Galapagos, Ecuador & Lima, Peru

Hi All,
E and I are in Lima now.

We had a great time in the Galapagos and also with our short stay in Quito. I'm telling you, the Galapagos are/is great. The wildlife don’t know to be scared of humans. It’s a pristine place. We are not to really interact with the animals and must respect their natural boundaries, but if they come to us it’s fine. They sometimes did!
We toured all of the public islands (to which access is very controlled over 7 days), Although there is some repetition from island to island, each has its unique attributes, ecology and history ~ and most certainly are very interesting. The “black island” was the newest of the lava eruptions (115 years old). As the volcanoes erupt into islands, over time they also shift from west to east until they get pushed under the continent of South America. The Galapagos islands are living proof of this evolution. Traveling from island to island we can see the gradual ecological progress starting with the aforementioned ‘newest island eruption’.

We saw some amazing bä-hoe-hoe patterns (Hawaiian word for rope-looking lava. As the lava cools it drys on top and the hotter lava underneath pulls the drier top layer into very interesting patters). The vegetation is still a minimal here - only 2 plants. A ground shrubby thing and lava cactus. To date there are only 3 of the cacti plants. It was like a scavenger hunt to find them. We found two. Everything else is black lava for many square kilometres. I think it was 30+ - i forget...

Anyway, there was a lot to see, it was a wonderful learning experience with the help of Gino, our great guide/naturalist.

On top of all that, we ate like kings. Yep! I'm probably gaining weight. The good thing in Ecuador is that you are 2.2lbs lighter due to the width of the earth and it's respective gravitational pull. (We took a tour and I learned this on the equator). We also learned other interesting facts that I'll tell you about later. Suffice to say, the earth is not nearly fat enough to make up for all the food we're eating!!!!

Speaking of food...... We tried an Ecuadorian specialty. BBQ'd guinea pig! Aka ‘Cui-cui’. Guinea pigs are highly respected animals as they can sense if a person has a good or bad spirit (kept as pets so they can advise - via a little noise they make for the home owners to determine if they should welcome guests into their home or not ie “cui-cui”) but they are also helpful as they can sense earthquakes/eruptions/earth vibrations well before they become unsafe. To top it all off, when some special occasion arises the Ecuadorians eat their cherished Guinea Pig!!! Go figure!! So when in Ecuador, do as the Ecuadorians do! So we did. It wasn't bad at all. The skin was tough because of how they prepare it - on a spit over the BBQ... and there were greasy parts, (both which I did not eat) but mostly, it was tender, and tasted like ahem, yes, chicken. A bit gamier but like chicken dark meat.

Anyway, the same day we took a tour of the highlands around Quito. Quito is already at approximately 3000meters, but we got up to about 4561 or so. I was okayish (headache for a day and lethargy ~ always) at about at 3000m but could certainly feel the 4600m (did somebody say HEADRUSH!). The drive was beautiful - a bit bumpy at times, but enjoyable none the less. The volcanoes in the distance, the rolling hills, mountains, valleys and rivers. The flora….. all very beautiful!

Anyway, so now we are in Lima in a super-posh hotel on the sub-penthouse level -18th floor - and about to go to a hostel tomorrow - yes, extremes, that's for sure. :)

We walked around Lima for a couple of hours today after checking-in and having a fabulous and late lunch. We heard from some kind Argentians that the food in South America only gets better as we head south (then up to Brazil). Indeed, so far so good! We've tasted some pretty unusual things... Anyway, Lima's roads are full of honking cars that drive with only millimetres of space between mirrors. The honking is for saying: watch out I'm here or go! it's green, or hi, or move, or whatever. It's constant. The city has a lot of poverty and is quite polluted. None the less, we already found some pretty gems of buildings and walking areas. For the safety conscious: about 1 in 10 women seem to wear purses, most clutching them. I didn't wear a purse. I put some money in 3 different pockets and my sock. I carried a photocopy of my documents and tried to blend in. I don't think anyone noticed my bright shiny clothes, my pale face (I have a half decent tan) or my towering size over the locals..... hummm....... I did notice that other tourists are very happy to see fellow tourists and in fact are very easy to spot in a crowd. I think my blending attempts are in vain... :)

Tomorrow, Evgueni and I will do a tour of some old parts of Lima and head to our hostel. On the 4th we will start the next part of our trip: 2 days in the Peruvian Amazon, then Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and other parts of Peru. We will be done by Nov.25 (I think...)

I will try to correspond again before heading out on trip 2/3, but in case I don't, all the best!

I hope everyone is well and that you each have a very good Halloween!! BOO!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
cy