Ecuador 1/11/2019 - 2/2/2019

Prologue

Our dear friend Mukul from India has wanted to visit our compadres in Ecuador, and, being an avid birder, has also wanted to visit the Galapagos.

We decided that it would be a good opportunity to take our 10-year old goddaughter Sisa on a trip as well. She has been working very diligently with school work, English classes, and catechism, as well as helping Rosa with housework and caring for her younger siblings. She is intellectually curious, and the exact right age to fully absorn, internalize, and recall the experience.

She and the family were thrilled with the idea. We got permission from the school for her to miss a week of classes. Since the Galapagos are part of Ecuador, she wouldn't need a passport, and we could accompany her in loco parentis without any legal paperwork.

We booked a land-based trip called Galapagos Wildlife Discovery from Neotropic Expeditions. Mukul was hoping to be able to see as much of the varied Ecuadorian wildlife as possible. He would be in the Galapagos and the Andean highlands...it would have been perfect if he could have visited the Amazon as well. But it was just too far away, and the timing didn't work well with the Galapagos trip.

Mindo was a more convenient alternative, and is renowned for its birdwatching, so we set up a trip extension for Mukul, also through Neotropic. Mukul would arrive from India the same day that we would arrive. Craig and I would go to Morochos with the family, and Mukul would be taken to a hotel in Quito. The following day, he would have a Quito city tour. Then he would spend two days in Mindo.

After his adventure, he would arrive in Morochos to spend several days with the family learning about indigenous Kichwa culture. Then Mukul, Craig, and I would take Sisa to the Galapagos. Upon our return to the mainland, Mukul would head back to India via Amsterdam, and we would return to Morochos for another week.

Sunday, January 20, 2019 - Sisa's First Flight, Arrival in San Cristobal, Punta Carola, Total Lunar Eclipse

We woke up early and the whole family accompanied us on the ride to Quito. We left the house at 6:30 a.m., with Sisa all dressed up in her traditional Kichwa clothing. This is culturally important; they like to visibly represent their culture in the broader world.

When we got to Mariscal Sucre airport, we first had to pay $20 per person for our Galapagos permits. We then had to have our luggage screened (to make sure that we would not be importing anything that would be detrimental to the biodiversity of the islands). Only then could we check in at the LatAm counter and check our luggage.

Sisa said goodbye to the family and then we went through security to the gates. We bought some cinnamon buns and poundcake for breakfast, as well as a few snacks for the plane. When we boarded the plane, I asked if Sisa could visit the cockpit as it was her first flight. This was a tradition we had started with our godchildren from Guatemala, and it has come to be expected by the kids. Rosa had expressed an interest in having a picture of Sisa with the pilot. I sure hoped that we would be able to do it so that Sisa and family wouldn't be disappointed. The flight attendant talked to the pilot and said that she could do it when we landed in Guayaquil. Passengers continuing on to the Galapagos stay on the plane during the short stopover, so there would be time to do it then.

We all had aisle seats; Craig across from Mukul and me across from Sisa. We enlisted the help of the flight attendant, and managed to find someone to swap seats so that Sisa, Craig, and I could all sit together, and Sisa could be at a window for her first flight.

We gave Sisa some gum for her ears (just in case the pressure bothered her) and explained how takeoff would proceed. She was obviously paying a attention, because a few minutes later she repeated it back to us.

As we got up to speed on the runway, she clung to my arm, obviously a bit nervous. But her nervousness soon subsided, and she enjoyed looking out the window as we left Quito behind and ascended above the clouds.

We had given her a trip journal; she loves to draw and write, and I thought that she would enjoy documenting her experiences as much as I do. She took out her colored pencils and drew a picture of the plane above the clouds.

We hit some turbulence and she looked a bit concerned, but I explained that it was just wind. I suggested that it was fun, like a rollercoaster, and she soon adopted the same attitude. Kids really take their cues from adults, and positioning it as nothing to be afraid of (as long as you have your seatbelt on) worked well.

Soon we were landing in Guayaquil, and she found the landing to be quite exciting. Some passengers disembarked, but we stayed onboard to continue on to San Cristobal, Galapagos. The flight attendant confirmed that Sisa was cleared to visit the cockpit, so I took her up front. The pilot adjusted the seat so that it was closer to the dashboard, and motioned for Sisa to sit down for a photo. We are sure that the family are very proud to have a photo of Sisa sitting at the controls in her traditional Kichwa clothing!

While we were parked and awaiting more passengers, I showed her how the airplane bathroom works. We take them for granted, but she had no idea how to go about using a restroom on a plane. Then we got settled back into our seats.

Shortly before takeoff, Mukul bought us a ham and cheese sandwich. Between that and the snacks we had bought, Sisa was well fed until we got to lunch on San Cristobal.

By the time we took off again, Sisa was an old pro at this flying thing. She didn't cling to me; instead she eagerly looked out the window. She was perfectly behaved, but did ask a few times when we would arrive. To keep her busy, I showed her the videos of our last trip to the Galapagos, so she would know what to anticipate.

We landed in San Cristobal at around 1 p.m. and disembarked via an external staircase. We paid our entrance fee ($100 for each foreigner and only $3 for Sisa because she is Ecuadorian) and then collected our luggage. The heat and humidity were quite a shock to the system after our time in the highlands. Craig has a low tolerance for heat with his MS, so we knew we would have to be careful to keep him hydrated and healthy.

We were greeted by our guide Fabricio ("Fabo"), who was quite amenable. We took a pickup truck taxi to the Casa Opuntia Hotel where we dropped off our bags. As we checked in, we were given champagne flutes of fresh cold juice. We were in Room #1 on the ground floor, right next to one of two swimming pools. Mukul was upstairs on the second floor.

We were each given a wetsuit and snorkeling equipment to use on the island. We tried on our wetsuits to make sure that they fit, though we wouldn't be using them until tomorrow.

We changed into cooler clothing with bathing suits underneath, knowing that we might be going swimming during our hike this afternoon.

As soon as she was changed, Sisa started to unpack everything from both of her backpacks. She filled up drawers and closets, and had special places on a shelf to put her journal, activity books, and yellow plastic bear.

Craig and I didn't bother to unpack; we were only here for two nights and it seemed as though our actual time in the room would be very brief. We had a busy itinerary. At Sisa's house, space is at a premium. Her clothes are crammed into dresser drawers with those of Shina and Yupanqui. If you upset the balance and try to extract a single item, it seems like the entire contents of the drawer pop out at you. And there is no fitting it all back in there again! So here, the allure of two closets and a variety of drawers was irresistable.

After a brief rest, we then met Fabo and walked a couple of blocks to Miconia for lunch (Miconia was the hotel where we had stayed in 2008). We had a nice view of the ocean from our table on the second floor balcony. The appetizer was soup served with popcorn. We had fresh cold lemonade, wahoo, salad, and French fries. Sisa had shrimp and fries. They looked delicious and she ate every single one of them! For dessert we enjoyed some ice cream.

We stopped into a mini market and bought Sisa a sun hat which had an embroidered pattern depicting all kinds of Galapagos animals in a crosswalk, obviously inspired by the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover. The hat turned out to be reversible, and the other side said "I Love Boobies." We decided not to address that right now.

As we caught a cab to the Interpretation Center, we made a quick stop along the oceanfront so that Sisa could see some sea lions. This was the animal she was most excited to see, and here in town they lounge on the sidewalkss and park benches. In Spanish, they are known as "lobo marino", or marine wolf.

Since our last visit here, they had installed a rather kitschy statue of Charles Darwin and the Beagle right along the ocean.

At the Interpretation Center, Fabo gave us an overview of the islands: their natural history, as well as the history of human exploitation and habitation.

The Galapagos is an archipelago made up of 13 major islands and 120 rocks, islets, etc., straddling the equator 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The islands are volcanic in origin and are situated over a hot spot in the ocean floor. As the magma escapes through the earth's crust, it forms islands. The movement of the Nazca tectonic plate shifts the islands southeastward over time, at a rate of 1-2 inches per year. The easternmost islands (San Cristobal, Española) are the oldest, having been formed 4-5 million years ago. The westernmost islands (Isabela and Fernandina) are much younger, at only a million years. As the islands move away from the hot spot, their lava cools down and they are eventually able to support life.

Each island goes through the same stages, so Fernandina is at the same stage now that Española was at 3-4 million years ago. Fernandina is currently over the hot spot, and as such has the greatest number of active volcanoes. As it is so new, it does not yet support much life. Nearby Isabela is 12 times as old as Fernandina, and has much more vegetation and supports many more species, though it still has some active volcanoes of its own. As the islands move eastward over the course of millions of years, they are eroded by wind and waves until their volcanic peaks are flattened. The lack of mountains means that clouds no longer form over the islands, and rain no longer falls. They eventually will join the group of submerged islands in the eastern end of the archipelago. 30 million years from now, the islands that we currently know as the Galapagos will be underneath the sea.

The extreme diversity of ocean life is due to the fact that the cold Humboldt current from the south meets the warmer El Niño current from the north. The cold water is very nutrient-rich, and supports much life. The convergence of warm and cold currents means that the oceans here can support warm water creatures as well as cold water creatures (which makes it the most northerly place where penguins are found). Over 500 species of fish can be found in the waters of the Galapagos. The abundance of fish has attracted sea birds to the islands.

It is speculated that land creatures floated to the archipelago on "rafts" of plant debris. Reptiles are particularly well adapted for the journey, having thick skin that protects them from the sun and being able to survive on less food and water than other creatures.

The first known discovery of the islands by humans occurred in 1535 by Fray Tomas de Berlanga, bishop of Panama. Because species had evolved here without human presence, they had developed no fear of humans, a characterstic which they still exhibit to this day. The Galapagos is a nature-lover's paradise, as you can get up-close views of the wildlife without disturbing them.

In the 17th century, the islands were a safe harbor for pirates who attacked Spanish ships and colonies in the New World. In the 18th century British and American whalers based their Pacific operations in the archipelago. Tortoises were seen as portable food sources, since they can live for up to a year without food or water.

From the Galapagos Conservancy:

The ecological costs of whaling and fur sealing were considerable. Sperm whale, fur seal, and giant tortoise populations declined precipitously during the 19th century. By 1890, the Galapagos Fur Seal was considered commercially extinct and the yearlong 1905-06 California Academy of Science expedition found very few fur seals in the islands. Between 1784 and 1860, whalers took more than 100,000 tortoises from the islands. Whalers were also responsible for lighting brush fires during the very dry years. Nathaniel Philbrick, in his book, In the Heart of the Sea, provides an account of a devastating fire on Floreana set by crew members of the Essex in 1820. By 1846, tortoise losses were so heavy on Floreana that they were thought to be extinct. The California Academy of Science 1905-06 expedition found that tortoises were very scarce on Española and Fernandina; by 1974, Pinta was added to the list of islands where tortoises could not be found. Given that the estimated total population of tortoises in 1974 was about 10,000, the earlier removal of at least 100,000 was obviously devastating.

- Oxford, Pete, and Graham Watkins. Galapagos: Both Sides of the Coin

The Interpretation Center contained a replica of the Whaler's Post Office, made of flotsam and jetsam on Floreana island. Whalers and explorers in the late 18th century would leave correspondence in old ships' barrels. Others would look through the letters and, if any were addressed to someone at their port of call, they would deliver it.

Three hundred years after the islands' discovery, Charles Darwin arrived in the Galapagos in 1835 as ship's naturalist on the Beagle. His first landfall was on San Cristobal, from September 17-22. He also visited Floreana, Isabela, and Santiago. His observations and research on different variants of species on different islands provided inspiration for his theories of natural selection and evolution put forth in his landmark book "On the Origin of Species."

In the 19th century, the islands were colonized by settlers and used as a penal colony. The islands were claimed by Ecuador in 1832. Conservation efforts began in the late 1950's.

Today, not all of the islands are allowed to be inhabited by humans, and those which are have vastly differing populations. According to Galapagos Conservancy, the island of Santa Cruz has 12,000 human inhabitants, while San Cristobal has 6,000, Isabela has 1,800, and Floreana has 100. These numbers are about half of what they were when we visited in 2008, due to stricter regulations on residency.

After getting our bearings via the Interpretation Center, we walked the trail which ranged from a boardwalk over the wetlands to a stone path. We passed opuntia cactus (a cactus which evolved in lock step with tortoises, growing a tough bark so that it could not easily be eaten) and Darwin's cotton. We saw birds including a yellow warbler, and we saw small lava lizards trying to blend in to the volcanic rock.

We walked to Darwin's Bay, where the sea meets the hardened black lava. There is a nioce view of Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock) where we will be snorkeling tomorrow. Fabo had originally thought we might want to swim here, as we had in 2008. Whereas then we had been the only ones there, today the rocky shore was teeming with swimmers. The water was very choppy and not good for swimming at the rocks; I would not be comfortable swimming there myself, let alone with Sisa.

So instead we doubled back and took the trail to Punta Carola, a beautiful sandy beach. Along the way, we passed a large male marine iguana. Though most of the time these are black, this guy was displaying his mating colors; a mottling of reds and greens on top of his black scales.

Galapagos marine iguanas are the only seagoing lizard in the world. As there is a lack of food for them on land, they have evolved with the capacity to dive up to 50 feet to feed on submerged red and green algae. They can hold their breath for 15 minutes at a time, and can maintain their body heat for 30 minutes in the cold water. After spending this long in the water, they lose 30% of their body heat and become sluggish. They return to shore and bask in the warm sand and lava rocks to recharge. While they are in the water, they ingest toxic amounts of salt. Once they reach dry land again, they desalinate by expelling the salt through their nostrils through what appears to be a sneeze.

It was very cool to see such a big male marine iguana up close. He started to nod his head decisively in what is thought to be a display of territoriality. We saw several smaller marine iguanas as well.

We emerged at the beach ast Punta Carola as the light waned. We put our stuff down, and Fabo gave us each a piece of Ecuadorian Pacari rose chocolate. Yum!

There were a lot of people on the beach, and a handful of sea lions splashing in the water, going for a swim, and interacting with one another. We made sure to keep the mandated 2 meter distance from them, for their safety as well as our own. Not everyone did the same. In a quest for a perfect selfie, we saw one young woman get way too close to a large male and turn her back to it to take the photo.

This was Sisa's first time at the ocean, and I encouraged her to take her shoes off and we dipped our feet into the Pacific. I could see the look of momentary panic soon replaced by delight as the receding wave sucked her feet under the sand and gave her the illusion of moving backwards.

Fabo stayed with our stuff while we explored the beach. Soon a sea lion got curious and aggressive and charged at our towels from a very long distance. It was surprisingly adept at land travel for a creature which has no legs. Fabo moved our things out of harm's way and gave the sea lion a wide berth.

We walked back down the beach and observed a female frigatebird on a tree above us.

We emerged from the trail at the road, and as we waited for our cab, Fabo noticed some plastic litter. This is an all-too-common occurrence for such a biologically sensitive ecosystem. Guides do their best to work with the government and park service. They take a photo of the trash with their phone to document the location, and then they pick it up and dispose of it properly. It seems like this has become a bigger problem in the past 11 years, which is sad because people are more educated now about the sensitivity of the environment.

Tourism in the Galapagos is somewhat controversial. The islands get around a quarter million visitors per year, which obviously impacts the environment and wildlife. Cruises have quite a carbon footprint, and don't directly contribute to the local economy. Land-based tourism, which was a relatively small industry in 2008, has exploded in the intervening decade. Where once there were 65 hotels in the Galapagos, there are now over 300. They tend to be eco-friendly in various ways. We try to be very conscious of our impact. We each bought a single water bottle, and then re-filled it with filtered water provided by our hotels. We try to be responsible tourists, and to pass on the same ethos to Sisa.

Our cab brought us back to the hotel. We were hot and tired after our walk in the sun, and we decided to take a dip in the pool to cool down. The water was cool and comfortable, with a small shallow round part (it looked like a hot tub but contained cold water), as well as a deeper pool.

We then got dressed and met Fabo and Mukul for dinner. We were surprised by the number of people out and about. This town had been rather sleepy at night the last time we were here. This again spoke to the increase in land-based tourism. More people were obviously staying on the islands overnight.

We walked to Guiseppe's for dinner as the moon rose. Tonight would be a total lunar eclipe, and it looked like the weather would be clear for viewing. We just found out about this last week; what a nice coincidence!

As we entered the restaurant, we noticed that the NFL AFC Championship was on TV - our New England Patriots vs the Kansas City Chiefs. We had resigned ourselves that we would not be able to see this last playoff game before the Super Bowl, so we were delighted that it was on.

Craig, Mukul, and Fabo had beer, and I had a glass of sangria. The satellite feed kept "freezing" and Fabo would need to change the channel to get it to unfreeze. Of course this always seemed to happen during the most tension-filled plays!

We had bruschetta as an appetizer. For dinner Craig and I had yellowfin tuna, grilled vegetables, and "tortilla de papa" (mashed potato pancake). Sisa had chicken cordon bleu and salad. Everything was delicious!

We enjoyed watching the game. Fabo and Mukul had some questions about the rules, and we happily answered them. We cheered and groaned and were generally on the edges of our seats. Fabo was suitably impressed and was calling himself a fan as the tight game progressed.

Dessert was ice cream floating in a shot of espresso - delicious! And it would keep us awake for the game and the eclipse.

Sisa was obviously tired, but she never complained. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the game as well. Time ticked off the clock and regulation ended in a tie. On to overtime.

It was now 9 o'clock and we needed to get Sisa to bed. She was exhausted. There was no way we could stay for overtime. With two evenly matched teams such as these, there was the possibility that overtime could last a very long time. As the game went to commercial, we left. We couldn't risk getting sucked back into the drama.

We walked along the rocky coast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and saw the sea lions sleeping on the rocks. We were here at the right time of year to see many babies. They don't recognize their mothers by sight, so they cry and hope their mother recognizes their cry. We saw many a baby go to the wrong mother to try to nurse, only to be rebuked with a growl and a swat. It seemed so harsh! Poor little guys!

We also saw a mother and baby snuggling on the side of a small sand dune. The mother pushed the baby a bit too much and it toppled down the slope, only to then climb up and settle on the safer side of the mother.

There was one particular baby which was absolutely adorable! I kept photographing him with his large sad-looking eyes.

We stopped at a mini mart to buy some snacks and an Endemic Beer for Craig. We went back to the hotel so that Sisa could get some rest.

We weren't sure how Sisa would handle her first night away from home. At her house, she hasn't yet started sleeping in her own bed. She has grown up sleeping with Rosa and her siblings. She can't fall asleep when she's alone. Our room had 2 double beds, and we asked Sisa if she wanted to sleep alone or with Achi Mama. As we expected, she wanted to sleep with me, so Craig got settled in the other bed.

She didn't mention being homesick; she just changed into pajamas and got settled into her bed and started writing in her travel journal. It was just about time for the lunar eclipse to start. Since Sisa was doing well, Craig stayed in the room with her and I went just outside our room and sat in a chair by the pool to watch the cosmic show.

There were a couple other guests outside watching with binoculars. We sat in silence observing the moon slowly be covered by the earth's shadow, as sea lions barked in the distance. My iPhone actually performed better than my Sony camera for capturing the spectacle.

Craig wasn't sure whether Sisa would want to go to bed before I returned, but once she was done writing in her journal and doing some word search puzzles we had brought for her, she turned to him, said "Buenas noches, Achi Taita", and turned out the light. We needn't have worried about her being homesick at bedtime; she was doing great!

As the eclipse reached totality (10:41 p.m.), I went back into the room. I got into bed with an already sleeping Sisa, and Craig went outside to enjoy the back half of the eclipse. At 11:15, he came inside. He told me to go outside and take a final look; that the blood moon was resembling its namesake. I got out of bed and went outside for one more peek. It was other-worldly. Unfortunately, neither my phone nor my camera could accurately capture the red glow it exuded while caught in the earth's shadow.

I got back into bed with Sisa and Craig slept in his bed. I was exhausted after a long, busy, satisfied day, but my brain was racing, reflecting back on all of the amazing events of the day. It was also warm in the room. Although Craig and I both desired more air conditioning, we wanted to make sure that Sisa was comfortable. She gets cold easily. Eventually I fell asleep.