Travel With Betsy

I am now in Quito, Ecuador waiting for my friend Lee to arrive.  You may remember her from my great Antarctic cruise adventure last year.   At the end of that trip, we looked at each other and said,

“Hey. That was fun. Let’s do it again.”

So, here we are. Doing it again. Only this time we are not going to the Antarctic, we are heading to Ecuador and its famed Galapagos Islands. We will be cruising around the islands and dipping our toes…and more….into the waters to see the varied and colorful life that happens underneath the surface. Then, we will make our way to land to see what’s on the topside. In between, the kind people at SilverSea Cruises will be taking good care of us. (So far, I am impressed.  They retrieved me from the plane, got me to the hotel and even provided me with a refreshing fruit drink without a hitch.  So far, so good.)  I hear from the few people I know who have done this voyage that it will be “the trip of a lifetime”. I’m guessing and hoping they are right.

I am not typically an outdoorsy type of gal, as some of you may know. So, it took me a little bit of positive self-talk and some encouragement from Lee to decide that I could do this and wouldn’t drown while snorkeling or contract some horrible disease from the mosquito bites that I always seem to end up with in these types of climates.   My concerns were a carry over from my 6-month adventure at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. Those were also “trips of a lifetime”. Don’t get me wrong…..I loved the trips.  Incredible, amazing experiences. And, I’m not going to trade in the memories. Take a look at my previous blog posts. But, I did have a few glitches. I was doing so many different things in different climates at the same time, I didn’t really have time to prepare properly for all of them. In fact, I didn’t exactly know all of the places I was going and what I would do there, as the Costa Rica leg was planned while I was in France. While I felt very prepared for the France leg and somewhat prepared for the Antarctic cruise leg, I didn’t feel at all prepared for the Costa Rica leg. Consequently, I didn’t have all of the clothing I wanted and needed and was sick a lot of the time, which made for periodic discomfort. So, when I decided to visit the Galapagos, I also decided that I would do a proper amount of research and preparation to be sure that I was ready for all of the fun events that were going to come my way. It was full steam ahead!

The ship was very good about providing a list of suggested clothing and gear and an easy way to purchase them from their onboard gift shop. I could spend as much money on the clothing and gear as I am spending on the trip. How nice! I don’t think so. Friendly as they have been, I don’t think I need to contribute any further to their bottom line. I have done enough. I live in a beach area. I was sure I could find these things in my own neck of the woods. So, the search began.

Here’s what I learned.   I could find these things locally for a little bit less money ….not much…..than I would spend on the ship. But, I’m not an outdoorsy kind of gal. We have already established this. So, why would I spend this much for something that I may never use again?   It makes no sense. There must be a better way. Turns out that there is a better way. I introduced myself to the wonderful world of Amazon. I found almost everything I was looking for at a fraction of the cost. Even with joining Amazon Prime (still trying to figure out how that happened). I am way ahead of the game on getting the best deal on this gear by bypassing the first 2 very expensive options.

I started with something I knew. I knew I wanted to take pictures under water. I considered buying an underwater camera for several hundred dollars. This would have been fine, but I go back to the fact that I am not an outdoorsy gal. Should I really spend the money? Then, Debbie, with whom I work at the winery said,

“Oh, don’t get an underwater camera. You can get a case for your phone that is waterproof. No kidding. My daughter-in-law has one and used it in Hawaii. It really works.”

So, thank you Amazon, I now have such a case, and a pouch to put the whole lot in, as suggested by Lee. The pouch has a lanyard on it.  Not only do I have 2 levels of protection, but I can hang it around my neck, too, so that I won’t lose it in the water. Lee knows my clumsy self by now. There’s a tissue test that one does to make sure that both cases are waterproof. I did them both. I’m hopeful that it will work. If not, there will be no pictures on my blog this time. And, don’t try to call me for awhile! I won’t have a phone. I did get one of those underwater disposable cameras, too. Just in case.

The most unusual thing that I purchased was a “rashguard”. Now, those of you who are water people and dip into the cold California waters will know right away about this little gem, but I had never heard of it. One wears this over the swimsuit and underneath the wet suit when swimming in cold water. You can also wear it without the wet suit. It keeps you warm and provides some sunscreen while in the water, 2 things that have always been a deterrent to me in enjoying the whole swimming experience. I’m excited to finally learn about this after about a thousand very bad sunburns and many days acclimating to freezing cold pool water throughout the years.

Now, here’s the value of allowing time for planning and thinking through an issue. The typical “rashguard” is a very tight fitting one-piece cover. As I thought about this, I remembered the day that Jody and I spent in the “hot springs” in Costa Rica. I had a one-piece athletic bathing suit. The day we went there, it was so hot and I was so sweaty that it took me about 20 minutes to pull on my bathing suit. By the time I was done I was swearing and having continuous hot flashes on top of the already stifling heat. How inconvenient and annoying. And, I held the group up while I was pulling and tugging on the thing to get it in place. I already know that the Galapagos will be hot like Costa Rica and I will be sweaty most of the time. Will the “rash guard” do the same thing?! Stick to my skin?! It’s the same material. I think so. UGHHH……So, I did a little more research and found one…on Amazon…that has a zipper. I have outsmarted the sweat gods………at least in theory!

Next, Lee called me one day and we engaged in a discussion about the snorkeling that we know we will be doing. I am not a strong swimmer and something of a germophobe. My one attempt at snorkeling was not a disaster, but also not very pleasant. I remember being on a catamaran somewhere near St. Kitts and not really knowing what I was doing. There was no assistance from the crew, except to pass out the snorkel gear that looked suspect to me in the clean and disinfected category. But, I did it anyway. After about 15 minutes, I decided that this wasn’t my cup of tea and went back to the boat to drink rum punch.

So, Lee suggested that I should get my own snorkel gear. This, she assured me would prevent water from getting under the mask, which will annoy me. I won’t be able to see anything. This purchase would also ensure that things will be clean. Even if I just use it this one time, it will be worth it. But, this was something I couldn’t get on Amazon. It needs to be fitted to the face. And, if I’m getting the mask, I might as well get the snorkel, too. It’s cheaper than the mask, and it will also be clean. OK.

So, I made my way to one of the diving shops in San Luis to make my purchase. The clerk was very helpful, fitted my mask and helped me to choose a snorkel. I tried on several masks. Apparently, the way to test the suction against your face is to breathe in while the mask is on. There is no air in there, as the eyes and the nose are covered in the thick plastic mask. I guess that’s the point. No air. I sucked in and my head started to spin. Was this really necessary? I guess it was. What an interesting test. I didn’t pass out, so I guess I passed the test! No air or water will be getting under this mask. I guarantee it! Thank goodness!

Now, some of you may think that the connection of the mask to the snorkel would be a no-brainer. I never gave it a thought until I talked to my friend, Kathy, on the phone.

“Oh”, she said, “What kind of snorkel did you get? Does it have a flexible tube? Those are the best.”

I had no idea, so I got it out and looked at it while I had her on the phone. It was a flexible tube, but I wondered how it would stay out of the water so that I could breathe. Kathy was the one who told me that it clips onto the mask, which is what makes it stick up. Oh…..very clever…..Try as I might to figure out how to hook this up, I couldn’t get it. So, I made my way back to the dive shop for instruction. After the clerk stopped laughing, he showed me how to do this. I still couldn’t get it. Was this a childproof model? No. So, he changed the clip to the super beginner clip and made me try making the connection a few times before I left. I have it now. Thank you very much.

The rest of my time was spent trying to figure out how I could come back home without a single mosquito bite. The lady at the health department who inoculated me for the flu and tetnus….just in case…also, told me about Promethryn and Deet. Promethryn is sprayed on the clothing and is a repellent for Mosquitos and the Deet is applied to the skin that is exposed. So, I made my way to our local outdoor shop to purchase these. The clerk was happy to help, but warned me not to get the Deet on my clothing. It turns clothing into plastic. But, it’s OK to put on your skin….not to worry. Really?! I have some, and I’m going to use it. So, I may come back looking like a plastic doll. We’ll see.

So, yesterday, I hung my new Amazon purchased convertible pants, 2 long-sleeved, sun block fortified, moisture wicking shirts and some socks against the fence in my backyard and sprayed the living daylights out of them with Promethryn. I also doused my new little $14.00 waterproof backpack….also purchased from Amazon.  I dare a mosquito to get past that. HA!

So, I’m feeling confident and I’m feeling prepared. We’ll see how it goes. Maybe this will be the start of something great for me in the outdoorsy, water sports department. I’ll let you know. I have to say, though, that I’m feeling a little sorry for Lee. She will have to fish me out of the water if I get caught in a current. She says she’s OK with that. The test of friendship!

We’ll see about that, too!

This entry was posted on February 19, 2016 at 5:14 am and is filed under Group Travel, South America, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.