Islas Urcos

The floating Islands of Lake Titicaca. 75 floating islands made of totora reeds floating in the worlds highest lake where hundreds of people live and have been living for thousands of years. How could a tourist not want to see such a thing? 

I now know the answer to that question.

Everything about our tour made me feel uncomfortable. 

For starters, it was all very artificial. Our boat pulled up to the first floating island and handed some money out the window to the islanders as they all simultaneously greeted us in their native tongue. We disembarked on the island of reeds and sat in a circle as we were taught how the islands were made. Undeniably, this was very fascinating but our guide was just barking commands at the islanders and making them speak their native tongue though they were very obviously fluent in Spanish.

The next thing that bothered me was the societal structure that I curiously inquired about. I was talking with the 20 year old president of the small community, Johnathan. He informed us that they usually get married around 14 or 15 years old and those who do not have enough money to go to school stay on the island. I asked his wife who was sitting in the doorstep how old she was and she shyly looked away as her husband spoke for her. She was 18. I asked if he likes tourism and if he thinks it has a positive impact on the island and his response was as if he were programmed to say yes. Of course, without tourism these islands would have no source of income. 

We then were supposed to walk into their houses (also made of totora reeds) and try on their clothes. This felt extremely uncomfortable because it seemed invasive. It all seemed artificial as well because when my friend asked what they do when it rains, they informed us that they just drape some plastic over their roof.

Later, we were asked if we wanted to take the "traditional reed boat" (the pontoons were stuffed with tarps and plastic bottles) to another island. Little did we know, we had to pay and board the boat even if we didn't want to. As we were being towed across the water, the little children all sang songs to us. Our guide, once again, was treating them as though they were monkeys. Raising his arms in the air, conducting them. "Look!" He said, "They can sing in English too! Ladies! Sing! Louder!" 

I had had enough at this point but when the kids finished singing they swarmed us and asked for coins, fighting over each other. In one minute, the cute little children had completely changed and it was terrifying to see such greed in such little beings. To look into the small girl's eyes was heart breaking. The innocence in her pupils stared at my sad eyes; I was completely aware of this little girl's future.

The whole tour was disturbing and I'm still not exactly sure how to feel about it all. On one hand, everything I saw- the exploitative nature of the tour guides and companies, the poverty, the insincere "act", the apparent patriarchy- it all contradicted my personal beliefs and opinions. On the other hand, I feel confused because I am in no position to judge a culture. Who am I to say what is right and what is wrong? 

(This is a photo of a photo but I think it captures the mood well)

Just Laugh

When everything that could possibly go wrong does, it seems that our most natural reaction is to simply laugh in disbelief.

Last night we left on the night bus from Cusco to Puno, Peru. This afternoon we visited the floating islands of Titicaca. An incredibly strange and uncomfortable tour of the two islands was enough of Puno so we got back on the bus and headed to Bolivia. The landscape was absolutely beautiful as we drove past the coast of Lake Titicaca and hundreds of small farms. 

I began to get a bit nervous as we neared the border because I had read about how difficult it is for US citizens to enter. I read and re-read the visa requirements a dozen times and continually counted the documents in my travel wallet. Once we got to the border our worries were confirmed and the four American people from the bus quickly bonded as we scrambled to obtain missing documents. On an old computer in the back of the immigration office, we tried to log into our gmail accounts to print itineraries and plane tickets. We went back and forth between the immigration office, searching for a new document each time. The guys in the office were no help at all when it came to questions and apparently the other 25 people on our bus were not happy with waiting. Our final list of requirements to enter the country from Peru ended up being this:

-passport

-copy of passport 

-official health immunization record of yellow fever

-$160 USD (without rips tears of folds)

-hotel or hostel reservation

-airplane or bus ticket leaving the country

-5x5 passport photo with red background

-Peru immigration form

-bank statement or credit card 

-emergency contact info

-written itinerary of your trip

-visa application form (which you are supposed to print out on your own)

Soooo... Long story short it is hard for us to get into Bolivia. My friend from the Netherlands simply handed her passport and immigration form over to get a stamp and she was done. Putting this into perspective though, the US makes it so incredibly hard for so many citizens of third world countries to enter. I have met so many people that have been waiting months and even years to get a visa. They have spent hours trying to apply and hundreds of dollars with each application. I may be complaining of my simple troubles with entering Bolivia but in reality, it was doable and I was granted access at the end of the day.

Back to the story though, while we were rushing to print and copy and find these things, our bus decided it would leave and not only that, but it would leave without telling us or giving us our backpacks. Once we realized it was actually pulling away we ran for a bit until it was pointless and tuned back to look at each other. Now what? we all thought simultaneously. 

Eventually we were all approved and found a taxi to take us the rest of the way to town. Somewhere down the road I remembered reading something in my Lonely Planet book about making sure you get the necessary stamps and that you get all your documents back. I suddenly realized that I was missing my yellow health records paper so we turned the confused taxi driver around and went back to the immigration office once more. As we rode in the taxi towards town, we hypothesized about all the things and scenarios that must have happened to our packs. Well, there's no tags on our bags so anyone can grab them from the bus, or, no one knows that they are ours so they are going to stay on board until La Paz... We worried about all the things we probably lost and managed to laugh in between because we didn't really know what else to do. 

Once we got to town we found a driver of a different bus who directed us to a bus station and then directed us to a hotel where our bags supposedly were. How relieved we were to see our correct backpacks sitting behind the counter at this foreign hotel on the beach of Lake Titicaca. It had been a crazy long day and relief had finally reached us. 

Next, came the confusion with our hostel reservation and paying way more than we should have and walking up way too many stairs with our big packs. We threw our things into our beds and were so excited to take a hot shower in our nice, big, private, overpriced, room with a view. Once we read the sign about the water shortage and lack of hot water we shared a quick laugh then decided to go out to dinner. 

Upon looking through my wallet I realized that amidst the confusion and stresss of applying for my visa, I had never received my credit card back. Even when I returned to the office for my immunization card and asked several times if there was anything else that belonged to me, the man behind the desk looked me straight in the eyes and said no. I felt disheartened to have been deceived and though this was not the first thing I've had stolen, it was one of the more important. 

Thanks to last minute phone calls with my dad and the credit card agency, all has been taken care of. 

Our day was rounded off with some cheap and disgusting pizza and many many laughs as we sarcastically joked about how "great" and how "perfect" everything went today.

Traveling just wouldn't be the same if it were all so easy and effortless. All in all, it's hard not to smile because we are in an absolutely beautiful place. We're 12,600 feet up on the bank on Lake Titicaca in Copacabana, Bolivia and things just couldn't get any better.

...or worse :)

Navidad Abroad

Last week we celebrated Christmas in our school. It is always strange to celebrate holidays like this in places without snow and or pine trees however, the sparkly plastic singing tree that we set up in the school was pretty special to say the least. We decorated it´s synthetic branches with llama ornaments and flashing lights.
Each spanish class prepared a different dish and at the end of the night we had a multi-cultural feast, making a toast with a glass of pisco sour or chicha morada, classic peruvian drinks.
Being my first Christmas away from home, it made me feel a bit nostalgic but I was very grateful to have some celebration and to be surrounded by so many new friends from all over the world. 

El Camino a Urquillos

My friend Lotte and I woke up early this morning to go on a proper adventure for our day off of school. 

We ate breakfast and set out in city, looking for a street called Pavitos. Once we found the street, we also found the cars and buses and vans that take people anywhere and everywhere in the surrounding area. We asked our driver to take us to Chincheros, and once he dropped us off on the side of the road in this foreign village, all we knew was that we needed to somehow find el camino a Urquillos (the trail to Urquillos) a town which, surprisingly, we also knew nothing about. We stopped every few minutes to ask various shopkeepers and pedestrians the way and eventually we found the grassy green trail, el camino a Urquillos.

The trail starts at the base of the plaza of Incan ruins in the city of Chincheros. From there, it winds through farms, forests, mountain passes, herding pastures and villages.

The trail was grassy at first. The entire hillside above was carved out by terraces  of stone; once farming land for the Incans. We climbed up a big rock and admired all the perfectly cut squares missing from the Boulder. Sitting in what looked to be a chair, we pondered if this is a place where they used to make sacrifices to Pacha Mama, Mother Nature. 

We continued down the trail and passed a few people working on their farm, and a few women carefully watching over their goats, pigs, and donkeys as they grazed on the vibrant vegetation.

For a while we saw no one and appreciated the beautiful silence and occasional bird song. It was a stark contrast to the constant city buzz and bumble.

We continued descending the mountain, sometimes walking down stone steps, until we eventually rounded a corner and our eyes immediately met the jagged, snowy-covered peaks across the valley. It was stunning.

At the base of the mountains we spotted a town, quite possibly the one we were going to.

As we finished our descent of the steep mountain, we arrived at the valley floor and met the river below. There, we made a picnic in the grass, where we ate our avocados, bananas and peanut butter. We walked through dozens of small little farms, constantly guessing which type of vegetable was growing. Once, we came to an intersection so we asked a family traveling with their child and donkey the correct way. They kindly pointed down the valley, "el Camino a Urquillos" they said "está por alla."

We continued to follow the river. We walked through a beautiful Eucalyptus forest. With each inhalation, our nostrils were filled with a wonderful aroma and our air-deprived lungs thanked us. 

Eventually we started to enter a village of mud and straw brick houses perched on the side of a mountain. There was a stone canal in the middle of the trail that directed the water to the various 

farms. We walked further until we were around people again and Lotte and I took turns saying "hola" and "buenas Dias" to everyone we passed. We walked through the town, on the dirt road and eventually across a bridge to another town named Huayllabamba. There, we miraculously found a bus back to Quito and gave each other a high-5 to celebrate our victory in navigation. 

Watching out of the bus window, we passed dozens of small farms and villages in the Sacred Valley. There are reasons it is called the Sacred Valley and those reasons become immediately understood upon visiting. 

It was a wonderful adventure in nature. It was as if today, we went back in time.

A Day In The Life

I wake up and take as deep of a breath as my lungs will allow me at this altitude. The air is chilled but refreshing, this mountain air reminds me of home. I finally untuck myself from the heavy stack of alpaca blankets that are piled on top of me. I walk down the open hallway to the kitchen and eat some fruit and a piece of fresh baked bread. After chatting with some of my friends who go to school here, I make some tea, grab my notebook and pen, and seat myself in the small classroom filled with natural light from the ceiling window above. For the next several hours, we have discussions with our teachers and learn about the future perfect tense in Spanish. To keep the lessons interesting, every once in a while our teacher will do a magic trick with his cards or show us a funny video in Spanish. We take a break half way through to drink some mate de coca, a traditional tea made with coca leaves that gives you energy and helps with adjusting to the altitude.

After class is done we disperse to various places until lunch. We eat warm soup, vegetables, pastas, or meats, finishing our meal with more hot tea.

At this point, it is pouring rain outside and beginning to hail. I watch as the rain falls from the different levels of the roof, eventually tumbling off the edge. 

Once the rain has subsided, some friends and I walk down to the plaza and stop at the various shops looking at the beautiful crafts. We stop at a coffee shop then walk up the steep sidewalk to the San Blas district of the city. 

We walk home on the narrow cobblestone streets. Glancing across the way, the women dressed in bright, tradition clothing ask if we want a picture with them and their llama or their baby goat.

For dinner I go out with a different group of friends and a teacher from the school. We walk to a fancy restaurant and stare with wide eyes as they bring out our beautiful plates of Peruvian cusine. We sit and talk about the country with our teacher, practicing our Spanish as we go. 

Later we walk around the Plaza. It's getting late but the park is bustling with life. The lights of the houses stacked in the surrounding hills morph into a painting of blurred, colorful dots.

We walk to a bar and try pisco sours as a band begins to play. It's a famous group from the area and their music is so lively it's impossible not to move your body. The lead singer has long black hair and a big tattoo on his forehead. 

Eventually we wander to a different club and continue dancing until about three in the morning, at which point we decide we should get some rest so we're not too tired for classes later that day. We walk home under the street lights and ring the bell of our school. Raul let's us in and we make our way back to our room. Pulling the heavy alpaca blankets back over my head, I fall into a deep and wonderful sleep. 

Content in Cusco

From the moment I saw the Andes out of the airplane window, I knew this is exactly the place I wanted to be. For some reason, I have always wanted to go to Peru. It was the country I wanted to see the most when I started to plan my gap year so as I watched the huge snowy mountains out of my window, I was struck with disbelief that I was actually here. I felt nostalgic because the mountains reminded me of home but simultaneously I was overwhelmingly happy and excited. I couldn't stop smiling.

It was a wonderful feeling; the feeing that this is exactly where I want to be right now, this is exactly what I want to be doing. It is one of the best feelings and it has been happening more and more frequently lately. 

My eyes were fixed on the landscape the entire plane ride. We landed in Cusco and the energy of the city just got better and better. Granted I haven't spent much time here yet, I know it's a special place and I am very excited to explore the city throughout the coming weeks.

Baja

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to spend the holiday with friends and family. Seeing my mom and brother's smiling faces in the airport when they picked me up was the best feeling. 

For the past nine days, it was as if life had returned to normal and everything was as it had been when I left. 

We had a great time together in Baja. We stayed in a beautiful house in a town called Los Barrilles in the southern part of Baja. We were on the Sea of Cortez and the views were incredible- bright blue water crashing into the sandy shore. Brightly colored squares splotched the sky as dozens of people kiteboarded off the shore. The beach gradually turned into the dry desert sand and was decorated with huge cactus trees and pokey bushes. The town is small and mostly ex-pats but the authentic areas are scattered with Taquerias and stores that sell Pacifico.

One day we drove to the Pacific side to surf at Todos Santos. Madde, Jake and I surfed in the warm water until the sun went down, illuminating the sky with a beautiful pink and reflecting a brilliant red on the surface of the water. 

Another day we went to Cabo Pulmo, a national park containing the only living reef in the Sea of Cortez. We snorkeled through the water searching for Nemo and Dori until we had ingested enough salt water, thanks to our malfunctioning 

masks.

On another occasion, we rented jeeps and went out exploring the sandy dirt roads. We drove up the dried creek beds in search for a waterfall and were slightly disappointed when we finally arrived at a five foot drop of water over some boulders. Some of us decided to venture up the hillside and got a little taste of what it would be like to be lost in the desert; not so pleasant. 

We had bonfires on the beach during night. It was wonderful sitting out under the stars; listening to the sounds of the crackling fire, the breaking waves on the shore and Van Morrison's voice as they all perfectly blended into a chorus of tranquility. The full moon illuminated everything around us, even the bottom of the ocean as we swam. We would sit and chat as the fire dried our wet bodies. Some nights I fell asleep on my towel and other nights my mom coaxed us all to stand up and dance to the music.

Some nights we played Shanghai or spoons, and when the rains from the supposed Hurricane Saundra hit us, we went out and splashed in the deep puddles that were rapidly accumulating outside.

For thanksgiving, we went to the market in town and bought a variety of foods. We all helped out in the kitchen, slicing veggies and putting shrimp on skewers. We took breaks to sit by the pool and soak up the sun. All sitting around the big dining table at the end of the night, we enjoyed the lovely non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner we had created and took turns saying what we were thankful for. 

There's a lot to be grateful for in this world. I'm feeling extremely lucky to have all the wonderful people I have in my life.

Photo Update

I was able to download some photos from the first leg of my trip! Here's the link for the albums :)

Galapagos Photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.919238448160755.1073741861.100002238269067&type=1&l=32cfabb82c

Phase Two

¡Mexico!

I left Canoa Thursday night at 9:00 pm and arrived at Los Barriles, Baja California at 2:30 am on Saturday morning. Overnight bus ride to Quito, an hour long taxi ride to the airport then four hours in the airport. Four and a half hour plane ride to Mexico City, an hour of customs and another hour of security again. Nine and a half more hours of waiting in the strange airport then a two hour flight to Cabo San Lucas where I met my lovely family!! I will spend the next ten days with them here in Mexico. 27 straight hours of traveling is proving to be a tad tiring, but I'm so excited to see the fam.

Ama La Vida: Ecuador In Review

Goodbyes are seemingly more difficult when traveling. In the states when we say goodbye to one another, it's usually just until we see them again, see them soon. On the contrary, most of the goodbyes I have said here are forever. This concept hits me every time I get onto the bus and the wheels pull away from the station, leaving behind every connection I had established over the previous weeks. Every time I changed towns, I had to say goodbye to all the lovely new people I came to know. Leaving my established routine and familiarity for a completely blank slate; to start from zero all over again. Each goodbye was accompanied with the realization of how many new friends I'd made and how quickly and easily these people invited me into their lives and treated me as though we'd been friends or family for years. 

As I look back at my time in Ecuador, the first thing that comes to mind is the people. 

I think of Richard, the guy who cooked on our boat in the Galápagos. Darwin, our friend who taught us about geology and tried to touch the hammerhead sharks when we were snorkeling. I think of Mario, the man who runs a beautiful bed and breakfast in Quito with his wife, and I remember him waving goodbye to us out of the tall beautiful door. Jose, the owner of the nature reserve who reluctantly played cards with me at night and told me about the 60's and how he got out of the draft. Fousto, the man who helped me ride the mules to the reserve and showed me all the scary bugs he found. Alex, my young friend who opened my eyes to what t means to be fortunate and who swam in the cold waterfall with me when it was sunny. Todd, my hiking buddy from Colorado who adventured to a waterfall hidden in the forest with me. Wilson, the person who took me to my first disco teka and taught me how to say the body parts in Spanish. Lily, my friend from Alaska who was excellent company in the streets of Quito as we enjoyed delicious juices and ice cream. Leila, the woman who invited me into her house and taught me how to make ceviche and fried platanos. Olga, the sweet lady who says "mi amor" every time she talks to me. Luis, my friend who I went out to get batidos with at night as I helped him practice his English. Frederico, the guy from Austria who took surf lessons with me and was always equally as confused as I was when people started talking too fast. Roque, my "tourist guide" who kept me occupied every day and had the simplest and most light-hearted laugh I've ever heard.  His daughters, Olartia and Nerexy who I went to fiestas with, swam in the waterfall with, and ran through the cemetery with at night. Delsi, the woman who knitted as I slept on the ground under the cacao tree when we finished picking maraquya. Mario, my surf teacher who helped me paddle out past where the waves were braking and laughed as I struggled to sit balanced on my board. Alberto, the surfer bum who walked the beach with me and showed me all the coolest bars. Ingo, the Brasilian who brought me to a good hostel and sat with me on the beach to watch the sunset. 

My time in Ecuador flew by. The country is so vast and diverse it would take at least a year to explore everything it has to offer. Each municipality has a different dish, a different indigenous culture, a different dialect, a different history and a different economy. 

I absolutely loved seeing a slice of these different aspects of the country and am hungry to return one day to continue my exploring. 

"Ama La Vida" is the slogan for Ecuador and it means "Love The Life." I think this is a very fitting slogan because everyone I met was so incredibly happy. Though their lives at first appeared to be simple and repetitive, they lacked the stress and distractions that we face on a daily basis in the U.S. They live a pure and simple life and I'm so grateful to have taken part in it. I will always remember the kindness and hospitality they so generously showed me.

Until next time Ecuador... Ciao.

New Waters

It's like snowboarding, only different. I walk out into the waves, picking up my heavy legs in the moving water as though I was making a fresh boot track in the powder. I look out to the horizon and a smile reaches across my face as I think of the joy I am about to experience. 

Battling against the waves, I trudge out farther and farther into the ocean. Now, we wait. For a moment it is still. I spot a wave about to break and Mario yells to me to catch it. I start to paddle with my tired arms and look back over my right shoulder just as the wave nears my feet. I push up on the board and my feet navigate to a balanced stance. Now I'm here to enjoy the ride. I shift my weight between my legs and practice my turns, remembering what Cedrich told me, "it's just like snowboarding in powder, use your back leg." I get closer to the shore and dive off into the water. Some of the local surfer guys were watching me catch that one and, because I'm the only foreigner and female currently in the water, they pump their fist in the air; they're  cheering me on.

It feels good. My knees are sore from continually hitting the waxed board and my ribs have a nice little sore spot where they rest on the board. My hair is tied in  knots and my nose stings from ingesting the salt water. 

Every once in a while I get tumbled in a big wave. Freely floating through the spinning water, I plug my nose and let the ocean take me for a ride. Eventually the water releases me from its hold and I take a breath of fresh air. The leash cord tugs on my ankle as my board spins up and out of the wave.

It's just like snowboarding. A board under my two feet, floating on the surface of water. It's so much fun.

It's an adrenaline rush. 

Here, every day is a powder day.

Ecuadorian Hamburgeza (cheeseburger)

Beef, fried fish, ham, fried egg, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, cheese, mayonnaise sauce, bun. 

America, you're doing it wrong...

How To: Café

It is crazy to think of all the work that goes into making that brown substance we so effortlessly scoop into our coffee makers at home.

First you have to dry out the pink fruit. We laid it all out on the sidewalk by our house and let the sun do its magic.

Next you have to crush the shells to remove the small little green beans inside. After you make a fool of yourself trying to separate the shells, you roast the beans over the stove for about an hour. Finally, you put the cooked beans back into the grinder and the result is coffee. The best coffee you have ever tasted.

The past few days of work now result in a warm cup of joe; one which will be gone in less than five minutes.

How To: Mantequilla de Mani

PEANUT BUTTER! 

If you know me well, you know that I'm an addict so when I had the opportunity to learn how to make the wonderful gold called peanut butter, I was very excited; to say the least. 

Step 1: Walk to the neighbors house and buy three pounds of peanuts

Step 2: Peel the purple shells

Step 3: Roast over a hot stove in an even gotten kitchen for an hour

Step 4: Crush in the molino, watch as the gold leaks from the metal grinder

Step 5: Enjoy

Faster

There's so much dust in my eyes- the sun is blinding yet I don't dare close them. I don't want to miss one second of this view.

I'm on the back of a four wheeler, grasping tightly to the skinny waist of my friend Luis. My hair is tangling into dreadlocks and my helmet is loosely flapping in the air. We are bouncing wildly as we explore the bumpy dirt roads connecting the farms and hills of the countryside. Occasionally we tip a little when we round a corner too fast or smack into each other when we plow through a pit of mud. We're going incredibly fast and I can't stop smiling. I feel so alive.

We drive up onto the even-bumpier-dirt-road and up onto the ridge of the hill. We are surrounded by 360 degrees of beautiful farmland. This landscape has been carved by history. Thousands of years of civilization has left the hills geometrically painted with different shades of green. The ground below is a brown blur but the horizon is consistent and its incredible beauty remains unchanged. Occasionally we pass a small house in the middle of a farm- the dogs come out to bark at us as we dodge the chickens in our path. The sun is starting to set and everything is illuminated with the most perfect glow you have ever seen. It's the golden hour and it feels as though the flowers are releasing a pollen of pure happiness and joy. This is what it feels like to be alive. I feel so alive.

My mind is too preoccupied with this overwhelming happiness that it is incapable of processing any other emotion. 

Faster. I feel so alive.

How To: Yucca

Working on a farm has proved to be an excellent learning experience. I am able to learn about many of the foods that I so commonly eat in the US; not thinking twice about where they come from. 

Walking through the farm, we pass so many different things- huge orange trees, lime trees, lemon trees, mangoes, papayas, bananas, grapefruit, guavas, maraquya, avacado, pineapple, mandarin, sweet potato, yucca, coffee, cacao, macadamia nuts and others that I don't know the name of. 

Today, we went to harvest some yucca from a friend's farm and the following is an 19-step instruction manual for preparing a yucca dish.

Step 1: Cut down yucca trees from the neighbor's farm

Step 2: Clear your field with the machete

Step 3: Hack away at the dry ground with a dull shovel to make holes

Step 4: Cut the tree into smaller sticks

Step 5: Put sticks into the holes, cover

Step 6: Wait a year

Step 7: Loosen the ground around the tree with a machete

Step 8: Harness your inner-hulk and attempt to pull the root from the ground

Step 9: Ask for help from someone who actually knows what they're doing

Step 10: Carry the heavy sacks of yucca to the house and feed most of it to the pigs

Step 11: Peel the yucca with a machete

Step 12: Wash in dirty water

Step 13: Shred the yucca into pulp

Step 14: Squeeze the liquid out of the pulp 

Step 15: Throw the pulp at the gringa

Step 16: Mix with onions, a few eggs, cheese, salt, and cilantro

Step 17: Fry

Step 18: Enjoy

Step 19: Wash yucca out of your hair

Beach Day

Over the weekend I had the chance to go to the coast with Roque and Delsi. It's about a 2.5 hour bus ride from San Isidro to Canoa and it was neat to see the countryside in between- scattered with small rural farms and rolling hills. 

It was a cloudy day but beautiful. The sound of the crashing waves is one that positively innundates your senses and gives off an indescribable sensation of happiness and content. It was wonderful to walk the shore barefoot, sand squishing between my toes. I associate these feelings with memories I have from my childhood.

We ate seafood and ceviche in a small little hut on the edge of the beach, drank fresh cocnut water, swam in the tumbling waves then returned to our small town of San Isidro. It was a great day.

A Day In The Life

I was wide awake well before the alarm on my watch planned on waking me. 

At about 5:00, the roosters all seem to be awake, and the motorcycles have already started their daily commute. The people who are renting a room next to me have already turned on their music and I can hear it perfectly thanks to the lack of glass in my windows. I untuck myself from the pink mosquito net draped over my bed and throw on some dirty clothes; because all my clothes are dirty at this point it's just a matter of partial cleanliness.

Opening the gate, I watch as the kids in uniform cross the street on their way to school. Three blocks down I come to La Pandería, one of the two bakeries in town and I exchange my shiny coin for some fresh bread. Walking back on the wide dirt road, I pass the little houses and shops which line the block side by side, the walls are all connected. When I get back to the house I fry and egg and some banana in the little pan and slice up a fresh tomato. 

"Seymie! Seymie!" 

Roque and his wife are on the street outside waiting for me, it's time to go to work. I fill my water bottle and throw on my shoes. Here we go.

We walk down the road until a truck passes. We ask the driver, a friend of Roque, where he is going and quickly hop in the back, walking treacherously over the tree trimmings that fill the bed. Gripping the side tightly, the fresh air tangles my hair as we speed up the dirt road, we honk to say hello to the people walking up with their mules. Once we arrive at the driver's destination we climb out of the back and start walking up, waiting for the next truck to pass by. Today we aren't so luck so we end up walking the rest of the distance. 

At the neighbor's farm we stop to cut down some yucca trees. Apparently this is alright to do so I just go with the flow and sling the long branches over my shoulder. 

As we walk the trail to our farm we stop at the various trees to collect some fruit for later. 

Roque is telling me about the importance the farm has had in his life. He teaches me the word "desestrezarse," which essentially means to de-stress, and explains how the farm brings him peace and tranquility in his life. 

Once we arrive at the farm Roque hands me a big bag and we start our work. Today we are collecting Maraquilla (passion fruit). It's like a large-scale Easter egg hunt. Scouring the ground for the fallen yellow fruit, we spend the next few hours filling our bags. The work is tiring and it's really hot and humid so I sit down to chat with Roque's wife Delsi as we take a water break. She peels one of the oranges we picked earlier with the machete and hands it to me to drink. Refreshed and covered in orange juice, it's time to plant the Yucca. As I quickly learn, it is a three persons job. Someone needs to cut the tree into small pieces and shave the ends. The other two need to clear the ground with the machete and dig holes to put the branches in. We plant six rows of yucca and will call it a day once we finish collecting firewood to fuel the stove. It makes me smile when I look over to Delsi; this little woman in her rubber boots with a huge dead tree, swinging it in the air and smacking it down on the ground in an attempt to break it into smaller pieces.

We pile the wood, cut it and put it into bags and bundles. Eventually the truck comes back around and we load all of our things as the herd of cows simultaneously passes by on the narrow road. Delsi and I squish into the front seat and we head back to town, listening to the radio and the sound of the squeaky old car as the 78 year old driver shifts his red truck into first to go up the hill.

We stop at a shop in town to weigh our bags of Maraquilla and are paid for our work. Roque and Delsi invite me over for lunch and we sit in the hammocks of their bamboo house and wait for the rice to cook. After lunch we sit around and talk, visiting with the various people who come in and out of the house just to say hello or just to chat. I excuse myself and walk home. 

Cooling off in the shower, I listen to the mice scurrying in the ceiling above. The cold water seems like an inconvenience but is so refreshing in the heat. I wash the several layers of dirt, bugs, sweat, leaves, mosquito repellent and fruit juice off of my skin and put on my somewhat-cleaner clothes.

Siesta has now begun and I have an hour or so to relax and do as I please. As I'm flipping through the last pages of Jack London's Call of the Wild, more people have invited themselves over to chat. While they are talking, the heat seems to get the best of me and my translations become a bit blurry. Focusing too hard on one word I don't understand, I fall behind it what they are saying and eventually resort to saying "si, si" every minute or so. It has been a while since I've had a verbal conversation in English so I naturally start to wonder if my English will sound different when I speak it again.

Leila, the woman I am living with, walks over to tell me that we're going to make peanut butter so we walk to the market a few blocks away and purchase four pounds of peanuts. Passing all the small shops on our way, people are gathered together on the sidewalk chatting and enjoying each other's company. Leila says hi to everyone as we pass by and turns to me to explain that, because it is such a small town, everyone knows everyone. 

Once we get back to the house we sit and peel the purple skins off one by one then roast the nuts over the stove in a ceramic bowl that Leila's grandparents used to use. Afterwards, we scoop them into the molino and take turns manually spinning the crank. Excitedly, I watch as the creamy substance slowly seeps from the edges of the grinder. 

More people come over to chat and watch as the gringa learns how to make her first batch of mantequilla de mani. 

It's finally starting to cool off now and I'm incredibly relieved because I've been hot and sweaty all day long. I walk to the store to buy some ingredients to make a pasta and cook a dish to share with my new friends. After dinner we sit and chat and some more people stop by to say hello. I try to subtly hint that I'm tired but end up talking for another hour or so. 

I eventually manage to sneak away to the comfort of my bed and the false security that the mosquito net provides. For the next three hours or so I will listen to the loud disco-tec music that the neighbors play and once they finally go to bed, so will I.

Adios Reserva Los Cedros

I am now back in the city and have said goodbye to the nature reserve in the cloud forest. Reflecting back on my experience there, I am sad to leave such a peaceful place. As I was laying in bed last night, rather than crickets and frogs, I listened to car horns and sirens. The simple things like this are the ones which I am going to miss the most. After three weeks there, it became a comfortable place for me; the closest thing I have found to home so far. I got used to the unique aspects of life in a cloud forest. 

My volunteer work consisted of setting up trail cameras to monitor the surrounding wildlife, hiking down to the water intake on the hydro to fix our power source (multiple different times), and taking pictures of the birds. The various waterfalls and swimming holes were wonderful ways to spend the afternoons with rare moments of sun. 

Tonight, I have a nine hour bus ride to a city near the coast called San Isidro. There, I will volunteer on a small farm with a local family and participate in a home-stay cultural exchange for about two weeks. I'm not entirely sure what to expect but I'm excited for this next adventure!

Living History

I vividly remember sitting in my world geography class freshman year, in a wooden desk by the window at BHS. I remember the textbook we had and when we did a unit on Conservation. We had to draw a piece of paper which determines whether we were 'pro-environment' or 'pro-logging.' From there, we had to read about the deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest and debate the opposite opinion. I remember looking through the glossy pictures- images of trucks hauling out lumber and entire fields of felled trees- like it was yesterday.

Every day on the reserve it was always disheartening to hear the chainsaws off in the distance, illegally cutting down the beautiful trees that I was surrounded by- while the helicopters circled overhead, searching for magnetic fields that would be good areas to open new mines. This was my first experience of being fully immersed in the damage that humans are causing to our environment. On my first mule ride going up into the reserve, we had to pull over to let the oncoming traffic (eight other mules hauling huge logs) pass by. 

While simultaneously seeing these negative effects, I was reading the book Collapse by Jared Diamond; learning about past civilizations, like the Mayans, the Vikings and the people of Easter Island, whose societies failed to succeed. Most of which were at the fault of damaging the environment (i.e. deforestation, poor agricultural practices etc..) at a rate which was unable to regenerate. I learned that without trees, there is an entire ripple effect. No lumber to build houses, no roots to hold soil, no fertile top soil to plant crops, no crops to feed humans or domestic animals, no lumber to heat houses, no lumber to cook food, no lumber to build canoes to leave the island (obviously in a more primitive scenario). 

It's definitely a dooms-day way of thinking but incredibly fascinating and extremely necessary to be cognizant of, and if you haven't read it I would highly recommend it.

My worry after seeing all this and reading about other societies is that there isn't enough time. Yes, there are people like Jose fighting for conservation, but the governmental process is slow, and there is a lot of negativity surrounding the concept. I worry that the people will only realize the consequences of their actions once there are no more trees to cut down, once it is already too late.

What Sets Us Apart

What makes me different than you? What makes me different than the 16 year old girl who works here on the reserve? Who is to say whether I have 15 sibblings or 2? Who is to say whether I get an education rather than work full time to support my family?

It is hard for me not to ask myself these questions when I meet people like my friend Alex, a young girl who lost her father, has fifteen sibblings, works a full time job and only gets to go to school on Saturdays. Alex is a wonderful girl. She has a sense of humor, an appreciation for nature, she is hard working and eager to learn. She cooks every meal on the reserve, every week day then walks two hours home for the weekend. She gets paid $20 a week.

Our lives are practically opposite yet we as individuals are very similar. The only major difference between us lies in the opportunites we have, a direct result of the environment that we grew up in.

When Ecuadorians ask me what I am doing in the country, “Tourist? Student? Work?” it is hard for me to explain that I am here to travel. The response I consistently get is pure shock.

“How do you have enough money? How do you have enough time? Are you here by yourself?”

“yeah...” I explain “I am kinda just here to travel and experience new things. I am taking a year off from school.”

The fact that I have the opportunity to just come here is incredible. Unimaginable for most of the people who live here. And the reason that I am able to do so? The reason that I have this opportunity as well as all the other opportunites I have?

That´s simple. I was born in the United States. I was born into the family that I am so grateful to be a part of.

That´s the ONLY thing that seperates me from Alex.

Place of origin.

The Deal With Ecotourism

Paying money to volunteer your time...???
This concept is one that still puzzles me (and many other people) so I have done some investigation in attempt to figure out what is the deal with ecotourism.
According to the International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.
For many conservation organizations, like the reserve I am currently staying at, their primary (and sometimes only) source of income is from volunteers. These organizations heavily rely on donations and volunteer payments to run their entire operation. The money at the reserve goes to pay the people who work here, the food, the bills, maitenance, transportation, and the financing of trips to go to important meetings and assemblies. As a volunteer, a paying volunteer, it is an interesting concept.
On one hand, without the money from the volunteers, organizations that are working towards conservation would not be able to operate. I truly believe that by inspiring people to make an effort towards conservation by immersing them in the beauty of nature, they will be more likely to take action and affect change. However, it is a completely unsustainable practice. These organizations rely 100% on volunteers, therefore they are unable to sustain themselves. Without volunteers, everything would collapse.
In this sense, I believe that ecotourism is a start towards conservation but not a final or sustainable solution. We have to start somewhere, but eventually organizations, much like the one I am currently volunteering for, need to be self-sufficient.

The Politics Behind the Policies

This past weekend I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to go to the Asamblea Cantonal de Cotocacchi. This is the yearly assembly for the Cotacacchi municipality (which is like a state for Ecuador) to meet up and set the agenda for the 2016 year.

On Friday, the volunteer coordinator Jose and I went into town and met with a local group of representatives from all of the neighboring communitites; Jose and I were the representatives for the 6,000 hectares of land that is Los Cedros. At this meeting we were informed of the current issues surrounding our area.

The next day, we went into the city of Cotocacchi where we were greeted by hundreds of people from all over the municipality, including the president of the Ecuadorian indigenous population and the mayor of the Cotocacchi region. After many different people gave speeches and a ceremony for blessing the asembly finished, we broke into specific groups. There were groups for education, environment, disabilities, youth, family relationships and several others. I was given the freedom to choose which group I participated in but many of the people there were elected by their communities or schools to be representatives for specific causes. In the Education group, people spoke of their qualms with the current education system; presenting personal stories and examples of their experiences. The ultimate goal of our meeting was to create resolutions, so after everyone finished giving their input, we formulated a list of resolutions to fix some of the problems.

On Sunday, the last day, everyone gathered in the theatre for the final meetings. First there was a speech by a renouned economist who informed everyone of the budget and the history of the government spending. Afterwards, each group was to present their resolutions to the entire assembly. From there, people would ask questions to clarify or propose alterations to the resolutions. To finish it off, there was a vote by the entire audience whether to approve the resolution or not, and we would move on to the next category. For some, it was very easy to pass their proposals. For example, when the disability group suggested that the government make public facilities more friendly to the blind and disabled communities, there was full support. However, when the environmental comittie started with their proposals for conservation or for raising taxes on the water, there was always a large debate.

Overall, it was a really neat experience to take part in such a democratic process. I was able to learn about Ecuador through observing the conversations these people were having. Being fully immersed in this country, I have come to learn a lot about the government. I have spoken with dozens of different people about their government and the overall attitude that I have experienced is discontent. Currently, their president Correa has not done much when it comes to conservation. He makes it very difficult for people to form organizations and so it is hard for anyone to go up against him. In addition to this, he is currently proposing an ammendment to the constitution that will allow him to extend his time in office. In the Ecuadorian government, there is a ministry of the truth that is able to correct anything that is, well, not the truth. If the radio station says something about the government, the government reserves the right to take over the radio station and dispute the truth. In addition to this, there is a rule that all incoming students must pass a specific exam to get accepted to University. Currently, due to the lack of quality education in rural areas, there is a shockingly large amount of people who are unable to go to University. At the hostel I stayed at last night, I was speaking with a girl, my age, who currently helps her family out because she cannot pass this exam. She studies very hard and has taken it three different times but the education in her small town has left her nowhere near where she needs to be in order to pass. The same goes for thousands of indigenous communities throughout the country.

The politics control everything that happens (and does not happen) here in Ecuador. It is interesting to learn first hand about these guiding forces.

I would like to end on this note: the things I have written may contain factual innacuracies due to the presence of bias in the perspectives of my sources.

Life In A Cloud

I have survived my first week in the cloud forest, miraculously, without getting eaten by a puma or devoured by a taranchula. Life is very simple here and often I spend the majority of my day with my face deep in a book, adventuring side by side with the protagonist of the novel. When I am not stranded on Mars with Mark Watney or on a life raft in the Pacific with a Bengal Tiger, I am either wandering the muddy trails that surround the camp, setting up game cameras, swimming under waterfalls, taking pictures of the hundreds of different birds and moths, journaling, or just sitting somewhere cool and thinking about stuff.

Being so far from civilization has definitely had its ups and downs no doubt but in this past week alone, I feel like I have learned a vast amount about myself.

Before coming here, I never truly experienced loneliness. In my previous travels, I had always been with my friends or family, or host family, so my first confrontation with this emotion was one that hit me head on. Gradually, over the past week, I have learned how to deal with being alone, and have taught myself to embrace the beauty of it at times. I started to compile a list of things that helped me confront my loneliness (will post in a later blog), and by pinpointing the cause of my emotions, I was better able to work through them and eventually, resolve them.

Upon my arrival, I was assaulted by a tornado of emotions. I was overwhelmed by the long list of things that are poisonous or things that are dangerous. I was sad to have said goodbye to my mother, who I had gotten so close with over the previous two weeks. I was intimidated because I was the only female and only volunteer on the entire nature reserve. I was out of my element and in a completely new place. I was basically a mess to say the least.

Now, just seven days later, this reserve is home to me. I am used to the constant caucophony of birds, monkeys, crickets and frogs that fills the air every minute of every day. I look forward to the time at night when I get to brush my teeth at the sink outside, loooking out into the dark night sky as the fireflies flicker on and off in all directions. I get excited when I get to explore a new trail. I look forward to the morning when I walk up to the main cabin for breakfast. Stomping through the mud, I watch as the birds peck at the bananas we put out the previous night. I am used to the rain that comes every afternoon and feel comfortable in my hammock with a blanket, reading my book as it patters on the tin roof overhead. I enjoy my showers because they are in a little wooden hut with an open window to the rainforest. As I lather the dirt and grime out of my hair, I look out to the trees; hoping to spot a toucan.

Life is beautiful, and on the reserve, life is abundant. Though I may be one of the only Homo sapiens here, the gap is easily filled with the presence of other, more exotic, creatures.

Indiana Jones

 Alive and well, I have made it to La Reserva de Los Cedros! I am writing to you now from a small, open faced wooden shack with a bench and a table, at the top of a hill cleared of trees. A little cable with some device on the end is plugged into the USB of this ancient computer and I hang it in the air on a rope and move it around to try to find the slightest of signal. The computer battery lasts for about 11 minutes and it takes about 10 to hike here so I will not be updating this often, I will however try to whenever possible. It is quite isolated and somewhat lonely on the reserve and contact with the outside world has proved to be pretty comforting.
With my remaining minutes of battery, I would like to tell the story of how I got here.
I took a bus through the countryside and up a dirt road through the forest for about three hours. We finally arrived at the town of Chontal, and to be honest, town is a generous word, perhaps over exaggerating the dirt road and store that it consisted of. Twenty minutes in a truck up a steep and rocky road was the second part of my journey. At one point, the driver had to stop, get out of the truck and seach for a nice piece of wood to cover the gaping hole in the suspension bridge. Once he set this piece of wood over the missing slat, he started up the car and presumed to ask me how much I weigh. Great.
After we miraculously made it across the narrow slouching bridge, he dropped me of with another man, named Fousto, who loaded my things, and all the food supplies for the coming weeks, onto the back of a mule.
The trail to the reserve started off through a banana farm. As we gradually made our way up the meandering trail, through the mud and various spider webs along the way, the vegetation began to get more and more dense. "This is the reserve," Fousto turned to tell me. Everything around us is alive. Under the leaves lies a multitude of colored insects, each tree is covered with vines, moss, flowers, lichen, birds, leaves and all sorts of crazy other plants I have never even seen before. I smile as I think this is what it must be like to be Indiana Jones.

Into The Clouds

Today I was faced with the difficulty of saying goodbye to my travel companion for the past two weeks, my momma. Departure was hard and left me stuttering and teary-eyed as I attempted to tell the taxi driver where I needed to go. I'm onto the next adventure and seeking a change of scenery for a while. 

Tonight I am staying at a couple's apartment with other teenagers from around the world, like myself, who have taken the year to travel. I couldn't help but smile when I was at the dinner table this evening, exchanging adventurous stories with my new friends. Tomorrow morning I will be taking a taxi to the bus station, going 3.5 hours north to Chontal where a driver is picking me up to continue north. Then I will be meeting a man named Josef, an American ex-pat who owns thousands of acres of cloud forest and runs a conservation program. From there he will put me (and my bag) on donkeys and we will begin the trek up into the mountains. I will be at his nature reserve, la Reserva de los Cedros, for at least three weeks and will most likely not have Internet; so for those of you who read this blog to ensure my safety, have no fear. If you'd like to see where I'll be living for the coming weeks, please follow this link http://reservaloscedros.org/

I'm very excited to see this beautiful place and to disconnect from society for a bit. Until next time! Que les vaya bien

From the Amazon to the Andes

My mom and I are now in Otavalo, after a six hour car ride through the countryside. The landscape here is much different than the others we have seen so far. Otavalo is known for its indegenous people, the Otavalans. Every morning they come down to the town square and set up one of the largest artisan markets in the country. There are many different groups of indigenous people in Ecuador and all are quite different, with varying customs, jobs and traditional dress. 

So far we have seen the more modern and hip city of Quito as well as the old town. With its antique buildings and churches, there is a wealth of history throughout the area. Next we saw the more hippy-town of Baños. Positioned on the edge of the rainforest  where the ex-pats and street performers roam the streets selling arts and crafts by day and roam the busy streets by night. Now, we are in Otavalo, a mountain town inundated with culture and customs, beautiful mountains, volcanoes with several lakes throughout the valley.

 

Comunicación

Hola friends and family! If ever you should desperately need to get in touch with me, my phone number is 994626507 and my email is sami.bierman@gmail.com.

Also, many of you have asked for my address (which will constantly be changing) but there are very high taxes for receiving packages (around $44) so please don't send anything because I can't really afford to pick it up :) 

I am really enjoying writing post cards though so if you would like one please comment your address!

Thanks!!

Self Guided Tour

Today my mom and I decided to go on an adventure and veer away from the busy tour buses with the rambling guides, monotonously saying the same thing over and over. Therefore, we thought it would be best just to rent an off-road jeep and go find some waterfalls in the Amazon, so that's exactly what we did.

We paid this company in town, handed them my drivers license in exchange for the keys and a map of the area that was really lacking in detail. They sent us off, hoping that we knew how to drive a manual.

We drove off and into the countryside. The open air flooded in from the windows and the roof and we were immersed in everything around us- the aromas from the roasting Guinea pigs on the grill, the dripping water from the long rock tunnels, the exhaust from the big semis in front and everything in between. All was going well until we decided to stop at a pullout and look at the view. On our way back onto the road we got the front tire stuck in the big concrete gutter and the back tire in the mud. A truck pulled over and all the guys got out to help us, then a semi driver pulled over to also help us lift the vehicle up and out. On the side of this mountain on a one-way highway, here we are: these two American females in a jeep stuck in the mud with four other Ecuadorian men helping us out. The scene was quit comical but it was a great way to kick off the day's adventure. We drove down the road (and back multiple times because everyone kept giving us different directions to the falls) until we got to El Pailon Del Diablo where we waked around and climbed through some caves to see the powerful cascading falls. 

Afterwards, we stopped to take a canopy tour zip line ride across a huge river to the other side of the rainforest. It was a little unnerving walking up the three story abandoned building which the zip line started off from, but even more so when we watched the guys basically Turing us in with some carabiners and daisy chains. Of course, it was just our luck to get stuck out in the open; not making it all the way back to the platform, we were left dangling by this dinky harness probably one hundred feet above the ground in the superman position. Awesome.

That just about sums up our day. Spontaneous, adventurous, and pretty wild. Having a lot of fun down here in Baños with my mom.

Inherently Good

Sometimes, after a certain series of events, we can't help but have faith in those around us. 

This morning I was trying to contact my program coordinator in Ecuador but my phone wasn't working so I asked a man at our hotel for help and his immediate reaction was to reach into his pocket, dial the number on his phone and hand it to me so I could make my phone call.

On our way into Quito, the lady who was driving our taxi graciously stopped at a safe bank where we could use and atm and walked us into the area, watching our backs as we went in. Her car broke down as we were leaving and her husband came to our rescue and picked us up to bring us to our hotel in the city. 

After a last-minute hotel booking, we were a bit nervous of the place we were staying because of its location in a more notoriously crime ridden area. Our fears were immediately dissolved when we opened the big wooden door from the busting street and met the two owners of this quaint bed and breakfast. This couple was so incredibly nice to us and extremely helpful and accommodating. It's so lovely to meet such kind and happy people when you're traveling I can't even describe how grateful I was for the generosity.

Later, we went to the teleférico, a trolley car to the top of a mountain on the north side of the city. It was beautiful to hike around up there at 13,500 feet and see the snowy volcanoes of Ecuador. We saw the sun set and watched as the lights of the city came to life in the valley below. 

We came down the trolley when it was beginning to get dark and started to get a bit nervous when there were no taxis. We saw a large group of people all wearing the same black leather jackets and dozens of police officers so we were curious as to what was happening. Being the only white people at night in a large city with hundreds of people on the sidewalks wearing the same clothes can be a little intimidating. Anyways, to the point... I asked a man where we could find a taxi and he politely told us down the road. He began walking with us all the way down and talking with me the whole way as we navigated through the crowd. Apparently he was a police officer in Quito and wanted to make sure we made it safely to a taxi. Once we found an available one, the man helped me tell the driver where we were going and how to get there.

We went to dinner at a really neat restaurant called Zazu and met several other groups of travelers like ourselves. All were so friendly and very open to suggesting places to visit and gave me great travel tips and well wishes.

For the week that we've been here so far, I've felt really tense and uneasy in the city. So many people have told me terrible stories of the awful things that have happened to them while traveling and as a result, I wasn't giving people the benefit of the doubt. I was having terrible nightmares of bad things that may happen and I was walking through the city, not trusting anyone around me.

Although these actions and deeds may seem insignificant to most, the willingness of other people to lend us a helping hand without hesitation helped boost my faith in humanity. As my mom reminded me in our taxi ride home - only a small percentage of people actually have malicious intentions. 

I think I had simply forgotten about the other (larger) percentage of the population. 

Islas Galápagos

Increíble. The word I would use to describe the islands. 

For the past six days, we've been living on a sailboat, the Cachalote, with 12 other people from all over the world.

Our days aboard the boat were very long and packed with adventure. Obviously it's hard to sum up our whole trip in one post but here goes my best effort of the highlights from each day...

Day one: San Cristobal 

My mom and I met my grandparents in Quito the night of the 1st and flew to San Cristobal the next day. Once we arrived on the island, we were greeted by the wonderful warm, humid air as we exited the plane to the tiny airport. We quickly discovered that there are sea lions everywhere; basking in the sun on the picnic tables and benches all over town.

After settling on the ship, we took the pangas (dingies) to the mainland and visited a tortoise breeding center. We learned that most of the tortoises on the other islands have completely died off due to the introduction (by humans) of rats. The rats eat the young tortoises before they reach maturity and eventually entire populations were lost on the islands. It was very interesting to learn of the conservation efforts that are being put into place here on the islands because so frequently we hear of the negative damage humans have done but this breeding center is beginning to make a very positive impact on the tortoise population.

Day two: Española

On this day, we went to a gorgeous white sandy beach surrounded by bright turquoise water. We found a whale skeleton near the water, kayaked around the rocky cliffs and sat on the beach, watching the sea lions play in the waves. Later that day we went snorkeling and saw beautiful, exotic fish, and sea lions that came to play with us. This was my first major experience snorkeling and for those of you who haven't done it, it's pretty much straight out of Finding Nemo. Later that day we went for a hike along the shore and saw hundreds of iguanas and even more seals. Sadly, we also saw many dyeing or dead seals and birds. This wasn't a part of the Galápagos we had expected to see but was very raw and real; just like the environment that we were staying in. This reminder of reality was refreshing and eventually I was able to look at it as a beautiful thing. I was able to look at a decaying bird and think of how amazing it is that it will biodegrade into the ground and that its body will fertilize the plants around it and nourish other animals as well. 

Day three: Floreana

On this day we went for a hike across the island and next to a lagoon where we saw many flamingos. Once we arrived at the beach on the other side, we were told to shuffle our feet through the water so we could safely watch the stingrays. There was a huge school of the Rays so we stood still as they grazed the bottom of the ocean floor, right around our feet. Afterwards, we went to a snorkeling area that was an eroded volcano in the ocean called Devil's Crown; a flourishing reef with many different marine species. At the end of our snorkeling venture, we were joined by some playful penguins and got to swim through the water with the feeding birds. They are very small and incredibly agile. What a pleasant surprise! Next, we sailed to Post Office beach. Here, we dropped off our post cards into a wooden barrel that was brought there in 1793 by a whaling captain. Historically speaking, the sailors would drop their letters here and when other boats came by, they would look through the letters to see where they needed to go. If one was close to where he/she lived, they would take it home with them and hand deliver the card or letter. Today, the custom is still going so we did the same. We boarded our boat and put up the sails. El Capitan let us take turns steering the boat, teaching some of us how to navigate using the compass and the wind. For the rest of the evening we sailed the open seas and watched for whales on the horizon. 

Day four: Santa Cruz and Santiago

We woke up and went on a hike through the the barren landscape on the Western side of Santiago. Contrary to what I expected, many of the islands here are very arid and somewhat dry. Although there are no seasons, the trees lose their leaves during this season (the dry season) to conserve their water. On land, we saw a few land iguanas, finches, and huge cacti that grow in clusters resembling trees. After our hike we got back on the boat and sailed to Santiago Island. We walked over the lava flow from an eruption that happened only 115 years ago. The ground was covered with intricate patters and drips of black lava rock; in some places it looked like artwork it was so beautiful. It was a very neat geology lesson and interesting to think that this is how life started on all the islands. The lack of life present in this island gave us a good perspective of how long it took for the other islands to grow luscious forests and vegetation filled with animals. 

That evening, we used our flashlights in the water to attract the fish, and with the fish came the Sharks. From a safe (but very close) distance, we watched the Sharks circle our boat. There was also a curious sea lion that came to our boat and we watched him chase the flying fish through the water. The sea lions here have adapted a method of fishing that enables them to catch these fish because the fish are much faster than them. The sea lions chase the fish into the sides of the boats so they can catch them. 

Day five: Genovesa

We woke up on this morning to clouds and rain but continued with the day's agenda. We took the pangas to the cliffs on the edge of this island and walked up old stairs to the top of the rocks. We hiked around the top of the island and saw hundreds of different birds. There aren't any predators of the birds here so they build their nests on the ground and aren't really afraid of humans so we were able to get quite close. We saw two beautiful little owls and many blue footed boobies, red footed boobies, nazca boobies, seagulls, and frigote birds. There are many different species of finches and it is very interesting to see them up close and observe the size and shape of their beaks based on what they eat. This is some of the evidence Charles Darwin used when formulating his theory of evolution and it is fascinating to see in person. For example, one type of finch has a huge, big, bulky beak because they primarily eat from hard shells and rocks; whereas the other species has a tiny sharp beak to get blood from other birds as a source of water. We then put on our snorkeling gear and went out into the water again. Here we were very excited to see the Hammerhead sharks. The first one we saw appeared out of the murky deep water and was almost 12 feet long. We swam right above the Sharks, observing them as they moved through the water. We also saw an eagle Ray, some trumpet fish, a couple of sea turtles and many other different schools of fish. After our hike we went kayaking around the shoreline to look for fur seals and then went to the beach to walk through the mangroves. We found a dead baby whale and learned that it died because the whales' sonar gets interrupted by the radar on the boat's navigation. The whales get stuck in the cove area and are unable to navigate without their sonar. This was our final night with our friends and our crew members so we made a toast before dinner then set sail. 

Day six: Baltra

For our last day we went for a ride around the mangroves to black turtle cove. We spotted dozens of turtles, back tipped reef sharks and manta rays. On our way back to the boat, we found an area where thousands of blue footed boobies were synchronously diving into the water to catch sardines. The method the birds use to feed was incredible to watch and very systematic. They would all take turns diving and coming out of the water then rejoining the circle; flying back up to the top where they would dive back in again. 

Overall, our trip was spectacular. We met really incredible people from many different places and got to see beautiful new landscapes and exotic new creatures. The time spent with family will always be a special memory and it was a great way to begin my big adventure.