Today I depart for Johannesburg, South Africa. I will be there for five weeks, working for WIZZIT Bank again as well as attending World Cup matches! I have tickets to USA vs. Slovenia and USA vs. Algeria. Look for me on ESPN waving a giant American flag!
I also have a lot of travel planned; I am for sure going to Swaziland and Mozambique as well as tentative plans for Angola, Tanzania/Zanzibar and Zimbabwe/Zambia. Stay tuned!
I just got a new iPad so I am excited to keep my attention occupied on my horrible flight itinerary from Burlington to Detroit to Amsterdam to Joburg. I am almost hoping my flight out of Detroit is delayed enough that I get to spend the day in Amsterdam and not have to jump right on another flight. We'll see!
Talk to you all on the flip side of the world!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Road Trip East Day 7: Schenectady, NY to Shelburne, VT
This morning I had breakfast with my brother at a diner called the Blue Ribbon. I had eggs benedict and he had a cinnamon roll. Their coffee was excellent. We chatted about school, classes and friends and it was nice to see him so animated and happy.
I drove him back to campus and then headed out of town to take I-87 north out of Albany. I took this road so many times to and from college that it was quite odd to be heading this way again. I even remembered where to exit (Ft. Anne, NY 149), then US 4, then VT 22A. The weather was sunny and clear and the drive through the Adirondacks and then with a clear view of the Green Mountains was beautiful.
The Aspen seeds are in the air in VT so the air seems to snow with fluffy white puffs. It was warm earlier this week, in the low 90's. I drove straight to my relatives' house and ended up talking with them and their friend named Ah Ha. Ah Ha is short and round, like a cannonball, and speaks very loudly. She is quite funny, so her name is very appropriate. She doesn't speak English so we conversed in Mandarin. My aunties insisted that I eat lunch, so I left quite stuffed.
I made it to the house and unloaded my car. I also drove to Champ's Car Care Center to wash off 14 states worth of bugs and road grime. Having the roof racks on the car makes it a pain to go to a regular touchless car wash so I did it myself. Champ's has this super high pressure water hose that amazingly blew all the bugs away! I think the car iscleaner than it's ever been!
I'm so glad to not have to get on the road tomorrow!
I drove him back to campus and then headed out of town to take I-87 north out of Albany. I took this road so many times to and from college that it was quite odd to be heading this way again. I even remembered where to exit (Ft. Anne, NY 149), then US 4, then VT 22A. The weather was sunny and clear and the drive through the Adirondacks and then with a clear view of the Green Mountains was beautiful.
The Aspen seeds are in the air in VT so the air seems to snow with fluffy white puffs. It was warm earlier this week, in the low 90's. I drove straight to my relatives' house and ended up talking with them and their friend named Ah Ha. Ah Ha is short and round, like a cannonball, and speaks very loudly. She is quite funny, so her name is very appropriate. She doesn't speak English so we conversed in Mandarin. My aunties insisted that I eat lunch, so I left quite stuffed.
I made it to the house and unloaded my car. I also drove to Champ's Car Care Center to wash off 14 states worth of bugs and road grime. Having the roof racks on the car makes it a pain to go to a regular touchless car wash so I did it myself. Champ's has this super high pressure water hose that amazingly blew all the bugs away! I think the car iscleaner than it's ever been!
I'm so glad to not have to get on the road tomorrow!
Road Trip by the Numbers
1 girl
1 VW Jetta
7 days
3136.5 miles
14 states
10 interstate highways
87 gallons of diesel gas
1 VW Jetta
7 days
3136.5 miles
14 states
10 interstate highways
87 gallons of diesel gas
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Road Trip East Day 6: Charlottesville, VA to Schenectady, NY
Smitha and I got up relatively early (8am) and headed out to the Tavern, which is a classic country diner. The roof advertises that the Tavern is where "Townspeople, Students and Travelers come to Mingle" and that is definitely true. There were some huge preppies, true hicks and old people in there. Smitha had chipped beef, which is kind of like small pieces of corned beef in a gravy with biscuits, and then a side of grits. I had a pecan waffle, which is a crispy waffle with chopped pecans. They even had real maple syrup, so it was pretty good.
I then got on the road to Maryland. Google Maps directed me to take local roads, not the highway, so I got a real tour of some of the prettiest country I've seen so far. I was on US routes almost the whole way, except for a short portion of county road. The drive north mirrored the Skyline Parkway of Shenandoah National Park, which I have made once before in college. The mountains were spectacular when viewed from my perspective, and it was a nice change to be actually driving instead of mindless interstate. The drive from Charlottesville to Middletown, MD, where Grant's family farm is took about three hours. I got delayed because I was stuck behind a line painting truck for about 30 minutes, that was frustrating.
When I arrived at the farm, Grant was busy packing because he was leaving for Luanda, Angola tonight, which was a surprise to him as well as me as he just got the call to leave a few hours before I arrived. I saw his brother Luke who is at Harvard now, and his mom, who looks exactly the same as the last time I saw her seven years ago! He showed me the boat he has been building, it is a Chesapeake Bay boat that will have two sliding seats for rowing and he's putting in bulkheads for storage. He has built boats before, so it's nothing totally out of the ordinary for him, but he wants to go row around Alaska! Apparently he is thinking about leaving his job so that might actually become a possibility. I told him that he wasn't Grant unless he had a crazy scheme.
We had a nice time catching up, and then I had to get back on the road and he had to drive to DC to fly out for London, then Johannesburg, then Luanda. We were laughing at the crazy lives we led!
I then got back on interstate highways to drive up to Schenectady, NY, to visit my brother at Union. The drive from Maryland to Binghamton, NY, on I-81 was stressful. There was a lot of traffic and congestion and only 2 lanes going each way. Once I got on I-88 towards Albany for the last 120 miles it cleared up and I had a nice drive with almost no one on the road.
It was nice to see my brother at college, I met his roommate and some friends. We ate dinner (or at least, I did) at Five Guys burgers, their fries are so ridiculously good! We then shot some hoops outside because the weather is quite nice and cool here. Tomorrow we will have breakfast, and then my odyssey will finally be over as I will arrive in Vermont!
I then got on the road to Maryland. Google Maps directed me to take local roads, not the highway, so I got a real tour of some of the prettiest country I've seen so far. I was on US routes almost the whole way, except for a short portion of county road. The drive north mirrored the Skyline Parkway of Shenandoah National Park, which I have made once before in college. The mountains were spectacular when viewed from my perspective, and it was a nice change to be actually driving instead of mindless interstate. The drive from Charlottesville to Middletown, MD, where Grant's family farm is took about three hours. I got delayed because I was stuck behind a line painting truck for about 30 minutes, that was frustrating.
When I arrived at the farm, Grant was busy packing because he was leaving for Luanda, Angola tonight, which was a surprise to him as well as me as he just got the call to leave a few hours before I arrived. I saw his brother Luke who is at Harvard now, and his mom, who looks exactly the same as the last time I saw her seven years ago! He showed me the boat he has been building, it is a Chesapeake Bay boat that will have two sliding seats for rowing and he's putting in bulkheads for storage. He has built boats before, so it's nothing totally out of the ordinary for him, but he wants to go row around Alaska! Apparently he is thinking about leaving his job so that might actually become a possibility. I told him that he wasn't Grant unless he had a crazy scheme.
We had a nice time catching up, and then I had to get back on the road and he had to drive to DC to fly out for London, then Johannesburg, then Luanda. We were laughing at the crazy lives we led!
I then got back on interstate highways to drive up to Schenectady, NY, to visit my brother at Union. The drive from Maryland to Binghamton, NY, on I-81 was stressful. There was a lot of traffic and congestion and only 2 lanes going each way. Once I got on I-88 towards Albany for the last 120 miles it cleared up and I had a nice drive with almost no one on the road.
It was nice to see my brother at college, I met his roommate and some friends. We ate dinner (or at least, I did) at Five Guys burgers, their fries are so ridiculously good! We then shot some hoops outside because the weather is quite nice and cool here. Tomorrow we will have breakfast, and then my odyssey will finally be over as I will arrive in Vermont!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Road Trip East Day 5: Knoxville, TN to Charlottesville, VA
As I continued northeast out of Tennessee into Virginia, the landscape became even more mountainous and similar to Vermont. The highway passes entrances to Shenandoah State Park and also follows the Great Smoky Mountains. There is a byway of the same name that follows 81 north, but of course it is much slower.
Virginia looks a lot like Vermont with rolling green hills and little farms. I reached Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, around 3pm. I had visited once when I was looking at colleges but that was a long time ago and I only remember the main campus plus a trip to Monticello. The interstate that takes you to Charlottesville, I-64, heads over a large mountain that has several scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and is very pretty. The weather was perfect, about 75, partly sunny and very comfortable.
I hadn't seen Smitha in person in about eight years so it was nice to catch up and hang out. We went to get an oil change for my car, since I didn't get one before I left, and then we ate crepes and sat outside enjoying the weather at a pedestrian mall that reminded me of Church Street. We met up with some of her friends from law school and chatted for a while and then she and I had dinner at a French place called Bizou. I have been craving vegetables and fresh food as I have had a lot of protein and heavy sauces the past few days! Bizou did not disappoint with a beet salad, blue cheese and walnut salad, tuna ceviche and shrimp and grits. To finish it off we had apple fritters.
I received a late message from my friend Grant who is staying with his family in Frederick, MD right now, so I will drive up there and have lunch with him. It's not out of the way so I might as well see him since he and I won't be able to meet up while he is in Africa this summer.
Virginia looks a lot like Vermont with rolling green hills and little farms. I reached Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, around 3pm. I had visited once when I was looking at colleges but that was a long time ago and I only remember the main campus plus a trip to Monticello. The interstate that takes you to Charlottesville, I-64, heads over a large mountain that has several scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and is very pretty. The weather was perfect, about 75, partly sunny and very comfortable.
I hadn't seen Smitha in person in about eight years so it was nice to catch up and hang out. We went to get an oil change for my car, since I didn't get one before I left, and then we ate crepes and sat outside enjoying the weather at a pedestrian mall that reminded me of Church Street. We met up with some of her friends from law school and chatted for a while and then she and I had dinner at a French place called Bizou. I have been craving vegetables and fresh food as I have had a lot of protein and heavy sauces the past few days! Bizou did not disappoint with a beet salad, blue cheese and walnut salad, tuna ceviche and shrimp and grits. To finish it off we had apple fritters.
I received a late message from my friend Grant who is staying with his family in Frederick, MD right now, so I will drive up there and have lunch with him. It's not out of the way so I might as well see him since he and I won't be able to meet up while he is in Africa this summer.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Road Trip East Day 4: New Orleans, LA to Knoxville, TN
I woke up at around 9am this morning and went for a final walk around the French Quarter. My friend Jeff has been to NoLa a few times and he introduced me to beignets, which are a deep fried square doughnut topped with an avalanche of powdered sugar. I texted him and asked for the best place to get beignets and he told me to head to Cafe du Monde. It's just across from Jackson Square, so I headed over there and found a table in their immense outdoor seating patio. The place is crowded and I can see why--their beignets are fantastic! You get 3 per plate and they arrive piping hot, steaming, and drowned in powdered sugar. Everything is sticky because the sugar gets everywhere. I also had a New Orleans style cafe au lait with chicory coffee, which was strong but delicious.
After I snarfed my beignets, I walked around a bit more but it was already very hot and sweaty so I went back to the hotel and checked out. I was so sad to leave the W, but I had to press on. My drive out of New Orleans took me further east on I-10 over the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. I can see why the two main routes out of New Orleans were clogged with traffic during Katrina, as they are only two lanes each way and there's no other way to escape the area. There are signs on the causeway that say "Hurricane Evacuation Route" but that's not going to do any good if everyone else in the city is trying to go the same way as well.
I left I-10 behind after 4 days of only heading east and turned northeast on I-59. About 40 miles outside of New Orleans, you cross the border into Mississippi. The further away from the coast I got, the more the landscape changed. The land became rolling instead of pancake flat and there were pine trees lining the road. The dirt was an orange yellow color that was very bright and unique. 59 goes through Hattiesburg, which is the site of Southern Mississippi University.
I then passed into Alabama, and the landscape became even greener with big trees lining the highway and the road even more hilly. I went through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Both had higher traffic than outside the cities, but no traffic jams. A lot of construction, however, which was sort of annoying.
After Birmingham, the road goes through Georgia for about 20 miles and then crosses into Tennessee. Overall I covered 5 states today! The scenery in Tennessee is very pretty, with tree covered hills and green valleys. It reminded me of Vermont or upstate NY. At one point I saw some hills that look like Mohonk.
The only reason I have heard of Chattanooga, TN is because of the Glenn Miller jazz song, "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", but apparently it is a real historical train. It was just around sunset when I arrived in Chattanooga and I saw a billboard advertising Sugar's Ribs, Voted #1 in 2008! I knew I had to try this place. Sugar's is located on a high cliff overlooking the valley and the highway so it had a great view of the sunset. I had a half rack of pork ribs, cornbread and corn on the cob. It was so good! They had all different kinds of sauces to try, including super hot, vinegary, sour and sweet. My favorite was the Tennessee sweet style sauce. I also got to watch some of the USA/Czech exhibition soccer game on ESPN weirdly enough.
After the ribs I got back on the road and ended up in Knoxville, TN for the night. Just as the sun was setting I kept seeing these little flashing lights by the side of the road and I couldn't think of what they were, until I realized they were fireflies! It's been so long since I saw them!
Tomorrow I will spend the night with my friend who just graduated from UVA Law. She lives in Charlottesville, VA.
After I snarfed my beignets, I walked around a bit more but it was already very hot and sweaty so I went back to the hotel and checked out. I was so sad to leave the W, but I had to press on. My drive out of New Orleans took me further east on I-10 over the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. I can see why the two main routes out of New Orleans were clogged with traffic during Katrina, as they are only two lanes each way and there's no other way to escape the area. There are signs on the causeway that say "Hurricane Evacuation Route" but that's not going to do any good if everyone else in the city is trying to go the same way as well.
I left I-10 behind after 4 days of only heading east and turned northeast on I-59. About 40 miles outside of New Orleans, you cross the border into Mississippi. The further away from the coast I got, the more the landscape changed. The land became rolling instead of pancake flat and there were pine trees lining the road. The dirt was an orange yellow color that was very bright and unique. 59 goes through Hattiesburg, which is the site of Southern Mississippi University.
I then passed into Alabama, and the landscape became even greener with big trees lining the highway and the road even more hilly. I went through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. Both had higher traffic than outside the cities, but no traffic jams. A lot of construction, however, which was sort of annoying.
After Birmingham, the road goes through Georgia for about 20 miles and then crosses into Tennessee. Overall I covered 5 states today! The scenery in Tennessee is very pretty, with tree covered hills and green valleys. It reminded me of Vermont or upstate NY. At one point I saw some hills that look like Mohonk.
The only reason I have heard of Chattanooga, TN is because of the Glenn Miller jazz song, "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", but apparently it is a real historical train. It was just around sunset when I arrived in Chattanooga and I saw a billboard advertising Sugar's Ribs, Voted #1 in 2008! I knew I had to try this place. Sugar's is located on a high cliff overlooking the valley and the highway so it had a great view of the sunset. I had a half rack of pork ribs, cornbread and corn on the cob. It was so good! They had all different kinds of sauces to try, including super hot, vinegary, sour and sweet. My favorite was the Tennessee sweet style sauce. I also got to watch some of the USA/Czech exhibition soccer game on ESPN weirdly enough.
After the ribs I got back on the road and ended up in Knoxville, TN for the night. Just as the sun was setting I kept seeing these little flashing lights by the side of the road and I couldn't think of what they were, until I realized they were fireflies! It's been so long since I saw them!
Tomorrow I will spend the night with my friend who just graduated from UVA Law. She lives in Charlottesville, VA.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Road Trip East Interlude: New Orleans, LA
I started my time in the Big Easy by wandering around the French Quarter. Since my hotel is on Chartres Street, I was well located to do so. I went to Jackson Park, where there is a huge statue of General Andrew Jackson (we are in the Deep South after all) in front of St. Louis cathedral. I also saw the gold statue of Joan of Arc but she's pretty shiny and sparkly. Wandering around the French Quarter is fun, the buildings are picturesque and pretty with their wrought iron balconies and decorations. Chartres Street is not as ticky tacky as Bourbon Street; there are a lot of cute shops and galleries. I did the requisite walk down Bourbon just to see it, there are a lot of bars with funny names, shops selling Mardi Gras beads and strip clubs.
I ate lunch at Cafe Maspero's, which is a New Orleans staple and is housed in the old slave auction building down by the Mississippi river. I had a muffaletta sandwich, which is a heart attack disguised as a sandwich with salami, ham, melted provolone, olives, garlic, anchovies and spicy sauce all on an italian roll. It is enormous, filling and delicious.
After my lunch I decided to take the street car to the Garden District, which has beautiful, tree-lined streets, a cemetery and is close to Magazine Street, which is a cool un-touristy shopping district. The street car stop is at the end of Bourbon Street at where it meets Canal, and then the street car continues west from that point. It costs $1.25 to ride one way and you have to get off at the termination point, no riding back. The street car is a real antique--it rattles and bags furiously as you clatter along and it squeaks hideously around turns. The inside is almost all lined with wood and the seats switch backs for when the car heads back the other way. The drivers are all funny and friendly and some of them even spout off random sayings. One of mine pointed out to everyone, "Life's not that bad, hunh? You're in New Orleans and it's a wonderful day!"
I got off at the 6th street and St. Charles intersection in the garden district and walked to Lafayette Cemetery. The houses in this area are all beautiful plantation and southern style homes with verandas, porches and little yards. They are all really cute and have a lot of character. I saw lots of really nice houses and I wished I could call one of them my own!
Lafayette Cemetery was founded in 1833 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Some of the graves looked familiar to me as scenes for the movie Interview With the Vampire were filmed here. Various interesting characters from area history are buried here and the cemetery is also said to be haunted. The atmosphere is certainly mysterious and a little sad, with the tombs above ground for all to see. It was very hot and humid, so I was sweating profusely as I wandered around the tombs just poking around. It was definitely a picturesque, although creepy, place.
After my time with the dead I walked to Magazine Street and got an iced sweet tea since I was so hot and thirsty. Magazine Street has some cool little shops and restaurants and is just a neat little funky neighborhood. I found a cool tshirt shop called Storyville (which is a nickname for New Orleans) so I bought two shirts. I could have bought half the items in the shop but restrained myself!
I then walked back to the streetcar and went back to the W to swim in their little pool and rest a bit before dinner. The afternoon thunderstorm did not happen, although a large thunderhead did build up and I heard thunder at one point. As I was sitting by the pool the sun came back out so that was nice. The pool was empty except for a pack of Frenchmen who sat in one of the bungalows and chatted animatedly in French whilst smoking. You can smoke in public (and in bars) in New Orleans, which is not so great, but at least I couldn't smell their smoke and it wasn't blowing onto me.
After my time at the pool I showered (this is a horribly humid place) and then made plans for dinner. I got several recommendations from friends, including several traditional New Orleans fancy places in the Quarter, such as Antoines or Galatoire's, but I wanted something less fancy and more jovial. Let's face it, when you are traveling alone eating by yourself at a fancy place is kind of boring and awkward!
My friend Matt, who went to Tulane, recommended a place called Jacque-imo's which has traditional New Orleans style food but in a very convivial atmosphere. It is in the Uptown district which is on the same street car line I took before but past the Garden District. Uptown is where Tulane is so it is another fun, non-touristy area. I got back on the street car and rode it almost to the end to Oak Street. Jacque-imo's is a couple of blocks west on Oak.
The place was very crowded and I was offered the chance to sit at the bar without a wait. I took it, of course. I ended up chatting a lot with the bartender, Chris, who was blown away by my solo cross country trip (he said it was "ballsy") and then even more blown away by my plans to go to South Africa for World Cup. I told him to look for me waving a big American flag on ESPN.
For an appetizer I had the famous Alligator and Crab "Cheesecake" which is really a crab cake made with alligator as well served in the shape of a cheesecake. It comes with spicy stewed beets and a delicious creamy tomato sauce. As you can imagine it was rich yet amazing! Chris kept laughing at my faces as I pretty much inhaled the whole thing. Then, I had a spinach salad that came with a fried oyster, which I did not eat, but the fresh, crisp spinach was a welcome change from my road food and lack of veggies. The salad came with two fabulous cornbreads that seemed to be mostly butter, but totally tasty. They had a spicy jalapeno salsa on top as well! For my main course I had the paneed duck with sweet potato and shrimp sauce with mashed sweet potatoes and more of the stewed beets. It turns out paneed is apparently a fancy creole word for "breaded and fried" but it was of course also very, very good. I totally stuffed my face and was extremely full, but very satisfied. I washed down my meal with a classy can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I'm so glad I decided to take up my friend on his recommendation as the place was exactly what I wanted!
I then took the trolley car back to the French Quarter and walked from one end to the other to get to Frenchman Street, which is a relatively unknown to tourists section known for its bars and music venues frequented by real locals. I'm glad I went there as once you pass the road that marks the edge of the French Quarter the atmosphere changes and you see crowds of clearly non tourists hanging out in the street and outside of bars. There were even several people grilling hot dogs or selling bbq from their cars! I ended up at Cafe Negril where a band was performing bluesy rock, just what I wanted. After two songs, the drums player got up and the guy sitting next to me stepped in! It turns out that this band allowed people to sign up to come and play with them--how cool is that? It was like a giant jam session! I drank a tasty Abita Raspberry Wheat beer and enjoyed the show. At one point a guy showed up in a pith helmet and started playing blues harmonica along with the band! He brought his own amp and a special microphone that includes a handle so you can play the harmonica and hold on at the same time. He also had a box full of multiple harmonicas! How mysterious!
After about an hour of local music I was tired, so I intended to take a cab back to the hotel (as per local recommendations) but there was a large crowd of people heading back in the direction I was going so I followed them on foot. In the French Quarter, Decatur Street where we were is pretty safe, but I figured safety in numbers was a good idea.
I'm now about to go to bed after a wonderful day in New Orleans. I wish I had more time to explore this city further--I'll have to come back!
I ate lunch at Cafe Maspero's, which is a New Orleans staple and is housed in the old slave auction building down by the Mississippi river. I had a muffaletta sandwich, which is a heart attack disguised as a sandwich with salami, ham, melted provolone, olives, garlic, anchovies and spicy sauce all on an italian roll. It is enormous, filling and delicious.
After my lunch I decided to take the street car to the Garden District, which has beautiful, tree-lined streets, a cemetery and is close to Magazine Street, which is a cool un-touristy shopping district. The street car stop is at the end of Bourbon Street at where it meets Canal, and then the street car continues west from that point. It costs $1.25 to ride one way and you have to get off at the termination point, no riding back. The street car is a real antique--it rattles and bags furiously as you clatter along and it squeaks hideously around turns. The inside is almost all lined with wood and the seats switch backs for when the car heads back the other way. The drivers are all funny and friendly and some of them even spout off random sayings. One of mine pointed out to everyone, "Life's not that bad, hunh? You're in New Orleans and it's a wonderful day!"
I got off at the 6th street and St. Charles intersection in the garden district and walked to Lafayette Cemetery. The houses in this area are all beautiful plantation and southern style homes with verandas, porches and little yards. They are all really cute and have a lot of character. I saw lots of really nice houses and I wished I could call one of them my own!
Lafayette Cemetery was founded in 1833 and is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Some of the graves looked familiar to me as scenes for the movie Interview With the Vampire were filmed here. Various interesting characters from area history are buried here and the cemetery is also said to be haunted. The atmosphere is certainly mysterious and a little sad, with the tombs above ground for all to see. It was very hot and humid, so I was sweating profusely as I wandered around the tombs just poking around. It was definitely a picturesque, although creepy, place.
After my time with the dead I walked to Magazine Street and got an iced sweet tea since I was so hot and thirsty. Magazine Street has some cool little shops and restaurants and is just a neat little funky neighborhood. I found a cool tshirt shop called Storyville (which is a nickname for New Orleans) so I bought two shirts. I could have bought half the items in the shop but restrained myself!
I then walked back to the streetcar and went back to the W to swim in their little pool and rest a bit before dinner. The afternoon thunderstorm did not happen, although a large thunderhead did build up and I heard thunder at one point. As I was sitting by the pool the sun came back out so that was nice. The pool was empty except for a pack of Frenchmen who sat in one of the bungalows and chatted animatedly in French whilst smoking. You can smoke in public (and in bars) in New Orleans, which is not so great, but at least I couldn't smell their smoke and it wasn't blowing onto me.
After my time at the pool I showered (this is a horribly humid place) and then made plans for dinner. I got several recommendations from friends, including several traditional New Orleans fancy places in the Quarter, such as Antoines or Galatoire's, but I wanted something less fancy and more jovial. Let's face it, when you are traveling alone eating by yourself at a fancy place is kind of boring and awkward!
My friend Matt, who went to Tulane, recommended a place called Jacque-imo's which has traditional New Orleans style food but in a very convivial atmosphere. It is in the Uptown district which is on the same street car line I took before but past the Garden District. Uptown is where Tulane is so it is another fun, non-touristy area. I got back on the street car and rode it almost to the end to Oak Street. Jacque-imo's is a couple of blocks west on Oak.
The place was very crowded and I was offered the chance to sit at the bar without a wait. I took it, of course. I ended up chatting a lot with the bartender, Chris, who was blown away by my solo cross country trip (he said it was "ballsy") and then even more blown away by my plans to go to South Africa for World Cup. I told him to look for me waving a big American flag on ESPN.
For an appetizer I had the famous Alligator and Crab "Cheesecake" which is really a crab cake made with alligator as well served in the shape of a cheesecake. It comes with spicy stewed beets and a delicious creamy tomato sauce. As you can imagine it was rich yet amazing! Chris kept laughing at my faces as I pretty much inhaled the whole thing. Then, I had a spinach salad that came with a fried oyster, which I did not eat, but the fresh, crisp spinach was a welcome change from my road food and lack of veggies. The salad came with two fabulous cornbreads that seemed to be mostly butter, but totally tasty. They had a spicy jalapeno salsa on top as well! For my main course I had the paneed duck with sweet potato and shrimp sauce with mashed sweet potatoes and more of the stewed beets. It turns out paneed is apparently a fancy creole word for "breaded and fried" but it was of course also very, very good. I totally stuffed my face and was extremely full, but very satisfied. I washed down my meal with a classy can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I'm so glad I decided to take up my friend on his recommendation as the place was exactly what I wanted!
I then took the trolley car back to the French Quarter and walked from one end to the other to get to Frenchman Street, which is a relatively unknown to tourists section known for its bars and music venues frequented by real locals. I'm glad I went there as once you pass the road that marks the edge of the French Quarter the atmosphere changes and you see crowds of clearly non tourists hanging out in the street and outside of bars. There were even several people grilling hot dogs or selling bbq from their cars! I ended up at Cafe Negril where a band was performing bluesy rock, just what I wanted. After two songs, the drums player got up and the guy sitting next to me stepped in! It turns out that this band allowed people to sign up to come and play with them--how cool is that? It was like a giant jam session! I drank a tasty Abita Raspberry Wheat beer and enjoyed the show. At one point a guy showed up in a pith helmet and started playing blues harmonica along with the band! He brought his own amp and a special microphone that includes a handle so you can play the harmonica and hold on at the same time. He also had a box full of multiple harmonicas! How mysterious!
After about an hour of local music I was tired, so I intended to take a cab back to the hotel (as per local recommendations) but there was a large crowd of people heading back in the direction I was going so I followed them on foot. In the French Quarter, Decatur Street where we were is pretty safe, but I figured safety in numbers was a good idea.
I'm now about to go to bed after a wonderful day in New Orleans. I wish I had more time to explore this city further--I'll have to come back!
Road Trip East Day 3: Lafayette, LA to New Orleans, LA
I left the Holiday Inn in Lafayette around 10am since I knew it wouldn't take me that long to get to New Orleans. I have to say the drive between Lafayette and NoLa is one of the most interesting that I have had so far on this trip. The countryside is true Louisana Bayou, with flat land, tall trees lining the road and multiple little bayous that you can see from the road. I wished for a small boat so I could explore. Just before reaching Baton Rouge, there is a stretch of causeway that runs through a swamp for about 5 miles. The water was perfectly still, reflecting the sky and clouds. The swamp was full of tree stumps and live trees, which made me wonder how they could survive submerged. It looked so mysterious! In addition, the causeway was perfectly straight, so you could see for miles. At one point I even saw a huge bird fly above me that was bright pink. At first I was confused, but I looked closer and realized it was a flamingo!
When you reach Baton Rouge you cross the mighty Mississippi, which is indeed large and fast-flowing. You get a quick glimpse of some barges for shipping, but not much else of Baton Rouge as the 10 splits off and heads southeast towards NoLa. As you get closer to the coast, the road passes Lake Pontchartrain, which is huge. The road passes along the southern coast of the lake and I couldn't see the other shore. There are also more swamps and bayous.
I am staying at the W in the French Quarter which is just too nice. I know it is more than I have been spending for other hotels, but their service is utterly top notch and they really make me feel welcome. Anytime I call for something they always call me Miss Mitchell and the staff are going overboard to keep me happy. I would just like to point out that the last time I stayed at the W in Scottsdale, I was not impressed with the service, but here they have so far been excellent.
I am off to lunch at Cafe Masperos and to walk around the French Quarter so as to enjoy this gorgeous day! I will update more later!
When you reach Baton Rouge you cross the mighty Mississippi, which is indeed large and fast-flowing. You get a quick glimpse of some barges for shipping, but not much else of Baton Rouge as the 10 splits off and heads southeast towards NoLa. As you get closer to the coast, the road passes Lake Pontchartrain, which is huge. The road passes along the southern coast of the lake and I couldn't see the other shore. There are also more swamps and bayous.
I am staying at the W in the French Quarter which is just too nice. I know it is more than I have been spending for other hotels, but their service is utterly top notch and they really make me feel welcome. Anytime I call for something they always call me Miss Mitchell and the staff are going overboard to keep me happy. I would just like to point out that the last time I stayed at the W in Scottsdale, I was not impressed with the service, but here they have so far been excellent.
I am off to lunch at Cafe Masperos and to walk around the French Quarter so as to enjoy this gorgeous day! I will update more later!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Road Trip East Day 2: Ft. Stockton, TX to Lafayette, LA
I had very grand plans of waking up at 7am and getting on the road early but that didn't really go so well--I forgot about the 2 hour time difference and was still on Phoenix time. 5am was not happening, so I went back to bed and woke up at 9. I grabbed my free breakfast (bacon, a biscuit and grits--totally unhealthy but filling!) and hit the road by 9:30. The mountains I had seen the day before were gone, replaced by flat mesas that were only 100 feet high or so. As I continued east, the landscape became less arid with scrubby brush and more green. It even rained at one point, which I had forgotten actually happens in other states besides Arizona!
I stopped for gas in the morning and continued towards San Antonio. The countryside was not as boring as I thought it would be and I was keep entertained by a steady stream of cheesy rock hits from my iPod.
I arrived in San Antonio at 2pm and drove straight to the Alamo. The downtown area is quite small and the square around the Alamo is very touristy, with cheesy tourist trap museums around. The Alamo itself is smaller than I expected. Photography is not allowed inside, as it is a shrine to those who died defending it against the Mexican Army, led by General Santa Ana. The two most famous dead on the US side were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (inventor of the Bowie knife). The inside is run by the Daughters of the American Revolution and there are docents aplenty should you have any questions. Behind the Alamo is a nice garden with plenty of pretty flowers in bloom. It was warm and humid, but not too unpleasant in the shade.
After walking around and having lunch at Subway (second day in a row, argh), I got back on the road towards Houston. The drive from San Antonio to Houston was actually quite nerve wracking as there are only two lanes but a lot of traffic. The passing lane was crowded and prone to sudden slowdowns. I wasn't able to cruise like I had been for the past day and a half. Once I got to Houston around 5:30 the road widened out and became huge--10 lanes! The space was nice! But then, once you pass the downtown, the road is back to 2 lanes and is very small and crappy. Weird.
The landscape past Houston flattens out completely and is filled with pine trees. As I-10 approaches the Louisiana border you see tidal rivers and bayou country. By my calculation I-10 is 880 miles long in Texas! Wow!
I ate dinner in Sulpher, LA, which is about 20 miles across the border from Texas. I was drawn in by a bill board off the highway promising crawfish. Some Louisianan classmates of mine had a crawfish boil a few months ago and it was so delicious I figured I'd better have some now while I could. Well, I found the restaurant, called the Boiling Point, but it was closed. I decided that if I couldn't have Cajun seafood, I'd have BBQ instead, another Louisiana specialty. I found two BBQ places on Google Maps that sounded promising, but both were closed also! I guess 8pm on a Sunday night in bumf*ck, Louisiana is not the time to be eating.
I finally found a non-chain restaurant that was open, called Cajun Charlie's. I got 3lbs of crawfish for $12. SO WORTH IT. I stuffed my face with every single one. They were spicy and salty and just delicious! I'm so glad I kept with my restaurant search!
I'm now in Lafayette, LA, which is about 150 miles from New Orleans. I should get there around noon tomorrow and I'll have lunch, then check in to the hotel. So psyched to be staying in the French Quarter!
I stopped for gas in the morning and continued towards San Antonio. The countryside was not as boring as I thought it would be and I was keep entertained by a steady stream of cheesy rock hits from my iPod.
I arrived in San Antonio at 2pm and drove straight to the Alamo. The downtown area is quite small and the square around the Alamo is very touristy, with cheesy tourist trap museums around. The Alamo itself is smaller than I expected. Photography is not allowed inside, as it is a shrine to those who died defending it against the Mexican Army, led by General Santa Ana. The two most famous dead on the US side were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie (inventor of the Bowie knife). The inside is run by the Daughters of the American Revolution and there are docents aplenty should you have any questions. Behind the Alamo is a nice garden with plenty of pretty flowers in bloom. It was warm and humid, but not too unpleasant in the shade.
After walking around and having lunch at Subway (second day in a row, argh), I got back on the road towards Houston. The drive from San Antonio to Houston was actually quite nerve wracking as there are only two lanes but a lot of traffic. The passing lane was crowded and prone to sudden slowdowns. I wasn't able to cruise like I had been for the past day and a half. Once I got to Houston around 5:30 the road widened out and became huge--10 lanes! The space was nice! But then, once you pass the downtown, the road is back to 2 lanes and is very small and crappy. Weird.
The landscape past Houston flattens out completely and is filled with pine trees. As I-10 approaches the Louisiana border you see tidal rivers and bayou country. By my calculation I-10 is 880 miles long in Texas! Wow!
I ate dinner in Sulpher, LA, which is about 20 miles across the border from Texas. I was drawn in by a bill board off the highway promising crawfish. Some Louisianan classmates of mine had a crawfish boil a few months ago and it was so delicious I figured I'd better have some now while I could. Well, I found the restaurant, called the Boiling Point, but it was closed. I decided that if I couldn't have Cajun seafood, I'd have BBQ instead, another Louisiana specialty. I found two BBQ places on Google Maps that sounded promising, but both were closed also! I guess 8pm on a Sunday night in bumf*ck, Louisiana is not the time to be eating.
I finally found a non-chain restaurant that was open, called Cajun Charlie's. I got 3lbs of crawfish for $12. SO WORTH IT. I stuffed my face with every single one. They were spicy and salty and just delicious! I'm so glad I kept with my restaurant search!
I'm now in Lafayette, LA, which is about 150 miles from New Orleans. I should get there around noon tomorrow and I'll have lunch, then check in to the hotel. So psyched to be staying in the French Quarter!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Road Trip East Day 1: Phoenix, AZ to Ft. Stockton, TX
Day one of my road trip odyssey did not start all that fortuitously--I received an email on my Blackberry while I was gassing up in Phoenix about the death of one of my good college friends, Tristan Campbell. Tristan and I met in Prof. William Chester Jordan's European History class freshman year and we took another class of his together. He also attended Episcopal services with me and I always looked forward to his passage readings. Tristan was from NYC by way of Jamaica, but he was an Anglophile through and through. I will always remember his kindness, his intelligence and sharp wit and his beautiful soul. Once he told me that my nose was "mathematically perfect" and sometimes he would just send me Facebook messages that said, "Ginger, you are awesome. I love you." They were meant in the most non-creepy way and I always smiled when I saw them. We'll miss you terribly, Tristan, and I hope you are somewhere finding all the answers to the questions you had in Prof. Jordan's history class. The email mentioned there may be a memorial service during reunions, so if I can make it I will try to get to NJ for it.
My route today was very easy: I-17 South to I-10 West towards Tucson. Driving through Tucson was surprisingly fast. After two years in the Phoenix metro area I forget what normal towns are like. I saw a sign for the Saguaro National Monuments and I wished I had time to stop. I wanted to get to Ft. Stockton, TX, however, as it's the best stopping point between El Paso and San Antonio. After Tucson, all the signs on I-10 point to El Paso, which is pretty exciting.
The interstate past Tucson takes you through some pretty rugged country. This part of the state was used as Cochise's hideout when he was fighting the US Army, guerrilla style. Once I hit the New Mexico border, however, the road got very straight and very flat. There's not much in New Mexico until Las Cruces, which is only 50 miles from El Paso. Surprisingly the scenery in west Texas was much more interesting than New Mexico.
El Paso is the US city equivalent to the famous Ciudad Juarez, which is currently in the news due to the drug violence plaguing the city. If I had time I would have tried to go to Mexico, but New Orleans calls.
I stopped at the Lucchese outlet in El Paso to get some cowboy boots, I got a fabulous chocolate patent leather pair for $139, bargained down from $269, original retail price $600. I love shopping!
After El Paso the scenery continued to be pretty, but boy, is it empty! All I hit was a US Border Patrol checkpoint outside of Sierra Blanca. They were stopping all trucks and cars. I got asked if I were a US citizen which got me thinking if that was legal or not (since they don't have a suspicion that I am an illegal alien). I guess in Texas driving while half-Asian is not a problem.
I ate dinner in Van Horn at a restaurant called Chuy's, which advertised good Mexican food and free wi-fi. My enchiladas were very tasty and they did in fact have wi-fi! I got back on the road and kept going, but I forgot that most of Texas is on central time so suddenly it was 9pm instead of what I thought was 8pm. I did make Fort Stockton eventually, rolling in around 10:30pm. The last part of the drive there was a gorgeous lightning display next to me. It never rained on the road but there were huge streaks across the sky and from clouds to ground. I'm in a suite at the Holiday Inn, since all the other rooms were full. The guy gave me a good deal on it, though, and there's free wi-fi here and free breakfast, which is all I care about. Oh yeah, and a king size bed. Party in room 219!
Tomorrow: I plan to remember the Alamo in San Antonio and will hopefully make it to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
My route today was very easy: I-17 South to I-10 West towards Tucson. Driving through Tucson was surprisingly fast. After two years in the Phoenix metro area I forget what normal towns are like. I saw a sign for the Saguaro National Monuments and I wished I had time to stop. I wanted to get to Ft. Stockton, TX, however, as it's the best stopping point between El Paso and San Antonio. After Tucson, all the signs on I-10 point to El Paso, which is pretty exciting.
The interstate past Tucson takes you through some pretty rugged country. This part of the state was used as Cochise's hideout when he was fighting the US Army, guerrilla style. Once I hit the New Mexico border, however, the road got very straight and very flat. There's not much in New Mexico until Las Cruces, which is only 50 miles from El Paso. Surprisingly the scenery in west Texas was much more interesting than New Mexico.
El Paso is the US city equivalent to the famous Ciudad Juarez, which is currently in the news due to the drug violence plaguing the city. If I had time I would have tried to go to Mexico, but New Orleans calls.
I stopped at the Lucchese outlet in El Paso to get some cowboy boots, I got a fabulous chocolate patent leather pair for $139, bargained down from $269, original retail price $600. I love shopping!
After El Paso the scenery continued to be pretty, but boy, is it empty! All I hit was a US Border Patrol checkpoint outside of Sierra Blanca. They were stopping all trucks and cars. I got asked if I were a US citizen which got me thinking if that was legal or not (since they don't have a suspicion that I am an illegal alien). I guess in Texas driving while half-Asian is not a problem.
I ate dinner in Van Horn at a restaurant called Chuy's, which advertised good Mexican food and free wi-fi. My enchiladas were very tasty and they did in fact have wi-fi! I got back on the road and kept going, but I forgot that most of Texas is on central time so suddenly it was 9pm instead of what I thought was 8pm. I did make Fort Stockton eventually, rolling in around 10:30pm. The last part of the drive there was a gorgeous lightning display next to me. It never rained on the road but there were huge streaks across the sky and from clouds to ground. I'm in a suite at the Holiday Inn, since all the other rooms were full. The guy gave me a good deal on it, though, and there's free wi-fi here and free breakfast, which is all I care about. Oh yeah, and a king size bed. Party in room 219!
Tomorrow: I plan to remember the Alamo in San Antonio and will hopefully make it to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Living in a Post-Galapagan World
When I came back from Ecuador I fell into a minor depression for several days. The stark reality of life in Glendale, AZ was such a contrast to the vibrancy of the islands where I had been just hours before. My friend Yulia came back yesterday from two weeks in Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong, and we have the same problem: we close our eyes are are someone else, but we don't want to open then because when we do, we know we'll still be stuck in Glendale.
As trite as it sounds, the trip was a life-changing experience for me. I know that right now, in my life, I won't be happy in one place. I won't be happy tied down to one company, going from day to day at the same grind. I need excitement, variety and travel to stay happy. I want to see new places and experience new things as much possible. As a result, I have a quasi plan for the next few months, which is to pursue short term consulting work overseas, and to travel in the interim. I have the travel bug bad right now!
Some upcoming trips include: driving cross country from Arizona to Vermont, with stops in New Orleans for sure, South Africa for World Cup (staying with my parents, of course), Swaziland, Mozambique and hopefully Angola to visit a fellow Tbird.
As trite as it sounds, the trip was a life-changing experience for me. I know that right now, in my life, I won't be happy in one place. I won't be happy tied down to one company, going from day to day at the same grind. I need excitement, variety and travel to stay happy. I want to see new places and experience new things as much possible. As a result, I have a quasi plan for the next few months, which is to pursue short term consulting work overseas, and to travel in the interim. I have the travel bug bad right now!
Some upcoming trips include: driving cross country from Arizona to Vermont, with stops in New Orleans for sure, South Africa for World Cup (staying with my parents, of course), Swaziland, Mozambique and hopefully Angola to visit a fellow Tbird.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tiny Tortoises and Tortuga Bay
For our last full day in the islands, Lee and I joined the elderly Italian couple for a drive to see the Wall of Tears, Flamingo Lagoon and then we took the boat back to Isla Santa Cruz. The rest of our tour got a horseback ride up one of the 5 volcanos on Isla Isabella because their tour was for a full week instead of 5 days. Too bad, as that sounded fun, but it´s definitely something to keep in mind for next time!
The Wall of Tears dated from the mid-20th century when Isabella was used as a penal colony. As punishment, the inmates were forced to build their own prison out of the endemic lava rocks on the island. We drove to the wall for about 20 minutes out of town, passing another beach with lovely sand and waves and about 5 tortoises who were just hanging out on the road. We had to be careful not to run them over! These varieties were smaller than the ones we had seen the day before, maybe only 2 feet in length. They sure were cute, though!
Apparently the prison stopped being used after there was a mass breakout in the 60's when the inmates had enough and stole some boats to sail to the mainland and to Venezuela. But, as our guide pointed out, often news travels faster than boats, so when the inmates sailed into shore there were plenty of policemen waiting for them! Oops!
We then drove to see some flamingos that are native to the Galapagos, but they look exactly like flamingos everywhere else so it was pretty tamada. We did all get a laugh out of the fact that Lee was wearing some swim trunks that were the same color as the flamingos, however!
The boat ride back to Isla Santa Cruz was a bit miserable as I tried to nap but was bumped around a bit by the rough ocean. We were all given the chance to take seasickness medicine before each boat ride and I'm glad I did as nothing stinks more than seasickness!
After two hours we got back to the familiar Red Mangrove lodge in Puerto Ayora and were upgraded to a gorgeous room overlooking the ocean. Bonus! The last part of our tour itinerary included a trip to the Charles Darwin Reasearch Station, which is where tortoise breeding and genetic research is carried out and one can view its most famous inhabitant, Lonesome George, who is the last of his giant tortoise subspecies. George has been alone since 1975 and they have been trying to (unsuccessfully) get him to breed with other lady tortoises. In 2008 a member of his harem did lay eggs but they were, sadly, all unviable. Lee and I were mildly interested in seeing George, but after four full days of tortoises, we decided to skip it and do our own thing. We were also pretty sick of touring around and waiting for slow walkers. As tour groups go our group was pretty good, but sometimes it's nice to do your own thing, you know?
As it was a perfect, sunny day, we decided to revisit Tortuga Bay, which was the beach we boated to on the first day. However, since we didn't have access to a boat, we had to take a taxi to a paved trail entrace and then hike in for 2.5km to access the beach. The taxi was only $1 (love the cabs in Ecuador, they are just so cheap!) so we grabbed our suits and our sunscreen and hopped in. The walk was very pleasant, although hot as it was only partially shaded, and the path was fully paved and walled somewhat remeniscent of the Great Wall of China, although on a much smaller scale. We walked past plenty of small, green lizards who were doing pushups on the path in front of us. Visitors to the beach have to sign in with a guard and we smartly purchased several bottles of ice cold water for the 30 minute walk in.
Since the beach is so remote (you can't even take a bike in on the bath) it explains why the bay was so deserted when we arrived. When we sited the ocean after hoofing it past mangrove thickets and giant prickly pear trees, it was an incredibly welcome site. Even more welcome was the fact that we were the only two people on the beach except for 5 surfers in the water. We picked a spot by the edge and enjoyed the pure majesty of azure water, cloudless sunny sky and powdery white sand. I was so incredibly happy that we blew off the last part of the tour to come to the beach! The water was wonderfully clear and we saw some schools of large fish being pursued by some sea lions (who also surfed in on the waves) as well as some predatory birds scooping fish out of the water. I think Tortuga Bay is probably the nicest beach I have ever been to in my life!
Around 4pm it got cloudy, so the walk out was quite pleasant and cool. We made it back to the hotel and decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant that looked good and was always crowded when we walked by. The food at Red Mangrove is very tasty, but menus are set so we wanted some variety. Boy, was I glad we ate at Il Giardino... Lee had a beef lasagna and I had Galapagos Lobster and it was AMAZING. The lobster was only $20, too, which is a great price. It was cooked in an orange coconut sauce which is as good as it sounds.
We also did our souvenier shopping so I got a teeshirt that says ¨I Love Boobies¨ on it and features two blue boobie feet on it. Pretty funny! We then got some gelato for dessert, so it was a really perfect day.
The Wall of Tears dated from the mid-20th century when Isabella was used as a penal colony. As punishment, the inmates were forced to build their own prison out of the endemic lava rocks on the island. We drove to the wall for about 20 minutes out of town, passing another beach with lovely sand and waves and about 5 tortoises who were just hanging out on the road. We had to be careful not to run them over! These varieties were smaller than the ones we had seen the day before, maybe only 2 feet in length. They sure were cute, though!
Apparently the prison stopped being used after there was a mass breakout in the 60's when the inmates had enough and stole some boats to sail to the mainland and to Venezuela. But, as our guide pointed out, often news travels faster than boats, so when the inmates sailed into shore there were plenty of policemen waiting for them! Oops!
We then drove to see some flamingos that are native to the Galapagos, but they look exactly like flamingos everywhere else so it was pretty tamada. We did all get a laugh out of the fact that Lee was wearing some swim trunks that were the same color as the flamingos, however!
The boat ride back to Isla Santa Cruz was a bit miserable as I tried to nap but was bumped around a bit by the rough ocean. We were all given the chance to take seasickness medicine before each boat ride and I'm glad I did as nothing stinks more than seasickness!
After two hours we got back to the familiar Red Mangrove lodge in Puerto Ayora and were upgraded to a gorgeous room overlooking the ocean. Bonus! The last part of our tour itinerary included a trip to the Charles Darwin Reasearch Station, which is where tortoise breeding and genetic research is carried out and one can view its most famous inhabitant, Lonesome George, who is the last of his giant tortoise subspecies. George has been alone since 1975 and they have been trying to (unsuccessfully) get him to breed with other lady tortoises. In 2008 a member of his harem did lay eggs but they were, sadly, all unviable. Lee and I were mildly interested in seeing George, but after four full days of tortoises, we decided to skip it and do our own thing. We were also pretty sick of touring around and waiting for slow walkers. As tour groups go our group was pretty good, but sometimes it's nice to do your own thing, you know?
As it was a perfect, sunny day, we decided to revisit Tortuga Bay, which was the beach we boated to on the first day. However, since we didn't have access to a boat, we had to take a taxi to a paved trail entrace and then hike in for 2.5km to access the beach. The taxi was only $1 (love the cabs in Ecuador, they are just so cheap!) so we grabbed our suits and our sunscreen and hopped in. The walk was very pleasant, although hot as it was only partially shaded, and the path was fully paved and walled somewhat remeniscent of the Great Wall of China, although on a much smaller scale. We walked past plenty of small, green lizards who were doing pushups on the path in front of us. Visitors to the beach have to sign in with a guard and we smartly purchased several bottles of ice cold water for the 30 minute walk in.
Since the beach is so remote (you can't even take a bike in on the bath) it explains why the bay was so deserted when we arrived. When we sited the ocean after hoofing it past mangrove thickets and giant prickly pear trees, it was an incredibly welcome site. Even more welcome was the fact that we were the only two people on the beach except for 5 surfers in the water. We picked a spot by the edge and enjoyed the pure majesty of azure water, cloudless sunny sky and powdery white sand. I was so incredibly happy that we blew off the last part of the tour to come to the beach! The water was wonderfully clear and we saw some schools of large fish being pursued by some sea lions (who also surfed in on the waves) as well as some predatory birds scooping fish out of the water. I think Tortuga Bay is probably the nicest beach I have ever been to in my life!
Around 4pm it got cloudy, so the walk out was quite pleasant and cool. We made it back to the hotel and decided to have dinner at an Italian restaurant that looked good and was always crowded when we walked by. The food at Red Mangrove is very tasty, but menus are set so we wanted some variety. Boy, was I glad we ate at Il Giardino... Lee had a beef lasagna and I had Galapagos Lobster and it was AMAZING. The lobster was only $20, too, which is a great price. It was cooked in an orange coconut sauce which is as good as it sounds.
We also did our souvenier shopping so I got a teeshirt that says ¨I Love Boobies¨ on it and features two blue boobie feet on it. Pretty funny! We then got some gelato for dessert, so it was a really perfect day.
Mistress and Commander: The Far Side of the World on Isla Isabella
The boat ride from Isla Floreana to Isla Isabella was about two hours long, but I slept through a lot of it as I snagged one of the good seats on the stern that was shaded, although got a nice breeze off the water. I woke up just as we were passing Isla de Tortuga, which is a small half-moon shaped island where blue-footed boobies, terns, pelicans and frigatebirds make their home.
The entrance to Puerto Villamil, the only town on Isla Isabella is through a narrow fissure in the lava rocks that surround the bay, forming a very pleasant, calm lagoon. The village is utterly idyllic, with white sandy roads, beautiful beaches, swaying palm trees and friendly locals. The Red Mangrove lodge is literally on the beach, with adorable little casitas arranged in rows with rooftop decks. The best part was that we knew the air conditioning would function all night!
For the afternoon's activities we piled into two smaller boats to cross the lagoon and saw a sea turtle and eagle ray just lazily swimming around. We then walked around a trail by the waves on the edge of the lagoon and saw a boatload of marine iguanas all basking in the sun. They were often piled on top of each other, or lying with one arm around another as if watching a drive in movie. When the boat arrived at the landing for the trail, we had to shoo a big, fat sea lion off the dock. After much clapping and shouting, he shot us all a dirty look and slid off into the clear, blue water. We got a good laugh out of that. We also saw some blue-footed boobies (finally!) and some Galapagos Penguins, which are the only tropical penguins in the world. They look much like the African Penguins that live near the Cape of Good Hope. They are short, chubby and adorable.
After the walk we were hot and sweaty so we were all excited to snorkel. The lagoon outside Puerto Villamil is well known for rocky fissures where sharks sometimes come to rest, so we were all hoping to see a shark. Keep this in mind for later...
The water was wonderfully clear and cool. We swam around the edges of the lagoon marveling at all the marine life. At one point I was innocently paddling around and Lee grabbed my arm to stop me as a giant, 5' diameter blue ray majestically glided about two feet in front of us! The ray was enormous and round, not diamond-shaped like a manta ray. In order to move, rather than flapping ¨wings¨ the ray wiggled its edges and almost looked like a skirt flowing. We also saw enormous parrot fish, angelfish, damselfish and plenty of sea cucumbers.
We then ventured into the rock fissures to look for sharks. Let me try to describe what we were dealing with so you can understand what happened. The rock fissures vary in width from 10 to 3 feet and in depth from perhaps 20 to 4 feet. When we first entered them, there were lots of sea life in the rock walls to observe, but the walls were wide and deep and there were no sharks. As we ventured further, the walls closed in and the floor got shallower. The walls were maybe 4 ft wide and the floor 7 ft deep when the guide stopped and shouted, ¨There's a shark up there, a white-tipped reef shark!¨ Lee was just behind the guide and I was just behind Lee. We followed slowly and I saw the very tip of the shark's tail fin. He was maybe 10 ft ahead of us. Suddenly he turned around and cruised just below all of us but very close to the ocean floor! I was maybe 6 feet away from him! That of course was a huge rush and everyone was quite excited. We continued on and the floor of the fissure began to get even shallower and shallower. Suddenly, the guide stopped again and said he saw another shark! This time I was incredibly nervous as it was so darn shallow! What if my flippers hit the shark? I had a minor panic attack and at one point had lifted most of my body out of the water, bracing myself on the rock walls. The shark glided right below my body, only two feet away. These two sharks were big, too, at least 6 to 7 feet long. As I´m sure you can imagine we were all terrified, exhilarated and amazed.
When we emerged on the other side of the crevasse we all couldn't stop exclaiming how amazing the experience was! The guide tried to tease us because we were all so scared (apparently he heard me repeating, ¨Oh God, oh God, please don't eat me, shark!¨ as the second shark swam beneath me) but jeez, it was scary!
After we got back to the hotel I lay on the beach in the sun and got my heartrate down. The beach was relaxing and pretty, with a nice view of the lagoon and the town pier. For dinner we had a really tasty turkey fillet with mushroom sauce and a really delicious raspberry flan.
Two of the other couples on the trip, an Irish couple and a Luxembourgian couple, walked into town with Lee and I to check out one of the bars in town. We ended up just chatting and drinking beers with them at a local restaurant but it was really fun to get to know each other in more detail. Everyone else had all been on multiple around the world trips, and the Luxembourgians were taking a year off from their jobs to just travel. Pretty good deal, eh?
After the beers we looked at the star some more, as they were almost as clear and perfect as they were on Isla Floreana. I wished we could stay longer on Isabella as Puerto Villamil is just a wonderfully relaxing and idyllic place!
The entrance to Puerto Villamil, the only town on Isla Isabella is through a narrow fissure in the lava rocks that surround the bay, forming a very pleasant, calm lagoon. The village is utterly idyllic, with white sandy roads, beautiful beaches, swaying palm trees and friendly locals. The Red Mangrove lodge is literally on the beach, with adorable little casitas arranged in rows with rooftop decks. The best part was that we knew the air conditioning would function all night!
For the afternoon's activities we piled into two smaller boats to cross the lagoon and saw a sea turtle and eagle ray just lazily swimming around. We then walked around a trail by the waves on the edge of the lagoon and saw a boatload of marine iguanas all basking in the sun. They were often piled on top of each other, or lying with one arm around another as if watching a drive in movie. When the boat arrived at the landing for the trail, we had to shoo a big, fat sea lion off the dock. After much clapping and shouting, he shot us all a dirty look and slid off into the clear, blue water. We got a good laugh out of that. We also saw some blue-footed boobies (finally!) and some Galapagos Penguins, which are the only tropical penguins in the world. They look much like the African Penguins that live near the Cape of Good Hope. They are short, chubby and adorable.
After the walk we were hot and sweaty so we were all excited to snorkel. The lagoon outside Puerto Villamil is well known for rocky fissures where sharks sometimes come to rest, so we were all hoping to see a shark. Keep this in mind for later...
The water was wonderfully clear and cool. We swam around the edges of the lagoon marveling at all the marine life. At one point I was innocently paddling around and Lee grabbed my arm to stop me as a giant, 5' diameter blue ray majestically glided about two feet in front of us! The ray was enormous and round, not diamond-shaped like a manta ray. In order to move, rather than flapping ¨wings¨ the ray wiggled its edges and almost looked like a skirt flowing. We also saw enormous parrot fish, angelfish, damselfish and plenty of sea cucumbers.
We then ventured into the rock fissures to look for sharks. Let me try to describe what we were dealing with so you can understand what happened. The rock fissures vary in width from 10 to 3 feet and in depth from perhaps 20 to 4 feet. When we first entered them, there were lots of sea life in the rock walls to observe, but the walls were wide and deep and there were no sharks. As we ventured further, the walls closed in and the floor got shallower. The walls were maybe 4 ft wide and the floor 7 ft deep when the guide stopped and shouted, ¨There's a shark up there, a white-tipped reef shark!¨ Lee was just behind the guide and I was just behind Lee. We followed slowly and I saw the very tip of the shark's tail fin. He was maybe 10 ft ahead of us. Suddenly he turned around and cruised just below all of us but very close to the ocean floor! I was maybe 6 feet away from him! That of course was a huge rush and everyone was quite excited. We continued on and the floor of the fissure began to get even shallower and shallower. Suddenly, the guide stopped again and said he saw another shark! This time I was incredibly nervous as it was so darn shallow! What if my flippers hit the shark? I had a minor panic attack and at one point had lifted most of my body out of the water, bracing myself on the rock walls. The shark glided right below my body, only two feet away. These two sharks were big, too, at least 6 to 7 feet long. As I´m sure you can imagine we were all terrified, exhilarated and amazed.
When we emerged on the other side of the crevasse we all couldn't stop exclaiming how amazing the experience was! The guide tried to tease us because we were all so scared (apparently he heard me repeating, ¨Oh God, oh God, please don't eat me, shark!¨ as the second shark swam beneath me) but jeez, it was scary!
After we got back to the hotel I lay on the beach in the sun and got my heartrate down. The beach was relaxing and pretty, with a nice view of the lagoon and the town pier. For dinner we had a really tasty turkey fillet with mushroom sauce and a really delicious raspberry flan.
Two of the other couples on the trip, an Irish couple and a Luxembourgian couple, walked into town with Lee and I to check out one of the bars in town. We ended up just chatting and drinking beers with them at a local restaurant but it was really fun to get to know each other in more detail. Everyone else had all been on multiple around the world trips, and the Luxembourgians were taking a year off from their jobs to just travel. Pretty good deal, eh?
After the beers we looked at the star some more, as they were almost as clear and perfect as they were on Isla Floreana. I wished we could stay longer on Isabella as Puerto Villamil is just a wonderfully relaxing and idyllic place!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The End of the World: Isla Floreana
Our tour group all piled into a boat with an inner cabin and then seats at the back with dual 200hp twin engines for the trip to Isla Floreana. It took about two hours to get there from Isla Santa Cruz. Floreana was one of the first islands to be inhabited by colonists from the mainland, although now only 150 people live there. It truly feels like the end of the world, like a land that time forgot. The houses are smaller and less prosperous looking than Isla Santa Cruz, although the villages are still well-maintained and not slovenly looking at all. The residents are also similarly friendly and helpful like on Santa Cruz. We arrived in the late afternoon, around 4pm, and it was unfortunately a bit cloudy. We were greeted at the dock by some lazy sea lions lounging around and some marine iguanas basking on the lava rocks by the pier. Our tour group got onto an open-sided truck not unlike those used on safari in Africa and drove to a perfect black sand beach for some snorkeling and relaxing.
The beach is also a nesting area for sea turtles, so we saw some depressions in the sand with some empty egg shells inside. We had to be careful not to disturb the nesting site as apparently the turtles return again and again to the same spots. Some people went in the water to snorkel, but as it was cloudy and a bit cool (maybe only 70 degrees) I opted to lie on the gorgeous black lava sand and take a bit of a nap. Additionally, since Floreana is further west than Santa Cruz, the water was a bit cooler and felt chilly to me. Without the sun I definitely would have been cold! Some people in the water did see a sea turtle and swam with it a bit, but since I had done that in Hawaii before I didn't feel too left out. We enjoyed seeing pelicans and frigatebirds dive bomb the water, and we even saw one frigatebird catch a fish!
After the relaxing time on the beach we drove to the Red Mangrove lodge on the island. It consists of 14 small cabins all with ocean view. There is electricity only until midnight, when it turns off for the whole island, and then turns on again at 6am. The cabins are small, but nice, and reminded me of camping in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Lee and I did have a bit of excitement as we found a HUGE spider in the bathroom, about 2 inches in diameter with thick legs. There was a lot of jumping around, hooting and hollering while we tried to squish it with our sandals. Eventually Lee did get the spider, which disgustingly broke into several pieces rather than smash juicily. Lee then ran out of the cabin and I had to clean up the parts and flush them. I wished I had some thick, arm length gloves for the process! I really detest spiders!
After the spider incident, our group sat on the landing overlooking the ocean and watched the sunset with some nice white wine. We saw the stars come out one by one (starting with Jupiter, I believe, as we were in the Southern Hemisphere) and then were treated to one of the best stellar displays I have seen in my life. The stars were so bright and clear that recognizable constellations were hard to identify, as there were so many stars in the sky. We had an excellent view of the milky way as well.
Around 7:30pm we drove to a local restaurant for dinner. The proprietress is the descendent of one of the first families to move to Isla Floreana. We were served some delicious potatoes with a cream sauce, fried wahoo, grilled chicken, steamed veggies and these yucca cheese fritters that I could have eaten a whole basketful of. Yummy! The group was famished and snarfed everything.
The night in the cabin was interesting as I fell asleep before the air conditioning turned off due to the electricity shutoff at midnight, but woke up feeling overheated and sweaty. Even with the land breeze, the cabin was quite warm. Eventually I fell back asleep again, but I wished for a fan or something to circulate more air inside.
For breakfast we went back to the same restaurant where we had a big breakfast spread with cereals, fresh fruits, passion fruit juice, toast and eggs. One thing that I really like about breakfast in Ecuador is that they give you hot milk to put in your coffee, so the taste is less bitter. Adding cold milk to hot coffee scorches the milk, so the flavor of the mixture is ruined somewhat. I always add milk first if it is cold because then the milk changes temperature slowly as you add the hot coffee. The more you know!!
We had another highlands tour of Isla Floreana where we walked with more giant tortoises. This time it was not muddy and the walk was up on the slopes of the volcano on the island so it was very pleasant. We saw two males ¨fighting¨ and I put it in quotations because the way that giant tortoises fight is that they extend their long necks and whichever tortoise has the longer neck is the winner! We saw at least 8 tortoises during our walk and it was a lot of fun to just sit around on rocks and see these guys in action. We even saw a smaller one, about a foot long, who was just too cute as he was chomping on some greens.
We then walked higher up the volcano slope to see a natural spring, which is the only source of potable water on the islands as well as some unique rock formations and caves which were reportedly used by pirates who originally came to the island to hide out from their pursuers on the mainland. We also heard the mysterious story of some of the first Westerners to live on Floreana, mainly there was a German doctor, an Austrian baroness with two lovers and another german woman. The doctor and two lovers met unfortunate ends and the only two suspects left were the women on the island. Each accused the other of the murders and the culprit has never been found. Historical drama!
After the highlands tour we piled back in the same boat for the two hour journey to Isla Isabella, which is the largest island in the archapelago and made famous by the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
The beach is also a nesting area for sea turtles, so we saw some depressions in the sand with some empty egg shells inside. We had to be careful not to disturb the nesting site as apparently the turtles return again and again to the same spots. Some people went in the water to snorkel, but as it was cloudy and a bit cool (maybe only 70 degrees) I opted to lie on the gorgeous black lava sand and take a bit of a nap. Additionally, since Floreana is further west than Santa Cruz, the water was a bit cooler and felt chilly to me. Without the sun I definitely would have been cold! Some people in the water did see a sea turtle and swam with it a bit, but since I had done that in Hawaii before I didn't feel too left out. We enjoyed seeing pelicans and frigatebirds dive bomb the water, and we even saw one frigatebird catch a fish!
After the relaxing time on the beach we drove to the Red Mangrove lodge on the island. It consists of 14 small cabins all with ocean view. There is electricity only until midnight, when it turns off for the whole island, and then turns on again at 6am. The cabins are small, but nice, and reminded me of camping in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Lee and I did have a bit of excitement as we found a HUGE spider in the bathroom, about 2 inches in diameter with thick legs. There was a lot of jumping around, hooting and hollering while we tried to squish it with our sandals. Eventually Lee did get the spider, which disgustingly broke into several pieces rather than smash juicily. Lee then ran out of the cabin and I had to clean up the parts and flush them. I wished I had some thick, arm length gloves for the process! I really detest spiders!
After the spider incident, our group sat on the landing overlooking the ocean and watched the sunset with some nice white wine. We saw the stars come out one by one (starting with Jupiter, I believe, as we were in the Southern Hemisphere) and then were treated to one of the best stellar displays I have seen in my life. The stars were so bright and clear that recognizable constellations were hard to identify, as there were so many stars in the sky. We had an excellent view of the milky way as well.
Around 7:30pm we drove to a local restaurant for dinner. The proprietress is the descendent of one of the first families to move to Isla Floreana. We were served some delicious potatoes with a cream sauce, fried wahoo, grilled chicken, steamed veggies and these yucca cheese fritters that I could have eaten a whole basketful of. Yummy! The group was famished and snarfed everything.
The night in the cabin was interesting as I fell asleep before the air conditioning turned off due to the electricity shutoff at midnight, but woke up feeling overheated and sweaty. Even with the land breeze, the cabin was quite warm. Eventually I fell back asleep again, but I wished for a fan or something to circulate more air inside.
For breakfast we went back to the same restaurant where we had a big breakfast spread with cereals, fresh fruits, passion fruit juice, toast and eggs. One thing that I really like about breakfast in Ecuador is that they give you hot milk to put in your coffee, so the taste is less bitter. Adding cold milk to hot coffee scorches the milk, so the flavor of the mixture is ruined somewhat. I always add milk first if it is cold because then the milk changes temperature slowly as you add the hot coffee. The more you know!!
We had another highlands tour of Isla Floreana where we walked with more giant tortoises. This time it was not muddy and the walk was up on the slopes of the volcano on the island so it was very pleasant. We saw two males ¨fighting¨ and I put it in quotations because the way that giant tortoises fight is that they extend their long necks and whichever tortoise has the longer neck is the winner! We saw at least 8 tortoises during our walk and it was a lot of fun to just sit around on rocks and see these guys in action. We even saw a smaller one, about a foot long, who was just too cute as he was chomping on some greens.
We then walked higher up the volcano slope to see a natural spring, which is the only source of potable water on the islands as well as some unique rock formations and caves which were reportedly used by pirates who originally came to the island to hide out from their pursuers on the mainland. We also heard the mysterious story of some of the first Westerners to live on Floreana, mainly there was a German doctor, an Austrian baroness with two lovers and another german woman. The doctor and two lovers met unfortunate ends and the only two suspects left were the women on the island. Each accused the other of the murders and the culprit has never been found. Historical drama!
After the highlands tour we piled back in the same boat for the two hour journey to Isla Isabella, which is the largest island in the archapelago and made famous by the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Twins, Tortoises and Tunnels
This morning our little tour group (same as yesterday, looks like we are all on the same itinerary) piled into our minibus for a tour of the highlands of Isla Santa Cruz. The drive up is about 30 minutes and we were in the clouds for the whole time. It was much cooler up there, about elevation 700 meters. It was misty as well so I made sure to keep my camera wrapped up in my scarf to protect it from condensation.
First we stopped to see two false craters known as The Twins. They were formed when a gas bubble was trapped beneath the ground and later collapsed. They were filled with vegetation with tall cliffs surrounding them. We saw plenty of bird life at the lip of the crater with small, medium and large ground finches. The males are black and the females are brown. They have small beaks like parrots. The finches were very cute, hopping around and looking inquisitively at us.
We then drove to a farm where people raise and rehabilitate giant tortoises. The ground was quite muddy so we all were given rubber wellingtons. I´m glad we had them as it was quite a messy slog through the jungle to see the tortoises! They are large, slow and very odd looking. The tortoises have long claws on their stumpy legs but subside only on plants and fruits. When we got too close to them, they would hiss and withdraw into their shells. Some tortoises were sitting in big muddy pools of water. We joked it was a tortoise spa.
The first three we saw were relatively small, about three feet long. Large, but not enormous. Finally near the end of our walk we saw a huge male, maybe 5 feet long! He was so impressive.
Our guides also gave us some fruits to try, as we passed many varieties of trees. We tried a ¨large guava¨ which is so odd--it looks like a giant bean maybe 2 or 3 feet long, and when opened reveals fuzzy white pods that look like milkweed pods. The fuzzy stuff is sweet and inside each pod there is a large shiny purple seed the color of an eggplant. Our guide told us these guavas were introduced. We also tried passion fruit, which was tart and not very sweet. I also found a ripe coffee bean, which is covered in a shiny red outer layer similar to a guava, and then the bean itself is slimy and green. When it dries it is then roasted to form the brown bean that is so familiar to us.
After the tortoise farm we went to a lava tube to walk inside for a bit. The lava tube was formed during an eruption when the flowing lava cooled and hardened on the outside, then the lava kept flowing on the inside. The tube looks just like a subway tunnel, complete with dim florescant lighting. There are small stalactite and mineral formations that are slowing growing inside, as the inside of the tube is damp with water dripping from the ceiling. The tube was about 10m tall.
Now we are back at the hotel for lunch and afterward we will take a boat to Isla Floreana. I´m quite excited to stay there because it is not inhabited and the lodge where we will sleep is an eco lodge. The boat takes about 2 hours. Then, on Monday we go to Isla Isabella, where they filmed Master and Commander. I´m not sure when my next update will be as there is no internet on Isla Floreana.
First we stopped to see two false craters known as The Twins. They were formed when a gas bubble was trapped beneath the ground and later collapsed. They were filled with vegetation with tall cliffs surrounding them. We saw plenty of bird life at the lip of the crater with small, medium and large ground finches. The males are black and the females are brown. They have small beaks like parrots. The finches were very cute, hopping around and looking inquisitively at us.
We then drove to a farm where people raise and rehabilitate giant tortoises. The ground was quite muddy so we all were given rubber wellingtons. I´m glad we had them as it was quite a messy slog through the jungle to see the tortoises! They are large, slow and very odd looking. The tortoises have long claws on their stumpy legs but subside only on plants and fruits. When we got too close to them, they would hiss and withdraw into their shells. Some tortoises were sitting in big muddy pools of water. We joked it was a tortoise spa.
The first three we saw were relatively small, about three feet long. Large, but not enormous. Finally near the end of our walk we saw a huge male, maybe 5 feet long! He was so impressive.
Our guides also gave us some fruits to try, as we passed many varieties of trees. We tried a ¨large guava¨ which is so odd--it looks like a giant bean maybe 2 or 3 feet long, and when opened reveals fuzzy white pods that look like milkweed pods. The fuzzy stuff is sweet and inside each pod there is a large shiny purple seed the color of an eggplant. Our guide told us these guavas were introduced. We also tried passion fruit, which was tart and not very sweet. I also found a ripe coffee bean, which is covered in a shiny red outer layer similar to a guava, and then the bean itself is slimy and green. When it dries it is then roasted to form the brown bean that is so familiar to us.
After the tortoise farm we went to a lava tube to walk inside for a bit. The lava tube was formed during an eruption when the flowing lava cooled and hardened on the outside, then the lava kept flowing on the inside. The tube looks just like a subway tunnel, complete with dim florescant lighting. There are small stalactite and mineral formations that are slowing growing inside, as the inside of the tube is damp with water dripping from the ceiling. The tube was about 10m tall.
Now we are back at the hotel for lunch and afterward we will take a boat to Isla Floreana. I´m quite excited to stay there because it is not inhabited and the lodge where we will sleep is an eco lodge. The boat takes about 2 hours. Then, on Monday we go to Isla Isabella, where they filmed Master and Commander. I´m not sure when my next update will be as there is no internet on Isla Floreana.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Land of Darwin: Islas Galapagos
Our flight from Quito to Isla Baltra, Galapagos, departed at 8:30, but we stopped in Guayaquil for 40 minutes. Most of the Ecuadorians on the plane got off at Guyaquil, and the whities stayed on the plane. The majority of Ecuador´s population cannot afford the trip to the islands, so most of the visitors are foreign. Visitors must pay a $10 arrival tax, involving a long form that is officially stamped, as well as a $100 park fee. Ecuadorians only pay $50.
The flight from Guayaquil to Isla Baltra is about an hour and a half. I slept until our descent, where I got a view of some whales as well as an island that looked completely surrounded by cliffs. The airport is your typical open island affair with some hawkers but nothing ridiculous like I have seen in other places. Lee and I decided that we would try to stay at the Red Mangrove Adventure Lodge, which had a good recommendation in Lonely Planet as well as the highest ranking on TripAdvisor.com for the Galapagos Islands. When we deplaned, we saw that Red Mango had a little booth set up at the airport so we went over to talk to them. We were shown an ´Island Hopper´ tour itinerary that featured three islands as well as all inclusive stays on Red Mangrove lodges on all those islands. We were offered the price of a single person stay, but for both of us. The itinerary included airport transfer, snorkel equipment, all meals, guide service, etc. We did the math and it was $850 per person, a great deal. We decided to do it! Things worked out so well for us, since that was the place we wanted to stay anyway, and we´d get to see three different islands, but would not be stuck on a boat with people we might not get along with.
The Red Mangrove is a top class operation and I recommend it to anyone traveling to the Galapagos. Even if you are looking for a mid-range option, traveling in the off season such as we are yields some good deals!
Isla Baltra is uninhabited and is separated from Isla Cristobal by a narrow channel. When you exit the airport, a free bus takes you to the ferry that connects the two islands. The bus ride takes about 10 minutes and is utterly packed. The ferry seats about 50 people and luggage goes on top. The channel crosing takes another 10 minutes. We were then driven in a private truck to the town of Puerto Ayora, which is on the south side of the island. We crossed through the highlands, which were cloudy. The drive took about 30 minutes. We saw some small villages of people, which were tidy and well kept, with lots of banana plants. Our driver wanted to drive as fast as possible (muy macho!) but for most of the drive a police car was behind us so he stayed at a calmer rate of speed.
The town of Puerto Ayora is charming and relaxed. It´s the largest town in the Galapagos islands and has most of the hotels. All of the Red Mangrove staff we chatted with were all born on the islands. The girl who transferred us from the airport to the hotel said she learned English in high school and attended college in Cuerca, a town on the mainland.
The Red Mangrove is located in a stand of mangrove trees and is designed to blend in with the scenery. It´s quiet, secluded and completely relaxing. I never want to leave this place! We enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch while sitting on a dock overlooking the azure water in the bay. We were visted by some pelicans, marine iguanas and some seals! The food was very tasty.
Our itinerary kicked off at 2pm with a boat trip to Tortuga Beach with snorkeling and sunning on the beach. Tortuga Beach is about 20 minutes via boat from the harbor. The boat seated 12 people comfortably. It had benches down either side and a canvas sun cover with twin 85mph Yamaha engines (I checked). The other folks in our tour featured a Luxemborgian couple, an Irish couple and a Scottish couple who seem to be close to our age. There´s also an elderly Italian couple who don´t appear to speak any English. Our guide, George, speaks Italian as well so everything is repeated twice.
The seas were quite rough so those of us on the windward side got sprayed on the boat trip over. Tortuga beach is not accessible via road, only dirt track, so it was very pleasantly secluded. There are two parts, a windward and a leeward side that are separated by a rocky spit with giant cacti and mangroves. We got dropped off near the tip of the point and snorkeled all the way to the beach. We had flippers, masks and snorkels and I would say it was about a mile. I saw plenty of marine life, including tons of fish, an octopus and several varieties of rays. The octopus´ body was about the side of my fist, it had a big yellow eyeball and changed colors! The top of the body also had these feathery bits that let it blend in perfectly with the coral vegetation. I didn´t even realize it was an octopus until I saw some tentacles move. It also changed colors as I watched! We saw a blue ray, a spotted ray and some sort of GIANT ray that was at least 4´ in diameter. I´m not kidding. It was crazy! I wasn´t scared, though, as giant rays aren´t dangerous. They glide quickly, but flap their massive wings slowly. The water clarity was not amazing, and as we got closer to the beach it got a bit murky. Not dirty, just murky.
The leeward beach where we landed was perfect, powder white sand and nice warm sun. We walked over to the windward side which has large waves and swimming is not allowed due to rip tides. We saw some huge marine iguanas sunning themselves on the sand. The beach was almost completely deserted and I felt like I was in a dream. I took some pictures, but I don´t think they do the scene justice.
We spent a few pleasant hours whiling around on the two beaches, snacking, and then piled back in the boat for the trip back to the hotel. I cleverly sat on the leeward side this time and did not get soaked. Lee was not so lucky! Hah!
Our room is charming and is on the second floor, so it´s quiet and has plenty of light. We are off to dinner now, tomorrow we have a tour of the highlands to see giant tortoises and then we go to Isla Floreana, which does not have any official human inhabitants. I love this place and I never want to leave!
The flight from Guayaquil to Isla Baltra is about an hour and a half. I slept until our descent, where I got a view of some whales as well as an island that looked completely surrounded by cliffs. The airport is your typical open island affair with some hawkers but nothing ridiculous like I have seen in other places. Lee and I decided that we would try to stay at the Red Mangrove Adventure Lodge, which had a good recommendation in Lonely Planet as well as the highest ranking on TripAdvisor.com for the Galapagos Islands. When we deplaned, we saw that Red Mango had a little booth set up at the airport so we went over to talk to them. We were shown an ´Island Hopper´ tour itinerary that featured three islands as well as all inclusive stays on Red Mangrove lodges on all those islands. We were offered the price of a single person stay, but for both of us. The itinerary included airport transfer, snorkel equipment, all meals, guide service, etc. We did the math and it was $850 per person, a great deal. We decided to do it! Things worked out so well for us, since that was the place we wanted to stay anyway, and we´d get to see three different islands, but would not be stuck on a boat with people we might not get along with.
The Red Mangrove is a top class operation and I recommend it to anyone traveling to the Galapagos. Even if you are looking for a mid-range option, traveling in the off season such as we are yields some good deals!
Isla Baltra is uninhabited and is separated from Isla Cristobal by a narrow channel. When you exit the airport, a free bus takes you to the ferry that connects the two islands. The bus ride takes about 10 minutes and is utterly packed. The ferry seats about 50 people and luggage goes on top. The channel crosing takes another 10 minutes. We were then driven in a private truck to the town of Puerto Ayora, which is on the south side of the island. We crossed through the highlands, which were cloudy. The drive took about 30 minutes. We saw some small villages of people, which were tidy and well kept, with lots of banana plants. Our driver wanted to drive as fast as possible (muy macho!) but for most of the drive a police car was behind us so he stayed at a calmer rate of speed.
The town of Puerto Ayora is charming and relaxed. It´s the largest town in the Galapagos islands and has most of the hotels. All of the Red Mangrove staff we chatted with were all born on the islands. The girl who transferred us from the airport to the hotel said she learned English in high school and attended college in Cuerca, a town on the mainland.
The Red Mangrove is located in a stand of mangrove trees and is designed to blend in with the scenery. It´s quiet, secluded and completely relaxing. I never want to leave this place! We enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch while sitting on a dock overlooking the azure water in the bay. We were visted by some pelicans, marine iguanas and some seals! The food was very tasty.
Our itinerary kicked off at 2pm with a boat trip to Tortuga Beach with snorkeling and sunning on the beach. Tortuga Beach is about 20 minutes via boat from the harbor. The boat seated 12 people comfortably. It had benches down either side and a canvas sun cover with twin 85mph Yamaha engines (I checked). The other folks in our tour featured a Luxemborgian couple, an Irish couple and a Scottish couple who seem to be close to our age. There´s also an elderly Italian couple who don´t appear to speak any English. Our guide, George, speaks Italian as well so everything is repeated twice.
The seas were quite rough so those of us on the windward side got sprayed on the boat trip over. Tortuga beach is not accessible via road, only dirt track, so it was very pleasantly secluded. There are two parts, a windward and a leeward side that are separated by a rocky spit with giant cacti and mangroves. We got dropped off near the tip of the point and snorkeled all the way to the beach. We had flippers, masks and snorkels and I would say it was about a mile. I saw plenty of marine life, including tons of fish, an octopus and several varieties of rays. The octopus´ body was about the side of my fist, it had a big yellow eyeball and changed colors! The top of the body also had these feathery bits that let it blend in perfectly with the coral vegetation. I didn´t even realize it was an octopus until I saw some tentacles move. It also changed colors as I watched! We saw a blue ray, a spotted ray and some sort of GIANT ray that was at least 4´ in diameter. I´m not kidding. It was crazy! I wasn´t scared, though, as giant rays aren´t dangerous. They glide quickly, but flap their massive wings slowly. The water clarity was not amazing, and as we got closer to the beach it got a bit murky. Not dirty, just murky.
The leeward beach where we landed was perfect, powder white sand and nice warm sun. We walked over to the windward side which has large waves and swimming is not allowed due to rip tides. We saw some huge marine iguanas sunning themselves on the sand. The beach was almost completely deserted and I felt like I was in a dream. I took some pictures, but I don´t think they do the scene justice.
We spent a few pleasant hours whiling around on the two beaches, snacking, and then piled back in the boat for the trip back to the hotel. I cleverly sat on the leeward side this time and did not get soaked. Lee was not so lucky! Hah!
Our room is charming and is on the second floor, so it´s quiet and has plenty of light. We are off to dinner now, tomorrow we have a tour of the highlands to see giant tortoises and then we go to Isla Floreana, which does not have any official human inhabitants. I love this place and I never want to leave!
The Middle of the World
Since we arrived so late on Thursday night to Quito I didn´t get to see much of the city. It is at quite a high elevation, 9500 ft., and surrounded on all sides by mountains. At this time of year they are green and treeless. Some of the tallest active volcanoes in the world, Cotopaxie and Pichincha flank the city on either side. One of our cabbies told us that Cotopaxie erupts every 100 years, and is currently overdue. If it were to erupt, almost 250,000 people could potentially be affected. Cotopaxie has snow year round, but we couldn´t see either volcano as both were wreathed in clouds.
We hitched a cab to the monument at the equator, which is about a 40 minute drive north out of the city. The monument is known as El Mitad del Mundo. It was built before GPS systems, so when the location was officially calibrated, it turns out that they were 250 meters off! Still, it´s an interesting place to visit with small tourist shops, a monument tower that one can climb for a good view, and plenty of funny photo ops featuring one straddling the equator. You can also get a souvenier passport stamp showing you´ve been to the middle of the world.
After jumping across the equator several times, we headed back to Quito´s historical quarter, which was built in the 1600´s when the Spanish ruled the area. The historical area is absolutely charming, with slightly run down but obviously well-loved European style buildings that made me feel as if I were in Slovakia or Croatia! The only difference, of course, was that everyone here is Ecuadorian. About 20% of the population is local indigenous people and the rest are mestizo, although they seem to trend smaller and browner than in Mexico.
Our cabbie was very chatty, so we engaged him to take us to a hill above the city where there stands a statue of the Virgin Mary standing on top of a serpent, symbolizing the evil in the world. After grabbing a good view, we got dropped off at the central square where we saw the Presidential Palace and several churches. We wandered through the city until we ended up at the city Basilica, which is Gothic in style although was completed in the 1920´s. Instead of saints, its outer walls are adorned with exotic animals including iguanas and tortoises!
We then stopped by a travel agency to try to arrange our hotel and tours in the Galapagos. We went to Happy Gringo, which I had been emailing with prior to our departure as well as came highly recommended by Lonely Planet. As it turned out, we were quite unhappy gringos by the end. We walked in and explained that we wanted to see if there were any last minute deals on Galapagos boat tours. We were told that there were two tours leaving that matched our schedules and that one was a midrange boat for $850 per person and the other was a luxury boat for $990 per person. We chatted a bit about the options, and were ready to go for the luxury boat, but then were told that the boat was now full. Then we were told that we had to pay cash, immediately. Since it was past 5pm and the banks were closed, there was no way we could get that much cash. It was also ridiculous that they would expect us to carry around that much money in US$, which is the currency here in Ecuador. We tried to get them to accept credit card, but they said they would charge us 6%, which was egregious as well. After a lot of arguing and back and forth, we decided to just walk and try to arrange something on the islands themselves.
We had received a dinner recommendation from a gingo in the immigration line (an expat) who said that if we wanted steaks we should go to Restaurante El Sur. We had the hotel make us reservations at 10pm (like many other parts of Latin America, people dine fashionably late in Ecuador). After a quick nap and shower, we headed over to the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal of Lomo steak, which is an Argentinean style tenderized and marinated very thin steak. It was fabulous! We also had a fine Chilean wine with it which complimented the meal perfectly. It was so tasty!!
Our flights were early, 8:30, so we had to get up early to make it to the airport. I was so full from dinner, I went right to bed. I was excited, however, as I knew we would be in the Galapagos the next day!
We hitched a cab to the monument at the equator, which is about a 40 minute drive north out of the city. The monument is known as El Mitad del Mundo. It was built before GPS systems, so when the location was officially calibrated, it turns out that they were 250 meters off! Still, it´s an interesting place to visit with small tourist shops, a monument tower that one can climb for a good view, and plenty of funny photo ops featuring one straddling the equator. You can also get a souvenier passport stamp showing you´ve been to the middle of the world.
After jumping across the equator several times, we headed back to Quito´s historical quarter, which was built in the 1600´s when the Spanish ruled the area. The historical area is absolutely charming, with slightly run down but obviously well-loved European style buildings that made me feel as if I were in Slovakia or Croatia! The only difference, of course, was that everyone here is Ecuadorian. About 20% of the population is local indigenous people and the rest are mestizo, although they seem to trend smaller and browner than in Mexico.
Our cabbie was very chatty, so we engaged him to take us to a hill above the city where there stands a statue of the Virgin Mary standing on top of a serpent, symbolizing the evil in the world. After grabbing a good view, we got dropped off at the central square where we saw the Presidential Palace and several churches. We wandered through the city until we ended up at the city Basilica, which is Gothic in style although was completed in the 1920´s. Instead of saints, its outer walls are adorned with exotic animals including iguanas and tortoises!
We then stopped by a travel agency to try to arrange our hotel and tours in the Galapagos. We went to Happy Gringo, which I had been emailing with prior to our departure as well as came highly recommended by Lonely Planet. As it turned out, we were quite unhappy gringos by the end. We walked in and explained that we wanted to see if there were any last minute deals on Galapagos boat tours. We were told that there were two tours leaving that matched our schedules and that one was a midrange boat for $850 per person and the other was a luxury boat for $990 per person. We chatted a bit about the options, and were ready to go for the luxury boat, but then were told that the boat was now full. Then we were told that we had to pay cash, immediately. Since it was past 5pm and the banks were closed, there was no way we could get that much cash. It was also ridiculous that they would expect us to carry around that much money in US$, which is the currency here in Ecuador. We tried to get them to accept credit card, but they said they would charge us 6%, which was egregious as well. After a lot of arguing and back and forth, we decided to just walk and try to arrange something on the islands themselves.
We had received a dinner recommendation from a gingo in the immigration line (an expat) who said that if we wanted steaks we should go to Restaurante El Sur. We had the hotel make us reservations at 10pm (like many other parts of Latin America, people dine fashionably late in Ecuador). After a quick nap and shower, we headed over to the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal of Lomo steak, which is an Argentinean style tenderized and marinated very thin steak. It was fabulous! We also had a fine Chilean wine with it which complimented the meal perfectly. It was so tasty!!
Our flights were early, 8:30, so we had to get up early to make it to the airport. I was so full from dinner, I went right to bed. I was excited, however, as I knew we would be in the Galapagos the next day!
South America, Here I Come!
Just a few days ago I was invited to join a friend on a whirlwind, last minute trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Since I have never been to South America and have always wanted to go (it is the last continent besides Antarctica that I had not yet visited) I jumped at the chance to join.
We flew from Phoenix to Miami, where we ate at a delicious Cuban restaurant in the airport. I was told that the restaurant is the only good thing about the Miami airport and I have to agree--it's pretty pathetic otherwise. I had the yuca frita (fries) and the sweet plantains and they were amazing.
Our layover was pretty long, 4 hours, and then our aircraft landed late coming in from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, so we took off late as well. The flight to Quito was only 3 hours and 45 minutes long, but we got to fly over Cuba just as the sun was setting! It looked dark and ominous. I waved hola to Fidel, even though I expect he is muerte.
We landed in Quito at 10:30pm and were met by the kind folks from the Sheraton, which is a great hotel. We were starving, so we headed out via cab to the Plaza Foch, which is full of fun restaurants and bars. We had tapas style dishes at Azuca Beach with the most delicious mojitos I've ever had in my life. It was almost 2am by the time we made it back to the hotel but I was glad we made it out before hitting the sack.
We flew from Phoenix to Miami, where we ate at a delicious Cuban restaurant in the airport. I was told that the restaurant is the only good thing about the Miami airport and I have to agree--it's pretty pathetic otherwise. I had the yuca frita (fries) and the sweet plantains and they were amazing.
Our layover was pretty long, 4 hours, and then our aircraft landed late coming in from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, so we took off late as well. The flight to Quito was only 3 hours and 45 minutes long, but we got to fly over Cuba just as the sun was setting! It looked dark and ominous. I waved hola to Fidel, even though I expect he is muerte.
We landed in Quito at 10:30pm and were met by the kind folks from the Sheraton, which is a great hotel. We were starving, so we headed out via cab to the Plaza Foch, which is full of fun restaurants and bars. We had tapas style dishes at Azuca Beach with the most delicious mojitos I've ever had in my life. It was almost 2am by the time we made it back to the hotel but I was glad we made it out before hitting the sack.
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