Saturday, June 6, 2009

More experiences in the Galapagos














Remember all photos on the left can be clicked on and enlarged.
One of the first things you experience when you get off the plane on Baltra Island in the Galapagos is color. Dry brown brush enclosed by black volcanic rock floating in turquoise waters hit the eye immediately. Then you start to notice the wildlife. While waiting for the ferry to take us from Baltra to Santa Cruz the Frigate birds started flying overhead, colorful fish sliced the water and gorgeous Sally Lightfoot crabs scuttled across the rocks. We were definitely in exotic territory already.
Now I know that there are those of you who just think we have been on a perpetual vacation, okay that's not far from the truth, but don't hate, appreciate. I hope that if you had the time and ability to go into debt that we have been afforded, you would not think it a waste of either of those things to come to such an amazing place. One of the fantastic aspects of being on these islands is that the wildlife is so placid. They don't fear human contact and you can get some great photos. You are directed not to touch the animals because it could change the space/time continuum. But Captain, it sure is tempting. Yet, even Lizzie managed not to touch a single animal, we did leave behind some sea urchin shells that she desperately wanted to take with her, and I wanted to hold an abandoned Albatross egg. I think that my mother can attest to my desire to touch things, simply because they are there, but come on, an Albatross egg! The eggs are left behind when the giant birds crash land head first onto the rocky airport after hunting for food, and die. Good thing that the our guide, Ivan, was able to distract my attention from the eggs with a blowhole. The surf bangs up against the crevices of some rocks and the water rises up geyser style through a hole.
The crazy thing is the amount of sea lions that are on the various islands. We first began to see them in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. We were taking a water taxi from our Yacht, Yachte Fragata, back to the island after unpacking our bags when we noticed a couple of the cute creatures lounging in one of the small motor boats in the harbor. At first I didn't believe they were in the boat, but the zoom lens on our camera doesn't lie. Then we saw a few more on our walk to the Charles Darwin Research Center. They were hanging around the fish dock along with one of my favorite birds, the Pelican. Santa Cruz is the most populous island with lots of inhabitants and tourists walking around, but these guys didn't mind. Our first close up encounter with a group of sea lions was on the second island we visited, Santa Fe. They filled the beach of this small island. Apparently, there is one bull for each group of adult female sea lions along with the various offspring. If we were shooting the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition these gals couldn't have posed better for us. They were working it, baby, and so were we. Their barks and cries could be somewhat surprising at times, especially if you walked too close. When they worked at clearing out their airways of salt water, it reminded us of a loud cat coughing up a hair ball. We saw so many sea lions on every island we visited I had to remind myself not to get jaded about seeing them by the fifth day. They really are awesome animals both in and out of the water.
The Giant Tortoises at the Charles Darwin Center didn't seem to mind our presence either. They let us in the pens with the ladies and later with the gents, but we couldn't spend time inside the pen cheering up Lonesome George, the last of his species of Giant Tortoises. He probably isn't lonesome at all and we humans are just dying to anthropomorphize him. If he doesn't want to fertilize, he just doesn't, right ladies? The guy is 80 years old and has about another 70 years to go. Lizzie practically bust a gut muscle while filming two female giants fighting over a piece of lettuce. One kept biting the other on the neck.
If you spend enough time around Lizzie, you will find that her laugh is infectious. She used to have these laughing attacks at dinner time over nothing and Julian and I would end up cracking up too. Norm is good about not encouraging silliness. Anyway, this came in handy on our last full day on Santa Cruz Island. We met up with some friends from Cuenca who are independent film makers from NYC. They were doing some filming for the Darwin Center and a hotel there in the Galapagos. They had finished up their work and suggested that we go to Tortuga Bay for the day. Norm was feeling a little under the weather, so we left him back at the house we were staying in. It was about a 40 minute walk to a gorgeous lagoon filled with placid turquoise water and mangrove trees. Our friend, Jessie, suggested that instead of walking back to the town since she has a 4 year old daughter, it would be better to ask one of the water taxis to take us back for a reasonable fee. This sounded like an outstanding idea. What does this have to do with Lizzie's infectious laughter? I'm getting to that. We boarded the 15 foot boat and set out for the docks, this was honky dorey when we were in the nice lagoon area, but as soon as we got into the ocean waters, things got dicey. The 4 year old was moved to side of the boat with Lizzie, Julian and I. But that didn't seem to matter much, the weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew... Ok, it was sunny and the water was Tidy Bowl green, but the swells were about 7-8 feet and the captain had to cruise at an uncomfortably fast speed on the top of the waves which made the boat slam down hard. Everyone in the boat got really quiet and just tried hard to smile, except Jessie who wanted to get out of the boat right then, and Lizzie-- here comes the Lizzie part. She was maniacally laughing her head off. "This is great," she screamed, "just like a roller coaster. I was hoping for a ride like this." Her laughter was the only thing that kept me sane and free of vomit. That was the scariest boat ride I was on since the 4th of July evening we spent in Joe's boat where the boat kept running aground and it was so dark we couldn't find our way back into the Brigantine inlet.
As you can see from the pictures, Julian really loved snorkeling. He took a few of the pictures of the sea lions and the rays with our disposable underwater camera. One thing he didn't like so much was the result of a game he and Lizzie started playing on a beach in Espanola. They had been wading in the water after frolicking with the sea lions and came out to dry off. Lizzie started playing a game of hiding Julian's shirt from him. As usual Julian went along with it and even decided to hide the shirt himself and ask Liz to find it. He dug a nice hole and buried it well. He buried it so well that Lizzie couldn't find it. In fact he buried it so well, he couldn't find it! Some day some archeologists on the island will be digging around for some sea lion bones and come across the remains of some synthetic material. What is this weird lettering on the back "JULES"? We know you are not supposed to litter, but we had to leave the beach without it.
I would be remiss to leave my blog without mentioning one of my favorite sights, that of the male Magnificent Frigate Bird during mating season. These grand birds had a huge colony on the tiny island of North Seymour. The adult males have a red sack under their beak that they blow up once a year during mating season to attract a mate. The guide told us the sack could stay inflated for up to 3 weeks, and this without Viagra. Our guide told us that it wasn't the size of the blown up pouch, but more the bird's movements and noises that attracted the mate, ...right, once again, size doesn't matter. Additionally, once they get a mate, they deflate the beautiful red sack. I guess if I was the mate, I might be a little disappointed by that.
Well it's hard to say the word disappointed when talking about a trip to the Galapagos, because it is impossible not to be awestruck almost the entire time you are there.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Galápagos Adventure

It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinising, throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is bad, preserving and adding up all that is good; silently and insensibly working, whenever and wherever opportunity offers, at the improvement of each organic being in relation to its organic and inorganic conditions of life. We see nothing of these slow changes in progress, until the hand of time has marked the long lapse of ages, and then so imperfect is our view into long past geological ages, that we only see that the forms of life are now different from what they formerly were.



The climax of our Ecuadorian adventure took us to that place where the Mystery of Mysteries might be viewed – The Galápagos Islands. Located some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, it requires a plane trip from Guayaquil and then a combination of ferry and bus to get to the Puerto Ayura in Santa Cruz, the launching point for trekking the islands.

As is always the case in Ecuador transportation adventures precede most travel adventures and this trip proved no different. Our flight from Cuenca to Guayaquil on Sunday night was canceled at the last minute. So we were forced to take a bus ride from Cuenca to Guayaquil. The ride itself, which is usually treacherous as one has to pass over the Caja mountains, was not bad. We were treated to a gaggle of garrulous Uruguayans on tour in Cuenca (lots of “juhz”) with the only difficulty being whether Norm should mix his travel medicines (Tylenol Sinus for airflight with Dramamine for bus travel). He ended up bucking both the pharmaceutical gods and their commandments (Thou shalt take medicine everyday) and went Cold Turkey for the trip. Arriving in Guayaquil ca, 1 AM we managed to get a decent hotel downtown for the night. After a few hours of sleep we found ourselves on the plane to the Galápagos.

The islands are found at the coordinates 1°40'N-1°36'S, 89°16'-92°01'W. Straddling the equator, islands in the chain are located in both the northern and southern hemisphere with Volcan Wolf and Volcano Ecuador on Isla Isabela being directly on the equator line. Española the southernmost island and Darwin the northernmost island are spread out over a distance of 220 km (137 miles).

The Galapagos Archipelago consists of 7,880 square km (3,042 sq. miles) of land spread over 45,000 square km (28,000 miles) of ocean. The largest of the islands, Isabela, measures 4,640 square km and making up half of the total land area of the Galapagos. Volcan Wolf, on Isabela is the highest point with an elevation of 1,707 m (5,600 ft.) above sea level.

DAY 1: MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009 (BALTRA, SANTA CRUZ) 

SEPTEMBER 15, 1835 -- This archipelago consists of ten principal islands, of which five exceed the others in size. They are situated under the Equator, and between five and six hundred miles westward of the coast of America. They are all formed of volcanic rocks; a few fragments of granite curiously glazed and altered by the heat, can hardly be considered as an exception. Some of the craters, surmounting the larger islands, are of immense size, and they rise to a height of between three and four thousand feet. Their flanks are studded by innumerable smaller orifices. I scarcely hesitate to affirm, that there must be in the whole archipelago at least two thousand craters. 

We landed at the airport on the island of Baltra. The airstrip was originally constructed by the U.S. army to protect the Panama Canal during WWII but was eventually ceded back to the Ecuadorians. This tidbit of information provided us our first experience with the fragility of the islands and the unavoidable theses of Struggle for Existence / Natural Selection. Introduction of foreign species by the U.S. soldiers as well as noise pollution from the planes had effectively eliminated certain populations of species from the island.

During the 1940s scientists decided to move 70 of Baltra's Land Iguanas to the neighboring North Seymour Island as part of an experiment. This move had unexpected results for during the military occupation of Baltra in World War II, the native iguanas became extinct on the island. During the 1980s iguanas from North Seymour were brought to the Charles Darwin Research Station as part of a breeding and repopulation project and in the 1990s land iguanas were reintroduced to Baltra. As of 1997 scientists counted 97 iguanas living on Baltra; 13 of which were born on the islands.

We took the bus-ferry-bus to Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz. There we loaded up on our boat and then went back to the island to Check out the Charles Darwin Research Center. On the way to the Research Center we passed through the town and took in the local sights. We noted the local Sea Shepherd organization and thought about signing Steve McFadden up but decided to wait on that one. Along with all the ecological trinkets being sold in the local shops, one finds old Darwin being sold as a commodity. And literally, it is the old Darwin (bald and long, gray beard) who is for sale and not the 26-year old Darwin who actually tread upon the islands in 1835. Why sell the old man as the icon? Closer looking to an Old Testament God or Santa Claus? Perhaps the most fascinating commodification was the T-shirt merging old man Darwin with heroic Che Guevara. The brilliance of capitalism or a testament to the syncretic mind of the human beast? How many possible stories can we load into one character?

The natural history of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention. Most of the organic productions are aboriginal creations, found nowhere else; there is even a difference between the inhabitants of the different islands; yet all show a marked relationship with those of America, though separated from that continent by an open space of ocean, between 500 and 600 miles in width. The archipelago is a little world within itself, or rather a satellite attached to America, whence it has derived a few stray colonists, and has received the general character of its indigenous productions. Considering the small size of the islands, we feel the more astonished at the number of their aboriginal beings, and at their confined range. Seeing every height crowned with its crater, and the boundaries of most of the lava- streams still distinct, we are led to believe that within a period geologically recent the unbroken ocean was here spread out. Hence, both in space and time, we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact -- that mystery of mysteries -- the first appearance of new beings on this earth.

Anyway, after the business of Darwin we entered the science of Darwin at the Research Center. There we saw a great deal of tortoises from the several islands. Although they provide the islands with both name (“Galápago" is an old Spanish word, meaning saddle) and icon (next to Darwin) they are not a common site in the islands – there are less than 200 in the 13 main islands. They have been slaughtered over the years by various travelers for their meat. Since the tortoises can live for long periods of time with little or no water, and carry upwards to 200 lbs. of meat on their frame, they were ideal for long sea journeys. Introduced species have also destroyed habitat and created competition for resources. So, the Research Center offered probably the best view of these creatures. We stopped by nurseries and visited Lonesome George, who is the last surviving tortoise from one of the islands. He is about 80 yrs. old now so has another 70 years to go to produce some offspring. They’ve been trying to hook him up with related species, but so far no luck.


I have not as yet noticed by far the most remarkable feature in the natural history of this archipelago; it is, that the different islands to a considerable extent are inhabited by a different set of beings. My attention was first called to this fact by the Vice-Governor, Mr. Lawson, declaring that the tortoises differed from the different islands, and that he could with certainty tell from which island any one was brought. I did not for some time pay sufficient attention to this statement, and I had already partially mingled together the collections from two of the islands. I never dreamed that islands, about 50 or 60 miles apart, and most of them in sight of each other, formed of precisely the same rocks, placed under a quite similar climate, rising to a nearly equal height, would have been differently tenanted; but we shall soon see that this is the case. It is the fate of most voyagers, no sooner to discover what is most interesting in any locality, than they are hurried from it; but I ought, perhaps, to be thankful that I obtained sufficient materials to establish this most remarkable fact in the distribution of organic beings. 

We returned back to the boat and settled into our routine of boat travel with our group. Our itinerary was to travel by night to different islands, wake up anchored outside a new island, have some breakfast, go for a hike on the island, snorkel around the island, and then return to the boat for lunch, dinner, and relaxation. Tough stuff, I know. Our group consisted of a Norwegians, Danes, Swiss Germans, and Austrians. As usual a very international group who we got along well with.

DAY 2: TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2009 (SANTA CRUZ, SANTA FE) 

We started the day with a hike around the twin craters of Santa Cruz. They are not volcanic craters but more like sink holes. We followed this up by getting back on the boat and taking a short journey to the island of Santa Fe. There we had a chance to snorkel for the first time. The highlight of the snorkeling was getting up close to the seals and getting some good above water and underwater shots. After lunch we landed on the island and took a short hike around the beach area. Too many seals to count! They were either frolicking in the surf or lounging on the beach. You could get pretty close to them, even lie down next to them if they were asleep, but too close and you gut some guttural barks and coughs.

WHEN on board H.M.S. 'Beagle,' as naturalist, I was much struck with certain facts in the distribution of the inhabitants of South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent. These facts seemed to me to throw some light on the origin of species—that mystery of mysteries, as it has been called by one of our greatest philosophers. On my return home, it occurred to me, in 1837, that something might perhaps be made out on this question by patiently accumulating and reflecting on all sorts of facts which could possibly have any bearing on it. After five years' work I allowed myself to speculate on the subject, and drew up some short notes; these I enlarged in 1844 into a sketch of the conclusions, which then seemed to me probable: from that period to the present day I have steadily pursued the same object. I hope that I may be excused for entering on these personal details, as I give them to show that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision.

In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite conceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual affinities of organic beings, on their embryological relations, their geographical distribution, geological succession, and other such facts, might come to the conclusion that each species had not been independently created, but had descended, like varieties, from other species. Nevertheless, such a conclusion, even if well founded, would be unsatisfactory, until it could be shown how the innumerable species inhabiting this world have been modified, so as to acquire that perfection of structure and coadaptation which most justly excites our admiration.

DAY 3: WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2009 (ESPAÑOLA)

We traveled by night to the next island – Española and so woke up with a new island staring us in the face. We continued with our routine of snorkeling and hiking and it was here that we really started to see the diversity of bird and reptile species. Hiking we saw tons of iguanas around the rocks, the ubiquitous seals, blue-footed boobies, and frigate birds; snorkeling, we saw turtles, sharks, and various fish.

Yet unless it be thoroughly engrained in the mind, I am convinced that the whole economy of nature, with every fact on distribution, rarity, abundance, extinction, and variation, will be dimly seen or quite misunderstood. We behold the face of nature bright with gladness, we often see superabundance of food; we do not see, or we forget, that the birds which are idly singing round us mostly live on insects or seeds, and are thus constantly destroying life; or we forget how largely these songsters, or their eggs, or their nestlings, are destroyed by birds and beasts of prey; we do not always bear in mind, that though food may be now superabundant, it is not so at all seasons of each recurring year.

I should premise that I use the term Struggle for Existence in a large and metaphorical sense, including dependence of one being on another, and including (which is more important) not only the life of the individual, but success in leaving progeny. Two canine animals in a time of dearth, may be truly said to struggle with each other which shall get food and live. But a plant on the edge of a desert is said to struggle for life against the drought, though more properly it should be said to be dependent on the moisture. A plant which annually produces a thousand seeds, of which on an average only one comes to maturity, may be more truly said to struggle with the plants of the same and other kinds which already clothe the ground. The missletoe is dependent on the apple and a few other trees, but can only in a far-fetched sense be said to struggle with these trees, for if too many of these parasites grow on the same tree, it will languish and die. But several seedling missletoes, growing close together on the same branch, may more truly be said to struggle with each other. As the missletoe is disseminated by birds, its existence depends on birds; and it may metaphorically be said to struggle with other fruit-bearing plants, in order to tempt birds to devour and thus disseminate its seeds rather than those of other plants. In these several senses, which pass into each other, I use for convenience sake the general term of struggle for existence.

DAY 4: THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2009 (FLOREANA) 

Floreana was probably most noteworthy for the great amount of albatross that live on the island. Huge birds who have to take off from the high cliffs in order to get airborne. 

Seeing this gradation and diversity of structure in one small, intimately related group of birds, one might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago, one species had been taken and modified for different ends. 

DAY 5: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2009 (NORTH SEYMOUR, BALTRA) 

No one ought to feel surprise at much remaining as yet unexplained in regard to the origin of species and varieties, if he makes due allowance for our profound ignorance in regard to the mutual relations of all the beings which live around us. Who can explain why one species ranges widely and is very numerous, and why another allied species has a narrow range and is rare? Yet these relations are of the highest importance, for they determine the present welfare, and, as I believe, the future success and modification of every inhabitant of this world. Still less do we know of the mutual relations of the innumerable inhabitants of the world during the many past geological epochs in its history. Although much remains obscure, and will long remain obscure, I can entertain no doubt, after the most deliberate study and dispassionate judgment of which I am capable, that the view which most naturalists entertain, and which I formerly entertained—namely, that each species has been independently created—is erroneous. I am fully convinced that species are not immutable; but that those belonging to what are called the same genera are lineal descendants of some other and generally extinct species, in the same manner as the acknowledged varieties of any one species are the descendants of that species. Furthermore, I am convinced that Natural Selection has been the main but not exclusive means of modification.

We ended up our cruise by traveling back north to North Seymour Island. This was one of the smaller islands that we visited, but in some ways the most interesting and picturesque. Since it was so small, you really got the island experience – water on all sides, sparse resources on land, etc… And it was here that we really got a chance to look at the Frigate birds in mating season. The males blow up their red gullet sack to incredible proportions in order to attract interested female parties. Alas, size and color seem to matter. So, strike another chord for “peacocking” at the local bar. Someone should pass on the word to Lonesome George.

After North Seymour we went back to Baltra where we said goodbye to our group and then returned for two extra days to Santa Cruz. In Santa Cruz we met up with some Cuenca friends and enjoyed a bit of dry land for our tired sea legs. We returned to Cuenca in time to see Barcelona beat Manchester United in the Champions League and to read about the criminalization of empathy by compassionate conservatives. Meanwhile, Nature doesn’t care.

Our Voyage having come to an end, I will take a short retrospect of the advantages and disadvantages, the pains and pleasures, of our circumnavigation of the world. Many of the losses which must be experienced are obvious; such as that of the society of every old friend, and of the sight of those places with which every dearest remembrance is so intimately connected. These losses, however, are at the time partly relieved by the exhaustless delight of anticipating the long wished-for day of return. If, as poets say, life is a dream, I am sure in a voyage these are the visions which best serve to pass away the long night. Other losses, although not at first felt, tell heavily after a period: these are the want of room, of seclusion, of rest; the jading feeling of constant hurry; the privation of small luxuries, the loss of domestic society and even of music and the other pleasures of imagination. 

Let us now look at the brighter side of the past time. The pleasure derived from beholding the scenery and the general aspect of the various countries we have visited, has decidedly been the most constant and highest source of enjoyment. It has been said, that the love of the chase is an inherent delight in man -- a relic of an instinctive passion. If so, I am sure the pleasure of living in the open air, with the sky for a roof and the ground for a table, is part of the same feeling, it is the savage returning to his wild and native habits. I always look back to our boat cruises, and my land journeys, when through unfrequented countries, with an extreme delight, which no scenes of civilization could have created. I do not doubt that every traveller must remember the glowing sense of happiness which he experienced, when he first breathed in a foreign clime, where the civilized man had seldom or never trod. 

There are several other sources of enjoyment in a long voyage, which are of a more reasonable nature. The map of the world ceases to be a blank; it becomes a picture full of the most varied and animated figures. Each part assumes its proper dimensions: continents are not looked at in the light of islands, or islands considered as mere specks, which are, in truth, larger than many kingdoms of Europe. Africa, or North and South America, are well-sounding names, and easily pronounced; but it is not until having sailed for weeks along small portions of their shores, that one is thoroughly convinced what vast spaces on our immense world these names imply. 

He may feel assured, he will meet with no difficulties or dangers, excepting in rare cases, nearly so bad as he beforehand anticipates. In a moral point of view, the effect ought to be, to teach him good-humoured patience, freedom from selfishness, the habit of acting for himself, and of making the best of every occurrence. In short, he ought to partake of the characteristic qualities of most sailors. Travelling ought also to teach him distrust; but at the same time he will discover, how many truly kind-hearted people there are, with whom he never before had, or ever again will have any further communication, who yet are ready to offer him the most disinterested assistance. 


Thursday, May 28, 2009

FROM QUILOTOA TO COTOPAXI TO PUERTO LOPEZ (PART 2) AND BACK TO CUENCA


April 15 to May 15 is usually a busy time for us in any part of the world as we celebrate Bridget’s birthday, our tax return, Mother’s Day, Lizzie’s Birthday and our wedding anniversary; but this month was even fuller in Ecuador as we hosted friends, traveled from mountains to sea, and lived and died a little with the local soccer team.

QUILOTOA, COTOPAXI, QUITO

In the first week of April we bundled ourselves up for a bus ride up to Quito with a stop by some volcanoes along the way. We took the bus up to Latacunga, launching point for visits to the Avenues of the Volcanoes. Arriving at 10 PM in Latacunga after a 8-hour bus ride, Lizzie decided to christen the end of the journey with a multi-colored baptism.

The next day we traveled up to the volcanic crater lake of Quilotoa (3,914m / 12,841 ft), about 40 km or 2 ½ hours away from Latacunga. As you can see from the photos, the weather was a bit on the cool side. Immediately upon arriving we availed ourselves of the almuerzo (set lunch) starting with the traditional potato soup (locro de papa). The crater was quite the magnificent site. For one thing, you can actually see it as the clouds, which often obscure the other volcanic areas, rest above the rim.
After taking in the awesome view for a bit, we hiked down to the lake. The hike down took about 45 minutes. And brought us to the spectacularly green-colored and cold lake. A lonesome boatman played a trumpet at the base of the lake. For the scientists among you: The 3 kilometres (2 mi) wide caldera was formed by the collapse of this volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago, which produced pyroclastic flows and lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean and spread an airborne deposit of volcanic ash throughout the northern Andes. The caldera has since accumulated a 250 m (820 ft) deep crater lake, which has a greenish color as a result of dissolved minerals. Fumaroles are found on the lake floor and hot springs occur on the eastern flank of the volcano. Julian and Norm decided to hike back up and let Lizzie and Bridget take the easy way out with the mules. The hike up was much more difficult, but eventually surmounted. We spent the night on the rim of the crater at a hostal, where we were invited to hear local musicians play a few songs. Using traditional instruments, including the charango (The charango is a small South American stringed instrument of the lute family, about 66 cm long, traditionally made with the shell of the back of an armadillo.
It typically has 10 strings in five courses of 2 strings each) and pan pipes the show was quite the local flavor.

Deciding to indulge a bit, we took a taxi instead of a bus to our next destination – Cotopaxi (about 50 miles south of Quito). We stayed at a hacienda right outside the national park. Lizzie and Bridget spent the day with the puppies and farm animals housed at the inn, while Julian and Norm decided to scale the Cotopaxi Volcano. Cotopaxi is the second highest volcano in Ecuador (5,897m / 19,347 ft; Chimborazo is number 1 at 6,268.2m /20,565 ft) and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. To get to the summit requires a 2-day excursion. Julian and Norm opted for the “soft” trip and merely hiked from the parking lot (ca. 4500 m) to the base camp (ca. 4800m). Unfortunately, the Gods did not smile brightly enough on our trip to pierce the dense cloud cover; and so, we did not get a chance to see the summit. Julian and Norm might go back to try to ascend the summit; or they might save up the last hike for the mighty Chimborazo (base camp only- ca. 5000m). After hiking to the glacier part of the refuge, Norm and Julian rode mountain bikes down the mountain. Quite fast and cold. 

That night we traveled to Quito to pick up our friends, Suzanne and Norman Matlock from Philadelphia. They arrived safely and without any trouble from Miama via Newark and we all stayed overnight in a hostal in Quito. The hostal was in a quiet section of town and adequate, but we still have not found a great place to stay in Quito. But a minor inconvenience, because it was onto…

PUERTO LOPEZ, PART 2 AND BACK TO CUENCA

Part 2 because Bridget had been there with Mary Ellen a few weeks before. But it is quite the stunning beach experience and so repeating the experience seemed more than worth it. We stayed in the Mandala Hostal and lived it up on the good cuisine and good sun. Everyone except Bridget went out to the Isla la Plata where we had the chance to see Blue-Footed Boobies and Frigates on the barren island some 25 miles off the coast. Probably the highlight was the boat ride out where we saw an immense group of dolphins swimming alongside the boat accompanied by dive-bombing boobies. The video is better than the photos, and if we ever get the energy we will put up a video on the blog.

After a few more sunsets we took the bus back to Guayaquil and then flew back to Cuenca. In Cuenca we celebrated Bridget’s birthday at a nice Chilean restaurant on the outskirts of Cuenca. The occasion was made more special with the Chimay Trappist Ales that Suzanne had somehow managed to successfully smuggle into the country. First real beer in over 6 months!

After a few days in Cuenca, Suzanne and Norman left to go tend to their bees in Mt. Airy and we settled down to our Cuenca routine. We celebrated Mother’s Day by providing “Breakfast in Bed” for Bridget, and then we celebrated Lizzie’s birthday with a Sushi Dinner and a little sleepover party. The birthday party included bobbing for apples and musical chairs. Hard to tell who enjoyed it more – the kids or the adults.

As we pondered the skyline view from our apartment we were treated to a fun ride with the local soccer team. As you recall, dedicated reader and sports enthusiast, from an earlier blog entry, Deportiva Cuenca had miraculously qualified for the South American Clup Championships called the Copa Libertador. As the third team to qualify from Ecuador and in a group with the perennial Argentinian power Boca, Jrs. (Think Yankees, Cowboys, Celtics, Canadiens and you get the idea) Cuenca’s prospects were not that good to begin with. Additionally, the club had been reformatted since their qualification and had gone with a “youth-movement” approach (primarily to save money as they teetered on the brink of insolvency). Yet despite all odds the team played quite well, and with a greater offensive flair, were actually quite exciting to watch. In order to advance out of group play, Cuenca had to finish in the top 2 of the four-team group. And so, they found themselves with 2 games to go tied for second place when who should show up in Cuenca – but mighty Boca. No Ecuadorian club had ever beaten Boca. But the Liliputians actually won, 1-0. Boca plays a tough defense / counterattack – not quite as boring as the Italian “catanaccio” or the German “Ordnung muss sein” - but similar. And so the Cuenca players were getting mugged repeatedly. But finally their goal scorer – the Brazilian Roderigo Teixara – was able to turn on a defender and hold off the punches and deliver a pass to his teammate who scored. Absolute pandemonium.

The night was made even more festive as it was one of the last nights to drink before the national elections (remember: 1) all Ecuadorians are required to vote; and 2) all bars and liquor stores are closed for the 3 days surrounding the elections). As for the national elections, Raphael Correa, was re-elected. Let’s see if he can beat the Ecuadorian / Latin American malaise of revolving door presidents. Note: Cuenca made it to the next round for the first time ever, but lost to Caracas, Venezuela in the round of 16.

The month ended with missed opportunities - Jesus Christ Superstar in Quito and the Doors in Cuenca, but with the finalization of plans to go to the Galápagos Islands – the jewel in the crown.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Puerto Lopez: The Jersey Shore It Aint

There is water. There is sand. There is sun. There are birds.  There are boats. Beyond these similarities, the coast of Ecuador has few comparisons to the Jersey shore.  Our first visitor from the U.S. was my great friend, Mary Ellen St. George.  She loves the sand and the warm climate, oh and I guess she loves us too, so I decided to take her to a beach here called Puerto Lopez.   However, in order to have her really appreciate the beautiful environment of the hostel there, we had to spend a night in a  freezing cold, spare, noisy hostel in Quito.  Traveling with me can be quite, um adventuresome, because I have a high tolerance for a wide range of accommodation and travel standards, from a shack to the Hyatt Regency and everything in between.

     The next morning we hopped on a quick flight to Manta.  I should have let the taxi driver take us to Puerto Lopez for $30, but noooo, we had to save money by taking the $3 Jippi Jappa bus to Puerto Lopez.  No shocks, no bathroom, tight seats, a real third world experience.  We arrived safely 3 hours later and plopped our bags on a cute motorcycle taxi to the beautiful Hostel Mandala.  
  
  Located on an isolated undeveloped stretch of beach on the northern end of this fishing village, this hostel was built by an Italian and Swiss-Italian couple who we didn't have the pleasure to meet because they were out of town.  The hostel is a work of art.  Nicely appointed thatched roof cabins immersed in lush botanical gardens.  I truly enjoyed walking through the gardens with Mary Ellen every day as she pointed out the different species of plants and flowers, of which she was very knowledgeable.  The hostel is appointed with wood on many surfaces and each wooden construction is a piece of art, from the gates that invite you into the place to the frames around the bathroom mirrors, to the inlaid restaurant tables, to the toilet seats, to the giant key rings for the locks on the door.  How I lost that giant pinguino key ring is still a mystery to me.
     Across from the hostel is a nice white sand beach looking out on to the warm Pacific Ocean.  The hostel provides open air thatched cabanas where you hang your hammocks and drink bottles of beer or carafes of wine.  It's also a great place to watch Frigate birds and Pelicans diving into the ocean while the sun gets buried at days end.  Day one was for lounging on the beach and mild intoxication.  
     Day two was for our fantastic adventure to Isla de La Plata, so called for the shiny bird dung that covers the island.  This island is located about 30 miles from the village, so it's a full day boat trip. It is affectionately known as the poor man's Galapagos.   There are colonies of birds there that are only located there and the Galapagos Islands.  We trekked along with our guide on the dry, hot island and almost immediately came upon a baby Blue Footed Booby (I can never say this without a British accent) sitting under a tree.
The birds have no fear of humans and remain under their bush as you approach.  The babies don't get the color in their feet until later.  A little further on we ran into a Booby couple.  They were playing and scrapping at each other with all kinds of fun squawks.  Finally, we came to a huge Frigate Bird colony.  These birds are huge and have very cute eagle like faces.  I was enthralled by the numbers, size, and beauty of their flying.  The guide gave us the option of carrying on to see the Red Footed and Masked Boobies, but as Mary Ellen pointed out, "If you've seen one Booby, you've seen 'em all."  I pointed out that this probably isn't true for the birds or other kinds of boobies either.  However, we turned around and headed back to the boat so that we might have more time for snorkeling.  
    The guide decided to take us back on a trail that maybe wasn't an official trail and might be a bit "slippery", but would get us back faster.  That was the understatement of the day.  The trail had 45 degree slopes of dry dirt, grass and rubble.  Some of the tourists were unprepared for this terrain in their flip flops and were paralyzed with fear on their descent.  Even those of us with "sensible shoes" slid down and arrived with scratches and bits of twig sticking out of our legs and butts.  These are experiences nobody would have in the U.S. for fear of lawsuits.  Anyway, everyone did eventually make it back down the hill and we had a nice time snorkeling before heading back for the day.  We caught an amazing sunset at days end on our beach back at Mandala.
     The next day was for once last beach experience and then a hefty 8 hour bus trip back to Cuenca.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Haiku Death Battle

Why is traveling so interesting? Other than the change of scenery, exposure to other cultures, new food, and challenges in life, I can't think of anything interesting about it. Oh, except the really interesting, creative people you meet.  It has become abundantly clear that the group of people we associate with are multitalented; athletes, musicians, artists, professional hula hooper. But the talent has been showcased mainly at a monthly poetry night which several of the teachers organized.  It turns out that our family has some talent too.  Lizzie inspired an event ultimately entitled "The Haiku Death Battle".  During a previous poetry night she was reading original haikus she had written in between the other teachers readings and performances.  
The high poetry council then decided to create a Haiku competition.  This was a well defined event with strict rules that some of the creative participants had difficulty adhering to.  In additions to the strict meter of this form of poetry (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables) there was also competitor denomination through colors; red competitor and non-red competitor (in this case blue), no audible clapping or laughing so as not to influence the judges (clapping was a one handed pushing of air and laughing was a jiggling of the hand back and forth.), and red and blue sticks used by the judges to indicate poem winners.  Each round was followed by a brief normal clapping which had a length strictly orchestrated by our event conductor.  I had a hard time stopping my clapping in time and was remonstrated by our M.C. 
Bridget and Lizzie both participated in the event and Julian had his own age appropriate event to attend, a quinceanera, which is almost like a sweet 16 but happens when girls turn 15 and are almost like proms in their formality, grandiosity and size.  There was some discussion about whether Lizzie should be able to participate, because there was fear that she would win on cuteness instead of the quality of her poems.  But I imposed on the high poetry council's kindness to allow her to participate because she did inspire the event and she worked hard on her creations.  Both Bridget and Lizzie made it to the semi-final round and there were some who would have liked to see a final round between us, but I was not looking forward to that type of mother/daughter competition.  Fortunately we both lost in that round and did not have to face each other.  Norm contributed to the evening by video taping much of the event and reciting some excellent Bertolt Brecht poetry, not of the Haiku variety.
Below you can see our creations for the evening.  There were so many great poems.  We hope to be getting copies of them all to add here.
Eliza's
1. A proud white harp seal, 11. Girls want to have fun,
Gets chased by a white shark as, We laugh and play all day long,
A whale saves the day. Our fun never ends.
2.A flaming candle, 12. Glassy and clear cup,
Glows in the night while we sleep, Sparkles with water in it,
The soothing crackle. As I drink it all.
3. Pencils on my desk, 13. EXIT
Many pencils on my desk, Four lit green letters,
Clatter on the floor. Awaiting our departure,
4. The flowing rivers, Proud of their success.
Run rapidly to the sea, 14. Screaming eyes of light,
Where the sharks are born. On stone hearts and souls reflect,
5. Lonely pebbles form, Peacock feathered bright.
Massive piles of grey matter, 15. Piano
In streets of Cuenca.  Carved wood painted black,
6. Merry Santa Claus, Openly awaiting touch,
Bring presents to kids at night, To steal the silence.
Watch out he might not. 16. A tiny spider,
7. Pretty butterflies, Crawls up the bedroom wall,
Fly by my window at night, As I am sleeping.
Fly into the dark. 17. Green guacamole,
8. Poor old cute Jasmine, Made out of avocados,
died getting hit by a car, Chips are good with it.
Oh we loved her so. 18. I have a rainbow,
9. Pretty flowers wait, Glowing in my beating my heart,
To bloom on the start of Spring, Where Jasmine is still.
Growing each Spring Day. 19. I feel a cold chill,
10. School School so boring, And I know winter is here,
I go there every five days, So I call my friends.
I learn math and art. 20. I look out my window,
And see something wonderful,
A horse white as snow.

Bridget's
1. White Stripes 8. Rejuvenation
Chosen from the herd Blood slips through my veins
For her sexy hind quarters, My body an hourglass.
Loved for her thick stripes. Time to turn over.
2. Possessive Adjectives 9. Perverse Technology
My spouse, my child, mine! ipod, itouch, wii.
Can I really be loving, These predators devices,
Without owning you? preying on children.
3. Roseanne Barr 10. Exercourse
Little facial lines 1, 2, 3, push, aahhhh!
Make sane women consider  Why isn't getting you out,
cutting their faces. Fun'az getting you in?
4. Face Dander 11. Parenting
Mucous tinged mustache, To this helpless babe,
Man allergic to own beard. We just became the utmost
Choo, he blows it off. important people.
5. Ode to the Queen of Haiku 12. Falling Down
Animal lover, Scrape off a layer.
Gorgeous adaptable girl, What lies underneath the skin?
We think we love her. Another layer.
6. Miedo in la Amazonia 13. Traditional Haiku - Cuenca
Twisted trees in muck, Morning, October,
An anaconda lair slog, By noon, it's April,
She dies, heart attack. December doesn't come.
7. Love 14. Avoiding Nasty Movies on Long Bus Rides
Let me slip into  Shove her head in seat, 
Something more comfortable. Stab my fingers in her ears.
How about your skin? Lizzie, stop watching!
15. Julian's Consciousness 16. Rivalry
Life flashed before eyes                                      If I give you both
Stay away from the white lights, The same gift, it doesn't mean
Puberty begins. That you are not special.

 


 

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Banos Ambato

This country never ceases to amaze us in terms of the diversity of scenery, resources, fun diversions, and just plain weird stuff.  One of the unique aspects of the culture here is the emphasis on Carneval which comes right before Lent.  As in places like Brazil, Germany and New Orleans there is much celebratory shenanigans as a release before the fasting of Lent.  However, I couldn't find any of my students who knew that that was the reason for it.  In Cuenca the celebrating starts several weeks before the actual days of Carneval.  You can be walking down the street and have a water balloon thrown at you or a pitcher of water dumped on you.  They call this "playing Carneval".  I had near misses but no water actually reached me.  They need to work on their aim, I really don't walk that fast.  
We had several days off from work and school and took the opportunity to go to a place in the north central part of the country called Banos.  It is called that not because it is a toilet, but because there are thermal hot springs there that are generated from the nearby volcano Tungurahua.  This is an active volcano that we saw spewing lots of smoke on our way in, but there was no actual ash falling on the town while we were there.  In 1999 the town of Banos was evacuated for 3 months because some scientific geniuses believed that it was about to erupt.  However, it didn't erupt and the displaced citizens of Banos eventually forced their way back into the town so that they could continue their livelihood as a tourist destination.  
We arrived after a 7 hour journey from Cuenca on buses that showed the worst R17-rated DVD's I have had the displeasure of being exposed to.  On our return trip I asked the conductor not to show such violent and sex filled videos, yet he ignored me and I squelched an urge to fight a one woman mutiny on the bus.  I had a vision of my family standing on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere without our bags but Lizzie's copy of her Beverly Hills Chihuahua DVD in hand.  
     Once we arrived in Banos we stayed in a decent hostel called "Plantas Y Blanco".  The only problem was that our room was located near the staff cleaning area and they too started Carneval a little early and were constantly having water fights.  Water is not really the substance of choice to play carneval with in Banos.  They prefer espuma or colored shaving foam.  We had the audacity to walk down the main street after dinner one night during carneval and almost made it down the street clean before we were attacked with the espuma.  After the initial shock, we all just started laughing and bought our own cans of the stuff.  The revenge was sweet and it was a lot of fun after all.
     The highlight of our trip to Banos was our whitewater rafting trip.  We took a mini bus to a place on the Pastaza river which had excellent class III rapids. On our way the bus stopped at a bridge where operators were chucking people off the bridge harnessed to a rope.  They would then dangle and swing above the river.  It was almost like bungee jumping without the 'boing'.  Lizzie wanted to do it as soon as she saw it. Given my slight fear of heights I had some trepidation, so I sent the older boy first.  I practically wet my pants watching them jump off a bridge.  Fortunately, I had to concentrate on keeping the video camera steady, so I had something to divert my emotion.  The kids had a blast and both said it was one of the most exciting experiences of their lives.  We continued on to the rafting and had a wonderful day on the water.  Lizzie got the thrill of 'Riding the Bull' which was a particular rapid where she was able to sit at the front of the raft with her legs straddled across the point.  She bounced up and down a bit but stayed on.  Julian was the only one to fall out of the boat.  I think he just wanted a swim at that point.
     We were unable to get tickets on the bus from Ambato to Cuenca in the early morning so we had to wait until the next bus a few hours later.  This afforded us the opportunity to look around Ambato. I had met an artist named David Moscoso at a party during my first trip here last year.  He told me he had just finished painting murals at the new cathedral in Ambato. So we took a trip to see his art.  The cathedral was damaged by an earthquake in 1949 and they have been restoring it ever since.  I kind of like a lot of his art, but Norm says it reminds him of 1970's van art.  OK, I might have been a fan of that too.  Remember my blacklight posters? 
     All in all it was a great trip.  Good hikes, good food, carneval excitement, etc.  Then it was back to work to end the cycle.  Norm and I estamos jubilado (we are retired) now.  We will not have formal work until we return to the States.  CEDEI didn't really need us for the upcoming cycle, so we are taking the opportunity to continue to focus on Spanish acquisition and volunteer work while we wind our way back down to our trip home.  

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Ingapirca

Up the road a piece from here (well up the road, over some mountains, around a roadblock, through some mud, around a town that was having a road race through the middle of it, back out over a mountain - did I mention that driving around Ecuador can pose some obstacles?) lies the best kept Incan ruins in Ecuador, called Ingapirca.  With our trusty guides and friends, Marielena and Henry, two gringo families set off for a weekend adventure and some camping.  We saw an interesting slice of life in "el campo" and more than just a pile of old rocks at Ingapirca.  
Marielena and Henry were our tour guides on this weekend camping adventure.  Our family was joined by Jeannine, Emily and Felix (sans Dad, Eric). The first day February 7 was a beautiful Saturday and we stopped near the capital of the Canar province, Azogues, less than an hour from Cuenca.  We stopped at a stone cutter's workshop to learn about how they cut stone for columns, animal sculptures, and fountains.  We then moved on to San Miguel to learn about the making of traditional ceramic pots.  This turned out to take up much of the day because the artisans had puppies and the children wanted to spend lots of time with them.  We had lunch, a nice hike, and a somewhat accidental first taste of Zhumir (sugar liquor) for Julian.  He claims to hate the stuff.  
Late in the afternoon we moved on to a beautiful lake to set up camp.  It cooled down at night and there wasn't much firewood to be had, so we worked the fire with the charcoal that was brought on the trip.  The view was beautiful and the night was clear enough to see the full moon.  It was so bright that you didn't need a flashlight for those middle of the night trips to the bushes.  The police decided to check on us a few times, first to make sure we weren't thugs of some sort, and then to make sure we were safe.  Again, safety did not seem like a factor until somebody brought it up.
The next day we had too leisurely of a breakfast and a some short walks.  This made our trip to Ingapirca, the Incan ruins, take longer than it should have.  Apparently, a road race can shut down whole towns and paths through it for many hours.  We finally made it too the ruins and were treated to a lovely lunch.  The tour of the ruins was very interesting, especially when the whole thing was translated into English by our wordsmith son for the German couple who joined our tour.  According to our tour guide, the Incans and Canari lived side by side peacefully for many years until the Spanish Conquest.  It has inspired me to find a good book on the subject.
Next post, Carnaval in Banos!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Weekend in Guayaquil

Guayaquil:
January 23 – January 25, 2009
















Recent Headlines / News Blurbs from Ecuador:

CONAIE (Indigenous Political Movement in Ecuador) wants to have President Rafael Correa declared “persona non grata” by the World Socialist Forum meeting recently in Brazil.

Ecuador considers joining the regional group ALBA (Alternativa Bolivariana para las Americas) a group consisting of Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Venezuela in contrast to the other regional group ALCA (Area de Libre Comercio de las Americas) an initiative of the USA

Intelligent Email will now be able to intuit mailing destinations even without a formal address.

Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame declares that the British Royal Family symbolizes all that is bad in Great Britain

La Copa Libertador (South American Club Championships) begins. Deportiva Cuenca qualifies as the equivalent of a “Wild Card” and so must win a home-away series to get into the formal championship. In the first game (away) against Anzoategui (Venezuela) they lose 2-0. In order to qualify they need to win by three goals at home. Result? A 3-0 victory. Favorites to win the Cup (celebrating its 50th Anniversary): Pachuca (Mexico), Boca Juniors (Argentina), Liga de Quito (Ecuador), Sao Paulo (Brazil)

In the wake of Super Bowl XLIII Norm Roessler brings a lawsuit against the NFL in which he claims: 1a) cruel and unusual punishment of having to suffer through the decidedly non-super games of the 1970s and 1b) cruel and unusual punishment of having to hear how every game since the abyss of the 70s is the “greatest game ever." 2) Erasing history by acting as if the NFL did not really exist before 1966; 3) Forcing a hero or MVP upon us, and hence claiming that the individual makes a difference in the world, when football is the living symbol of an arbitrary universe; 4) being a better propaganda unit than Goebbels & Co. (There’s the real crime).


We recently took a trip to the big city – Guayaquil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guayaquil) about 3.5 hours by bus and located near the Pacific Coast. We took a van service to Guayaquil this time instead of the usual passenger bus. It cost a few bucks extra, but everyone seemed to prefer the comfort as well as the reduced motion sickness issues upon navigation through the Cajas Mountains. We arrived in Guayaquil on Friday evening and were met by our friends – the Kreis Family. We immediately went to a Steakhouse owned by a famous soccer goalie from Uruguay and were treated to a heapin’ helpin’ of meat – steak, chicken, sausage – and some tasty tripe (well, I liked it). During our stay we came to find the cuisine in Guayaquil to be quite good. Along with the meat, we had a lot of good seafood – ceviche pulpo (octopus) is quite a nice dish. We are starting to think that Cuenca might be a kind of black hole for cuisine in Ecuador as we have not had many great eating experiences there.

After settling in at our friends’ spacious residence outside the city, we spent Saturday walking the Malecón and Las Peñas. The Malecón (breakwater) is the name given to the riverside promenade or boardwalk, which includes lots of gardens and recreational activities. After years of waiting for Philadelphia to develop its riverfront, it was quite refreshing to actually see an urban success.



Las Peñas is at the end of the Malecón and is a renovated neighborhood that one scales with a 444 step walk. Lots of history with terrorists, or I mean pirates (love the whitewash of Western political imagination. (God Bless Captain Jack, Michael Corleone, and Robin Hood) and quite an interesting vista of the city. We finished up our afternoon at Parque Bolivar, also known as Parque Iguana. Yep, that’s right hundreds of iguanas just roaming around, grubbing for handouts, climbing trees, and trying to crap on the heads of humans. What a life!


In the evening we took a ride on a tall ship on the river and got some good views of Las Peñas at night.

On the following day, Julian and Norm threw the baseball around (equipment courtesy of our guest) and then we spent a leisurely, if not decadent, day at the Guayaquil Country Club seeing how the other half in Ecuador lives. All in all a good time in a town that doesn’t always have the best reputation.

We returned to Cuenca on the night van and were somehow survived a near death experience through the Cajas Mountains. With visibility sometimes as little as 2 feet, our driver barely slowed down through the whole mountain trek. When we got to Cuenca we discovered that a massive rain storm had passed through. The End.