Jen Goes to the Galapagos!

Shaziya stayed at GAIAS with Catherine lat night, so I had the room to myself.  Clearly, I can’t handle it because I got to school an hour early.  It was nice though, I sat on the beach.  Breakfast, class, the usual.  Kristina, Josh, Justyna, and myself went to the cove to go swimming after class, It was FREEZING, but amazing once we got in.  So refreshing.  There were so many crabs.  At once point, Josh and I were sitting on a rock and a sea lion literally swam a foot in front in our faces.  Apparently he was waiting for his turn on the rock because as soon as we left, he took over.  We had lunch with Romero, Johnathan, and Andres.  We told them we would pay because they gave us surfing lessons.  Then we went to Playa Mar with Romero for a little, and had class.  Power was out though, and Carlos taught us on the beach.  We stayed until power came back, and we went back inside.

I don’t know where to begin with the night.  After dinner, which everyone got a long really well for, a bunch of us went for salsa lessons.  It was not easy.  Any my partner was in a group from Lafayette.  Long story short, he didn’t take it very seriously.  The GAIAS representative, Sarah, was there.  Apparently her boyfriend is the instructor.  They were really good.  I played a few games of pool (I won! But I still ended up getting kicked off… I think its cuz I’m not a local… or a man).  Afterwards, we went back to the hotel and all of us sat in the hotel and talked.  It started pouring though- and I got antsy.  I wanted to go outside.  So Kristina and I went outside.  There was a bike outside Romero’s house so I took it and rode it around.  When we got back, he and his friend were panicking looking for it.  Oops!  After the bike fiasco was over, we all walked to the pier.  Have I mentioned it was raining?  After about 30 minutes of debating, count off, the works, we decided to jump in.  There were swarms of fish.  It felt so rebellious and crazy, but awesome.  We all showered, and then played this game where you have to draw the sections of art on the paper, and it has to correlate with the person’s before.  There were some really cool things.  They drew a lot of animals and fish and things I noticed.  Relaxing musing was playing, and it was just amazing.

These dates are getting very messed up.

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I snorkeled with sharks today.  But unfortunately, the day wasn’t all good.

We woke up early, got breakfast next door, and got on the boat called the “Galapagos Party”, and went to this shallow area to snorkel.  It was amazing.  I can’t even begin to describe it.  The boat ride itself was just the most refreshing, happy feeling in the world.  And I never wanted to stop snorkeling.  We saw a giant sting ray!  Even the small fish were amazing.  I have never felt like such a part of nature underwater.  It was amazing.  Have I used the word amazing enough?  So we left, and went to Kicker Rock.  We snorkeled with hammerhead sharks! It was so cool!  The light from the sun streamed through the water, it was like something from a movie.  Words can’t do it justice.  So while we were getting back on the boat, Catherine was hurt by the propeller.  John and Justyna are EMTs, and were so great.  They wrapped her up, and we went straight back to shore.  She went straight to the hospital, and Evelyn, Shaziya and I followed in a cab.  The conditions of the hospital were awful.  The stretcher she was on hung out of the back of the “ambulance”.  The emergency room was covered in flies. Not the most welcoming scene when you are hurt.

Even so, she got the best attention anyone could ask for. She was surrounded with good people, and they got the best doctors around.  She looked like she felt safe.  We watched them do some of the stitching, and everything seemed very sterile and professional.  She had cuts on her leg, stomach, and foot.  Nothing is too serious though- mostly superficial stitches and a few internal ones.  It is a shame that this is going to hinder her trip though.  But she is taking it like a trooper.  Smiling through tears.  All of the ailments on this trip have been taken very, very well.  I am surrounded by a tough group of people.

We all went and grabbed a bit to eat, then went back to do work.  We went out to Iguana Rock.  We saw a few people we recognized, and met some new people as well.  It was fun, but Catherine is still on our minds.

So I’m not sure what happened to this post, but I thought I’d quickly re-write it.  So during the day, Danny took us to his secret spot on the cliff.  We took like a 5 minute cab, and walked like  45 minutes. We saw so many giant iguanas on the way. When we finally got to the cliff it was amazing.  We just watched these huge waves crash on the rocks. It was like something from a dream.  We stayed there a while, and reluctantly left.  We bought danny lunch. and went back to class.  After class, we went kayaking.  We had a race for who could get the singles.  It was really, really nice.  It was right at sunset so we were able to enjoy the change, even thought it was too cloudy to see the sunset.  After dinner, Justyna, Evelyn and I sat with Danny on the boardwalk and talked.  After, I went to his roof.  It was so nice to get a different perspective of the Galapagos.  We talked about life and conservation.  The different perspectives are very interesting.  He walked me home, and I went to bed.  My memory won’t recall everything of the day, but each day seems better than the last.  =)

What an adventurous day.  So we each had our times to go birdwatching. Mine was right before breakfast… So I counted birds with Josh and Evelyn and Christina, then left for breakfast at GAIAS.  My plan was to stay there all day and write a paper, but unforeseen circumstances changed that.  During breakfast, a teacher who was teaching English 4 came up to us and asked us if we would have conversation with her class… we said no problem.  So we got to talking with a few of the students, and one said he was a surfer. I was so excited, and asked if he would take us. He said sure.  So at 10 00 we met to go surfing.  The guy who lives across the street, Romero also came, as well as another guy who was just learning and another one of their friends.  I went with Kristina and Megan.  Oh. My. God. It was so hard.  It was amazing, but so difficult.  Even balancing was something to get used to.  Eventually we started to get the hang of it though… we were still just body surfing.  It was still amazing, and hopefully they’ll take us again.  We agreed to buy them lunch when we got back from kicker rock!  After surfing, we went to class to share data about birdwatching.  We all went back, did a little more work, I napped for a little, then dinner.  It was a really good dinner actually, everyone seemed to get along really well.  After dinner, I worked a little more, then Kristina and I went on an adventure.  First, we ran into the guys that used to live in the hotel, and played a few games of pool with some locals.  When we left, we ran into Romero again, and hung out with him for a little while.  We chilled in his hammocks and talked about music and life.  Finally, we left to go back to the hotel.  It’s really nice to get to know locals.  I feel like they can tell us what about the Galapagos is amazing (not that what we see from our own perspective isn’t enough).  It was an amazing day, and I’m looking forward to Kicker Rock tomorrow.

The highlands were like nothing I have ever seen before.

We woke up early, grabbed breakfast at the café next door (the waitress we had seen the night before at Iguana, not in the best of shape), then left.  Our tour guides name was Danny.  Carlos came, too.  Danny spoke English really well, and was really knowledgeable.  He was 25 years old, and a neuroscience major (a self-declared neuroscientist).  We had tours of 2 different, but similar areas.  The terrain was kind of strange… short plains, with small brush.  We were at eye level with the clouds.  Next we went to the tortoise reserve and breeding center.  It was amazing to see them move- they command respect.  The breeding center is necessary so that unnatural animals don’t kill off the population. They take good care of them, and the entire place is powered by solar energy.  Last we went to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.  The sand was amazing smooth.  Washed up on the beach was a whale, which was a little sad, but the bones were really interesting to look at.  The waves were perfect- fun but not overwhelming.  We built a tortoise in the sand.  Happiness couldn’t even start to describe how I felt.  It really was amazing.  When we got back, we showered and went on a search for empanadas.  Unfortunately, everything is closed on Sunday.  Luckily, we ran into Danny, who took us to a little restaurant that was open.  We all ate together, and got to know each other.  It was myself, him, Justyna, Megan, and Evelyn.  We talked about his research, and our trip.  It was really nice.  He told us about this place his father used to take him on San Cristobal, and he agreed to take us tomorrow.  We went to dinner, then we went to GAIAS to start working on our papers.  I’m actually getting pretty into mine- its about obligate siblicide in Nazca Boobies.  They have some pretty strange behavior.  Anyway, bedtime.  Regular day of class tomorrow- we plan on going kayaking after though. =)

Okay, so John is all better.  We had afternoon classes, and tried to go kayaking, but there were too many of us.  Besides, I needed to shower, so I went back and relaxed.  Dinner was pretty standard, then I took a nap.  All the sun in the morning was exhausting.  It was hard to wake up and go out, but I’m glad I did.  We got a real taste of Ecuador nightlife.  We started off going to a local lounge, just to get a drink and hang out.  There were a lot of us though, and everyone was sporadically deciding when they wanted to eat.  The whole thing took longer than I would have wanted.  Next, we checked out Iguana Rock, the club that everyone has been talking about.  That is where everyone who went got salsa lessons.  It looked like it was clearing out at that point, but we really just wanted to look inside.  As we were leaving, a local guy we had seen before, stopped us.  He recommended a local club. Knowing we had to wake up early, we reluctantly went.  It was packed.  There was Spanish music playing, and everyone was dancing.  We stayed for just a few songs, but the taste of the nightlife made us want more.  There is still another weekend.

Tomorrow morning, we are leaving early to go to the highlands.

Saying today was a hectic day would be an understatement. We woke up at 6, ate breakfast, and got on a plane to Guayaquil. Then we took another flight to San Cristobal. When we got off the plan there, we were blown away. The sight was amazing. We were finally on the Galapagos Islands! The weather was sunny, breezy and warm. We met someone at the gate, Sarah, to bring us to the hotel. She came to lunch with us. We ate at this local restaurant, where we will be eating for the remainder of our trip. It’s great how the locals all support each other here. Okay, before I talk about the school, let me describe the island. It looks like something out of a fairy tale. There is a town with only mom-and-pop shops. There are literally no chains. You can walk anywhere, and all of the locals know each other. Along the entire coast is a boardwalk, overlooking the water. Without doubt, there are sea lions on the coast too. They go everywhere. Usually, they are lounging around on the rocks, but sometimes they go as far as one of the playgrounds, and lounge there. If you walk a little bit (barely 5 minutes), you are at the beach. More sea lions! The way they move is hilarious. They will run up as if they are going to attack you, then just flop down and go to sleep. They are absolutely adorable (there are so many babies), but make the most unpleasant noise. It seems the cuter the animal, the worse the sound. But the weirdest thing is that they are everywhere. It’s really indescribable. After lunch we went to the USFQ School here. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the hotel. We have to walk over beaches and boardwalks… really a burden. The school is amazing. It is like a resort. It is a salmon-y color, right in tune with the other brightly colored buildings of the town. The best part is that it is literally on the beach. We had a 10-minute break during class where we got to run outside and jump in the water. It was amazing. But that was today, back to yesterday. We had an orientation at USFQ, and Sarah told us everything we would be, and could be doing. Surfing, Salsa-ing, and Kayaking were all included. I cannot be more excited. We finally met Carlos, our professor, who was so nice. He took us on a walking tour to the reserve museum, and then the top of this amazing mountain, we there was a lookout tower. Along the way, he stopped to inform us about all of the different wildlife and animals we were passing. He knows so much about everything! He grew up on the Galapagos, and truly understands just how much it changed. He lent us his binoculars to see the birds at the lookout tower. They were really beautiful. They sat on a perch overlooking the water. I wanted to stay longer to catch the sunset, but Carlos kept moving. Instead, we moved to this unbelievable beach. Like the rest of the Galapagos, it was covered in sea lions. There, we got to watch the sunset. I can’t even being to describe it. Everything about that moment was perfect. Words couldn’t even start to do it justice.
Next, we went back to the hotel, where Sarah met us to take us to dinner. We insisted that Carlos came, too. Dinner was good, and I got to sit next to Carlos. It was really interesting hearing about his life and his perspective of tourism in the Galapagos. I am looking forward to having him as a professor.
After dinner, Justyna and Evelyn and I walked around the pier for a little bit. We came back to the hotel, unwound, and a few of us went to a café to hang out and talk for a little bit. Even at night there were sea lions scattered around the boardwalk.
Nightlife is really interesting here. The locals are always active, notably the teenagers who were skateboarding down the street. Today at the beach, we made jokes with some of the children there that barely spoke English. We all barked at the sea lions together. Okay, so after the café, I hit the sheets and was out cold. This morning, I woke up refreshed and got out a little early to read on the beach in front off the school. We ate breakfast at USFQ, and had our first class. The first hour was just an orientation, and then we got a 10-minute break (beach time!). We were assigned topics for our research paper, and then we learned about the climate. After lunch, we went back to the beach. Elias and Kristina and I sculpted Darwin in the sand. It was actually not bad. We went to lunch, and now I’m at the hotel. Class starts in a little bit, but Megan and I plan on cleaning up the trail. The trash was disconcerting. Oh, and John just got back from the hospital. The hospitals here are bad news, they thought be might have H1N1, but I can’t imagine he does. Either way, he’s resting now. He’s taking it like a trooper. I know he doesn’t feel as well as he is pretending.

The past two days have been beyond words.  We went to the Maquipacuna Reserve.  I will try to relay the whole thing.  The car drive was about two and a half hours long.  Quito was amazing, but when we left, we began to see more.  Ecuador is a third world country.   However, our perspective was limited to Quito, and I barely believed that some of Ecuador faced poverty.  This trip changed that.  There were homes on the side of the road that looked like something out of a Time magazine shoot.  There were pieces of scrap metal as roofs that were held down by pieces of spare wood or tires.  There were chickens and cows roaming the street.  And people washing themselves in a sink on the side of the house.  It was unbelievable eye-opening.  As we moved on, the scenery became more… “green”.  We began to see the forest, and finally got to Macipacuna.

Where to begin.  Machipacuna was an authentic eco-lodge.  Everything was made out of bamboo- from the staircase, to the roof, to the chairs.  There were hammocks to lay in, as well as hummingbird feeders to insure that they were constantly around (we did have some issues with them, as they were disrupting the natural habitat, but they were beautiful none the less).  All meals were homemade, and the showers were outdoors. The lodge filtered the water, as it was taken from a lake not far away.  Everything was every environmentally conscious. As soon as we got there, we had an orientation by the two managers, Kristie and Eric.  They were from New York, and came to volunteer for a year.  Our tour guide was David. He took us out on a tour to the waterfall as soon as we got there.  We left really early, so we got to the waterfall before lunch.  It was amazing.  To go under it felt so refreshing.  Almost everyone went (Justyna has stitches).  I was really impressed.  After we were soaked, we went back to the lodge, changed, and ate lunch.   We went on another hike after in the rain.  They gave us boots because it was so muddy.  Even though we weren’t able to see many animals, it was amazing.  The forest is literally saturated with life.  It breathes.  Everything is connected.  What makes Maquipacuna a cloud forest is that the water collects from the clouds on the trees and travels down to the lower brush.  Another thing I learned is that the larger leaves are at the bottom in order to absorb more sunlight, as opposed to the smaller leaves at the top, which are more exposed.  There is a plant called the “mother-in-law tongue”, which attracts for pollination with its red leaves, because its flowers are so dull.  There was a plant that served as the “supermarket” of the forest, because its leaves could carry up to two gallons of water, which then was breeding ground for edible parasites.

In addition to David, a local worker at the reserve came with us on our hikes.  His name was Rufino.  Rufino knew the area so well, and was familiar with many medicinal purposes for the plants.  There were even a few that we were allowed to taste along the trail.  The first day was finished.  We came back, showered, ate, and were given a welcome drink.  Oh, I almost forgot.  For desert, we were given this amazing fruit indigenous to the forest.  It was delicious. What made it even cooler was that before we ate it, they lit it on fire.  Very Cool.  So after the welcome drink, we started playing this game called Mafia, which we decided to stop after a while because tensions ran high.  But while we played, we took turns getting a chocolate massage from a local woman there.  To be honest, it was a little strange.  Even so, it was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m glad I did it.

We woke up the next day, early, and went on a real hike.  Not that the first one wasn’t real, this one was just more physically demanding.  We climbed on rocks, over trees, through mud, and crossed rivers.  The hike was around four hours, but because the terrain kept changing, and there was so much to look at, it never got boring.  There were lots of frogs, and we even saw an iguana.  I couldn’t help thinking how invasive we were being into their lives- I’m sure they aren’t used to camera flashes.  In addition, one of the workers at the resort found an armadillo and put it into a box for us to see later.  It was adorable, but looked terrified.  Its nose was dripping.  The most interesting thing about the hike was that some of the trails were made by the Incans hundreds of years ago.  Because the trails were so old, they sunk into the ground.  There were parts where we literally felt like we were walking through a tunnel, with brushes of wildlife on either side of us.  There were vines hanging and giant leaves that were like something out of a movie.  Words can’t describe how beautiful it was.  When we finished the hike, a few of us went back to the waterfall.  I found some sort of fruit that I plan on making into a necklace. We went back to the lodge, sad that we had to go.  We had seen nothing like Maquipacuna before.  We ate our last lunch, and then went to the bus.  It was harder to keep my eyes open on the ride back, but I still tried to see everything.  When we got back to Quito, Evelyn, Kristina, Elena, Justyna, and myself went on a mission to find empanadas.  We ended up at this coffee shop.  We ordered hot chocolate with cheese, but it just turned out to be cheese on the side.  It was still delicious.  We talked for a while and returned to the hotel. Off to the Galapagos tomorrow!

Today was exhausting.  We woke up at around 7, ate breakfast, and were picked up at 7 20 to go to the equator.  Well, first we went to this lookout point that had an amazing view of the old city.  It was beautiful.  There were 3 stray dogs there that were following us around.  One even tried to get on the bus, and chased after it for about a quarter mile when we started driving away.  When we got to the equator, I wasn’t surprised to find out that it was a huge tourist attraction.  However, it was almost empty.  We got a tour of the equator.  We saw a few solar clocks, and learned how they worked.  We also talked about the Coriolis Effect.  On the equator, it is possible to balance an egg on a nail (not the ones that 8-year-old gangs carry around).  Also, because our weight is less, so is our muscle strength.  And the water going straight down the drain works on the equator for sinks, but not for toilets, because they are mechanical.  Most interesting to me was learning about the Kichuan people, the ancient tribe of Ecuador.  We learned about how they shrunk the heads of nobility as an honor, and as disrespect of captured soldiers.  The process, as well as the result was really interesting.  There was a Kichuan couple that ran the “gift shop”, and made everything there.  They explained that the weaving process hit the stomach, so only men did it for fear that the woman’s fertility would be damaged.  Also, they wore these heavy corn and wool hats that were too small for anyone’s head.  This forced them to have perfect posture.  Next, we went to the old town, where we went to an amazing restaurant.  Its unfortunate to think that such a small portion of Ecuadorians can actually afford such luxuries.  I am sure to appreciate it.  It was really nice to sit and talk to Kristina and Josh.  Lunch was long, but relaxing.  Next we went to this church that was covered in gold.  It was baroque-style architecture, and unbelievably ornate.  The artwork was beautiful.  I thought it was a little strange that some of the designs were just painted on, but apparently that was done to play a trick on the eye.  It was unbelievable (that was my word of the day).  Speaking of artwork- Quito is covered with graffiti.  Not just graffiti, but artwork- everywhere.  Murals, and political statements covering the city.  It is really an amazing sight.  We went to the mall after and bought socks for Maquipacuna tomorrow.  Bright and early!

So it’s not as easy to keep up with this as I thought it would be.  Today, we woke up at around 6 30, for breakfast at 7.  We got picked up at about 8 45 (it was supposed to be 8, but we follow “Ecuadorian Time” as it’s called here).  We went straight to the Universidad de San Francisco en Quito, or USFQ.  I can’t stress enough how unbelievable it was, even in the less than idea weather.  The campus is absolutely magnificent.  The architecture is very eclectic, to say the least, but that is what makes it amazing.  First, a woman named Gabriella spoke to us about the Galapagos, and USFQ.  She was the International Program manager, or something.  Then, someone else talked to us about our trip to the Maquipucuna Reserve.  Last, the director of the school basically scared us to death with a warning about safety in Ecuador, then gave us a tour of the school.  What shocked me the most is that students are required to take culinary classes.  There is a huge kitchen, and even a restaurant attached to the real world, as well as a bakery and chocolate shop.  It is mandatory that students not only prepare meals for this restaurant, but run the campus kitchens, as well.  Evelyn and I were talking though, and it’s unfortunate to think how few people can actually afford these luxuries.  We were fed an UNBELIEVABLE meal, then were sent to listen to a lecture by a professor named Diego, something.  He works with our teacher in the Galapagos.  Unfortunately, given the humid conditions and full belly, many of us fell asleep, even though the lecture was quite interesting.  It was about the history of Ecuador.  Next, we went to the Artisan Market to shop a little bit.  I got some pants to go hiking in, a sweater, and some gifts.  It was really nice to walk through- but I wish I could speak more Spanish.  Next, we went back to the hotel.  We went to the mall to get a few things, and came back for dinner.  After dinner, we all just hung out and played Kings, and Charades.  It was really nice.  Unfortunately, Elias was sick.  He has a throat infection, and had to go to the hospitable.  Thankfully, he came back today, but sat out of our evening activities.  We were given fair warning by the director that at some point, we are all going to get sick.  So at least Elias got that out of the way.  Bed Time… tomorrow, tour of the city! Have I mentioned that I love everyone here? Good people.