other while the sea lions played with and bothered the sharks.
Our guide then hurried us back to the lagoon where our boat had docked and hurried us into the water to snorkel for what he said was 35 minutes. He was so laid back for the whole trip then when we got to the main event of snorkeling he gave us no time and suddenly turned into a hurried and annoying man. He was yelling, “hurry, hurry, you don’t have much time in the water, longer you stay on land, shorter time in water!” Well it was a very short time in the water but I enjoyed every second of it. I have never been snorkeling before and it was a great experience. I have always had a fear of not being able to see under the water while in a lake or especially in the ocean. I immediately lost that fear when I could see everything beneath me. In spite of my fear of sharks, I got to where I wanted to see a shark pass me. I didn’t see any sharks or sea lions while in the water myself, but I did see a penguin. He was hanging out near the water on some rocks and I swam right up to him and took a picture. We got a waterproof camera and took some pictures. I hope they turn out well. Cambria said it wasn’t the greatest location for scuba diving either, but I enjoyed it all the same. We saw some neat fish, sea urchins, a small long eel-like fish, and sea cucumbers. The black volcanic rock was also very interesting. It all ended as our pushy and annoying guide called us back to the small dock. Everyone in our group pretended not to hear him and we all swam around for a while longer. Cambria and I were the last ones out of the water and into the boat.
We then went and transferred into our larger boat and headed back to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island. By default, I sat outside of the covered part of the boat and was in a perfect place to get splashed every so often. I held our towel over my head and down my back but still got soaked. The people next to me got it worse and the older lady got completely soaked. The wind was also very cold on the ocean so I let her use my towel. She covered herself up as tightly as she could against the wind. I took dramamine before the trip back so I didn’t get light headed this time. I had no problem looking around and had a great boat ride back, including the half hour I fell asleep on Cambria’s shoulder. We met a French couple from London and got to know them throughout the day trip. They were very nice and pleasant to be around. When we got back we didn’t tip our guide. He did a horrible job at the end and didn’t deserve it. I usually like to tip something and it takes a pretty bad move to get me not to tip at all. I am going to talk to the tour company about it tomorrow. Cambria felt a bit sick so after showering she went to bed. I on the other hand went to walk the main street of town. I bought things we wanted from shops we visited last night. I went to a great little restaurant for ceviche which is a sort of soup that Cambria wanted me to try. It is served cold and was piled high with fish, onions, and all sorts of amazing flavor. I absolutely loved it! It started to rain that misty rain as I headed back to our bed and breakfast. It was fun to walk around on my own. As much as someone loves their spouse like I love Cambria, it is nice to have a few minutes alone from time to time. I like time to just sit and think. I would have loved for Cambria to have been with me though. Now I get to go to sleep next to her which is a great way to end the day.
June 15, 2011
Today was a more relaxed day. We got breakfast here at our hotel. We then headed down the street to the Charles Darwin Research Center. There were a lot of signs with information about what kinds of projects they are doing. We read about everything from conservation and preservations to repopulation and eradication of unwanted, non-native animals from the islands. We saw a few land iguanas which were a rusty brown and yellow. We also saw a ton of giant tortoises including Lonesome George who is the last of his species that came from one of the islands.
Afterward, we walked to Tortuga Bay. It was about a 3km walk out to the beach but it was worth it. The beach was very long. It was another 15 minute walk to get to the other end. The sand was a very fine white grain and the water, a beautiful mixture of turquoise and blue. There were a lot of waves and we were told that that area was only for surfers due to strong currents. Swimmers had to go around to a very calm bay around the bend, so we walked around to there. We found a lot of large marine iguanas basking along the beach. They let me walk right up to them and take their pictures. They don’t even move. Strangely, none of them smiled for me either.
Well the calmer bay was more of a giant lagoon with scarcely a wave to be seen. There was still great sand so we set up shop. After walking around together in the shallow part of the bay Cambria read her book while I went around taking pictures. It is really a very beautiful part of the island and I’m glad we got to see it. Not much time passed before a light rain began and we decided to head back. Large clouds were on their way. We had wanted to swim around for a while but going back before the clouds got there was good too. If we had known how calm the water was there we would have taken snorkeling gear and snorkeled out in the rain. We enjoyed another long walk along the porcelain beach and then took the long hot trail back to town. The volcanic brick trail meandered through a large desert area filled with all sorts of large bushes and cactus of all types. One cactus looked like very large trees with huge trunks and cactus in the place of leaves.
All of the plants are growing on and around large piles of volcanic rock which we saw covering most of the land as we wove through the desert trail. When we got back to our bed and breakfast I showered all the sand off of me and cleaned it off all our stuff. We were very tired so Cambria went to bed. I was hungry so I headed out to get some more ceviche and to call my dad. I got online to check out bank account and found that our hotel in Guayaquil had double charged us. When we go back through there I will have to go by and talk to them. I am tired now and it’s off to bed for me. It was a great final day in the Galapagos.
We left the Galapagos this morning. It was an amazing adventure and a neat place to have visited. We flew out and watched the islands disappear beneath the morning cloud cover. We landed back in Guayaquil and took a taxi straight to the bus terminal and headed out to Libertad. We were going to visit Cambria's friend Kata. They wouldn't turn the air conditioner off and everyone in the bus froze the whole way there. I didn't want to complain too much since it was a better feeling than mid day Guayaquil heat and humidity. We stayed at Kata's house and went out the next day to see Libertad and the beach around that area. We ate seafood at a good little place on the pier then went to the military base to visit La Chocolatera. It is a place where waves come in at different angles and churn up the water pretty good. There were also rocky cliffs where the waves crashed and some tide pools that were pretty neat.
June 17, 2011
This morning we took the bus back to Guayaquil and went to the hotel we had stayed in the previous weekend. They had charged us double and I needed to talk to them about it. After an hour of talking they told me it was Visa's fault and I would have to call them when I got back to the United States. I was really annoyed because I knew it was their problem. Turns out they eventually reimbursed my account themselves. They must have found out it was their problem since the time we talked to them. Well we hung out in Guayaquil waiting around for our flight out at midnight.
June 20, 2011
The airline did something that wasn't normal procedure and bumped coach passengers to first class instead of putting standby customers on first. Due to this, we didn't make it on the airplane, along with five other passengers including the pilot's fiancée. Since we had already checked through their immigration, we had to wait around till the employees got us checked back into the country before they could let us go. We ended up staying there till about three in the morning. We then went with the pilot's fiancée to the Hilton Colón and got our own room at the Delta discounted rate. It was such a nice place to stay. I had to put on the robe and strut around speaking like a stuck up rich man. We could see the Guayaquil Temple from our window. It was all lit up and very pretty. We got breakfast at a little cafe in the morning, set a later check-out, and went back to sleep. When we woke up we left our bags at the Hilton and went out to spend the last of the day in Guayaquil. We didn't do much aside from seeing our friends again and buying a few things before leaving town. Around 8:00 we headed back to the Hilton, got our bags, and took their free shuttle to the airport. The airplane was delayed due to storms in Atlanta and finally arrived at 2:00am. We made it on the flight very easily and had first class. We fell right to sleep and slept till about 7:30am when we woke up for breakfast.
When we arrived in Atlanta we couldn't make it on the flight to Salt Lake so we waited around half the day trying to make it on different flights on standby. I got my shift covered at work for that night since I wasn't sure if we would make it home. We finally made it on a flight that went through Cincinnati then to Salt Lake. We got home, got picked up by my dad and headed home. It was amazing to walk into our house after being gone for so long. I loved being on vacation but being home was great. The only think I don't look forward to is getting back into the swing of life, work, and not being with Cambria all day every day. I loved the time we had together on our vacation. My love for her has grown each day as we shared our time together seeing beauties of this amazing earth. It will be a memory neither of us will ever forget.
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