Valentine's Day in Puerto Ayora

I didn't finish my entry for yesterday. On the tour Rafael stopped at two collapsed volcanic craters that were pretty impressive. This amazing tree called scalesia grows on the sides and down in. It collects rainwater for birds and plants underneath the canopy and provides homes for the many finches here. Then we went into the subterranean lava tunnel. It went down a few hundred yards with a few lights along the way. It was dripping and slippery. Apparently the lava shoots through the tunnel and then leaves the hollow tunnel.
Back at our hotel we changed and walked around town, having shrimp with garlic for me and another fish for Betty.
The next morning Rafael walked us down to the boat tour he had arranged for us to Floreana, about a 90 minute ride. About 20 of us ferried out in a rocky launch to the larger boat. Milton  was our English speaking guide and Betty alerted him early on that she was a very nervous snorkeler. When it came time, he never left her side. Of course, that could have been because of the death grip she had on his arm.  This island has a rather notorious history from the pirates who hid here and raided passing ships (didn't find any buried treasure!) to the German woman who came here in the 1930s with a couple of lovers and apparently murdered them and they disappeared.Then the Wittmer family from Cologne arrived about the same time and colonized here until the last family member died just recently. There was a plaque in the little port to one of the Wittmer's giving him credit for starting the tourist industry in Floreana (also called Charles, or Santa Maria). We rode open bus shuttles up to see more Land tortoises.

We wandered along a trail and they were all over. There were square slabs of cement where workers would hose them down to cool and clean them off. They then brought out a huge bag of greens and spread them around and the tortoises lumbered over to get to them. On poor guy got stuck and I tried to put some greens in front of him as he just couldn't climb up in the spot he picked. He finally gave up and wandered away.

Then we hiked up to the only natural fresh water spring that supplies fresh water for the couple of hundred people who live (and for the pirates way. Back when as they had caves nearby). At the very top, with a great lookout for the pirates was a huge rock carved sort of like the Easter Island pictures, with plants growing out of the top making him look like he had a Mohawk. The tortoises were carried aboard ships where they could last for weeks without water or grass and provide fresh meat. They were completely wiped out on this island and at the park service is now bringing them back. Most of the G. I. are controlled by the park slice.  Everyone who comes here pays immediately. At the airport a $100 entrance fee.
We had lunch back down by the pier - lovely fresh fish, potatoes and coleslaw. We chatted with Catherine, a doctor from Montreal and with Ben an emergency room doctor. Catherine is finishing up her studies in public health. She has done stints in Mali and other places. Really delightful couple!
Another family Betty talked to on the boat ride were from Cuenca. Dad runs a glass and aluminum business. Mom was there with maybe a 9year old son. Also along was a 19 year old son and a very shy 18 year old daughter. He was complaining about the upcoming election for Ecuador's President. He is a socialist and takes money from business people to pay the poor. Sounds familiar! when we had traveled dinner tonight we were informed that no alcohol can resold in restaurants for the next three days up to the election!  As if that would ever go over in America!
Rafael booked our trip tomorrow to Santa Cristobel leaving at 6a.m. and took us to the office to get our snorkeling gear.

Buenas Noches!

An Amazing Place!

Our 2 hour flight to Balta island on the Galapagos went smoothly. One thing I would have changed about this trip would have been skipping Guayaquil.  I would fly directly to Quito and to Cuenca and Galapagos directly from there.  Guayaquil.is a dirty Industrial city with nothing charming at all. The Dreamkapture hostel was fine,however.

Rafael was outside the airport as promised and was very helpful getting us on the bus to the ferry to cross to Santa Cruz. They piled the suitcases on the roof of the boat and we got inside, maybe 25 people. It reminded Betty and I of the trip in Cambodia down the Tonle Sap river to Phnom Phen when we thought we had lost Virginia overboard and people were riding on the roof in the rain! We drove with Rafael across Santa Cruz to Puerto Aroya, the largest town in the Gal. Most of the 16,000 people who live and work here are indigenous to the Gal. I think the people here have a better income and standard of living than any place in Ecuador. Rafael said his wife, Germania, hence the name of our lodge Casa Hospedaje Germania is also indigenous. And our charming flirty handsome waiter at dinner last night where we had 2 for 1 drinks for Valentine,s Day. I think it,s such a peaceful place why would they want to leave?
Our room is on the second floor of their home,with AC and private bath. $50 a night for the 2 of us is the most we've paid but everything here is more expensive since it's an island. We walked through town about 30 minutes in the midday sun (big mistake) to the Darwin Research Station. This is where they bring turtle eggs from all the islands to hatch and grow for 4 or 5 years before releasing them back to their own birth place. It was disappointing as no guides we around to explain anything (obviously siesta time, better idea!) By the time we walked back, I told Betty I wasn't going with our scheduled afternoon tour with Rafael as I was just too overheated. The equator runs through the neighboring isla d of Isabella! I took a cold shower and lay down half an hour until 3. She made me comedown and talk to Rafael about our trip. He said it would be in the highlands and cooler and not much walking. he was right. With the wind blowing through the truck windows I felt better when we arrived at the turtle reserve farm. We passed a couple of GInormous (I coined a new word for them, they deserve it!) tortoises ambling along the dirt path.We stopped and Betty stood behind one to get a picture as he was chomping grass. He didn't seem to mind!

Ash Wednesday in Cuenca

Yesterday we took a cab to a van company and rode with 3 girls from Cuenca for 3 hours up into the mountains 2530m high to this beautiful colonial World heritage site. I noticed the altitude right away. I bought some coca candy which seemed to help and some tea bags which I didn't try yet. I'll save it for Quito which is 2850 m.


The Casa des Barrancowas a lovely hostal that backed on the rushing river wi th a gorgeous view of the new town. we stayed in the old town. Today was Ash Wednesday and the locals were now back home after partying during Carnival. We decided to participate with all the devout Ecudorians to go up for ashes after the mass. the priest patted my head.

Betty said he patted her cheek.

We visited the flower market nearby and some kind of a shrine. we bought some wooden rosaries outside for gifts for a couple of people we thought would appreciate them. We stopped in the Simon Bolivar language school to get a flyer about what they offer. Sounds neat!

At the huge produce market we found a juice bar and indulged in a grande jus de harangue orange juice fresh squeezed.  We remembered all the juice we drank when we had traveled in Mexico several years ago. Delicious!

Betty walked through the meat market but they gross me out so I had a coconut drink at the juice bar. We just walked around and people watched before taking a cab to the bus station for our 4 hour bus trip back to Guayaquil. It was a bit hairy on a big bus with the fog and rain coming back down all those switchback turns. We were in the very back seat by the bathroom which had to be unlocked every time someone had to use it!

Now we are well fed with a chicken dinner and beer and tomorrow fly off to see the amazing animals of the Galapagos.

From Miami to Guayaquil

I arrived in Miami (a first for me) on American. Met another interesting young man on the plane. Darren was going to a 2 day conference there. We chatted, me about traveling and mentioning visiting Doug who was a Buddhist monk living in Plum Village in the south of France. Later he was reading his business book (I can´t remember the title) and he leaned over to show me a line in his book that mentioned PLUM VILLAGE!! He said it was such a small world! He´d never heard of PV until a few minutes before!! More coincidences! He said he´d been to Miami before because his parents live in Ft. Lauderdale but now were home in CT for taxes. I said where in CT did they live? He said Middlebury! He went to Pomperaug High School and Memorial Middle School (for those who don´t know, this is Region 15 where I taught for 15 years! But I was at P Elementary School in Southbury) Small World!!! He gave me his card and asked me to send him this blog site so he could follow my trip!!

Anyway met up with Betty who´d flown in from St. Paul in spite of the storm there (she had to wait for de-icing as did I). We were to fly on LANEcuador which was about a 20 minute walk for me after collecting my luggage around the horseshoe terminal! When we went to check in, they informed us their partner American Airlines was doing our flight and we had to go ALL THE WAY BACK around to AA where I´d just come from! Oh, well! We were going to be sitting on a plane for a long time!

The flight was crowded but uneventful and we left at 4 pm and arrived at 8:30 pm. After getting luggage and going through customs, we were happy to see a guy there with a Susan Bachman sign held up! He taxied us to Dreamkapture hostel who had our twin bed room with AC!!!! Because it was 89 degrees when we arrived from the snow!! We had a beer (they had actually fed us a meal on the plane!!) and went to bed.

Guayaquil is a port, industrial city that is mostly a jumping off place for Galapagos visitors. In the reading I´d done, there wasn´t much at all to see so we had Monica in the a.m. arrange a van to drive us 3 hours up into the mountains to Cuenca - 3rd largest city here and a UN historic site! There were 3 young Ecuadorian women from Cuenca returning home with us. Today is Maundy Tuesday so is a holiday at the end of 2 weeks of Carnival!! The city was pretty closed up when we arrived. The drive was breathtaking with many switchbacks up higher and higher into the Andes. Pretty soon is was all in the clouds and we didn´t get too many views. Hopefully tomorrow when we head down we´ll see better views.

The owner at Dreamkapture stored our luggage and recommended this Casa del Barranco. We have a lovely twin room with private bath for $44 (they use American currency in Ecuador). We headed down to the Plaza by the beautiful 3 blue domed cathedral to find the around-the-city tour bus.

We ran into many Westerners (we had heard many ex-pats live here). We stopped two women for information - one was from Haddamm CT and the other a Canadian. They were studying at Simon Bolivar language school for a month of immersion and doing a homestay. They loved it and highly recommended the program! To think about for next year! As Cuenca is lovely, cool, looks very much like Puebla in Mexico - wrought iron railings, picturesque old city!

That´s all for tonight! Buenos noches! Lent begins tomorrow! I´m giving up NOTHING!! :)

How I got to Ecuador

I finally made it back to Logan in Boston via Cincinnati. Had a wonderful night there at the Quality Inn - was able to do laundry, in case Kerry had no power in Foxboro when I got there and had a very restful night and lovely breakfast. People were so nice there, including the driver of the shuttle from the airport who made a stop at the gas station for me to get some cash at an ATM - of course, I´m sure he was hoping for a tip and with no money he wouldn´t have gotten one! Actually I never made it to Cincinnati as the airport is in Lexingon, KY across the Ohio river. As I flew out the next day and looked down at the winding river, I kept thinking of Uncle Tom´s Cabin and the scene of slaves swimming that river to get to the free state of Ohio!

I met a very interesting young man on the plane back to Boston. He had been in KY doing his weekend Army Reserves duty. He works in computer securities in Boston in the Government Center. But he stayed in the Reserves after they put him through school and plans to stay in it until he will retire from the military in 20 years with a pension! And he basically does the same job for the Army when he does his summer and weekend duties. I asked him how he planned all this out. He said his dad had been in the reserves. This young man wanted to go to BU but didn´t have the money. So opted for the Reserves and THEY sent him to college. I just thought it was pretty amazing planning for a young 20 something to set up.

Kerry had arranged for me to wait at Logan (barely 45 minutes) until Jackie and Paul, her in-laws who had been with us in Puerto Morelos and been diverted for 2 nights in Atlanta, flew into Logan. They had their car there and drove me to Kerry´s to switch suitcases. A lovely neighbor had plowed a path to their door, but I had to shovel to my car to get the suitcase! Rushing around to make the switch and get Paul and Jackie home, I neglected to take my 2 pairs of sandals from the Mexico bag and went off with only hiking boots.

They drove me to Quincy to the Adams Inn where I would be able to get a shuttle ride in the am to the airport for my flight to Miami. It was packed with guests who lived locally but had no power! I was so luck Kerry had insisted on booking me a room from Mexico. I would have losts hundreds of dollars of flight costs if she hadn´t spent hours with Delta getting me home. The Boston MTA wasn´t running on Sunday so I have NO idea how I would have gotten to Foxboro and back with out her arranging things!!! She takes such good care of me!

So after a great night´s sleep I headed at 7 a.m. back to Logan for my flight.

Made it to cincinnati

So the adventure has started!  Our flight from Cancun yesterday was cancelled due to huge snowstorm in NE. Kerry managed to get me to Cincinnati last night and spent a wonderful night actually inKentucky relaxing and able to do laundry in case there is no power T Kerry,s, assuming I make it there today!  I have to switch suitcases and get to the airport by tomorrow for myflight to Miami to meet Betty who will have her own difficulties getting out of MN.   Dontcha just LOVE traveling!!! Sitting in a wonderful lounge chair set up in the concourse while I wait for my flight. Brueggers Bagels is providing free Internet. I just LOVE America!!! More later hopefully from Boston, then Miami and then, hopefully tomorrow Guayaquil, Ecuador! Adios!

Headed south to Mexico

Tomorrow, Feb. 1, 2013, I head off from the Cape to Foxboro to meet up with Kerry, Jason and my grandchildren, Jackson 4, and Sarah, 2.5, to head on Saturday to Puerto Morelos, in the Yucatan for our annual week at El Cid. This year Jackie and Paul Whiting, Jay's parents, will join us for 5 days. It should be great fun ! I'm going to learn how to post using my new iPad while I'm there with lessons from Jay and Kerry! Because the following week after we all return to Boston, I will head to Miami to meet Betty from St. Paul, MN, and we will head to Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina for some new adventures for 6 weeks!

Stay tuned!