![]() Let me start with this – the past few weeks have been hard, really hard. Any travel is challenging. Traveling long term can be even harder still. As we hit our official longest time on the road, we also hit a wall of travel fatigue. 67 consecutive days of travel quickly caught up with us. Eating out often, switching cities multiple times a week, hours spent sitting on buses, constantly researching new destinations. A city that we planned on stopping in for three days became two weeks as our bodies and minds demanded a break. This became even more necessary after an unexpected double-gut punch. On the morning we were set to leave for the Galapagos my grandfather passed away. Two days after we returned, my grandmother passed as well. Losing both in the span of two weeks, especially after not having seen them in three years, is tough. Dealing with loss is always a challenge. I am no stranger to this fact as I lost my paternal grandfather at the age of 14 and my father at the age of 21. Grief is horrible. It leaves you spinning, questioning if you did enough, how you spent or wasted your time with those lost. To get through the losses of these important men in my life, I spent a lot of time crying alone, or with my mom, listening to sad songs, eating comfort foods, and even getting a tattoo or two. Far away from home, my grieving process is different. Losing two of the most supportive and steady people in my life while 3,000 miles away has been a major challenge. Things are missing, my mom, my best friends, family I could share memories with, my favorite foods, my bed, photo albums, my little brother. Yes, I have Eric, and thank god for that. I think I would have flown home immediately after the loss of my grandfather had it not been for him. Fortunately, just before hearing the news of my grandmother, we had decided to stay put. I do not think I could have coped with packing my bags and moving to a new city on top of the emotions I was dealing with. Cuenca, Ecuador was the site of our three day turned two-week break from our travels. This city is ironically home to upwards of 4,000 American ex-pats, so we found good coffee and delicious, familiar food, like BREAKFAST. If you know me, you know I have a love affair with breakfast foods. For a few days, we did nothing more productive than watch Netflix, drink coffee, and do laundry. It was so nice to be able to just be. I feel like a jerk for complaining about this, but sometimes we just do not want to sightsee or take pictures or meet new people. We just want to feel like normal people who do things like talk to friends, cook a meal, fold clothes. And damn it felt good to fold clothes while watching TV. During our first full week, in addition to doing a lot of nothing, we visited a few sights. The highlights of which were the spectacular gardens and aviary at the Pumapungo Museum and the gallery of the famous Ecuadorian potter, Eduardo Vega, where I bought my second souvenir in two months. This week was capped off by a hike in Cajas National Park where we had to hitchhike a few times in different directions because we kept going to the wrong place, and scrambling up a mountain at 4,200m. Apparently in Ecuador, the fastest way to the top is straight up, with nary a switch-back in sight. Since I was still adjusting to the altitude and being back on solid ground after the Galapagos, this was challenging, but I felt so incredibly accomplished by the end. Week two was spent enrolled in another Spanish class where we jumped headfirst into multiple types of verb conjugations and added many more words to our ever-growing vocabulary. Most of our time became quickly occupied by this class as we had instruction four hours each day on top of homework and various other assignments. But we did find time to go to the Amaru Zoo, where we saw many exotic animals including ocelots, spectacled bears, various types of monkeys, and brightly colored parrots. Weirdly enough, a main sponsor of this zoo is Lewis and Clark College where I completed my master’s degree three years ago. Small world!
During our one weekend in Cuenca, Eric went climbing at in the nearby town of Cojitambo while I took some time to become acquainted with the various breakfast restaurants (Hashbrowns! Bagels! Eggs benedict!) and plan our Peru trip. Up to this point in our adventure we had not truly planned anything. It was more like, “that sounds cool, let’s do that.” But in light of the loss of my grandparents, we had to add some structure to our next few weeks of travel as I will be flying to Connecticut for their memorial services. Currently, we are about five days into our itinerary that we spent several days building and you know what, it’s kind of nice. It was built with flexibility of course, but it is comforting to look at our schedule and know where we are sleeping and what we are doing. It made it a bit more enjoyable to be able to wake up with a plan, and not have to spend hours figuring out what activities we should be partaking in. To get to Peru, we took what our guidebook called “the adventurous route.” This took three days and various modes of transportations to complete, but did end up being a memorable experience. From Cuenca, we had to take a bus 7 hours due south to Loja, where we picked up a 1-hour transfer to the village of Vilcabamba. We spent one night here (our last in Ecuador) and were sent off with a crazy festival that involved projectile fireworks being shot into crowds of people and a burning effigy. The next morning at 6am, while the band from the previous night still played, we caught another 7-hour bus straight to the border. Here we checked out of Ecuador, walked across the bridge into Peru, and had to wait an hour for the one border guard to finish lunch before we could get our passports stamped. Then it was another hour ride in a station wagon, passing missing sections of the highway due to landslide, avoiding oxen, horses, cows, children, sidewalks full of beans, and donkeys along the way. Then another two hours in a minivan, followed by a moto-taxi ride clutching our backpacks, to a hostel for the night. Somehow in the span of 9 hours in the humid town of Jaen, I earned dozens of mosquito bites that I am still itching. The next morning, we caught another minivan to another minivan, which after five hours total and dozens of windy roads, we made it to our first real Peru destination of Chachapoyas. Though the ride was long, and involved a lot of steps, the scenery was stunning. Going from small mountain villages, to fields full of rice paddies, into the Amazon, and back up to the Andes afforded us spectacular scenery for the entire action packed three-day journey. In Chachapoyas, we visited the ruins of Kuelap and hiked to Gocta waterfall. Kuelap is a former indigenous village, set 3,000-meters on top of a mountain, that was conquered by Incans around 1450 and then Spaniards about one hundred years later. These ruins are surrounded by a large retaining wall made of limestone quarried from the nearby peaks, and filled with the remains of hundreds of circular dwellings. It was quite the sight to be seen, especially since we had to take a 4km cable car ride over a deep valley to access it. On the second day, we hiked to Gocta waterfall, which is either the 3rd or 12th highest in the world (much controversy in the waterfall measuring world) at 771 meters. This was spectacular, despite the rain that surprised us halfway along the hike. The entire time I was gawking at the mountains and forests around me, trying not to trip over my feet. I truly cannot come up with the words to describe it. The day was capped off with a stunningly huge double rainbow spanning the valley as we drove back to town. Currently we are sitting in the coastal town of Huanchaco, enjoying the ocean and little bit of sunshine after a 14-hour night bus. Though it is overcast, and the water is too cold (for me) to swim in, I am at peace. As an Oregonian, I know the coast it not for swimming, it’s for wrapping up in a sweater and staring out at the waves, with a cup of coffee in hand. Peru has so far been good to us, and I am excited for what is to come.
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I remember learning about the Galapagos Islands in freshman biology class, way back in 2003. We looked at pictures of little birds, big tortoises, and a bearded old man. Since then I dreamed of visiting, as I’m sure all life science students do. Over the years, studying evolution in college, reading non-fiction texts, and teaching about the area I have grown more and more infatuated with the place. Though, funny story, when planning this trip to South America, I forgot that they were here. In the spring when I was giving a lesson on Darwin and finches, a student raised their hand asking, “Ms. Fuller, are you going to visit the Galapagos on your trip?” Since that helpful reminder from a lovely freshman in my biology class, my fervor was reinvigorated. In the days leading up to the trip, I grew more and more excited. I was finally going to the place that, in part, spurred my love of biology. The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands, 560 miles west of Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean. Though most of us know the islands as a biological mecca, made famous because of a visit by Charles Darwin in 1835, there is much more to their history. Since their formation some 8 million years ago, the islands have served as a respite for whalers, a pirate’s hideout, a prison for Ecuador’s most notorious criminals, a refuge for Europeans seeking a simpler life, and a WWII military base. However, since 1959, the entire area has been declared a national park and marine reserve to preserve the unique flora and fauna found only here. As such there are many hoops to jump through to be allowed to visit this fragile ecosystem. At the airport, we had to register for a tourist card, have our bags searched (to prevent bringing in any foreign biological materials or seeds), and all of our bags were sprayed with insecticide on the plane. Once on the islands we had to walk across a mat to cleanse our shoes, pay a $100 park entrance fee – to be used for conservation efforts, and allow a dog to crawl across all our luggage in search of contraband. Though this was a bit of a headache (especially since we got up at 3AM for our flight), it is reassuring to know that these measures are in place to protect this special place. To get everything we possibly could out of our time on the islands, Eric and I opted to take a cruise. Albeit this is the most expensive way to see everything (versus self-organized or land based tours), it allowed us the opportunity to meet amazing people and see places only accessible by cruise. The adventure started with us somehow flying first class across the Pacific, to be greeted by our amazing guide Juan at the airport. From there our group of 6 set off to the highlands of Santa Cruz to see the giant tortoises in their native habitat. Along the way we were anticipating seeing a handful of these large creatures. When our bus passed one next to the road, everyone in the group ran to the window, squealing in glee, taking dozens of photos. Upon arrival, we were stunned to see upwards of 60 of these majestic, dinosaur-esque behemoths wandering through the fields and lounging in muddy ponds. Eric and I were squelching around in our rain boots from one tortoise to the other, grinning from ear to ear. It was quite a sight. Afterwards we went to the Charles Darwin Research Center to see hundreds more tortoises, of seemingly every age and species. Throughout the islands there are two main body types of tortoise, saddle and dome, with ten unique species. At the center we saw some of each type, including the remains of Lonesome George – the last of his species. From here we had some free time in town before going to the M/S Cachalote, where we would spend the next seven nights. The Cachalote is a two-mast, wood-paneled, 83-foot sailboat, with room for sixteen passengers and seven crew members. As it was low season, we started with six passengers, adding two more on the third day. Having this size group was ideal as we could move to and from the ship in only one panga (dingy/small rubber boat) allowing for more time for our activities, and were always in the boat with our guide. Each day the itinerary included one to two new islands, at least one snorkeling experience, two hikes, and three family-style meals, plus snacks. The crew was phenomenal, friendly, and hilarious. Over the course of eight days we snorkeled 7 times, took 13 hikes, visited 9 islands, saw over 100 species, and probably gained a few pounds. Here are the highlights:
The last day took us on a quick panga ride through Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz, a mangrove forest that serves as a nursery for many sea creatures. From the boat, we saw sharks, rays, fish, turtles, and birds. It was a wonderful way to finish the journey. After our cruise ended and we said our goodbyes to the crew and our new friends, we continued on to Isabela to spend a few days before returning to the mainland. Unfortunately, this was a mostly sour experience for us. We were not able to get on a boat to the island that afternoon, even though we had paid for one. This meant we had to cancel reservations and make new ones, spending an afternoon/night in Puerto Ayora using the slow internet and catching up on some sleep. The next morning at 6 AM, we went through another boat hiccup, but finally made it to Isabela. We were so exhausted from an early wakeup and a rough journey that we ended up sleeping most of the day. In the afternoon, we rode bikes to a few more sites, viewing a couple of flamingos and tortoises and the ever present marina iguanas along the way. As the next day was our last in the islands we decided we would go on two tours, one at 6:45 AM to see the nearby Sierra Negra volcano, to be immediately followed by a snorkeling trip. After booking these and cooking dinner, we went to bed, only to be woken up at 1:15 AM for an unexpected surprise. The following is my internal monologue/narration from the event: Bang. What was that? Bang bang bang. Are those alarms? What’s happening? The door opens to a cacophony of sirens and a man yelling in Spanish. We leave the room, seeing fire trucks, hearing screaming alarms, ringing church bells, pots and pans clanging. Is the hotel on fire? Others join us in the street, standing around in pajamas with confused looks on our faces. Warm clothes they say. Two blocks away. We need to get higher. Frantically pulling on jackets and pants. Grabbing passports and a bottle of water as we run out the door. What’s happening? A passing bus stops, yelling for us to jump on. We drive past a huge group of people standing in the road, wrapped in blankets, carrying suitcases. I sit, literally shaking with fear, terror coursing through my veins. What the hell is happening? Minutes later, still driving, we finally hear the word: tsunami. The bus leaves us at a restaurant with dozens of people, more coming every second. A woman who speaks English told us the situation. An earthquake hit Mexico and all of the Pacific is under a tsunami watch, with a high likelihood of our area being hit. So, we sit, and we wait. And we wait. No wi-fi, no cell service, no English, no news. So, we wait. After a few hours, and several different stories, we are finally cleared to return to the hotel. We load this time into the back of a cattle car, standing room only, to be dropped off back where we started. Stumbling, bleary eyed into bed, we set the alarm for 65 minutes. We’ve got a tour starting soon. As of now, after 10 days in the Galapagos the most memorable experience was our tsunami evacuation. For what felt like a long time, all I knew was that there was some emergency and I was being impacted by it. I was terrified, literally shaking with adrenalin, trying to think of a time when I had been more scared. Thankfully, the residents of Isabela Island are used to this, and there was some sort of procedure in place to get everyone to high ground, gringos included. It was also amazing to see so many people come together to make sure everyone got to safety. The evacuation vehicles included school busses, pickup trucks, motorcycles, cattle cars, and dump trucks. In times of need, you gotta use what you have. Though this was a scary way to spend the night, and there was no impact on any of the Galapagos Islands, it was better than the alternative. In short, the Galapagos (with the exception of about 5 hours) was simply amazing. As a biology student and teacher, it felt like walking through a textbook, to a mythical land I had only ever read about. All week we were graced with the presence of stunning vistas, dozens of different species of plant and animals, and the feeling of literally witnessing evolution take place. The second we stepped off the plane in Baltra, I saw a finch. In this moment my heart swelled, knowing that I would finally get to see those funny little birds that changed the face of science and set me on my course of study. Species Seen:
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AuthorJust two kids out exploring this big world of ours. Archives
September 2017
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