GALAPAGOS days 3,4 Ramblings on recycling and brief travel advice

After checking out the newest island full of Volcanic activity (Fernandina) we went snorkeling again. I thought that nothing could possibly top the first two days. I was wrong.
In addition to seeing a family of sea lions, Galapagos penguins, 4 turtles, a long eel looking fish, and basically all the types of fish from my favorite children's book rainbow fish in real life..it was without a doubt epic.

However, every time i see a pelican, great blue heron, sea lion or volcanic rock, it instigates another memory.
The pelicans took me back to my childhood in Klamath Falls, the sea lions the Oregon coast, the snorkeling reminded me of Maui and the volcanic rocks the lava beds. Granted, here I saw it all in one day, but it made me very aware of the diversity of North America I often overlook. This amazing German family was here and much of the wild life was something they are seeing for the first time, whereas at 20 I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to a lot of this already.

Last night, after a scrumptious dinner I got to breeze through Frances's and Will's photos of trekking in Chile, Argentina ( including Patagonia)and Bolivia. I've decided that when I return, I would like to get off the Gringo Trail and experience a more small town SA. The large cities here and most of what I've seen have been " westernized" there is a super maxi in every town and Comedia Rapida ( fast food) is just as prevalent as in the states.
I didn't expect indigenous communities and only traditional foods, but I thought there would be a higher degree of authenticity.
Ramblings on Recycling and Culture:
Perhaps it was a naive perception, but nonetheless the reoccurrence of so many things I dislike about modern society here, is disheartening. I think aspects of modernity are essential in improving everyone's life's, but fast food, discotecas, coke and Oreos are not the answer to arriving in the "first world"

This digression brings me to my ultimate annoyance, angst at present: TRASH!!!!!!!!

Today, observing one of the most protected sea lion
Colonies in the world I had to angle the camera to make sure not to get the giant floating plastic bottle. Even here, in a biodiversity haven the human presence is so evident. I fished as much micro trash out as possible, but to little avail.
Finally after nearly 2 months my trash rant is going to surface. I hate plastic, styrofoam and most of all I hate unnecessary uses of plastic, all three of these dislikes an everyday occurrence here. It is just frustrating that Coca Cola, Nestlé and various other mega corporations can get a foot hole in the even the most remote villages and no one cares to discuss trash infrastructure.
Where does all this plastic go??
In Galapagos I've seen the first compost and recycling bins out side of airports and even then it doesn't look like a promising effort. Nothing was sorted correctly and people here don't care. People open bottles and cookie packages and through the trash in the street, without a second glance.
Is it lack of education about recycling or cultural differences or both that account for this attitude? I don't know, but its a question I return to daily.

Today we also said goodbye to our German, Hungarian and Finnish friends as we continue on for the last part of our cruise. We ( myself, France's and will) still cannot believe our luck finding this cruise and the what we paid for it, so for all you future Galapagos travelers this is how you should do it:
Go in the low season ( late March, April or May) only make the travel if you have about a week and a half or are already down here in South America. National flights are cheaper and Galapagos is outrageously priced if you try to book from another country.
Don't plan a thing, just your flights and once your hear go to the million travel agencies on every corner. There are always boats, especially in the low season that have space for a bargain price. There will be tons of options and without a doubt you'll find what your looking for and save at least 1,500.
If you don't have time or are not coming to South America, my suggestion is spend half the money for a similar experience in Hawaii or the Florida keys.
If you have the time and the gumption then the above method is the way to go and you won't be disappointed.

Galapagos Days 1-2

After Landing in Baltra, on without a doubt the classiest flight ever. LAN is truly superior, American Airlines in comparison is similar to a smelly tin can with taped on wings.
We ( Will, Frances and myself) took a bus ride with about 25 people too many on it, to a ferry and then! Another bus ride. After landing in Puerto Ayora we found a hotel for the 3 of us for 12 a night, pretty classy digs.
Then, I discovered.. " the shampoo explosion" imagine an entire bottle of dove just overflowing in your backpack.. This was my unfortunate reality. The worst thing about cleaning it up is that it continuously suds..

Enough on that sad note because it gets soooooo much better.
We found a restaurant open for almurezo, past 3! Only vegetarian options here are not existent. So after nearly 2 years I ate cerviche and survived. I guess I can be sure that it definitely was fished sustainably since it was caught about 3 hrs prior.

The leg work began and we went to your agencies acquiring about both routes and prices.
In Galapagos there are two basic itineraries. One that goes for 5-8 days to San Cristobal, hood, Santa Cruz and possibly San Domingo. This is not a particulary appealing when you can reach three other these places via day drips.
Therefore, the clear winner was a tour circling Isla Isabella and then hitting San Domingo on the return. We found one cruise offering this trip and it left in 2 hrs with 4 spaces left.
Because it was last minute an there were three people doing it we nabbed an amazing price 2 grand less than what it is. I also got a bit more luxury then truly necessary, but I'm not really complaining.
We grabbed out " mochilas" ( backpacks) and took a water taxi to our 10 cabin catamaran. Our rooms are pretty enormous and this is the first private bathroom I've had in a month and a half.
There was only one other couple from Spokane Washington, the rest from Germany, Finland and Hungry. We got settled at 830 and had to be up at 6 am the next day!
Day 1:
Breakfast then take a dingy raft to the nestling iguana islands and the mainland to hike to the second largest volcanic crater ( the first in Africa).
Back to the boats for Lunch .. Amazing food all around!! The best I have eaten in again 1.5 months.

Day 2:
Morning dry land on new lava island.( Ferdinand I think, but am not positive)
Then, we went snorkeling twice.
I'm kicking myself for not having an underwater camera, but it is an experience also, so I just took about a million mental pictures!
I swam with sea lions.. One actually bumped me, saw over 6 turtles and a a ton of fish. It was unreal. I've been to Maui before and this made snorkeling there seem measly.

We also checked out some nesting sights of flightless comorants

On the Plane and Portland Paradise?

After escaping guayaquil unscathed I was fortunate enough to be seated next to two Americans in the same boat as me!
Not the physical boat we hope to get on but the hypothetical one consisting of: no plans, no hostel and hope to get on a cruise

Will and Frances are in their mid 20's and awesome. After describing life in Portland Maine l, I'm convinced it may be a less expensive Boulder of the East. Intrigued and glad to meet some people! Off I go on the next adventure.

Ecuadorian Cultural Observations:

There are a lot of cultural observations that I've made in my time here and forgotten to share!

One thing I like about Ecuadorian culture is the importance of family. Everyone plays a role in the raising of a child and everyone is expected home for lunch!

On a sadder note there is an obsession with western culture. I saw teenagers everywhere with white surgical tape on their noses and couldn't figure out what it was for! I asked my teacher and she informed me that most people if they have the money elect to have a nose job. The appearance of an indigenous looking nose is no longer considered beautiful or handsome by their society's modern standards.

independence, especially for women is not always supported. Divorced women are blacklisted, and career women only can follow their passions in a city metropolis. Moncia and her friends ( also divorcees) lament this aspect of Cuencano conservative society.

Also wealthy women here that look in my opinion exotic with dark hair and eyes often bleach their locks and wear azul colored contacts.

Why is it that we are never happy with what we have?!? Even when what we posses is often convented by someone else and vice versa?

"I'm going down in a ring of fire, In a ring of fire"

Johnny Cash is singing this phrase over and over again in my brain; while I lay here sweating.
Guayaquil F-Ing sucks, to be polite. Over a hundred percent humidity walking requires about a liter of water and a Gatorade.
As if the climate wasn't horrible enough, it is also Cuenca's largest and most dangerous city. I went down to the water front in hopes of finding a decent coffee with an air conditioned place to write. Instead I found my self first picking beef out of my "sin carne" burrito, while being gawked by gross old dudes saying random words from movies to me; like"pretty, boot with fur , butiful.. (Vomit) next I sought wifi non other than McDonald's overlooking a moving river of brown murky water, that is both debris filled and not in the slightest sanitary.
The night got more interesting with a confused taxi driver, 2 narrow missed with a bus and leaving a skirt in Cuenca: irritation!

Add in my emotional morning farewell, endless bus trip and added travel luggage.. I've decided growing up is hard. In fact, I like aspects of the freedom of adulthood but not
The responsibility.

Back to Cuenca today, farewell to vilcabamaba

Hiked yesterday through a nature reserve, ran by some dredded expats. It was beautiful, and then out of no where we hiked up to a "home."
This home was a giant stucco white beehive that looked like something out of star wars! Not really sure who lives there or why but thought it was interesting.
Also had an amazing smoothie from the "juice factory" though it was delicious, I did not feel like I was in Ecuador. From kale chips to vegan truffles, definitely more American than rural Ecuador.
So why!!? Why are so many people coming here and drawn to this place?

Potential reason number 1:
Vilcabamaba is called the valley of eternal youth and people here seem to live longer than others. In fact, the mascot of the town in an 100 year old man you can see around the square, and on all the " vilcagua bottles"

Potential Second Reason:
the "godfathers" of the raw food movement all live in giant mansions out of town, one even with its own water park! I even had a waiter from Vermont!?
Mark something or other is the main celeb here, but others soon followed in his footsteps.

Reflection:
" all who wander, are not lost"
Half of my travel memories have been the people I've met along the way and their stories. Some are searching for the unknown and themselves, others solely seeking adventure and a select group are those who have a vivaciousness and passion for life.
Lucky for me, I met most of these kind of individuals in Vilcabamba. To be inspired and truly blessed to be the presence of people you may only encounter once in your life is the most bittersweet of experiences.
Bitter, because it is only a moment, one snippet of time. Sweet, because these short seemly inconsequential moments have an enormous impact.
To share every story, every meaningful moment would take days, even years because there have been that many " ahh hah!" fist pumping moments. In fact, much of what I take away from this experience will not be the things I saw, but the people I met.

Horseback riding, relaxation, great company and expanding my horizons

This past week I have been enjoying some warmth and new cultural side of Ecuador.
Vilcabamba is in the southern part of loja province near the Peruvian border. It's a popular backpacker stop because of both the close crossing and the relaxing vibes.
However, in the recent years Vilcabamba has become an expat haven. I've met more Americans here that any other part of Ecuador. The weather, scenic views and natural beauty are a definite draw, but I think the tropical hallucinogens are even more appealing.
I've met more old hippies who got lost on their way back from Woodstock, than grounded individuals. In fact, the natural healers and raki practitioners in boulder seem like kittens to these holistic tigers!!
San Pedro and Iowasca experiences are the norm and I've find myself at a divide. I'm a hippie in the sense that I care about recycling, the planet, enjoy nature and find the simple life appealing. I'm not, however a true hippie. I've seen true hippies here: people who have kids, travel from place to place to play music, juggle and sell homemade jewelry- all shoeless. My relationship with Pachamama is amateur and you know what?? I'm just find with that!!
I met some awesome German and Danish folks and hope to link of with them in Peru after Galapagos and have been basking in the fresh air.
Also went on an awesome 4 hr horseback ride to a waterfall that was both exhilarating and terrifying. Hiking lots as well and catching up travel plans, ect.
Moreover I met the most wonderful inspiring woman and would like to share my dinner conversations with Lise penel:

I met lise in a cafe in Cuenca where we both were despondent about the rain. Originally from Montreal; List speaks french, English, German, some Spanish, Italian and Indonesian!!
Now retired and 66 we chatted over coffee and said goodbye.
Last Saturday, on my vilcambaba she ended up being on the same buseta!!
She speaks soapy languages because she taught English through out Europe and lived in Bali for 3 years with her husband, while he worked. Her husband, a French parisian got his Master's degrees from CSU and used to be a ski bum Vail.. Small small world.
Now she travels and lives close to her son in Edmonton Canada, and is still an adventurer.
We went with friends to a restaurant that specializes in an 80 proof liquor, fermented with a REAL snake. I chicken out and didn't take a shot.. Though there is still time for me to have some if I change my mind.. Anyway, Lise is champ and took it!!
Because she had a family, a career and saw the world, it's possible.
Continuing to meet people from all walks of life, and learning more about the kind of life I want, and the kind I don't.

Pictures!

Whooo Hoo!! Figured it out and Ingapirca was a an older blog entry that failed to post from last weekend.
Sorry the confusion.

INGAPIRCA

Ingapirca means: wall of the Inca. Located an hour and a half from Cuenca in the province of Canar, it is Ecuador's premier archeological site.

A holy place because of its relation to the mountains, water, sun and valley floor the canary people first built temples here. Canary people we famous for their textiles which, thanks to burial in high altitude places many have been preserved. As the Inca empire grew both the Incas and Canary people lived "juntos" or together.
This is why the placement of the main castle/ temple is different that typical Inca construction because the people honored both the moon and sun gods.
Unfortunately this place has always been in plain site and therefore pillaged for its perfectly square stones throughout the years, by the Spanish, and other people living nearby.

The last two years the government had ordered the return of many stones which can be seen in a pic below.

The castle will be closed to visitors walking in it next year and I feel super lucky to have seen it!

Below there is also the face of the inca in a mountain not far from the ruins, all natural and very interesting.

A beautiful change in plans: vilcabamaba

Tolerance for adversity and uncertainty was a core NOLS principal I learned prior to coming to South America. Without a doubt it has been one of the helpful life-lessons I've learned thus far.
In lieu of the limited amount of time I have here and the burnout of intensive school, I have chosen not to work at the biological reserve. They changed the dates on my arrival several times and every time I contacted them; something was different," it is going to cost this much, can you come two days earlier or a week later". Frustrated and tired of planning, I even debated coming home a bit earlier.
However, the emotion subsided when I realized how short a time 2 months is and now I can do some things I didn't think I would be able to!
This includes Galapagos for 2 weeks, Making a trip in mountainous southern Ecuador, seeing the Nazca line and lake titcaca as well as trekking Machu Picchu.
I finished classes on Tuesday and hung out with friends and the family for the next few days.
I've met some awesome people in Chicago and now must add it to the even growing list of places I want to go. Also sent the week with a friend from England who is teaching English is Cuenca. Lucy assisted me in cooking a giant meal for the family and also be joining me in Vilcambaba in a bit.
For dinner I made a creamy carrot soup, asparogas with caramelized onion, baked potatoes with spicy. Rams and queso as well as an apple pie! I also made the kids a batch of homemade caramel corn and it seemed to a huge hit.
Cooking had some serious challenges. Whether it was the gas stove and oven with no markings on what is low, high or light.. Or the fact that singing your eyebrows is a common occurrence, I felt blessed to have only burnt a few potatoes.
As I packed for Vilcabamaba i also realized that I have accumulated more things, and there is no space!!
Lucky for me, this is delayed issue I will deal with I'm a week.
Left some things with Monica in Cuenca and will return next Sunday for a night before heading to Galapagos Wed. March 21.

PS: having serious issues with uploading pics because so google settings have changed, so until I can get it worked out the, you just have to imagine!! ( sorry)

On another exhilarating note!! I have an interview for a job in Alaska teaching environmental education!! Send some good vibes my way:)

PpSs
Today my mom Deb is having surgery. I wish I was there to support her and have been thinking of her lots. Positive thoughts always been positive results. Love you Mom and today is a great day, can't wait to hear from you post op:)

Music Class, el forneria and surviving travel battles

I had my final Andean music class thursday and it was do awesome!!! I nearly had a heart attack when my teacher had a cup from Colorado Rocky Mountain School ( the very prep school my roommate and food friend Shannon went, as well as some other friends of mine..)
I asked her why she had and if she'd been to Colorado and it was just a gift from a student she'd taught. Nevertheless the world is shrinking.

Anyway!! Learned a lot more about the mixed influence of ingenious music with Afro and Hispanic culture!! Then attempted to play several traditional lutes. Easy peasy.. Like a recorder and I played sax for 6 yrs, so no hay problema!!

WRONG. I nearly passed out from hyperventilating from the effort of attempting to just make the smallest of noises. Finally, nearly blue I happened to blow out a screech that sounded like a dying bird.. Nevertheless a proud moment for me.

Also went to a pottery studio and an older cathedral from the 1500s. Found the pottery process enchanting and can't wait to copy several designs I saw when I get home!!

Most importantly a change in plans was ironed out! No longer volunteering at the biological reserve, not only was I going to paying a large sum of money, they are kept changing dates and being rather sketchy about the process... Instead I'll be off to vilicambaba for hiking,
bird watching and living the dream. Moreover calling airlines to change flights ect was not only expensive, but a waste of 3 hrs of my life. Note to self: customer service... Means customers might as well figure it out themselves..

However, don't even want to think about saying goodbye to my family here... I am dreading the moment. They are some awesome and I want to stuff Juan Jose in my suitcase and take him back home with me. He's small enough, I'm sure no one in customs would mind and neither would Monica...( I wish)