Caving!

Last night the hostel volunteers went through our options for today's activities. I knew I wouldn't be attempting to summit or even hike too far up Cotopaxi on this trip because, aside from the fact that I don't have the appropriate gear, I learned after the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal last year that altitude needs to be respected and that it's not something I can expose myself to on a whim! So I was excited when caving/exploring was named as an option. There is a network of manmade caves about 45 minutes away from here. No one knows how old the caves are but local myth has it that the Incas built them. The caves were said to have low ceilings and bats.

 

After a fantastic sleep and a big breakfast, five of us guests, one hostel volunteer, and one local guide set off for the caves. We hiked through a large bull pasture but because of the terrain, we were able to see that the bulls were safely off in the distance. (While most of the bulls have been domesticated, about ten of them are very dangerous as they are used in bull fights and just the previous day, three people were chased by an aggressive bull.)

 

We had been told in advance that we would get wet during the hike but obviously we still hoped to stay as dry as possible. We descended into a canyon and faced our first stream to cross. I managed to leap across and land dryly on the other side. Not everyone made it and a few people ended up with one or two wet shoes. Our first stop was a waterfall where we all posed for photos. From there we continued on and soon encountered streams that were easily calf high. It suddenly seemed so silly to me that I had even attempted to keep dry! Before long the group was stomping through streams like kids in puddles.

 

It took about an hour of walking, crossing streams, and scrambling over rocks and boulders to reach the mouth of the cave. It was located near a waterfall where we left our backpacks. Taking only our headlamps and my waterproof camera, the seven of us climbed up a muddy wall and entered. After taking just a step or two inside, I was plunged into darkness, which not only told me this was an authentic cave but that my headlamp was no longer working. Uh-oh! I tried to stick close to the person in front of me so I could see where I was going. We were immediately crouching and waddling like ducks to avoid hitting our heads on the uneven ceiling. And after just a few minutes, the cave became so narrow we had to crawl on all fours! Since the caves are manmade, there are ventilation shafts periodically which let in light and fresh air. As the shafts are the only spot where you can stand up straight, we regathered at the first one and two of the group decided to turn back and wait for the rest of us at the waterfall. This photo was taken in one of the roomy ventilation chambers.

 

Five of us carried on and quickly met the bats we had been warned about. They swooped at our heads and flew past our faces! All I could do was keep my mouth shut tight (good thing, too, since the guy in front of me said he got a wing in the mouth!) and make myself as small as possible until they passed. This also meant we now had to be mindful of where we put our hands because where there are bats, there will be bat poop. It was impossible to avoid so we just accepted it.

 

Around this time we also hit water. It was deep and it was cold! At one point, the water was almost knee deep and the already low ceiling got even lower, forcing us to squat. I just barely managed to keep my butt dry, unlike some of the others.

 

The cave continued like this--ventilation shafts, water, bats, and low ceilings--for some time, all the while we were laughing and cracking jokes and trying to not inhale the bats!

 

I ended up right behind our guide, Omar, as we waded through the water. In one spot, the ceiling got low again, so Omar aimed his headlamp to see what was in front. He suddenly started yelling, "MUCHOS MURCIELAGOS! MUCHOS MURCIELAGOS!" in rapid fire Spanish as he turned around to retreat! Remember, I didn't have a headlamp so I was following him very closely and I was the only other person who spoke Spanish, so I had to shout, "Bats! Retreat!" to the others so Omar wouldn't trample me as the bats swarmed above! So far it had just been a few bats at a time but now we were swarmed! It was chaos and it was hilarious! There was a ventilation shaft nearby where we stopped to recover from laughing.

 

We took the nearest exit out of the cave and had to climb down some muddy, slippery ledges to get back to the waterfall where the rest of our party was waiting. They had gone for a swim under the waterfall while we were in the cave. We celebrated our adventure with a bit of cake(!) and started the hike back.

 

The sloping landscape which had let us see there were no bulls in the vicinity on the way there was suddenly working against us and we couldn't see uphill or around blind corners. The only way to be sure we wouldn't run into any killer bulls was to take a winding "path" through thick, overgrown, prickly shrubs. Ouch! I had several good scrapes and scratches by the time we emerged at the road and climbed into the tuck for the drive back to the hostel.

 

I had twigs in my hair, bloody scratches on my shins, bat poop on my raincoat, and a huge smile on my face.

 

Day 3: Espanola island to San Cristobal

Today was an early start as we had a long hike planned on Espanola Island. Here we realized how much things can change so quickly in the Galapagos. Alfonso took us to an otherwise empty spot covered in low green bushes and said, "According to the book, this is the largest blue footed booby colony." Not a bird in sight! This happened several times, Alfonso telling us what the guide books say only to show us that animals have moved on to a new location or changed their behavior. Clearly, the guide books can't keep up with the animals. But we managed to see plenty of wildlife, including a rare fur seal, Nazca boobies with chicks (one of whom bit someone from the group!), a Galapagos hawk, iguanas displaying their mating colors, and plenty of cuddly looking seals. Pictured below, in order: fur seal, Nazca booby with chick, seagull (a rare nocturnal hunter), blue footed booby, crab, iguanas, and sea lions.

 

After we downed our snack, we went snorkeling. I always try to make friends with the guides since it's not only the Canadian thing to do, but they'll also make sure you see loads of interesting things if they know you'll appreciate it. Fausto was the guide who came snorkeling with us and since we had talked a few times already and he knew I had a waterproof camera, he told me to stick with him and he'd try to point things out. We saw an enormously long eel, but it was too fast for my camera!

 

Our last excursion for the day was to Garner Beach, which I think should be renamed Sea Lion Beach! As we approached the beach in the dinghy, the beach seemed to be absolutely covered in huge rocks but--you guessed it--they were really sea lions! There were hundreds of sea lions along the beach, frolicking in the water, crying out for their mothers, playing in the sand, and, mostly, sleeping. We passed the afternoon swimming in turquoise water warm enough to cook pasta and taking photos of the sea lions as they steam rolled over each other, sneezed, and bellowed their terrible sounds. As cute as they are, they make some of the most disgusting sounds! They either sound like a drunk old man belching at a bar, like they're trying to cough up a lifetime supply of mucus, or like they're pretending to puke. I'll coo over an adorably pathetic pup with its big eyes and clumsy flippers, only for it to open its mouth and belch! Kind of ruins the atmosphere but no one's perfect!

 

It was a four hour ride to San Cristobal and most of us napped the time away on the sun deck. The seas weren't too bad but the waves were consistent enough to remind us we weren't on land.

 

The group headed into town for cold beers (cake for me!) before returning to the boat for the night. It's funny that after just 48 hours on the boat, the modest town seems like an urban Mecca! Guess I tend to adapt to my surroundings quicker than I had remembered.

 

As I write this, everyone has gone to bed and I am alone with the stars, a few lights from the town, and the sea lions...who are, of course, all coughing and belching!

 

Today's animals:

Fur seal

Sea lions

Iguanas

Lava lizard

Mocking bird

Seagulls

Frigate

Nazca boobies & chicks

Blue footed boobies

Galapagos hawk

Manta ray

Eel

Sea urchins

Fish

Crabs

 

Galapagos Day 2: Floreana Island

Penguins & boobies & sharks, oh my!

As I write this, I'm sitting atop the Flamingo, my home for the next week. I can see a massive, luxurious looking cruise ship not far off. The Flamingo is basically a floating hostel, which means it's short on amenities but full of like minded travelers and that's far more important to me.

 

The morning started with a walk ashore. We visited Flamingo Lagoon but there were no flamingos there. Apparently they were always there between 2005-2010, disappeared in 2011, and have only been back sporadically in 2012 so far. Still, it was an incredible landscape.

 

There were several blue footed boobies sitting along the rocky shore. I still don't know where the bird got its name, but their feet really are a lovely shade of blue. Until they are three years old, their feet are brown. The males are smaller than the females and the females have noticeably larger pupils.

 

We walked to the beach and Alfonso, our guide, spotted a pair of mating turtles in the water. Apparently it takes 3-4 hours and is quite uncomfortable for the female as she has to support the male's weight (approximately 75 pounds) as well as fend off other turtles who may approach. There were a couple of other sea turtles swimming around and one pelican who had no intention of giving the pair their privacy.

 

As we got in the dinghy to return to the Flamingo, Alfonso spotted a Galapagos penguin! This was the only animal I truly wanted to see but I knew our itinerary wouldn't take us to any major penguin colonies and that this wasn't the best time of year to spot them, so I was beside myself with excitement, as most of you can imagine. He stood on the rock, preening himself, and occasionally responding to our attempts at penguin calls. Galapagos penguins are the 3rd smallest after ferry penguins and Magellanic penguins, respectively.

 

This only got us even more anxious to go snorkeling, so once we were back on the boat, we got ready as soon as we could and headed out again. From the dinghy, I spotted several penguins swimming and jumping (just like in Antarctica!).

 

Snorkeling time! The water was absolutely perfect: clear, warm, and beautiful. This was my first time snorkeling with wildlife so it was a huge thrill to swim with sea lions and a white tipped reef shark! Countless varieties of colorful fish swam all around us.

 

Lunch and then it was time to take advantage of our boat's small size-by jumping off of it! We passed the afternoon by peer pressuring each other to jump off every conceivable platform and plunging into the refreshing waters.

 

An afternoon dinghy ride took us to see sea lion harems. Sea lions love to spend their days lazily sleeping on small islands with crystal waters. Here, they know they are safe as they can see any potential predators in the waters. Each sea lion colony, or harem, has just one male. The alpha male will spend about twelve hours a day patrolling the waters to make sure his harem is safe from enemies and fending off attacks from rival males. Because this full time job is such exhausting work, the alpha has no time to hunt and will lose a lot of weight. He typically lasts only three weeks in his weakened state until he is challenged by a rival, who will take over for his own short reign.

 

We visited the Baroness Lookout, named for a German woman who moved to the island with her three lovers in the late 1930s. Their arrival on the island was something of a scandal and it was not too long before the baroness and one of the lovers vanished. Another of her lovers was later killed in a shipwreck. Over the island's history, seven people have disappeared without a trace. Lucky for us, we were able to enjoy the view and make it back to the dinghy with everyone accounted for.

 

Post Office Bay was next. It's a Galapagos tradition for visitors to leave an addressed, unstamped post card for the next batch of visitors to sort through and hand deliver whatever post cards they can. It is believed this tradition dates back to when whalers left information for each other in barrels on the beach. Over time, this has evolved to a free mail delivery system for tourists. I left one post card (Katya, I hope it reaches you and Sofia before too long!) and picked up ten to hand deliver over the next few months in Toronto, NYC, London, and Dar Es Salaam. I'm sure when the time comes there'll be a post about delivering the mail!

 

Our last stop was a cave. Alfonso sent us down armed with a few headlamps and a whole lot of trust in each other. The only thing we knew was that the cave led to the sea, so we would hit water sooner or later. And hit water we did! By then we had been in the cave for a good chunk of time and debated how much farther we wanted to go. Eventually, we concluded that this was a rare experience, so everyone started disrobing to various degrees and leaving things behind on dry rocks. We continued on in the freezing cold water, all the while giggling and shouting to each other in the near dark. We turned off all of our lights at one point to experience true darkness, which was neat, and to take a photo. Hearing the photographer say, "No flash?" to his camera made us all burst out laughing. I don't know how long it took but we were in waist high water when we reached the end of the cave. If we had waterproof torches with us, I'm sure everyone would have happily swam out to the sea! But we didn't so we turned around to walk back and recollect our dry things. We put on our shoes and picked up our cameras and were about to return to the mouth of the cave, when one of the group said, "Oh, I have forgotten my trousers." It was hilarious! The poor guy had to turn back and trudge through the cold water to retrieve his pants. Needless to say, we haven't let him forget it! When we did finally reemerge from the cave, our usually laid back guide had been getting nervous! He said most groups returned well before we did but that they also normally turned around once they hit water. I feel lucky to have been with such an adventurous group!

 

After dinner, several of us hung out on the sun deck, watching the stars and listening to music. Seagulls flew in graceful circles around the ship all night long. The moving ship, for some reason, makes it easier or them to find food. I was amazed at how long the birds kept up with the ship and how easy they made it look. It reminded me of the birds that would circle our ship in Antarctica, thousands of miles away. Different environment, same behavior.

 

Todays's animals:

Galapagos penguins

Sea turtles

Sea lions

White tipped sharks

Sting rays

Sea urchins

Star fish

Fish, including angel fish, moorish idols, & tangs

Blue footed boobies

Pelicans

Medium tree finch

Brown finch

Blue heron

Ruddy turn stern

Iguanas

Crabs

 

Galapagos Day 1: Santa Cruz

An early morning flight from Quito to Guayaquil to Baltra deposited me in the Galapagos! About 1,000 kilometers from mainland Ecuador, the Galapagos are famous for unique and diverse wildlife.

 

I found my cruise group and we took a 10 minute bus ride, a 5 minute ferry ride, and a 45 minute bus ride to reach our boat. We moved into our rooms and the ten of us introduced ourselves: five Germans, two Brits, one South African, one American and me.

 

 

Once we were settled, our guide took us to see if we could find any giant tortoises. We managed to find one--it really was gigantic!--and snapped a few photos of it slowly moving its heavy head to check us out. It made a low grunting sound and eventually retreated into its shell just as the tropical rains came down, so we headed back to the bus for our next stop: a cave tunnel.

 

I love caves and secret tunnels, so it was great to have time to explore. It didn't quite have that Indiana Jones feel to it since it was well light and had a sturdy staircase inside but I enjoyed it anyway!

 

The cave spat us out at a restaurant with a fantastic view of the setting sun. You could see different layers of hills in the mist and the sun glowing off the water. Gorgeous.

 

The restaurant gave us complimentary lemongrass tea to warm up from the chilly rains which had by then stopped. There was an empty shell from a tortoise so, not being one to miss a chance to make myself look ridiculous, I climbed in and had my photo taken. That shell was heavy! No wonder they move so slowly.

 

 

Today's animals:

Giant tortoise

Birds (definitely pelicans!)

Crabs

Sea lion in town