I will be posting blog posts tomorrow night detailing out the trip. :) ...to tired to do it now.
It is bittersweet to be back. It was a great trip!
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I made it safely back to Madison around 7pm tonight! ...I started traveling at 2am (eek!).
I will be posting blog posts tomorrow night detailing out the trip. :) ...to tired to do it now. It is bittersweet to be back. It was a great trip!
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We left for Guayaquil in the morning. We both had a bolon for breakfast at the bus terminal. We were still craving empanadas! We arrived in Guayaquil at around 3pm. We rested a bit at Jazmin's apartment. For lunch, we had roasted chicken with rice, chifles and etc. ...so good! Makes me hungry just looking at it! Afterwards, we to a cyber cafe for internet and then I bought a cup of morocho (my last one!). We bought a piece of cake and candles for Jazmin because it was her birthday. At night, we went on a boat (La Morgan) that tours the river and then to bar with a view (that we went to with Jared a while back). I got figs with cheese (higos con queso) there. They gave Jazmin a piece of cake with a candle for her birthday. We went back to Jazmin's apartment because there were no bars open in her neighborhood (we were hoping one of them would be the next stop). We had some beer and ate the cake Carlos had made for her. I took a "nap" after this...had to wake up at 2am to leave for the airport. Sad to leave.
I woke up and decided to find an ATM and get breakfast. We really wanted something Ecuadorian (or just empanadas) but it was hard to find. We walked around for quite a long time. Eventually we settled on something and ate. I had a tree tomato batido and a chicken tamale for breakfast. Afterwards, we walked along Rio Tomebamba, a river in the middle of the city. It was pretty nice. Next, we went to Pumapungo, Inca ruins within the city. They planted crops that would have been planted by the Inca people and had an area with birds important to the Inca which was cool to see. We walked back to the artisan market and bought a few last things. For lunch, we went back to the market. I got hornado again (couldn't resist) and Alexis got some soup. Afterwards, we went and got some cake (yum!).
We were planning on leaving at around 2pm from Cuenca, but we decided to stay another night. We thought there would be more to do in Cuenca vs. Guayaquil. We went back to the hotel to let them know that we wanted to stay another night and moved our luggage from storage to another room. Afterwards, we decided to go to a Panama Hat Museum. There was a tour guide who demonstrated how they make Panama hats and took us to the balcony to see a view of the city. For dinner, we went and got some cuy (guinea pig). It was $15 for a whole one that came with sides. It had an interesting taste. This was my third time eating guinea pig - ate it the last time I was in Ecuador. However, it was Alexis's first time. We felt so full by the end of the meal! We couldn't eat all of the skin...too rich. We went to the microbrewery afterwards and got some drinks with some other travelers. We woke up and got breakfast quickly at the place next door. We took a taxi to the bus terminal and got on a bus to Cajas National Park (it took about 45 minutes I think). We hiked there for about four hours. It sprinkled a bit but otherwise there was good weather...I only got a little muddy. :) There wasn't much wildlife (especially after the Galapagos) but still very beautiful!
We got on a bus to get back. We realized that it was a city bus. The driver didn't seem to know how to drive (kept braking at weird times), and there was a drunk guy that got on the bus that freaked Alexis and I out (and others on the bus) at first. We ended up getting off early and taking a taxi the rest of the way (once we were the only women left on the bus). We had dinner at a touristy place because there was nothing else open that we could find (because it was a Sunday). It wasn't too bad. We started to feel bad about hanging out in our hostel the rest of the night. We also had four other travelers in our room (one from Germany, one from Austria and two others from Paraguay)...making it not as easy to just relax in the room. ...so we went to a nearby bar (also touristy) for a glass of wine. :) We woke up and found a place for breakfast. It felt good to sleep in a little bit. Afterwards we got a taxi and went to the Amaru Zoo. It is located on a side of hill. Overall, it was a pretty unique zoo with mostly native species. They also had areas that taught you about the consequences of pollution and hunting endangered species. I only took pictures of animals that I could get pictures not in cages. We saw Andean bears (babies), Andean foxes, condors, squirrel monkeys and etc. We also got to see six lions being fed. The lions were previously circus animals that were rescued. For lunch, we went to the market and got hornado (baked pork) con mote (so good!). I also got morocho at the market (can you tell I'm getting obsessed with this?). Afterwards, we went to the artisan market close by. We bought some handmade Panama hats (Panama hats are made in Cuenca - not Panama). After this, we went to a spa for a few hours ($35!) with thermal baths and volcanic mud baths (blue and red mud). Once we got back, we showered and got some kabobs from a street vendor (street meat!) and went to a microbrewery (La Compañia Microcerveceria). The microbrewery had some good beers and played very random music videos (mostly American or European music). A lot of The Doors. They also had terrible guacamole (not a local dish so should have known not to order it). After this, we went to some other bars/clubs to dance and people watch. We stayed out later than we planned, but it was fun.
We took the bus to Cuenca (third largest city in Ecuador) from Guayaquil in the late morning. It was a very scenic ride through the mountains. It was crazy how it went from very hot and humid to cold in a span of four hours. We took a taxi to the hostel that Alexis had stayed at before. They had rooms available so we checked in. It was right by the main roads. We walked to the New Cathedral of Cuenca and Old Cathedral of Cuenca (they are right next to each other). We also checked out the flower market where we bought agua de pitimas (a drink known for its medicinal properties – they guy who sold it said it was good for stress and anxiety). We bought some pastries (pastry shops are everywhere here!) and ate in the park by the New Cathedral of Cuenca/Old Cathedral of Cuenca. We walked around a bit and went and got corvina with spaghetti (seafood sauce), salad and bread for dinner. Afterwards, we rested back at the hostel and looked up things to do for the next day (there was decent internet there).
We had breakfast at the hotel and got a private bus (through the hotel) to the boat that took us to Baltra Island. We then got on a bus to get to the airport to catch our flight at 10am back to Guayaquil. We got back to Jazmin's apartment (in Duran) around 1:30pm. We took nap and then met up with some of Alexis's relatives at her grandma's house. I met both her grandma and one of her uncles there. I had a fairly coherent conversation with her uncle in Spanish (*pat on the back*). Her uncle drove us to get tripe with potato from street cart. Tasty! We also bought morocho from street cart (spiced corn pudding drink)...also very tasty! For dinner, Alexis and I ate with her aunt, cousin and Carlos. We both had rooster soup (gallina) with a possible rooster ball in it (not 100%...but pretty sure). Afterwards, we went out drinking and dancing at Las Peñas. Carlos taught me some dance moves. It was a fun night. :)
Unfortunately, I haven't had internet access during my trip as much as I thought I would. I will detail out each day of my trip on this blog once I return to the US (or maybe if I have internet later this trip). I wish I could tell you everything now! It has been a pretty awesome trip so far. Here is a brief summary to keep you going (I'm at a cyber cafe right now)... As of now, I am at Santa Cruz (one of the Galapagos Islands). You can check out the maps below. I spent April 26th - morning of the 28th in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I left for the Galapagos Islands Tuesday, April 28th with my friends Alexis and Jared. We spent April 28th-30th on Santa Cruz, the most populated island. We then left April 30th for Isabela (another island). Jared left Saturday and since then Alexis and I have been on Isabela (what a beautiful island!!). We just left Isabela this morning at 6am for Santa Cruz. We went bike riding and kayaking today. We are planning on doing a day tour tomorrow and will fly back to Guayaquil on Thursday. Below was my morning this morning on Isla Isabela.
We got up and ate breakfast at the hotel. We then left for the Pinzón Island tour we booked. We snorkeled four times! We swam with white tipped sharks, sea turtles, Galápagos penguins (some bit some other tourists' fingers!), barracudas, and amazingly colored fish. Near the end of the tour, the waves got a bit rougher so it was a workout to snorkel. I got a bit too tired to swim over to an area where there was a bomb from World War II. Some German tourists got stung by some jellyfish. I guess there was a huge group of them when we jumped off the boat the last time to snorkel...but Alexis and I didn't see them (lucky!). Overall, it was really good tour. Our guide was amazing and the water was very clear. You could see the marine life in great detail. It was also nice to get to know some of the other tourists on the tour with us. For dinner we met up Alexis's mom's friend that lives on the island. She took us to an outdoor market where there was really good empanadas and morocho. There was also this really good ají to dip it in. She also took up to the artisan market to a friend's stall to get some more souvenirs. Afterwards, Alexis and I grabbed dinner at the Kiosk Street. Overall, a great day...but not many pictures!
We left for Santa Cruz via boat at 6am (we got to see the sun rise). It was sad to leave Isabela. After a two hour boat ride, we arrived at Santa Cruz. We returned to the hotel that we stayed at the last time we were on Santa Cruz. We asked the hotel owner if she had suggestions about what to do that day and also if there were any tours available. She suggested going to El Garrapatero, a beach where we could kayak. Javier (I think that was his name) helped us get a taxi and gave the taxi directions. He also helped us book a tour to some other islands for the next day. We decided to take a taxi partway and bike partway (to and from). We kayaked for one hour. It was pretty fun. Alexis flipped. When we walked back down the trail from the beach, there were so many hornets/wasps. I have never seen so many in my life. We ended up running down part of the path to avoid them. They kept getting into the taxi too. I wish I had the whole scene on video. It was pretty funny. That night we got margaritas and some pizza with capers and anchovies. A women was selling chocolate right in front of the pizza place. I bought a chocolate turtle with a passion fruit filling. Afterwards, we went to the artisan market to get some souvenirs.
We woke up to the end of the storms. We were able to book a tour to the islet Las Tintoreras. We snorkeled and walked around on the islet. We saw blue footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, a huge manta ray, sting rays, a puffer fish, a star fish and more. During certain times of year you can see sharks there, but they weren't there when we were there. Afterwards we went to Concha de Perla for some more snorkeling. It was the clearest it had been since we had arrived. We saw a lot of cool fish. For dinner, we went to a bar on the beach for some piña coladas and shrimp. They were playing the strangest music. We had to ask them to change it because it was creeping us out. After we walked along the beach and took it all in (last night on Isabela)...including finding the Southern Cross in the sky. We woke up and walked to a tour company to see if they were taking any tours out. They weren’t. The waves were too high/rough. The streets were flooded even more than they were the previous night. It also started to rain again in the morning. We had ceviche (including octopus and lobster!) for breakfast. It was pretty awesome. Next we went to a panaderia/postreria to get baked goods to eat later in the day. ...when it rains what else can you do but eat cake? Haha. We walked over to Concha de Perla again. We were hoping to see some more wildlife. We saw a penguin quickly swimming through the water. We also saw sea lions, other fish, and marine iguanas. Then we went near the port and saw the sea lions hanging out there. There were so many! We saw a pup and (pretty sure) mom. After this, we had batidos for lunch. My was a guayaba batido (yum!) and Alexis’s was banana. We then walked through the tortoise breeding area on the island. We saw over 100 tortoises and saw some mating. Next we went to the area where wild flamingos fed. They were so pink, and it was crazy to see wild flamingos! It started to rain while we were there. Then we walked down the path we had biked a few days before. Much of it was washed away due to the storms. There were very large puddles of water. We walked a saw a lot of the debris that was washed ashore during the high tide/storm. We then got dinner (one of the few open places...many were closed because a lot of tourists left) and walked back to the hotel. We ate some of our desserts and freshened up. Later (at around 7:30pm) we went out for platacons with queso and cervesa. Very tasty. We hung out at the hammocks at the hotel…but we got really bit by mosquitoes (even after repellent) so I moved inside. We woke up early and ate granola bars that I brought with me to Ecuador. We had booked a half day tour of two volcanoes, Sierra Negra and Chico, the previous day...so that is why we got up early. We walked to the tour company and got on a chiva. We stopped to buy some more water before we left for the tour. We hiked about 10 miles in total during the tour (8 kilometers one way). We first hiked to Sierra Negra, the second largest volcanic caldera in the world and one of the most active volcanoes of the Galapagos volcanoes. It was huge! You could also see steam rising. Our tour guide said that it takes three days to walk around the entire thing. After this, we hiked near Volcan Chico and hiked through lava fields and small fumaroles (steam vents). One guy in our tour group couldn't continue hiking because he was wearing flip flops (not a smart choice). We ate lunch sitting at a high point and taking in the landscape. It started to rain at the end of lunch and continued to rain the whole time during our hike back. We must have been one of the first tour groups out ...which was really lucky. We saw other tour groups arriving in the rain. We at least got some time without rain to take pictures. It got pretty muddy and wet...but it was still fun. We met a women from Montana who carried some of our stuff in her backpack (she had an umbrella). We got back from the tour and noticed that the streets were starting to flood with water. There was also a large crowd by the beach watching the large waves come in. We also saw a woman save an iguana from the waves. It looked like it was injured and couldn't get itself out of the strong waves. Jared left on a boat at 2pm to go back to Santa Cruz to catch a flight back the next day. He was lucky he could leave because the waves were getting pretty strong. The rest of the day was rainy and so Alexis and I couldn't do much. We ended up getting organized, getting ice cream and laying in hammocks with some Pilsner. We looked around for places to hang out but many bars were closed because of the weather. We ran into a fellow traveler from Canada that we had gotten to know previously (you bump into the same people a lot on very small islands, haha). We grabbed piña coladas with him at a bar on the beach that he recommended and watched the surfers. We ate dinner at that bar (a very tasty fish that I don't have a picture of!) and then walked home. The streets were very flooded and the bar from the previous night was partially washed away. We woke up early to get to catch our tour to the tunnels. Unfortunately, the tour was canceled due to strong waves and because boats were having difficulty getting permits (May Day). According to the forecast, the waves were looking like they would not be better for awhile.
We decided to get breakfast at the market and think about what to do instead of the tour. I got a bolon de yuka and a batido de melón (melon milkshake). Afterwards, we walked over to Concha de Perla and rented snorkeling equipment. The water was a little too murky to see anything, but it was still fun to swim around. There were lots of sea lions and marine iguanas laying around Concha de Perla and the nearby beach. A guy was sleeping next to one. They seemed to have no fear of humans. Next we decided to rent bikes and bike down a path that is known for its scenic views. It also leads to the Wall of Tears (El Muro de las Lágrimas). We biked for about three hours. We saw many tortoises, birds, crabs and marine iguanas. Afterwards, we decided to get some tropical drinks at a bar on the beach for happy hour. Next, we went and got dinner at a place that had the best lemonade and some pretty good food. After getting dinner, we went back to the bar on the beach and mingled with some fellow travelers and hung out on hammocks. It started to rain while we were there so we decided to go to the bar next door (it was an indoor bar). There was some pretty interested music there that made us laugh. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel (including fresh pineapple juice!). We talked with the hotel owner, and she suggested that we call a taxi to take us to two colapse craters, a lava tube/lava tunnel and a ranch with tortoises. We thought about biking instead of taking taxi. ...I'm so glad we didn't. It would have been nearly impossible. All the sites were pretty cool. The collapse craters were deep craters that were formed after large volcanic events. They started off as huge lava tunnels and when the roofs collapse they became a craters. The hike through the lava tunnel was pretty awesome. There was a point where we were on our hands and knees (got pretty muddy). It was pretty cool! At the ranch with tortoises, we got to see many Galápagos tortoises (one we posed with was over 100 years old). The ranch also grew coffee - which I couldn't resist buying. :)
We had lunch at the Kiosk Street (soup with chicken feet, steak and maduro). We picked up supplies for our trip to Isabela (there is much less available on Isabela). Isabela is much less populated (2,200 residents) than Santa Cruz (12,000 residents). We took the 2pm boat to Isabela (about 2 hours). No one got seasick. :) As we arrived at the dock at Isabela, a huge flock of blue footed boobies started diving into the water (catching fish). It was crazy! The driver of our boat said to take lots of pictures because it was spectacular sight and not many people get to see it. Upon arriving, you could see much of the amazing wildlife (crabs, blue footed boobies, sea lions). Fun facts: Isabela is the largest island and one of the youngest. There are 13 major islands and 7 smaller islands that make up the Galapagos archipelago. Learn more here. After we arrived at our hotel, we met up with a guy living on the island who Alexis's godmother knew (some she knew, knew him). He showed us around briefly and gave us some tips. He also was the one who booked our hotel. We booked a tour to one of the main attractions on the island (a snorkeling tour through the tunnels filled with water). We had dinner on the touristy street (too tired to look for other restaurants - we had soup, fish, rice, etc.). At night, we relaxed on the hammocks at the hotel (got dark there at 6pm). There were salamanders climbing all over the place. We also saw a large spider (flashbacks from the spiders I saw in the Amazon two years ago)...but it rain away quickly. We had breakfast at our hotel which included granola, fruit and yogurt, eggs, tostada, coffee and fresh papaya juice. We walked near the dock on Puerto Ayora and saw some pelicans and Galapagos Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) hanging out near the fish market. One sea lion actually got a fish and ran away. They are just like dogs! We rented snorkeling equipment ($3) and took a small boat across the bay. We walked to Las Grietas (30-45 minute hike) through some interest landscapes (lava rocks, cacti, etc.) and saw some native species along the way (lava lizards, etc.). Las Grietas fjords are a part of a volcanic fracture and sea water and rainwater mix there. It is known for being a unique place to swim. We spent from time there and hiked back to the boat. We took the boat back to the dock and walked to Tortuga Bay (Playa Brava and Playa Mansa). Here we found pristine, beautiful beaches. We saw different kinds of fish, crabs, and marine iguanas. After swimming a few times, we hiked back to one of the main roads. Alexis and I got empanadas to hold us over until dinner (I got an empanada with octopus, shrimp, fish and mozzarella). We took a taxi back to the hotel and showered. I started to notice that all the outdoor time was leading to a sunburn... :s We had dinner at the fish market later that night. Alexis and I got the tuna, and Jared got a whole fish (I can't remember what it was called). We also enjoyed a local Pilsner and the fresh air while eating (outdoor seating). We went to the artisan market afterwards where they had some local coffee and some cool earnings made from products from the Galapagos (shells, cactus, pearls, etc.). We finished the night off with some gelato (I got mango) and walked home. Quite a day! We woke up to a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Guayaquil. We weren't sure it was an earthquake until it was confirmed by the news. It freaked us all out a little bit. It was definitely a weird sensation. We did end up going back to bed though afterwards.
My left foot was still a little swollen when I woke up (it had a been swollen for a few days). We think it was an ant or something that bit me. Carlos rubbed some menthol and squeezed out the stinger/excess fluid the night before. At around 8:45am, we left for the Guayaquil airport to head the Galapagos Islands. We nearly missed our flight at 10:40am. There was a lot of traffic getting to the airport, and we had to get a tourist card and scan bags before checking in which we didn't know beforehand (no clear instructions anywhere). We ended up with time to spare before boarding the plane…but it felt like a close call. The flight to the Galapagos was about 1 hour and 50 minutes (Guayaquil to Baltra Island). When we arrived, we had to go through customs (you get your passport stamped and everything) and pay the tourist entrance fee. A very cute dog sniffed all of our luggage. To get to Santa Cruz from the airport on Baltra, we took a free bus and then a boat (80 cents). To get to Puerto Ayora, we had to take another bus. The cheap buses were full so we had to take a private bus ($4/person). It probably a much better ride than the cheaper bus. It was cool to see the unique landscape of the island during the bus ride. When we arrived in Puerto Ayora (main town on Santa Cruz), w met with Alexis’s mom’s friend and she took us to our hotel. It was a nice room on the top floor with air conditioning. It was much hotter on the islands than I was expecting (online weather forecasts weren't accurate at all). We got ice cream bars (I got coconut!) and walked to the Charles Darwin Research Station. It was free to enter, and it housed a lot of tortoises. We even saw two mating. Next we went to a very beautiful beach next to the research station to do some swimming. There were amazing birds flying all around. Very picturesque. The water wasn't too cold and was very clear and beautiful. For dinner, we went to the Kiosk Street. We heard it had good but relatively cheap food. I bought too much food (two plates of food) because I was starving. I had bollo de pescado and cazuela marina (included lots of seafood including octopus and lobster). After dinner, we had to catch a cab on the way back to our hotel because we were confused about how to get back. We were so tired that we went to bed soon after we got back to the hotel. We slept in due to our late night out. After getting up and ready later in the morning, Alexis showed Jared and I around Guayaquil. We first went to downtown Guayaquil (took a taxi from Duran to downtown Guayaquil) and saw the Iglesia San Francisco. We also walked around Malecón 2000, including a walk through the gardens. We also walked over to Las Peñas (Wikipedia: "Las Peñas is a neighbourhood in the northeast corner of the city centre; is the artistic centre of the city. Many of the area's 400-year-old houses have been converted into art galleries and several notable artists have studios in the area."). At the foot of the steps, I tried grosellas con sal - a little sour but good. We walked over 400 steps to get to the top and got a great view of the city. Next we met up with Alexis's cousin and walked to a place to get sweets...which ended up being ice cream with fruit and cream (yum!). Afterwards, we went to a bar to hang out and get another view of the city. For dinner, we met Alexis's aunt (Jazmin) at Tenedor de Oro. Alexis and I split a dish with clams, mussels, shrimp and squid. We splurged on Tres Leches cake and Alexis's aunt's boyfriend (Carlos) also fed us a snack when we got back to Jazmin's apartment (he's a chef). Lots of food! Waited for Jared and Alexis to return to Guayaquil and hung out with some of Alexis's family members (practicing my Spanish). We headed to an area owned by her grandparents that had place to sit and hang out. I tried pan de yuca (yummy!). Once Alexis and Jared arrived, we hung out drinking beer (the local Pilsner) and ate salchipapa. It was a fun time. :)
Today I...
...walked around a bit in Guayaquil and found some graffiti with my name on it. ...got chased by a neighbor's pet bird (I have picture below of it charging me, haha). ...biked around Isla Santay (Nature Reserve) for a few hours (it was very humid/hot...but very beautiful!). I saw a lot of beautiful trees (you'll notice I took a lot of tree pictures, haha). ...saw some crocodiles (they have a crocodile reserve at Isla Santay). ...ate maduro lampreado (yum!). I made it to Alexis's aunt's house alive. :) I'll probably get to bed at about 2:30am. I did just have the realization that I forgot my cord for my camera to transfer pictures to the computer. I can use my phone for pictures still...so don't expect high quality!
The rundown of today:
...so now for 18 more days of fun! :) |
Stephanie JeanEcuador & Galápagos Islands - Spring 2015 ArchivesCategories |