South America: Ecuador 2019

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.”

Anna Quindlen 

On January 8, 2019 Melanie & moi flew into Guayaquil, Ecuador to start a 4 1/2 month exploration of the South American countries of Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.  We were accompanied by our close friends, Don Peddle & Denise Castanon, for the Ecuadorian portion of the trip......

Ecuador

The phrase 'small is beautiful' could have been coined specifically with Ecuador in mind.  By South American standards it is tiny - dwarfed by its neighbours Columbia and Peru.  But it is this relative compactness that is one of the main attractions.  Here, you can watch dawn break over the jungle canopy, have lunch high in the Andean mountains, then watch the sun slip into the Pacific Ocean, all in one day.

Ecuador also boasts extraordinary biological diversity; a fact that did not escape the attention of 18th and 19th century scientists and explorers, who came, saw and compiled large volumes extolling its virtues.  The first to put Ecuador on the map was French savant, Charles-Marie de la Condamine, who determined the precise location of the equatorial line here and so helped to give the country its name.  It was a young Englishman called Charles Darwin, who, in 1835, first brought the world's attention to the Galapagos Islands - Ecuador's premier attraction and the greatest wildlife show on Earth.  Today, visitors to Ecuador can still write home about smoking volcanoes, weird and wonderful creatures, impenetrable jungles and exotic peoples.

Ecuador's culture and history mirrors the diversity of the landscape.  Like much of South America, Ecuadorian culture blends the influences of Spanish colonialism with the resilient traditions of pre-Columbian peoples.  Officially the Republic of Ecuador, its capital city is Quito, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970's for having the best preserved and least altered historic centre in Latin America.

Our first stop was to Ecuador's second most populous city.......

Guayaquil

Perched on the Guayas River and founded in the 1530s, the city is officially known as Santiago del Guayaquil, and it is Ecuador's main port town.  Guayaquil is also the top access point for buses to Montanita and Galapagos cruises and this is the sole reason we came to this city. 

After we had settled on a Galapagos Islands trip we took time to explored Guayaquil's main tourist attraction, the Malecón 2000.

Malecón 2000 is the name given to the "boardwalk", a 2.5km riverside walkway.

The Malecón 2000 eventually leads to the inner city village of Santa Ana.  We were told that there would be loads and loads of good restaurants here in the Santa Ana area.  To get there, however, required climbing some 444 steps!!

Santa Ana is all very nice and quaint and such, but what we really wanted to find was a sensible restaurant.....still looking!!.......

......going to make us work for our supper......

.......OK, so NO restaurants to be found in Santa Ana, but it did allow a good view of Guayaquil.

We boarded a 3 hour bus for the small coastal town of......

Montañita

Montanita was "discovered" by stoned hippies and is a party place with a surfing problem. There's a steady stream of cosmopolitan backpackers,  that  come seeking cheap digs and the Rasta vibe.   Montañita is ideal for the kind of person who, regardless of age, balks at the typical restaurant dress code: bare feet and no shirt is practically de rigueur here.  We came to rest & relax for a few days.....we liked it so much we came back for a second visit!!!

Montanita's beach is nearly 6km long and when the tide is out, it seems almost as wide!

Melanie relaxing at our home for a week, the Casa del Sol Guesthouse.  

Walking the streets of Montanita and I decided to take a pic., but as always, Don photo-bombs my picture......again....the bugger!

While we were here we hooked up with our friends (Mark & Charlene) who are staying in the next village of Olon.  Group shot!  (L - R) Melanie, Charlene, Mark, Denise, Don & Moi.  

Truly our only reason for coming to Ecuador was to do a eight day cruise of the........

Galapagos Islands

Sitting right atop the equator, approximately 600 miles directly west of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands consist of 13 major islands, 6 smaller islands, and scores of islets and rocks. They were discovered in 1535 by Thomas de Berlanga, the Spanish Bishop of Panama, when his ship drifted by the islands.  Reportedly in the 17th and 18th centuries, ocean pirates used the islands as rendezvous points, as well as for fresh food and water.  The Galapagos was finally annexed by Ecuador in 1832, and a decade later, a few small settlements were established on some of the islands.

Visited by the English naturalist Charles Darwin in 1835, his subsequent studies of local wildlife noted that almost all the animals and plants here were endemic to the islands, which of course contributed to his famous theory of natural selection, and put these special islands on the map for the rest of the world to experience.  The islands became Ecuador's first national park, and these now aggressively protected islands and surrounding marine reserve were both declared World Heritage sites.

  

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” 

Anthony Bourdain

Arriving in the Galapagos Islands via Baltra Island.  This is my second visit to the islands (see my 2009 blog), so I made sure that we visited as many of the "other" islands that I had not seen previously!

After boarding the good ship, Yate Darwin, we set sail for our first destination of Kicker Rock.  We started steaming for this rock after supper and the trip lasted all night.  Unfortunately, this journey saw the roughest seas we would get the entire trip.  Lot's of upset tummies.

Home for the next 8 days, the good ship Yate Darwin.

Kicker Rock, so named because the shape is supposed to resemble a soccer boot.  Who knew?   Kicker Rock was our first snorkel and we spent most of the time between the two rocks within the channel.

The sole reason we are at Kicker Rock is to see these fella's.  We weren't disappointed!

El Capitan ran a tight ship......until we got ashore and bought wine & beer!

This is how we got from the Yate Darwin to the snorkeling area, and vica versa.

After a good snorkel and lunch we set sail for  Punta Pitt on.......

San Cristobal Island

The 5th largest and easternmost island of the Galapagos.  It is comprised of three fused volcanoes, all extinct.  It name comes from the patron Saint of seafarers, 'St. Christopher'.  It is home to the oldest permanent settlement of the islands and is the island where Darwin first went ashore in 1835.  The Junco, a small lake located near the top of the island, is the only source of permanent fresh water in the Galapagos.

This was a hiking trip ashore to see, among other things, Blue-Footed Boobies.....

Under overcast skies we land on San Cristóbal Island.

First order of business is to climb a steep incline up to the nesting area.......

.....nearing the top. 

The Selfie Miesters reach the top.  Notice the Yate Darwin in the background?!?

There are three types of Boobies in the Galapagos Islands (Red-Footed, Blue-Footed & Nazca Booby).  This fellow is the Red-Footed Booby.

The Galapagos's most famous bird.....the Blue-Footed Booby!  Even if the name doesn't make you laugh, the Blue-Footed Booby's elaborate courtship rituals might.  Breeding may occur at any time of the year.  First the male flaunts his brilliant blue feet with an exaggerated high-stepping strut.  Then he presents nest materials to the female.  A brief courtship flight follows, after which the male proudly flashes his blue feet to the female once more.  Mating follows!

The amazing thing about the Galapagos Islands is that the wildlife  never read the memo about fearing humans.  As long as you didn't touch or disturb them, they would simply stand there and let the paparazzi take their pictures.

"What are YOU looking at?!?!"

There are 7 different types of Lava Lizard on the Galapagos Islands, this huge one was about 4 inches long.

When we got back to the beach it was being invaded by the Galapagos Navy....

......one Navy Officer even compensated our snorkeling gear.  It took the intervention of the Canadian Embassy to get our gear back.

That night, while we slept, we sailed for the tiny......

Isla Lobos

A small islet located near San Cristóbal Island it is home to various Galapagos birds, such as Blue-Footed Boobies and Frigate Birds, as well as a colony of Sea Lions and numerous Marine Iguanas.

Frigate Birds are pelagic piscivores which obtain most of their food on the wing.  A portion of their diet is obtained by robbing other seabirds as well as snatching seabird chicks.

The male Frigate birds have a red gulag pouch that is inflated during the breeding season to attract a mate.

We'll huff and we'll puff and we'll blow our gulag pouch out.

The result of the mating process.....he ain't pretty he just looks that way!

"Is this the path?"

Isla Lobos has a large population of the ever-present sea lion.  The rocky beach was littered with snoozing pups while the Moms were out feeding.  Surely that sleeping spot can't be comfortable?

"I only have eyes for you baby."

"Yeah well it's like this, I ain't moving until I get a cold beer....it's in my contract."

The Marine Iguana is an iguana found only on the Galapagos Islands and it has the unique ability to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile.  However, the iguana can spend only a limited time in the cold sea.  By swimming only in shallow waters around the island they are able to survive dives of up to 1/2 hour.  After these dives, they return to their territory to bask in the sun and warm up again on the hot lava rocks.

"Did someone say chocolate?  Out of my way bud."

Standing on guard for thee.

Next stop is.......

Puerto Grande

Located near Kicker Rock on the northern coast of San Cristobal the main attraction is the beach, Although many tales have been told about treasure buried in Puerto Grande, searches have been organized over the years, but nothing has been found.  I guess it comes down to what one perceives as a treasure because we felt we had found a treasure!!!

Like all beaches, this one had "bikini-clad babes". Yummy

As the name implies the beach here is 'grande' and there were only 14 of us on it.....sweet!!

As impressive as the Puerto Grande beach is, we came here to frollick with the resident sea lion population in their water environment and that means getting wet.

It wasn't long before the pups came out to play.

This one wasn't interested in playing so much as grabbing a underwater nap.  He'd just float there (asleep) and slowly he'd sink to the bottom......when he hit bottom he would wake up, swim back up to the surface before falling back to sleep and again sinking to the bottom.

Coming in for an inspection.

What is the difference between a sea lion and a seal you ask? Good question: Sea lions are brown, bark loudly, "walk" on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps (you do see the visible ear flaps?).  Seals have small flippers, wriggle on their bellies on land, and lack visible ear flaps.  And now you know!

Optical illusion or a reflection?

"HEY.  Let go of my fin.  This isn't a game you silly thing."

With beer prices on board being exhorbant (not to mention the unreasonable wine prices) we pooled our money together for mooring fees and persuaded El Captain to take us ashore to the village of.......

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Known simply as Moreno, the village is the capital of the Galapagos Islands and is located on San Cristabol Island.  A party town it is not, but we managed to find some box wine and beers for the remaining trip, and that is all that counts!!

Heading ashore.  Look out Moreno here come the ladies!

And we are off to the Shopping Centre......I mean Mini Mart......actually it's the hole-in-the-wall store selling beer and biscuits.

Moreno has a beautiful beach, but alas it is off-limits to the humans because of the ever-present sea lion.

Next morning when all sensible people should still be asleep the anchor was hoisted and we set sail for the island of Santa Cruz and the......

Charles Darwin Research Centre

Founded in 1959, the Charles Darwin Research Centre is a biological research station and active breeding centre for endangered Galapagos species.  It is located in Puerto Ayora, on the southern end of Santa Cruz Island,  and is the largest town and most visited place in the Galapagos Islands.

The hub of most activity in the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora is a charming, bustling port town.

The mayor of Puerto Ayora came out to greet us.

Coffee!  No really.....real coffee!!! Fellow travellers Boonie & Sharan, with William-the-Guide, in the background.

There be dragons here.

If a group of Chinese are called a "gaggle", and a group of cows are called a "herd", what is a group of iguanas called?

Just hanging with me buddies.

Galapagos speed bumps.

Yup.  This is where we be.  Right there.

 And than we arrived at the Charles Darwin Research Centre.  The highlight of the Station is its tortoise breeding program. 

I remember well the following excerpt from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television show The National - 

"It's Sunday, June 24, 2012 and I'm Peter Mansbridge and THIS is The National.  Today the rarest creature on the planet passed away.  Lonesome George, a Pinta tortoise who became known as the rarest creature in the world, has died  aged about 150 years old, according to staff at the Galapagos National Park.  For decades, environmentalists tried to get George to reproduce with females from a similar subspecies, without success.  In 2008, after 15 years living with two female tortoises, Lonesome George surprised his keepers by mating with one of his female companions, but the resultant eggs turned out infertile.    Officials at Galapagos National Park say that with George's death, the Pinta tortoise species is extinct.  And now on to our other top stories...."

A 'creep' (yes that is correct....a creep) of female Espanola tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station.

This fellow was creeped out and was trying to escape......

....."I think I can make it to the top.  I think I can.  I think I can.  Oh Lord please don't let me tip over."

And it's a race.  And their neck-to-neck.  Duh....damn tree got in the way.

Diego the Tortoise is quite the ladies' man, and his exploits have helped save his species from extinction. Diego, at 120 years, has fathered an estimated 800 offspring, almost single-handedly rebuilding the species' population on their native island of Espanola.  Diego you da' man!

The other resident of the Charles Darwin Research Centre is the land iguana.  Feral dogs wiped out the last colonies of land iguanas on Santa Cruz in 1976, and the remaining 60 survivors were rescued by the Charles Darwin Research Station.

We head into the interior of Santa Cruz to the Chato Highlands to see the land tortoise in the wild.

Up close and personal.

The extremely rare Blue-Booted Boobie.

Took a little trip down into a lava tube.

"I want to be a cow.  It is my birthright to be whatever I want.  From now on I want to be called Loretta the Cow.  It's my right as a tortoise."

"My neck.  My neck.  What happened to my fawking neck?"

And now for something completely different.

Once again we are on the move, this time to the largest island in the archipelago......

Isabela Island

The largest island in the Galapagos, occupying a territory that’s greater in size than all of the other islands combined, Isabela was formed approximately 1 million years ago by the merger of 6 volcanoes of which 5 are still active. This makes Isabela one of the most volcanically active places on earth.

Isabela has a small town (Puerta Villamil) which boasted an awesome walking trail around a saline pond.

Melanie discovered this critter crawling around!  Way to go Mel, the Snake Charmer.

This was perhaps the best walk we did while visiting the Islands, with lots of close encounters with flamingos and marine iguanas.

The Greater Flamingo lives around the brackish waters of some of the lagoons located on several of the Galapagos Islands.

For feeding, these shore birds move their bills upside down underwater to gather and sift the bottom sediment.  Flamingos feed on crustaceans like shrimp and small water plants.  The colour of the feathers is determined by their diet.  Their food is full of substances called carotenoid pigments that cause flamingo feathers to become pink.

A rather long boardwalk skirted around and over the saline pond....

.....this boardwalk was the perfect place for the marine iguana to pull out and sun themselves.....

....including on the handrail, making one question how in the hell did they get up there???

Smile!

Fellow travellers sucking on Pisco Sours & Mojitos:  (L - R) Max (German), Richard & Prue (Aussies), Melanie & Moi.

We headed back to the Yate Darwin for lunch and then landed on the tiny islet of......

Tinteras Isla

The islets have a strange alien landscape, dark volcanic rock, covered on one side with white lichen.  Alien for us that is. Not so much for Marine Iguanas, black and devilish looking, that absolutely love this rocky outcrop. There are hundreds and hundreds of them everywhere and they seem impervious to human presence, so much so that they won’t move out of your way and you’ll need to watch your step so you don’t tread on one.

Luk at dat dere luh.

The alien landscape of tiny Tintoreras Isla. 

Mr. Bossman.

The Glimmer Twins.

The marine iguana feeds almost exclusively on marine algae, expelling the excess salt from nasal glands while basking in the sun, and the coating of salt from constant spitting can make their faces appear white.

I think this one was actually smiling at me.

The ever present and colourful Sally Lightfoot Crab, named after Gordon's first wife (not Ginny).

Does he even know I'm here? Does he even care?

Right away for all passing iguanas.  "Jeeze bye, speed it up will ya, lunch is ready on the boat."

A WTF moment.  These two lava lizards give an all new meaning to 'giving head'.

The next day we off once again.  This time it is to the.....

Cerro Dragon, 

Santa Cruz Island

Here be dragons! You won't find a much more apt place name in Galapagos than Cerro Dragon, or "Dragon Hill." This rocky, low-lying hill on the northwestern side of Santa Cruz Island is home to an impressive population of Conolophus subcristatus, or Galapagos land iguana. These miniature dragons roam around the sun-scorched, boulder-strewn island, nipping away contentedly at the fruits and flowers of their favourite food, the Opuntia Cacti.

We tramp into Cerro Dragon, passing this saline pond, but alas no flamingos here today.

Our first sighting.  He was easy 5 feet long and apparently, according to William our guide, a juvenile male.

The Galapagos Land Iguana was described by Charles Darwin as "ugly animals, of a yellowish orange colour; from their low facial angle they have singularly stupid appearance."

I have friends that look this way after smoking a big doobie!

I can't quite put my finger on it, but this cactus reminds me of something????

Our fellow travellers: (L - R) French couple; Mel & I; Max (German); Don & Denise; Richard & Prue (Aussies) & Boonie & Sharan (Malaysian/Aussie).

Back on the boat......

Frigate birds were our constant companions.  Always hoping for a free meal.

I can see the headlines now:  Canadian woman ate Darwin in the Galapagos.

Our final stop for the day is the tiny.......

Rabida Island

Rabida is one of the most diverse in terms of volcanic activity as it lies at the very heart of the archipelago’s volcanic origin.  It is an island comprised of lava poured out of scoria cones, which are very rich in iron oxide and magnesium; that when exposed and as it rusts, gives the island its astounding, unearthly reddish colour.  We came here to hike and snorkel.

Red rover,
red rover,
Send Melanie on
 the red beach on over......

".......Red rover,
red rover
send the Piping Plover on over......

.....Red rover,
red rover,........
I don't want to play this game no more.

It's the selfie miester!

Our walk brought us over to the next bay where a 3-mast schooner was anchored.

The real attraction to Ribida Island was the crystal clear waters surrounding it.  With clarity up to 15 metres, it was perfect for snorkeling.

Star Light
Star bright
We're having starfish,
 for supper tonight!

One of the many nameless fish we saw during this snorkel.

Ray, the graceful flyer......

......Brian, the not so graceful flyer.

A pelican searching for food.....

.....and that folks is how it is done!

It's a bird.  It's a fish.  It's super B!

I believe this golden girl is called a Trumpet Fish?

A beautiful decorated Moray Eel.

A White-tip man-eating shark......Don was there a minute ago???  

Love the new moustache!

January 22nd.  Back home it is also January 22, but they had 22cms of snow and it was -22C.   So there!

We had one more day left in the Galapagos Islands and our first stop was the........

Sombrero Chino

This small islet off the southeast coast of Santiago Island is a moderately recent volcanic cone that gets its name from its shape, that resembles a Chinese hat. As with Ribida Island we came for here for the walking and snorkelling!

The Selfie Miesters in front of the "Chinese Hat"!

All the usual suspects are here, including the ever sleeping sea lions.

The Darwin Finch, where it all began for the rethinking of mankind and the evolution of the species theory. Such a big impact for such a small bird!

Melanie taking a picture of a little person taking a picture.....they are so cute!

More sun-drenched marine iguanas than you can shake a stick at.

 After our walk-about we once again go for a snorkel, this time in the fast moving channel between the two islands.

Hundreds of tiny fish feed in this channel.

We come across a large pod of resting Rays.

I think I'll swim a little closer, just cause I can!

A rare Galapagos Penguin.  Yes, there are penguins on the Equator.  This penguin is endemic to the Galapagos and is the most northernly penguin in the world.  In the Galapagos it is found primarily in areas of cold water upwellings where the birds may also find good shelter from the intense equatorial sun.  The total population consists of only a few thousand birds.

An even rarer sighting of a Galapagos Penguin swimming.  This fellow came right up to Melanie's face for an investigation before continuing on its merry way.

Our final stop for the Galapagos was to the......

Caleta Tortuga Negra

Black Turtle Cove (Spanish: Caleta Tortuga Negra) is a mangrove estuary on the northern shores of Santa Cruz Island. The national park has strict regulations to protect this pristine environment. Tourists may visit the cove via dinghy but with the engines turned off.   It's called this because it is here that the black sea turtle comes to mate, and we came to watch them mate......perverts that we are!!!

We enter the mangrove forest in anticipation of.........well actually we're not sure what to anticipate.......be we were anticipating it anyway!!

Suddenly we hear Barry White singing in the distance "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Baby."

My God it's a menage a trois!!

I wonder? Is he planning on buying her breakfast?

The above is a video, if you can't open it, it is because your device does not support the software.

A short porn flick (XXX-Rated).

With our Galapagos trip over we head to the capital of Ecuador.....

Quito

Quito is one of the most compelling cities in Ecuador.  Nestled in a long, narrow valley in the Andes, between the Volcano Pichincha to the west and the Machangara River Canyon to the east.  Quito enjoys a spectacular natural setting.  The Ecuadorian capital city's mix of colonial and modern architecture creates a fascinating built environment.

We fly to Quito with no real plans.  Originally we had planned on heading to the Amazonian "El Oriente", but after 8 days in the Galapagos we decided to abandon that idea, for no real apparent reason?!?!? Regardless; we were in Quito and decided to visit the namesake of the country, the.....

Equator

The Equator is an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth. It is halfway between the North and South Poles, and divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Not such an imaginary line.  Actually it is pretty precise given the size of the earth as compared to the size of the line!  On one side is the northern hemisphere and on the other is the southern hemisphere.

 The following two videos demonstrate how just 1/2 metre north or south of the Equator line will 
cause a flushing water vortex to spin in opposite directions.  South is clockwise, whereas north is counter-clockwise (don't believe me?  just flush your toilet and see).  Again, when considering the size of the earth, this tiny line can make such a difference!  Unfortunately; I do not have a video of flushing water on the Equator line, however just to let you know, there is no vortex.......water just drains straight down!!

Some things that you may not have known about the Equatorian line:  (1) The Earth bulges outward at the Equator because of the planet's rotation, this creates a gravitational field that is uneven, with more pull on the poles (north & south) than in the middle. It is due to this bulge that a person standing at the Equator weighs about 2.5 kilograms less! (2) Johnny Cash's "I walked the Line" is harder to do here.  By holding your arms out, such as I am doing,  you get two different gravitational pulls, thus making a straight walk difficult.  (3) It is possible to balance an egg on the head of a nail (true story, I did it) because the yolk settles in the bottom of the shell and is not subject to the gravitational pull.

Down to zero!  If visiting Ecuador, be aware that the official "Equatorian Line" is about 200 metres south of here.  It was established in the 1700's and, it was only with satellite and GPS, that the true line was located.  There are no gaggles of tourist here at the 'official unofficial line', just us few, not like the other 'official line'!!!

On Saturday we visited......

Otavalo Market

The Otavalo Market, which makes this market town famous, is undoubtedly one of the most important and spectacular markets in all of Latin America.  The Otavalo Market is attractive to visitors for both its outstanding shopping and its cultural significance.   Local people use market day much the way their ancestors did during Ecuador's pre-Columbian history.  The Otavalo Market is a fascinating way to experience traditional Ecuadorian culture and the traditions of the Andes.  The best day of the week to hit this famous and friendly corner of the Andes is Saturday, the biggest market day for gringos and locals alike.

We stuck to the Indigenous portion of the market as we had no reason to wander around the pots & pans portion.  Here we could buy anything.  I mean anything, such as these 3 Amigos!!

Huge bunches of green onions for $1.00.  Wish I had means to use them!

Anyone for crispy pork?

On the way back to Quito we stopped at a National Park to check out a lake within the crater of an old volcano. 

We even went for a short stroll around a part of the lake.  All very nice!

Melanie & I are not big city folk, so we quickly bored of Quito and decided to head back to the Montanita area for our final week.  This time we stayed in the small seaside village of Olon with our friends, Mark & Charlene.

Local fishermen hauling a net onto Olon's beach.

Doing the morning beachside stroll with Mark & Charlene!

Olon's huge beach only really comes alive on the weekend, otherwise the coconut vendor is pretty lonely!

The Selfie Miester's saying "Adios" from Ecuador!!

Well that's it for Ecuador.  We are off to another adventure in Peru!!!