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The Bday Boy & Girl
Max turned 13 and I turned 51 on Feb 15th. We shared our birthday party and invited our favorite two-legged and four-legged friends!It all started in Banos, on my actual birthday, February 15th. Since Facebook publishes birthdates, I received bday greetings and wishes from dozens of friends (some I hadn't heard from in years and years) and even from a few acquaintances I barely know! Many thanks to all of you for thinking of me on my special day. As always, I spent time thinking about my mother on the day she gave birth to me. I used to always call my mom on MY birthday and thank her for bringing me into this world. Now it's been eight years since I've been able to call her on the phone, so I call her with my heart.
You may be familiar with the concept of the "golden birthday" (when your age matches the date --for example, when I turned 15 on the 15th). Well, this year I reversed the digits (I turned 51!) to celebrate my "burnished copper" birthday! I sure don't feel my age...after all, it's only a number! You can see in these photos that Max the boxer is definitely showing his age (very grey in the face) but
Shana Sharing Pizza
Yummy homemade Pizza (thanks Shana!) A favorite meal for both me and Max! Usually Max just gets pizza bones (the crusts) but in honor of his bday he had whole slices of salami pizza. he still leaps and jumps when it's dinner time and he loves his evening walks in the hills at the base of the volcano. He goes sprinting up the path, sniffing every plant and leaf!
We all enjoyed our homemade pizza -- vegetarian for the humans and salami for Maxi (and me too!) Little Layla even had a couple of pieces of Max's birthday pizza. Juan the dog-walker stopped by for some pizza, tucking bits of it in his jacket pocket to share with Maxi once they got up the hill. Delicious carrot cake for dessert (my favorite, with cream cheese icing!) and the joyous company of wonderful friends!
A few days later I drove up to Quito to catch my flight to Galapagos. I parked the truck in Maggie's garage and spent the night on Lupe's sofa bed. She's such a loyal friend that she drove me to the airport at 6:00 am before she did her morning exercise! When the ticket was booked, the airline (Aerogal) informed that it was to be treated like an international flight with arrival at
Max is the Host with the Most
Greeting his party guests: Layla (four legs) and Connie (two legs!) the airport 3 hours before flight time. Well, the guy at the counter told me I'd have to wait another hour before he could process my bag. There's nowhere to wait in the check-in area for national airlines so, feeling a bit peeved, I went to the ticket sales counter and told the woman about my experience. She confirmed that a 3 hour lead time was required and accompanied me back to the counter where a nice lady checked me in right away. I told her that I'd been sent away and pointed out the guy to her. My ticket indicated a direct flight but in the end we not only had to stop in Guayaquil but also change planes. The whole transit procedure was very disorganized and I was complaining about the airline to a woman who was also waiting. It ends up she's the sister of Aerogal's CEO and she made a call and got the name of a station manager who she assured me will be very eager to hear my comments.
But enough about travelling woes -- on to the heart of the adventure! When my plane
The Nifty Fifties Gals
Patricia (L) started the ball rolling on this getaway. She turned 50 the week before I turned 51 and her friend Victoria is in her early 50's as well. Mid-life adventuresses!! landed at Baltra airport they sprayed the overhead racks for insects (those tiny unticketed passengers who could upset the delicate ecological balance of the islands) and when we descended from the plane we had to walk across disinfectant-soaked astro-turf rugs to prevent the introduction of bacteria and/or seeds that might be stuck in our shoes. They checked our bags upon arrival to make sure we weren't carrying fruits or vegetables or organic material.
Patricia and Victoria had already arrived on an earlier flight and were waiting at Baltra airport to greet me -- how lovely! I met Patricia two years ago when she and her family were visiting the hotel I was managing. Her husband works at the American Consulate in Guayaquil, and this trip was her idea. She invited another diplomatic corps friend who flew down from the US to join us and the three of us embarked upon our fabulous "Nifty Fifties" Adventure! We had decided to fly to Isabela, the less developed island where we would be spending five nights.
The three of us boarded an 8-seater prop plane for
Coastline of Isabela
After arriving at Baltra Airport in Galapagos, we decided to splurge for the short flight to Isabela (30 min on an 8 seater plane!) The views were breathtaking!! the half-hour flight, our noses pressed to the windows as we flew low over the outlines of small islands and impossibly clear blue-green waters. Just looking down at the amazing seascapes I was hankering to be snorkeling, and a few hours later we were swimming with the sea lions! We checked into our hotel, the SulaSula, where they had reserved the entire top floor for us. It was incredibly hot and humid so we were especially grateful for the air conditioners in our rooms. Victoria was still recovering from her long journey from the US, so she "chilled out" while Patricia and I set off for our first snorkeling adventure.
We wandered around town a bit, getting the lay of the land and following the advice of the locals made our way to a protected cove called Concha de Perla. Passing by sea lions lounging on the docks and the anchored fishing boats, we walked along a wooden boardwalk which wound through dense mangroves to the cove. What an incredible snorkeling area! We saw a sea turtle and a spotted eagle ray almost immediately. We swam the perimeter of the cove and
Ahoy Captain!
This bull male sea lion was there to greet us each morning at the Isabela Dock. Many fishermen wound nets around and over their boats to keep the sea lions from making themselves at home! explored narrow passageways created by lava flows. The rocky walls were covered with grasses and corals and a myriad of colorful fish. It was already late afternoon and we left the cove, vowing to return again when the sun was more fully overhead.
I had heard about Isabela from my friend Tamara who had been a volunteer there several years back. As we wandered the sandy streets of the delightful town of Puerto Villamil the friendly, helpful locals helped us find our way and gave us suggestions for excursions for the coming days. We peeked into the fancy hotels on the waterfront ($180/night!) and felt fortunate to have found our $25/night place, just a few blocks inland. From our top floor viewpoint we could see the town center and the ocean beyond. The undeveloped lots just across from our hotel were covered with bumpy, ripply folds of lava. In order to build on these lots, the owner would have to level the rocky base, creating a strong foundation for a house.
One of the guys who had given us tour advice told us he
View from Above
Flying low, hopping between the islands, looking at the impossibly clear waters, and salivating for some snorkeling! We ended up snorkeling every single day! was the owner of Los Delfines Restaurant, so we decided to support his establishment and had an excellent seafood dinner. We found that most of our meals on Isabela cost about double what they would on the mainland, but a few places had set menus (including soup, main course, juice & dessert) which were a pretty good value. Victoria commented that we'd probably all lose a few pounds with the small but adequate portions we were served, as opposed to the huge restaurant meals one gets in the states!
On our second day we took an excursion to Tintoreras Island, a crescent-shaped lava outcropping just beyond the harbor. Tintoreras means "white-tipped shark" but we weren't fortunate enough to see any on our visit. We did, however see thousands of female iguanas digging their nests and laying their eggs. It was easy to see which of the iguana gals had not yet dug a nest, their bodies swollen with on average five eggs (the size of chicken eggs!) Since most of the island was lava rock, there were limited spaces suitable for nesting. One large expanse of sandy, crushed coral was crowded
A Walk Thru the Mangroves
This is the walkway to Concha de Perla, a lovely sheltered bay where we went snorkeling several times. There are often sea turtles, and the lava passageways make for fascinating underwater gardens. with nesting mothers, squatting over or emerging from the holes they'd dug. It was especially amusing to watch them use their chubby back legs and spiny claws to kick sand back over the nest. Once finished, their bodies were all skinny and wrinkly and they tiredly trekked over to a cluster of trees to try to snag a bit of shade.
In addition to the varied and unique bird life (blue-footed boobies, masked boobies, lava gulls, pelicans, herons, etc.), we also saw several groups of Galapagos penguins (much smaller than their Antarctic cousins, having evolved down to survive in the warm equatorial waters). This is only place on the planet where you can view penguins north of the equator! I had on water sandals, and the bits of lava that made their way into my footwear acted as a natural exfoliant! It was HOT, the sun's intensity reflecting back up off the black, rocky surface. We were SO ready for a swim after walking for an hour on the island.
Finally, we were taken to a great area for snorkeling. How to describe
Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay.....
Ho hum! Big yawn! It's tough being a sea lion in Galapagos! (lobo marino -- sea wolf in Spanish). These fellas are simply everywhere...sometimes you have to step over them to get where you're going! the sensation of entering the undersea world -- the sun streaming thru the rippling surface water, schools of brightly colored "angel" fish (officially called "Tangs") the size of dinner plates, waving grasses and seaweed flowing with the current, hundreds of dark brown fish with fluorescent blue eye shadow and bright yellow lipstick, surreptitiously following a graceful sea turtle (at least 3-4 feet in diameter!). Patricia is an expert free-diver and when we saw a sea lion she would dive down below and it would swim around her, engaging in play. They are totally unafraid of us and would come nose to nose with our masks!
That afternoon we took a walk to the flamingo pool, right on the edge of town. Then we walked along the beach to visit Beto's Bar where Tamara had been a waitress. Ah! Nothing more refreshing than ice cold coconut juice, right from the coco! At dusk we entered another iguana nesting zone alongside a spit of lava rocks near the dock. There was almost no sandy area and we witnessed a hissing fight between two females vying for the same nest. The males were peacefully
Blue Footed Booby
Excursion to Tintoreras (White-Tipped Shark) Island brought us up close to lots of wildlife. The booby bird's feet are pale blue, meaning he's just an adolescent. hanging out on the sun-warmed rocks while the females did all the work (typical!) In the dying light of day they crawled all over one another to keep warm!
Back at the hotel to clean up for dinner, I realized that my cell phone was missing. It must have fallen from my waist pack while I was taking pictures. In a panic as night was falling (it gets dark quickly here on the equator!) we retraced our steps, Patricia dialling my number in each place to hear if my phone would ring. The first few tries, it rang on and on. I half expected one of the iguanas to answer it! After awhile, whoever found the phone must have turned it off because when we dialled it went right into voicemail. Giving up and accepting that no good samaritan was going to try to get it back to me, I then frantically searched for a way to contact my phone service provider (Movistar) to block the number. On Isabela everyone uses another company (Porta). The Porta operators informed me that they couldn't contact a Movistar operator for me.
Iguana Nesting
We were there at the perfect time to see this amazing natural occurence. SO many nesting females -- and not a lot of space for them to nest! Luckily, I met a British tourist who had a Movistar phone and I was able to contact my server and cut off service to my number. I was relieved to learn that I'd able to keep the same phone number, but when I returned to Quito and got a new phone (at half price since I had a calling plan with the provider), I found out that the person who kept my phone managed to use up over $20 of calling that short time (and I'm still trying to recover all the contacts I lost on the chip of my old phone!) Oh well, one dark cloud over the joyous travels - but once the line was blocked I was able to put it behind me and continue enjoying the trip.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny so we headed back to Concha de Perla for another snorkeling expedition. As we made our way along the mangrove walkway I heard what sounded like the bleating of a baby lamb. Looking through the tangled branches we saw a baby sea lion, calling out to
Laying Eggs
Once they emerge from the nest they've dug, having emptied themselves of 5 or 6 eggs (the size of chicken eggs!) their bodies are wrinkly and skinny. its mommy who was perched on a rowboat a few meters away. Awww! Arriving at the dock, a huge iguana (at least 5 ft long!) ambled towards me as I sat down to put on my fins. Soon after I entered the water I heard a huge splash and realized that my iguana buddy had dived off the dock.
The snorkeling was even better than the last time, the sun shining brightly on knobbly, bulbous orange and purple corals and berry-like algae grasses of vivid green. At one point Patricia dove down and turned over a broad, flat rock. The underside was bright pinkish blue and it must have been a delicious treat because scores of fish came rushing over to enjoy the buffet. I was stunned to see a thigh-sized octopus propelling his way into a crevice. They push water thru their bodies and plunge themselves downwards. As I swam blissfully around the Octopus's Garden, a ray of sunlight glinted off the ring that my mom had given me and I knew she was with me on this adventure. My mother would have loved the gentle beauty of this underwater
Galapagos Tortoise
This photo was taken at the "hatching center". Several introduced species (dogs, goats, etc) are voracious predators of eggs and tender young tortoise babies. paradise. I lose all track of time and hours feel like minutes once I've entered the watery flow. Even 100 SPF waterproof sunblock lasts only so long, and after the first day I wore a t-shirt to protect my back and shoulders.
After several hours of snorkeling we were famished but since it was Sunday many of the restaurants were closed. We finally spotted a group of locals drinking beer and we followed the laughter to a family restaurant where they agreed to fix us some food. Once our meals arrived, swarms of flies came down to do a taste test and we had to take turns fanning the table so we could eat in peace. Then we continued on to the turtle breeding center, just outside of town. For the past 4-5 decades various subspecies of Galapagos Turtles have been bred in captivity. The repopulation has been hugely successful, but they are still sparse enough in nature that even if they were to find one of their kind to mate with, it's not certain they'd find the right end! At the Centro de Crianza they are kept together in
Exploring Los Tuneles
About a 40 minute boat ride from Isabela you can find "The Tunnels" - a fascinating formation of lava flow from eons ago. They're really more like arches, where the lava crusted and lifted. small pens and then the eggs are protected and the young are kept safe for 5-10 years until their shells are hard and they are large enough to fend for themselves in the wild. Dogs, goats, rats and other introduced species are the greatest threat to the young tortoises.
The next day we bit the bullet and took an expensive tour to Los Tuneles. Supposedly, these natural lava tunnels had outstanding snorkeling. We were told we'd have a 45 minute boat ride each way and at least two hours of snorkeling. We weren't sure what to expect, but to me they looked more like arches than tunnels. They must have formed aeons ago, based on the huge cacti growing above and the elaborate coral reefs below. Again we met playful sea lions, saw turtles, rays, and amazing fish at every turn. The twists and turns of the lava formations (both above and below the sea) seemed almost otherworldly. Unfortunately I felt a bit seasick and as we finished our snorkeling, I took a Mareol (local motion sickness medication) which knocked me flat for the rest of the day.
Crystal Clear Snorkeling Zone
Here at Los Tuneles the snorkelling was stellar! Vivid blue-green waters snaking around and under lava formations. Amazing undersea viewing! Our last day on Isabela we drove to Sierra Negra Volcano in the "highlands". Accompanied by the owner of our hotel, Julio, we learned a lot about the island. There are only about 2,200 permanent residents on the whole island, and about 80 "fincas" (farms or ranches) in the lush green highland area. The volcano boasts a huge crater (6 miles in diameter) which has fresh lava flow from the most recent eruption 5 years ago. We drove a half hour, then hiked another half hour and were treated to stunning views of the coastline below. We were told that it's usually clouded over, and we were lucky to have a relatively clear day with distant views. As we were hiking down, the clouds started to roll in.
We stopped at a "finca" for lunch. They prepared chicken grilled on heated lava rocks. It was delicious! We wandered through their gardens and visited the turtles they keep in huge pens -- living in the semi-wild I guess you'd say. It was a nice way to finish our stay on Isabela. A relaxing afternoon in the
Penguin & Booby
Two very different birds sharing a lava outcropping. The penguins are so awkward on land but are fabulous swimmers! cool of the air conditioning -- the sun was extremely intense and felt even hotter due to the volcanic bedrock of the island. We managed to escape any serious sunburn, but were very conscientious about wearing sunscreen and staying covered up.
We had sprung for the $100 flight over to Isabela, but went back via the $25 ferry. It was a two hour trip and I was grateful for one of Patricia's Bonine tablets (a non-drowsy version of Dramamine). Although they told us that the seas were calm, the ferry sped over the waves, bouncing and bumping along. It was recommended that we sit all the way at the back to minimize motion sickness. It did help, but between the spray and some rain I arrived soaking wet. Oh well, it's not like I'm going to melt! By the time we reached the airport, I had dried off.
The flight(s) back to Quito were again eventful. Not only did we have stop in Guayaquil, we had to sit on the plane for over an hour while they arranged for ambulance transport for a man who
Sea Turtles Mating
Yes, these are two sea turtles copulating. The boat captain told us they float like that pretty much all day. Turtle PORN!! had had a stroke on the islands and was travelling on our flight with his doctor and his IV tubes. Arriving in Quito I managed to get my phone replaced and spent the night with my friend Margarita (an amazing, dynamic woman in her 80's!) before making the drive back to Banos.
I will now have a month in Banos before setting off for the high Andes to accompany several volunteer groups. I continue to volunteer at the BIB (Biblioteca Interactiva de Banos), teaching the advanced conversation course three nights a week. I also have several private students and hope to spend some time working on editing the novel I wrote in November. I have an interesting living situation for this month -- I saw a notice for free room and board in exchange for cooking dinner Mon-Fri for a retired American man and his 14 yr old daughter. The girl's mom lives here in Banos but the dad has full custody. It a lovely big house and I have my own room with its own private bath. I have always really enjoyed cooking, I find it a pleasant creative outlet. Both Ronnie
Roca Union - Sea Lion Lifeguard
Down below on the rocks this sea lion is guarding his bevy of birdies above. This small tumble of rocks out at sea was teeming with wildlife. & Hilary appreciate the meals I create and it's pleasant being in a "family" setting for now.
Stay tuned for a soon to come blog about Apiculture. One of my adult students is a beekeeper and he took me with him last weekend to check on the hives. It was a fascinating experience!! NOTE: To see the last few Galapagos photos, click NEXT at the very bottom of this page!
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karen
non-member comment
love it!
I want your life! I could drop this States life and live in Equador happily! Thank you so much.