Ecuador

Able to get the country count to 34.  And the same country as the trip canceled in January.

Saturday, April 9th, 2022 

Leave house at 6:30AM, bus to ORD, 3 hour wait, ORD to BNA, 2 hour layover, BNA to MIA, 3 hour layover, MIA to.....

Sunday, April 10th, 2022

...Guayaquil, Ecuador at 2AM.

Up at 6:30 for a run through Quito.

There were some classics.

But most of it was blah.

   

 

Headed back to the airport for the flight to the Galapagos Islands.

Stand in line if you had checked baggage (I didn't), stand in line to show vaccination card, stand in line for Galapagos paperwork, stand in line to get baggage x-rayed for items prohibited in Galapagos like tomatoes, cheese, plastic bags, coffee beans and cutlery.  

  2 hour flight.

Lying 632 miles of Ecuador's coast, Galapagos consists of 19 islands thriving with wildlife.

 Landing on Isla Baltra, part of the Galapagos Islands.

Line for passport control, get paperwork started in Guayaquil, pay $100 fee and have luggage scanned for banned items.

 

Jump on a public bus to...

  

 

...go across Isla Baltra....

...to ferry pier...

....cross to Isla Santa Cruz...

 

...to continue across that island.

 

The one road across this island.  In a series of islands that have no roads.

Stopping at a sinkhole.

 

Not a bad setting for lunch.

Locally caught tuna.

At the El Chato Tortoise Preserve.

Trails weave among this central island area with tortoises seen grazing on grass.

Yes. Yes they were. It takes 4 hours. Yes.  Yes, I felt like a voyeur.  

There is a lava tube there too.

 

Continuing across Isla Santa Cruz.

 

Got to hotel, view from outside my room.

Time to explore Puerto Ayora.

This is one of just three towns on all of the islands.

Getting bottle water.  

It was a mix of locals and tourists from around the world.

Not exactly polished, just real.

Watched the kids play.

Guayaba and avocado.

Al fresco dining!

Locals having fun.

Pelican Bay

Monday, April 11th, 2022

Stepped out my (mediocre) room to find this.

Heading back out of town.

And north across Isla Santa Cruz.

Wildlife!

Wildlife!

    

At the ferry pier again to get on a dingy to a catamaran.

To go up to Isla Bartolome.

It would take 2 hours.

North side of Isla Santa Cruz.

It was an easy ride there.

Spent most of the time lying on the net over the water. That is Isla Santiago.

Heard Isla Daphne had several kinds of boobies.

Turns out those are birds.  Saw blue footed and red footed.  

 

Might be hard to see them, but many species of birds. And many crabs.

Approaching Isla Bartolome.

Back on the dingy to get to Isla Bartolome.

Isla Santiago in the distance.

This is a volcanic island.

 

Blue footed boobie.

Welcome to Mars.

It was a harsh island, accentuated by high heat.

 

Only some lava lizards here.

Showcasing superhuman strength.

That rock was at least a hundred pounds.

Making the way up the mountain.

 

At the top.

Visited by a sea lion while getting back on the dingy.

And penguins.

Another dingy to get to a cove to snorkel.

There was too much sediment in the water to see the tropical fish.

But did get video of a rock of penguins.

    

Back on the catamaran for some more of that locally caught tuna.

It took two hours to get back again.  Why no fantastic pictures?  Why no witty narrative?  Most of the passengers were trying not to lose their lunch. Some didn’t succeed.  I spent most of the that two hours with my head between my knees.  Trying to remember if you are supposed to look at the horizon, or not.    Otherwise that would have been great video of the boat rolling all over the place.  It was absolutely awful. 

 

Back in Puerto Ayora.

It was a beautiful evening to stroll the town.

Perfect temp, everything lit up.

All kinds of outdoor dining.

Nice to see people traveling.

 

Dinner at Midori.

Raw local tuna with olive oil, truffle, parmesan and fresh basil. 

Wow. The tuna on its own was exquisite. Then it is punched up with the richness of the truffle and olive oil, countered with the unami of the parmesan and balanced with the fresh basil.

  

Tuesday, April 12th, 2022

Another morning to head north across Isla Santa Cruz.

To the pier where tourists are dispersing to various islands.

Back on the same catamaran.

Watching the captain navigate to Isla Seymour.

Welcome to Isla Seymour.

Where it was time to let the head swivel trying to take in all the wildlife.

(Bottom right)

 

Hunky guy and iguana spotted.

The males inflate the red pouch to attract the ladies. I need myself one of these.

 Going into this, I told myself I wasn't going to be one of those people clicking pictures like mad.

That lasted as long as the second foot hit land.

 

Over my right shoulder.

Must be single's tree.

 

Blue footed...you know.  They get their blue feet from eating so many sardines.  

Two nests.

This club is really jumping.

    

 

Awww. It's a baby.

 

Eastern part of the island.

Laying on eggs.

The Daphne islands.

Nap time!

 

All you can eat crab.

Posed for me.

Back on the catamaran,

the chef was churning out snacks.

On the dingy to go this this sandbar to snorkel.

Soft white sand.

Again, hard to get good shots in this water.

Then these two sea lions came. They circled me and did one of those jumping out of the water kissing things. I was scrambling to get recording while staying afloat and missed it. So started recording hoping they would come back. One did.

After a half hour of snorkeling, back on that inviting beach.

Sea lions on the other side of the sand bar.

See the adorable babies?

Hey buddy!

Back on the catamaran for lunch.  Then it was just an hour to get back.  And, gratefully, the seas were calm.

Back in Puerto Ayora after the hour drive.

Back at Pelican Bay.

Not sure where this bay gets its name.

Dinner at The Rock with...

  

  

...Spenser, Merle and Cheryl.

More of that local tuna.  Normally I’d get a salad as the 2^nd side, but not risking fresh greens. 

  

  

Wednesday, April 13th, 2022

The reserve aims to help the tortoise population.

 

They raise some babies before releasing them into the wild.

Hey buddy!

 

So large and old.  Such magnificent creatures.  

 

Some of the admin and museum buildings.

A whale that has washed up. It was already dead.

Got a Charles Darwin Research Station stamp in my passport. Not sure why, throw away old passports.

After that all too familiar hour drive north across Isla Santa Cruz, back on the ferry to Isla Baltra.

And onto the bus.

You see dozens of concrete pads across Baltra from a  WWII base.  Baltra was chosen to help protect the Panama Canal and is why this island has the airport and was the first of the Galapagos to be inhabited.

Galapagos airport. All of it.

Two hour flight to Guayaquil.

Goodbye Galapagos.

You really can't see a dotted line while flying along the equator. I looked.

 Back over mainland Ecuador.

Leaving Guayaquil after a short layover.

   

Just a 45 minute flight.

Nearing Quito.

 

Which is surrounded by 9,200 foot mountains.

 

And subdivisions interrupted by sharp ravines.

The airport is east and a bit north of the city.

Took about 45 minutes.

Car repair shop along the highway.  Think their waiting room has a Keurig? 

Like the favelas of Rio, just nicer.

Checked into hotel and stopped in Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal.

Walking to dinner.

Pork, mote pillo, muchines, fried yucca, charqui beef, squid and shrimp

Taxes like Chicago.

 

 

Thursday, April 14th, 2022

Good morning from Quito.

Since Quito is sketchy, 5 Americans banded together at the Hilton and hired a van recommended by the concierge. Heading from the business district of this capitol city to Old Town 3km away.

Something you see the world over- folks setting up stands anywhere they can to make a living.

Basílica del Voto Nacional

 

It's the largest Gothic Basilica in South America.

Started in 1892. Compared to all the ones you see around Europe, this is brand new.

 

Heading into Old Town.

After stopping at Plaza San Francisco, three policewomen approached us and upon realizing we didn't speak Spanish, one pulled out her phone, opened up Google Translate and typed something like 'Be careful, hold onto your belongings. Have a great day.'

Admiring the Colonial architecture of Old Town.

La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito

Began in 1605, it took 160 years to build.  Must have been a government project.

   

Plaza Grande is the heart of Quito.

Could have ambled about all day.

Every turn is a new captivating view.

   

 

Though it is not all Colonial architecture.

And I get my shoelaces on Amazon.

Back in the hired van.

Then it got stressful as I watched the driver try to keep it running.

He was feverishly working the clutch and throttle.  Turned off the air, pulled out cigarette lighter accessories. 

We made it, $50 total and then walked to look for a late lunch.

 

 

See the Directv dishes. It is inhabited. No walls, but they have TV.

With Spenser, Merle, David and Franny.

Llapingacho 

Pork, Ambateno chorizo, potato tortillas with cheese. 

It was awful.

Back to the room to work for the rest of the day. 

Friday, April 15th, 2022 

After 3 hours of sleep, up at 2:30AM. Arrived at airport at 4AM.

Tigrillo is eggs, mashed plantains and cheese. Love it.

 

Leaving Ecuador.

Cuba

  

Why does every airport in every country have 6 miles of walking to passport control?

So happy at Miami International to be able to eat leafy greens and fresh vegetables.

 

At 8:50PM, the 9:17PM flight was delayed until 11PM. Five minutes later it was delayed to 11:35PM. It ended up taking off after midnight. Home at 3:30AM central time.