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Editors Note: Selected
pictures from the various slide shows mentioned in the
text are included
in web-sized versions here. The original ".exe" files are not available for
download here.
Quito, Ecuador
February 28, 2004
 Went out to the Indian market at Otavalo and spent a lot of money. Spent the whole day walking around looking at some pretty incredible stuff and some pretty yucky stuff. Mostly took pictures of the yucky stuff. It was a little hard getting good pictures because some of the stuff was inside and I didn't want to use flash. I find I get more candid shots that way.
I'm just going to jump right into the slide show. There is one thing that keeps recurring and that's the fact that these folks eat a lot of pig. The first time a pig pops up in the slide show is in front of a neighborhood restaurant. They kill the pig, hang it up whole, and slice off parts and cook them as the day goes along. In Georgia, we call this a barbecue joint.
 Okay, first picture is of a police car in Otavalo. Thought it was cute. Then comes the first pig. Then a picture of a rose vendor - ROSES ARE A DOLLAR A DOZEN HERE and cheaper if you want to buy in quantity. Then just general pictures of the market, with mister (well, mister pig's feet) popping up again right after the grapes and then a few more market scenes and another mister pig then a couple of more market scenes and finishing with an old couple eating guinea pigs. (Hey, I promised to give you a flavor of my travels and I'm pretty sure that guinea pig has a flavor.)
Head out to the Galapagos tomorrow and the quality of pictures should improve - just don't know when I'll be able to send them to you folks.
Hugs and kisses to all,
George
Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands
February 29, 2004
Okay, the fun has begun. And since you're reading this, it's obvious I have found an Internet Cafe here on the island. Not sure when I'm actually going to send this since I've got a lot of stuff to do.
The trip over was interesting. I was supposed to take off at 9:45 AM, but the pilot decided he wanted to leave at 8:45 and we did. The flight to Guayaquil took thirty minutes - during which time they served a DRINK AND A SANDWICH! On thirty-minute flights in the US, the flight attendants don't even get out of their seats (sorry, Laura).
But before you start racking up frequent-flyer mileage on
Aerogal, you should know that in addition to taking off whenever the pilot wants to, they are pretty independent about their communication with the passengers. When we got to
Guayaquil, the flight attendant announced that we would be on the ground "for thirty or forty minutes or maybe longer - we don't know." I'm assuming the pilot had a short date in Guayaquil and that's why we took off early in the first place.
We were there almost an hour. But when we took off, they served beverages and lunch for the one hour flight.
After landing in Baltra and being met by my guide, we took a thirty-minute un-air-conditioned bus ride to the ferry with mostly locals on the bus (did I mention that it is hot as hell here). Then there was a thirty-minute ferry ride, followed by an hour's cab ride to Puerto
Ayora. Oh, cabs here are not cars. They (as are most other vehicles) are trucks. I guess they figure that when you're going somewhere, you might as well make yourself useful and carry some cargo. I thoroughly enjoyed the convoluted trip and highly recommend the whole thing
Okay, now comes a little education, but don't hit that delete button yet. I think you'll enjoy some of this stuff.
The name Galapagos comes from Spanish for saddle because the people who discovered the islands thought the tortoises looked like saddles. Okay, okay, that little fact wasn't so interesting. But this one is
(kinda): The Galapagos Islands are MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTH AMERICAN COAST. That's right! The whole place is drifting toward the mainland. It is only at the rate of 10 Center meters per year and the mainland is 1000 Kilometers so it's going to take about 100 million years before somebody has to yell "Watch out South America, we're about to ram you!" But I find it fascinating that the whole group of islands is moving every year.
The next thing I found fascinating (I know I'm not much of a judge since I was astonished to find out there is gambling going on in Las Vegas) is the fact that the primary thing those big old turtles like to eat is cactus. There are cactuses growing all over the place and those creatures just love to munch on the prickly stuff.
The next thing I find fascinating is the currency of Ecuador. It's the US Dollar. I don't just mean that they accept US currency - I mean that it is the official currency. There is no Ecuadorian money - just the US. They don't have to have print money or worry about other stuff like that. And it is very easy for Americans to convert since $5 is $5.
And one final piece of information that you will find utterly useless as you go about your daily affairs. You cannot live in the Galapagos unless you were born here or marry someone from here. Even though it is part of Ecuador, people from the mainland cannot move here.
Well, enough of that fascinating discourse.
To see all the fabulous sights and creatures, you have to do a lot of walking and I mean a lot of walking. It's not like the Grand Canyon where they just built the place next to a nice paved highway. No, here you have to hike up and down trails and non-trails littered with volcanic rock while sweating like crazy (Did I mention that it's hot as hell here?)
The nights are cool though. And my room is air-conditioned, while many are cooled only by a fan. It pays to talk nice to the clerk at check-in.
I went out and saw my first tortoises today. Absolutely incredible!
Closing down for the night.
George
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The
text and pictures are used here with the author's
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- So no sneaky copying without his permission.
Thanks.
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