May 1, 2019
I had about $30 worth of pesos that I needed to use up before
our flight. Then, it increased to $50 because we received tax reimbursement
from the airline! How cool! But also annoying because they wouldn’t
reimburse using dollars, so now I needed to spend a lottt of money. That was
probably their tactic all along. “Save” tax money but then re-enter it into the
system at the airport. So sneaky. We went through security no problem and then
it was time for my SHOPPING SPREEE. I bought a few things for Brittney because
she exchanged all her pesos for dollars. It worked out well because then I just
subtracted it from what I owed her and also got rid of my pesos!
We landed around 4:15pm, hailed an Uber, grabbed the keys
from the doorman, and then headed up to the 5th floor of the
building. We opened the door to the apartment and we were baffled by how large it
was and the view from the dinning area! There was SOOOO much space! FREEDOMMM!
In reality, it was a small apartment, but to us, after being squished in a tiny
room in Medellin with hardly any space to put our clothes/luggage, we felt like
we now lived in a mansion. We immediately unpacked our entire suitcases and
sprawled everything out, just because we could. It was the best feeling. After
a while of soaking in our wondrous new place and its city/mountain views, we
called an Uber for dinner. We went to Bandidos del Paramo which was a brew pub!
They had delicious pizza and delicious beer. It was the perfect choice after
flying all day. I decided to do a load of laundry after dinner because most of
my clothes were dirty. Maria (our host) told us that the laundry machine was
located on the 9th floor and we needed a special key to access it. I
took the special key from the drawer in the bedroom and then headed up to the
9th floor. When the doors of the elevator opened, it was pitch black. I
nervously walked out and tried to figure out where I should go. I turned to a
door to my right and used my phone as flashlight. It was super creepy. Then I
heard the elevator operating again and someone was arriving on the 9th
floor! Cue freak out mode! I was in no state to be welcomed by a murderer or another
human being. I imagined I was in a horror movie and this is when a person with
a chainsaw would arrive. The doors opened and I jumped back a bit as a lady
emerged from the light. I worked up the courage to ask her where the laundry
was and she pointed around the corner. I walked around the corner and there was
a beautiful view of the city from the terrace! My nightmare was slowly getting
better. But then I had to walk down a dark alley on the rooftop and I couldn’t
see a thing. I used my phone as a flashlight again and I noticed a bunch of
doors that looked like entrances to a prison cell or gas chamber. It was so
creepy!! Eventually I found the corresponding door to my key and I prayed
nothing would jump out at me as I opened it. Thankfully all was fine and I
threw my clothes into the washer. What an adventure! It would have been a much
better experience if I had waited until morning when everything was light
outside haha.
Quito is lovely so far! The views of the mountains all
around us are incredible and many people have been overly nice to us.
May 2, 2019
Today we decided to do the Free Walking Tour which started
at 10:30am. The meeting point was at a hostel which proved very helpful for
receiving other recommendations for our time in Quito. Our guide was pretty
funny and he LOVED food. He told us about all the different food we should try.
He also mentioned that Ecuadorians loooove sugar and that they basically add it
to everything. Below are some facts about Quito that we learned during the
walking tour.
- Abdallah became president in 1996 and he had a nickname of El Loco. Congress kicked him out because they deemed him mentally insane. Before he left, he took a bunch of money (sucres) from the bank and sought asylum in Panama. He returned a year ago because the current president allowed him to return. That’s why many people don’t like the current president.
- From 2002-2012, Quito had 8 presidents over the course 10 years. If the Ecuadorians were not happy with one, they would have him removed - it showed how difficult it could be to please the Ecuadorian people.
- Main export was cacao for chocolate/cocaine. In the 1920s there was a plague and the exportation decreased by 50% which caused an economic crisis. In response, the government decided to print cash like crazy. This solved the problem temporarily. Then there was an oil boom in 1970 which helped the economy even more. However, in 1990 the oil prices dropped and then in 1998 there was a world economic crisis. The president in 1999 decided to switch to US dollars since it was a strong currency, so he sparked the dollarization program. Everyone immediately traded their sucres (Ecuadorian money) for US dollars. This reduced the value of sucres so much that many banks went bankrupt. The government closed the banks for one week to help recover the economy. People couldn’t access their money for one week. Ecuador paid the US Federal Reserve to make specific Ecuadorian coins. They chose dollar coins rather than bills because coins could last 20 years rather than the 5 year lifespan of a $1 bill.
- Ecuador is 3rd largest exporter of oil, first largest exporter of bananas, and second largest exporter of roses
- The government subsidizes electricity, public transportation, fuel, etc.
May 3, 2019
Britt and I woke up early today so we could do a day trip to
Otavalo. We left the apartment at 8am and took an Uber to the North Bus
Terminal, Carcelen. The driver asked me to sit in front so I did and then I
asked him if Uber was illegal (since typically that is why someone requests you
sit in front). He said that is was legal and I replied “Ok. I asked because in
some other countries it isn’t legal.” He was a jerky driver as in he would stop
and start very abruptly. We arrived at the terminal after 30 minutes and the
driver mentioned he needed to drive passed the police a little bit before
dropping us off. You sure Uber is legal, dude? We hopped out and then walked
toward the ticket booth. A police officer came running up to us and asked in
Spanish if we used Uber or Cabify for our ride. We tried our best to lie for
our driver and said Cabify, but then he asked a couple more questions like “did
you pay in exact change” and “where did you get picked up.” I let Brittney
answer the questions because I am a bad liar. The officer thanked us and then
went on his way. I felt like we helped the driver, but Britt thought we got him
into trouble. I guess we’ll never know for sure but the driver should have been
smarter about it. He could have told us the truth from the get-go and dropped
us off a block or two away from the station. Oh well. I bought us two bus tickets
to Otavalo with a $20 bill and so I needed $14.60 back in change. The attendant
pointed us away and I tried asking him in Spanish for my change. He kept
motioning us away and so we tried to find a cashier of some kind. We asked a
few people on the street and they pointed in different directions. Ah geez.
Eventually someone told us it was near the buses. We walked to the buses and we
were still confused about what to do. We asked a guy in the bus line where to
get the change and he said on the bus. Ok, we’re making progress! As we
approached the bus doors a guy yelled at us “passport numbers and names!” in
English. It came off abrasive but I think he was just trying to help and also
practice his English. We continued to show people my little slip of paper that
said $14.60 on it but had no luck figuring out what to do. Donde está mi
cambio?! The bus driver also motioned us back to the seats so we sat down. I
guess I should say goodbye to my change. The guy who yelled at us earlier got
up in front of everyone and tried to sell language books. He also pulled out
two small puppies from his bag. Oh my gosh, what?! How long have they been in
there? They looked so scared! He obviously was using them as a tactic to get
more sympathy and more money. I tried not to think about it. He then tried to
prove to the rest of the bus that he could speak English by talking to me and
Brittney a little bit. It was funny because she and I would only reply in
Spanish. He also asked where we were from and once we said Colorado he said “Ah
the Gran Cañon!” Facepalm. Not another one! Do we have to educate the entire
continent of South America? We asked him where to get my change and he said
someone would walk through the bus to check tickets and give us change then. I
felt a little better after that. There was a guy who sat across the isle from
us who was a character. He had a maniacal laugh and made weird comments to
himself. He then shouted “Pelicula, pelicula!” While banging his fists on his
knees. It was hilarious. The driver listened to him because then a movie
started playing. The guy clapped and smiled. So funny. He made several comments
throughout the movie too as if he was talking to the characters.
After perusing the Otavalo Market (which is the largest
market in South America), we stumbled upon a wonderful place for lunch called
Buena Vista. It had a second floor terrace with a view over the market and also
a view of the mountains nearby. It was a little pricier than we hoped
(comparable to US prices), but it was still a nice choice. I asked the waitress
what the best way to Laguna Cuicocha was and she said by bus then taxi. I then
asked her if we could just do taxi all the way to remove a leg of the trip. She
said yes and then offered to call her friend who drives a taxi to take us
there. So nice of her! The guy picked Britt and I up around 1pm which got us to
the Laguna around 1:30pm.
I didn’t realize it beforehand, but the Laguna was created
by a volcanic eruption 3000 years ago! The two islands in the center were
immense, but not as immense as the cliffs that enclosed them. The hiking trail
was essentially a big circle that went along the rim of the lake. We were told
it would take 5 hours to hike the entire thing, which was time we didn’t have,
so we had to choose one side or the other for an out-and-back hike: clockwise
or counterclockwise. I walked to the entrance booth to grab a map and then we
decided to go counterclockwise. Boy were we glad we did! The views were insane!
It was definitely the steeper side, but we could see volcanoes and mountains on
our right and the lake on our left. Both sides had such outstanding views that
it was hard to concentrate on one or the other. Our heads were constantly
swiveling back and forth to absorb it all. It was pretty windy and cold, but
thankfully we packed warm clothing to wear. It didn’t rain until we finished
the hike which was a miracle. The sun and blue sky were peaking out in the
distance, but where we were was pretty cloudy. I can only imagine how gorgeous
the views would be on a sunny day! We hiked the trail for about an hour and
then hiked back. There were also many different types of wildflowers to admire.
I felt more lightheaded by the time we turned around and I also had a runny
nose. I was worried I was going to get sick or feel worse tomorrow. We hiked to
about 11,500’. It was so crazy to think we hiked among volcanos! That doesn’t
happen everyday, that’s for sure. It was definitely a memorable hike. And the
path was so high above the lake that sometimes my fear of heights struck. After
the hike we walked to the boat dock and took a 30 minute boat ride around the
islands! It was neat to get the perspective from above and then the perspective
from water level. The cliffs seemed even more ginormous than they did before. The
boat ride was only $3 which was incredible. It started raining at this point
but the boat had a cover so that helped. We traveled between the two large
islands through some lake grass which reminded me of my Amazon canoe ride in
2014. We exited the boat around 4:15pm and waited for our friend the cab driver
to pick us up at 4:45pm. He was about 10 minutes late which was lame because we
stood out in the rain. He dropped us off at the bus terminal in Otavalo around
5:20pm.
After trying Guatita (cow stomach) for dinner at the Otavalo
station, we hailed a taxi and arrived at our place around 8:30pm (Guatita
actually didn’t taste bad, but just the idea of it being cow stomach made me
uneasy). We went out to Salsoteca Lavoe and danced for a bit. There were lots
of people there and the space was pretty neat. There was a big dance floor with
a stage and small lounge areas on the sides. Some of the guys were really good!
There was one guy in particular with an epic mustache who led me into moves I
had never done before. I was super impressed! Around 11:30pm we left and then
fell asleep around midnight. Today was a loong but successful day! Britt is
planning to hike the teleferiqo/volcano tomorrow and I plan to relax and do
hardly anything haha. She said she didn’t want to go to the futbol match so I’m
going to go solo.
May 4, 2019
I did another load of laundry because my jackets were dirty
and that finished up around 10:30am. Brittney left around 10am to hike the
volcano/mountain at the teleferiqo. Apparently it takes 5 hours to complete! So
intense. Best of luck to her. When it was time for the futbol match, I called
an Uber, ended up making friends with the driver, and now he’s my personal
driver haha. He said he would pick me up at the same spot outside the stadium
once the match was over. He was so nice! Outside the stadium was bustling with
people! I had no idea there was such spirit for Ecuadorian matches. Diego in
Bogota made it sound like no one attended the matches. I searched for food and
as I did so, my light headedness came back. Uh oh. I was worried that something
would happen. Of course, when I’m by myself this happens. I grabbed some street
food, scarfed it down, bought a $9 ticket, and then entered the stadium. It was
an interesting set up! The ends behind the goal were very tall and almost full
of people. The sideline sections were half general seating and half private VIP
boxes. It made it look like the stadium was more full than it actually was. The
energy inside the stadium was electric! I was pleasantly surprised. And both
teams were really good. It made for a great match. The hooligan sections would
sometimes have mosh pits and get really rowdy. It was a fun atmosphere and the
entire stadium yelled many different chants. At halftime I asked a lady selling
merchandise if she sold scarves and she said only people on the streets sell
them so I would need to buy it outside the stadium. Noted! Also, during
halftime, a marching band performed! I was geeking out hard and getting
nostalgia from my marching band days. They also had big balloon/blow up company
ads and one was a bottle of beer. But the beer didn’t inflate correctly, so it
just laid on the ground. Go home, beer! You’re drunk! The match continued to be
exciting after halftime and it ended in a tie: 1-1. It was so fun! I think it
is in my top 3 futbol experiences in South America! First being Atletico
Nacional and 2nd being Palmeiras. I left about 5 minutes early to
buy a scarf and then met up with my private driver. We had a fun discussion on
the way home.
I arrived back around 8pm and Brittney had been in the
apartment for about two hours. She looked tired and sunburned, but thankfully
she was still willing to go to a brewery for dinner and drinks. We took an Uber
to Santa Rose Brewery and as soon as we walked in I already felt good about the
place. It felt like a typical Colorado brewery and they had many beers to
choose from. We ordered food and I ordered a beer while Britt ordered a water.
She wasn’t feeling too well. She told me about her crazy adventure trying to
reach the summit of the mountain/volcano (15,000+ feet) at
the teleferiqo. It sounded awful! She said it was the most mentally challenging
thing she has ever done and she even broke down and cried at one point.
Apparently, there are sections that are super steep and scary and almost
impossible to complete. Thankfully, an Ecuadorian girl saw her crying and
helped her to the peak by encouraging her every step of the way. Again, another
display of kindness by an Ecuadorian. As Brittney told me the story, I could
see her shaking. It was very obvious this experience took a toll on her. She
said she wasn’t feeling well and she hoped it would go away before her
adventure to Cotopaxi volcano tomorrow. We stayed at the brewery for about an
hour and a half and then headed home to go to bed. Tomorrow I’m thinking of
doing the teleferiqo but definitely NOT the entire hike like Britt did. She is
planning to leave at 6:30am for Cotopaxi. Today was very nice! I like relaxing
every now and then.
May 5, 2019
Today Brittney went on the Cotopaxi bike/hike day tour and I
explored the mountain at the top of the teleferiqo. I called an Uber around
9:45am, arrived at the teleferiqo, and rode to the top. I felt a little uneasy
at the bottom and so I was wondering if it was a good idea for me to head to
the top. I decided to go for it, and everything turned out fine. I felt
unbalanced most of the time, but not as bad as yesterday. There were TONS of
people with intense hiking gear. It was intimidating. There is an option to
hike all the way to the summit which is close to 15,500’. From Brittney’s story
yesterday it seemed like hiking gear, and even crampons, would be necessary to
climb to the top. When I exited the cable car, I could see the main mountain,
but the summit was in the clouds. That was also intimidating. I first walked to
the left to see an amazing sight below me. The entire city of Quito was below
and green, lush mountains surrounded it. The sky was mostly blue with a bunch
of fluffy clouds which made it even more picturesque. The clouds were so close
I felt like I could touch them! At this point I think I was close to 12,900’. A
guy nearby was playing the panpipes which gave it an even cooler vibe. I then
hiked the trail to the far right which provided stunning views for miles. I was
seriously hiking along the edge of a giant mountain as the city lay below. I
could not get enough of the views, they were indescribable. About a half mile
into the hike, there was a giant swing that people could use to seem as if they
were swinging over the side of the mountain. Of course, this was a huge tourist
draw and many people took pictures of themselves on the swing. Two girls behind
me asked in English if I wanted my photo taken and I happily accepted. I then
found out that they lived in Portland, Oregon but are originally from Colorado.
Small world! The girl took a few photos and a video of me, but she didn’t have
a great angle so they didn’t turn out too well. Drats. I continued hiking and
spotted some horseback riders and little opportunities for photo ops like
staged llamas and ponchos. I was very tempted to stop. I hiked about a mile
more and then turned around. I didn’t want to push my limits too much, and the
views the entire way were amazing, so I felt I got my full experience. I
stopped at the swing again on the way back and observed a girl taking AWESOME
photos of her friend. I asked her in Spanish if she could also take my photo
and mentioned that it seemed like she took really great ones. She laughed and
said of course. I had her take some with my back toward her and then facing
her. When it was all over, I looked over the photos and they were BOMB! Like
seriously amazing. The colors were fantastic too. I touched her arm and thanked
her profusely while telling her that my other photographer was “muy mal.” She
and her friends laughed. I’m SO glad I got other photos. They were like night
and day difference. I rode the teleferiqo back down around 12:30pm. As I exited
at the bottom, I noticed there were wayyy more people trying to go up - the
line was out the door. I was so happy that I went earlier. I then grabbed a
taxi back to the apartment.
Around 6:30pm Brittney came back to the apartment and asked
if a guy from the Cotopaxi group could join us for dinner. I said of course and
then we headed to Quito Beer Pub for dinner and drinks. It didn’t have a great
selection of beers because they had run out of the ones I would have liked, but
it was ok because they constantly played Backstreet Boys! It was like they
inserted the CD and let it run. It was funny. Britt and I exchanged stories
from our day’s activities and then William (who was from South Africa) joined
us. He looked really young! And kinda like an NSYNC singer with bleach blonde
hair. He was 23 but he acted very mature and he was very intelligent. We
discussed politics and also transportation engineering! He got a kick out of my
excitement for transportation design and kept asking me really good questions.
We had some pleasant conversation for about an hour and then we walked to
another place. We ended up at a TexMex place, had some more laughs, and then we
parted ways around 10:30pm. Brittney heads to Baños early tomorrow morning for
two days and I plan to take it easy again. The only main item on my itinerary
is see the changing of the guard in front of the Presidential Palace at 11am.
I’m pretty stoked about it.
May 6, 2019
Brittney left at 6am for the Baños trip and I slept in until
8am. I then headed to Plaza Grande for the Changing of the Guards ceremony. I
didn’t know exactly where to stand or where the best view was, so I just
followed the lead of other people. I stood on a planter bed in front of the
Presidential Palace which ended up being a great spot. The ceremony started
right at 11am and there were many people in colorful uniforms holding flags or
sabers. I also saw a few men on horseback trotting around before the ceremony
officially started. I had a feeling it was going to be impressive! The
president and some other people walked out onto the balcony and waved. It was a
big deal because according to our tour guide on Thursday, the president hadn’t
come out in a few months since the people didn’t like him at the moment. Then a
band started marching through the building and out onto the plaza! It sent shivers
down my spine. After the band marched by, more men in uniforms with sabers, big
drums, or flags appeared. The band circled the Statue of Independence as the
men on horses trotted around them. Everyone in the plaza then sang the national
anthem which may have been my favorite part. Their voices resounded very loudly
and proudly. Then the main guard with a large saber spoke some words into his
microphone and handed off the saber to the new guard. It was really cool.
Shortly after this, all the participating members marched out of the plaza. In
total it was about 30 minutes long. The whole ceremony was very elaborate. I
had an idea of what was going to happen from reading articles online, but it
truly blew me away. I was so glad that I went!
For the rest of the day, I simply wandered around the
apartment, exploring new areas and plazas. Mom messaged me saying her flight
was delayed so instead of arriving tonight at 10:30pm, she doesn’t get in until
11:30pm. Around midnight I called her to see what her status was. We had
discussed that she would take an Uber to the Airbnb since it was the safest
method. What ended up happening was she got into a plain white car with a
driver who claimed he was a taxi driver. I was freaking out! Thankfully
everything worked out ok and Mom made it safely to the apartment. Bullet
dodged!
May 7, 2019
Mom and I woke up around 8:30am so that we could travel to
the Middle of the World! This is where the equator passes through Ecuador and
you can stand in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. I had prearranged
Geovany (Uber driver from the futbol match) to pick us up at 9:30am. He and I
chatted in the car a bit in Spanish and we arrived around 11am because there
was a little bit of traffic. We bought our tickets and walked through the
little village that had been built for this grand tourist destination. I had
read online that this massive attraction wasn’t actually the middle of the
world anymore. At the time the monument was built, people thought it was the
middle, but after GPS was invented, they discovered that the actual equator was
about 500 meters away. Despite this reveal of the truth, they kept the monument
and everything else where it was and built a small museum where the actual
equator is. We first grabbed some food and then made our way to the tall
monument. It was extremely impressive. Especially since the area around it was
cleared and level which made it look even more menacing. There was a painted
yellow line that supposedly marked the equator. There weren’t too many people
around which made the experience more enjoyable. It was a large place with
maybe 30+ shops/cafes so we knew that normally it gets packed. We walked back
to the giant monument and I attempted the “balance an egg on a nail” challenge.
It was really tough! But as I moved it slowly, bit by bit, I could feel the
weight shifting and then all of a sudden, it locked in place! It was so cool!
Feeling super proud of myself, I took several selfies with my egg.
Next we asked a worker where the Intiñan Museum was because
that’s where the real equator is located. It was a little challenging to find
because it was outside the limits of the touristy place. We walked up and it
seemed deserted. Then someone approached us and charged us $8 for entrance
fees. After that we were pointed to a tour guide. Sweet! The tour guide walked
us among many straw huts and other native elements. Then she guided us to the
real equator line (also a line marked on the ground) where she showed us
certain phenomenons. For instance, when you fill a sink with water on the
equator and then release the plug, the water falls straight down! When you
place the same sink north of the line (Northern Hemisphere) the water empties
in a clockwise spiral. When you place the same sink south of the line (Southern
Hemisphere) the water empties in a counterclockwise spiral. It was so epic!!
She told us this is the reason why Ecuador doesn’t have tornadoes or hurricanes
- the two forces of centrifugal and centripetal cancel each other out. She also
told us that on the equator, we weighed 10kg less than normal. Score! Best
weight loss program ever. The egg challenge was set up at the real equator as
well and I was the only one in our group of 4 to complete it. They even gave me
a certificate for it! The guide was impressed. The next activity was to walk in
a straight line along the equator with our eyes closed. It was extremely
difficult! You could feel your body being pulled one way or the other so it was
tough to stand up straight. All these activities were so fun and enlightening
which made the real equator experience a much better one than the big touristy
monument area. Our guide also showed us the solar clock which casted a small
shadow on a stone face. There were two sides to the vertical stone - one for Winter/Spring,
and one for Summer/Fall. So depending on the time of year, the small shadow of
the nail would fall on one side and the other side would be in total shadow. It
was fascinating. It was slightly off from our phones and she explained it was
because we actually have 23 hours and 56 minutes in a day rather than 24 hours.
Hence why we had a leap year. We wrapped up the tour around 2pm and headed back
to Quito. The real equator experience was so much better than the touristy one
and it’s a shame it’s not highlighted or advertised more.
We decided to go to Basilica Voto Nacional because through
my research I had read that you could drink a beer in one of the towers! We
bought our tickets to climb the stairs in the tower and I was a little scared
at first but overall it was fine. Mom got a little jittery too. We made it to
the top and the view out on the ledge was outstanding. You could see the city
below and mountains in the distance. We were up pretty high, so I just kept
telling myself not to look down. You could also see the Virgin of Quito atop
Panecillo hill. Mom clung to the wall which I found comical. This must be how
other people feel when they watch me freak out! We walked back inside the
building and saw numerous stain glass windows. They were beautiful. We decided
to ask a staff member where the beer cafe may be and she pointed us up a
different set of stairs in the “exit tower.” We climbed one more flight of
stairs and then Viola! We saw the cafe. It had windows with amazing views over
the city! We quickly ordered our beers and then enjoyed the views at a tiny
table near a window. It was picture perfect. Drink beer in a church...check!
After this we walked down several flights of stairs in the “exit tower” and out
onto the streets. Such a unique experience!
We did a pub crawl for a couple hours and then returned back
to the apartment at 8:30pm. Brittney arrives later tonight from Baños, but I
think we’ll already be asleep. We need to wake up at 6am tomorrow for a 6:30pm
departure. Galapagos here we come!
May 8, 2019
Mom and I left the apartment at 6:50am to catch our flight
(Brittney left earlier, around 3am). We landed in Baltra/Galapagos right on
time at 11:30am (gained an hour from time difference) despite a late takeoff
from Quito. As soon as we stepped off the plane, the humidity and heat smacked
us in the face. We then were hoarded into a line where we had to pay our $100
each National Park fee, have our transit cards checked (thankfully the travel
agency had purchased them for us already), and have our carry-on luggage
screened. It was a long process. They also informed us to throw away any
plastic items (like water bottles) since they are prohibited on the island.
Everyone’s luggage was piled upon a long bench and then the staff used dogs to
sniff all of them. Oh, also during the flight, the stewardess came by and
sprayed everyone’s luggage in the overhead compartments with some sort of
disinfectant. This was to prevent the spread of any insects or pests or other
invasive species that could have been attached to the luggage. We waited a good
15 minutes for the dogs to do their thing. Everyone was told to stand behind a
yellow line on the floor. Once the dogs were done, the staff gave us a signal
that we could grab our stuff. It was funny because it was like the gates had
been lifted and the hoard was set free. FREE FOR ALL!!! Not really, but it felt
like that. Since our Airbnb host said she would have a taxi waiting for us, I
figured we wouldn’t need to buy the bus ticket like everyone else. Welp, that
turned out to be fake news. The taxi driver, Marco, was there, but he said we
had to buy bus tickets and then take a boat in order to reach his taxi. Aww
man. I started speaking to him in Spanish so then he only spoke Spanish from
then on which was awesome.
We rode the bus with all the other happy tourists and at one
point, one of the guides pointed out the window and said, “Get your cameras
ready!!” We got all excited and everyone was rushing to pull out their cameras.
The guide pointed to the left and some people started taking pictures like
crazy while others just looked around confused. Mom and I were part of the
latter group. What exactly are we looking at? Water? It was simply a vista of
the island coast which wasn’t too spectacular. Even some person behind us said,
“Umm what are we taking a picture of?” Then some other person responded,
“Whatever you want to take a picture of I guess.” It was hilarious that so many
people got excited to take photos when nothing incredible was there. Mom and I
figured we would see some sort of crazy cool animal. After this comical
experience we exited the bus and loaded a small boat. The boat ride took about
5 minutes and then finally we hopped into Marco’s taxi/truck. Yeah, taxis in
Galapagos are white pickup trucks rather than yellow taxis. Pretty sweet.
We arrived at the apartment at 1:30pm and we wanted to do a
short hike to a Tortuga Bay based on our host’s recommendation. The host
mentioned that the trail closed at 6pm. Plenty of time! We stopped by a quaint
restaurant about a 5 minute walk from our place. It was fully outside,
including the kitchen, but everything was covered by an awning. There were a
few cute date tables with flowers and then other larger, wooden tables. We
ordered our food thinking it wouldn’t take too long, but we ended up waiting an
hour! They were literally making everything from scratch. Mom saw something
“con queso” on the menu and wanted to test it out. I mentioned after she
ordered that it may be like the plantains with cheese she ordered yesterday
which she didn’t like. She got all riled up in a comical way saying “Oh my gosh
you’re probably right! Oh my god!” We waited for the plate to be served and
wouldn’t you know it, they were plantains haha. The word changes for plantain with
almost every menu so it’s hard to know for sure what it is. We got a good kick
out of that. I received my ceviche and rice and Mom got her chicken and rice.
Everything was absolutely delicious! It was worth the wait, but we were a
little worried we were cutting time close for the hike. It was 3pm when we paid
for the meal and then we hoofed it back to the apartment. Thankfully the
trailhead for Tortuga Bay was close to our place. It was about a 5 minute walk.
Once we reached the ranger booth at 3:30pm, the lady told us the trail closed
at 5pm. Say what?! We better book it then! We literally sped walked the entire
1.5km which was a struggle for both of us. However, there were actually other
people who passed us! So they were basically sprinting. As we ran, little
colorful lizards scurried around on the path. It was so neat! At 3:50pm we made
it to the bay and it was stunning! The water was so clear and teal and the
white sand next to it made it look like a painting. We still had some distance
to go to make it to a smaller bay that apparently had hammerhead sharks and
good snorkeling. We briskly walked along the beach and the damp sand near the
water felt so smooth! It was the softest sand I had ever felt. We eventually
made it to the smaller bay at 4:05pm. We looked into the water and immediately
saw a baby shark! Holy smokes! We walked further down and I worked up the
courage to go swimming, trying to forget about the sharks. I then saw one
swimming around me so I freaked out and decided I was done swimming. First day
in Galapagos: swim with sharks...check. We walked back to the main bay where
there were waves and mangroves. It was so gorgeous. Along the beach were large
pieces of black driftwood. No wait, those were marine iguanas!! They were all
sleeping in the most awkward position. It looked like they were planking - arms
flat, legs flat. I jumped into the gorgeous teal water and took in all the
sights. There was a small mangrove next to me, a pelican on top of a rock
nearby, small silver fish swimming below the water surface, and...a sea lion!
It was flopping all around in the distance. I did get the sense that this
island was magical. Just with all the different species appearing out of thin
air. Once I had my fill, I walked back to shore but along the way I saw a small
shark! Wahh! I had to jump over it to avoid it. Surprisingly Mom got it all on
video which was a lot of fun to rewatch and relive. Once I was over the terror
of the shark encounter, I went back into the water. The sea lion then appeared
again about 6 feet away from me! Amazing. Tortuga Bay, you are a gem. At 4:45pm
we took the trail back to our apartment. It was a very successful first day! Tomorrow
will be a mix of everything: hiking, beaches, and tortoise farms!
May 9, 2019
Today we “slept in” until 8am and then at 9am began our
adventures for the day. Our host had recommended a place called Las Grietas and
mentioned a few steps to get there. We first took a water taxi and then
followed a trail to Playa Alemana. I waded in the water and saw a decent number
of small fish. I then saw two string rays! A black one with white dots and also
a gray one buried in the sand below the water. The water felt nice, and it
wasn’t too hot outside yet because it was somewhat cloudy. I’m sure the
humidity would kick in later though. We continued walking through somewhat of a
marshland and found the trailhead for Las Grietas. From the map at the
trailhead, it seemed like quite the hike. There was a shack selling food and
drinks so we decided to stop there to grab a small bite before starting our
trek. We walked for about 15 minutes and then wabam! We hit Las Grietas. Well,
that was way faster than we expected. We walked down about 2 flights of wooden
stairs and then saw a beautiful, narrow stretch of water situated between two
rock faces. The water had a very tealish green color and it was very
transparent. So much so, that you could see the legs of the people swimming
around. I dropped off my stuff and put my snorkeling gear to good use (thanks
Mom for bringing that for me!). The water was slightly chilly but it was the
perfect temperature because it had started to get hot during our hike. I slowly
climbed down the rocks and jumped into the water. It was so deep! I literally
don’t think I could have dived down to touch the bottom. It was so clear and I
felt like I could see for miles. It baffled me how pristine it was. Shortly
after getting in, I spotted several different types of fish. There was one in
particular that I found exceptionally beautiful - it was very big and had large
scales that shimmered in the underwater sunbeams. I witnessed it eating algae a
few times and it looked like it had teeth. It reminded me of the children’s
book The Rainbow Fish. I swam around for about 45 minutes before getting out. There
was just so much to see and while you could see the deep green at the bottom,
there was no way to dive deep enough to reach it. For sure you would need scuba
gear. There were a decent number of people snorkeling, but it wasn’t
overwhelming. I took a break for about 10 minutes and then jumped back in. Mom
took some nice photos of me. I swam a lap or two and then I exited for good. By
the time I was through, hoards of people were arriving. It was 11:30am at this
time and I was so glad we got there earlier so we had some personal space. We
hiked up to a small overlook which provided great views of several bays. You
could even see different shades of blue and green throughout one span of water.
We reached Playa Alemana around noon and spent about 20 more minutes there. Mom
waded in the water with me this time and we spotted two types of sting rays:
one black one with white spots, and one gray one that stuck to the bottom of
the ocean floor.
We took the water taxi back into town and once we walked up
to the dock, we noticed a couple sea lions casually sleeping on the benches.
They were so cute. Naturally we took lots of photos. We then hunted for a good
bar/restaurant for lunch. We stumbled upon a place called the Rock which proved
to be a delightful choice. They served food quickly and it was tasty.
We walked
back to the apartment, relaxed for an hour and a half, and then Marco picked us
up at 3pm for the tortoise farm. During the 30 minute drive I asked Marco if he
liked music and what type of music they play on the island. I must have
initiated some dance mode by asking that because immediately Marco started
jamming out real hard. He was singing and playing the drums on his steering
wheel and bobbing his head and everything! And he did it for about 5 straight minutes!
Mom and I couldn’t help but laugh. We definitely were not expecting that. To
get to the tortoise farm, Marcos drove on a long dirt road that was surrounded
by trees. It was like we drove through a tree tunnel. We arrived around 3:45pm,
paid the $5 per person, and then roamed around wherever we wanted. We first
started with the lava tunnels. They were pitch black inside but thankfully
there were little lights that had been installed. The first tunnel was very
short, but the second took a few minutes to walk through. It felt moist inside
and you could hear water dripping from the top layer. We exited the tunnels and
walked out to the closest path. Then wabam! We came across a huuuge tortoise.
He just sat there eating grass and seemed to be unphased by us. We continued
and walked to a pond where we saw 4 tortoises bathing. About a minute later,
one of the massive male tortoises started following a female one around. She
was not interested at the time and she managed to escape him for about 5
minutes. She walked to a corner of the pond which was the end of her evasion.
The giant tortoise tried several times to angle himself the right way and
that’s when he started making grunting noises. Bowchicawowow. Nature at its
finest. Though I felt bad for the female because she obviously didn’t want it.
Mom and I ventured through the farm for about 30 minutes and came across many,
many tortoises. It was pretty neat. We went back to farm building and I
attempted to put on one of the tortoise shells they had on display. I crawled
into it and that was a workout in itself! I then tried to lift it using my arms
and legs, but the angles were awkward so I had no such success. Marco then took
us to Los Gemelos which are big craters in the earth. It was a short hike
through the woods and we kept our eyes peeled for finches. Unfortunately we
were unable to spot any. Marco drove us back to our apartment after that.
We walked through the town to find a place to eat and after
that we walked to the pier and watched the fish swim under the pier lights. We
saw tons of baby sharks!! It was so creepy watching them all. I’d say we saw
about 30 or so. As long as the pier separated us, I was cool with it. It was a
fun watching them that’s for sure. Around 10pm we headed back to apartment and
went to bed. We’re starting our Galapagos cruise tomorrow!!
May 10, 2019
Today was rough. Basically, the cruise we signed up for has
not been nice to us so far. Shall we begin?
Marco dropped us off at the little ferry at 10:30am and we
rode the ferry then bussed back to the airport. Our itinerary stated we needed
to be at the airport at 11am to meet our cruise representative. He (Ivan) eventually
showed up and he and I did not get off on the right foot. Ivan was very
arrogant and rude and I was hoping he was just our airport pickup person and
not our guide for the entire cruise. Also, his English was not very good and he
essentially yelled at me for trying to speak to him in Spanish instead. About
20 minutes later he announced to the group that he was our designated
naturalist guide. Awesome. So we are stuck with him for the next 5 days… We left
the airport, arrived at a ferry dock, split the group into 2 groups of 5, and
then took small boats out to the Fragata (our tiny cruise boat).
Once onboard, Ivan gave us a lecture about the rules and
what the schedule was for the rest of the day. A slip up was that Mom and I
were assigned a cabin on the upper level. Uh no no no. We specifically
requested a cabin on the lower level to combat seasickness. Ivan didn’t seem to
care and insisted we had the right cabin. I started a small quarrel with him,
one of many to come. Eventually I gave up because the rest of the group was
watching. We climbed the stairs to the upper level and I looked through my
emails and texts to Mom to confirm we requested a lower cabin, and viola! I
found it. I wasn’t too impressed with Fragata or AdventureLife at this point.
Thankfully an older gentleman and his grandson offered to switch with us! Thank
God! Ivan said “You can switch if you want. I don’t know why you would want to.
The upper is better.” I beg to differ. The cabin on the lower level was muchh
more spacious and had shelves. The windows were smaller which Mom doesn’t like,
but the bathroom was definitely bigger which she did like. The cabin isn’t too
bad size wise to be honest. It’s tight, but I imagined way worse.
 |
| Fragata |
We plopped our stuff down and then Ivan rang the bell for
lunch. The food was delicious, so they have that going for them. We sat at a
table with the older gentleman and grandson and the solo guy from Italy. I
spoke Spanish to the Italian guy while Mom conversed with the other two. After
lunch the boat stopped moving forward, and the waves were rough. Mom and I
retreated to our room and we could barely stand up! The boat rocked so much. We
both didn’t feel so hot with the rocking. I sat on the bed and couldn’t even
think straight. It was really bad. I thought I was going to get sick. Then Mom
actually got sick. She ran to the toilet. Poor, Mom. I thought everything would
be fine as far as smooth sailing! Apparently I was very wrong. We started
discussing ending the trip and returning to the main island. I spoke to Ivan
about our concerns and request, but he wasn’t understanding or empathetic. I
keep pushing him so he finally grabbed the captain to call AdventureLife and
ask if we could get a refund due to our illnesses (we had purchased travel
insurance after all). I briefly talked to a lady about a refund using the
captain’s phone. She was not helpful. She said she needed to contact an
AdventureLife representative. At this point Ivan was shoving us out the door
for our Isla Mosquera adventure. I reallyy don’t like him. But apparently many
other people do, otherwise he wouldn’t still be a tour guide. The lady said she
would call the captain’s phone back when she had more information. Ivan said he
could relay the message to us on the island since he had a radio (spoiler
alert: he didn’t notify us about squat). I felt nauseous at this point but
thankfully I didn’t throw up.
Ivan rushed us off the Fragata into two small boats and we
were on our way to Isla Mosquera. The island looked like it had snow on it
because the sand was SO WHITE. That was pretty cool. As we motored to the
island, the waves were very rough. I thought we were going to flip over at one
point. These stupid waves were the reason Mom and I felt so terribly! Hopefully
it’s never this bad again. I had never even thought seasickness would be an
issue. I never get seasick. Just before we hit land, a sea lion jumped up next
to us as it was swimming! That uplifted my spirits a tad. We unloaded on the
island and Ivan let us wander around. There were sea lions everywhere! Half
were in the water playing and jumping and swimming while half laid on rocks or
flopped around the shore. It was incredible. We continued exploring the whole
island because at the time we had it all to ourselves. Now this stuff was worth
it! It was so secluded. During this moment, I thought maybe we should stay on
the boat and tough it out. I mean, we aren’t going to get a better island
experience that’s for sure. If we returned to the main island we could only
take day trips to nearby islands. I constantly flipped back and forth about the
decision and finally came to the conclusion that if we could get a refund, we
would back out. It would be miserable to feel groggy and seasick for the next 4
days. After walking along the island shore, everyone was given an opportunity
to snorkel ($15 to rent equipment, thankfully I brought my own). Ivan told us
that we could literally swim next to the sea lions. Ok, that’s pretty epic. I
grabbed my mask and snorkel and headed into the water with many other people in
our group. At first I wasn’t too amazed because I didn’t see any sea lions and
I only saw a couple fish. Then, out of nowhere, a sea lion swam right at my
face! Wdihlflsoajkf! It’s going to crash into me! At the very last moment the
sea lion turned left to avoid hitting me. My heart pounded so hard! Then
another one did the same thing! Then another! It was an out-of-this-world
experience. I really wished I had brought my GoPro! I was literally encircled
by sea lions and it was like a game for them to come as close to me as possible
and then swim away. It was amazing. Many times they shocked me with their
random appearances. I swear at a certain moment one was only 6 inches from me.
I thought for sure it would touch me. Sometimes they would stick around and
just swim around you. That made me nervous because even though they weren’t
going to attack me, it sure felt like they were. I couldn’t get enough of their
playfulness and I couldn’t believe how close they would get! Mom got some good
video of me so I’m excited to rewatch and relive the experience. One time when
I swam back to shore, there was one swimming next to me as if to say, “I’ll
race ya!” Incredible. These are the moments that will make the whole cruise
worth it.
After we got back on the boat, I chatted with a
representative on the captain’s phone. Basically, the result was that no refund
could be guaranteed. Ughh. Apparently the closest we could get to a refund
would be to go to a hospital, get a doctor to vouch that we had seasickness,
and then send that documentation to the insurance company and hope they
reimbursed everything. That solution had too many “ifs” for us, so we decided
to stay on the boat. It was unfortunate because what is the point of having
travel insurance then? Plus, I have a feeling Mom is going to have a really
rough time. I’m worried she won’t be able to sleep at all. I went back down to
our cabin to report the sad news and then took a shower. Thankfully I was
feeling better because the boat was moving forward and not rocking so much. Mom
knocked on the door of the bathroom and said the captain wanted to see me. That
sounded really cool, so I asked her to repeat herself. The captain wanted to
see me! I felt special. I basically just needed to confirm to him that we were
going to stay on the boat. Our window of time (30 minutes) to make a decision
had ended. For better or for worse we are stuck with this cruise.
 |
| Whale skeleton |
Ivan rang the dinner bell at 6pm and gave us a short
description of our schedule tomorrow. Breakfast is at 7am! And then we leave
the boat for snorkeling at 7:45am. So early. There is an Asian group of 5 who
have already been on this boat for 3 days traveling other islands. There is
also a solo female traveler from Australia and a couple (Mexican guy with
dreads and British girl) who now lives in Australia. Aussies always traveling!
Food was served around 6:15pm and it was scrumptious. At least the boat has
good meals. Oh also, we need to place our shoes in a special bin where they are
disinfected with a spray everyday. So we all walk around barefoot on the boat.
It’s to help prevent the spread of disease or unwanted species. Mom and I were
both feeling pretty groggy and drowsy since we took Dramamine. We quickly ate
dinner and then we couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer so we headed back to
our cabin at 7:30pm. So early! But it’s hard to function right now...at least I
may be able to catch up with my journals during this cruise. We have a lot of
downtime at night. Fingers crossed for a better tomorrow.
May 11, 2019
So far today has been better than yesterday, knock on wood.
The morning started off rough because we hit some crazy waves which made the
whole boat rock. We anchored, ate breakfast, and then took small boats to the
nearby cove at 7:45am. I felt much better in the small boat as we kept motoring
around. The guide first explained the formation of the rocks from volcanoes and
lava. He then pointed into the water where we saw a sea turtle! No wait, two
sea turtles! No wait, three! Then more! It was a giant group of them. Amazing.
We gawked over them for a bit and then continued along the rock coast. We also
saw sea lions playing in the water, colorful crabs, many different bird
species, marine iguanas, and blue footed boobies! The blue footed boobies were
very cool to look at. Their feet were such a bright blue! We also boated into a
large cove/cave which was exhilarating and scary at the same time. The back
corner of the cove was dark and it had a blow hole which was fun to experience.
The mist came shooting out at us. We then headed out to the open water, far far
away from the Fragata. I actually really enjoyed this part even though I was
slightly scared that the waves would topple us over. The rhythm of the waves
and reflections was mesmerizing. The main purpose was to spot whales, but we
had no luck.
After loading the Fragata, we changed into swim attire and
went out snorkeling. We took two boats a short distance away from the Fragata
and then jumped into the water. I swam only for a minute before spotting
several sea turtles. Omg omg omg! They were so beautiful. One of them stared at
me so I stared at it back. We sat like that for about 10 seconds and then the
turtle literally cocked its head to the side as if saying “Huh?” It was such a
neat experience. Then another one came into the picture. At one point, I had
about 3 turtles around me. They left me after about 3 minutes and then the boat
driver pointed at something near me. I immediately peered underwater where he
pointed and I looked at a turtle straight in the face! I shrieked underwater
because I was shocked at how close it was. The turtle seemed scared by my noise
because it quickly shook its head while looking at me and then dove down. It
was hilarious. Scare a sea turtle, check. Mom joined me in the water and we
floated around for about 20 more minutes before heading back to the boat.
We had about an hour before lunch was served and then
another 2 hours after that. It was a lot more downtime than I was expecting for
this trip, but I kinda like it. I have more time to write up my journals. At
2pm went out snorkeling again. We rode about 10 minutes from the boat and then
swam among coral and colorful fish which is my favorite. We also spotted a
penguin on the rocks! My first Galapagos penguin sighting - I had been waiting
for this moment! We also saw marine iguanas slithering around in the water
which was kinda freaky. At one point, we saw one underwater munching on some
algae. It was so cool! It looked kinda like a dragon as it slowly chomped down
on the algae. It also had big claws. There were also lots of sea turtles once
again. Look left...turtle. Look right...turtle. Look ahead...turtle! It was
amazing. The large colorful fish were also mesmerizing. That was a definite
highlight. The group did a long swim and near the end I was getting really cold
and hungry. Snorkeling over a long distance takes a lot out of you! I also swam
next to sea lions again and got to witness their curiosity once more. They are
such incredible creatures. You can see their personalities so clearly. Then we
all hopped back on our little boats and boarded the Fragata.
We changed into walking/dry attire and had a dry landing on
Isla Fernandina. We hiked among dried lava rocks which were pitch black in
color. We also spotted hundreds of marine iguanas which was cool. Of course, we
had the casual encounter with numerous sea lions as well. This island was very
fascinating because it was so black. The Australian girl, Carol, chatted with
me a lot during this adventure. She’s really cool and funny (like all other
Aussies). At 5:30pm we got back on the Fragata and had a delicious dinner.
Tomorrow is another early morning with breakfast at 7am. We are surviving
slowly but surely! I must admit that I enjoy the boat life. It’s so chill and
also has pockets of excitement with snorkeling. If only I didn’t feel so
uneasy, it would be perfect.
May 12, 2019
This morning was another early morning that started with
breakfast at 7am. I felt a little queasy, but overall ok. At 7:30am we had a
wet landing on a nearby shore. We rode the mini boats to the sand and then
hopped out in the water. Apparently, a park ranger had told our crew that a
boat of tourists flipped over yesterday so we needed to be careful. We all
unloaded with no issues. We walked near sea turtle nests in the beginning of the
trail so we needed to be very careful when we passed by. We walked along the
trail and witnessed many different types of finches. They were fun to watch fly
all around the trees. We also came across a land turtle in the middle of the
trail. Some of us were wondering if we were going to turn around so as not to
bother it. But we continued forward, sidestepping as we approached the turtle.
It was a medium sized female turtle and Ivan said she was about 50 years old.
He could tell this from the length of the shell. We continued walking and also
came across a yellow land iguana. It looked fierce! But it just laid there. We
strolled along for another hour and came across another land iguana and another
land turtle. This land turtle was huuuuge. He slowly walked across the path as
we all gazed at him. It was pretty neat.
This morning during breakfast, we found out that Dave is a
yoga instructor! He offered to give us all a class at 11am on the top deck of
the boat. It was so neat to be doing yoga as the boat drove to its next
destination! Dave was a pretty good teacher, too. As we did pigeon pose and
downward dog, you could look to the right or left and see giant islands against
the gorgeous deep blue color of the water. Picture perfect. About 5 people
showed up (out of 16). We thanked him profusely and he said he would hold
another one tomorrow if we were interested. Yes please! At noon we had another
delicious lunch per usual.
We did a dry landing at 1:15pm and then hiked about a mile
or so uphill to the top of the island. We took a pit stop about halfway to gaze
at a freshwater lake in the middle of the area. It was a pretty teal color and
you could spot our boat in the bay area in the distance. We all were struggling
with the humidity and also from the heat escaping from the black lava rocks
below us. Thankfully I brought a bottle of water otherwise I may have gotten
too dehydrated. At the top we could see Wolf Volcano and also other mountains
around it. The black hardened lava could be seen for miles. It was quite an
interesting sight. We were picked up from the trailhead around 2:30pm and then
we began our snorkeling adventure. They motored us to the edge of the bay where
we then swam along the edge for about an hour. It was a long outing! The
current kept changing from one direction to another which was interesting. In
the beginning, I spotted a few sea turtles. Old news! Then a bunch of colorful
fish. There was a lot more coral this time around which meant a lot more
diversity of fish species. Among the coral were many beautiful starfish, one of
which was like the size of a card table - so big!! Then, out of nowhere, I saw
two penguins swimming/racing!! It was incredible! I tried to follow them for as
long as I could, but they were fast! They were so beautiful and now I can say
my Galapagos experience is complete. About 15 minutes later we all jumped back
onto the mini boats. From the mini boat I saw a cormorant, sea lion, marine
iguana, and sea turtle. So many species in one view!
Right before dinner, a handful of us went up to the top deck
to watch the sunset. It was a gorgeous sight. We were sailing passed a large
part of Isabela Island at the time, so it seemed as if we were surrounded by
mountains. I was designated the animal spotter because I saw a sting ray
flapping its edges out of the water. After that I also spotted a sea lion and a
few penguins jumping out of the water. It was like we were in a Discovery
Channel show. The sunset was outstanding as it created a deep orange across the
horizon. At 6:30pm we had our briefing meeting for tomorrow. Then we ate dinner
at 7pm. I felt extremely tired and a little queasy so I went to bed shortly
after dinner around 8pm.
May 13, 2019
We woke up at 6:30am as usual to get ready for breakfast at
7am. I woke up several times throughout the night due to the rough waters, but
this morning was calm. We did a wet landing on Isla Santiago and walked about
1.5 miles. We saw crabs fighting, seals, a shark (!), and a few sting rays
jumping out of the water. The sting rays were my favorite part. They jumped up
and flapped their edges a couple times before landing back in the water. It
seemed as if they were trying to fly. It was quite a phenomenon. Around 9am we
snorkeled from the beach. Only 6 people decided to do it. At first, it wasn’t
very amazing. Just a few fish here and there. But as we kept swimming, we came
across all sorts of coral which brought all sorts of fish. My favorite part was
when we came across a huuuge school of giant fish. Each of them looked like the
size of two dinner plates and there were also colorful parrotfish spread out
among them. It was entrancing. I felt like I was swimming in an aquarium. This
happened several times throughout our adventure. The water was chilly but not
too bad. Next, we came across an area that was veryy deep. We could almost not
see the bottom. Then, out of nowhere, a shark swam below us. AHH! It didn’t
even glance at us. It was quite beautiful. It had a white tip on its fin. I
think this was one of my favorite dives because there were soo many different
types of fish (different colors, sizes, and shapes) and the water was super
clear. It was fun to look above water for a few seconds, not realize what was
going on below the water, and then put my face back down into the water to see
a whole new world.
We loaded the mini boats around 10am to head back to the
Fragata. At 11am Dave held another yoga session which again was wonderful. This
time we had some large birds join us because they flew right next to the boat.
I took a quick nap before lunch at noon. The water was rough at this time. It
was hard to even walk around. After another delicious lunch with another
delicious juice, I napped for about an hour. I feel like I am perpetually tired
on the boat. I now wonder what it’s like to have energy…
At 2pm most of us went snorkeling in the bay nearby. The
water was sooo teal. More teal than I have seen in Galapagos so far. We circled
around this beautiful area and then hopped off the mini boat to see what lay
below. The water was extremely transparent so it was easy to spot anything in
any direction. I saw a dogfish! And a pufferfish, I think. Ivan pointed out a
sleeping shark so we all took turns looking at it. I was afraid it was going to
wake up and attack us, so I took a quick peek and then swam away. I saw many
more parrotfish and huge starfish scattered all around. Ivan then called us
over to a small cove where two sharks were swimming. I floated behind the first
line of people, because again I was scared of them. Especially now that these
two were awake! Ivan climbed up the rock to watch which made me nervous. Why
are you out of the water Ivan? Is it dangerous? Last but not least, we saw an
adorable penguin posing on a rock above us. Photoshoot!! Carol took my photo
with it and then I took hers. It was so cute! I could have stared at it for
hours. I started getting cold at this point and I figured nothing could top a
penguin encounter, so I hopped back into a mini boat. About 2 minutes after
that, Ivan told everyone time was up.
We loaded the boat at 3pm and then we all changed into
walking/hiking attire. We left the boat at 3:30pm and rode to a beautiful part
of the Chinese Hat. The water was extremely teal and it was easy to see rocks
or coral below us. It was the deepest teal I had ever seen. I took a video of
the color, but it still doesn’t do it justice. We disembarked the mini boats
and immediately came across a sea lion and her baby. The baby was making a
ruckus because it was hungry and wanted milk. We then walked across lava rocks
and lush green vegetation. It was absolutely stunning. Especially since the
green contrasted so well with the deep teal color of the water. As we kept
walking, we rounded the coast and saw deeper blue colors in the water. This is
where the waves crashed against the lava rocks. It was mesmerizing to watch and
impressive to be reminded how strong water can be. This was probably one of my
favorite islands to hike due to the colors and the simplicity. We left the
Chinese Hat at 5pm and enjoyed our last adventure off the boat. It’s hard to
believe we are disembarking tomorrow for good! I’m not going to lie, I’m really
looking forward to it. I miss being on stationary land. We ate our final dinner
at 6:30pm and then had a little “goodbye” ceremony with cocktails and the boat
crew. It was touching and I started to feel like we were a true family.
Tomorrow is an earlyy day. We eat breakfast at 6am and then they kick us off at
6:30am. Today was a good day; it was definitely shark day that’s for sure.
May 14, 2019
Breakfast was served at 6am and then we unloaded the Fragata
for the last time at 6:30am. Sayonara! I was so happy to finally be off the
boat and on solid ground. We switched guides to a guy named Jorge who took us
to the Darwin Research Center. I liked him sooo much better than Ivan. He
answered our questions completely and he was funny. He even was curious about
our lives as well. He seemed less pompous and more compassionate. I wish we had
him on the Fragata instead. For the Darwin experience, it was only me, Mom,
Dave, and Nick. We learned a lot of neat information about the efforts the
Darwin Research Center is making. I was impressed. We saw baby tortoises, adult
tortoises, and Horny Diego. Apparently, he came from the San Diego Zoo and he
mated with many many female tortoises which helped sustain the tortoise
population. He produced over 1,500 baby tortoises! Busy man! I was feeling
unbalanced during our entire walk and I was hoping it would go away after being
on land for a longer period of time.
We left the Center at 8:30am to head to the airport and
arrived at 9:30am which gave us 3 hours before takeoff. I used my data to talk
with H (on the boat we didn’t have service or Wifi, so I was off the grid for 4
days) and he told me that he was flying into Quito later today for his mom’s
birthday. This meant we could hang out near the airport during my long layover
for Mexico City!! I was so pumped! Mom and I landed in Quito around 4pm and
then we parted ways at 6pm. Thanks for coming! It was great to have her along
for the adventure, but we were both extremely happy to be off the boat haha.
I met up with H in the evening where we caught up on each
other’s lives for the past month. It was so wonderful to see him again. It was
hard to believe that he was sitting in front of me in an entirely different
country than where we met. My Spanish was so bad at this time because my brain
was dead. I apologized to H, but he said it made him smile and not to worry. When
it was time for me to head back to the airport, he accompanied me like a true
gentleman. He even walked inside with me as I went through the check-in
process. We said our goodbyes, which was harder than last time. We promised we
would see each other again someday, though we weren’t sure how. We’ll see what
the future holds…
May 15, 2019
I landed in Mexico City and Dad flew in from the US to meet
me. I was sooo tired and I was hoping to take a nap before we headed to Azteca
Stadium to buy tickets for a semifinal futbol match today at 5:30pm. There were
some complications finding Dad in the airport and it was close to 4pm by the
time we reunited. We hopped in an Uber and I asked the driver if he thought
there would still be tickets available for the semifinal match. He then said,
“There is no match today. It was cancelled and rescheduled to tomorrow due to
air pollution.” Air pollution!? I had never heard of a match being cancelled
for that. Thank God I asked him otherwise Dad and I would have gone to the
stadium only to be severely disappointed. I kept thinking how fortunate we were
to discover that information ahead of time. At least now I could take that nap
I was looking forward to.
Around 7:30pm Dad and I went out to dinner. We walked along
a neat pedestrian street into La Marchela and sat on the rooftop. It was a nice
night. Then, out of nowhere, it started hailing! You could watch people
screaming and running down the pedestrian street which was a great form of
entertainment. We had an umbrella above us, so we were safe. Many people on the
rooftop opted to move inside. After a while, we did the same because our feet
were getting wet. They played salsa music inside and a few couples were
dancing. It was fabulous! We tried to wait out the hailstorm, but it was going
on for ages and we were tired. We left around 9:30pm and strategically jumped
from awning to awning so as not to get hit by hail. It stopped about 2 minutes
after we left the building so we walked in peace for the next 5 minutes. It was
a whirlwind of a day that’s for sure! I’m superr excited to spread out my stuff
in the hotel room, sleep in a stationary bed, and get a good amount of rest. We
don’t have a set plan for tomorrow which is really nice. Oh, and we found out
that the match which was rescheduled for tomorrow was actually moved entirely
out of the state. We were so sad because it was our only shot to see a futbol
match. And aside from Paraguay, it would be the only country that I didn’t
watch a match in….so close. Supposedly it was going to be an amazing match to
watch too, according to the Uber driver. Oh well. You win some and you lose
some.
May 16, 2019
This morning started out slow which was nice. We then left for lunch at noon and walked around to find street tacos. We found a street exploding with street vendors and the tacos were amazing! So delicious. We then walked about 15 minutes to La Cerveceria de Barrio and ordered an amazing dish of guacamole and mango to accompany our
beers. It was a perfect.
Dad wanted to do the Free Walking Tour of Coyoacan at 3pm which was about a 30 minute drive south. We stopped at Churreria El Moro for churros before we called an Uber. Hasret had recommended this place to me, and the churros were pretty bomb I’m not going to lie. We arrived at the meeting point for the walking tour at 3pm and then our guide took us to many little churches and houses. It was a neat neighborhood. It was very different from the main city center – it was quiet, peaceful, colorful, and artsy. The roads were made of cobblestones and tall trees lined the streets. I was very happy we decided to do the tour. The information during the tour wasn’t super interesting, but it was nice to walk around. Below are the things I found neat:
Dad wanted to do the Free Walking Tour of Coyoacan at 3pm which was about a 30 minute drive south. We stopped at Churreria El Moro for churros before we called an Uber. Hasret had recommended this place to me, and the churros were pretty bomb I’m not going to lie. We arrived at the meeting point for the walking tour at 3pm and then our guide took us to many little churches and houses. It was a neat neighborhood. It was very different from the main city center – it was quiet, peaceful, colorful, and artsy. The roads were made of cobblestones and tall trees lined the streets. I was very happy we decided to do the tour. The information during the tour wasn’t super interesting, but it was nice to walk around. Below are the things I found neat:
- Piñatas represent sins and the stick represents Jesus’s strength. The blindfold represents faith (blind faith). Once you break your sins you are rewarded with candies
- The big plaza every year has a celebration to hit a piñata. 2 years ago it was a Donald Trump piñata haha
- Many churches were damaged during the earthquake in 2017 and their hours of operation were altered because of it
- June to September is rainy season. Every day at 5pm start the thunderstorms. Hail is uncommon
We hit the main plaza of the area which was bustling with
people. It was interesting that we had been walking for 2 hours without seeing
hardly anyone and then we came across heaps of people. The plaza was gorgeous.
There was an open concrete space in front of the main church but also a very
large park with tall trees. The plaza was lined with all sorts of bars and
restaurants. This area definitely had a charm to it. Dad and I then walked
through the Coyoacan Market which was similar to many other South American
markets I had visited. It was definitely worth the time. We bought my favorite
fruit, the guanábana, and also a mamey sapote which is what our guide
recommended. We carried them around the streets for the next 1.5 hours which
was comical because they were so large. We then went to a coffee shop that our
guide also recommended. It was just ok. It was obvious it was very popular
among the locals though. I guess I’m spoiled from Colombian coffee.
We called an Uber and returned to the hotel around 6:30pm.
Earlier we made a reservation at the Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar which I read
about online. It’s a super secret speakeasy that doesn’t even post its address
online. You first need to message them or call them. Otherwise you won’t be
able to find it. If you search it on Google Maps, it does pop up, but even
knowing the right address won’t help you, because it just looks like a typical
snack shop. We walked from our hotel and then up to the table where a guy was
sitting with his computer. He asked for our names and then led us to the back
of the store where we opened a hidden door. It was very cool. Dad ordered a
Moscow Mule which was served in a huge, fake ostrich egg. It was pretty sweet.
I ordered a drink that had maracuya listed twice in its ingredient list and it
was delicious. As we left, I turned back to look at the door we exited through
and saw that it was a fake refrigerator for beer! That was probably the coolest
part of the entire experience.
Today was a nice day. I still feel a little
wobbly/lightheaded and I don’t know if it’s from the boat or from three changes
in elevation (0’ Galapagos, 10,000’ Quito, 7,500’ Mexico City). Hopefully
another good night’s rest will help.
May 17, 2019
Today we took a day trip to the Teotihuacan Pyramid.
Throughout the adventure, we climbed and descended a series of stone stairs
that led us in and out of square pits. Eventually we came upon the main
attraction - Pyramid del Sol. It was veryyy tall. I wondered if my fear of
heights would allow me to climb it. We started our ascent and it was quite the
workout! The first set of stairs were very steep. You had to practically lift
your knee up to your chest to climb a stair. I guess this first part was to
test your determination to climb the entire thing. After about 15 minutes of
climbing we reached the top. My fear of heights didn’t strike! I think it is
because I could see the gradual descent of the structure all the way down to
the bottom instead of it having a complete drop off. The people on the ground
looked like tiny little ants! We took many pictures and videos from the top. It
was gorgeous. There were also a few mountains in the distance which made the
view even better. Pyramid de la Luna was visible from the top of Pyramid del
Sol and we made it our mission to climb that one next. It was very cool to see
all ruins and other small pyramids in one vista. We enjoyed the top of the pyramid
for a bit by dangling our legs off the side. It was a HOT day so we didn’t stay
too long.
We reached the bottom of the pyramid around 1:30pm and it was
actually more difficult to climb down than up since the stairs were steep and
narrow. We then climbed Pyramid de la Luna which didn’t take as long. I
actually liked the view from the top of Luna more because you had a great view
down the center of all the ruins/pyramids which led to a view of the mountains.
And of course you could see Pyramid del Sol on the left, with all the people on
top, as well. After this, we searched for the “restaurant inside a cave” which
Marinela had recommended to us. It took us a bit of asking around, but we
eventually found it. The name was La Gruta. It was very unique and impressive.
As we walked up to the hostess stand you could look down into the cave and see
tables upon tables of people. It also had candles positioned on the back side
which gave it a more eerie feeling. We had to wait about 20 minutes and then we
were seated. It was very cool to be inside the cave instead of above it. You
felt like the cave had swallowed you and dozens of other people. The food was
pretty good, but the atmosphere is what made the experience. We left around
3:45pm and walked back to the bus stop since the area closed at 5pm. Once we
left the restaurant, it started raining. Dad said, “Oh it will just pass.” Well
guess what, it didn’t. Thank goodness I packed my raincoat! I took it out and
it was raining pretty heavily at one point. Thankfully I wore my raincoat over
my bag so nothing got wet.
We hopped on a bus that wasn’t specifically for Terminal
Norte, but the driver said he would go there. We and two other groups looked at
him hesitantly but decided to trust him. He did get us to Terminal Norte as he
promised, but it was a reallyyy rough ride. He jerked us all over the place. I
really was not feeling well after this bus ride. We left our hotel at 7:30pm
and walked about 15 minutes to a bar – Beer Box. Along the way I felt VERY
unbalanced. More than I had in a long time (since La Paz). I felt like the
sidewalk would move as I stepped on it. It made me really nervous and I was
worried my history of vertigo would strike again. I told Dad about it and he
kept it in mind. Beer Box was a very impressive place! It had beers from all
over the world lined up against a wall. Each section was labeled with a
specific country’s name. It was very cool. We sat at the bar and watched a
re-run of a Club America match. I still wasn’t feeling well, but I mustered up
the energy to go to the next place, Escollo. We arrived there around 8:45pm and
they made their own beers! Finally! I didn’t order one in case it would make my
dizziness worse, but I did try a few. There was a DJ playing 70s music which
was very odd. Why 70s specifically? Dad loved it. I looked around on the walls
and I spotted a piece of décor with Denver Beer Co. on it!! Denver represent!
That was pretty neat. We called an Uber (because I didn’t think I could walk
back with my dizziness) and got back to the hotel at 10:15pm. Tonight really
sucked health wise. It scared me. I really hope I get better tomorrow.
May 18, 2019
Today started off slow like Thursday which I thoroughly
enjoyed. I still felt woozy which stunk. We left around noon to head toward the
historic downtown district - we signed up to do a Free Walking Tour there at
2:30pm. We had some time to kill after we arrived at 12:45pm so we searched for
a place for lunch. I dipped into my recommendations from Hasret and we ended up
going to the terrace restaurant at Centro Cultural Espanol. It was a perfect
recommendation! We had a view over Templo Mayor and the food reminded us of
Spain which is always fantastic. We ordered several tapas and two beers. It was
nice because we weren’t in a rush, so we fully immersed ourselves in the food,
beer, and view for about an hour and a half. I still wasn’t feeling well, and I
felt really hot. I was wondering if I would make it through the walking tour.
We wrapped up lunch around 2:15pm and then walked to the meeting point. The
guide was funny and she loved Backstreet Boys! If I lived here she would
definitely be my best friend. We walked around for about 2.5 hours and learned
lots about the history of Mexico. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling too great so
I didn’t take as many notes as normal, but here are some of them:
- When Mexico City was first discovered, it was a lake. Then they drained it using canals and filled it back in with dirt. But nature still runs its course and so if you dig just a little underground you hit water.
- The Aztec temple wasn’t discovered until 41 years ago. Crazy! There used to be houses on top of it. During a project, the electricians tried to excavate and they couldn’t - they found the sacrifice stone instead.
- Mexico City is made of layers: lake, Aztec city, current city
- Diego Rivera returned to Mexico after its 10 year civil war. The Minister of Education, Vasconcelos, wanted him to help bring the country together by painting murals. Art was the only way to bring them together because the Mexicans were not educated - they had 70 different indigenous languages and could not read or write. Diego failed in his first attempt because he painted many European/Spanish elements like baby Jesus and Catholicism which didn’t represent the Mexican community. Vasconcelos then took him on a trip and taught him about the Mexican Revolution. Diego returned and painted amazing murals of the simplicity and beauty of Mexico. It may have been “plain,” but it showed the diversity of the culture.
- Every September 19th the population does an earthquake drill to remember the earthquake victims in 1985 and to be prepared for the next one. The whole city shuts down so they can go through the evacuation process. In 2017 the earthquake hit only a few hours after their September 19 drill. Very eerie.
- May 5 (Cinco De Mayo) was the date when Mexico first defeated the French armies during the French invasion. The French defeated city after city until Puebla. The French won the war anyway, but many Mexicans still celebrate the Cinco De Mayo due to the one victory.
- People in Mexico City don’t take a driver’s test in order to drive O_O
- The city is sinking
We then walked around a bit through the madness in the
streets. There were HUNDREDS of people out and about. It was tough to navigate.
I bought a postcard and keychain/ornament and then we called an Uber. The
driver took us a very strange way. We literally drove for blocks and blocks
through what seemed like a makeshift outdoor mall. It was a one way street and
on the left and right were hundreds of store fronts selling everything you
could possibly imagine: shoes, toys, popcorn, bras, electronics, you name it!
And the craziest part was that they were all overflowing with people! We were literally
driving through crowds of people. It made me anxious because we could barely
see out the windows. It was a very interesting experience and I’m happy the
driver took that way even though it probably added 15 minutes to our ride haha.
We got to see a part of Mexico City that many people probably don’t see. We
arrived back at the hotel at 6:30pm and I wanted to take nap before the taco
tour at 7pm. I started getting a migraine at this point which didn’t help with
my overall health problems. I tried to nap but I was unsuccessful. I decided to
skip the taco tour and stay in for the rest of the night to recover. Later in
the night, Dad and I went up to the rooftop of the hotel to enjoy the nighttime
views. Tomorrow hopefully I feel good enough to ride bikes with Dad. We
determined that my head issues could possibly be due to the air pollution (if
someone is allergic to the pollutants in the air, then they can show certain
symptoms). It makes a lot of sense because I had small issues in Santiago,
Chile where the elevation was low, but it had a small amount of air pollution.
May 19, 2019
I can’t believe my trip is almost over!! WOW. I am very
excited to stop journaling every day haha. Today we decided to rent bikes and
explore Chapultepec. It was a relatively easy ride along the streets to get
there. However, there was a very large and confusing roundabout at one point,
so that was a little nerve-racking. But it was a Sunday and apparently, the
city closes down some streets in the morning solely for pedestrian/bike
traffic. It was a nice surprise! We entered Chapultepec Park and Dad bought a
Tigre jersey from a vendor. I spoke with the vendor in Spanish to help out both
parties. We then rode around and took pictures of statues, lakes, and other
beautiful elements. It was a LARGE park. Next up was Chapultepec Castle.
Unfortunately, bikes weren’t allowed up to the castle, so Dad and I had to take
turns to see it while the other watched the bikes. I went first and the hike up
to the castle itself was very steep. I was huffing and puffing by the end of
it. At the top I discovered that tourists were required to pay an entrance fee
while locals could go in for free. Once I made it beyond the castle walls, the
sights were really outstanding. You essentially had a view of any point of
Mexico City depending where you stood along the castle. You could even see the
giant Mexico flag located miles away in Zocalo Square blowing in the wind. I
walked through the castle itself very quickly because old beds and royal tables
don’t quite interest me. I focused more on the views outside the castle. There
was one section where I felt a little uneasy due to my fear of heights. I
didn’t realize how high it was! I then walked into a semi-indoor semi-outdoor
section where the castle tower stood. This was my favorite spot because there
were mini gardens and fountains surrounding the tower. It was stunning. I
explored the exterior of the building for about 10 more minutes and then
returned to Dad. I think I spent close to an hour overall (including the hike
up/down). I switched spots with Dad and then waited an hour for him. Around 5pm
we headed back and I was so wiped out. I decided to stay in the rest of the
night with a short excursion outside the room for dinner. Dad continued to use
the bike to ride all the way to the city center. I wish I could have joined
him. We went to dinner along the pedestrian street we grew to love and watched
a futbol match. After dinner I went back to the room and relaxed until I fell
asleep. Dad stayed out and explored until around midnight.
May 20, 2019
Today we decided to do a day trip to Xochimilco which is a
UNESCO World Heritage site. You essentially float through canals in traditional
trajinera (gondola) boats while being surround by other trajineras with vendors,
mariachi bands, and other entertainment. We took an Uber there which was about
a 45 minute ride. We arrived at 10:30am and there weren’t many people around. We
walked around the main docking area and were hassled by a few boat owners - they
were trying to persuade us to use their trajineras. I guess we were easy
targets since we were the only signs of movement in the area. We kept walking
around while ignoring them, but they continued to follow us. It was a little unnerving.
To be honest we hadn’t done much research about the whole experience so we
opted to eat lunch first and figure out a game plan. We walked into town which
seemed dirty and run-down, but it still had a nice charm to it. We went into
the first place that was open and ordered some breakfast tacos. You can’t ever
go wrong with those in Mexico! After lunch I used the toilet, but I could not
for the life of me figure out how to flush it! I came out and asked the lady what
to do. She pointed to a big barrel of water with a bucket in it. Umm I dump
water into the toilet? Apparently the answer was yes and so I did as I was
told. It was quite the process! I then asked the lady what the best way to rent
a trajinera was. It seemed a little sketchy to us earlier so I wanted to clarify
with the locals how the process worked. The lady told me that anyone who may approach
us is a legit boat owner, but not to accept any price higher than 500 pesos
(about $26) per hour. The price is solely based on the boat itself, not how
many people you have. For instance, if we had a group of 20 people, the price
still would have been 500 pesos. I loved that the system was set up like that.
It made me think how awesome and fun and cheap it would be to have a large
group. We finished enjoying our literal hole-in-the-wall experience and walked
back toward all the trajineras.
Again we had someone approach us within minutes but this guy
didn’t seem as abrasive as the others earlier this morning so we accepted his
offer. We told him we wanted to see the wildlife reserve and asked how many hours
that would be. He told us it would be 2 hours. Most people tend to do an out
and back 1 hour trip, so he was shocked we wanted to see more. He led us to the
all the trajineras and started walking across them. This part was really fun
because it felt like a video game, jumping from one boat to the next. There
were dozens of colorful boats just sitting around at the dock. It was like a
rainbow had exploded over the area. Though, since there were so many just sitting
around, I was worried we came on a bad day and wouldn’t get to experience the
excitement of it all like I had read about online. We were finally assigned a
boat and then a “server” came up to us and asked if we wanted beer or michelada
(Mexican beer mixed with lime juice, assorted sauces (often chili-based), and tomato
juice). Dad and I opted to split a michelada to be extra traditional. It was
actually pretty tasty – I was surprised. Our “server” left us and then our “driver”
jumped onboard. His job was to use a very tall, wooden stick to push the entire
boat along. It was impressive that each driver powered and steered the boat
simply by using a skinny log. As soon as we departed the docking area the atmosphere
was full of energy. We passed several other boats that had very large groups of
people drinking, shouting, and being merry. We then saw a mariachi band on
their own boat trying to persuade people to pay them to play. It was hilarious.
Most people would wave the mariachi bands over and then a party on the boat
would ensue. It was very tempting to buy one for ourselves I must say. Once one
band started playing, all the boats on the entire river started singing or clapping.
It was such an amazing experience! There were also vendors floating by selling
beer, food, or jewelry. Usually they floated right passed your boat, so it was
easy to order from them. When Dad was craving a beer, however, the boat was
pretty far away. I told our driver Dad wanted a beer and so our guy whistled
over to one of the boats in the distance and immediately the guy started
pushing his stick into the water to move his boat toward us. It was really cool
to have anything you wanted on command. I kept thinking how this would be an
epic Bachelorette party. It would be a really cheap one too. There was excitement
in every direction and we thoroughly enjoyed soaking it all in. After a while we reached
the “wildlife reserve” portion which was much quieter. I put it in quotes
because it was not what we were expecting. Yes it was quiet, yes you could see
birds or ducks every now and then, but we were essentially paddling along a narrow
canal through a small neighborhood. We enjoyed it, nonetheless. We returned back
to the main river area where the energy and excitement once again took over the
scene.
After our two hours we departed our boat and walked to a
nearby food shack along the river. This was a nice spot because we could people
watch all the trajineras as they floated by. I loved the scene and I didn’t want
to leave. The food shack also had the bucket-of-water-flush-the-toilet trick. I guess it was the only way to do it around this town. After we ate,
we hailed an Uber back to Mexico City and explored the area near our apartment.
Throughout the day I was still very dizzy and wobbly but sitting in a relaxing
boat ride definitely helped. We ate dinner at a place called La Casa de Tono
which had dozens of options for traditional foods. Dad let me order everything
since he had no idea what the menu said, and so I WENT TO TOWN. I probably
ordered about half the menu. Everything was very cheap so I figured why not? Once
ALL the plates had been served, you could not see the table underneath them. We
probably ordered about 10 items. One of which (Tostadas de pata) ended up being
cow’s feet….woops haha. It was all very delicious and it barely cost $15 in the
end. I would highly recommend it.
Welp, tomorrow we fly back to the States. It’s insane to
think I’m heading home now. Time really flies. Though at points during the trip
it felt like time was standing still. I’ve been traveling for so long now that
I wonder how long it will take me to adapt to the American lifestyle and also
having a regimented schedule again. It was really nice to be spontaneous every
day and not even keep track of the date. “What day of the week is it? I have no
idea!” That will change starting tomorrow. I feel very blessed to have had this
opportunity and to have seen so much of the world. At times, I felt very at
home while traveling through South America. Their lifestyle is definitely one I
enjoy being a part of. I also am very thankful for all the people I met along
the way. Being a backpacker is truly a great way to open your mind, meet fellow
travelers with inspiring stories, and challenge yourself in ways you couldn’t
possibly imagine. On the one hand, I am surprised I survived it all! I am now
completely drained and exhausted - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Cheers
to it all, and see you soon, America!
