Guayaquil, Ecuador
March 20, 2004
Well, we leave for the Galapagos tomorrow morning for our 8-day cruise. I'm looking forward to playing with penguins, tanning with tortoises, and any other aliterative combinations I can think of.
The past week has been a time of sun, sand, and swimming. Mike, Brooke, Lucy, Kim and I departed Quito March 11 on an overnight bus to Puerto Lopez, one of the northernmost towns on the Ecuadorian 'Ruta del Sol' (Sun Route). After a few days of exploring this fishing village, we set off last Monday to Montanita, the surf capital of Ecuador. Finally, yesterday we took an afternoon bus into Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and a hot, humid, urban environment (think New York in August every day of the year).
I'm trying out a few styles of writing. In this episode I'm doing little stories on a specific subject and starting with a title. Give me some feedback on what style you prefer, this or journal-esque recounting of recent events. Any feedback will help me develop my writing skills and style.
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BAD LUCK IN PUERTO LOPEZ, PART 1: THE TANNINNG INCIDENT
In Quito, the day before we left for the coast, Lucy, Kim and I decided to head off to the local Target-esque store, MegaMaxi, to stock up on things we needed for the coast. I bought a couple pairs of shorts, a toothbrush, some shampoo and some 16 spf Ecuadorian brand sunblock. Our first day in Puerto Lopez we headed out to the beach to get to work on our tans. We figured that since we were going to be spending so much time in the sun on our cruise to the Galapagos, it would be smart to get our skin producing melanin to deal with it. I've never been much of a sun freak, but it seemed like a good idea. I slapped some sunblock on: 30spf on my arms and face and 16 on my back and legs. We spent a few hour laying out in the beach, the sun so intense because we're near the Equator and it's almost the fall equinox (when the sun is pointed right at the equator). Well, that afternoon when we returned to our hotel, I found myself the owner of a bright red, stinging back.
The next day, Kim was looking at the lotion that I bought in Quito and noticed that it contained things like peanut oil and such. I grabbed the bottle and noticed something I hadn't really thought about before: the lotion was a 'bronceadora', not a 'bloqueadora'. To translate, that's a bronzer, not a sunblock!! Needless to say, one should always translate the language when buying something as important as sunblock.
BAD LUCK IN PUERTO LOPEZ, PART 2: GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
The next day was my worst day so far on this whole South American Adventure. We had decided to take an excursion north of the town to a national park on the coast called Parque Machalilla, which has one of the best beaches in all of Ecuator, Los Frailes. We packed up our gear and headed to the town market to buy some food for the excursion. We met a guy in town who offered to drive us to the beach for $3. We jumped in the back of his truck and started down the highway towards the park. I'm always looking for interesting pictures, so I decided to take a pic of Mike in the truck as the scenery whizzed by. I suddenly felt my hair blowing in the wind as I watched my prized SF Giants hat fly off down the road. Some locals quickly dashed to pick it up as we continued our rapid advance towards the park. Oh well, it's just a hat. But it was a harbinger of something to come.
After the beach, we took the bus back to town and returned to our hotel for some hammock time. I took a quick shower, grabbed my bag and headed out to our hotel's pool for a few relaxing hours. It wasn't until I returned to the room that I realized that my digital camera was missing. We thoroughly searched the room, but to no avail. My camera was gone. It's possible that I left it on the beach or in the hammock when I got up. But I know that I packed it in my bag when we left the beach and I don't remember taking it out of my bag at the hammock. When we returned from the beach I remember unloading my bag on the bed. The girls then went out to the pool. I think that I left it on my bed and that someone passing by saw it through the window and grabbed it while I was taking a shower (the door was unlocked) or when I was out at the pool (door definitely locked). Either way, I no longer have my digital camera.
So, I'm here in Guayaquil and looking to buy a new camera. I haven't decided whether I'll try to buy a digital camera or just get a point-and-shoot film camera. I can't promise that I'll have any more slide shows to share with you guys, but I'll try. I'm not so much sad about the camera (although I would love to have it back), but more so I'm disappointed that all the photos from the last 2-1/2 weeks are gone. Oh well, it's just a camera.
MONTANITA: BEWARE THE UNDERTOW
After leaving Puerto Lopez last Monday, we took a short jaunt down the coast to the surf town of Montanita. I was looking forward to trying my hand at surfing, although Kim had run into someone at the airport who said she was there one day when 4 people drowned by getting swept up by the undertow. Still, I had no intention of risking my life in the surf and figured I would have to be extra careful of getting myself into a situation that wasn't comfortable.
We went out to the beach that afternoon. The scene is idyllic, a long gradual incline into the surf with an unrelenting barrage of wave crashing down about 150ft from the surf's edge. As we walked into the surf, we could definitely sense the power of the waves. The ebb of the water as it returned to the ocean wasn't so strong that it would knock you off your feet, but it was definitely stronger that anything I had felt before.
The next day, we were at lunch when suddenly we saw everyone on the street start running towards the shore. Mike went out to see what happened, but couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. That afternoon, we found out that some guy had drowned in the undertow. In the US, search parties would be organized to find the guy, but here everyone seemed to be resigned that he was simply gone.
Thursday afternoon we spent a few hours tanning and swimming under the Ecuatorial sun since it was a rare overcast day, protecting us from the sun's strength. I left the beach after tanning (it was the first day I didn't have to wear a t-shirt after 'the tanning incident') and body surfing for a few hours. I'm glad I left when I did. It turns out that this North Carolina girl who was hanging out with us, Hillary, decided to go for a stroll on the beach. About 100ft from where we had been hanging out she saw something in the water, looking kind of like a chest. Other people saw the same thing and a small crowd started to form. It turned out that the body of the dead swimmer had finally surfaced and floated ashore. Everyone in our group had a somewhat shellshocked afternoon as we all pondered our own mortality.
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Well, that's it for me for now. I'll write again after I return from the Galapagos. I won't be able to check email until next sunday, but feel free to send me messages, should you wish to do so.
Cao,
Tim
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
I made to Quito, Ecuador last Wednesday and found myself in a city with many of the ammenities of most modern cities. The Ecuadorians seem to have really benefitted from dollarization (they converted to using the American Dollar after a financial crisis a few years back). Your average Ecuadorian seems to be better off than your average Peruvian. That being said, I haven't spent any time in the big cities of Peru, just the Andean ones. But Ecuador is a much smaller country, so I think that it is easier for them to keep up the roads and stay connected to each other.
The 'smallness' of Ecuador is what makes it so appealing to the traveller. You can point your finger in any direction and find a new type of terrain and adventure to go with it. They have jungle, cloud forest, highland Andean cities, marshes and a long stretch of beaches. I'm looking forward to exploring as many different types of terrain as I can before I leave.
On Wednesday, I met a few of my friends at a hostel here called The Secret Garden in the San Blas area of Quito. Quito is an oddly designed city since, as it is situated in a long valley and stretches for miles and miles north to south, but is only a few of miles wide. This makes getting around the city a bit more difficult as there are two main centers, the New City in the North and the Old City in the South. The New City is the center of many tourist accomodations, restaurants, and language schools, but has a very typical, touristy urban feel. The Old City, on the other hand, mostly consists of beautiful Colonial architecture, the houses of Ecuadorian government, and many churches. San Blas is nestled between these two very distinct worlds.
My first full day here I wandered the Old City with my friends Brooke and Mike (also from the Bay Area) and we just marveled at the feel of a colonial city. Later in the evening, I partook in one of my favorite activities when I'm at home in the States, we went to see a movie, 21 Grams. I had not seen a movie in a theater in 4 months and, I have to admit, it was one of the things I was looking forward to by being in a big city.
We decided to get out of Quito this past weekend and head east to see the cloud forest, an interesting type of terrain - a mix between the jungle and the highlands. There is an immense amount of vegitation, but as it is at a higher altitude, the temperature is bit colder. The good thing is that there are not as many bugs (you don't have to worry about mosquitoes) and the clouds do seem to just hover above and inbetween the mountains. It's a beautiful sight.
We made our way near a town called Baeza to a lodge built by an expat Brit called The Magic Roundabout. It was a relaxing few days, consisting of sitting in hammocks, playing with two frisky dogs (Winston, a golden lab, and Guiness, a Alaskan Husky), witnessing the birth of 3 kittens (unfortunately one was mauled to death by Guiness), and trudging through forest streams to see cascading waterfalls on the vast property behind the lodge.
We returned to Quito on Sunday to meet up with our friend Kim, who had flown up from Cusco. The last couple days have been focused mainly on solidifying our travel plans to the Galapagos by visiting a multitude of travel agents. We finally decided today upon a trip that will have us leaving on March 21 abord the yacht Encantada and returning March 28. It was tough to decide what criteria to base our decision on, but we were ultimately attracted to the itinerary (we get to see almost all the eastern islands) and, to be frank, the fact that the ship had sails (although they don't really use them).
We have a week and a half to fill up before we head off on our voyage and I think we've decided to move west and get ourselves some beach action to prepare for the Galapagos.
I'll try to send you another update before we head off to the Galapagos.
The 'smallness' of Ecuador is what makes it so appealing to the traveller. You can point your finger in any direction and find a new type of terrain and adventure to go with it. They have jungle, cloud forest, highland Andean cities, marshes and a long stretch of beaches. I'm looking forward to exploring as many different types of terrain as I can before I leave.
On Wednesday, I met a few of my friends at a hostel here called The Secret Garden in the San Blas area of Quito. Quito is an oddly designed city since, as it is situated in a long valley and stretches for miles and miles north to south, but is only a few of miles wide. This makes getting around the city a bit more difficult as there are two main centers, the New City in the North and the Old City in the South. The New City is the center of many tourist accomodations, restaurants, and language schools, but has a very typical, touristy urban feel. The Old City, on the other hand, mostly consists of beautiful Colonial architecture, the houses of Ecuadorian government, and many churches. San Blas is nestled between these two very distinct worlds.
My first full day here I wandered the Old City with my friends Brooke and Mike (also from the Bay Area) and we just marveled at the feel of a colonial city. Later in the evening, I partook in one of my favorite activities when I'm at home in the States, we went to see a movie, 21 Grams. I had not seen a movie in a theater in 4 months and, I have to admit, it was one of the things I was looking forward to by being in a big city.
We decided to get out of Quito this past weekend and head east to see the cloud forest, an interesting type of terrain - a mix between the jungle and the highlands. There is an immense amount of vegitation, but as it is at a higher altitude, the temperature is bit colder. The good thing is that there are not as many bugs (you don't have to worry about mosquitoes) and the clouds do seem to just hover above and inbetween the mountains. It's a beautiful sight.
We made our way near a town called Baeza to a lodge built by an expat Brit called The Magic Roundabout. It was a relaxing few days, consisting of sitting in hammocks, playing with two frisky dogs (Winston, a golden lab, and Guiness, a Alaskan Husky), witnessing the birth of 3 kittens (unfortunately one was mauled to death by Guiness), and trudging through forest streams to see cascading waterfalls on the vast property behind the lodge.
We returned to Quito on Sunday to meet up with our friend Kim, who had flown up from Cusco. The last couple days have been focused mainly on solidifying our travel plans to the Galapagos by visiting a multitude of travel agents. We finally decided today upon a trip that will have us leaving on March 21 abord the yacht Encantada and returning March 28. It was tough to decide what criteria to base our decision on, but we were ultimately attracted to the itinerary (we get to see almost all the eastern islands) and, to be frank, the fact that the ship had sails (although they don't really use them).
We have a week and a half to fill up before we head off on our voyage and I think we've decided to move west and get ourselves some beach action to prepare for the Galapagos.
I'll try to send you another update before we head off to the Galapagos.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
I realize that everybody has been receiving duplicate blogs whenever I send them out (the new one plus the next recent one). I don't know why this occurs, but I can't figure out how to prevent it. I think it's a problem with Yahoo. Sorry, just delete the old one.
Well, I take off for Ecuador tomorrow morning at 7:30am. After a few hours stopover in Lima, I should get to Quito by 2pm. I'm meeting some friends from school when I get there and will figure out whether the Galapagos is a viable adventure. I've been getting many different stories from travelers regarding costs and if it is too much, I'll have to put it off for now. While I'm up in Ecuador, I probably won't be able to include many photos with my blogs, but I'll keep you up-to-date of my adventures.
Well, before I head off I'll tell you about . . .
A Francoise Kind of Adventure
PHOTOS
My friend Francoise came to visit me a few weeks ago, taking a break from her hectic job in New York's Financial District, working for Merrill Lynch. She arrived on Saturday, February 8, only being able to stay until the following Sunday, the 14th.
Our first two days were spent hanging out in Cusco, attending a BBQ with my uncle Ricardo. Francoise, who is self-professed non-dancer, was coerced into cutting a rug and I have to say that she underestimates her rhythmic talents.
Sunday, we walked the Cusco circuit and then bought our tickets for that night to head off to Copacabana, Bolivia on the south end of Lake Titicaca, just across the border with Peru. My tourist visa was about to run out, so the easiest way to get it renewed is to leave the country and then return.
We left Cusco late at night, around 11pm, and after spending a couple hours freezing to death at the Puno bus terminal that morning, where we caught our connecting bus, we arrived in Copacabana at around 10am. I had heard some good things about a hotel there called La Cupla, so we wandered up the hill and got a room.
The town's name sounds like it was inspired by the more famous beach area in Rio de Janeiro, but as we found out when we arrived, Rio's Copacabana is actually named after this little lake-side hamlet. It seems that Copacabana has a large, rather magnificent moor-inspired church that attracts pilgrims from all over Bolivia and Peru.
After checking into our hotel, we went down to the water's edge to find a restaurant that my book recommended. This would be the first of a series of meals featuring the area's star culinary attraction . . . trucha. For those of you who don't speak Spanish, trucha is trout. Specifically, trout from the lake and boy does it make a difference when you order the local delicacy. Over the next few days we would have trucha prepared in many different styles and it was all so yummy.
The next morning, we hopped on a local boat to take us to the Isla del Sol. The boat was jam-packed with other tourists and the next two-and-a-half hours was one of the most uncomfortable travel experiences of my life. The boat was packed with cheap metal and red vinyl chairs and they seemed to just keep loading as many people as they could fit on board. If that wasn't bad enough, we hit an intense rainstorm which caused a bunch of leaks, leading to my entire left side being drenched, as I was right next to the window.
The Isla del Sol is an impressive island, the main attraction being a couple of towns and long walk over the spine of the island, a tall ridge of peaks from which you can see for miles around the lake. Legend has it that this is where the original Incas were born. We hiked the peaks for a few hours and, after eating a lunch of . . . . yup, you guessed it, trucha, we took the afternoon boat back to Copacabana. The return trip was much more enjoyable.
We were a little worried about our trip back to Puno the next day because a two-day transportation strike had been declared in Bolivia. As I was checking out of our hotel the next morning, the attendant offered to find a taxi for us. It sounded like a good offer, but as he called his contacts, he was turned down one-by-one. Finally, he found someone to take us and we headed for the border. We had originally resigned ourselves to walking to the border, but was happy to break the strike (actually, we both felt a little guilty). Luckily, Copacabana is only 8 km from the Peruvian border and, as there was no strike in Peru, if we could make it there, we'd have no problem getting back to Puno.
Our taxi could only drive us as far as a road block, about 5 km down the road. When we arrived there, I couldn't tell if the strikers were pissed off at us. Our driver seemed a little cautious, but after a few minutes it became apparent that he was going to hand us over to another cab, on the other side of the roadblock, who would take us the rest of the way. We jumped in the cab and were whisked away to the border, where we passed through without any problems.
From the border, we decided to walk a few km to the main town, where we caught a minibus back to Puno. I promised Francoise that we would not travel on any buses with chickens running around and, after a quick break so that she could use the facilities of 'the worst bathroom in the world', we were on our way. There were no chickens, but it wasn't the most enjoyable bus ride I've taken.
Returning to Cusco that night at 3am, we decided to rest for the day before we headed off on a one-day Machu Picchu excursion. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get tickets for Friday, as the train was sold out. As this is low season, the trains are usually not full. But this year is different. My theory is that since the dollar is so weak compared to the Euro and terrorism fears keep people from doing much traveling in Europe, South America is currently a popular destination for Americans. In Cusco I come in contact with a lot of Europeans traveling on their own, but Americans seem to like to travel only in group excursions. Thus I only encounter them in places that their groups would allow them. This would explain why whenever I go to Machu Picchu, the place seems to be crawling with them. It's odd.
Saturday marked our Machu Picchu day trip. It can be quite a haul: catching a train at 6am, getting into Aguas Calientes by 10am, catching a bus up to the ruins, seeing the ruins, catching the return train at 4pm, and arriving back in Cusco at around 8pm. We had been joking for the last few days that the Peru cultural committee should use a cool new slogan: Do the 'Chu! (as in maCHU picCHU). I think we annoyed everyone on the bus ride up to the ruins by rhyming anything we could think of with 'chu'. It's a pretty rhyme-able word. Try it out. I will go with YOU to the CHU, so don't be BLUE. Etc, etc, ad nauseam.
Unfortunately, our day was marred by nearly constant rain at the ruins. The famous Machu Picchu view was covered most of the time by clouds and mist, peaking out for only a few minutes at a time. We wandered the ruins, and I think Francoise was impressed (it's hard not to be).
Well, generally, that was our trip. We went out dancing after we returned from the 'Chu, but as it was Dia de Amistad (Day of Friendship, Valentine's day for us), the clubs were crowded with 15-year-olds. Nothing makes you feel old like hanging out with 15-year-olds.
Anyway, I'll send you updates from Ecuador!
Well, I take off for Ecuador tomorrow morning at 7:30am. After a few hours stopover in Lima, I should get to Quito by 2pm. I'm meeting some friends from school when I get there and will figure out whether the Galapagos is a viable adventure. I've been getting many different stories from travelers regarding costs and if it is too much, I'll have to put it off for now. While I'm up in Ecuador, I probably won't be able to include many photos with my blogs, but I'll keep you up-to-date of my adventures.
Well, before I head off I'll tell you about . . .
A Francoise Kind of Adventure
PHOTOS
My friend Francoise came to visit me a few weeks ago, taking a break from her hectic job in New York's Financial District, working for Merrill Lynch. She arrived on Saturday, February 8, only being able to stay until the following Sunday, the 14th.
Our first two days were spent hanging out in Cusco, attending a BBQ with my uncle Ricardo. Francoise, who is self-professed non-dancer, was coerced into cutting a rug and I have to say that she underestimates her rhythmic talents.
Sunday, we walked the Cusco circuit and then bought our tickets for that night to head off to Copacabana, Bolivia on the south end of Lake Titicaca, just across the border with Peru. My tourist visa was about to run out, so the easiest way to get it renewed is to leave the country and then return.
We left Cusco late at night, around 11pm, and after spending a couple hours freezing to death at the Puno bus terminal that morning, where we caught our connecting bus, we arrived in Copacabana at around 10am. I had heard some good things about a hotel there called La Cupla, so we wandered up the hill and got a room.
The town's name sounds like it was inspired by the more famous beach area in Rio de Janeiro, but as we found out when we arrived, Rio's Copacabana is actually named after this little lake-side hamlet. It seems that Copacabana has a large, rather magnificent moor-inspired church that attracts pilgrims from all over Bolivia and Peru.
After checking into our hotel, we went down to the water's edge to find a restaurant that my book recommended. This would be the first of a series of meals featuring the area's star culinary attraction . . . trucha. For those of you who don't speak Spanish, trucha is trout. Specifically, trout from the lake and boy does it make a difference when you order the local delicacy. Over the next few days we would have trucha prepared in many different styles and it was all so yummy.
The next morning, we hopped on a local boat to take us to the Isla del Sol. The boat was jam-packed with other tourists and the next two-and-a-half hours was one of the most uncomfortable travel experiences of my life. The boat was packed with cheap metal and red vinyl chairs and they seemed to just keep loading as many people as they could fit on board. If that wasn't bad enough, we hit an intense rainstorm which caused a bunch of leaks, leading to my entire left side being drenched, as I was right next to the window.
The Isla del Sol is an impressive island, the main attraction being a couple of towns and long walk over the spine of the island, a tall ridge of peaks from which you can see for miles around the lake. Legend has it that this is where the original Incas were born. We hiked the peaks for a few hours and, after eating a lunch of . . . . yup, you guessed it, trucha, we took the afternoon boat back to Copacabana. The return trip was much more enjoyable.
We were a little worried about our trip back to Puno the next day because a two-day transportation strike had been declared in Bolivia. As I was checking out of our hotel the next morning, the attendant offered to find a taxi for us. It sounded like a good offer, but as he called his contacts, he was turned down one-by-one. Finally, he found someone to take us and we headed for the border. We had originally resigned ourselves to walking to the border, but was happy to break the strike (actually, we both felt a little guilty). Luckily, Copacabana is only 8 km from the Peruvian border and, as there was no strike in Peru, if we could make it there, we'd have no problem getting back to Puno.
Our taxi could only drive us as far as a road block, about 5 km down the road. When we arrived there, I couldn't tell if the strikers were pissed off at us. Our driver seemed a little cautious, but after a few minutes it became apparent that he was going to hand us over to another cab, on the other side of the roadblock, who would take us the rest of the way. We jumped in the cab and were whisked away to the border, where we passed through without any problems.
From the border, we decided to walk a few km to the main town, where we caught a minibus back to Puno. I promised Francoise that we would not travel on any buses with chickens running around and, after a quick break so that she could use the facilities of 'the worst bathroom in the world', we were on our way. There were no chickens, but it wasn't the most enjoyable bus ride I've taken.
Returning to Cusco that night at 3am, we decided to rest for the day before we headed off on a one-day Machu Picchu excursion. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get tickets for Friday, as the train was sold out. As this is low season, the trains are usually not full. But this year is different. My theory is that since the dollar is so weak compared to the Euro and terrorism fears keep people from doing much traveling in Europe, South America is currently a popular destination for Americans. In Cusco I come in contact with a lot of Europeans traveling on their own, but Americans seem to like to travel only in group excursions. Thus I only encounter them in places that their groups would allow them. This would explain why whenever I go to Machu Picchu, the place seems to be crawling with them. It's odd.
Saturday marked our Machu Picchu day trip. It can be quite a haul: catching a train at 6am, getting into Aguas Calientes by 10am, catching a bus up to the ruins, seeing the ruins, catching the return train at 4pm, and arriving back in Cusco at around 8pm. We had been joking for the last few days that the Peru cultural committee should use a cool new slogan: Do the 'Chu! (as in maCHU picCHU). I think we annoyed everyone on the bus ride up to the ruins by rhyming anything we could think of with 'chu'. It's a pretty rhyme-able word. Try it out. I will go with YOU to the CHU, so don't be BLUE. Etc, etc, ad nauseam.
Unfortunately, our day was marred by nearly constant rain at the ruins. The famous Machu Picchu view was covered most of the time by clouds and mist, peaking out for only a few minutes at a time. We wandered the ruins, and I think Francoise was impressed (it's hard not to be).
Well, generally, that was our trip. We went out dancing after we returned from the 'Chu, but as it was Dia de Amistad (Day of Friendship, Valentine's day for us), the clubs were crowded with 15-year-olds. Nothing makes you feel old like hanging out with 15-year-olds.
Anyway, I'll send you updates from Ecuador!