Liz and Richard in South America 2006

January 17 - Galapagos Arrival!

At last we’ve stopped hauling luggage and changing locations every few days. We’re ensconced in our quirky house in the Galapagos for the next month and have time to write and high speed internet access to upload visuals.

 

A point form recap to date (details to follow):

• Arrived in Cusco Peru where our guide (David) picked us up and drove us to our hotel in      Ollantaytambo (in the Sacred Valley) where we stayed for 3 days making various side trips
• Took the train the Machu Picchu, where we stayed for two days at the Sanctuary Lodge on the grounds of Machu Picchu – it is a life list must see
• Train back to Ollantaytambo and then car to Cusco where      we mainly slept for 2 days. The      11,000 foot elevation while climbing over Inca ruins is a killer. We’re both dropping pounds like inmates of a fat farm
• Long 6 hour drive across the Alto Plano (12,000 feet) to Lake Titicaca where we spent 2 days in a hotel and one night living with a farm family      on an island in the middle of the lake. No running water. No electricity. No refrigeration. 20 sheep in the next room and one of the most significant cultural experiences of our lives
• Flew out of Juliaca (more about it later) to Lima Peru where we spent one night in the “Marriott Bubble” and then a subsequent flight to Quito Ecuador where we spent another night in the “Marriott Bubble” ….. before a complicated flight – bus ride – ferry – another bus ride and then a taxi to our house in the Galapagos.

 

We’ve been here 3 days and have settled in; figured out how the water system works (had to recall long forgotten skills in priming pumps); flooded the laundry room while discovering that they forgot to tell us that the washer drain wasn’t connected (you throw the hose out the door……of course). The only grocery store burned down last week so buying food and supplies has offered some interesting challenges. Most importantly, as always, we immediately found a really good bar run by a 30 year old ex-pat lady from Hampshire in England.  She’s been an invaluable survival guide.

There’s lot of good restaurants, marine iguanas on the rocks at the end our road, frigate birds, pelicans, herons, and Darwin’s famous finches eat crumbs from our breakfast table on the patio. It’s 85 degrees and, being right on the equator, the Beebys can get sunburned walking across the road.

We’re having a wonderful time and looking forward to exploring the islands in more detail…..but Toto, we’re definitely not in Rome this vacation!

Our Galapagos House

It´s quirky. We describe it as a series of stairways (there are 9) with occasional rooms inserted randomly. The designer obviously eschewed straight walls, 90 degree angles and single level rooms….but we´re very happy here. It´s like living with a built in stairmaster. After Machu Picchu it seems almost flat!

There are Galapagos cacti in the back yard and a collection of works in progress

 

…in fact while the design is innovative, the fundamentals are a work in progress. The lights don´t work in either bathroom, the kitchen was designed without a place for a fridge or stove (they are down the hall) and plumbing is a constant challenge. Below is a pix of the infamous pump that moves water from the concrete cistern to the tank on the roof. Note the sophisticated wiring and switches and the plastic jug to prime the pump. We periodically fire up the pump when the shower trickle drops to no trickle at all.

 

Hot water is created when the black tank on the roof absorbs sufficient equatorial sun. You pick your shower temperature by the time you choose to bathe….mornings are brisk, afternoons are tepid.

Water is the defining issue for living in Puerto Ayora – how you get it into you (potable versus non potable) and what to do with it when your body has processed it. In a world built on lava fields with mere inches of top soil, septic systems require dynamite….no kidding. We consume 3 to of drinking water a day and buy jugs in dozen lots. Ecuador could pay for a potable water system from the cost of disposing of all the plastic water jugs.

It probably sounds oppressive but you get into the rhythm quickly and learn to always carry fresh water and check each restaurant as to how they wash their vegetables and make ice cubes. Fortunately the city water in Puerto Ayora is very brackish so no one uses it to cook. It´s so salty that we doubt if it would freeze in an ice cube tray! What might seem like a problem becomes habit by day two.

While water is an issue, communications is not - long distance is only 25 cents/minute to North America at the local internet café – and we have internet access at the house.

We came to the Galapagos to see the wildlife, but one experience we had not planned on was the 3 inch diameter arachnid that came calling shortly after we arrived. She was very big and very fast. So big that she literally clattered as she ran across the tiles. We finally caught her under a pot and and eased her out the door. The locals assured us that she was not lethal and smiled at our concern….live and learn.

As always we quickly found a local bar to call home – Tintoeera – run by a 30 year old English lady who came to get her biology Phd but ended up owning a restaurant. She´s been a wonderful resource and survival guide.

The wildlife is everywhere. The large male marine iguana below is perched on the wall outside the bank and you´ll note in the shot of Liz that there is a sea lion perched on the dock over her right shoulder. The sea lion is actually pissed off because it was sunning itself on the front yard of a house down the road until the owner´s dog chased it back onto the dock.

 

 

Our camera was dying the day we went into the highlands to see the giant tortoises, but we do have one great picture of Richard and "Ted the Tortoise"

The famous finches are the equivalent of our sparrows and happily feed on bread crumbs. Note, however, the size of the bill on our friend perched on the window sill. In a world that generated the fact of evolution, it is not surprising to discover that evolution continues apace. The urban finches are de-evolving. The once separate large billed, medium billed and small billed ground finches are coalescing into a sparrow like single entity since they no longer feed on separate foods but eat all the crumbs from a small city.

 

 

Living in Puerto Ayora

This is Murrary - the alpha male marine iguana who rules the dock outside one of our favourite restaurants.  Murray spends most of the day sunning on the hot concrete, while managing his harem of obedient females - with period fights to discourage beta males who get too close to his harem

An example of how tame the animals are in the Galapagos is shown in the next pic.  Below is one of Murray's females who has wandered into the restaurant to check her makeup in the window reflection....not an unusual occurence.  No one panics, but just makes sure not to step on her.  Even the kids are relaxed, with no attempts to grab the lizard

A Banking Interlude

As always, foreign banking is an experience.  Our ATM crads don't work here (they did in Peru) and the merchants prefer cash - not credit cards, not travelers cheques and the bills should be new and crisp.  A torn corner on a US $100 bill will get it rejected.  To pay for our cruise (which we booked here and got a great deal) we had to make a number of Kafkaesque visits to the one bank in town to get cash - maximum $2,000/day.  All funds are paid in $20s - two thousand dollars is a stack of 100 bills - we call them bricks.  You discover that the real reason for all the pockets on travel pants is to stash your "bricks"

Our visit to the Island of Isabela for two nights

The island of Isabela is one of the geologically newest of the Galapagos - the Volcanos (there are 5) are still very active (the most recent eruption was last October).  The one town on the island is very small (2,000 people) and absolutely charming. 

We hopped on a Piper Aztec (Jim you would have loved it) - locals pay half the fare of tourists.

The town is built on a fresh lava flow.  It is the mountains of the moon - stark, unyielding, brutal to walk on and at the equator.  The noon day sun turns the black basalt into a BBQ

But in the Yin/Yang land of contrasts, the coast is Eden like.  Miles and Miles of white coral sand beaches - even the driftwood appears art directed.  Flamingos wander the lagoon in the middle of town.

Our Inn was lovely - 2 floors of amenities at the end of the world - with a view over a private beach

The other asset was our John Travolta look alike guide - Mathias Espinosa.  Now, we don't believe in fate or kismet or religious dieties, but coincidence can be surprising.

Mathias' home is in Puerto Ayora next to the house we've been renting.  He left Puerto Ayora because it was getting "too much like New York".  A fascinating, intelligent, worldy man.

Had a wonderful meal the first night at a local restaurant ( we sat on the red chairs and watched the world unfold in the town square)  Spectacular fresh fried shrimps plus grilled slipper lobster to die for

The next day we climbed up to see the Sierra Negra volcanic caldera.......coming  soon to a blog near you!

Sierra Negra

Up early the next day to climb to the caldera of Sierra Negra.  A 45 minute truck ride through the cloud forest to where the horses waited.  Richard, assuming that horseback riding might not be the best thing for his back, had asked for a docile beast.  The wrangler complied and alloted him a gelded stallion whose whole purpose in life was to stick his nose up Liz's mount's ass!  Richard tried all the way up and all the way down to pass Liz.  It could not be achieved.  Is there a message here?  Note in the photos --- in an hour we go from searing heat to having to wear jackets.  Also note how small the horses are - liz's feet kept dragging on the ground!

The Sierra Negra caldera is one of the largest in the world - 9 kilometres across. Photos don't convey the immensity of this hole into the earth's core.

While the lava from October's eruption has solidified, there are still numerous active fumeroles, parisitic cones and visible sulphur deposits.  It is Mordor - black, sharp, and inhospitable

On the way down from the volcano's rim we had one of life's magical experiences.  We visited Wilfrito and his 42 baby tortoises.  The locals on Isabela still eat the wild tortoises (although it's illegal) so even though the breeding programs are quite successful, they can't release the babies into the wild - they'll become dinner.

Wilfrito is a local farmer who, at his own expense, has built a large pen and is feeding baby tortoises brought from the Darwin Research Centre.  He hopes that education will convince the popultaion not to eat the tortoises one day.  Because of the extreme dryness over recent years, Wilfrito has been forced to buy food for the babies - again all from his own pocket.  We were incredibly touched by Wilfrito

As we drove back into town past the graveyard we were reminded of where we were.  In a town built on lava flows - you don't dig graves, you bury above ground.

Isabela is a magic place still caught in time.  There will inevitably be large hotels ranged behind the pristine white beaches and tourists will ascend the volcano in Lincoln Navigators instead of on horseback....but for now it is a rare gem.  We would have stayed longer....but our cruise awaited.

On Board the Eclipse

• 210 feet long
• 41 foot beam
• 1610 tons
• twin 1175 HP diesels
• cruising speed 11 knots
• 4 12 person zodiacs with crane lifts
• up to 48 passengers
• crew - 31 + 4 naturalist guides
• produces 6000 gallons of fresh water per day by osmotic desalination
• doctor on board
• 24 hour bar

A great itinerary over 7 days - we very much wanted to visit the western island of Fernandina to see the flightless cormorants - most smaller boats don't make the long trek around Isabela - here's the itinerary

This was our first cruise.  Can the independent Beebys survive with 46 other people?  The challenge was made easier by the wonderful facilities.  Normally a boat the size of the Eclipse has 100 passengers, but the boat is outfitted for only 48 - we had a large air conditioned cabin (we've had smaller hotel rooms!) with infinite hot water (HOT WATER!!!!!) for showers; indoor and outdoor dining areas; an elegant bar; a comfy sundeck and a very cozy library.  All backed up by a smiling,
skilled, service focused crew...and very good, if somewhat bland, food - loved the breakfasts!

Life on board the Eclipse consisted of an early wake up call (6:45am most days - some days earlier) and then breakfast.....followed by the first excursion at 8am.   We were pleasantly surprised by the number of snorkeling opportunities we had - often twice a day, plus a long walk/hike on shore in groups of 12 with a naturalist guide. 

Some days we'd hike at 8am, then return to the boat for an 11am snorkeling departure - then lunch - then a siesta and another excursion at 3pm.  One morning we left very early as the temperature was very high that day.  Then there was a briefing each evening at 7pm regarding the next day's activities and dinner around 7:30.  We had visions of bridge games after dinner but by then we were all too pooped!

There was one highlight to our cruise that we had never seen before in any hotel.  Each day the cabin boy would leave our towels folded in some new creative shape - the sunglasses were Liz's!

Galapagos Animals

Rather than ordering our cruise entries by place and time, we're segmenting the animals by type. 

Everyone talks of the tameness of Galapagos animals, but you can't really believe it until you experience it.  It is not unusual to see a 3 foot land iguana cooling off on the tiles in the airport - and travelers navigating their roller bags around him.

Sea Lions

We came here for the tortoises and iguanas, but it is the sea lions we will remember most.  The reptiles simply ignore you - the sea lions actually seek you out to play with them.  They swim with you and challenge you to match their aquatic acrobatics. 

Our underwater film is not yet developed, but following is a compendium of sea lion shots (all taken at close range - no telephoto lens used).  They are far more human like than any dog or cat and once you've played with them in the water, all Newfie seal hunters get to go on permanent pogey!

The sea lion on the bench (above) is symbolic of the experience.  We were waiting for a zodiac and the guide suggested we get out of the heat and sit on the bench.  The sea lion suggested we could stand in the sun until she was finished with the bench.  Richard squeezed in next to her.

One bizarre note - in some mangrove lagoons, the sea lions roost in the trees - the guides refer to them as "tree lions"

More Animals

Marine Iguanas

They are creatures from a Hieronymous Bosch painting - reptilian, primitive, uncaring and obviously very vulnerable to feral dogs,pigs, goats, etc.  Colours differ by island, with the most pigmented refered to as Christmas Iguanas, for their red and green tones.

Their life is in slow motion - nothing happens quickly.  Following are a few pix

We snorkeled frequently off the rocks where they roosted, but never quite saw a marine iguana feeding underwater. Saw many swimming on the surface – they resemble miniature crocodiles. Like so much of the Galapagos’s experience, pictures don’t do justice to actually standing among them. It is a time machine – dinosaurs live. Overriding all is a sense of fragility. They have no predators (except hawks when they’re young and sharks when they feed) hence they are extremely vulnerable to any introduced threat….and mainly from us, the planet’s alpha predator.

Ecuador is trying hard to balance tourism with wildlife survival and seem to be doing rather well, but it’s an obvious challenge to balance economic development with ecology. Glad we saw the iguanas while they’re still here. Hope Eric and Trevor’s children will have the same opportunity.

No review of marine iguanas would be complete without a shot of the bright red “Sally Lightfoot” crabs that crawl amongst them. We can’t figure out why the birds don’t eat them. Do they taste bad? We asked all our guides, but never got a satisfactory answer.

 

Frigate Birds

With their hooked beaks they look like extras from a horror movie. And their dispositions match their looks. Frigate birds are klepto-parasitic. They do not hunt for themselves, rather they attack other birds that have made a kill (usually by pulling their tail feathers in mid air) and force them to release or regurgitate the fish they have caught. The frigate bird then snatches the stolen dinner before it falls to the sea. In breeding season the males develop large bright red throat pouches which they inflate to attract females. Not ‘nice’ birds, but when you watch them fly – hovering over the other birds they plan to steal from – you have to admire their skill.

More Animals 2

Boobies (singular Booby)

Boobies – the source of t-shirts with innuendo!

Unlike human boobies, Galapagos boobies come in only 3 types – blue footed, red footed and Nazca (all white). They are wonderful fliers, adept fishers and almost frighteningly tame. They nest at eye level in the mangroves and you can stare into the nest without apparently bothering them. It’s one of the disturbing aspects of a Galapagos nature hike. You worry more about worrying the birds than they seem to be worried. In the following portfolio (of all three types) note the parent brooding a freshly hatched chick; the chicks who are more cuddly than a Gund teddy bear; the white Nazcas doing a mating dance and Nazca boobies posing appropriately in front of a blow hole.

But Boobies can go bad.

Indigenous to the pristine shores of the outer islands, boobies are normally pure and noble…but like humans there are tales of personal tragedy. Consider George, below, the blue foot booby who scavenges at our local Puerto Ayora fish market. Note the disheveled feathers, the bloodshot eyes, the outstretched wing asking for a quarter to buy a cup of fish oil. Off camera is George’s miniature shopping cart in which he collects plastic bags and recyclable bottles.

A fish market interlude

The fish market at the end of our street is a gourmet dream;so fresh that the fillets are still moving. In the upper right you can see the pelicans lined up to scrounge the scraps. It’s not unusual to have to wade through a few urban sea lions who are not picky about catching their own food. The sharp finned fish under the counter are fresh tuna that would set a sushi chef’s heart to pounding.

Penguins

On land penguins are cute, cute, cute. In the water they are living torpedoes. The following shot was taken from a bouncing zodiac so isn’t in focus. We then got into the water and swam with the penguins. Remember in “Hunt for Red October”, the torpedoes emerging from the bow tubes of the submarines. That’s what a penguin looks like under water. Apparently they can clock close to 40 mph, so you see them in the distance and then instantly they are upon you. One passed under Richard’s armpit, much to his surprise and delight. They don’t play with you like the sea lions, but seeing them in the water is one of our life moments. You understand the evolutionary trade off they made. Hopping and somewhat clumsy on land, they are transformed in the water. Clearly faster than any fish and incredibly agile. They gave up their ability to fly in the air so they could fly under water.

More Animals 3

Shore Leave

We ventured on shore in zodiacs from the Eclipse – usually a wet landing (meaning the zodiac beached itself on shore and we scrambled off the stern into a couple feet of water – most people wore Teva-like sandals or wave runners) Note the pristine beaches, the barren landscape and the ever present lava outcrops. It is the absence of fresh water that saves these perfect shorelines from a wall of 40 storey resort hotels. Following are some landscape shots.

Note the cactus growing from apparently solid lava where it is washed with sea water; the tropical sunsets; our anchorage in a submerged volcanic caldera (it was a perfect bowl with 100 foot lava walls) and Pinnacle Rock, where they shot the movie “Master and Commander” – this is the location of the scene where the doctor climbs up and discovers the French ship. There are 385 steps up the lava to this viewpoint – for the movie they digitally removed the steps.

Land Iguanas

The most visible land iguanas were the ones wandering around inside the airport (should have taken a picture). In the wild they are enmeshed in the dense brush. Interesting animals – they dig elaborate burrows and nesting sites; but unfortunately not great photo subjects.

Flightless Cormorants

We chose the Eclipse cruise because it is one of the few that visit the outer islands where the flightless cormorants nest. They are very rare, but the population is apparently stable. We fell in love with them. They aren’t pretty – their dull grey plumage matches the lava they live on making for bland photos – but when you stand 6 feet from a nesting pair and watch the male dive into the water and bring home a piece of seaweed to line the nest, you are enchanted. All “gifts” are preceded with much ritual bobbing and weaving. Like the penguins, the lesser known flightless cormorants gave up flight in air to fly under water. Liz was one of the few passengers to see a cormorant fly under water – one of her fondest desires for the trip came true.

Up close they have a lovely feature that barely shows in our photos. While a camouflage slate grey all over, their eyes are brilliant sapphire blue. As they exchange nesting material you swear you can see love in those blue eyes. The whole experience is heightened by the fact that there are only approximately 1500 flightless cormorants in existence. We saw about 75 – or 5% of the total population. There’s probably never been more than approx 1500 since they evolved millions of years ago. They are in a very different ecological place than the Canada Geese in our backyard.

Again it was the fragility of the Galapagos fauna that haunted us. Any unintended introduction could decimate the cormorants – rats that eat their eggs; sea gulls that kill their young; an eruption on the still active volcanic island where they live. They are tough….but so very fragile.

A Galapagos Wrap Up

Following is a compendium of shots that we missed......

 

Where did we live?

 

If you look beyond the forestay of the ketch in the centre of this photo, you’ll see some white houses up from the shore….one of these was ours. The picture was shot from the balcony of a favourite restaurant across the harbour.

 

Also an exterior shot of the house and a view from the top deck of the volcanoes to the north. (that’s Liz to the south!)

 

 

Guides

 

We’ve always traveled alone. On this trip we’ve hired guides, which has really enriched the experience. On the Eclipse our favourite was Yvonne – five foot nothing tall, a wonderful sense of humour, very knowledgeable, tough and lots of fun – we loved her…..as did many others. There were 4 guides on the Eclipse (one for each Zodiac – so 12 passengers per guide/zodiac). As we boarded the zodiacs for tours there was a wonderful ballet as passengers arranged their place in line so they could be in Yvonne’s boat.  “Sorry, I forgot something in my cabin….I’ll just go back in line 13 places”!!!

 

Watchful Booby

 

We just like this shot!

 

 

Decorative Food

 

Following are some slightly murky shots of the chef doing elaborate displays.

 

 

How tame are the animals?

 

In a world where fresh water is in short supply, the animals learn. Below one of our fellow passengers is having his water bottle attacked by a mockingbird. The guides forbid you to give the birds a drink….they are sincere about letting nature be nature.

 

 

Galapagos Hawk

 

Liz got a good shot of the elusive Galapagos Hawk

 

 

In Closing (for the Galapagos)

 

 

We saw the animals – many touched us in ways we hadn’t expected; the eternalness of the tortoises, the humanity of the sea lions, the vitality of the penguins, and the vulnerability and grace of the flightless cormorants.

 

We met some wonderful people – both while living in Puerto Ayora and on our cruise – a couple from Texas who spend their free time saving endangered Ridley Sea Turtles; an English couple who brought new meaning to the art of conversation; delightful couples from New England and New York City who epitomized all that is good in America; Galapagos guides who understand the precious thing they own and are working to preserve it; our restauranteur friend Linda who helped us to survive and is proving that one can succeed in unexpected ways ….. and a lot of locals and tourists who displayed great kindness and welcome that made our adventure a delight.