Adios Quito!

The Galápagos Islands cruise had to end some time. It was a very rushed goodbye too. Packing at the last minute did not allow much time for reflection of the trip with the group or prolonged farewells. Getting a few names scribbled down on scrap pieces of paper for Facebook stalking and photo sharing purposes was just about all we had time for.
Tracey and I got to sit next to each other on the flight back to Quito and we were able to get to the Equator by taxi before closing time. The cab charge was $40 for both of us, which included the 30 min ride there and the 60 min ride back to our hostel with a 1 hour waiting time while we did our thing at the equator.
Well we got there, paid $3 each to get in and there was some sort of festival going on. Colours, music and dancing EVERYWHERE! As well as shops and restaurants in all directions. We made our way to the 0°0'0" part, only to see a sign saying "these aren't actually the correct coordinates for this location".
We asked around frantically, noting the time we had left before our cab overcharged us, asking people if they could tell us where the REAL equator 0°0'0" was! Problem being that no one spoke English. We eventually found that it was 200m down the road, with a sign saying "calculated with GPS". So it's gotta be legit. We payed a further $4 for a much more humble looking place and told the guide that we only had 25 mins to do the 40min tour. She was extremely helpful and friendly, allowing us to skip the boring parts and get straight to the experiments. The rumours are true- if you empty a sink of water in the Southern Hemisphere, the water runs clockwise down the drain and anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere. We tried this on either sides of the REAL equator line as well as on top of the line- the water just flows straight out, not spiralling in any direction.

We also tried to balance a raw chicken egg on a nail that was on the equator line. I didn't have the patience for it but Tracey got an "egg master" certificate for being able to do it!

We tried walking in a straight line on the equator line with our eyes shut and arms outstretched at a 90° angle to our bodies. Apparently it was supposed to be hard to do, given the gravitational pull from both hemispheres, but I don't think I'd be able to walk in a straight line with my eyes shut anyway.

We were also told that you become 1kg lighter when standing on the equator line because of gravity. I tried to stay on the line for the rest of the tour.

The last leg of the tour was meeting a lady who was spinning Sheeps wool into thread to use for her tapestry machine. Not sure what that has to do with the equator but she was real cute.

We got an equator stamp in the passport and were a few mins late back to the cab. He didn't charge us extra thank goodness.

Managed to get back to the hostel in time to go for a short walk to the ATM. Apparently it is dangerous to be walking anywhere at night. Most people stay indoors after 6:30pm. Crazy.

Dinner at the hostel was GREAT! Roast chicken stuffed with mozarella, marscapone and basil with a peppery mashed potato and steamed broccoli. As most meals on the cruise were while we were in transit to another island, I didn't have much of an appetite on board. So this meal was the biggest portion of food I'd eaten since New York! (We all remember my diet of starvation and ramen noodles in Florida.)

I ended up going to bed quite early, as my cab was arriving at 3:30am. Had to say a goodbye to Tracey. Wasn't so forlorn as the other farewells because we live so close to each other in Australia. We promised we would catch up for a hot chocolate when she gets back to Oz in winter. The prospect of catching up is so likely, so I wasn't sad to leave another new found friend. The whole goodbye part was only upsetting because it was a realisation of "oh! I'm going to be on my own again!" It was upsetting but at the same time, really exciting. Argentina here I come! It's been such a long time coming! I have dreamed about this place! I have read the lonely planet back to front but all of the information has completely gone from my mind with all this recent travelling of other countries. Nervous/excited.. Sleepy.

So at Quito airport, I managed to get a hold of Jana and Shane. The first thing Jana asked was "how was it?!" I could barely speak through the tears that came just thinking about the amazing week I just had. The best part was that Jana knew exactly what I meant because she has experienced the Galápagos first hand. There is no way to describe the constant awe I found myself in. The landscapes. The ocean, the vast ocean. The animals, both up close on land and swimming with them. The sunrises. The sunsets. The sun, the glorious sun. The views from the peak of mountains. The peacefulness I felt every single day. I miss it already!!! I miss everything! Give me the swaying of the boat to put me to sleep at night. Give me the baby sea lions. Give me the sweat and dread from a long hike. I can't wait to go on another hike! Listen to me! I like hiking?!? Haha madness!

19th Jan.

Textures

6am start for a warm snorkel in the sunrise. Swam with seals and watched them swim around me and kiss each other. It was my favrourite snorkelling experience so far! I started to get furious that I didn't bring a better under water camera than the crappy disposable one.

The brown sand on Espumilla Beach after banana-pancake breakfast. So soft, you can't tell it's sand. So sloppy and fun and wet between your toes. On the "dense" sand, I sink up to my ankle with each step.

Then on the banks on the crab breeding grounds (wetlands), the course dried mud subtly crunch under my feet as I walk.

Back on the brown sanded beach, walking around nests of turtles and seeing their tracks leading into the water. The sand is littered with sparkles. Looks like glitter. Almost like the night sky on land. Cartwheeling on the shoreline with Tracey and Sylvana as we try to catch up with the rest of the group. Hawks are resting in the trees that we pass. The sun is behind them so we can't take a good photo. Their wings outstretched makes them look so majestic.

The red sanded beach is more like pebbles. Very coarse to walk on. The sand when it's wet is easier. The sea lions are everywhere. Photos every 5 seconds. The group is far off in the distance. We don't rush to catch up.

Back on the boat after the third snorkel for the day. Tracey, Silvana, Mauro and Amir jumped from the top deck of the boat. 6m high. Javier said to me "you jump now". I hesitated. He grabbed my hand and led me to the balcony. "Up here".
"I'm scared," I said. Then remembered Jana's words "try EVERYTHING!"
The fall was longer than I expected. It was like being on a roller coaster and I screamed a little bit. But again, afterwards, having that exhilarating feeling and a huge smile on my face.

Sad to think that this is the last day on Galápagos before heading back to Quito tomorrow. Plans with Tracey to share a cab back to The Secret Garden and then head to the equator line for some photos and experiments.

I am finding that as I am speaking to so many different nationalities all the time, my English has become so simplified and I catch myself speaking pigeon English even when I am in a conversation with someone who speaks English fluently.
"Which one you like?"
"This is same in Australia"
"You take a photo, me please?"

Isabela day two

Isla isabela day 2

Saw turtles mating. I'm so naive that I called out to the group, "the mummy turtle is giving the baby turtle a piggy back ride!"
"No Emma, they are mating".
The boat engine had been switched off and we were just peacefully gliding through the water. It was perfect.

Later we got the chance to snorkel for an hour or so on a black sanded beach. Here, a HUGE ray swam towards me and touched me. I FREAKED out, imagining that this was my last living moment, thinking of Steve Irwin. Had no idea if it was a sting or manta ray but It was enormous. And of course, I was fine.

Sailed to Santiago Cove (12 hours) in the night, so it was extremely rocky on the waves after midnight. However, around 5:30, we watched the sub setting as we passed the equator line (we had a small nearby mountain to judge where the imaginary line would be) and every other direction you looked in was ocean. It was so beautiful. The atmosphere was so calm and serene. It was such a peaceful moment with everyone on the top deck of the boat looking out into the distance and not saying one word to one another, but just enjoying the moment.

Had a similar experience personally when we went hiking earlier in the day. It was to the top of Tagus Cove on Isabela Island, where all you could see from the top was baron land. The walk on the way up, on the other hand, was beautiful ocean views and bodies of water unable to be reached by boat that are so clear and beautifully bright in colour.. So it was surprising to reach the top and not see any water. It was so breezy at the top of the mountain though and everyone was disappointed about the view, whereas I had a really peaceful and still moment, marvelling at how vast and diverse this world is. I am in awe at how creative God is.

Isla Isabela

This morning we made a bee-line towards land on Isabela Island, the largest island in the Galápagos. The instructions we received last night were to wear long pants, hiking boots and a poncho. These things were not on my list of things to pack. And considering I booked these tickets about 6 months ago, a little warning would have been nice. Anyway, with everyone else in long pants, ponchos and hiking boots, I wore my blue shorts (I didn't think my skinny jeans would be appropriate for the days hike), my pink canvasToms shoes (not the winter ones) and for a poncho, I wrapped my light cotton scarf around my head and torso. We were off to see the volcanic craters and lava formations.

But to get to the top, we had to trek through 2 hours of the sloppiest, squelchiest, wettest, slipperiest mud you could imagine. (I didn't manage to get my camera or iPhone out while I was in this kind of mud. So the photos below are once I reached drier ground.) It was all uphill too, so I just had to accept the fact that I was going to fall. Well I did fall. Twice. And that was just going up the hill! Once we got to the top of the hill, there was NO view because the fog was so dense. We were all so wet from the moisture in the air and I was the only muddy one. Going down the hill was WORSE obviously. Stacked it three times and because I was trying to walk on the plants for a bit of traction, I got lots of cuts on my ankles and legs from the coarse grass and various twigs that I brushed passed/fell on top of.
I would have fallen over a lot more if Matt wasn't holding me up for the remainder of the journey down the hill. I tried to brush him off and keep my pride intact (with mud all over the bottom half of my body) but he was adamant that he helped me. I did appreciate it in the end, as it saved a few extra bruises and a little less mud. My shoes were unrecognisable in the end because of all the muddy build up and because they had lost their pinkness.

Once back on the boat, I realised how sunburnt my feet were, just from the outline of my Toms shoes and the flippers for snorkelling. I tried to rectify this by lathering half the contents of my suncream onto the burnt bits (as I knew we were heading into very strong sun later in the day). But by the time we got back onto land, my feet and ankles had doubled in size (just where I applied suncream). Great. Also, wandering around Isabela, searching for an Internet cafe was excruciating because the sun really was hotter than I have ever felt in my life. This was not helping my poor swollen feet.
But it was all worth it to speak to my hubby and best mate on Facebook and to read such positive comments about the journey I am having. -Thank you everyone for your comments, support and prayers. They are all very special to me. Sorry that there wasn't enough time to write to each of you before heading back to the group, so hopefully this post makes up for it.

The bus ride around Isabela was peaceful, with most group members having a doze. I felt that if I shut my eyes, that would be it until morning, but as it was only around 5pm, I thought it would be better to keep stimulated, at least until back on board. I took the time to listen to more Sufjan Stevens and was extremely satisfied with my music choice. So cruisy, so mellow, so relaxing (don't fall asleep, Emma!) and a great sound to have when you're in a van travelling around a South American island, looking at different types of plants, buildings (however small), store fronts, families, beaches, animals and best of all, abandoned ships in the middle of the road. I was too slow with my camera for those unfortunately. But looked so so cool. I recommend listening to Sufjan for a relaxing road trip where you just want to zone out into your own personal space.

At the end of the day, after FINALLY getting past level 23 on Candy Crush (a game I'm now hooked on, thanks Jana..), everyone was asking me if I was OK "after such a horrible day".
I was actually thinking that this was one of those amazing days, while in the thick of it, thinking, "Is this mud hike really necessary?!" Then after falling in the mud 5 times, it became an amazing experience, that I would never have had if it were my choice.
I would have NEVER chosen this cruise, had I known about all of the constant hiking. But they have been so rewarding. The workout alone is such a dread. And once you start walking, you have to be able to keep up with the rest of the group so you don't get lost. The sun is constant and there is no shade to hide from it. But when you reach the destination or when you start coming back down, there is a whole lot of reflection of how WORTH IT it all was. Even though I fell over twice on the way up, the times when I fell down on the way down, I was thinking "oh, I'm just adding to the whole experience" and "I've got a better story than everyone else here because I REALLY got into it".
I have so much to show for my day as well! Swollen feet, cuts all up my legs, clothes stained with mud, sunburnt ankles... sounds pretty terrible, but these are the things that make for better stories of travelling and adventuring. PLUS, I got to chat briefly with my husband! Not to mention, the sunset over the beach, drinking a full coconut and having an ice cold sprite from a glass bottle.. It was truly a very memorable day!

Galápagos lslands 15th jan 2013

It's day 3 on the Guantanamera boat.
So far, we have been snorkelling 5 times. I have seen and swam with: *hammerhead, reef and white tip sharks
*seals and sea lions
*turtles the size of my outstretched legs
*schools of fish, 1000s of fish at any one time or schools as little as 20 fish.
*starfish that I never could have imagined up (bright yellow with tall black spikes; fat black starfish with bright red spots all over it.. The list is endless)
*marine iguanas
*sting and manta rays
*the reddest crabs you've ever seen *Galápagos penguins.
And on land, so many different species of birds:
*flamingos
*finches
*doves
*red, blue and masked boobies (I was the only one who found this name hilarious!)
*great frigates
*pelicans
*tropic birds
*swallow tailed gulls

The landscapes are to die for. The sea is so clear and so colourful! The tones range from dark navy blue to a fluroescent green and sky blue.. I don't think my words or photos can do this experience justice. I am pretty annoyed with myself for not mastering my camera before I left. The photos I've taken are very average. And the only underwater camera i have is a disposable one, so I have no idea if any of the snorkelling ones turned out ok! I hope these mental images are good enough to last the rest of my life. It's been so wonderful so far.

Yesterday I saw a sea lion that was barely 2 hours old with its mother. I was so overwhelmed by this image! Brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it. Such a beautiful moment. And a great memory to hold on to.

The sea can get pretty choppy when we are venturing between main islands it can last up to 8 hours. I haven't been seasick at all! I did get my first bout of diarrhoea this morning though. Pretty funny in hindsight- we were hiking to the top of a summit when the cramps started. I was praying that we had gone high enough and were allowed to start venturing down again. I just REALLY needed to use the toilet. But apparently we were never up high enough. We reached the peak of the summit before coming down. I almost didn't make it. But I did. I managed to hike for another 90 mins before catching the dinghy back to the boat. Praise GOD I didn't ruin everyone else's hiking experience. The awful thing is that I have packed pills and tablets for every scenario. So I have packed for diarrhoea as well as constipation, but the boxes for the tablets wouldn't fit inside my luggage, so I left the boxes back in Australia.. Which means I'm not sure if I have taken the pills for diarrhoea or for constipation. Let's hope I am taking the right thing!

I am sharing room número siente (number 7) with a Swiss German 19 year old called Sylvana. She speaks 5 languages. Including Spanish because she just spent 4 weeks learning Spanish with a non-English speaking family. I wish I could speak another language! Makes me determined to learn Spanish once I get to Argentina- providing I have enough money for a course.

The other people on the boat are:
Tracey (who I met at the Secret Garden). She has the room next door all to herself.
Hila and Amir are on their honeymoon. They are from Israel and are so so sweet! Today is Hila's birthday! We are going to have a cocktail tonight to celebrate- that is if my stomach is feeling up to it!
Mauro, Mauro, Lorenz and Elena (Italians) are all travelling together. I think that one of the Mauros and Amelia are married.
Matt (from Turkey) actually runs his own cruise in Europe. He says that tourism is always down in winter so he always goes travelling for months at a time to keep himself busy. He always has his shirt off and is always asking for photos of himself in a particular way and from a particular angle.. With his camera phone.
Beergit (female) and Dee (male), From Santa Barbara, California, have been married for 20 years and have never had kids so they wouldn't have to give up their holidays. When telling them that I want to start having kids soon, both of them just scoffed. They are not very nice to each other and they are always the ones we have to wait for.
Javier is our guide. He is full of information. He likes me because I see things before he does, things like hammerheads and hiding seals.

Everyone is very friendly to me and I have had great conversations with everyone. I mainly spend time with Tracey and Sylvana. And when the newly-weds are around, we become a group of 5. It's really cool.

I'm so used to saying that my husband is back in Australia, it doesn't upset my anymore. When it comes around to explaining the dynamics of our holiday, it's hard to word it in a way that doesn't sound like we are breaking up.. "Shane left me in New York", "We split up" or "We went our separate ways" sound really bad so I need to go into much more depth when talking about how this works for us. I do miss him a lot though. Especially at the really incredible moments, I wish he was here, sharing the experience with me. But I know that if Shane was here, he wouldn't appreciate it as a holiday. There would be no weetbix or sultana bran.. There would be no TV.. No wifi whatssoever.. And everyday, I'm getting stronger and feeling more brave about being on my own. Especially meeting so many other lone travellers!! They are everywhere! Tracey has been travelling for 7 months by herself! So really, 1 month away from everyone I know is not so bad.

We have a few hours of free time on the boat every day. I try to keep up with blogging to keep my mind occupied. Of course there is no wifi of any kind out in the middle of the ocean, so when I finally find some, you will have days and days worth of reading to catch up on. When I'm not writing, I'm listening to Les Miserables (the 80s version) and Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album, yes I am aware that its January. I am still captivated by the carols we sang on Christmas Eve, "O come O come Emmanuel" and "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming". These songs are both on Sufjan's album. I also love Stephen Sharpe Nelson's version of "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming". Get into it!