Black Sheep Inn - EcoLodge

One of the little missions I was given before I left for South America was from both my parents. They challenged me to stay at the Black Sheep Inn in Chugchilan, Ecuador which is located in the Andes.

I hope, through my previous posts, I have proven how much I like a mission so, here you go Mammacita and Daddy-O!

One 40min taxi ride, two buses (only one of which had another tourist aboard) for a total of 6hrs and I HAD ARRIVED at 3,300m on the doorstep of one of the world's 50 BEST EcoLodges (According to National Geographic).   

             Yeah Baby!

 

Not only did I get to up to some amazing adventures, here in the Cotopaxi Region of Ecuador'so Andes (see future posts) but when I wasn't hiking around yet another crater/lake or riding horses in the clouds for the day... This is where I was staying.

To the right here is the three storey thatched roof, A-frame "dorm" where I stayed as the only guest. So from now on I will refer to it as the EcoCottage I rented for MYSELF in the Andes.

I considered staying on the top floor but remembering I am still plagued with the nucence of late night trips to the bathroom I thought better of it. How will I ever survive pregnancy one day?!

To the left of my EcoCottage is the solar heated shower and compost toilet area.



The deal with the toilet is you throw a scoop of wood chips in after any "visit" and then wash your hands in a basin fed with rain water caught on the roof (combined with the use of biodegradable handsoap of course) and that then feeds into the garden in the same little room.

Here, on the right, is a view of the little garden you look onto when you "use the facilities".

Seriously, this is taken from the "throne" and while I wouldn't normally take a camera with me into such a locale and then publish it to the world, in this instance I thought you'd be interested. (Shoot me a comment if I am wrong... so I can reconsider our friendship :) )


Anyways, I'm 92% sure it is why my mother thought I should make the trip. Well, that & the showers.

So, now let me tell you about these classy duchas.

The shower is designed with wine and liquor bottles cemented into the wall to wash the stall in a glow of circular rainbow colors.

- Left is a view from outside.
- Right are of the inside.



The Black Sheep Inn also specializes in vegetarian fair which they grow on the premises and serve as part of the cost to lodge here. The new managed Eduardo was terrific, planning and coordinating excursions around the area, keeping the fire going (being at 3,300m makes for chilly nights), playing some great tunes and even getting me a hot water bottle nightly.


On my last morning here I ventured down to the yoga room (panoramic image below) and spent a quiet hour stretching and absorbing the last moments I had in this oasis. Below the yoga room photo is the view from inside. Stunning.

More posts will probably need to come from Colombia because so far I haven´t found a good place to hunker down and load photos that doesn´t take a full 30 seconds to register each click.

Ahhh the things I have done to keep you all informed. Home in about a month!  Looking forward to catching up on what I´ve missed! 
xox b

Isla San Cristobal - last days in the Galapagos Enchanted Islands

San Cristobal has been taken over by what seem like homeless drunks... but they are sea lions. They lounge across all the pier benches like they have no where else to go and no will to go further. Strange. I'd take a photo but I can't bring myself to photograph another sea lion. EVER.

Day one I visited La Loberia (Sea Lion Refuge beach... Big surprise) to snorkel with some others I have met here but there wasn't much to see so we took refuge ourselves in my room's AC after a big sea food feast for lunch. FOXY I'm posting a food photo... take note!

Sadly one of the girls had her bag stolen off the beach in the afternoon and lost $500, her bank cards, clothes and her camera with photos from the past five months of her trip which she hadn't yet backed up. TOTAL MISERY. So frustrating that theft is such a big part of traveling in this part of the world.

On the upside we saw about 200 rays feeding by the pier before we headed out to dinner. They looked like live art the way they all moved in unison! Wish I'd had my camera but I was traveling light so close your eyes and imagine it or wait till the Aussie I was with sends me her photo and I can post on facebook.

Day two I headed out on my final day trip in this lovely speed boat. This time to Kicker Rock aka Lion Dormido, shown on the left, because I had heard there is a chance to see Hammerhead sharks. No luck but we did see the most playful sea lions I have met to date. To the point where they freaked me out entirely with how close they came! Also saw another white tip shark and turtles while we swam through the two rocks and around the larger one, so it wasn't a total waste. 

Kyla you would have hated this day trip. Super deep water that would switch from cold to incredibly hot in seconds and two girls got stung by little jelly fish. I was so rattled the entire time worrying about the jelly fish and hope/ fear of possibly seeing a hammerhead. I have no idea what you would have been thinking other than get me the %^$ out of here!

Tomorrow afternoon I fly to Quito which I am told is cold, by everyone who has been there. Think I am ready for a long sleeve shirt so I'm not worried. Time to head out for some dinner and then the ritual packing session. Hope I haven't lost too many of you with so many Galapagos posts.

xox
b

Isla Seymour Norte / Isla Baltra to Isla San Cristobal

Wrapping up on the Eden this morning was bittersweet. We were once again up at sunrise so I could capture the sky filled with the birds that inhabit the island.

Seeing the mating dances/rituals for both the Blue Footed Boobies as well as the Magnificent Frigatebirds on North Seymour Island was like being inside an episode of National Geographic but I am happy to be on my own again for a few days. 

Here's the scoop.
Boobies put their main focus on their feet with males hoping the females are impressed with their bright colour. They do this by hopping from one foot to the next and spreading out their wings while whistling and finally dropping a small stone or stick on her feet as an offering. (Caught one in mid act to the right). Their equivalent of a diamond I suppose thou I am told any similarities to the human species are coincidental. Females are constantly being courted so even after she picks one another will try to catch her eye and the original male will start up again. 

In the case of the Magnificent Frigatebirds, the males have a giant red gular sac on their necks which they puff up with air to catch a females eye. Look at the size of these things! Its like a scrotum hanging from their faces when they release the air and take flight. Bad luck boys. I am told other males try to burst the sac of a competing male with their beaks. Okay now that can't be considered playing fair but it does seems like something out of a high school locker room. They also spread their wings and whistle for attention but it has to be the massive heart shaped neck balloon that catches a girls eye. Let's be honest now.

Also managed to see some land iguanas. Finally, I was getting tired of all the black marine iguanas... much prefer the jazzy yellow on this guy who seems ready for a smooch! 

Fairwell Eden!
Here's Dor looking for turtles

I spent the remainder of the day travelling over to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal which is the capital of the Galapagos, but like many capitals is smaller than other "towns" in these islands.

Once again the boat was over capacity and this time people also had luggage matching their body weight so I spent the 2+ hours on the three motor speedboat truly wondering if this would be the end. Fun fact here...  basically no one, including me, had a physical ticket for the boat either and the boat operator didn't seem to care at all. I was given a piece of paper with the name of the boat scribbled on it and told by the travel agent to just look for the boat in the harbour. Turns out I had to take a water taxi to even board??? Events like this remind me that I am still deep inside the belly of Latin America.

Decided to splurge and book a place with Air Conditionning for my three remaining nights. Splurge means a whopping $120for three nights breakfast included.

What do you think of the electrically heated shower head? Safe or Unsafe? No, you know what, don't answer that. I have to shower in it either way because today was the hottest day they have had this year. I am disgusting! I just don't plan on looking for hot water anyway. Sounds like a plan!

xox

b

Isla Fernandina / Isla Santiago / Isla Rabida

After a short cruise from Isla Isabel last night we got to sleep in the calm waters of Tagus Cove.

If you can believe it this is the graffiti capital of the Galapagos dating back to when the Buccaneers used the spot as a hide away and carved their names into the towering rock walls.

Oldest I could find dated back to 1836 (see right) and you'll probably be happy to know graffiti is no longer allowed though the decision was recent so there are plenty of spray painted tags here too.

The cove was filled with an erie, yet beautiful, fog at 6am when we took an hour long panga ride along the shore to see the usual suspects (blue footed boobies, sea lions, pelicans, turtles etc).

When we came back to Eden, which you can see in the distance in the photo to the left, we were excited to see at least a dozen Galapagos penguins swimming around the hull eating the fish that were attracted to the alge on the boat. A speedy breakfast and we all hopped into the water to swim with them for ages! If I was excited about the individual penguins I saw over the past few days it was nothing compared to being within inches of a dozen! 

After lunch we snorkeled again, this time at Bahia Espinoza and I was taken aback by the brightness of the colours in the star fish that covered the sea floor.Thanks to Dor's underwater camera you get to see one of the starfish too!

More penguins, turtles and sea lions joined us but it feels like that should almost be assumed at this point. On shore we visited the largest sea lion colony, including two males fighting out for alpha status, my first Galapagos Hawks close up and the remains of a Sperm whale. 

Quick fact: The difference between seals and sea lions is that sea lions have ears and can "walk" a little using their flippers. Just so you feel like I was learning something not just getting water logged this entire time.  

Early dinner since the next stop, Isla Santiago, was a 13hr cruise away. Thankfully the anti nausea pills continued to work well and the crossing of the equator (twice in the 13hrs) went smoothly. Here's the view from the island over a "sea" of marine iguanas looking out at Eden.

Santiago is the spot for fur seals... which is a misleading name since they are actually sea lions.

Did you check for ears? Good for you! 

Interesting fact is to hear fur seals are born without knowing how to swim! Their mothers have to take them into the water and teach them over the course of a few months. Total shocker!!!

Two hour tanning session got us to Isla Rabida for more flamingos and another white tip reef shark plus the many tropical fish I normally am in awe of in other countries, but seem to have been ignoring due to all the other wildlife around here. Saw my first eel though which was cool and truthfully a bit scary. Eeek! I wonder what I will do if I ever see a Hammerhead on San Cristobal later this week!? 

Tomorrow wraps up my time on Eden. It has been spectacular but I will be ready to be the captain of my own ship by then.

Missing you but can't imagine leaving early with things like this to see and do!
xox
b

Isla Isabela

So I survived night one on the yacht!

By 8am we were on the panga (spanish for dinghy and fun to say so I will refer to them as such moving forward) headed to Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela, the largest island of the Galapagos and the one with the most and largest volcanos.

Visited the wetlands to see yet more marine iguanas and lava lizards and a lone flamingo. Not as impressive as the flock I chilled with at Laguna Colorado in Bolivia but there was someone in our group who'd never seen a wild flamingo so it was fun to watch her excitement.  

Then it was on to another Giant Tortoise breading centre, this time one dedicated specifically to species endemic to Isabela where we got to see what a tortoise looks like as it grows inside the egg thanks to fromaldyhide and some small glass jars. Pretty impressive to see how small they start out next to the massive beasts they become. This little guy is two months old.

As I mentioned earlier, Isabela has the largest volcano within the Galapagos and, as it turns out, the same volcano, Cerro Negro, is also the second largest crater in the world after Ngorogoro in Tanzania.  Well since we are here it makes sense to hike up to the rim and check it out right? Thankfully being a large crater (9km by 10km) doesn't necessarily make you high, so the hour walk wasn't too demanding, save for the fact that it continued to be so damn hot and humid. Cerro Negra is filled with cooled lava from an eruption in 2005. See all that black stuff... yup cooled lava. Bad ASS. Now that I've been to craters #1 and #2 I might have to visit #3 but according to my google search two claim the spot so I'll let "them" work that out before I book any flights.

Afternoon was spent at the beach playing in the waves followed by an ice cream before taking the panga back to the boat for a shower, dinner and briefing on tomorrow's adventures which start at 5:45am... Why? Why? WHY!?!

Turns out this is the best time of day to see the Flightless Cormorants near Punta Moreno. Well so be it then!

So I maintain I am not a bird person, BUT the story with these birds is that their wings have evolved to a shrunken size which makes it impossible for them to fly thanks to a lack of predators and an abundance of food. Cheers for that Darwin.

Here's one drying his wings after a swim. Once again they are endemic to the Galapagos.

FYI everyone seems to want to say 'endemic' as often as possible on these islands. It has become a running joke between Dor (my Israeli room-mate) and I.

 

  

After breakfast we headed to the lava fields, which are these vast baron spaces of black lava with cactus plants and peppered with tide pools where we managed to see more flamingos, white tip reef sharks, puffer fish, turtles etc.

Then we jumped in our wetsuits to snorkel in the bay and found ourselves swimming with playful sea lions and turtles. Ruben even showed us a sea horse he brought up from the seaweed (think it is illegal to touch any of the wildlife but am still appreciative that Ruben gave me the opportunity to be inches from such a unique being) and then just before I jumped into the panga a penguin swam by me. Obviously. No big deal.

Seriously.

This place is crazy.

You've got to book a trip!

xo

b

Eden Yacht - Isla Santa Cruz

Eden Yacht is by far the nicest boat I have ever been a guest on. I mean no disrespect to those friends of my parents who have been kind enough, for instance, to sail me to the Bahamas or taken me salmon fishing off the coast of British Columbia. These were amazing experiences, but, this first class boat was made for touring 16 passengers and 5 crew through one of the top tourist hotspots in the world and the Eden does not disappoint.  

My group consisted of our Ecuadorian guide Ruben, 1 Israeli, (my room mate for 5 nights in our top deck air conditioned room with private bath), 4 Germans, 2 Canadians (one who actually went to the same high school as me but we were in different grades so didn't know one another... small world), 1 from the UK and 7 Americans.

For the afternoon we visited the highlands of Santa Cruz. Stopping first at some local ranches to see giant tortoises and local birds that cruise the area. The ranchers actually supply you with rain boots so you don't get your own kicks dirty. Class!

I am always amazed at bird lovers. I can't seem to retain the details of one species let alone hundreds, but they can be pretty to look at. Strange to watch ranchers herding their cows with giant tortoises and marine iguanas at their feet and colourful birds fluttering around. 

Second stop was to a section of lava tunnels that we could walk through. Basically, during an eruption, the lava would flow like a river and the outer layer would cool as it came into contact with the air, to form the tunnel walls. The rest of the lava continued to flow until it ran out and the tunnels stop. I have to admit I didn't find the lava tunnels visually spectacular (basically looks like a stone tunnel... What about it? Right?) but the fact that they were formed by magma and over time are collapsing was worth the visit. 

At 5:30pm it was time to board the Eden, check out our rooms, take a shower (I had been waiting for this luxury all day) and start working on my sea legs from a bottle.

At 6pm we had our briefing about the overall tour plan and specifics about what the following day had in store.  Here's a photo of the living room/dining room/bar with our resident bartender, Alihandro, smiling away. Thankfully we remained anchored in the bay for dinner (food is really delish) so we weren't watching our plates slide around the tables during the entire meal. 

At ten o'clock we headed out to sea for our eight hour journey to Isla Isabela. First night of five at sea in open water... make no mistake I took an anti nausea pill and headed to my bed to beg whatever scientific forces I could, to please not let me get sick...

I won't lie... it was a rough night where I was almost rolling off the bed from the serious wave motion going on but no sickness so I considered myself lucky! 

xox

b

Bahia Tortuga - Isla Santa Cruz

So today I had a free day (meaning no booked boat trip) on Isla Santa Cruz before I leave for my 6 day cruise around some of the more remote parts of the Galapagos Islands.

What do you do with a free day in the Galapagos you might ask... well when in Puerto Ayora (the main town in Isla Santa Cruz) you take a 30min walk to Tortoise Bay aka Bahia Tortuga. The walk allows you to see two of the three endemic varieties of cactus (the prickly pear and candelabra varieties. The third being lava cactus.) and a ton of birds (finches, which are a major part of Darwin's theory of evolution, mockingbirds, herons etc).  When you come through the end of the 30min path this is the bay / beach you've been walking in the sticky humidity to reach. Pretty spectacular right? The sand was some of the finest I have ever encountered and though the rip tides are too strong to swim, the water is shallow for ages so it is still easy to enjoy and cool off some.

I only arrived at about 11am (still considered to be relatively low tide) so I didn't see any turtles as you might expect, (they only show up in the early am) but did manage to work on my tan (dress for Linda and Dave's wedding is strapless so I have some real work to do here). As I continued to walk along the beach I visited the many marine iguanas hanging out near the shore of a smaller bay further down and photographed one swimming to shore as well as a heron (I think) enjoying his lunch and some brown pelicans in the mangroves around the shoreline.
 

Seriously the wildlife here is so abundant that by 3:30pm, after I was done soaking in the rays and had decided to revisit the little bay again now that the tide was up, I could see white tip reef sharks in the ankle deep water where I was standing. I couldn't resist throwing on my snorkel mask to have a cruise around the shallows with about eight sharks all close enough to once again touch. Note sharks don't like to have their tails touched and will dart away at what seems like the speed of light! One shark even came so close to shore his fins were above water and he almost beached himself swimming around the surfers and sun bathers. Totally my kind of afternoon. I mean the sharks weren't that big, but man were they cool.

Stayed until just before the sunset and then a ranger came to tell me it was time to walk back. Fair enough, it was time to shower off all the salt and sand and eat before I packed up my belongings in preparation for my six day cruise starting the following afternoon. Dreams of what days five through ten would have in store for me made it tough to sleep... felt a little like Christmas eve but I tried hard not to set expectations too high. It is always better to be happily surprised, as I have been since arriving, than be let down.

Since I still hadn't visited the Charles Darwin Research Centre I decided to wander over there the following morning with my remaining free hours.

Here's a photo of the graffiti outside my hostel and some images of Pelican Bay on the main drag where locals sell fish and pelicans do their best to grab free snacks. Just to give you the vibe of Puerto Ayora. All of this is on the way to the CDRC where you get to see more giant tortoises (one being Lonesome George who is the last of his species) and learn about the natural history of the islands at the Interpretation Centre. Then it was time to go join the other 15 tourists on my first class boat called Eden.

No internet access on the boat so I'll post about the journey when I get off in six days. Wish me luck!

xox

b