Reflection

So today I am dealing with peak hour commutes, emails, phone calls, project schedules, meetings, grey skies, artificial air and filtered light through tinted windows.  It all pales into the background when my mind wanders back to the brilliance of the Galapagos Islands, the sparkle in the eyes of the Peruvian people and the vivid coloured clothes worn by so many.  Western designers please take note: be more adventurous next season and forget solid colours of black, grey, baby-pooh brown and egg-shell cream. 

I wanted to reflect on some of the stuff that stuck in my head and as hinted at above,the colour of the places we visited.  Don’t get me wrong; let me tell you there were plenty of dust-bowl landscapes to see at the altitudes we found ourselves in.  When I talk of colour, it’s not just the physical colour of the landscapes, buildings and clothes but also the energy and attitude of the people that bought colour to the places we visited.  This morning there were five of us in the lift and no one said a word, not a good morning, not a hello.  That would be unheard of in Peru and the other countries we visited in South America!  Everyone had a “hello” ready to be unleashed.  Even the guy, sitting having his shoes shined as I walked past, greeted me with an enthusiastic “Buenos dias!”.

That’s the type of colour I’m talking about. It’s the connection (split second or otherwise) with the others that bought the colour into my life while I was traveling and for that reason, I will always speak fondly of the wonderful people of Peru and the Galapagos Islands whenever I travel back there in my imagination.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog whilst I was traveling.  Am busy planning my next trip so stay tuned!

Cyas

Galapagos... at last!

Today as I was taking a walk along my local beach back home, I sat and watched the choppy waves break on the shore and my thoughts went back to the Galapagos islands and the wonderful experience of being so close to the animals who showed no fear of humans.

I've decided my ideal holiday must contain a mix of local people, culture and history as well as nature and animals which is why I loved East Africa so much and it remains my bestest ever holiday.

This combined trip to Peru, Bolivia and Galapagos has become my second all time favourite trip for the same reasons.

So onto the Galapagos or more specifically, Baltra Island, Santa Cruz island and finally the boat that took us around to many more of the islands. Baltra is where they have built the airport and is totally uninhabited.  So to get to our final destination of the cruise boat from our hotel in Quito, we took a bus to Quito's national airport, a plane for the 2 hour flight to Baltra Island, a courtesy bus to the ferry, a ferry across to Santa Cruz island, a 45mins bus trip south to Port Ayorta and finally a rubber dinghy onto our boat!  That day was definitely our version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles for sure!

Baltra Island on the right and Santa Cruz on the left

We had a couple of hours to explore Santa Cruz and Port Ayorta before our cruise started so we made our way to the Charles Darwin Research Centre but in fairness, our first encounter with Galapagos wildlife was on the way when we saw a land turtle on the side of the road eating.

Having a road side snack

Faces only mothers could love - part 1

Faces, mothers, love - part 2

you know the drill - part 3

Our boat was a 16 berth smaller boat and our cabin was minute so my roomie and I had to strategically position ourselves to get to and from the bathroom if we were in the cabin at the same time.  At this point I want to make a point.  Our boat was probably too small.  There are massive boats with 100 people on them.  That would be far too big.  If you are planning a trip, pick something in between.. maybe capable of carrying 25-30.  That way, you have room on board and you are not battling with a tonne of other people when being transported on and off the islands.

Yes, the water in the harbour REALLY is that clean and blue

First marine iguana spotted making its way past our moored boat

The islands and animal encounters were stunning.  We did wet and dry landings.  We snorkeled.  We walked on red sand, black sand, yellow sand, white powdery sand, black rocks, saw bright red plants, totally bare islands and lush green ones.  The variety of landscapes from island to island is truly amazing.

nesting oyster catcher that we nearly stepped on... and it didn't move

snorkeling discovery

amazing starfish

do not disturb

amazing crabs

that's right, a blue footed boobie.

fly catcher

even our guide got excited at having spotted a red breasted fly catcher

this frigate bird hitched a on our boat for a while

another boobie

we had to step over these Galapagos Sharks to get back on board our boat

pelicans safely on our rubber dinghy to avoid the sharks

do not disturb... am eating!

The animals were equally amazing. It seemed they had no fear.  We walked right by seals, crabs, birds, turtles, iguanas and the biggest reaction from the animals seemed to be a casual "who you lookin' at?" from each species.  In the water there were amazing star fish and tropicals and we even had visits from the Galapagos sharks which was interesting because they were between us in the rubber dinghy and our boat.  That was an interesting boarding.

The islands we visited were Rabida, Santiago, Bartolome, Sombrero Chino and North Seymour.

The Darwin - our boat

hiking around the islands

sunning himself on our path

waiting to board our boat again

We cruised for 3 nights and at the end of it, I changed my itinerary to stay an extra 3 days on Santa Cruz rather than return to Quito with the group.  The initial plan was to do day cruises but to tell you the truth, I'm really not a seafarer and being doped up to the eyeballs to make it through the 3 nights without loosing any dinner or lunch made me feel I needed to detox on land... which I noted was swaying for the first day before I got my land legs again.

I walked around the town, went back  to the Darwin Research centre, shopped and made it to Tortuga Bay where there is a turtle santuary... they come on land and lay eggs on the beach in the sand dunes so there is heaps to do on land too.  I even went to the local fish market to watch the workers battle the pelicans for the catch of the day.  Btw... that IS a seal patiently lying at the guys feet.

fish market with wildlife

Folks, this was another dream come true for me and I can't recommend The Galapagos highly enough.  There are gasps around every corner from the Galapagos hawk the flew over to us and just sat within a couple of metres checking our or group, to a bunch of sea turtles sitting at the water's edge having a rest to the showy frigate bird that didn't seem to mind becoming our groups pin-up bird.

Female Sea turtle having a rest

Galapagos Hawk

Frigate bird showing off for the girls

Galapagos Islands ROCK!

Cheers!

Quito for a day or two

Organised a taxi for 5am to catch my TACA flight to Lima and then onto Quito.

I am missing the Peru tour group folks and the many laughs we had together so I was happy to fly out of La Paz and move on as well.  In a strange way, it kind of relieved the feeling of being abandoned!  Flying into Quito was amazing as the plane flies in between hills to line up the runway.

I have to admit that by now, my focus is the Galapagos islands so I am not in too much of a mood to explore and find out about Quito.  Its probably to my detriment but its just the way I feel.  The hotel I've been booked into is the San Francisco and it is in Old Town which is the tourist part of town.  It is VERY ordinary... actually, a less than ordinary hotel but again, I am thinking, only two nights and I'm in the Galapagos.

Typical street in old town with of course, Christ/Angel on the Hill

I settle in by 5pm which means its been another long day traveling and I just have enough energy to go to the supermarket next door, get some snacks and sleep.  Tomorrow, I meet the rest of the group before we head off to Santa Cruz island and the boat.


The next day, I walk around old town, feel somewhat uncomfortable with regards to personal safety yet find a square where there are some live bands playing as part of a festival.  I find a wall to lean onto... less options for pick pockets to approach... and stay of listen to some great music.  I'm there for a couple of hours until a vendor decides to push me aside and set up exactly where I was standing.  Okay.  Excuse me for being in your way!


I decide to leave when she starts slapping her little toddler. It was either that or be the centre of an international diplomatic incident when I'd made up my mind to slap the mother back on her child's behalf. During my walk around old town, I find this absolutely massive Basilica built on top of the hill and wonder into an open door at street level.  No one told me it was the entrance to the underground cemetery.  People are stack in tombs anywhere up to five rows high in the walls.  I really didn't hang around too long to make sure.  I pitied the poor soul buried/entombed right at the front door.  He must not get any rest whatsoever with tourists like me just stumbling in on open days.

Tonight I met my roomie Jessica who tells me about having her camera snatched from her hands as she was framing a picture to take.  Did I mention that I REALLY need to get to the Galapagos?

We leave tomorrow early in the morning.  Can't wait.

Cheers!

Bolivia: Tiwanaku and La Paz

Yesterday we did the border crossing into Bolivia and that was totally interesting; especially so when your tour leader crosses himself when we actually arrive.  What wasn't he telling us???  Maybe it was (again) the two near misses with oncoming traffic and he was perched in the middle of the front bench seat with no seat belt on. Maybe that was it.

We left Peru behind and walked across the bridge that crossed the river border.  Passports, forms, stamps, visas and we are in.  We had to pretend to not recognise our Peruvian tour leader and hang out with a new Bolivian stand-in until all official papers were done, When we were out of ear shot of border control, we were all smiles and hellos again!

One of our first stops in Bolivia was Tiwanaku where we explored some ruins that dated back to 900BC.  It was fascinating hearing about the people and their culture from back then.  It was slightly marred by the fact a gale was blowing and we were nearly blown back into Peru. I took pictures of the storm clouds and found out later that the winds were the tail end of a hurricane in the jungle just behind the Andes.

Tiwanaku buildings

Storm brewing over the Andes and into the Amazon

 I can´t say much about Bolivia to do it justice because I've only been in La Paz for 2 days and I´d hate to review or comment. The only thing I will say is this...

La Paz was actually founded in a more sensible, flatter part of Bolivia not far from the present site but during colonisation, the Spanish decided that it was better to move La Paz right onto the river that carried gold in it. Gold you could reach in and pick up from the water.  Today, La Paz in now built on the most unstable land formation I have ever seen. Think perching a city on the top of structures found in Monument Valley! During serious wet seasons, thousands of homes are washed away in mud slides. 

La Paz by day from the lookout

 

La Paz by night from our hotel rooftop

The pictures of La Paz are amazing but I can't help thinking, what the hell were the Spaniards thinking all those centuries ago.
We've been to some look outs and to Moon Valley were the landscape is truly amazing. 

Moon valley landscape

During the same city tour we went to the Witch's Market and were acquainted with not only the herbal remedies and medicines but also the dried whole alpaca baby foetus bought and used during traditional Quechuan ceremonies.

The offerings of sweets and foetus to Pachamama (Mother Earth)

Street protest right outside the hotel where they were letting off fireworks

Were we are living, the streets are up and down... so altitude keeps me walking slowly or not at all.  I do wish I had more time to explore but my focus is Galapagos in 2 days times.

Can you also believe that Tim the New Zealander turned up in the same cafe I was sitting in La Paz again?  In a city with a population of millions, what would be the chance of that?

See you in The Galapagos!!

Puno and Reed Islands

The road trip to Puno was interesting.

Not best in show... but still damn cute!

We ended up having the Muppet "The Count" as our tour guide for nine hours..!!  Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah.  Please sit down, I need to count.  Not only did he sound like The Count, he looked like The Count and had the same mannerisms.  I will never forget that drive.  Is it possible to have the giggles for nine hours???  Well, Moe and I proved you can, so much so that we couldn't look at each other without bursting into fits of laughter.  I think we were just delirious with fatigue and anything and everything set us off... including the near misses of our exceedingly swaying bus on the lumpiest road in Peru.

Some of the road we traveled on

Local transport.. not our bus!

You come into Puno overlooking Lake Titikaka and down in front of you, is the town of Puno (and the obligatory Christ on the Hill).  All roads lead to the Bay of Puno.  I have to say, after the nightmare stay at Machu Pichu, staying at our hotel in Puno was like staying at the Ritz Carlton.  It was wonderful.

View of Puno and Lake Titikaka

Enough of hotels, I have to tell you about the second biggest highlight of the trip... and so close to my Machu Pichu experience.  The reed islands of Puno and the people that live on them.  It is truly amazing.   To get there, we took the only transport available.  Tricky-shaws and boats.  The trickshaws were hilarious.  I (again) couldn't stop laughing when I came out of the hotel and saw everyone sitting patiently in their chosen vehicle with their huge-smiled drivers.  Then we proceeded to weave in and out of the traffic, across a railway line and down to the harbour to meet our boat.  Boarding was interesting. We had to jump in and out of four boats to reach ours at the end of the line.

Our transport to the harbour.  A race ensued (Vamos!!) and we came second!

Boats on the way to the reed islands

These people cut up water reed root stock into squares... tie them together, build massive islands, anchor them to the bottom of the lake close to the shore, lay down fresh water reeds like flooring, build up their water proof huts out of reeds, have veggie gardens from the old decomposed reeds and build raised outdoor kitchens to reduce the risk of fire and live on Lake Titikaka. 

Garden bed on the Reed Islands

It is truly amazing.  I have yet to meet a lovelier bunch of people on the trip.  So welcoming, warm, patient, generous with their time because goofy tourists have flat feet and can't walk on swaying, rocking  man-made islands. Some of the islands are big enough to hold 10 families!!  If anyone is thinking of holidaying in Peru, Puno and the Reed islands is a MUST!

Hand made reed boats

The colourful hat = single woman.

I bought one of his hand made boats (miniature of course!).

On our departure from their island home, they sang a traditional song in their language, a song in Spanish and Row, Row, Row Your Boat in English as they sang us on our way.   One thing about Peruvians is they definitely have an sense of humour.

Singing us off their island.

That night, it was Peru vs Ecuador int he World Cup qualifier match.  Well, we couldn´t let that pass, so Moe and I found ourselves the nearest, smallest, darkest, smokiest pub we could find to watch the game with other Peruvians.  Vamos Perrrrruuuuuuu, Vamos!  Too bad they lost 2-0.  What an amazing place to be in had they won.

Vamos Peru Vamos!!!

Anyway, I think I´ll wrap up my Peru trip here.  I loved it, the people are wonderful, the scenery is amazing, even with my limited Spanish (well, non-existent really) I never felt like I was an annoyance to the patient people of Peru. Of course there are negatives like excessive noise, diesel pollution in the towns with narrow streets and it is a developing country but then again, if I wanted to visit a country like home, I´d stay home!  The food was glorious and I think I ate quinoa in 20 different ways. 

Ceviche Trout

The (almost) most embarrassing moment may have been when I nearly ordered a plate of vaginas instead of a plate of trout... you see, its all in the pronunciation!

I want to put one thing out there.  Please, if you have the chance, put Peru on your list of places to visit.  Their traditions, their culture, their sense of humour, their rich history and their amazing landscape is something not to be missed.

Me gusta Perú!!

Cheers!