Galapagos & the Amazon

My time in the Galapagos was far too short, but I made the most of the time I had. I went diving and had no underwater camera, so have no pictures, but I did get to see tons of hammerhead sharks and eagle rays and lots of other marine creatures.

Eventually my time on the islands had come to an end and I traveled to Peru and spent a night in Lima. The next day I flew to Iquitos and had a quick tour of the town before I boarded my home for the next three nights, the MV Aqua. It was a gorgeous ship and there were only ten passengers total during my time on board. We spent a lot of time on smaller boats traveling up the Amazon and tributaries in search of wildlife. We saw monkies, colorful macaws, pink dolphins, and so much more. We also took a walk in the rainforest: I sweat so much, you would have thought I went swimming with my long-sleeve shirt on! The mosquitoes were terrible and there was no way in the world I would have been able to live there, but it was nice to visit.

The staff and crew of the Aqua were amazing and the food on board was delicious! I had no internet or way to communicate with the outside world, which was tough but I got through it. The Amazon is a magical place with so much biodiversity. One day we went fishing for pirannas and I was the first person to catch one! It was the only one I caught, but it was worth it because that was the first fish I've ever caught (yes, I threw it back!)! My time in the Amazon was incredible, and over too soon. But, it was time to get back to society and most importantly: an internet connection.

I flew from Iquitos back to Lima and did nothing but check into the hotel, check email and whatnot and then go to bed because I have a 5am transfer the following morning to the airport for my flight to Chile! It's going to be a long day of travel, but it will definitely be worth it! I can't wait!

From Mashpi to the Galapagos

My time at Mashpi was very nice. I had a nice mix of relaxation and excursions. We hiked in the rain down to a waterfall, as well as visited a butterfly garden where they raise butterflies. I had a nice time with the group I was assigned. One night I had dinner with the British couple, and the other night I are with the girls who worked at the US embassy. Eventually it was time to go, and I was transferred back to Quito for the night.

I was up early and taken to the airport for my flight to the Galapagos. We flew from Quito to Guayaquil to the Islands, and on the first leg of the trip I was seated next to an Ecudorian woman who had been at Mashpi and recognized me. Small world!!! She got off at Guayaquil, and the plane filled up with more passengers, and then we were off for the Galapagos! This was the first time I've ever had an aborted landing, and we had to circle around a second time to land. I was a bit worried that we weren't going to be landing after all, but the pilot was able to make the landing on the second try.

After getting through the logistics of arriving at the Galapagos and collecting my baggage, I was met by my guide and we made the journey to the hotel, which was on a different island than the airport. Along the way we stopped at a rock formation that looked like large crators, a place where there were lots of giant tortoises, and large lava tubes. After arriving at the town where the hotel is located, we had to board a boat for a small ride to the hotel. The hotel was lovely and has a beach as well as a pool (with ducks swimming in it!). It was late by the time I reached the hotel, so I chilled out at the hotel and prepared myself for an early morning of scuba diving! I can't wait!

Ecuador: Quito to Mashpi

This morning, I was up early and checked out of my hotel for my 8am transfer to the Mashpi Lodge. It was a four-hour trip, with stops along the way to break up the voyage! Our first stop was about an hour out of town, and was right near the volcanic crater where I had lunch yesterday. The good thing about it this morning, is that there was no fog or clouds, so I could see the caldera and the people living inside it!

Our next stop was about an hour later at a place called Tulipe. This was an archeological site with various petroglyphs and mounds and dug out pits meant to represent the sun, the moon, and even a jaguar! After spending a few minutes at the museum, we had some refreshments. I had tea and an empanada stuffed with cassava and cheese. 

We drove the rest of the way on less than  ideal roads, but eventually made it to the nature reserve and lodge. Once I got all checked in, it was lunch time, so I went down for lunch, where I was told it would be another 5 minutes or so before the meal was ready. Just about that time a jaguar who was still very young came around sniffing at our food! One of the guides playfully led it away from the lodge and back to the forest. I was surprised at how much like a house cat the jaguar acted: it rubbed its head and neck on the guide's legs, it chased him back away from the lodge like they were playing a familiar game...

After the excitement of the baby jaguar, we had lunch and then a little downtime before our 3pm excursion briefing. I was thankful for the time to rest, because although I rarely get carsick, the mountainous, curvy and bumpy ride to Mashpi had upset my stomach slightly.

At the excursion briefing, I met the group I'll be doing excursions with the next few days: a lovely couple from the UK and a group of three American women who work at the US embassy in Quito and one of their 11-year-old daughters. We learned more about the lodge and the unique ecosystem we are fortunate enough to get to spend a few days, and also that it was an ocelot (not a baby jaguar) that I had seen earlier. Mashpi gets on average 216 inches of rain each year. This comes as no surprise as the rain had started to pour down at around 2 that afternoon. I was still debating whether I was going on the excursion, when they told us it was the "air bike" which is kind of like a zip line that doesn't zip... There is a wire across a valley that a two-person contraption hangs on while one person pedals bike pedals to make the contraption move along the wire. Even though I got soaking wet and didn't get to see much in the way of floura and fauna, I definitely went on the air bike. We also hiked to the top of a metal view tower, which on a clear day, I'm sure had a lovely view, but since it was pouring down rain, we didn't get to see much for our effort of climbing to the top. We then hiked back through the rain to the lodge, where I was happy to take a shower and change into dry clothes! After a little downtime, it was time for dinner, which was delicious! 

Quito, Ecuador

I didn't arrive in Quito until just before midnight and by the time I got through immigration and customs, met my guide and driver, and got to the hotel, it was nearly 1:30am. After a fairly long day of traveling, I went to bed right away because I knew a busy day of sightseeing awaited!

I met my guide the following morning and we set off walking down the historical center of town. My hotel (unbeknownst to me) is very near the center of old town, so we didn't have far to walk before we were surrounded by old Spanish colonial buildings, churches, and some magnificent squares.

Quito was the first city to be named a UNESCO World Heritage site, due to its large concentration of Spanish colonial architecture. We visited churches, museums, catacombs, and squares. 

After spending time in the old town, we loaded up in the van and drove to the equator museum, where I stood astride the equator! It's a bizarre experience knowing that part of you is in the Northern Hemisphere and part of you is in the Southern Hemisphere! I also balanced an egg on the head of a nail, which I was told is much easier to do on the equator than off it due to the lack of external pressures and forces on the egg at the equator (Coriolis effects and whatnot).

After the Equator museum, we headed up to the rim of an inactive volcano for an extremely late lunch. After trying a local pork dish, we made our way back to the hotel where I had the remainder of the day free. I chose to relax since I had seen what I wanted to see in Quito, and know I have an early morning tomorrow.