Explora Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

Duration: 12 Days, 11 Nights

Locations: Guayaquil, Quito, Otavalo, Santa Cruz, Isabela

Goaalllll! Flying from Miami to Guayaquil on a weeknight, you wouldn’t think the plane would be filled with half the players from the FIFA World Cup Ecuadorian Soccer team! But ha, every passenger was instantly filled with pride as they saw the team in their bright yellow shirts walking up and down the aisles posing kindly for photos with all that asked. Ruth and I got some good shots of the sporty celebs and our flight was smooth and easy.. We arrived in Guayaquil late evening and were happy to see our driver and guide, Tomas and Felix there upon our arrival. Even better, the airport is directly in the middle of the city so we were at the hotel in a jiffy. 

In the middle of the park was a monument with all flags of a South America spaced a foot between the other. But it was super cool in front of the monument that there were letters spelling “Guayaquil” in front, spaced a foot apart, painted in the colors of the Ecuadorian flag. Felix said the letters were painted to reflect holidays and goings on but were painted with the country colors now, in honor of the World Cup. We took some fun pics there and Tomas picked us up a few minutes later. While we waited for Tomas, buses and taxis whizzed by and Felix explained buses were very cheap and a main staple of transportation in the city. Tomas drove us only 5 minutes for us to get dropped off again. He brought us to “Cerro Santa Ana” and “Las Penas”; a residential area that was once run down and now transformed into a place filled with tucked away homes, eateries and stores and art galleries. But it was all logistically arranged on top and on the sides of 444 stairs. Each step was numbered and had little rest stops as you went up. In the mid-morning heat and humidity, it was not easy. But we saw deliverymen carrying packs of water and beverages on their backs doing what we were and I realized we had a cakewalk. Most stores were not open just yet but it was nice to see residents waking up and sweeping their front porches and little dogs sleeping in the heat, draped over steps. At the top of the steps were a lighthouse and little chapel. Felix said they had mass there on Sundays. The view was awesome and panoramic. We stayed a few minutes for photos and began the descent. The steps down we’re a different way and seemed shorter. There were Bougainvillea bushes surrounding us with dragonflies dancing all though them. It was really pretty. I tried to let a few sleeping kitties let me pet them but they ran away. We walked further onto an area along the river that Felix said was new and being turned into residential condos. It was gorgeous and I could easily see why anyone would love living there. Brand new buildings with floor to ceiling windows and river views. We met 4 young US med students there on medical mission and Felix found a baby bluebird that must have fallen from a nest in a bush we stood next to. He was small enough for us to know he was still young but old enough that he had full feathers. He had his beak open waiting for food so we gave him some bottled water from its cap and then, some crushed cookie but it seemed he wanted something more on his usual menu. Felix took pity on him and brought him to the car and swaddled him in a towel in the drink holder in the vehicle.

Tomas then drove us to Parque Historico Guayaquil. It was a combination of what old Guayaquil looked like from a hundred years ago combined with a menagerie of what animals are found in Ecuador. The zoo was set up aside wooden bridges through natural mangrove trees, so it was swampy and humid. We saw iguanas, macaws, monkeys, an ocelot, sloths, crocodiles and too many others to list.

We awoke early the next morning for breakfast since we had to be at the airport for an 830 am flight to Baltra, one of the gateways to the Galápagos Islands. Our flight was smooth and about 90 minutes from Guayaquil to Baltra.

We landed on what looked like a bit of another planet….sparse land with lots of cacti and brush-like vegetation. It was warm and muggy, much like Guayaquil. We paid a few fees and had our luggage inspected well and were picked up by Marcos, our guide. He explained that we had a 20 minute bus ride to a little port and then, a 15 minute boat ride across to Santa Cruz, where we were to be taken on our first tour. On our boat was a combo of Australians and some Americans and Canadians. I noticed there were few families doing what we were and that the folks were usually backpacking, or young couples or college aged kids on medical missions.

We hopped into our minibus and Marcos gave us the lowdown on the Islands. Population, biggest problems, improvements. We stopped first at Los Gemelos: “The Twins”.

These were giant calderas of volcanos that had once imploded and now we’re filled with lush green trees that looked much like broccoli. The craters were across the road from the other and we looked at the edge of them, inside. Tons of little birds flitted everywhere. We then drove a bit more to an agricultural area, where Marcos said people now raise farm animals and grow crops. We saw cows laying down on the sides of the road in wet grass. We pulled into a muddy driveway and got out and Marcos said we were going to have some snacks before we walked to find some giant land tortoises out in the greenery.

Santa Cruz port to the little town of Puerto Ayora was a good 45 minute drive. We pulled up into what looked like a fishing village and up around a corner or two to our stop for the next 3 nights, the Hotel Mainao. It was a sweeping curve of stark white painted Gaudi-like architecture and ascended 4 flights of stairs to rooms snuggled in like rabbit holes. One of our rooms was at the foot of the stairs, the other was at the tower at the tippy top. No elevator but hey, I knew this trip would be active. We settled in and ate at another TripAdvisor suggestion, “The Galapagos Deli”. We ordered pizza and fish and chips and homemade chicken sandwiches and ended with gelato. We walked back to the hotel but not before catching what everyone here told us to do. There was a dock where fishermen would tie their boats up each evening with their catches of the day. We saw tuna and a lot of fish called “Brujo”; which was peach with purpley spots on it. The men would bring the catches up the dock to a fish cleaning station where women were ready to clean and then, sell it, immediately. No big deal but for the tons of humongous pelicans hanging out as well as two fat sea lions climbing up with their two flippers onto the station, begging like German Shepherds for slimy scraps and innards that the ladies would toss intermittently! They all were so cute and tame that we got right next to them for pics. It was a popular tourist spot in the town.

The next morning we awoke to grayish drizzle. We truly saw all four seasons in a day in the Galapagos in June. A bus picked us up at 8 am to be driven to the port of Santa Cruz again, to take a boat of tourists out to South Plaza, about a 90 minute boat ride to explore an uninhabited island but for species of iguana, birds and sea lions. We made small talk with a nice couple from Atlanta and found out the others on our trip were a family from Wyoming, an older couple from Spain, a lone photographer from England and a young backpacking couple from LA. We docked the boat and took a dinghy to the island. We saw sharks swimming in the turquoise blue waters now, but only white tip reef sharks, no more than 3 or 4 feet in length. As we docked we had to walk past baby sea lions waiting for Mom to return with some grub. These guys were seriously adorable. Barking up a storm, we had to step over and around them. They were so close! We walked onto the island and saw grey, black and brown iguanas of every size. Sunbathing in the heat on rocks, munching on fallen cactus fruits and just chilling out on top of one another. We saw some the size of my pinky and others, the length of a broom handle. As we walked close to a cliff leading out to the other side of the island overlooking the ocean, we saw birds darting all about. Many frigates, which had a big red bubble under their black throats and a few blue footed boobies, which were hard to glimpse at in the cliff crags, but I was promised I’d see them again in the future.

We walked past some more sunning sea lions, but big boys this time and headed back to the dinghy and boat for lunch. Fresh grilled tuna, salad and pineapple for dessert. All made by a 19 year old kid! It was perfect for a day on the boat. We socialized with our boat crew and other passengers and headed to our first snorkel in the water.

We came to a small cove about 45 minutes later. I found out (if you want to map it) we sailed to South Plaza Island and the waters surrounding it. We all got into wet suits and rash shirts and snorkel gear and hopped into the icy blue water. It was only cold for a minute… People were shocked to see how agile Lilly was in the water; even with all that cumbersome gear on. I was so proud. She tagged along with Mario and I mostly, but was on her own a few moments in the water. Note that it was not very deep; about 15 feet with pretty good visibility. We didn’t see anything earth shattering; just your usual sea cucumbers, many fish, and every shade of blue and green water and rocks. Our guide did see a shark but he was elusive and we could not find him. The “s” word scared the two teen sisters from Wyoming right back onto the boat…ha!
The ride back was faster than the ride going out and we hopped back on our bus for the 45 minute ride back to Puerto Ayora and our hotel. Lots of folks fell asleep; especially since it was grey and raining outside. We made a dinner date with a couple from Atlanta and had a really nice meal and ice cream with them before heading back to our nests readied for tomorrow.

The next day was our venture to the Charles Darwin Research Center. It was only about a 30 minute walk from our hotel to the Center. We took some pics of the beach and of some artsy colorful murals along our way. The weather was the exact opposite of the night before- with blazing blue skies and bright sun and steamy heat.

When setting off from England in 1831 for a five-year voyage, Darwin had little ambitions for groundbreaking scientific research. After surveying the coasts of South America, the ship stopped over in the Galapagos Islands. Here Darwin wrote his Origin of Species and came up with his natural selection theory, so you can imagine, the islands are “Darwin-this” or “Darwin-that”. He had lots of little finches named after him.

We got on our dinghy to our boat, docked about ¼ mile out on the open water. The crew threw (literally) our luggage into a locked space in the front of the boat and gave us life jackets. The boat filled quickly with tourists and some locals. The locals go into Santa Cruz often; for there are NO banks or post offices, or anything commerce related, on Isabela so they need to go into Santa Cruz to take care of business, literally. I sat next to a local named Beto. He owned a bar on the beach in Isabela. The ride started out smoothly enough.

We took a short boat ride from the docks to a few islands about 10 minutes off shore. We saw marine iguanas, pelicans, Sally light foot crabs, Galapagos penguins and I found out that this is only place in the northern hemisphere you can see penguins in the wild.

No boat ride back for us. Mario arranged for a puddle jumper for us from Isabela back to Baltra. We said goodbye to Isabela and the flight, ironically, was one of the smoothest, simplest, shortest flights we had ever taken. It was cool to see the archipelago from the top, too. There were just tons of all sizes of islands and Lilly and I would tell each other what shapes we thought what they were. Cookies and clouds.

The Andean highlands are scenic and beautiful. Otavalo is famed for their markets, which we would go to the next day. The roads got smaller and bumpier and we finally pulled into a high walled driveway. This was Hacienda Cusin. Wow.

Hugo picked us up for an early dinner and we drove about 30 minutes into town. Otavaleno people are very proud and wear black and white clothing. The men have a long black braid down their back with weathered, tan faces.

The restaurant we ate at was peopled by tourists but it was yummy. I had my usual churrasco. They had three Otavaleno men, all playing local music. It had that “Zamfir” pan flute sound but it was relaxing and cool.

We walked into a local bakery for dessert and drove home to wake up early for the market the next day.

Breakfast at the Hacienda was wonderful. We ate in a dining room that looked like a scene from Downton Abbey and the fireplace was on. I drank tree tomato juice or “tamarillo” but did not like it much. It was a little thick and tomato saucey.

We stopped for lunch at one of the places that began to all look similar, the communal large cafeteria style restaurant and then, we headed back to Quito.
On the way back, we stopped in a town- Calderon, to watch how ladies made little bread figurines.

We arrived at our hotel in early evening and luckily got the same suite as we had a few days earlier.

The next day was our last in Ecuador. It was also Father’s Day. Hugo picked us up in the morning and we all walked across the street from the hotel to the Parque El Ejido to take photos with the red “Quito” sign. (You’ll see in our holiday card this Christmas..lol)

He then began the drive to the Inti Nan Musuem- also known as the spot where the equator is. The ancient Quechua people named that equatorial line “Inti” (sun) “Nan” (path) centuries ago. It was ridiculously cool because it featured interactive exhibits such as trying to balance an egg on a nail (Lilly was the ONLY one who did it and got a certificate from the museum!) and the effects of the Coriolis force on earth. The guide brought out a makeshift drain and poured a gallon of water down the drain into a bucket underneath. He showed us when you stand to the left of the equator line, the water swished clockwise down the drain but when you went only a few feet, to the right of the equator line, it went in the complete opposite direction! It was truly like being inside of a science experiment. The museum also had genuine thatched roof homes from Amazonian tribes and photos of what life was like for all the different peoples of the country- for Ecuador has jungles, mountain, beach and city. Another cool but kind of gross thing was a genuine shrunken head! The Shuar people from high in the Andes of Ecuador performed this ritual- they removed the skull, sewed the eyes and mouth shut, then cooked the skin for an hour and filled it with hot rocks. The Shuar felt that the soul of the victim is contained in the shrunken head.

We left the museum, heading for lunch, if you could believe it- after the shrunken head and museum trip. The day was a big one in Ecuador. Not only was it Father’s Day, but it was also one of the Ecuadorian World Cup soccer team’s games.

We passed a roadside stand selling cuy (guinea pig) on a barbecue. It was ridiculously yucky and amazing to see skinned; um, rodents on a stick, turning, turning, turning, as if they were chicken at Boston Market. On that note, we ate a tiny restaurant in the old Town of Quito, much like the United States rotisserie chicken place. But instead of mashed potatoes, they had humongous, golden, crispy fries to go with the chicken. YUM.

Our last stop was the old town of Quito. The first declared UNESCO World Heritage Site and the capital of Ecuador is 9,200 feet high; twice the height of Denver. It has cobblestoned, narrow streets, colonial architecture and busy plazas; it is a bustling area, full of yelling street vendors, pedestrians, honking taxis, burpy buses and whistle-blowing policemen trying to direct traffic in the narrow, congested one-way streets.

By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link