Ecuador and the Galapagos
Day 1 - Travel Day and Broken Phone
First day is uneventful as expected for a travel day. Although it immediately started with a small speed bump when my Pre-Check number was expired and I could not find it. I had to accept going through the standard security line which is always fun with a backpack of camera gear and electronics plus my carry on suitcase to prevent having to check a bag. Luckily I was there early enough, and surprisingly wasn’t asked to open my backpack like some previous flights.
Once I arrived in Quito, I met with my guide and was taken to my hotel in Old Town, and as I exited the car my phone decided to fall onto the street and break the glass on one of the camera lenses. An annoyance for sure since the phone was only ~3months old, but manageable for the time being.
Day 2 – History Lessons
The first full day was a Quito city tour and history lesson. As someone who knows little to nothing about the country, my guide was more than happy to give me a detailed lesson on the county’s past, it’s forming, and the importance of the buildings in the neighborhood.
We started in the main plaza, Independence Square. Sandwiched between City Hall and the Presidential Palace, this area provides resting area for passerby’s who need a bench to sit and relax or have a quick bite to eat. We talked about the origins of Ecuador, the people originally living here, alliances and adversaries, European influence and control, all the way to modern day Ecuador.
We then took a short walk over to the San Francisco Catholic Church, which is still active and in use at the time. We quietly looked around, but did not overstay to make sure we didn’t distract patrons who were present. We then walked a block over to another church, the Church of Society of Jesus, which is still active but empty at the time of our arrival. Again, we discussed the history of the churches, the influence and changes to them through history, and importance to the people of Quito. We walked around a bit taking in the intricate decorations and paintings lining every inch of the place.
At this point, we jumped in our truck and took a quick drive through the city up the mountain to the statue of a Winged Mary. With a few shops, and a view overlooking the city we spent a little time up here - pointing out the volcanoes we could see and important buildings below. After a brief pause, we set off to the Equator.
We arrived at the Intiñan Equator Museum where my small group was given a brief lesson of the Amazon Rainforest, the Equator, and performed some small science experiments to see how being on the Equator affects physics - flushing water, walking a straight line looking up, and balancing an egg to be specific. After seeing the Coriolis affect in action, balancing an egg on a nail head, and failing to walk a straight line my guide and I took a short drive to the “Middle of the World CIty” - a monument to the equator that just barely missed the equator. But i’ll give them credit, using just the starts as a guide to finding the equator they did a pretty good job. Along with the monument, there are small shops and restaurants around to grab a bite to eat or try and barter for souvenirs.
Heading back into the city, we took a small stop outside the Basílica del Voto Nacional. A large Gothic inspired church that is permanently being “constructed” due to the belief that once work stops a worldwide catastrophic event will occur. I was unable to go inside, but if you get there on time you can tour the inside and even go up to the spires to overlook the city.
At this point, we hit all the stops on our agenda. My guide took me back to the hotel to drop me off for free time the rest of the day. I of course took a quicik power nap, but then went out to look for dinner and wander around old town a bit. After eating traditional Ecuadorian Hornado for dinner at Cafe del Fraile within an open air plaza, visiting a few shops that were open a bit late, and a couple pints to unwind at Andes Brew Pub it was time to call it a night and prepare for a hopefully busy upcoming day
Day 3 – Mindo Valley and the Rainforest
Today began with an early hotel pickup and a drive into the Mindo Valley for rainforest adventure and hopefully some excellent bird spotting opportunities. Our first stop was at the Alambi Reserve.
The first thing you hear geting out of your car is seemingly an endless number of hummingbirds flying and calling out to one another. Plenty of feeders are out to provide continuous supply of food, making it a prime place for hummingbirds - and other species - to gather.
These birds have become so accustomed to people, that you can even hand feed them.
We walked the trail down to the river and an overpass in the hopes to spot a Cock-of-the-rock, a rare bird with a very distinguished brightly colored head. We lucked out, that after a few minutes we spotted a female return to her nest and feed her chick. We did not spot a male, I presume he was out gathering food for the family.
After a bit, we left to head to the next adventure - a canopy zipline tour hoping to find some wild toucans. Ziplining around with my camera was probably not the smartest idea, but I was willing to take the chance hoping to get some good pictures. However, in the dry season there isn’t a lot of fruit and flowers out so wildlife isn’t at it’s peak. We didn’t see any toucans, but we did manage to see some toucanets and a potoo bird resting on the ground.
Our last stop was to the Tarabita Mindo a las Cascadas - a valley that will be hopefully full of birds and great trails. We rode the cable car across the valley to work our way backwards, and at this point it really started to get hot and humid. The hike didn’t yield many birds - some hummingbirds, a few fly catchers and warblers - but we eventually saw the reason why when we spotted a hawk atop a tree searching for a meal.
At this point, we were both hungry and ready for a late lunch and headed to Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa. I was easily distracted while we ate since birds were flying all around us - I had to quit eating to try and take pictures of something new. As we finished up eating, a short rainstorm came through which helped cool the temperature a bit.
Since I was heading to the Galapagos early in the morning, we gathered my things from the hotel and set off to one closer by the airport. I had to take the evening to repack my bags to make sure I was all set for my flight so as I transferred pictures onto my computer I got dinner and a couple local drinks to bring back to my room. I found a channel in English and watched King Kong the rest of the night, probably staying up too late.
Day 4 – Island Bound
After a couple days in mainland Ecuador, it was time to head to the Galapagos islands. I got a quick shuttle to the airport, got my cash and paperwork, and set off to the islands. It was pretty windy on Seymore island at the Baltra Airport, and it’s not uncommon for flights to take multiple attempts to land - but luckily my flight was one and done.
Walking off the plane was like walking into a whole other world. Keep in mind, it was dry season, so there wasn’t much greenery and it was hot and dry - with quite a bit of wind that was a welcome addition. I worked my way through the airport, presented my paperwork and paid my fees and met up with my local guide to head into the Highlands of Santa Cruz and make our way to El Chato Ranch, a Giant Tortoise Reserve. On the drive here I was astounded by how many wild tortoises can be seen along the road, crossing the road, laying in the roads, and simply everywhere. Once at the Ranch, we grabbed lunch and talked about the island and the seasons - how the tortoises move around to follow the greenery, and simply watch as birds and tortoises roamed the grounds. After we finished eating, we walked around the trails to get up close to these giants, as well as walk through a lava tube that ran underneath our feet
After some time, we jumped back into our car and headed to Playa El Garrapatero, a beach on the southern side of the island. Although swimming was allowed here my bags were packed and I had no idea where my trunks were so we settled on walking around to look for birds and iguanas and just take in the environment. We did not stay very long as the beach is quite popular and many people were there, so wildlife was slim. After a bit. we headed to Puerto Ayora where I was shown the main areas to see, the docks that I could take a water taxi and catch my speedboat later in the trip, and just get familiar with my surroundings before being dropped off at my hotel. The rest of the day was open for me to roam, so once I was settled I went back into the city to hop between shops and grab dinner. I was of course distracted by the animals that seemingly did not care about the people of the area. Pelicans, iguanas, seals, and more roamed around the docks and shoreline, that you had to be careful where you walked. Eventually hunger took over and it was time to eat and call it a night.
Day 5 - North Seymore Island
Today had one main activity - to hike around an uninhabited island. On the schedule was North Seymore where Frigate Birds and Blue Footed Boobies are nesting with young chicks and hatchlings. I caught my shuttle to be brough to our boat, and my group of “up to 20 people” was just me and 3 others so we essentially got a private tour.
I was hoping to see a few birds unsure of what to expect, but we were basically stepping over them (not literally) as we walked the designated paths. Nests were everywhere - in the trees and on the ground. Some birds were tending to their young while others were still trying to find a mate for the season. I took pictures of everyone I saw knowing it was going to be a pain to go through once home.
After walking for a couple hours, we boarded back on our boat and headed to a nearby beach to swim and snorkel a bit to cool down in the hot island sun. I brought my GoPro, but there wasn’t much activity - and I only got sunburn on my back a lot.
This brings us to the end of the activity, so we made our way back to the ferry terminal and catch our bus back to the city. I had plenty of free time so I took advantage of my remaining sunlight to head to Las Grietas - a swimming area between two steep cliffs. For a couple dollars (both ways) you can catch a water taxi to take you across the water and make a short walk past another beach and salt flat. I paid my entrance/guide fee, hiked briefly to the location, and easily made it there. There were a lot of people swimming, I opted not to swim but instead grab a few pictures, but then bird watch on the way back to the city. With lagoons on each side brightly colored birds and herons were easy to spot. My return hike definitely took more time than the time I spent to get here.
After this, the sun began to set and it was time to eat. I chose to go to Santa Cruz Brewery for a burger and a couple pints of locally made beer (I was just as surprised there was a brewery here) and did some more roaming around the town exploring. Eventually, it was late so it was time to get back to the hotel and sleep up for another active day to come.
Day 6 – Too many Sharks
My morning was free since I was scheduled to be picked up at lunch to go snorkle. I remembered the day before that the beach where we arrived has a bunch of sealions - young and old - lounging around and roaming the area so I decided to walk back to see what they were up to. On the way however, I stopped by a nearby lagoon known to have flamingoes. There were a few walking around, but this time of year there weren’t a tremendous amount.
I then made my way to the beach and immediately saw sealions sleeping everywhere - in the sand, on benches, on walkways, under hammocks…..everywhere. I also took some time to walk to a nearby cove where there were even more sealions, one of which decided to block the path and stare down everyone who walked around.
It was getting close to my pickup time, so I headed back to the hotel to grab my snorkle supplies and meetup for my group shuttle. We set off to the dock and boarded our boat to go to nearby destination of Tintoreras. We initially took a lap around the rocks spotting penguins, sealions, and other birds along the water. After a bit of sight seeing, we pulled up to some hiking trails to go further into the rocky terrain to see iguanas and sharks waiting for high tide to swim out of their shallow areas they spent the day in.
After a bit of hiking, it was time to snorkel and that water was much colder than I thought - I should have worn my wetsuit. During our swimming time we lucked out in that we were able to get close to many fish, sea turtles, one penguin decided to jump in the water and swim around the group, and towards the end we swam through a shallow area filled with too many sharks within an arms reach (I lost count after a while)
After we returned to our boat and back to shore, it was time to cleanup and search for dinner. I met up with a few other Americans who were a part of the tour and all went to the Booby Trap (it’s a restaurant and bar I swear) and eventually after an exhausting day part ways and call it a night.
Day 7 – More Snorkeling
Similar to the previous day, I had some time to kill before being picked up for another snorkel trip. I stopped by the lagoon once more to see if there were any birds walking around and did some city exploring stopping in a few shops.
While looking around, I realized I wasn’t too far away from the Tortoise Breeding Center, so I briskly walked that direction. I paid my ticket fee at the initial welcome area about 1 mile away from the center, but it also allowed me to walk down some more trails and a boardwalk around more lagoons in the hopes to see some flamingoes and other birds.
Once at the center, I met with a private tour guide who walked me around the grounds filled with tortoises aging from a few months all the way to over a century years old. On this tour I got a detailed history of this animal and how over time multiple different species came to exist - some more endagered than others. The breeding center works with the ones most in danger to help replenish their numbers. One particular species was on the brink of extinction, but about 14 were saved prior to a volcano eruption and brought to the center and their numbers have been steadily increasing. One fun fact I learned, it’s believed the tortoises on the island can live up to ~150 years, and usually reach reproduction maturity around 100 years old in some species so it’s a long process to raise and increase their numbers.
At this point, I had to hustle back to my hotel to make sure I get on my shuttle on time. We made a few more stops to grab a few more folks, and headed to the dock to board out boat. After a short rain delay, we set off to Cabo Rose, passing by Islote La Unión.
After about 45 minutes to an hour long boat ride, we made it to Cabo Rose and prepared to snorkle around the jagged rocks and lava tunnels. At one point, I did scratch my knee near a shark and that is a pretty good motivator to swim fast - luckily none of them were interested in us.
After an extended period in the water, the group decided we still wanted to go to Los Túneles, but did not feel the need to snorkle a second time since we already saw so much. We ate a quick lunch, then set off to the next location. Along the way, the crew asked if we had any issues with fishing - after no objections we took some time to fish off the back of the ship as we drove. The deckhand fishing quickly caught a mackerel and barracuda, so I asked if I could have a try and was told to go for it. As expected the fish stopped biting so quick, but eventually I was also able to catch a mackerel. Another member of my tour group took a turn fishing and actually caught the largest fish (another mackerel) so she took the hypothetical trophy and bragging rights. After we had our 4 fish, we arrived and were able to hop off the boat onto the rock structures and walk around the narrow walkways overlooking the water. The crystal clear water gave us plenty of opportunities to see more sharks, fish, and turtles. Above the water Blue Footed Boobies were very active, and in one particular area the males were “battling” for a mate. One battle concluded and a couple was formed while we watched the other male fly away.
After a bit, we boarded our boat again and were greeted with a fish dinner. We sat and ate for a bit, tossed our fish scraps into the water and watched as sharks got some free food and frigate birds flew overhead wondering where their scraps were. We set off back to town, I dropped my gear off at the hotel, grabbed dinner, then called it a night. Who knew this much swimming was so exhausting.
Day 8 – Climbing the Volcano
My last full day on the islands was going to be an exhausting one. In the morning, we set off to the base station to hike the Sierra Negra Volcano. One thing to keep in mind, this is an active volcano with it’s most recent eruption happening in 2018. Standing above the Caldera, you can see the fresh black areas from recent eruptions and the volcano flow. We learned about the different typed of lava and how they can leave behind a smooth surface or a jagged landscape that is impossible to walk on without proper foot protection. We ventured to the North East side of the volcano to see the “fresh” lava flow and walk over the eruption areas through the barren landscape, overlooking the rest of the island.
As this trek ended, we headed back to base station and returned to town - it was a very hot and sunny day and I was feeling a bit if heat exhaustion but I had one more thing I wanted to do while on Isabella Island. Once back in town, I headed to a nearby bike shop and rented a bike to head off to the Wall of Tears - remnants of the day back when the island was used as a penal colony. I avoided distractions and set off straight there planning to make stops on the way back. As I ascended the hill, there were a few times I had to get off the bike and walk - I was absolutely exhausted by this point and was soaking with sweat. As I approached the wall, I also decided to climb a lot more stairs than I anticipated to an overlook to look out at the ocean and back inland.
Now that all I had to do was get back to town, I jumped back on my bike and let gravity take the lead as I went way too fast along the trail dodging iguanas and bumps hoping not to crash like the last time I rode a bike. Once I was back down to flat terrain, I stopped briefly at a mangrove cove and decided it would be nice to get my feet wet and enjoy a little bit of water to cool down. What most people do, is as they enter the area they leave their bags and shoes behind since you have to wade through some water to get to the actual cove area. I was hesitant to leave my backpack full of camera gear so I decided to keep that on me as I went into the knee deep waters. Unfortunately for me, as I was walking I hit an edge in the sand and quickly found myself in chest deep water. I rushed to hold my backpack up above the water, but in doing so my cell phone in my pocket became completely submerged - and with the broken lense from day 1 water definately made it’s way into the electronics.
Soaking wet, I made it out to the beach, returned back to where I left my boots (where a sealion suddenly appeared and decided was a good nap spot) and finished the ride back to town to return my bike. I went back to the hotel to assess my wet clothes and electronics. Luckily no water made its way into my bad to cause any problems, but I could not say the same about my phone. It was starting to act up, but still functional.
I cleaned up, stopped by the one gift shop I could find that sold t-shirts since I needed to buy one more after the trip so far, and went to the beach to grab my final meal. I took my time walking back to my hotel, stopping for some ice cream. Once back I began the grueling process of repacking my bags since I had stuff thrown around everywhere. It was at this point I made a fatal flaw, and plugged my phone into charge - completely frying it since there was still water inside. Defeated, I finished packing and went to bed for my 5am, pickup to work through all the phases to get back to the US.
Day 9 - Returning home without a phone
Today started with a bit of self inflicted confusion. With no phone or watch, I was using my laptop as a clock and alarm and unknowingly was 1 hour ahead. I went down for my 5am pickup at 4am, and when nobody was there and about 20 minutes passed I started walking to the dock to make sure I caught my speedboat back to Santa Cruz. As I walked a pickup truck behind me honked - which I assumed was the person I was suppose to meet. Turns out it was just a random resident, but for 2 bucks he dropped me off at the dock. As I waited in line, I just killed time watching sealions swimming around the dock and as I was in line about to board my actual driver showed up to verify where I was since nobody could find me at the hotel.
But eventually it all worked out. I got on the speedboat, made it to Santa Cruz, grabbed breakfast, made my way back to the Baltra Airport, flew to Quito, ate dinner and watched netflix on my laptop to waste a few hours, got on my flight, and made it back home. It was a bit of an adventure since the whole time I had no way to contact anybody (outside periods I could connect my laptop to the internet), no translator, no watch or phone to know the time, no access to e-mails to look up flight info, etc. Once back, I made a quick dash to replace my phone and learned a valuable lesson - don’t cancel your protection plan right before a big vacation.
