We had two beautiful days with good weather and a very good guide.  We’d always do the same tour again …. Gustavo is a very good cook. 

We headed off the Galapagos Islands nice and early.  At 4:30 am, Cuenca time, we left from our school on our 16 passenger’s bus.  The ride to Guayaquil was bumpy and curvy, but the length of the three and a half hour ride was a great opportunity to rest.  From Guayaquil, we took a plane to Baltra Island.  There we met our guide for the day, Mariana.  From the airport, we took a bus ride, ferry and another bus to Santa Cruz Island where our activities for the day were planned.  After lunch, we went to the Charles Darwin Research Center for an enlightening and educational experience.  We learned about the animals that were brought by humans to the islands and those that are endemic.  We saw different species of iguanas as well as many species of giant tortoises.  After the Research we took a very long hike to Tortuga Bay, a beautiful beach, the water was clear and blue, very warm compared to the ocean in New England.  After the beach, we stepped aboard our boat, the Encantada, for the first time.  The crew was really nice and Juan, our ocean guide, was very knowledgeable.  The first full day we awoke, ate breakfast and got ready to go and enjoy Floreana Island.  After, we visited an underground lava tunnel.  The cave was dark, so our headlamps came in handy.  We followed the lava tunnel to the back until the water was knee-deep.  We climbed out of the cave, ready to snorkel.  We put on our gear and walked in to the water off of the beach.  This snorkelling was only a practice run for the afternoon when we were to snorkel Devil’s Crown.  At Devil’s Crown, we saw beautiful fish, school of them, and starfish and sea urchins.  It was an amazing experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.  We woke up the next morning, still feeling a bit queasy, but nonetheless excited for what the new day would bring.  Juan, our guide, took us to Española where we encountered many animals such as sea iguanas and sea lions, and birds like the Frigate and Blue-Footed Boobies.  We woke up the next morning a little less excited knowing that we were leaving the Galapagos Islands that same day.  With heavy hearts, we went onto North Seymour.  We soon found ourselves in better moods with the scenery around us.  We saw many more sea lions and a wide variety of birds like boobies and frigates, pelicans and gulls.  The coolest thing was the male frigates with their bright red pouches puffed up to attract females.  This was quickly beaten, as we saw our most memorable sight.  We came upon a Boobie sitting on her nest.  Upon first giance, we saw an egg underneath the bird.  We took a closer look and saw that the egg was actually cracked and there was a little, tiny baby Boobie underneath the mother.  Juan said that it was probably about a day old and it was about three inches long. After seeing all of these amazing sights, we trekked off to Baltra Island for our flight back to Guayaquil and our bus to Cuenca.  We were extremely disheartened to have to leave our oasis on the sea, but nonetheless, excited because we were headed off into the Amazon the following morning. The things we saw and did on the Galapagos Island will leave a long-lasting impression on all of us.

Friday morning we met at school dressed in many layers, our goofy black rain boots and our heavy backpacks.  As we eagerly prepared ourselves mentally for this trek, our tiny van drove through Cuenca and into the mountains of El Cajas National Park. The winding roads and intense change in altitude couldn’t draw our minds away from the towering mountains surrounding us.  A forty minute van ride and a couple of tubes of sun block later, we were hiking through El Cajas.  Once we reached the peak of the first mountain, we were incredibly relieved and impressed at the distance we had already covered.  Stopping by a lake, we enjoyed an amazing box lunch made by our cocinera (cook), Sylvia. Our first campsite was situated in a lush valley encompassed by looming mountains whose tops were lost in the clouds.  That night we enjoyed a four course meal and hot tea, and then quickly retired to our tents, trying to avoid the biting cold.   Surprisingly, this second day was not as difficult as one might have expected. At first, we had a long uphill segment, but the rest was scenic, flat or downhill.  As we approached camp, we walked through a narrow valley with a river running through it.   The site was beautiful, it was surrounded by mountains, waterfalls and a river. The rest of the day and night, everyone played cards, rummycube and ate a wonderful dinner. Sunday, on our final day in El Cajas, we awoke at 7:30 am we started out hike out of our valley around 10:30am.  We climbed down rock faces, trekked through forest, and trudged across fields of mud. Once we arrived at the end of the trail, hours after leaving our campsite we were greeted by our bus and driven to the hot springs. The hot springs were made up of three large pools.  The water comes from volcanic springs and is all natural. The pools relaxed everyone’s sore muscles after three hard days in the mountains.  Following the hot springs, we returned to Cuenca to get ready for our next adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

Today, which was our first full day in Ecuador, had us headed toward the market in Otavalo. The market is the biggest in South America, great for us since there were plenty of shirts, pants, jackets and bags unique to Ecuador for the buying. The time on the bus was not a burden, but a blessing as the ride took us through some of the many mountains scattered across Ecuador. These mountains produced spectacular landscapes.  Juan our guide and friend filled us with a wealth of information and covered every aspect of Ecuador from the economy to the different temperate zones of the country.  I had no idea that the cactus-shaped agave plant was used for so many purposes and so important to Ecuadorians.   We also made a short stop at the Equator line, and took some quick photos; this was the spot where European scientists had come years ago to measure the Earth.  We finally arrived at our destination, Otavalo. Mr. Roderick gave us a quick tour of the market, and its vast area, and it was now our turn to explore the mass of goods it contained. After only a short while of exploring the market streets, it was evident that this market was not just for tourists, but was where people came to buy their weekly necessities.

By the end of the day it was evident that Zach was victorious in finding the best deal. When buying pants, Zach used his expert haggling skills, taught to him by Mr. Roderick to buy two pairs of pants for six dollars, a full two dollars less than what Emily and Yolanda paid for theirs.  As the day in the market drew to a close, we all boarded the bus, exhausted, but very pleased with the deals we made and the goods we bought.