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March 27. We are now in Quito, Ecuador. Since leaving Chile, we have had some amazing adventures. Ecuador is an incredible country. It has so many diverse landscapes -- the Andes highlands, the Galapogos Islands, and the Amazon Basin rainforest and jungle -- even though it is a very small country. The people are incredibly friendly, the food is surprisingly good, and the spanish is easy to understand. The past month has just been absolutely fantastic and we have had a wonderful time here.
We have spent several days, at different times, in Quito -- the country´s capital city and a world heritage site. Quito is actually quite modern in many respects, although you can still find plenty of traditional culture -- from the food, to the campesino (traditional andean peasants and people from the countryside) people selling their goods on the streets, and to the traditional andean music bands playing in the parks. In addition, Quito has, surprisingly in my opinion, a lot of good restaurants -- in fact, we have more restaurants on our list to try than we actually have nights to do so. We have had mexican, cuban, brazilian, argentinian, ecuadorian, and even italian food. The best part about Quito, however, is the old city and its museums. Just today, we visited a fantastic museum featuring art work from the pre-columbian, colonial, and modern eras. Tomorrow, we plan to wander the cobblestone, narrow streets of Quito´s old quarter, which is filled with colonial buildings and churches, as well as museums. Finally, Quito has quite a cultural scene, with many opportunities to hear local music and see traditional dance.
After our Galapogos adventure, which I will discuss soon, but before our jungle adventure, which will also receive its turn, we spent 4 days in Banos -- a small town in the Andean highlands. Banos features a stunning location. The town sits in a valley and is surrounded by huge Andes peaks, including the actuve Tungahuanga Volcano (almost 6,000 meters tall). In fact, one night we were awakened by a small eruption and the ensuing earthquake! The town also sits on a river, and numerous waterfalls and natural baths-hot springs are spread throughout and around the town. We actually spent our time above the town, in a spa resort located high up on an Andean foothill mountain. The view was gorgeous, the food was great, and Jenn loved the spa services. For the most part, we just rested and relaxed, although we did find some time for a day hike (what should have been an hour hike actually turned into something much longer, but we did get to see that waterfall!).
Our trip to Ecuador also featured a visit to Otovalo -- S America´s most famous indigenous market. The market was huge, the shopping was great, and the people-watching was fantastic. The locals maintain very traditional lifestyles ¨(as they have since before Inca times) and are very proud of their heritage. The bus ride was also wonderful, because -- like the bus ride to Banos -- we were treated to fantastic views of the Andes mountains and the valleys that sit between them. The highlands of Ecuador -- with green foothills (they look as though they are covered in moss), huge volcanoes (most over 15,000 feet), sweeping valleys, thundering rivers, and impressive waterfalls -- are just stunning.
The most notable aspects of our Ecuador adventure, however, relate to our Galapogos Islands and Amazon Basin Jungle trips. Both were absolutely incredible -- adventures of a lifetime.
First, the Galapogos. We spent 8 days aboard the Guantanamera. Although our cabin during the first 3 nights was horrendous (we eventually sang the Jeffersons theme song) and the bartender was an ass, our boat was actually quite comfortable. And regardless of the boat, the real fun of visiting the GI´s involved our daily excursions, via zodiac raft, to the various islands. Our daily routine was something like this: early breakfast; excursion to an island for a nature walk; snorkel; eat lunch; snorkel again; late afternoon excursion for another walk; eat dinner; go to bed early. If it sounds monotonous, please rest assured that it was not. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised (stunned, even) at the diversity of what we saw and did.
Each island we visited was dramatically different from the others -- not only in terms of scenery and landscape, but also in terms of animals. Some animals, such as sea lions, we saw every day . . . but even that did not grow tiresome, largely because of the different settings and behaviors we witnessed. The islands themselves were just beautiful -- some because of white sand beaches, others because of volcanic rocks, others because of inland lakes, and still others because of dramatic cliffs and rocks.
As for animals, we saw SO MANY . . . and UP SO CLOSE. In the GI´s, the animals have evolved in such a way that they have little fear, largely because there is a lack of predators. As a result, you can, quite literally, go right up to the animals . . . almost touching them. Very few places on earth involve such an experience. We also saw animals that exist no where else on earth -- and learned a lot about the 9 million or so years of evolution that has allowed some of these bizarre creatures to develop, such as the marine iguana . . . the only iguana on earth that actually dives and submerges itself into the ocean.
I never imagined I would enjoy seeing birds, but I sure did in the GI´s. In fact, my favorite animal was the Blue Footed Booby -- largely because we saw them ¨dancing¨and performing their mating rituals. Absolutely fascinating to watch as the men whistle, sky point, and give the females presents. Usually, she just sqwaks and turns away, but every once in a while . . . I even caught ¨the act¨live on film. We also saw gorgeous red footed boobies, nazca boobies, frigate birds (including the males who inflate their red necks to attract females), finches (the species that was most instrumental in Darwin´s development of his theory), pelicans, tropic birds, swallow tail gulls, herons, flamingos, and numerous others. The bird life was just astounding, as were the various interactions between them -- for example the frigate birds who harass the boobies until the boobies regurgitate their food, which the frigates then steal -- from midair -- while flying.
We also saw a host of reptiles -- galapogos tortoises (including lonesome george at the Darwin research station), land iguanas, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and others. The colors of these animals was fantastic, particularly the red and green iguanas.
The sea lions were so much fun to watch, particularly when staring face to face with them in the ocean while we were snorkeling. One day in particular, when we actually played with the sea lions for about an hour, was probably the highlight of our entire GI trip. We saw beachmasters (alpha males) patrolling, pups nursing, juveniles playing . . . the sea lions were just a wonderful experience.
Finally, our favorite part of the GI trip was the daily snorkeling excursions. I had no idea that snorkeling would be such an integral part of the trip, and I am so happy that it was. We saw an incredible amount of sea life, up close in very clear water. In addition to the sea lions, we also snorkeled with countless species of tropical fish, big tuna, penguins, rays (a HUGE marble ray, the size of a small car . . . as well as beautiful sp otted eagle rays . . . and countless ¨standard¨sting rays), and a host of other fish as well. In addition, the coral and underwater volcanoes were, at times, breathtaking. And finally, I almost forgot, we snorkeled wi th a lot of very big sharks -- only (harmless) white tips and galapogos sharks, but sharks nonetheless. They are such beautiful animals -- so graceful and powerful -- and when you snorkel with them, you gain a new appreciation entirely. Their villified reputation is wholly undeserved, and the shark finning practices around the world must come to an end (when companies catch sharks, cut off the fins, and then dump the carcass back into the water; the shark dies a painful death so shark fin soup, an alleged aphrodisiac, can be served in asian countries -- absolutely disgusting).
Thus, we would highly recommend a trip to the GI´s. In very few places on earth can you have such an entertaining and educational experience -- all at the same time.
Our other huge adventure here in Ecuador involved our trip to a jungle lodge -- Yuturi Lodge -- in the Amazon river basin. The trip started with a 30 minute flight to Coca (although we had to make the trip 2x, due to mechanical problems!!!!), and then a 6 hour motorized canoe ride down the Napo River -- one of the Amazon´s main tributary rivers. The ride down the Napo had me a little disappointed -- although we could see jungle, the river did not look that different from the Severn in MD, and the banks featured too much development -- mainly due to oil drilling and exploration. Eventually, however, we turned off the Napo and onto the Yuturi River -- a smaller, tributary river. Once we made that turn, I was no longer disappointed. In fact, I felt like Kurtz from Heart of Darkness (I know he was in Africa . . . but my point remains the same). The Yuturi River was exactly like you would imagine a jungle or rainforest river should look -- dense, thick jungle on both sides, seemingly choking the narrow river. Birds flew overhead in abundance, a myriad of strange calls and sounds echoed from the depths of the forest -- leaving to your imagination what might be watching you from the banks -- and the only non-nature sound was that of our oars dipping into the river. Just magical.
Once arriving at Yuturi Lodge, it just kept getting better. The lodge was surrounded by nothing but forest and jungle (and right on the river), the cabins were done in traditional indigenous architectural style, and the generator shut off -- without exception -- at 10 p.m. Our dining hall, which featured gorgeous views, a birdwatching tower, and plenty of hammocks, was frequented not only by our good meals, but also by the resident, and rather large, tarantula (high up on the wall). I watched him almost every night, but the best was when I saw him catch a fly and eat it!!! Incredible!!! Even Jenn was mildly interested -- from afar anyway.
The trip was a bit hard on Jenn, but she really grew to enjoy the trip as time went on. At one point, she described it as a week long episode of fear factor. And she was, really, right on the mark. The lodge, including our cabin and bathroom, was filled with ¨creepy crawlies¨(worms, milipedes, spiders, mosquitos, grasshoppers, ants, and even a mouse one night) -- thank god for our mosquito nets (if you could have seen Jenn ¨getting ready¨for bed, you would have died with laughter). What started as shrieks and Ï want to go home¨, however, eventually became a more light-hearted, ¨well look what friends have joined us in our bathroom tonight.¨ Hysterical. She was really a great sport.
As for our activities . . . we had many. Often, however, we just sat in the hammocks and relaxed or read our books. Other times, we practiced our spanish with the staff or played cards. The lodge was so incredibly peaceful -- devoid of all modern conveniences -- and the setting was magical, particuarly when we had the lodge ALL TO OURSELVES!!!! We arrived on a Friday, and the other tourists left on Sunday, without others returning until Wed (the day before we left). Our extended time also allowed us to have a more in-depth experience, in terms of talking with our local, indigenous guide, and also in terms of seeing the jungle.
After arriving and having dinner, we went on an evening bug walk. We saw a scorpion, poisonous frogs, snails, a wolf spider, a scorpion spider, milipedes and centipedes, grass hoppers, beatles, and conga ants -- probably the most poisonous insect in the world (one bite would virtually incapacitate a grown man for up to 24 hours -- needless to say a big concern for the next 7 days was avoiding conga ants!!!!)
Over the next several days, we took several walks in the rainforest, during which we learned a lot about the indigenous cultures, as well as the various plants and trees -- particularly their medicinal uses. We ate rainforest natural peanuts, as well as lemon ants (Jenn refrained). We put dragon´s blood (from a tree) on our mosquito bites. We used natural paints for temporary tatoos (I still have mine, actually). Our local guide, Jaime, was so knowledgeable -- he made our experience an incredible one. We also took a serious, hard-core trek into the jungle -- a full day trek of about 15km, with very little of a trail (follow the guide with the machete, really). Aside from the ¨swamp incident¨(during which I pulled Jenn, by mistake, into an anaconda-infested swamp -- only up to her knees, however), we had a really great time. At least I did. Personally, I do not think Jenn enjoyed that day too much, but she made it and appreciated it (long) after the fact.
We did not, much to my chagrin and Jenn´s enjoyment, see any snakes. I really wanted to see a Boa or an Anaconda. We did, however, see a friendly taipir (he swam along next to and followed our canoe), capybara (largest rodent in the world), frogs, a host of monkeys (which are VERY hard to see in the jungle), frogs, a caiman (in the pitch black of night), and as stated, a lot of insects.
We also took numerous canoe rides, during which we saw a lot of birds. Again, I could not believe how much I appreciated the bird life. Birds of all sizes, with gorgeous colors. Parrots and parakeets, macaws and toucans, vultures and herons, egrets and kingfishers, flycatchers and hawks. Just astounding.
Finally, for activities, we fished for pirannahs. I even caught one and we (or I, actually) ate one for dinner. One night in particular was just magical. The sun was setting, the sky was pink, bats were skimming across the water, and darkness was setting in on the jungle. That was, truly, a scene I will never forget.
The best part of our jungle experience, however, was probably the isolation, the peacefulness, the solitude . . . and the incredible sounds of the jungle once that generator turned off.
Ecuador is probably not for everyone -- you cannot drink the water, petty theft is high, and the infrastructure is not like the US (although nice hotels abound). Nonetheless, Ecuador is an absolutely amazing country to visit. So if you want to rough it just a little bit, then head to Ecuador soon.
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