Lasso, Ecuador 11-13 February 2009

We headed out of Quito to spend a couple of nights in an old hacienda, thanks to Euan's family who pooled together and gave us that as a combined birthday present. The hacienda (La Cienega) is near Lasso, a bit of a backwater town on the Panamerican highway that is a very busy stretch of road that runs through many towns and small settlements in Ecuador.


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People have no other option but to cross the main drag on foot and I don’t know how they don’t get hit as some of the driving has to be seen to be believed. This guy had to wait quite a while for a gap in the trucks before dragging his cow across.



The buses in Ecuador are crazily cheap – like US$1.00 each for a two-hour bus trip and personalised drop-off (albeit on the side of the highway). It was raining (again) when we were dropped off so we waited for a while before catching a lift on the back of a ute that took us to the hacienda.



Le Cienega is a lovely old place with a 500m long avenue of eucalyptus trees as a driveway. This is the driveway from the 3rd floor of the Hacienda.



There was a central garden and the main house formed one side of the square



and there was even a tiny chapel.



These corridors surrounded the four sides of the central garden and off them were either huge lounges with two massive fireplaces in each, or bedrooms (also with fireplaces). The restaurant also looked out onto the garden from one of these corridors.



It was cold and wet almost the entire time we were there so the fires were kept lit and it was lovely to be curled up in front of a fire with a book. A bottle of red wine would have completed it but wine is heavily taxed in Ecuador so a bottle (or even a glass) was a ridiculous price (cheapest was US$32). I had wondered why the airlines only gave you about 75ml when you asked for red wine on a flight. It might have been cold and wet outside but I was toasty warm by the fire!



The main building on its own looks rather worn from the outside (a bit like us!)



but include the setting in the photo and it all looks pretty impressive. We were rather out of place here as most of the others staying looked like they were on a different sort of trip to us!



It was a few days of luxury that was very welcome and to experience the old Ecuadorian style of living was a treat. La Cienega is actually very close to Cotopaxi volcano but we never saw it. Don’t come to Ecuador in the rainy season if you want to hike, climb volcanoes or even see them in remotely pleasant conditions!

Quito, Ecuador January 2009

Flying back into Quito from Galapagos there was a break in the clouds just as we flew over one of the many mountains in the area. It looked incredibly close!



We ended up bouncing in and out of Quito three times in the three weeks we were in Ecuador but didn’t actually spend that much time in the city itself (we were in Galapagos for most of the time).


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We stayed in the newer part of the city that, as we found out days after we left, is widely considered the most dangerous place to stay and you’re advised to take a taxi everywhere. Whoops! We didn’t notice any trouble when we were walking the streets, day or night and actually felt safer there than in the old town. We found a great place to eat although it wasn’t the sight of this pig that tempted us



What tempted us was the smell and taste of items on offer. For US$3, we got a plate piled high with sweet potato patties, roast pork, crackling, chorizo sausage, salad, a fried egg, avocado and a special sauce. One meal like this kept us going all day.



Quito is at an altitude of 2850m and we forgave ourselves for puffing while walking up stairs with our packs. My first thought though was “man, I’m so unfit!” before remembering the altitude. The city is in a valley between two massive ranges and is a pretty cold wet place at this time of year.



Because of its proximity to the equator the daylight hours don’t change and its dark at 6.30pm every night which, when we were in the Galapagos, was difficult to get used to as sunshine and warmth for us equates to long daylight hours. It rained though, every day and at times the downpour was so heavy it set off car alarms. Invariably we’d be moving somewhere when it was at its worst and would take whatever measures we could to keep our gear dry. I opted for black plastic rubbish bag as a pack cover and my jacket worn backwards to keep my day pack dry.



We travelled to the old city on a trolley bus that was ridiculously cheap but jam-packed with people and rife with pickpockets. It was really difficult to keep track of who was near pockets and who wasn’t. Euan's pockets were tampered with but he didn’t lose anything. Quitos main square reminded me so much of La Paz in Bolivia that I really had to think hard to make sure I hadn’t been here before.



James (in Galapagos) had raved about this church although Euan and I went into the one opposite and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Once we got the right church we understood. This is an impressive building on its own but inside, every spare space is gilded with gold. The effect is incredible and not at all gaudy as it might sound. It took 160 years to build and, like many churches, has suffered from fire and earthquake in its lifetime. Unfortunately no photos allowed inside so we can't show you what it was like.



Perhaps unsurprisingly, our flight was delayed due to bad weather and, after take-off, it was rough for hours. I discovered exactly why they tell you to remain in your seats with seat belts on when there is turbulence. I snuck out of my seat and literally a few seconds after I stood up the plane shot upwards and, within a split second, I found my legs bunched up at my chest and I was nearly on the floor. Being compressed that hard and fast really hurt my knees and I learnt my lesson big time!

Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

On our return from Isabela, we spent a few more nights in Puerto Ayora (PA) and met up with Val and Woody who were on the boat with us and also staying a few extra days in PA.



Funnily enough, Val and Woody had just come to Galapagos from Pucon in Chile and had been there the same time as us but competing in the Pucon Half Ironman! Yep, they were both triathletes and travel around the world racing in different events. Woody has competed in about 16 Ironman triathlons (four of those were in Hawaii) and Val won a place at Hawaii Ironman in IM Western Australia. It was great to be able to talk about triathlon again and hear about the different races they’ve done around the world. They were staying in PA for a few nights and invited us to dinner at their hotel that was right on the waterfront.

The setting was spectacular with iguanas on the deck, crabs climbing the poles and sea lions lounging in the sun chairs (no joke). One even got up to take a dip in the fresh water plunge pool that was meant for guests, then wandered over to have a look at his reflection in the window before returning to the sun chairs.



We visited the Darwin Research Station and saw where they raise baby tortoises from the different islands until they’re mature enough to be let loose in the wild. They’re very cute when they’re small and we were a bit distraught to see this chap on his back and not be able to get back up! There were a few like that and we saw others amble over and take a look; one even bit his upside-down mate on the leg, before walking off again.



They lie still for a bit, and then get their legs going, trying to catch them on something to act as a lever.



This is probably the most famous tortoise in the world and you have probably heard of him – Lonesome George. He is the only remaining tortoise from Pinta Island and the only one of his kind left in the world. He is one fat tortoise. Look at his bum hanging out of his shell (we don’t think that’s unique of the Pinta Island species)! Apparently he went on a fruit diet a few years ago and lost about 80lb but we think he’s piled it all back on again. He has two females in with him and, despite mating with them, there are no results so something is very wrong.



This is what a normal-sized tortoises bum looks like, and fits neatly inside the shell



These ladies were being fed



and got quite vicious with each other over the food.



These tortoises can live up to 150 years old and weigh about 500lb. This one made a b-line for Euan



and slowly stomped on his foot



before moving and stomping on his other foot. Euan confirmed that they’re quite heavy.



There were a group of males in another pen on their own and they were fast asleep. I got really close to have a look at their faces but they were dead to the world.



Their feet are huge and we felt a foot size comparison was in order



Another couple from the boat, Stephen and Elizabeth, were staying in a hotel around in another bay so we visited and had lunch with them the day before we flew out. It was raining all day so it was great to have company and we spent most of the day chatting to them. (Elizabeth has her eyes closed but its the only photo of them I have.)


Photo: Sam DePaul

The weather had really packed in and it was pelting it down so we’d picked the right time to leave. It is the rainy season here but we were so lucky with over two weeks of dry hot weather. We were very sad to leave but Galapagos is very definitely somewhere that you know you can’t just simply stay on and on. It almost feels like people really should have no part of the islands at all as it is. People seem to be an intrusion in the Galapagos.

Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, 6-8 January 2009

Almost as soon as we got off the Beluga and back to Puerto Ayora we were on another (smaller) boat, back to Isabela Island for a few nights. The trip was a bit of a comedy from start to finish and we should have known something was up when we boarded a small boat with the somewhat dubious name of “Capitan Freud” that had a double mattress on the roof….

The boat took about 15 passengers and was powered by two 225hp Suzuki 4-stroke engines so, as soon as the power went on, the boat was on a tilt and went like a mad thing. In addition to this, the Captain was barking mad. Absolutely barking. As soon as he was out of the control area of the port, he just rammed the throttle down, the boat tilted upwards immediately and there was this massive bang and crash and I turned around to see a double mattress flying through the air and landing in the sea behind us. It didn’t take long for the Captain to realise and immediately he was left-hand hard down on the steering wheel, a move that had me (sitting on the side of the boat) looking straight down into the water! I thought we were going to flip, no joke!

Despite the mattress incident, there was no let off on the power and I noticed the elderly chap sitting next to Euan cross himself and start praying very early on. I’m not kidding. He didn’t stop murmuring to himself the entire journey and crossed himself more than once. I’m well used to boats but the cracking of the hull on the waves was just awful and after one particularly bad crack the Captain powered off and turned slowly to look at his passengers. We were all there so he continued. He slowed down slightly but were we glad when that journey came to an end.

Puerto Villamil is a very basic place with sand streets, half-built buildings everywhere and hardly any people. To give you an idea, this is the main square



and this the main street. Get the idea?



We were here to do one thing. Ascend Sierra Negra and see the caldera, the second largest in the world apparently. The weather was completely against us, tipping it down that night and into the morning. We decided to ride up on horses and there were 10 of us in the group. I was the only one who could ride so it was always going to be interesting but I didn’t expect it to be as entertaining as it turned out to be. I haven’t laughed that much and for so long in a long time. This was the motley bunch of ponies that greeted us (you can see what a shite day it was)



and I don’t think I have ever seen a horse stand relaxed with its hind legs crossed!



I found the whole horse assignment very funny (note the hot pink jacket and red cap – that’s Antonio, a designer from Italy who was great value)



and we joked about who was going to get the lone mule but we soon ate our words as it turned out to be the most mentally stable and sure-footed animal of them all.



Euan actually got quite a nice little pony



but I don’t think mine was much more than a year old. I felt awful as its shoulders were so narrow and she only stood as high as my chest.



We were herded (there is no other way to describe it) up the mountain on these ponies and the rudimentary path was incredibly rutted, muddy and slippery. One poor English girl had a horse that didn’t like water and slipped on almost every 2nd step, had her through trees, up banks and in bushes – all to avoid the water. Antonio's wife, well, her horse went like a mad thing for anything that came near it, latching on with its teeth and bringing on a massive round of swearing in Italian that sounded very impressive. No one, absolutely no one, had control of his or her horse and I didn’t bother trying, just happy to sit there and let her pick the best route. It was mayhem, with horses barging their way through, slipping and sliding and people hanging on for dear life.

The funny thing was, when we got to the top, this was the first view we had of the crater.



We rode in single file along the top until the horse ridden by the English girl (Helen) decided to side-swipe a tree and Helen, trying to avoid the tree, lent to one side and the next thing she knew she was on the ground with the horse standing all over her before taking off. I was so impressed that she got back on.



Euan had a quiet moment with his horse at the top (it really was quite a sweetie)



and we all got off to walk the rest of the way. That’s when it started to rain and it barely stopped. We did, however, see some interesting landscape through the mist, walked on lava that was 2,000 years old and 30 years old and saw some great lava tunnels.



We’d never heard of lava needles before but we were impressed that these were still intact despite falling through the air.



There was yet more lava art



but the colours were more spectacular although the light wasn’t great.



We couldn’t believe it when we got back to the crater that the clouds and mist had cleared briefly, allowing us a (brief) view of the crater



The last eruption was in 2005 and it basically filled the caldera with lava



and we could see the fumaroles smoking away. It was no White Island (NZ) but it was pretty cool nonetheless.



On the way back the horses were in even more of a hurry so the bumping and barging increased and at one point we heard the thunder of hooves and it was just Helen's horse going hell for leather (Helen hanging on for dear life) to catch up with mine (which I suspect was its foal). The rain increased on the way down to the point that all the horses simultaneously turned their rumps to the rain and refused to go further.



In the end, it was deemed too dangerous and we had to get off. The horses took themselves down the hill (you can see the state of the weather)



and we carried on hiking around the edge of the crater. We did get to see the crater sides



and by that stage we were absolutely drenched.



The worst thing was that the place we were staying didn’t have hot water (we forgot to check – been on the boat too long and got complacent!) so we had cold showers before heading out to see if there were any flamingos in the lagoon nearby.



There were



and the sun even came out for the evening so we spent it on the beach.



The ‘ferry’ back to Santa Cruz was another overpowered boat but this time we sat facing inwards which meant there was a steady creepage of people on the seats from front to back. Not a pleasant journey and when I suggested we go to San Cristobal, an island we’d not visited, Euan just gave me this look and said absolutely nothing.