Swimming with Sharks

Today started with a similar boating journey to a neighboring island - Isla Bartolome.  Our group broke into two groups at the start of the day to venture to Bartolome and explore the island.  The volcanic island is only inhabited by small lava lizards and birds who use the cliffs for spotting food and resting.  The small island we visited used to be part of a volcano with rich textures and tunnels of lava rock.  The views from the 360-stair climb were worth every breath. 

 Lava rock

 Our study tour group!

 A view of pinnacle rock

And when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, it did.  After our climb to the top of the volcano, we snorkeled around pinnacle rock and saw some beautiful fish and even a whitetip shark.  The shark was a 4-foot-long water beauty gliding over the sand with ease and grace.  It was the best snorkeling experience I have ever had.  I couldn’t wait to tell my class on Monday at our morning share.

Galapagos Adventures Day 2

The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago - a small cluster of islands and today we took a 2-hour boat ride to Isla Isabela.  We were able to see sea lions, marine iguanas and a flamingo. Even before stepping two feet off the dock, we saw a group of baby sea lions napping under the mangrove.  

Next we crossed the island to see the marine iguanas.  These land warriors live in a tough habitat surrounded by black lava rock, hot sun and the crashing surf.  Their average life span is between 15-18 years.  

 We visited these aquatic warriors during mating season so we were able to watch the females dig in the sand and lay their eggs.  Here is a video of two males fighting over a females nest.  

Near the shore of the marine iguana we were able to jump off the dingy and snorkel near the rocky coast line.  I saw parrot fish, rainbow fish and even a sea lion gliding by the water only feet from my hands.  Our day in the Galapagos ended with lunch near the beach, stopping by a lagoon to see an indigenous flamingo to the South America region, and a long boat ride back to Santa Cruz.

Galapagos: Spanish translation, “GIANT Tortoise”

On Tuesday we started our travels to the Galapagos.  Our group was thrilled to begin this leg of our trip and see the breathtaking wildlife most of us had shared with the students in our classroom.  We late mid-afternoon and visited the twin sinkholes before unloading at our hotel on Santa Cruz Island.  The sink holes were formed by giant pockets of gas from a volcanic eruption and over time they collapsed.  

Our next excursion on the Galapagos was to the Darwin Research Station.  Over 200 scientists and volunteers work here to help their captive breeding program so more baby tortoises survive when they are young.  Giant tortoises can live for up to 200 years and weight in at up to 700lbs.  Lonesome George was a celebrity of the center because he was the only survivor from the Isla Pinta subspecies.  He was moved to the center in 1972 but died in 2012 and his species of tortoise is now extinct.

Male tortoise

Two female tortoises

Along with seeing several species of tortoises we learned about the three different types of cactus plants that only live on the Galapagos.  They are called the candelabra cactus, prickly pear cactus and lava cactus. Each one looks very different; can you tell which one is which?

Equator Museum

Our next stop was the Intinan museum at the equator.  Our group had an interesting time seeing the shrunken head exhibit (an old tradition practiced by natives from Ecuador).  We also saw a preserved tarantula and a boa constrictor.

On the equator line, our tour guide performed a series of tests so we could see which way the water cycles down a drain on the equator and in the northern and southern hemispheres.  

But even with after seeing the shrunken heads, I have to admit my favorite part of visiting the museum was practicing poses yoga on the equator line.

 

Yunguilla

Today's travels took us to a small community in the heart of the cloud forest named Yunguilla.  Fifty families live on this community and maintain the culture and natural heritage of the community and the land.  The community and local volunteers join forces to make delicious cheeses and jams from local cows and fruits.  Yunguilla has made itself a sustainable community, focused on sustainable agriculture, reforestation and recycling.  The community has a local general store, a school, and a community center where people play soccer games and enjoy weekends together.  At Yunguilla they are working on many projects including the cheese and jam production, orchid propagation, reforestation, and recycling.  I was impressed by how this small community can sustain itself on such little waste, it has inspired me to start my own compost project this spring. Thanks Yunguilla for the inspiration!

 Boiling the fruit for the jam

Cooking out the liquid to make cheese

Our delicious lunch

Hothouse for the growing orchids

 Orchids

Ecuador's Lush Landscapes

At this point in our study tour we have been lucky enough to experience the many lush landscapes of Ecuador.  Our tour director Jorge, explained there are four main regions in Ecuador, and the regions are called the coast, the highlands, the jungle, and the Galapagos. Each region has a very different weather climate and different vegetation that grows on the land.  For example in the highlands part of the region is called the “cloud forest” and sure enough, it lives up to its name.  The first day we were in a cloud forest, we had sun and blue skies in the morning and by lunch we were walking through clouds. 

We also visited part of the dry forest region, which has drier air and desert like vegetation. Cactus and agave plants (nicknamed the century plant) cover the landscape.  The agave plant can take up to 100 years to flower and that is how it got its nickname.  

 Agave plant

Agave plant with flower

The complete opposite of the highlands are the Galapagos Islands.  The water is crystal clear, the weather is hot and sunny, and depending on what island you are visiting you are walking on lava rock or beach.  The terrain is quite different from lush green rolling hills.

Election Day, Otavalo Market, Bosque Jerusalen

The news and streets were buzzing on Sunday morning because it was Election Day in Ecuador.  All the people of the country must vote in the presidential election or they will be fined forty dollars.  In Ecuador, Election Day is on a weekend so people have enough time to travel back to their hometown to vote at the polls. On Sunday morning our group was also fortunate enough to have breakfast with Maria Virginia, the main protagonist in the book, The Queen of Water.  She came with her 9-year-old son and shared a friendly presentation of her family and home.  She is an inspiring individual who has had a hard life, but refuses to let her trials and tribulations change her outlook on life.

(Maria Virginia in authentic indigenous clothing)

After breakfast we walked to the Mercardo de Los Ponchos in Otavalo.  Streets were lined with colorful scarves, woven tapestries, sweaters, hats and authentic Ecuadorean artwork. 

From the market we visited the bosque Jerusalen, one of the dry regions in Ecuador. Cactuses and dry vegetation covered the land.  A special parasite that looks like white powder cover cactuses and when touched turn into a red dye.   This dye is used to make makeup and dye clothing.

A Visit to Pakay Chikta

During our trip to the community Pakay Chikta, we were able to do a lot of exciting things in the community.  We spent time with the students and their families, built bookshelves for their classrooms, cut down weeds with machetes in their soccer field, and ate an authentic lunch of rice and vegetables wrapped in banana leaves.  While we were at the community a local farmer was kind enough to take us on a tour of his land and showed us his crop of yuca plants, plantain trees and corn stocks.  These are all important foods for him to harvest in order to make an income off his land.  The local farmers work very hard keeping up with their land so they can sell their fruits and vegetables and provide an income for their families.

At the end of the day we united as a group and played a community soccer game with the students from the school.  Their soccer skills were incredible and we all had so much fun!