28 July - Day 54: Accidently on Purpose

Today started fantastically. After breakfast I found out that my tour was scheduled for 2, so I headed to the beach. At 9 am the beach was completely empty and peaceful. I decided to head west. Most people who visit Isabella do so for only 1-3 days, so my 7 days is a lot of time! Time to get into the nooks and crannies withing walking distance - and I like to walk. Leave it to me to stumble on the town cemetery - just behind the dune of the beach. I kept walking and found huge iguanas basking in the sun, a beach made of solely broken shells and sea urchin spines, salt lagoons, a lava tube, and candelabra cactus trees. There is something to be said about exploring on your own... this morning was perfect.

You ready for the afternoon? I wish I could redo a few parts... ok - I met up with my group for the tour of the turtle center (went there yesterday, but ok) and the Wall of Tears (really want to see this). The group is 2 spanish speaking old women, 2 youngish French women, and 2 young really big guys from Idaho (it´s been a long time since I´ve been around a full sized person), oh and me. Our guide gathers us and we head off to the turtle center. It's nice to be with a guide and get more information. The one Idaho guy understands Spanish better than me and is translating for his friend, so I take full advantage of this situation. Sure enough sometimes I think I understand the Spanish only to find out that I was not on the right track at all...

The guide is a bit chit chatty with all of us and it's a good group. We then head up to the Wall of Tears. After WW II, Ecuador decided not to give in to the the pressures to sell the Galapagos, but instead use Isabella for prisoners. The government sent 300 prisoners to Isabella and of course police to watch over them. Like I said, there is not much to do here, beside animal watch, so the police had to think of a way to keep the prisoners busy and to tire them out. So they thought, oh, let's have the prisoners carry huge pieces of lava over here and make a giant wall. The lava is heavy and super sharp. The sign at the site says that "the strong cry and the weak die". Apparently a lot of prisoners died trying to make a stupid wall. Eventually what do you think happened... yup, the prisoners got control of the camp and tied up the police. The unfinished wall stands here as a reminder of the stupidity of humans.

At the site I am walking ahead of the group and thinking about the people lugging huge rocks when the guide peers around the corner and says something in Spanish and I think he's asking me about the Wall of Tears so I respond that it's horrible. He appears shocked and aked me if I think HE is horrible - and I'm like - oh crap he is talking about what I think of him, not the Wall.... What happens next happens so fast and I fumbled my way into agreeing to see him at 8:30 tonight! WTF just happened? I would pay $100 USD for Laura to be with me right now! I am in total shock - I've agreed to go on a date with a guy and I need someone to support me! LAURA... I try to confide in the Idaho guys and I guess since the topic wasn't potatoes they weren't interested in helping me... HELP.

Next we go to playa de amor - oh great the beach of love. Mr. Guide is more attentive and says my name at least half a dozen times. Ok I'm gonna get out of this...

We get dropped off and he asks to walk with me to my house. Shit -what is this? The issue is that people here know the US from movies - and I'm not about to hook up with a local from Isabella Island. He makes plans to meet me at the corner at 8:30 and my Spanish is too bad to weasel my way out of this. I get back - freeze my ass off in the cold shower - baby power up - and think - this does not feel right. I ask Petita if it's safe and she says yes, but from a robbery or something else? My gut says no, so I'm blowing him off. My solution is to hide out in my room and pray he doesn't come knocking. Wait til you see his photo and the fact that he's wearing a women's velor coat with fur trim and flower embroidered into it. Oh it's super attractive - for a girl!

25 July - Day 51: Island hopping and Baby Powder Showers

My new showering strategy is to have as little contact as possible with the frigid water and to simply douse myself with baby powder. I even resorted to putting baby powder in my hair. I understand the energy requirements to heat water, but it is really cold here - they tell me the coldest it's been in two decades and I can not bear to put my head under a shower of ice cold water. Imagine it's a 50 degree day and you decide to bathe with the yard hose.

Six more nights... six more - I hate thinking that way - wishing my time away, but I just got off a 2 1/2 hour frigid boat ride, the sun has not peaked through once today (even though I've been on three different islands) and I would pay $20 for a nice HOT shower!

I started my day in San Cristobal - jetted over to Santa Cruz - and have just arrived on Isabella. After a total of 5 hours on a boat I'm not looking forward to the boat trip scheduled for Tuesday. I managed to keep all my food in, but it's probably because at 6:30 am I drugged myself with two mareols and then I swallowed down one more for the afternoon ride. I probably should have taken two more and just passed out because the last ride was rough. It was a smaller boat and at times we were entrenched in a wave and couldn't see the horizon for a few seconds. That and slamming down in the waves was enough to bring up anyone's lunch. I listened to my IPOD and that kept my mind busy.

My first reaction upon arrival to Isabella is... ewwww, ugly. My hostel overlooks a vacant lot with an old dirty matress and laundry hanging. The "port" is not a port at all and just a dock that leads to a street. I don't have a sense of orientation yet - so maybe I'll feel better when I do. I usually catch on to directions fairly quickly, so we'll see how I do when I get some daylight hours.

  My hostel doesn´t look that bad, right? Well here´s the view across the street...

Bummer, really because the places on the beach are really nice...

Isabella is the largest island and made up of 6 volcanoes. Sierra negra is the 2nd largest crater in the world! The port here, Puerto Villamil, has 1000 residents and is referred to as "off the beaten track" (I'd say...) My guidebook doesn't even include a map of this town...

The plan for the week is three day tours and two free days. I've got my fingers crossed!

24 July - Day 50 : Lions (sea), iguanas (marine), and birds (boobies) - OH MY

Another really pleasant day. I left my hostel in search of some breakfast and ran into one of the volunteers from Jatun Satcha. She´s close to my age, from Germany, and I didn´t really get a chance to talk to her at the reserve... we decided to get breakfast together. After we ate she mentioned going to La Loberia - the beach about 40 minutes walk that everyone went to yesterday. She wanted to go back and enjoy it without so many people, so we ended up hanging out all day. It was great.

La Loberia (oh wait for the photos) is known for lots of sea lions, marine iguanas and birds - oh good - I like all of those things! Of course the weather wouldn´t cooperate and we almost turned around because of the rain, but at that point we were already soaked and kept going. I am so glad because we, of course, saw tons of sea lions, but sea turtles as well! the infamous turquoise water was surrounded by black igneous rocks and the white beaches composed of broken sea shells and purple urchin spines. Who doesn´t love frolicking sea lions? It was too cold to swim, but I did have my bathing suit on for the 2nd time this ENTIRE summer!

We hiked up to a cliff, winding our way across the sharp lava. At the top of the cliff we saw birds - a few Nazca boobys, but mostly swallow-tailed gulls with their red eye circle and red feet.

It´s true, when you travel alone you can meet some really cool people. I deserved this - after babysitting - and the reserve "camp".

We took photos, talked and hiked. My stomach was digesting itself by the time we got back into town.

I really needed this type of day. Full of exercise, but relaxing at the same time, good company, along the coast and cool animals to observe. Now this is that I was expecting!

Tomorrow I´m off bright and early to catch the 7 am boat to Santa Cruz, then to the 2 pm boat to Isabella... My last week...

20 July - Day 46; People pay to do this?

At the reserve... and... it´s really beautiful, really...

you ready for the BIG BUTT... whew - deep breath- bugs, so many that you need to wear a bug hat. OK I can wear one, too bad no one told me to bring one, I actually own a bug hat and have it in Bolivia with me - that way I wouldn´t need to borrow a moldy, stinky one. Work - manuel labor - I actually enjoy a bit of manuel labor and when you are on kitchen duty you get out of work, but I´d much rather be in the reserve working than in the kitchen!

Reforestation of native species is the goal. Pull out the invasive blackberry bushes - which have taken over and are covered with nasty thorns, and plant native trees. I planted 8 trees today! That´s cool. Everything is covered in mud. The last place did a really good job cleaning up even when someone broke the rules and walked with their boots in a forbidden zone. This place appears to make no effort to clean and even though they force you to take off your boots the floor is covered in dirt and now your socks are filth. A nice brush-like broom would fix this problem.

Lunch was OK - rice and meat - you are in charge of washing your own plate - in cold water with a nasty sponge - my mom would have a heart attack.

OK - I´ve saved the best for last and I haven´t even had the full experience yet... the sleeping quarters! I´m sad that they other guy planted the bed bug idea in my head because the matresses are repulsive - all of them. I´ve sprayed the crap out of one with bug spray and then they put sheets on a different bed. Oh - it´s gross. I asked about a blanket or something - and they were like, "oh" you didn´t bring your own sleeping bag? Well... nooo... just like the bug hat, that wasn´t on the "list". Damn, now I have to use a sleeping bag from here. How am I ever going to sleep? I´m repulsed just thinking of getting into that bed. I´m trying to think back to girl scout camp... when I was - what - 8 years old... I don´t remember the sleeping quarters - were they gross?

14 July - Day 40: Puky McPuker

What a morning. My boating experience is so limited that I didn´t know how to mentally prepare myself for today´s tour of Academy Bay. My inner ear fails me more and more as I age and I don´t know if I´m going to get sick. Should I skip the trip? What to do? Should I eat breakfast? Daniel, one of the guides, picked us up at the hostel and took us to our restaurant - ok - I should at least have some eggs and toast. Feeling good we head for the dock. This is a "special" glass bottom boat - the only one here. We join two other families and our guide, Edwardo, and head off.

It´s rough, the water. Super turquoise and beautiful, but the overcast sky and swells are bringing back thoughts of stormy seas. Maybe in a past life I died at sea...

We go to a group of volcanic rocks - 25 minutes from the port - and immediately spot sea lions. Awww, so cute! We stay in one spot looking at the crabs, birds, sea lions and my body is fighting to keep control. No big shock - my body fails. A group decides to snorkle - 1st of all the water is cold - 18 degrees C, and rough, big enough swells to look undesirable, it´s cloudy and well that´s all I needed to not jump in. In my mind I realize that getting out of the boat is a good idea, but the dizziness has set in and now the puking starts. Just three times - enough to empty my stomach - whew - so much for those eggs. We are rocking while the snorkelers snorkle. I am concentrating hard. Deep breaths, calm, find that still happy place inside.

The group jumps back in - blue lips and all. We are off again and I´m in full concentration mode. Oh thankfully the walking part is next. We get out of the boat and view a white tipped reef shark resting spot and then head for playa de los perros - which actually has nothing to do with dogs. Here the whitish sand blinks in contrast with the black lava. Turquoise water slaps the shore and - wait - look - marine iguanas! Swimming! Sunning! How Cool!

I guess said fast to non native speakers, marine iguanas sounds like marijuana. Imagine the excitement on someone´s face when the guide shouts - "LOOK - marijuanas!"

Back on the boat we don´t go far before another walking spot - this time to a canyon-ish area with brackish water. With the overcast sky the water isn´t very inviting, but it was quite relaxing to chill on land for a while. I just have the shakes a little now, so as long as I don´t make any sudden movements I can stay upright.

Made it back to Porto Ayora and was able to fill my empty stomach with some rice and fish. After a little siesta we headed to Tortuga Bay. The path was a little longer than we expected and went on and on.

I guess now might be a good time to introduce you to my travel companion. As of a month ago I was the only person signed up to do the trip. When I checked into my hostel in Quito - two days before- I discovered that there was someone else signed up... I was glad actually - after 5 weeks alone - I am ready for a travel companion.

The next morning I met her. She speaks only English and in a super southern accent. She shares that she is from Alabama and living in a trailer in a trailer park with a pit bull and a pit mix. Twenty two - which means she was born in 1988 and if I´d followed the southern way - could literally be my daughter. She is THAT generation - the one that cannot put down her cell phone which in addition to being a phone has internet. I wonder why people don´t just be with the people they are texting. If you can´t put down the phone... move closer to the person you are texting all day. My pet peeve - hanging out with someone that cannot stop texting or worse, talking on the phone. I know I sound like an old lady... I am.

Come to find out, my travel companion has brought a large rolling suitcase, a hand suitcase, a backpack and a shoulder bag. We are doing a lot of moving around... staying in several different places... WTF? It´s a good thing she´s blonde and tiny. How did I end up with the perfect white trash southern girl for a travel companion?

So far she has needed help with everything! After bragging about having taken Spanish all through school - she asks me how to order a bottle of water. This is good actually - I can relax and speak English most of the time, but am being forced to be the one to communicate with everyone else. I need this responsibility.

Next stop... volunteering in the highlands of Santa Cruz...

Who needs a bucket list? Just do it NOW!

I was doing a little searching around the internet and what do I run across? A blog about Bangkok Street Dogs. It seems that someone has been going around Bangkok and photographing the dogs and then writing little stories about them, and it seems that they've been doing it since 2005. Huh.

I did get a bit of feedback about my idea of writing a book. Right now I'm too busy trying to figure out what I'm going to do this summer. Since November I was signed up to volunteer at an animal conservation center in Ecuador, but I just got an email that the center is closing. Huh. So instead of being bummed I thought - hey - I can start looking for another opportunity. I get so jazzed about finding the adventure. Sometimes I have to watch myself or I'll have the next few months planned out, but not know what I'm doing tomorrow.

For example... spring break is coming and I talked about going to the Galapagos, but honestly it felt too rushed. So guess what? I've applied to VOLUNTEER on San Cristobal (an island in the Galapagos) for 7 weeks! I KNOW, isn't that freaking cool? Seven weeks on an island with blue footed boobies, seals, marine iguanas, turtles... well, actually I'll be volunteering in the highlands of the island and working on a sustainability project. The organization, Hacienda Tranquila, is working toward helping the local community make good choices about what to plant and how to conserve this amazing resource. I will spend most of my time in the garden and working with people. I initially wanted to work with animals and looked into a program working with turtles, but they needed a 12 week commitment and I only have 8 weeks off. I have created quite an extensive list of places that would be fantastic to volunteer, so I'll keep that list handy whenever I have the urge to plan an adventure.

As far as spring break goes... my roommate and I have decided to head to Sucre, a town in the mountains of Bolivia, and take some Spanish lessons. We'll be there for the week, exploring and practicing. In April I'm supposed to be chaperoning a trip there for the 10th graders at my school, so it will also be good for me to check it out.

My life is exactly how I want it right now. I know I should have a husband, mortgage and some kids by now, but let me tell you - that is not for me. You go ahead and enjoy that for me - I'm going to plan my next trip!