You Won't Believe What These Giant Tortoises Were Doing...

Sunday, April 25, 2011:

Today is our first day off of the boat for a whole day. Most of us still feel like we’re still moving from the rocking water the past 4 days. The main event for today was to go see the Darwin center and see the giant tortoises.

Our first stop was to see “Tortoises in the wild.” We went to someone’s land that they turned into a tourist attraction thanks to the chance of tortoises living on their land. They fenced it in, put in a café and souvenir shop, and it was a tourist hit. Anyway, we went on a short walk where we saw a gain tortoise just laying in the water. Of what I understand they basically just do this all the time… for 100 years or more. Unfortunately, due to the heat that day, we only saw one in the wild because the others were hiding in the shade where we couldn’t see them. Afterward, Andres (or “Suave” or our new name for him “under cover gringo”) gave his talk about the tortoises. Next to him were large tortoise shells that had been left after they died. He then encouraged me to get into it, and to my surprise, they lifted me up! I was a Super Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!!! My dream had finally come true. I can die happy now.

Soon after that, we were finished there and made our way to a lava cave. This is a tunnel that was formed by flowing magma from a volcano. It was about 30 feet high in the beginning and at one point was about 3 feet high. People had to climb on their hands and feet to get through; I didn’t go through that part though. Most of the group just went back to the bus and waited for the 4 people that went all the way through. I would have normally done it, but at that point, I only had 1 more clean pair of cloths and was relying on my bathing suit to get me another day or two.

After the lava tunnel, we came back into the main town in Santa Cruz Island. Right down the road was the Charles Darwin center where they had a few turtle shells of different kinds, maps, and a model of the turtle eggs. Andres gave an informational talk in which he informed us that there were 11 different species of giant turtles – one that will be extinct soon because there is only one left of its kind. They call him “Lonely George.” Once he dies, there will only be 10 species of giant turtles. Obviously, this is why he is called Lonely George. They tried mating him with other turtles, but his seed wouldn’t stick.

After a brief history of Lonely George, we finally got to go see him. We got to his pen and I was surprised at two things. The first is that there were 3 giant turtles. I didn’t know which one was Lonely George or if they were all Lonely George. The second is that they were all humping each other. I guess 175 years without a compatible female mate, and things really get lonely… really lonely. It was funny because one was just dominating the other two and they didn’t pay any attention to us. Also, there were no fences between us and the tortoises – got to love Ecuador! After about 10 minutes of giant tortoise sex, we were ready to leave.

Afterward, we separated from Andres because it was time for his break and we rested until dinner. After dinner, we didn’t do much. Some people casually drank on the hammocks at the hostel, but I felt it would just be a little inappropriate to drink on Easter… the night ended smoothly talking with my beautiful girl friend J

Ciao,

Michael

Chinese Hat Island, Snorkeling, and Sailing the Open Ocean

Saturday, April 24, 2011:

                Last night, I didn’t end up sleeping up on top of the boat because a group of 5 of us and our guide stayed up really late playing cards and talking. I passed out from exhaustion where I ended last night – outside, on the bench underneath the covered section of the boat. Everyone else ended up falling asleep out there as well, but they were woken up by the crew to go to bed. Since I had my blanket and pillow already out there though, they just left me be.

                Today started even earlier than yesterday at 6:30am because we had a long drive today. First though, we took our Panda Boat over to the “Chinese Hat Island” where we found dozens of baby sea lions! They were so cute and even better than the shed because they don’t look sad for being trapped. We learned that they stayed in their little cove area sheltered by rocks to prevent them from being eaten by sharks and from the crashing waves just 30 yards away from them/us. On the wave side of the island, these things blew my mind. They were gargantuan and made HUGE splashes because the water was deep right up until the rock formation, so the wave was just getting to its break point when it pounded up against the rock face. There was a point as you can see in the picture that the water splashed up behind you while standing on one of the rocks. I wasn’t able to get this picture exactly, but you can imagine.

                We were only there for about an hour then scooted back to the boat and went snorkeling another time. This was probably the clearest water we’ve snorkeled in (even though it has all been super clear). This trip, I was able to swim with 3 more sharks that were about a third of the size as the one yesterday. We also obviously saw sea lions, manta rays, penguins, and various species of fish. We also saw a special type of eel that sticks out of the sand. There is SO much marine diversity! There is no other place where you can get so close to these animals and see so much… not even the Shed.

                Next was lunch, then we made our way to another island for a “dry landing” (jump right onto shore without having to get into the water from the dingy Panda Boat. On the island, we saw the marine iguanas which are all black and are called this because they get their food from the water, but do not stay in there very long. The land iguanas are yellowish brown – the more yellow they are, the more sexually “ready” they are. They are definitely bigger than the marine iguanas and more scary, but we got within 3 inches of them and they didn’t do anything – creepy but harmless. From this point on the island, I got another feeling of being in Never Never land. Similarly, when we came out to the beach, it seemed like out of the scene of Pirates of the Caribbean when Jack Sparrow is stuck in that death beach land. I love when real life reminds me of movies; I think I’m going to be a pirate when I grow up.

                When we got on the boat for the last time, we set off for a 4 hour ocean journey to Santa Cruz, our final destination for our trip. This drive consisted of talking with Will, Ally, Becky’s Dad about anything from politics, our life here, business, and things of that sort. Also, the last 1.5 hours of the cruise, I went up top, by myself and gazed into the ocean at all the islands, boats, and water while listening to the audio book 50 Prosperity Classics. It’s a great book for an overview of the most influential success books, but even more so, it gives me a great reading list of what I would be interested in reading more thoroughly.

When we landed in port, we ate dinner and got ready to go out on the island for the night. On the island, we bought prep drinks and Becky’s Dad bought me a Cuban cigar. Soon, we met some people from the Netherlands (Marica), Sweden (don’t remember), and Main (don’t remember) who teach English in a nearby island. They were actually Andres’s (our guide) friends. So the night was spent listening to live island music and going to a couple different night locations dancing and socializing. Good day/night!

Ciao,

Michael

Swimming with… Everything in the Ocean

Friday, April 22, 2011:

                Last night, at about half way through my sleep, I was woken up by drizzling on my head. It was to be expected considering we’re in the wet season. Actually, it was surprisingly refreshing. I grabbed the pillow, blanket, sleeping pad and i-phone and moved to the second level of the boat where there is cover. I didn’t want to go to my cabin where Matt was sleeping and my stuff was spread unorganized on my bed. So I laid my head down and didn’t hear anything else until the morning when the early risers were peering over the side of the boat on shark watch. And lo, what do you know?! They spot one! This wasn’t one of the foot long sharks though. This was a 6-7 foot HUGE shark circling our boat!!!! It was AWESOME!!!  I followed that for about 10 minutes just intrigued and feeling like I was at the Shed Aquarium…. But a bazillion times better because it was real!

                Soon after, we were called to breakfast where we were greeted with a full America style breakfast for the most part. Eggs, toast, fruit, yogurt and granola. I’ll just say that I had more than enough energy for the rest of the day after that meal. Our first activity for the day was snorkeling. Before we got in the Panda Boat, the guide asked if anyone wanted to swim with the shark. What was racing through my head was how I regretted not running with the bulls, so I threw my flippers and goggles on and was in the water before the guide could ask twice. He kind of looked at me in surprise for actually doing it, but then gave a shrug and was like, “have fun.” At this point, the shark that was a good 2 feet bigger than I was about 15 feet underneath me. What do I do? You guessed it: I held my breath and began to descend into the ocean after it. I got within 5 feet of it, hovering over the king of the sea. At the time, I thought it was a not violent shark, but I found out after that no one was really sure, so…. Yeah, who knows? I’m alive. I have officially swum with a shark! Not just a little dinker.. A real life potential man eater… oh yeah. When 3 more people jumped in to join me, the shark got scared and swam away in freight. My spontaneity and bravery paid off to gain an irreplaceable experience, but at the same time, I’m sure it could have paid off in a dangerous way. But, like I said earlier, I’m alive and well… for now :P.

                We then got into our Panda Boat and drove to an island that was surrounded by coral reef filled with a mountain of species. To sum up what I swam with during the day, it started with that shark and was followed by various tropical and colorful fish, sea lions, tropical penguins, octopus, and crabs. I literally was swimming in the Shed in the close up tank except the natural ocean. Each one of these animals, I came within 3cm-5 feet away. Nowhere else can you have this opportunity where animals are not really afraid of you thanks to the protection of these islands. It ended up getting a little cold at the end, so we swam to the natural perfectly groomed beach between two coral reef coves to flounder around and sun bath…. Again, this is MY life. I can’t even believe it. Oh, and it’s not even 12:00pm yet.

                We then returned for lunch and had some delicious lasagna. I have been very pleased with our food on this boat so far. I think I get spoiled 100% more in this developing country compared to in the US. I’m definitely not complaining. Later, we went o a board walk on Bartolommeo Island that was made of lava from a nearby lava pool under the water. You can see below, pictures of this place. The view looked like a mix of a Pirates of the Caribbean tropical hide out in between islands and Peter Pan’s Never Never land. I felt like I could fly… but didn’t try. I’m not confident in myself that much.

                After leaving the boardwalk, the next activity on the schedule was snorkeling another time. This was at another volcanic island. The current ended up being too strong to swim, so we hopped back into the Panda Boat and they took us to another beach to hang out at for 30 minutes. At the island, I saw an iguana that was jet black to blend into the burnt volcanic landscape – very cool. This was the same island that we came back to about 2 hours later. This island, when explored more thoroughly was like something after the apocalypse. I was imagining that we were the surviving few of the human race after 2012 searching for the promise land and food. You can see the video. Who knows, maybe you’ll agree with me, but regardless it’s by far one of the most unique environments I’ve to in my entire life!

                The rest of the night was eating dinner, chatting, and I’m trying to decide if I want to sleep outside again. For now, it’s raining, so the choices are sleeping in my cabin or on the second floor under the cover. We’ll see. I guess you’ll find out tomorrow.

Ciao,

Michael

Arriving in Darwin Land. Aka a Never Never Land

Thursday, April 21, 2011:

                Today, I was supposed to be at the airport at about 8:00am, but my host dad said he could take me to the airport at 7:30am. By doing this, I would save money but risk being late and delaying everyone. At this point, I realized how cheap Ecuador had made me. I would only be saving about $4.00 by not leaving early. I slapped myself in the face (not literally) and told myself I was still American; I can afford to be there on time/early to make sure the people I’d be spending the next week wouldn’t be pissed at me. So, that’s what I did. I was there 30 minutes early.

                We finally got everything taken care of and got to the Galapagos. I love how for both of our 40 minute flights to get to the Galapagos, they fed us while for American Airlines, we fly for 3 hours and get squat… At least some airline still cares about service.

We arrived and took a bus to a port where we got into a little dingy boat which took us out to our “yacht.” I thought it was more like the boat out of Giligan’s Island as compared to the yacht in the “I’m on a Boat” music video – rustic, but fun! The next question: what do the rooms look like and who will I be rooming with? Answers: small as expected, so very authentic, and I was rooming with the organizer of the trip, Matt. He’s a very funny and energetic guy, so we get along well. Right after we dropped off our bags, we got right onto our first tour. We went in our “Panda Boat” (I misunderstood what the mini dingy boat was really called in Spanish, but I called it a Panda Boat, so the name stuck with the group) to go see the mangroves.

                

        Within the mangroves, there were little sections of them that were home to various animals. The first section was sharks! The sharks were only about the size of my arm, but still very interesting. I wouldn’t say I’d be afraid of them though. All along the way we were surrounded by a diverse set of endemic birds (we learned that “natural” means that they live here,  but exist in other parts of the world as well, but endemic means that the animals are found here and only here). Our next mangrove patch was home to some HUGE turtles. The first couple we saw were about the size of my torso, but the next couple were the size of my whole body! They would pop their heads up for air, release a big gasp, and just make you think what they could have  been like in pre-historic times. They live for about 100-200 years and have been around for millions of years. It puts our species to shame.

 After trolling around the mangroves for about an hour and a half, we finally returned to the boat. At the boat, we were given a presentation by our tour guide who is a very fun and young guide. Later in the night, he was casually showing us pictures he was taking of some Columbian models on the islands  -- these girls were something out of maxim. I didn’t believe him at first until he showed us pictures of him and them all on the beach together kissing him. I thought before that the bar owner in Puerto Lopez had the perfect life, but he makes that guy’s life seem boring. C’mon, really? He’s a tour guide who gets to travel around the islands partying with fun tourists all day, a professional photographer taking pictures of the incredible species and Columbian models – if you have a beach life and don’t want to move somewhere else in the future, that’s got to be the life to have. I think island life would be good for about a month to half a year, but after I would need to leave to switch it up. But, regardless – good life for him.

That night, we had welcome cocktails with the captain and went to the top of the boat to star gaze – star gaze without ANY light pollution, cascading land protruding from the water from the actively moving tectonic plates, and endless motion. I can’t believe I’m doing this in college. Every trip, I’m in awe. Again, we talked about a range of topics from my new obsession with the original Star Trek series, our embarrassing USA space program, and our Ecuadorian experience thus far.

The night sky was so captivating to me that when everyone else decided to retire to their cabins, I had made up my mind to sleep outside on the top of the boat for the night. I could only listen to music and star gaze for about 15 minutes before my eye lids were forced shut from fatigue. Falling asleep on top of a yacht, thanking God for my life, underneath the vast sky, in the Galapagos. It can’t get any better.

Ciao,

Michael

Nicole in Town

Our Indian Jones Journey! Trip to Tiputini Biodiversity Station

Friday, April 8, 2011:

Indiana Jones has nothing on our journey today. We started out the day with a 6:30am taxi ride to the airport and a 50 minute flight to a small town named Coco. We literally walked off the plane, went through a building with a 5 foot hallway leading to a tributary of the Amazon River. It was then that they told us we would be taking a 1.5 hour canoe ride down the river, go through an oil company who would drive us 1.5 hours across their partially deforested land. Next step was to take another 2.5 hour canoe ride to our final destination. Yep, 11 hour adventure in all. It was interesting driving through the oil property because at the parts they were cutting down forest, they left a thin layer of trees by the roadside to try to hide the destruction that lay beyond. Probably just in case someone broke their rule of “no cameras/photos allowed.” 

At Tiputini, we are IN IN IN the rainforest. I have yet to see a monkey at this point, but I’m sure there’s plenty to come tomorrow. Since we got here at 5:00pm, we basically just relaxed, ate dinner, then Kevin and our new friend Tabatha (George Town, Spanish major) climbed a water tower post to gaze up at the glittering sky. There was no light pollution whatsoever! This was followed by a second star gaze session with our new Jewish mountain man looking, but extremely cool friend, Gary. We talked about religion, aliens, life, and how people should be more chill for about 2 hours (the rest of the night)… you know, the average galaxy gazing conversation. 

In the boat on the way to the forest

Just Like the Mississippi

Tom Sawyer shot

Oil Station

Nasty Dog

Ciao,

Michael

Natural Hot Springs

Saturday, April 2, 2011:

Today, we went to a place called Papallacta. It's pretty close to where we live -- only about an hour. We were only there for a day, but it was what I was waiting for. Even though it was drizzly and overcast for most of the day, almost nothing can spoil an afternoon sitting in natural volcanically heated water.

Before we did this, Laura, Meredith and I all took a horse ride and the horses were very agitated the entire time. So much so, that Laura and Meredith who have been riding horses their entire life, insisted that it end early because they didn't know how the horses where going to react. I didn't want to get bucked, so I didn't argue.

There's not much to say about the day except it was extremely relaxing. We met an older couple from the states who live close to Naperville, and some Indian guy who claimed to teach a whole bunch of languages. Although, his English was more broken than Michael Jackson's nose after his 50th surgery... exactly, non-existent.

Anyway, it fulfilled my hot spring urge that I had since the beginning of the trip going to Baños (and I realized Baños was not hot springs at all --  just a bunch of pools filled with dirty people -- nice place otherwise though). 

Off the the Amazon next!

Ciao,

Michael