ECUADOR, THE AMAZONIAN RAIN FOREST AND THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Peter and I have long wanted to visit Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands to experience the aboriginal life styles, the diversity of flora and fauna, the Amazon River, the Andes, and the rain forest. We also have had an interest in the science of evolution. Finally, we wanted to snorkel in the Pacific Ocean, south of the equator, in the unique ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands.

This was our first trip with Overseas Adventure Travel. We chose OAT because it offers trips to interesting places, requires some physical ability, is geared for inquisitive people, and limits group size to 16 guests. Their trips provide the opportunity to meet indigenous populations and learn of the local cultures from knowledgeable, professional tour guides.

OK, this is almost the end of the advertisement. If you are interested in an OAT trip, please use us as referrals, we both benefit. Check them out at http://www.oattravel.com.

The following paragraphs are a day-by-day description of our trip to Ecuador, the Amazonian Rain Forest, and the Galapagos Islands. We hope you enjoy reading and consider visiting one day.

Day 1 April 19, 2013

We arrived flew to Quito, Ecuador, and were met by Patricio, our Trip Leader for the mainland, who took us to the Hotel Reina Isabel. Patricio asked if we were experiencing any altitude problems and provided us with coca tea in the event that we might need a remedy. We had no problems but decided to experience the tea anyway.

During the transfer to the hotel, we had time to get to learn about Ecuador. Of course, we had plenty of questions and Patricio, as an ambassador for his country, knew all the answers. His knowledge and love for his country are impressive.

The biodiversity of this country is phenomenal. It ranges from the Amazonian Rain Forest to the Andean mountain peaks, to the Galapagos Islands. This Andean nation is small and poor, but not in food security. It is a breadbasket of the Continent because of the fertile volcanic soil, abundant precipitation, and proximity to the equator.

The history of Ecuador has been turbulent. We appreciated that our tour guides introduced us to this history, on the spot. Of course, you can read about this from various sources more qualified than us. In a nutshell, after the Inca reign, Ecuador was under Spanish Colonial rule until their 1822 independence. Unfortunately, dictators and corruption continued to disrupt the country for 45 governments until recently. Raphael Correa is the new leader whom Ecuadorian's think of as “Robin Hood”. There are high hopes for Correa because of the improvements in education, health, pensions, infrastructure, and transparency of government being made in his term. So far, corruption seems to not be an issue.

Day 2 April 20, 2013

We met our group in the morning. There were 13 of us, with ages ranging from 16 to 82. There were representatives from California, North Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada. A tribute to OAT was the fact that most of our companions had been on OAT trips before. We enjoyed the diverse backgrounds of our fellow travelers because it opened new friendships and perspectives. We have kept in touch with several kindred spirits from our trip to this day, and would enjoy going on another adventure with them in the future.

We began our sightseeing with a visit to a most incredible food market.

There were 700 different species of potatoes, corn, and fruit so beautifully displayed, it was hard to take it all in. We had a “learning and discovery” activity that had each of us find and purchase a particular item. We were given a slip of paper with the local name of the mystery item and quantity. 

The merchants are used to this game and were pleased to help us find our items. We learned that many of the foods are herbal remedies for common ailments.

We visited beautiful Old Town Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with cobblestone streets, whitewashed red-roofed buildings and beautifully preserved colonial architecture. We strolled by the Plaza Grande, or Plaza de la Independencia with it's lovely Fountain, Cathedrals, the Archbishop's Palace, Museums, Monasterio de San Francisco, and the Presidential Palace. 

Also we find dozens of shoeshine operations.

We watched the changing of the Guard. We visited inside one Cathedral encrusted with Inca gold.

The contrast of this display of affluence in the Cathedral with the poverty of the people was striking. A few minutes later and only meters away, we had an interesting interview with a “sexual worker”. Prostitution is now legal in Ecuador; regulated, taxed and with social benefits for the workers.

We visited the Equator and observed the reversal of the Coriolis effect just meters either side of the line. Two hundred years ago European surveyors established the position of the Equator and built a huge “phallus” that is about 300 meters away from the currently accepted position of the equator.

Later we had a pleasant home-hosted meal and discussed current events with the family.

Day 3 April 21, 2013

During our bus trip over the Andes, we enjoyed Patricio's lecture on the ancient history of Ecuador.

He pointed out the “Inca Path”, and gave us it's historical context. We learned about the glorious achievements of this short-lived culture and how it fell due to internal strife and the guns, germs and steel of the Spanish Conquistadors. We enjoyed the beauty of various mountains and volcanoes, some with peaks at 6000 meters still covered with snow in April at the equator.

Our mid-morning snack was at a hummingbird sanctuary. Many species of hummingbirds were flitting around the numerous feeders.

 Species included the long-tailed sylph, the green and black tailed train-bearer and the booted racquet-tail.

We visited a family who had been given land to farm, but their access required them building a foot bridge across the river. We walked across for a “tour” of their home and farm in a beautiful valley. We will never again complain about a kitchen. The lady of the house was gracious and spoke to us of their basic but enjoyable life in the mountains.

Upon arrival at Coca, we were outfitted with life jackets and rubber boots before boarding a fast boat for the trip to the Yarina Amazon Lodge, where we stayed for 5 nights.

 Our sleeping hut was roofed with palm thatch and walled with bamboo strips that kept out bats, but nothing smaller. 

There was a lovely front porch with a hammock. Inside we had a comfortable bed equipped with mosquito net. Electricity was available from 6-10 pm. 

Each morning parrots woke us as dawn approached. They would come up to us for pictures (hoping for food, actually).

Day 4 April 22, 2013

We visited a local indigenous Quichua community, starting with a stop at the Amazon School.  

Each child presented us with their drawing of symbols of their country. 

The children sang their National Anthem and we in turn sang for them. 

We played “futbol” and exchanged gifts. A portion of our tour fees went to The Grand Circle Foundation that supports local development projects (www.grandcirclefoundation.org ). In this case the project was a water system and a pair of toilets in an outbuilding adjacent to the school.

After the school, we visited a “sacred” kapok tree where believers get physical, emotional, mental and spiritual strength. The tree can be seen from Lydia's home where we enjoyed a cooking lesson and home-hosted meal.

Lydia taught us how to dig taro root and cook it.

We learned to roast tilapia wrapped in banana leaves, and for the finale we grilled palm grubs, considered a delicacy (Yum!).  Lydia has 14 children, all beautiful, as is this senorita.

After dinner we enjoyed watermelon seed spitting and blow dart contests.

Upon our return to the lodge, we enjoyed an afternoon of exploring the nearby forest with Jaime, our local Amazon guide. He and Patricio pointed out giant moths, many trees, flowers, medicinal herbs, a boa constrictor and a troop of monkeys who streamed through the forest from limb to limb to get the bananas that were left for them.

In the evening with a full moon, Jaime took us for a canoe trip into the night forest. The numerous herons, cicadas and frogs entertained us with their night music. We observed a caiman become active along the water's edge. The night sounds were breathtaking.

Day 4 April 23, 2013

Jaime taught us about the bright red fruit and seeds that comes from achiote shrub. The dye is used to make a dot on the forehead symbolizing symbiosis with nature.

 He showed us jungle grapes, leaf cutter ants, how to make fine bracelets from palm fronds, the tree source of the neuromuscular blocker “curare”, and coca plants. 

We saw a flock of large brown birds, hoatzin, high up in a kapok tree. These birds are pheasant-sized, slim, long-tailed, and poor fliers. We spotted oropendola birds and their unique, hanging basket-like nests. There were thick vines, not self-supporting, that reach the top of gargantuan kapok trees. We wondered, which came first, the tree or the vine? And finally on our return, we saw more beautiful flowering trees, benign-appearing but stinging nettle and pairs of parrots returning to their nights perch.

After our excursion to the forest, we enjoyed time in the hammock on the front porch of our habana. In the evening, we heard monkeys and cicadas. Later, we were treated to a close encounter with a tarantula named “Barbara”, the pet of one of our waiters.

The Lodge Chef introduced us to many new and delicious foods. One of our favorites was the fava bean soup which can be topped with popcorn and called “habas”. There were cheese-stuffed potato cakes called “llpingachos”, another Ecuador specialty. We had soup, fresh fruit and juice with every meal and interesting desserts.

Day 5 April 24, 2013

Today we returned to Coca by motorized canoe and bus for the journey to Guayaquil for our flight to the Galapagos Islands where we were met by Gustavo, our knowledgeable Galapagos Trip Leader. The Galapagos Airport is located on Baltra Island at a World War II era US Air Force Base. Upon clearing and inspection of our bags, we were transported by bus to a ferry dock and crossed to Santa Cruz Island where we explored lava tunnels from the once active volcanoes. We visited a large lava tunnel created years ago with a volcanic eruption.  Then we see our first Giant Tortoises in a  Sanctuary without fences, where we saw the giants moving slowly around chomping grass and eager to have a picture taken with our group.

Afterward we were met by tender and taken to our Small Ship, the M/V “Montserrat”. At some 25 meters overall, she has four decks for her crew of 8 and we 13 passengers. There are four cabins for passengers on the engine deck. The remaining passenger cabins are on the third deck, accessed by the walk-around “balcony”. There were sufficient helmsmen to make overnight passages.

Every evening we met with Gustavo in the Ship's lounge for a “port talk”, to get our itinerary for the next day including a “check list” of our preparations, as well as a slide show of what to expect on the excursion of the coming day.

The Galapagos are 575 miles west of mainland Ecuador. They are famed for their vast number of endemic species and, of course, were the topic of study by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the HMS “Beagle”, when he made observations for elucidating how evolution works by natural selection. 

 The Galapagos are one of the world's top bird-watching destinations with over 1600 species on record. Due to the lack of historical contact with humans and other large predators, most of these creatures appear unafraid of people and allow close approach.

Recent colonization by humans, including sizable towns, free-range grazing of livestock, farming and military bases, has done much damage to this unique and formerly pristine environment. In a difficult balancing act between needs of human and animal inhabitants, the Government of Ecuador presently enforces strict rules about which islands can and cannot be visited. There are about fifty islands. Some are off limits to all visitors. Visitation is allowed on specified parts of other islands with regulated ships' timetables to minimize stress to the animals and island. We visited eight islands.

On our first night on the boat we met the crew of the “Montserrat” before cocktails and a welcome dinner. The meals aboard were usually buffet style and prepared artistically.

Juan the bartender and waiter, and the rest of the crew were magnificent. Each day our rooms were cleaned and, in standard “Cruise Ship Fashion”, towels in the forms of various Galapagos creatures adorned our beds.

Day 6 April 25, 2013

Today we visited South Plazos Island to snorkel. Snorkeling with sea lion cubs, coloured tropical fish, spotted eagle rays and sea turtles were highlights of our trip. On other snorkel dives we swam with black and hammer-head sharks.

Beach explorations revealed many delightful crustaceans and other tidal creatures. The bright orange crabs were fun to see scrambling over the rocks.

The Humboldt Current which usually brings cold water to the Galapagos and increases turbidity, reducing visibility while snorkeling, had meandered off somewhere else. The water was unusually clear and warm during our swims. We rented short wet suits and snorkel gear rather than bringing our own.

Each time we returned to “Montserrat” by Zodiac from a land or sea adventure, we were greeted by Juan with a wonderful local juga (juice) made from tomate de arbol, naranja, toroja, maracuya, pina, sandianaranjilla and papaya.

En route to the next island, we enjoyed the splendid views from our shaded top deck where we spent pleasant times. Anytime the Ship was moving, we were in the company of Frigate Birds giving us a show of acrobatics in the glory of their mating season.

Day 7 April 26, 2013

We had a great exploration of Santa Fe Island and Pitt Point, including the giant cactus and more iguanas than I dreamed existed.

Cactus is their favorite food. After lunch, we climbed a hill where we marveled at “bowls” eroded into the rock faces by blowing sand, butterflies, unique flowers and shrubs.

We returned to the Ship and motored to Lobos Island. We saw abundant marine iguanas, sea lions, land and sea turtles, crabs, flamingos and, of course, finches.

Back aboard we had a cooking class on how to make ceviche camarones (marinated shrimp). We celebrated Margie's birthday that evening.

The island excursions included wet and dry landings. The Zodiac drivers were terrific and would land us ashore or in shallow water or, occasionally, at a crude stone dock. Daily we were greeted by sea lions, lizards and iguanas as we disembarked from the tender, sometimes literally having to step over them.

Day 8 April 27, 2013

San Salvador Island has healthy populations of endemic species. It has its own sub-species of lava lizard, mockingbird, marine and land iguana and tortoise. Marine iguanas exhibit a distinctive red coloration change in the breeding season. San Salvador Island is the only breeding site of the Waved Albatross. 

We were fortunate to see them during their nesting season. These birds make no nest, laying eggs on the bare ground, even in the middle of the hiking trail. It was quite a show! Albatross and tropic birds are fond of steep windward cliffs which serve as perfect launching zones, as they take flight for their ocean feeding grounds near the mainlands of Ecuador and Peru.  There are also magnificent blow holes off Calegonian Rock.

We had an incredible display of what it takes for a blue-footed boobie to fall in love. Our male boobie picked up one foot at a time and said to his prospective mate, “look at my beautiful blue shoes, honey”.

 She answered him in her low, sexy voice, “humph, humph, humph”. He says “eeh, eeh, eeh!” This foreplay went on for hours, but we couldn't stay for the finale.

Day 9 April 28, 2013

We had a full day visit in San Cristobal Island which began with the Interpretation Center and it's displays of geography and history of the Galapagos Islands. Naturally, Charles Darwin was prominently featured. Only the naturalists could distinguish in the field, the subtle differences of beak anatomy among the finches that were so important to Darwin's discovery of the principles of evolution. However, when enlarged in a visual display, even we could see the differences.

We interacted with the locals, shopped and watched the sea lions confirming that the benches and motorboats were reserved for their use. We took “an across the island” bus ride to the highlands, and observed the San Cristobal giant tortoises in their “almost” natural environment as we walked among them on boardwalks.

Each day we saw frigate birds, sea lions, giant tortoises, blue- and red-footed and Nasca boobies, tropic birds, marine iguanas, and swallow-tailed gulls.

Day 10 April 29, 2013

We arrived at Cerro Brujo Island by Zodiac wet landing. We walked a long white sand beach, stopping to swim and snorkel. Later we snorkeled off the Zodiac with the sharks in the deep waters of “Sleeping Lion Rock”.

After warming showers and lunch, we were out again for a wet landing for snorkeling and swimming from the beach. Many species of sea birds were resting on the rocks.

Tonight was our “Ecuadorian Night”! Gustavo offered “Canelazo”. It is an alcoholic drink, served hot, taken from the bottle cap. The secret ingredients are aguardiente “fire water”, a strong spirit (60-100 proof or more if it's homemade), cinnamon and orange juice. It is considered the national liquor of Ecuador. We also had other local hors d'oeuvres: tortillas stuffed with cheese, fried plantains, nuts, and popcorn. Once lubricated with Canelazo, we learned how to do the Salsa, with the appropriate music of course! It was great fun!

Day 11 April 30, 2013

This was the day for Espanola Island. We had a wet landing at Gardner Beach and we walked the beach, swam and relaxed. Beach snorkelers went back to the Ship, and others went on a drift snorkel off the Zodiac with El Capitan to see underwater caves and sea turtles among marvelous schools of tropical fish. Most impressive were the large schools of 0.5 meter yellow-tailed snapper that we parted with our arms Afterward, we had a dry landing at Suarez Point for a rocky, hot and long climb, but the sights were worth the effort.

We went for an incredible Zodiac ride through Cathedral Rock and later to Lobos Island to snorkel between the rocks. 

We had the Cerro Bruja (Witch's Broom) in the background as we walked along a lovely green sand beach with lava rock pools populated with various sea creatures.

That evening, a moonless night kilometers away from human lights, we asked Gustavo to introduce us to the stars of the Southern Hemisphere, in particular, to show us the Southern Cross. He had the “Sky Walk” app on his iPad and helped us identify various constellations that we knew, but did not recognize because they were upside down.

Day 12 May 1, 2013

Today was Floreana Island Day. We had a wet landing at Cormorant Point and walked a volcanic ash trail to snorkel on the red sand beach. We saw flamingos and lovely flowering ceba, birds, lizards and later snorkeled from the Zodiac.

We returned to the Ship for lunch and then headed to Post Office Bay with our post cards. In the 18^th Century, outbound whalers placed their mail in a wooden barrel set back from the beach. Home-bound ships picked up the mail for it's return to port. The tradition continues today as visitors leave their addressed postcards, sans postage, in the barrel and retrieve mail left by others to be hand-delivered at home.

The anchor was weighed for the long passage to Santa Cruz Island. Peter took the helm to steer toward the distant way-point. El Capitan was impressed that he maintained the cross-track-error at nearly zero.

We think El Capitan took a liking to Peter because on overnight passages, Peter usually joined El Capitan in the wheelhouse at first light for approach to the anchorage of our new day.















Together Peter and El Capitan enjoyed a quiet camaraderie before sunrise because they shared little language, other than “Ship's Helm”. Peter bonded less well with the Ship's Engineer who, in spite of several overtones, never did allow him to venture into the engine room.

We anchored in Puerto Aroyo of Santa Cruz Island, where we were among cruising sailboats of many nations and tour ships here to see the Charles Darwin Center. Every visitor must have a certified naturalist with them whenever they venture beyond town, so this is as close to the National Park that a visitor can get without a guide.

We enjoyed the crew on the good Ship “Montserrat” and we toasted each other with farewell cocktails.

Day 13 May 2, 2013

We departed our Ship at Santa Cruz Island with farewells and proceeded to the Charles Darwin Center where a tortoise breeding program hatches young, and rears them to a size when they can be safely returned to their natural habitat. We also saw some tortoises that do not reproduce true to species. This is due to tortoises having been transported by humans between the islands. Rather than have the mixed breeding of endemic species, these interbred tortoises are now kept forever in captivity. We walked along a boardwalk and saw tortoises in a protected naturalized environment.

Scientists and biology students from around the world come to study endemic species at the Darwin Center. There are large corrals containing individual species, many endangered.

One species recently became extinct in the wild due to habitat degradation. We admired the National Park's work in preserving the gene pool among the hundreds of animals within this important environment.

Sadly, years ago, many of Ecuador's Giant Tortoises were captured and sold to zoos around the world. We also heard of a tourist who attempted transporting iguanas back to Europe in his suitcase. He was caught and I understand still in jail in Ecuador. Illegal traffic in threatened endemic species is still a hazard to wildlife survival in the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon Basin.

We took a ferry and a bus to the Galapagos Airport for our return flight to Quito. As we flew over this beautiful country, we saw some of the country's highest peaks, including the picture-perfect snow-capped cones of Volcan Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. It would be a delight to return one day for hiking in those Andean Mountains.

Back in Quito, we had a trip to the handicrafts market to purchase our gifts for home and a Panama hat for Peter. Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador, to our surprise.

We had a delicious farewell dinner in the Ethnographic Museum after observing their exhibits of traditional Ecuadorian clothing, pottery, art, and their beautiful masks. We learned a lot about their traditional musical instruments.

Day 14 May 3, 2013

We transferred to the airport, where Patricio gave each lady a farewell yellow rose, which went all the way home with Catherine (even through Agricultural Inspection at the Miami airport).

In conclusion, this was not a tour for wimps. It was rigorous, and there was little down time. But, we had not gone there to rest. We knew we were in for some long days with strenuous hiking, often over rough terrain and sometimes at high altitude. Disembarking from a Zodiac through the surf is not always easy. There were numerous deep water entries from the Zodiac, some with surge and current, for snorkeling excursions in the Galapagos Islands.

Our trip leaders fulfilled our expectations and I can't sing their praises enough. I hope that OAT trip leaders will always be as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as Patricio and Gustavo. Their competence was greatly appreciated by both of us.

Many thanks to Susan and Gustavo for sharing their photos.  

We enjoyed the trip immensely, and began almost immediately planning our next trip with OAT. We hope you can read about this trip to Asia in one of our next blogs.

Catherine and Peter