For my spring break, my dad was able to visit me in Ecuador.
On Friday, he left Colorado and made his way to Miami and then Quito, with
strict instructions from me as to which taxis to choose, which water not to
drink, and how to stay as safe as possible. On Saturday morning, I called his
hotel, hoping that he would be there with all of his belongings and without
injuries. Luckily, he had made it without any setbacks, and we were ready to
start our adventure.
Day 1 (Saturday)
I went to the hotel to pick up my dad. As it turned out, the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights was being held in Quito, and the Arab
contingency was staying at the same hotel as my dad, so there was some serious
security there, making him and I feel extremely safe (though we were the most
underdressed ones there).
From the hotel, we went back to my home so that he could
meet my host family. With me interpreting for two people who speak essentially
nothing of the other language, I think we were able to have a decent
conversation. My host nephew was thrilled with his HPU t-shirt and his Cars
stickers and coloring set, and my host mom loved her necklace from Colorado. My
dad and I took our leave soon after so that I could show him my university.
We walked to the bus station like I do every day to catch
the green bus to Cumbayá. We got off at the Super Maxi to walk to the
university. He enjoyed seeing where I’ve been taking my classes and spending my
time. After a few photos, I dropped the camera as I handed it to him, which
broke the camera that’s been through Sierra Leone, Guatemala, the USA, and the
rain forests of Ecuador. Oops. So from there, we decided to head to the new
mall across the way to get a new camera (since it’s a travesty to go to the
Galápagos without one!). We found a camera, and went to pay, only to have the
card rejected because it hadn’t been appropriately cleared for use in Ecuador.
Luckily, we had alternatives, but then we had to call the card company to sort
out the approval for international use. Well, that took 3 calls, because the minutes
on my phone kept running out just as we were getting close to solving the
problem, and then we would have to restart the process one more time. Finally,
about an hour later, we confirmed with the card company that it was indeed my
father using the card in Ecuador, and we could continue once again. We grabbed
lunch while the camera battery charged in the store, then went back to get the
camera to take a few more photos of the campus before heading back to Quito
proper to get ready for a dinner with some friends.
After a brief nap, we headed to a Colombian restaurant for
dinner with some friends from my internship (2 Americans, 1 Finnish, 1 German).
Although I forgot the battery for our new camera in the hotel and couldn’t take
any photos, it was nice to introduce my dad to the people with whom I spend the
most time. Then we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before leaving for
our adventure early the next morning.
Day 2 (Sunday)
We caught a taxi from the hotel at 5am, getting to the
airport around 6 o’clock. The line for LAN was ridiculous, and there was a bit
of miscommunication about the order of events, so we had to hop out of line to
get our entrance pass to the Galápagos. Luckily, a very nice young airline attendant
thought we were on an even earlier flight (I felt kind of bad for not
correcting him, but not bad enough to correct him), so we were bumped to the
front of the line to get our boarding passes. The computers must not have been
working, because everything was being done by hand that morning. We made it to
the gate with plenty of time to spare.
Once we got going, we had a short stop in Guayaquil, but we
stayed on our plane. Next stop: Baltra in the Galápagos! As we landed on the
runway and were taxiing to the gate, my dad suddenly started pointing out the
window and announcing that something was there. As the prudent daughter, I
stared at him incredulously not believing a word of it. As it turned out, he
saw a wild land iguana running in its natural habitat, and it would be the only
wild one seen the entire week—and I didn’t believe him, so I didn’t look. From
there, we announced that we wouldn’t joke about the creatures we saw on this
trip, and kept an eye out for critters everywhere.
We then took a short bus ride to the dock to head to Santa
Cruz Island, where we went with our guide in a taxi-truck across the island. We
ate lunch and dropped our stuff off at the hotel, then went to el Rancho del
Manzanillo, which has giant Galápagos tortoises on their land, which are
incredible to see.
That night, our guide for the next day was supposed to come brief
us about our activities, but he didn’t arrive, so we grabbed dinner and went to
bed.
Day 3 (Monday)
After an early breakfast, we waited around the hotel for a
short while, not knowing what our plans were. Finally someone got a hold of the
guide and we found out that we had a while before going to the Charles Darwin
Research Station, so we took a walk down to the dock. We spotted our first
marine iguanas, sea lions frolicking, and a spotted eagle ray. We went back to
the hotel to meet our guide to visit the research center. The center had
tortoises from all of the islands, which would be raised in captivity until 5
years old when they would be released into their natural habitat. The older
tortoises stay at the center since their diet has already been changed. We also
saw some land iguanas, but in captivity, though now I fully believe my dad that
he was able to see such a creature from the window of the plane on the runway.
Then, our guide left us to find our way to the hotel for lunch, which actually ended in my dad and me finding a different place to get lunch. Our guide almost forgot us at our hotel for the boat transfer, but we made it just in time to get the boat to Isabela Island.
Once at our hotel there, we went on a brief excursion to the Flamingo Lagoon, which is a primary breeding site for the flamingos of the Galápagos.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
After breakfast, my dad and I took a walk to the beach to
see what was out there. We found tons of marine iguanas, saw a green sea turtle
come to the surface for air, and watched a few sea lions play in the waters—not
a bad way to start the day!
After that, we went to the
wetlands region. The first stop was the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, which
included breeding tortoises (which “moo” while mating). Then we went to a
lookout over the area, followed by a visit to the Muro de las Lágrimas (Wall of
Tears), which served as a clandestine penal colony for the United States during
WWII. Then we returned to the hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon, we took a short
boat ride out to the Tintoreras Islet, where we were able to see the some reef
sharks (though only their outlines) and some baby marine iguanas. On the way,
we saw loads of Blue Footed Boobies and a pair of Galápagos penguins. Then we
went snorkeling in the area. We went back to the hotel and grabbed dinner, then
took a night walk to the beach to see what was out there—which turned out to be
well hidden, since we didn’t find much.
Day 5 (Wednesday)
We woke up early in the morning
and went to the beach before breakfast to see what was out there that early. We
didn’t see too much, although the marine iguanas we just started to emerge from
their rocks and crevices to claim sunny patches. After breakfast, we headed to
the Sierra Negra Volcano for a 5 to 6 hour hike. My dad was pretty much leading
the way for everyone, since he hikes in CO a couple times a week. I had to work
hard to keep up with him, while controlling my breathing so that he didn’t know
that I was essentially running. Luckily, we did pretty well and saw the
incredible views from the top, which included the results of previous lava
flows and the recovering flora. It was definitely worth the trek, without a
doubt.
That afternoon, we went
snorkeling at Concha Perla, which was right off the side of Isabela. A green
sea turtle was feeding in the area and going up for air, which was absolutely
incredible to watch from within the water. We also found a couple of stingrays
(including one hidden in the sand). A sea lion swam below us, but didn’t hang
around to play. After dinner, we went to sleep early after a day of extra
activity.
Day 6 (Thursday)
Following breakfast, we went to
the highlands of Isabela, just the guide, my dad, and me. We went into the
Cueva Sucre and saw the tree rehabilitation facility out there. We also saw the
highlands lookout, from which you can see the transitions between each of the
distinct micro-climates. When we finished the tour, my dad and I went to the
beach near our hotel and went searching for creatures (I brought a snorkeling
mask). While out there, we found several sea lions playing in the water, one of
which swam with me a little ways as I did a free dive, which was incredible to
see.
In the afternoon, we went kayaking
around the bay area. We saw several green sea turtles coming up to breathe. We
also saw blue footed boobies and Galápagos penguins. Then, as we went the
penguins, we saw two young (3 years or so) sea lions playing, and their father
(likely) fighting another male for territory on that beach. They are incredible
creatures. In another area, we came across a family of sea lions on land, but
the youngest (about 1 year and a half) was extremely curious and came out to
play with us! The little guy kept getting closer, and would start to bark
whenever we would start to leave. It took a lot of willpower to not leap into
the water to play with him! We eventually made it back to Isabela, where we
took a short walk along the beach and then went back to pack our bags and get
ready for dinner.
Day 7 (Friday)
We left the hotel at 5:30am, to
get on the boat for the 2 hour ride back to Santa Cruz, where we would get
breakfast, then make our way to the airport for the 11:15am flight. My dad and
I rode in the back of the truck to the dock for the short transfer to Baltra
Island for the airport. My dad and I seemed to be the only ones concerned about
the time, and we barely made it onto our flight. We didn’t see any more land
iguanas, but we made it back to Quito without problem. My dad and I parted ways
in the taxi at my home, and he went back to his hotel to rest up before leaving
for the airport at 3am the next morning.
At one point during the trip, I
was talking with a guide, and he said that I must have a pretty good
relationship with my dad to be able to spend a week of vacation with him, and then
he congratulated me. You know what? I am pretty lucky to get along with my dad
well enough to share such a wonderful adventure with him. Thanks, Dad.
