Sabbatical!

I haven't fallen off the planet, just taking a little sabbatical to enjoy some time on AMI.  To quote the "Govenator"............."I will be back"...........soon!

The old dog learns a new trick!

We're back!  Unless we're stricken by some delayed onset disease we survived.  There were a total of nine flights involved, seven of which were on foreign airlines (LATAM and Avianca).  Everything went fine with the flights and the connections.  We remain amazed at how easy it is to get to Peru and Ecuador from Miami.  Our flight back from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Miami was less than four hours.  It takes us five and a half on a direct flight from Tampa to San Francisco to see Sarah, Joey and James.  Speaking of James, check out this latest picture we got today!  My unbiased opinion is he's pretty darn cute!  We're looking forward to spending some time with them in July.

Growing up fast!

Well I think I've learned a new trick.  How to post videos on YouTube and imbed them in the blog.  I've added a few short videos into a couple of the previously posted blogs.


If you're interested go back and check out the following blogs:

• Day 2............"In Nixon We Trust"
• "In Nixon We Really Trust"
• Finding a Needle in a Peruvian Rainforest  (Amazing video taken by Nixon inside the bat tree)
• It Must Be Genetic
• Swimming with Sea Lions

Heading home?

Right in front of our hotel

We can't really say we're heading home, we don't have one!  It is safe to say we're heading back to our base, which is NaNa's house on AMI.  Packing is always pretty easy for us.  I think we've mastered the art of traveling light.  Packing for the journey back is even easier, just throw it all in, surely it needs washing even if it's "clean".
For our final full day in San Cristobal we hired a taxi for a little island tour.  The island is fairly large, however, the great majority is protected land.  There is one road that crosses from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno to the other side of the island ending at Puerto Chino beach.  It's about a forty minute drive across but there were a few interesting places along the way.  There is a fairly steep grade to the middle of the island where there is a long dormant volcano ((El Junco).  There is a hiking trail around the caldera which is now filled with water to form a freshwater lake.  Unfortunately it was raining and very foggy at the top of the volcano so we had to scrap the hike.  Based on what we read, this is frequently the case even though it can be clear and sunny at lower elevations.
Next we stopped at La Galapaguera Semi Natural Tortoise Reserve.  The "semi natural" is because the tortoises are free to roam in what is a fairly large area.  Additionally, there is a breeding station located there. We were looking at the young ones that were around a year old.  It was strange to think that some of those little guys will probably still  be around in the year 2160!
 We got the biggest kick out of seeing one of the full grown tortoises in an all out sprint for food.  The keepers delivered some freshly cut vegetation to a spot about 50 yards away from where he was grazing.  Suddenly he either smelled or sensed that fresh food was just down the path so off he went.  It was like Moses parting the Red Sea, watching as visitors movied to the sides of the path so he could walk through.

If all goes as it should Tortoise #12 should still be kicking it around in 2160

The big fella wasn't going to let anything get in his way of fresh food.

Then we spent some time at Puerto Chino which was a very nice looking beach although we opted to just sit and stare instead of getting in the chilly water.  On the way back we made one final stop at a place that advertised itself as having the worlds widest Kapok Tree.  It was actually kind of cool.  They had built a large multi-room tree house.  The restroom was a little hard to get to, you actually had to go down a ladder into the trunk of the tree to get to it.




Panoramic of Puerto Chino

Pondering Darwin's Theories

Advertised as the world's widest Kapok Tree............we have no arguments otherwise

Up in the tree house

The "restroom" was down inside the trunk.  Beth's leading the way down the ladder.







We finished up the day with a final swim at Playa Man.  Once again we were surrounded by playful sea lions in the water and slumbering sea lions on the beach.  Quite a place!

Lunch at Fresco Café.  A small place overlooking the water.  Great food, awesome views and hammocks to top it all off.

Stir fry noodles and vegetables @ Fresco Café.  They also had killer Carrot Cake.  It didn't last long enough to get a picture!

A fitting end to this South American Adventure!

It's 9:30 now and check out is 10:00.  Time to pack it up!

 

Things we've learned, observed, or figured out on this adventure..............

Every time you say to yourself "No more pictures of cute sea lions" you run across a sight like this!  Check out his nose.

Tomorrow at this time we'll be packing up to start the journey back.  Thankfully there are no ferry rides involved!  We have a flight from San Cristobal to Guayaquil, Ecuador, a seven hour or so layover and then a flight to Miami.  We've enjoyed visiting three very unique and different places.  We did find in talking to people along the way that many of them had combined two or three of these destinations in their travels as well.  In no particular order here are some things that we've learned, observed or figured out as we've bounced around (ferry boat reference) down here.

• It seems as if South America is a good use of points and miles.
• We have been either in the Central or Rocky Mountain time zones at all three locations which makes for easier traveling.  This has allowed us to keep the same schedule we have when we're in Florida.  Early to bed, early to rise.
• We have used two of the major South American airlines.  LATAM (One World Alliance) and Avianca (Star Alliance).  No issues with either one but we did like Avianca better.  The interiors of the planes were brighter, there was inflight entertainment, drinks and snacks were included.  On LATAM you had to pay for everything other than water.
• The cost of food, snacks, etc. at all three were very similar to US prices.
• The food is very good!  All local restaurants. Yesterday we had empanadas for lunch, 3 for $5.  Last night we enjoyed a good meal at a small place called Giuseppe's (Shrimp Gyro and Calzone).  The hotels have all included breakfast so it's been easy to eat for around $20 per person per day. 

Empanadas at a local restaurant suggested by the hotel staff.  3 for $5 plus a coke or tea for $1.50.  Tax and Tip included

• We loved the food kiosks in Santa Cruz (the first Galapagos Island we visited).  They're a "must do".
• Items such as straws, "to go cups", plastic grocery bags, etc. cannot be found in the Galapagos Islands.  This really reduces the amount of trash and litter.
• Ecuador actually uses the US dollar as it's currency.  It started in 2000 after a financial crisis saw the value of their currency (Sucre) drop by 70%.  Ecuadorians were putting all their money into US holdings so they just transitioned over.  It's nice not to have to worry about exchange rates.  If you're wondering where all those Susan B. Anthony One Dollar coins ended up.........we found them!

There are a few things that take a little getting used to:

• There was no air conditioning in the Amazon lodges.  A couple of nights it was a little hot and slightly humid.  The last night we were there we were under a blanket.
• There was no hot water in the Amazon lodges.  As someone who likes long, hot showers this took a little getting used to!
• It is recommended that you do not drink the tap water in either Peru or Ecuador.  Not a big deal, bottled water is supplied by all the properties and can be purchased cheaply.  The biggest challenge with this one is brushing your teeth and remembering not to clean your toothbrush or rinse using tap water.  Old habits are hard to break so it does take a contentious effort.  We were 100% compliant on this one.
• Used toilet paper is not discarded into the toilet (plumbing).  It is placed in a small trash can (with a lid) that is conveniently located by the toilet.  I guess you could say it's kinda like an adult diaper pail.  Again, old habits are hard to break.  We were pretty close to 100% compliant, which is probably way more information than you wanted.  At the Quito Airport (a really, really nice airport) there was a sign that said it was ok to put your toilet paper in the toilet.  I was so thrilled that after depositing my toilet paper as instructed, I went and got the camera and took a picture of the sign!

A sign that was very much appreciated!

There were so many special moments and memories created on this trip.  Thanks to those who are reading this for following along as the Traveling Idiots made their way across Peru and Ecuador!


La Loberia-About a forty minute walk from the hotel



A little relaxing after a hard swim

Still my favorite bathroom sign of all time..................Ngawha Springs, New Zealand, Nov.13, 2016

Swimming with Sea Lions...........

Beth and her buddies on Playa Man

We are staying in the city of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (PBM).  With a population of around 6,000 people it's the largest city on the island of San Cristobal.  It's the second largest city in the Galapagos Islands (Puerto Aroyo, where we stayed on Santa Cruz is the largest).  I described Puerto Aroyo as very laid back.  To keep that description accurate I would have to describe PBM as laid back and on Prozac.  Our kind of place!
San Cristobal is the eastern most of the 13 major islands that make up the Galapagos Islands.  It has the distinction of being the first of the Galapagos Islands that Darwin visited back in 1835.  Surprisingly, for as closely as Darwin is linked to the islands he actually only spent five weeks here.  Most of his writings and theories came after he had left.

Me welcoming Charles to San Cristobal

Getting right into the laid back spirit of the island, we had a pretty low key day yesterday.  I guess it also allowed us to put the finishing touches on our recovery from the ferry ride the day before.  We did a nice walk along the waterfront in the morning.  It gave us the opportunity to get the "lay of the land", which is quite easy given the small size of the city.
The highlight was an afternoon hike.  We first hiked to a small but interesting Galapagos Islands interpretation center that gave a history of the islands dating back to their formation from volcanic eruptions.  From there it was up to a lookout point where we saw more frigate birds (all females) and looked down on a popular snorkeling spot.  There weren't too many snorkelers at the time but they were surrounded by sea lions.  Additionally, a sea turtle could be seen floating along relaxing.




Tijeretas Lookout-The water below is a popular snorkeling site

We headed down from the lookout to get in a little beach time ourselves.  The first stop was Playa Carola where the number of sea lions on the beach easily outnumbered the humans.  The water was a little rough here so we simply hung out with the critters for a while.  We were very amused by their antics, especially the young ones.  They paid no attention to us even though we were sitting only around 10 feet away.
Our last stop was Playa Man where once again we humans were outnumbered by the sea lions.  The water was calmer here so after a few minutes we took the plunge.  The water here seems a little colder than it was on Santa Cruz but it was still tolerable.  It's hard to even think about being cold when you're sharing a dip with sea lions swimming in and around you, sometimes coming within an arms length.

Dr. Doolittle talking to the animals

You want to take a picture of every one of them

Coming out of the water after a swim

Playa Man

These little guys are very difficult to photograph.  By the time you point and focus they've moved to three different places

Sunset from our balcony!

I'm thinking that for as smart as Darwin appeared to be he wasn't that smart.  If he was he would have spent much more than five weeks here!

Playa Carola

 

Rubbing elbows and lap dancing with strangers.......................

Today was relocation day, as we moved from Santa Cruz Island to San Cristobal Island.  The distance between the two islands is 64 miles.  To say it was an adventurous 64 miles would be a tremendous understatement.
The easiest and most economical way to get between the islands is by ferry boat.  The words "ferry boat" probably conjure up images of a slow moving vessel like the Staten Island Ferry in New York or the ferry's around San Francisco or Seattle.  In the Galapagos "ferry boat" has a whole different meaning.  Our ferry boat was around a 36 foot boat with twin 250 HP engines and a smaller engine that I assume was a "back up".  The boat at one time was probably a sport fishing or cruising vessel.  It's now been repurposed to shuffle as many people as possible on the two hour journey across open waters.  There were no fancy seats, just padded benches along the sides running most of the length of the boat.  It reminded me of the type of boats I would see on the news smuggling Cuban refugees across the Florida Straits.  Up front where there had probably once been a bedroom was now an open area where the luggage was "stored" (more like thrown).
We loaded up with around 28-30  people.  Over the next two hours they would become our closest friends, even though most of them appeared to not speak English.  I'm not sure who was operating the boat from on top.  Both of the two young men I saw go up there looked as if they would have had to been driven to the port by their mothers because they weren't old enough to have a drivers license.
As we made our way out of the harbor it became apparent that it would be a little bouncy due to the choppy seas.  As soon as we were in open waters Captain Kidd put the pedal to the metal and we were on our way!.  Given the amount of time it took to cover the distance between the two islands I would assume we were merrily bouncing along at around 35 mph.  After about 10 minutes Beth turned to me and said "we didn't get any kind of safety briefing and where are the life jackets".
I think the safety briefing would have been "hold on tight"!  I spotted a few orange life jackets underneath the mound of luggage in the front of the boat.  I told Beth that there were probably some under our benches as well, but I'm not sure.  I did do a quick survey of the rest of the passengers and figured there were enough elderly women and children that if worse came to worse and there was a shortage of life jackets that I could whip about 10 of them pretty easily.
Every time we'd hit a large swell (about every 6-8 seconds) everyone would bounce a little more towards the back of the boat.  I enjoyed rubbing elbows and lap dancing with Beth, not so much with the guy on the other side of me.  Across the way were a couple of young backpackers.  The guy was fairly large and the gal seemed a little small in stature.  Every bounce she would land a little closer to him.  Unfortunately for her there was a woman of not so small stature on the other side of her and every bounce brought her a little closer.  After a while the poor young lady was about to disappear, only surfacing for a quick breath of air while we were air born.
For the shape we were in, we weren't in as bad of shape as the people who were sitting in the rear.  In addition to being squished they were also soaking wet.  Those were seats I had originally chosen, but Beth had wisely watched where the locals sat and suggested we move up.
We couldn't see where we were going, we could only stare across from us or offer a quick reassuring glance towards each other.  Finally, after close to two hours Captain Kidd slowed the boat down, meaning we had safely made it!
We were quite pleased that we had survived.  Heck, I've seen cowboys score 80+ points for an eight second ride on a bull that was more docile than our nearly two hour ordeal.
The journey is always part of the adventure and this was the "Mother of all Journey's". 
Would we recommend it.............absolutely!  Just keep in mind the journey is part of the adventure.
Would we do it again..................absolutely!  Just not today, we've got to let our spine get back in alignment first.

Our ferry!

Males strutting their stuff and boobies everywhere.........and pictures to prove it!

The Adrianne, our boat for the day!

We found it very easy to keep ourselves entertained here on Santa Cruz.  There are plenty of things to see and do within walking distance and taxi's are inexpensive for exploring other parts of the island.  That being said, we did want to explore a bit further out.  We booked a one day tour that took us by boat to a beach with a snorkeling area and then to the small uninhabited (by people) island of North Seymour. 
There were around 16 on the tour, along with a really nice guide whose name was Venus (pronounced Ve-Noose).  What we liked about Venus was her infectious smile, enthusiasm and the fact that she didn't overload us with information.  Our boat was a catamaran that we boarded at the Santa Cruz side of the airport ferry landing.
It was about a 30 minute ride over slightly choppy waters to the beach.  The water temperature and clarity was the same as Tortuga Bay, slightly chilly and clear.  There were quite a few patches of rocks in the water which attracted a number of very colorful fish.  The highlight of the snorkeling was when we were joined by a large sea turtle.  We followed him for about 10 minutes as he fed on the rocks.  He had a gathering of small orange, yellow and black fish swimming around his head picking up any debris that he left behind. 

Cruising towards the beach

The beach where we snorkeled.  There were lots of fish around the rocks in the water behind me.

After about an hour we boarded the boat again and headed for North Seymour.  Along the way we could smell food cooking and knew that lunch would be served soon.  The captain anchored the boat in relatively calm water and we enjoyed a delicious lunch that included fresh tuna steaks, rice (pretty much every meal), stir fry vegetables and fresh cantaloupe.
North Seymour looked like a small, desolate island at first.  Once we were on shore we found it to be teeming with life.  There were sea lions, land iguanas, lava lizards, night feeding gulls and more. The stars of the show were the frigate birds and blue footed boobies.
The frigates are very large birds with wingspans that looked to be around 6 feet.  They are found along the coastal areas of the islands and their diet consists mainly of fish.  One unique thing about them is that their wings are not waterproof so they cannot land on the water.  To get their fish they mainly rely on stealing from other birds and scavenging.
As with most species, especially humans, the males like to show off in hopes of attracting a mate.  In the case of the frigate the males have a red pouch under their neck that they can inflate to attract the ladies.  We saw quite a few of them who were "looking for love" as we hiked around the island.  We also saw one lucky fella sitting with his lady, as well as a number of nests with an egg (they lay a single egg) and several young.  Clearly their method of attracting a mate is working!

Males were looking for love................

and looking.....................

and looking..................

SUCCESS!

North Seymour is also where the boobies can be found...............the Blue Footed Boobies that is!  The t-shirt shops are making a small fortune off the boobies.  There are t-shirts and hats everywhere proclaiming messages such as "I love boobies".  There wasn't much temptation for us to buy one but we did love seeing the boobies.
Both the males and females have the blue webbed feet. It looks as if they had their feet dipped in cans of paint.  The females were dipped into a slightly darker blue paint than the males.  There were a number of nests on the island, many of which had baby birds in them.  To make the nests the parents mark their territory with "poop".  Usually it's in the shape of a circle.  There are typically two eggs on the nest.  WARNING...........an example of Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest" is coming................
If all goes as plans both eggs hatch and the parents feed both of the young.  The young stay on the nest for around eight months but at around four months they've grown to a size that the parents can only provide food for one offspring.  The parents don't decide which of the young survives and which goes to boobie heaven.  The stronger of the two (usually the first born) will push the other off the nest.  Once this happens the parents don't recognize the one outside the circle of poop and we all know what happens when we don't eat.  Mother Nature can be quite cruel at times but it insures the survival of the fittest and prevents overpopulation.  When you quit crying about the baby boobie outside the nest enjoy the pictures of the boobies and some of the other wildlife we found on this amazing island.

A Blue Footed Boobie!



Parent and babies

A baby and a parent bonding

The father staying with the baby while the mother fishes. 

Land Iguana.......much more colorful than the Marine Iguana

Land Iguana.................in good shape

A Land Iguana in not such good shape

Lava Lizard....................There are seven varieties.  They all do a distinctive type of "push up"

Not a worry in the world...............the Tiger Sharks can't get him here

He found the perfect pillow

Night Feeding Gull and a chick