the final bits

i landed in quito and opted to take the shuttle bus part way into town and then a taxi the rest of the way as i had nothing planned for the rest of the afternoon, it was raining and i didn't have much actual cash left...  i arrived at the bus station and a taxi driver wanted $10 USD for the trip, i offered $6 USD which is the going rate and before he even had a chance to respond, someone else said "let's go" and we were off :) 

i'm staying in a different part of quito this time around and it's much more lively in the evening (there's at least 3 night clubs on every street for about 5 blocks). my hostel is very cute and quiet too. i can't say i did much after i arrived except eat and then go to bed early; cruising is exhausting :) 

on my last day, i was approached by these lovely ecuadorians who were studying english.  they needed to ask a "gringo" some questions for school so we ended up practicing and then videoing me having conversations with each of them individually. it was adorable and something you only get to experience when you're traveling on your own (in my experience :) 

i caught my flight to panama and then onto santiago, spent the night at the airport in santiago and then flew from there to melbourne. hubby was out when i got home but the fur ball was over the moon ecstatic to see me!  he was attached to me for the next couple of days! 

side story - i accidentally left my kobo in the pocket on the flight to panama on my way to ecuador. by the time i realised, it was too late to get it before my next flight but i was advised it had been found and would be available when i returned.  i was angry with myself and worried it wouldn't really be there when i came back. as soon as i got off the plane, i asked at the counter in spanish and the woman at the desk advised it wasn't there. not to be deterred, i thought i'd try another counter and this person spoke english. she called and advised it wasn't there either but when i told her i'd been told it was, she tried again. it turns out the airline had coded it as an agenda and not an e-reader or tablet which is why the first person said it wasn't there. the attendant organised for lost and found to deliver it to my gate and she said that if they were late, she would put it on the next flight to santiago so i could collect it before i left the next morning. it arrived before i got on the flight - i was so pleased to have my kobo back that i nearly hugged the lady from lost and found! :)  i've sent a note to copa airlines to recognise the people who helped me out!        

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The Galapagos - A 5 day cruise (Part 3)

after our visit, we headed to devil's crown to snorkel - this was definitely my favourite snorkeling spot!  we saw the usual suspects (turtles, sharks, etc..) and i had a sea lion swim right next to me for a couple of meters which was awesome but for me, the clincher was the quantity and range of fish and coral!  the crown is made from a volcano which eroded over a multitude of years, leaving a circle of rocks and coral which make a great home for fish and other sea creatures. it was shallow in some spots and deep in others with a little cave to see the fish through, adding to the interest and the variety of fish to view.  truly, it was an amazing snorkeling spot! 

after snorkeling, we heading to cormorant point on floreana as well to see the flamingo lagoon. on our way over in the dinghy, we found some flamingos bobbing in the open water which is very unusual! we landed on the island and right away, we got to see some blue-footed boobies which i'd really wanted to see!  in fact, because it was spring, we also got to see some juveniles who haven't yet gotten their blue feet or blue beak which was also awesome to see.  we continued wandering around the island and saw some nazcar boobies nesting with their eggs which was awesome - i was within 2-3m of these birds and they were completely unfazed! 

we motored to isla santa cruz and anchored at puerto ayora which is where we'll spend the night.  we have shore leave this evening and it's amazing how excited we all are to leave the boat - it made me appreciate how hard life must be for the crew as they do 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off! 

our last day in the galapagos involved heading to the galapagos tortoise conservation area to learn about the tortoises and see them in captivity.  the conservation team is breeding them in captivity and then they'll be released into the wild when they're old enough to survive on their own. there were so many tortoises and the ones from the different islands have adapted to their own habitats as postulated by darwin so many years ago. 

after the centre, we caught a taxi to the ferry and then waited for an airport shuttle in the heat with everyone else before i finally boarded my plane to quito. the whole experience was a bit jarring after having spent a couple of days on a small ship, surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery.     

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The Galapagos - A 5 day cruise (Part 2)

today we're visiting isla espanola at two different locations plus we're going snorkeling. each day has a similar structure while we were on the cruise - it was such a relaxing time away :) 

on espanola, we got to see some albatross, both some fluffy juveniles and some adults too!  we were just in time to see them as the families would shortly be heading off as the babies were nearly old enough to fly long distances.  we watched the little ones waddling around and got to see a couple of adults perform the albatross mating dance which was a fabulous experience.  we also saw some nazcar boobies, more sea lions and marine iguanas :) 

we snorkeled directly off espanola and got to see a number of sea turtles, sharks and a handful of manta rays. the most exciting things to see were the starfish - so many different shapes, sizes and colours on this excursion.  i'm wishing i'd brought or bought an underwater camera to capture as the water's so clear!

many of us took seasickness pills tonight so we were in better shape than the night before!  i went to the upper deck and stargazed with a couple of other guests and some of the crew before heading to bed early.  lucky for all of us, the ocean wasn't as rough as last night :)

the next morning, we visited isla floreana which doesn't have anywhere near the amount of wildlife as the other islands as it was previously inhabited by humans.  we stopped here to see post office bay which has been used since early in the 1800s as a postal location.  whalers, explorers and pirates would leave or collect post when they visited the island (they would also poach live tortoises to eat aboard their ships which explains why there are only a few left).  we looked through all the mail as you're supposed to collect anything near you and hand deliver it.  amazingly, there wasn't anything for melbourne or regional victoria so i didn't bring anything back...       

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