To all of our friends and family--we wish you a wonderful Christmas and hope that you are surrounded by loved ones. We also want to share this nice video from a friend of ours, Vivian Slade, whom we got to know at the Jazz Society of Ecuador.
Vivian Slade singing My Favorite Things
And for those of you who like to keep up with Charlie--the latest video from his mom and dad--we are so excited about seeing them for the Holiday and then spending a few weeks with them during January and February 2013.
Wising for all a wonderfully warm and Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous 2013!
House above the river Tomebomba, on the famous El Barranco (cliff with "hanging" buildings)
Our time in Cuenca has gone by all too quickly.As we prepare to leave, we have some reflections:
First and foremost is what a good
experience our Spanish lessons have been.Our young teacher, Lucie, is a delight and soooo patient. Despite each of us
making the same mistake time and time again she patiently corrects us, even
though we and all of the other Gringos she has taught over the years continue
to make those same mistakes.One day you
feel like you can converse and the next day, you
wonder if you can form a complete and coherent sentence in English, much less
Spanish.
We were fortunate to find a comfortable apartment pretty
close to the center of town.We can walk
to Parque Calderon, in about 15 or 20 minutes and one or both of us usually does
so almost every day. Even the car alarms have receded into background noise.
Strolling the streets and browsing through the markets continue to
be delights.The indigenous people, and
there are quite of few of them here in Cuenca, dressed in their traditional
garb are always fascinating to see.Almost all of them, men, women, and children, wear some kind of hat
usually a fedora or a variation on the Panama hat. All wear very colorful clothing, and the children are absolutely beautiful.
Beautiful little girl in a desfile ( procession)
A boy, usually from a wealthy family represents the holy child
With the Christmas season upon us, one of
Cuenca's unique celebrations involves "Passage of the Holy Child"
parades. Almost every neighborhood mounts one--just this Saturday we
heard a band passing by, ran out to the street and caught a parade going
through our neighborhood. We understand that the Christmas Eve desfile will last for several hours--sorry we will not be here to see it.
Nacimientos (creche scenes) are an important part of the Christmas
season. Every home has one or more, and the city's Official Nacimiento
is huge, abstract, and made of what looks like aluminum foil. We're
told it is mobbed with people most evenings since it is brightly lit (and
must be blinding).
Cuenca's Official Nascimiento
A elaborate nacimeinto in one of the local museums
Sitting on our patio on a sunny morning, enjoying breakfast is one of
the great treats of our little apartment.When we arrived it was overgrown
with weeds and had that "junk yard" feel, but with a little TLC it has become a great retreat.Sue often had her Spanish lesson there. It really has made up for the frequent car alarm
symphonies.
Rio Tomebomba and walkway
Walking along the river—something we didn’t do
nearly enough.This past Saturday was an incredibly
beautiful day in Cuenca.Bright blue
skies with very few clouds; lovely breeze to cool you off when you were in the
sun, but not too much so that you were chilly in the shade.
The weather continues to be a surprise each day. As the locals say, you experience all four seasons in one day. ( Just read an
interesting article on the local gringo website about Cuenca weather—it is
wholly unpredictable from day to day and hour to hour, but you know that it is
probably going to be cool much more often than warm, and with the record high
temperature of 82 degrees F, it really will never be hot, although the sun is
incredibly intense.)
After a great walk along the river, we climbed uphill to
visit the gardens and aviary of the Pumaponga Museum--so
tranquil and relaxing.We could have
kicked ourselves for not having explored these gardens before now and hope to
go back before we leave. In a little copse by a pond was a hidden orchid garden (the orchids in the branches of the trees) and benches made of rounded stone, probably retrieved from ancient Inca structures. A more beautiful and peaceful setting would be hard to find.
Many wonderful birds in the aviary
No venture is totally idyllic. We have some negatives, like the horrendous traffic and crazy drivers--it feels like you risk your life when trying to cross some streets. Also the thin air and tremendous pollution (due to all those vehicles) makes breathing difficult. Since walking is often uphill, you get out of breath pretty quickly and need to stop to rest often.
Some buildings look kind of dilapidated, but a lot of reconstruction/face-lifting seems to be happening and is being done beautifully. And, finally, when we walk, people don't engage us with smiles or even looks and often it seems they would as soon push us off the sidewalk, so you play "chicken" and see who will move first--and it is inevitably us! At first, these annoyances had us telling one another we wouldn't come back. But with time, and especially with nearly daily discoveries of something unique, intriguing and/or beautiful, we have changed our minds. Cuenca grows on you, and you realize there are so many things to discover and explore. Eventually you would get to know people--both Gringos and Cuencanos--and could have an excellent life here. Its big draw for Americans is that you can live very comfortably on a small pension or Social Security income and this is very true.
Finally, we will remember Cuenca's beautiful rivers, its well tended and peaceful parks and squares, the fascinating mercados and tiendas, the captivating culture, the joy of seeing works by its artists and artisans, the delight of listening to some of its talented musicians.
Stairs leading from the river up to the Cuenca historic district
We will always remember the melodic and romantic street names, many named after historic figures: Juan Jaramillo, Hermano Miguel, Marisol Sucre, Presidente Cordova, Simon Bolivar, Manuel Vega, Benigno Malo, Padre Aguirre, Mariano Cuevo. Aren't they more fun than 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Main ?
Another view of the beautiful Tomebomba
Cuenca, Ecuador is a place we would recommend for a vacation or longer stay. Not quite as "magical" as, say, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico perhaps, but it is still charming and interesting.
This
weekend, along with our friend Karen, we went to Alausí
, a small
city about a four-hour bus ride from Cuenca.
And what an incredible bus ride it is ! (This time a positive experience).
We will include some photos from our trip, but it is truly impossible to
convey to you the majesty and grandeur of the Ecuadorean Andes,
the hair raising, stomach lurching bus ride on the Pan American Highway, the loveliness of a quaint seemingly unspoiled village, and the colorful scenes at every turn of the camera.
It's hard to describe the Grandeur of the Ecuadorian Andes
It’s
easy to get to Alausí—any bus going to Quito from Cuenca will let you off there
as well as any other place along the highway as you go. Riding the bus
gives you a great glimpse into Ecuadorean life, culture and economy. Cuenca and
other towns we have visited are for the most part first world. Cars, taxis, buses, and trucks clog the streets—rush
hour, just like in the States, can last two or three hours in the morning and
evening, and the vehicle caused pollution can sting your eyes and throat. That along with the high altitude can
sometimes make breathing a challenge, especially if you have to run to avoid an
onrushing car or chase after a bus or taxi.
Riding
along the PanAm Highway provides a revealing, if fleeting look into rural/country life. There are lots of one or two room houses, and you know most of
them don’t have running water. Tethered
cows, horses, sheep, and pigs graze on the shoulders of the highways, and
stray dogs and random chickens can be seen everywhere. Men, women, and
children, most dressed in traditional clothing and often with heavy loads
strapped to their backs, trudge for miles up or down steep paths that would be
a challenge for us to walk a few hundred feet. On the other hand there are lots
of very nice houses, although many of them seem incomplete. An Ecuadorian sharing part of our journey
told us that those houses usually mean that someone is working in the US or
Spain and sending home money to build the house, so if the money has stopped,
work on the house may have stopped as well.
Many houses, both old & new, hug the PanAm Highway.
Alausí is a small town with a lovely town square and quite a bit of charm. It
serves as the market center for a large segment of the country around. It’s
main tourist attraction is the train to the Devil’s Nose, or La Nariz del
Diablo. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
British engineers, thanks to the labor of thousands and the deaths of many
hundreds of Caribbean islanders, built a narrow gauge train system covering much
of Ecuador; the major cities of Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca and all of the
towns in between were connected by rail.
This system functioned more or less for much of the 20th
century, although corruption and neglect took its toll and about 20 years ago,
much of the system was abandoned.
Larry in his recently acquired Panama hat at Alausí town square
Recently
the Ecuadorian government has been investing in rehabilitating the rail
system—although more as a tourist attraction than as a commercial artery. The 15 kilometer line connecting Alausí to La
Nariz del Diablo is one of the most important tourist lines now in service. The
round trip excursion costs $25 (or $12.50 if you are over 65) and includes an
hour stopover for shopping, eating and dancing entertainment by some of the
locals . Our Saturday afternoon trip included only about 40 people, but during
the busy season we were told by our sweet guide, Isabela, that hundreds of
people visit.
Nariz del Diablo train engine with the "nariz" rock formation in the background.
Again,
it is hard to convey the impact of the ride. The Ecuadorian Andes are extremely
high and steep and building a railroad through them was an incredible
engineering feat. The passage through the Diablo was perhaps the most
challenging part. Originally
called Condor Pass because of the presence of so many condors, the managing
engineer renamed the area because so many hundreds of men died
building the world’s largest zigzag around the mountain that looks like a
crocodile’s snout. We thoroughly enjoyed our ride, though, but it was sobering
to think of the sacrifice of so many lives to make it possible. We have included two short videos to give you some idea of the ride and the engineering required.
Following
the train ride, we did some souvenir and gift shopping—both of us bought Panama
hats. (Although called Panama hats, all of these finely woven, handmade straw
hats are actually made in Ecuador.) We then caught a taxi for the three-kilometer
trip to our hotel. The Pircapamba Hostería is a charming, but rustic hotel
perched above the town of Alausí.
Pircapampa Hosteria
Part of the hotel breakfast staff
Some of the gardens surrounding the Pircapamba Hosteria
In a
very bucolic setting, horses, sheep, and cattle graze in the pastures adjacent
to the hotel, and chickens have free run of the gardens and grounds. We had a
restful sleep under Alpaca blankets and were treated to a complete breakfast
(unusual) with fresh fruit, hot bread, and just laid eggs. After wandering
around in the gardens for awhile, it was time for us to pay up and leave, but
after being summoned three times, no taxi from Alausí arrived. Our host,
Daniel, offered to walk us into town. The
shortest route was along the new rail line, so we literally walked the tracks
into town—fortunately it was only about a 15 minute challenging trek.
Sue in her Panama hat, walking the rails into Alausí from the hotel
Sunday is market day
in Alausí, and what a treat it was for us.
We bought very little—and in fact, many of the indigenous people really
didn’t want to deal with us. One young
woman selling jewelry refused to talk with us or even show us her wares. We found it very unusual and somewhat
upsetting. Still, walking among the hundreds of people from the countryside in town for their weekly shopping was
a treat for the eye and other senses.
But about noon, we knew we had to catch
our bus back to Cuenca. Although we had reserved seats, many
people had to ride standing in the aisles.
Just as on our trip on Saturday, people got on and off all along the
highway—many at spots where there certainly seemed to be no reason for
stopping, so we knew that those getting off had long, often arduous hikes back
to their homes.
Alausí's streets become a market every Sunday
Indigenous people from the surrounding countryside come to the Market
We certainly would call this trip one of the highlights of our time in Ecuador. We were mesmerized by the rides through the mountains, the village of Alausí, the train ride, our small hotel, the sight of so many indigenous people going about their business (we seemed to be the only foreigners in town). We left feeling happy and fulfilled to have experienced Ecuador as we had hoped it would be, pretty untouched by the commercialism that seems to have overtaken the world.
When you are on the road as long as we are planning to be,
there are certain things, like getting prescriptions, doctor and dentist visits
that you need to try to do wherever you are.
Pharmacies are ubiquitous here and seem always to have lines out
the door. We wondered why. We learned that people only go to a doctor if
they are gravely ill. For the usual
stuff, they line up at the “farmacia” and have a chat with the pharmacist who
then doles out whatever medicine that seems appropriate. The medicines we take you can buy over-the-counter
(for high cholesterol and high BP—we are aged, after all), but cost as much as
we pay after insurance back home.
Cuenca--Old ways & new.
This week we visited with an American trained dentist, Dr.
Grace Ordonez. She performed a cleaning
for both us—she did everything in her tiny office, as she seems to have no
other help—and urged us to come back to have some of our mercury based fillings
replaced. The cleanings were $40 and she
says the filling replacements will be about the same for each. Imagine the cost in the U.S.
With Eduardo Segovia at his studio
Sra Segovia in her garden
On Friday, we had a really great outing. Our Spanish teacher, Lucia, arranged for us
to visit a Cuencan ceramicist, Eduardo Segovia.
He began working at the age of six (he is now 72) because his father, a
potter, was often drunk and the family needed the money. He now has an international reputation and
has exhibited in Australia, Europe, the US and other Latin American countries.
He and his wife, who assists him, welcomed us into their home, showed us their
workshop and talked about his work. He
was garrulous and full of good humor and bonhomie. We fell in love with them and his work and
would have loved to have bought many of his pieces, but settled on one. He merges ancient forms with modern
coloration in his traditional work, but also has many abstract and whimsical
figures as well. Google his name and you
can see some of his handiwork.
One Friday evening, we joined another new friend of ours,
Gladys, at Nectar (a café supporting the Jazz Society of Cuenca) for an evening
of jazz. The emcee is a superb jazz pianist and other entertainers included a
great Cuban guitarist, an Ecuadorian older man who sang “Dos Gardenias” among
other Spanish love songs, and an American woman who has a really unique style
and sang a lot of our favorites like “Girl from Ipanema” and “That's All" (I can only give you country walks in springtime, and a hand to hold when leaves begin to fall...”.
Last Friday, Cuencanas lighted 4000 lumineres
This past Friday we returned and the conductor
of the Quito Symphony was in town and visited Nectar with some musicians and
friends for an impromptu jam performance. At 10:30 pm, it was hard to leave but we knew
we had to get up to catch a bus for a four-hour ride to Alausi, a small
village north of Cuenca, early on Saturday morning.
Coming back to Cuenca from the Galapagos felt like coming
home in many ways.We were so happy to
get back to our little apartment and the bed that we had become accustomed to
and to walk the familiar streets and shop in our local stores.
San Blas Park near our apartment
But first, our tale of “the return”. From Baltra Island in the Galapagos we flew to Guayaquil and
negotiated our return trip from the airport to Cuenca by private van.At first, the van service told us that we
would have to wait a couple of hours for the next van, but very quickly, enough
drop in customers arrived that they willingly organized an extra van—so we were
off.
And were we ever ! Little did we suspect that this trip
would be even more harrowing than the one we described in a previous blog
entry. It was a nightmare of the first
order.We left Guayaquil in bright sun, anticipating
a three and a half hour trip.As soon as
we hit the mountains fog and rain descended upon us and we ran into a massive
highway repair project.Our three-hour trip
grew to more than six and a half, often through mud always amidst gasoline
tankers, concrete block loaded trucks, buses, private cars—all trying to pass
one another in fog as thick as pea soup, in the dark riding through steeply
cliffed areas.We couldn’t understand
much of our driver’s Spanish, but when he said “No veo”(I can’t see) as he raced along at terrifying
speed anxious to pass anything in front of us, we thought this would be how our
lives would end.As you can see, they
didn’t, but that will probably be our last van ride in Ecuador.The buses are also crazy, but feel a bit
safer.
Breakfast at Restaurant Don Colon's (in Panama hat) with our friend Karen
Back in Cuenca, we have tried to visit some of its museums
and other attractions. Earlier we had reported on a visit to one of the city’s
markets, but Karen, an American friend whom we met, turned us onto a much better
one close to our apartment.Bigger and
cleaner, the 9th of October Market is both entertaining and practical.We purchased two week’s worth of vegetables
and fruit for less than $15.For lunch
we went upstairs and picked our favorite hog, laid out on a tile slab (one of
about eight available) and the nice lady beside it, cut some chunks of meat and
a bit of skin (cracklin’ in the U.S.) from it, loaded a plate with potato cakes
laced with cheese and threw on a bit of “ensalada”—onions, peppers and herbs
soaked in vinegar.With a cup of freshly
squeezed orange juice, we feasted.Erin
calls this kind of eating “street meat” and she won’t touch it, but we’re
brave.It was “muy rico, muy saboroso”
and we didn’t get sick !
Roast pork at the market--one of the culinary delight of Cuenca
A young Cuencana at the 9th October Market
We also visited two wonderful museums. The first, Remigio
Crespo, is named in honor of the man who donated his early 20th
century ninety room mansion which now houses the museum.It provides a history of life and culture in
Cuenca in the 19th and early 20th centuries. We were the
only visitors at the time, and the guard was very helpful and informative,
taking time to tell us about the museum, the house, and the family.
Early 20th century portrait of a "Cholo Cuencan" in the Remigio Crespo Museum
The second museum, Pumapungo, houses an art gallery, archives,
and cultural anthropological exhibits. We toured only the latter, spending a
couple of hours walking through exhibits covering the diverse groups of people making
up the Ecuadorean nation:coastal,
Andean and Amazonian.
At the Pumapungo Museum. Mannequin is wearing an ikat shawl
It piqued our interest in seeing more of the country than we
have yet explored. The most popular section features a “shrunken head” exhibit
about the people of the Amazon region. You’ll be happy to know we learned only bad
guys had their heads shrunk.
Outside are some Incan ruins, an aviary and some
beautiful gardens, which we will explore later. We thoroughly enjoyed our visits to both
museums and were very grateful to the town of Cuenca for providing such
treasures for us to share.
So, you're going to the Galapagos.
Word of warning: If you are do
it yourself and gullible travelers like us, be cautious. We were lied to and cheated by “Freddy”, a
tour operator on land in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. Better to book on a yacht or tour boat than
trust, at least, Freddy. That experience put a damper on our week-long stay
there, so read this blog through that filter.
Our first encounter with one of the Galapagos giant tortoises
This archipelago nearly a 1000 miles off the coast of
Ecuador consists of hundreds of islands and or rock formations, six of which are
habitable, fewer of which you actually have time to visit, unless you take a
cruise. You land on Baltra Island and
take a bus, a ferry and a bus to reach Puerta Ayora on the island of Santa
Cruz. The best island to visit is
Isabela, though getting there from Santa Cruz Island is a little rough,
involving a two hour trip in a “launcha”—a medium sized fishing boat
holding about 16 smooshed people getting soaking wet and often throwing
up-- and this is one of the closer islands to Santa
Cruz.
Baltra Island--near the airport
The islands themselves (the two we saw) are mounds of black
or reddish lava depending on age, reddish being older. Scrub growth—whatever can survive the extreme
conditions covers much of the lava.
Iguanas cover the rest (just joking, but we saw literally millions, some
of which were underfoot lining walking trails).
Sometimes you find a brackish lagoon, kind of an orange-ish color, often
home to flamingoes whose heads seem to be constantly underwater.
Lagoon with flamingos
A lush, eco-gorgeous landscape it is not. Moonscape better describes a lot of it. And the wildlife? Galapagos giant tortoises, check: mostly viewed in captivity or in breeding
centers. Blue-footed boobies,
check: saw four; only one close up the
day we did NOT have our camera, wouldn’t you know? Iguanas, check: marine iguanas by the millions; land iguanas
only in captivity. Penguins, check: saw three tiny ones at a distance…were they
penguins or boobies??? Exotic birds,
check: saw a couple at a distance, but
couldn’t identify them and couldn’t understand our Spanish speaking guide. Finches, check: saw hundreds, everywhere. Sea turtles, check: saw a few, swam with one while snorkeling,
and two mating on the fly.
On the way to Tortuga Bay--much of the islands looks this way
Beautifully colored fish in clear as glass water,
check: we saw wonderful fish and some
sea plants (though the coral reefs are dead as a result of global warming)
while snorkeling. Manta rays and sharks,
check: saw one manta while snorkeling,
several along with sharks “resting” at the bottom of a secluded channel as we
gazed down on them from a high cliff above.
Flamingos check: saw thirty or
more in a secluded lagoon. Lizards and
red crabs, check: saw lots.
A Sally crab on the island of Tintoreras.
We had two very wonderful experiences. One was the snorkeling; it was awe-inspiring
and so much fun. The other was staying
(at our own expense after paying “Freddy” for a hotel we went to and decided we
couldn’t tolerate) at La Casita de la Playa on Isabela Island. It is a tiny hotel right on the most
beautiful beach imaginable and our hosts, Theresa and Andres, were the nicest
people we have met our whole time in Ecuador.
They made us feel so welcome and at home. Always saying, “descansa, descansa” (rest,
rest) and giving us really good information about where to go and what to
do. What a delight an honest person with
a nice smile and a friendly and welcoming manner is to make your anniversary
vacation (our 42nd) truly memorable.
If you are a do it yourselfer, go immediately to Isabela Island and find
La Casita de la Playa. You will feel you
are in paradise.
You can stop reading here—the overview is pretty much over,
but for those diehards, here is a daily blow-by-blow.
Day One (Friday):
Arrived in Puerto Ayora after about seven hours of travel only to meet
“Freddy” upon alighting the bus. He
immediately did his hard-sell song and dance that we, sadly, bought into it. He was good—“best hotels, best restaurants,
best tours, English-speaking guide, all at way less than anyone else will offer
you. And you have to have a guide to go
with you anywhere in the National Parks.”
Readers, consider most, if not all of the above, lies. But we believed and lost a bundle. (Enough
said about our stupidity!)
Friday afternoon Freddy hooked us up with our guide,
Eduardo, who took us to see some turtles in a private reserve. Eduardo, who barely spoke English and could not understand many of our questions and
often walked 100 yards ahead of us reading his “Watchtower” to improve his
English or talked to whomever was in earshot in loud and almost impossible to
understand Spanish, or sang loudly as we walked. The turtles were cool, and we got some video
of one lumbering across some grass and down a knoll. Larry crawled into an available shell for the
“turista fun shot…human turtle”.
Day Two (Saturday):
Eduardo again, same as before, but fun at times (he was nuts, actually,
which can be fun.) Walked an hour and a
half to “Tortuga Bay—beautiful white sand beach”, and it was (but the walk was
hot and grueling). Walked farther to a
clear water lagoon and swam for about half an hour. Back for lunch (and by this time the rice,
potatoes and tough, stringy meat or fish meals were wearing thin) and off to
our two-hour miserable “launcha” ride to Isabela. We were picked up and driven to Freddy’s idea
of a “best hotel”—interior was cute, but it was situated, literally, amongst a
community of bare cinder block shacks with tin roofs, each housing entire large
families and at least three roosters each, all crowing endlessly. We left, took a taxi and found our wonderful
Casita de la Playa and were happy from then on with our accommodations—though
angry that Freddy had lied to us about the hotel.
La Casita de la Playa Hotel--Isabela Island: truly close to perfect.
Beach in front of La Casita--we practically had it to ourselves.
Day Three (Sunday): Teresa
and Andres suggested we walk on the beach to a trail leading to some lagoons
and to the island’s turtle breeding center.
This was an hour and a half walk, too, but it was interesting (and
Eduardo was not with us—he stays on Santa Cruz). Not real attractive landscape, as we’ve said,
but interesting lava formations, saw the thirty flamingoes and finally reached
the hatchery where there were turtles of all sizes…from tiny one year olds,
about the size of our box turtles to gigantic ancient ones. A giant one walked over to the wall by which
we were standing and stuck his big head up at us. Sue thought he was hungry, so broke off some
nearby leaves, and he gobbled them; hope that was okay !
Sue feeding a giant tortoise
That afternoon we took Freddy’s booked tour of Tintoreras,
an island of "aa" lava spit- outs (as opposed to flows)—they look like tiny
towers of black with lichen growing on them here and there. The place was covered with marine iguanas and
that’s where we saw the tiny penguins, a couple of blue-footed boobies, red crabs, lizards and
"sleeping" sharks. After the tour we went to a fantastic lagoon and snorkeled our
brains out. If you’ve snorkeled, you
know. If not, do it. What a thrill!
White tipped sharks "sleeping" in a channel near Tintoreras Island.
Day Four (Monday):
Scheduled by Freddy to climb a volcano, but bowed out. We did that in Guatemala and it nearly did
Sue in. Once is enough. Instead, we walked all over the island via
the beach, found a great snorkeling lagoon, rented gear and did it
ourselves. It was a good day. Ditched the rice, potato and stringy
something meal for two giant lobsters to celebrate our anniversary. Pricey, but memorable.
Luxury accommodations for island hopping in the Galapagos.
Day Five (Tuesday):
Up at 5:00 am to catch the launcha back to Santa Cruz. Pretty stomach churning and a little
you-know-what going on (fortunately with others and not us). Arrived in Santa Cruz, blasted Freddy for his
dishonesty, and went to our hotel, “La Casa Natura” (claiming a pool…yes, with
scum floating on top, but the room was okay and the help was nice and helpful,
though not in a class with Teresa and Andres).
Again it is in the middle of a community neighborhood, way off the
beaten path, but not so many roosters.
In the afternoon, Eduardo (yes again) took us to the Darwin
Center. The center’s few exhibits have
not been updated in several years, and the whole place seemed run down and
bedraggled. A few exhibits, another turtle breeding center and “Lonesome
George’s (who died June 24th this year) special house, now housing
the two females he refused to mate with.
One of the endangered Galapagos land iguanas at the Charles Darwin Center, Santa Cruz Island
Day Six (Wednesday):
Rested in the morning and took Freddy’s planned tour of the harbor there
at Puerto Ayora. We were skeptical, of
course, but it turned out to be a really fun ending--helping us to leave on a
high note. We were one of about five
couples on the boat, our guide spoke almost understandable Spanish, and the
“captain” of the boat was a hoot. Both
he and the guide told jokes (some of which we got), the folks on the boat
(Chilean, Argentinian, Colombian and us) laughed and laughed.
Though we were without a camera since Freddy said it was a snorkeling tour, we saw the blue footed booby up close, and he put on quite a
show; saw one exotic bird (but don’t know what) and then another (ditto), more
sharks sleeping, crabs and yet another million marine iguanas. Finally, and carefully, we crawled over
craggy lava for about 20 minutes to come to “Las Grietas”, a crevice in the
lava that we were told was thousands of feet deep. We were prepared (in our bathing suits) and
jumped in—water blue as blue can be, almost purple, cold, bordered by huge
cliffs—another memorable moment. We
laughed the whole way back and everyone wished one another a “buen viaje”.
Penguin & Blue Footed Booby (courtesy of our friend Gladys)
That evening, we refused Freddy’s final meal of guess what,
and he allowed us to choose a restaurant where we could get a salad and pasta. After
a margarita, it tasted pretty nice and was capped off with good coffee and some
ice cream. Not bad.
That’s the last we saw of Freddy, even though he promised
some of our money back (said he’d give it to us the next morning before we
left). Though we paid for many things
ourselves due to his crummy offerings, he did not give us a cent. We now warn others, don’t get hooked up with
“Freddy, everybody knows me” in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. And, as always, if a deal sounds too good to
be true, it is.
Day Seven (Thursday):
Up and out to our taxi, to the ferry, to the bus, to the plane. We got a surprise in the Baltra airport. As we were waiting in the Security line, we
heard, “Larry, Larry !” and thought, who
in the world? It was Teresa, our lovely
small hotel owner from Isabela Island (can’t say La Casita de la Playa enough, so
you’ll remember it). She gave us big
hugs and bid us farewell asking us to write to her. What a warm and wonderful ending to a trip
that had its ups and downs, but in the end we were happy we took the plunge
(figuratively and literally with the snorkeling, our happiest memory).
