Travel With Betsy

“Be different…….. so people can see you clearly amongst the crowds.”

My travel buddy, Jody, is blonde and very tall. She always stands out in a crowd……in a good way, of course. Here in Peru, she is definitely one of a kind, as most people are short and chunky with dark skin and black hair. While I blend into the crowd a little bit, Jody often garners the attention of the locals because she looks so different from them and is quite a bit taller. Yesterday, on our day in Machu Picchu, we were both grateful for the difference. I could see her and she could see ahead of the crowds to help guide the way. I really think that she helped to keep our entire Gate 1 group together!

I can honestly say that in all of my travels….even in Rome….I have never seen crowds like I saw yesterday at Machu Picchu. All I could see as I stood in the line for the “Vistadome” train,  for the bus up to the site,

….to enter the attraction and the line we formed with our tour guide, Arturo, were the bumps of hundreds of hats with some black and white heads  sprinkled in, that were the same height as me.

I couldn’t see over them. But, Jody, with her head a bit over the crowd was able to see a little further ahead…..and, we all could see her. As we climbed up and down through the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, I would often look up to see if I could find Jody.

I am so glad to have seen Machu Picchu. It’s everything you always hear about….striking architecture and construction with perfectly symmetrical stones, ingenious strategies for providing food and water for those living in the intricate cities they built, and seriously unbelievable views. But….. I don’t need to do it again. The crowds were overwhelming and the experience of waiting in line with all of your stuff….walking stick, water holder and backpack as well as the frequent checks of tickets and passports was enough to make me realize that this is truly a “once in a lifetime” experience…..at least it is for me.

But, what an experience!

We have been learning a lot about the intelligence and ingenuity of the Incas since we have been in Peru. But, these ancient cities like Machu Picchu clearly illustrate how superior these folks really were. They are on par, or maybe even a step above, the Romans in building and construction. The Romans were also building very advanced structures, but they were doing a lot of it on flat land. The Incas were building cities on the sides of mountains.

It is absolutely mind-boggling what these people were able to do with just their brains, a lot of elbow grease and some very primitive tools. It took then awhile, but the result of their efforts was quite dramatic and lasting. They were experts in mathematics, geometry and logistics.

The major cities, like Machu Picchu, were all developed in and around the sides of mountains. The Incas believed that the mountains had special significance and mystical powers. So, they picked these seemingly impossible spots on which to build cities so that they could benefit from the powers. Many of the structures within the cities were built so that they could honor and please the gods, of which there were many.

For me, the thing that really showcased the skill of the Incas was that all of the walls were made of huge pieces of carved stone, many of which were carried from neighboring mountains. They brought the stones to their final resting places by pushing them up and down primitive ramps that they built for this purpose. Then, they cut the stones and used other harder sorts of stones to polish them.  No one knows exactly how the Incas were able to carve these stones so perfectly.  After the stones were carved and polished, they were lined up together perfectly fitted and aligned. Most of them are not attached together with mortar. They just sit perfectly together side by side and on top of each other in rows.

In order to have fruits, vegetables and grains for food, they made terraces that jutted out from the sides of the mountains and planted gardens.

When you see them from a distance, they look like stripes on the sides of the mountain. The terraces gave them flat surfaces for planting and the position of the terraces allowed them to take advantage of the melting snow from mountain peaks to irrigate their crops. They were also meticulous about what they planted where. Some things needed to be lower in a warmer climate and others did fine up high. At Machu Picchu, we could still see the terraces lined up in rows on the sides of the mountain.

The Incas also had a clever drainage system that allowed for water from the melting snow to run down the mountains and into stone ditches that ran into large waterfalls where the 1200-1500 people in the city would come to get their water.

I was very captivated with not only the genius of the Incas, but also their dedication to their culture and religion. They worked together as a society to build these cities and a way of life. It’s hard to imagine.

It was a remarkable experience to view these “wonders” and to wander around back in time with the Incas. You should do a little “wandering”, too. But, if you do, you should probably begin to line up now….or, at least bring your tall, blonde friend!

Once in a lifetime experience….literally!

…to buy…well, just about anything you can think of. What an interesting mix of items.

The market was the first stop on our tour of Arequipa. I have seen some markets in my day, but I can’t say that I have ever seen a group of items quite like this. I’m not kidding, we saw everything from the typical fruits and vegetables…..

…..to fish roe with the membrane still stretched over it…..

……to whole chickens with blank eyes staring down pointed, lifeless beaks and feet with limp talons reaching out towards us……

……to potatoes, and lots of them. We learned from Liliana, our very excellent Gate 1 Travel Guide, that there are about 3,000 different kinds of potatoes grown in Peru.   We saw only a fraction of them….and tasted even less of them in our time here so far. But, they come with every meal made in all different ways.

There was also a section of the market that was dedicated to medicinal herbs and other items used as good luck charms.

This little baby llama fetus is one of the good luck charms we saw. Strange, but nice to know they only use fetus’ that are found in the fields and are as a result of a miscarriage of the mother.  No killing is going on here.

Liliana would stop every now and then as she led us through the market to give us an explanation about what we were seeing and sometimes a small taste of the items that were safe for us to eat.

Then, she would pass around a roll of toilet tissue, and we would all rip off a piece and wipe our hands, which I found to be a very strange custom. I’m guessing that toilet tissue is cheaper to purchase than napkins……..not sure. This is all I can figure out! After all, everything is usually about money, isn’t it?

Our trip to the market was the start of an interesting, albeit long, day that culminated in the Colca Valley after a drive through the highest point that we would reach on this trip at a little over 16,00 feet. Whew…still trying to catch my breath!

Anyway, our next stop in Arequipa was at the Santa Catalina Monastery.

I can’t say that I have ever visited such a place on any of my trips, and I found the early customs of this type of life to be quite interesting.  The monastery was where they trained young girls to be nuns. So, it was a convent as well….and, still is. It’s story made me grateful that I didn’t live in the 18^th century when this institution was getting started…and, here’s the reason why. Around age 12, the direction of a young girl’s life was decided. If there were 2 girls in a family, the oldest one married and had a family. The youngest one went to the convent and was “married” to the church. Both of which, by the way, required a dowry. I am the younger of 2 girls in my family. So, in this scenario, I would have become a nun. Can’t imagine it…someone telling me what to do all the time? I don’t think so!

The upside to living in the convent then, was that the life was pretty easy especially if your parents had some money and could provide a nice dowry to the church. In that case, the girls had their own rooms that were actually pretty big and looked to be fairly comfortable. It also seemed that they were well taken care of and quite looked after. Later on in the girl’s life with the church, the wealthy nuns could run for office in the convent and had some freedoms to make decisions for themselves and the other nuns.. It seems that with money comes power……surprise…..surprise.

Over time, the life of the nuns changed with the oversight of Sister Joseph Cadena.   There were no longer the freedoms that the nuns had once seen. The transition was so dramatic, that the other nuns tried to poison her….3 times! Then, they went to confession and absolved of their sin. What a story! Suffice to say that the life of the nuns was changed forever.

The monastery itself is quite beautiful. It is divided up into streets that were designed and named after cities in Spain. Here are a few of them.

After the tour, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch before heading to Colca. At the restaurant, our group was treated to a fun concert by local musicians while we ate! Dinner and a show! Fun times!

After lunch, we boarded the bus and began our ascent to our highest point of the trip.

The guides had instructed us to drink lots of water in order to combat the altitude sickness. You don’t have to tell me twice.

On the way up, we stopped at a famous coffee stop for some coca tea, also a good cure for altitude sickness.

As it turns out, the copious amounts of water and the coca tea paid off, and I did pretty well with the high altitude point. Some of the others in our group didn’t fare quite as well and ended up short of breath, headaches, nausea and diahrea. I could definitely feel the altitude and had to remember to take deep, long breaths to capture every possible molecule of oxygen. When we descended to our hotel in Colca Valley, I did muster up a small headache. But, trusty ibuprofen did the trick in taking it away. It was actually one of the best night’s sleeps of the trip for me so far. Hoping for another one!

Off to a good start in Peru!

laugh……really hard.

I have been laughing…..really hard……for days as we have traveled up and down and up and down and up through the Andes Mountains in Peru. Yesterday, we hit about 14,000 feet, (not even our highest spot so far) to stop in front of a very picturesque picnic area overlooking Lake Titicaca…..

….to have lunch. I looked around at the 17 of us who are on this adventure together with the fine guides of Gate 1 Travel. We were all bundled up with down jackets, our heads wrapped in scarves to protect us from the wind and unending dust, eating with one hand, and holding on to the containers of our box lunches with the other to insure that they didn’t fly away. I stood in the middle of the group, surveyed this comical scene, and just started laughing. I couldn’t stop.

Then, I went to the bathroom at our stopping location and took the allotted piece of toilet tissue that went with the 1 Sol (about 30 cents) I paid to use the toilet, out of the tiny box next to the metal door of the bathroom…..

….did my business and threw the toilet tissue in the garbage pail next to the toilet, as is the custom everywhere in Peru, even in our very fine 4 and 5 star hotels. The plumbing here is not strong enough to process toilet tissue. Makes you wonder how they process anything more than peepee. As I came out of my tiny stall, I watched, as the attendant went to each small toilet stall with a bucket and fished out the toilet paper that people had forgotten to throw in the small trash cans. Once again, I looked around and started to laugh. I couldn’t stop.

Then, last night we finally came to the 5 star hotel destination in Lake Titicaca where we would spend 2 nights at about 10,000 feet. We were so excited at the prospect of a good night’s sleep. Sleep does not come easily at high elevations. By now, we have both had more than a few rough nights. I went to the room first after dinner and lay down on my bed hoping for sleep. Then, Jody came and lay down on her bed. The room was hot. We had no control of the temperature. We couldn’t open the windows. And, to top if off, we were provided down comforters as sheets. I heard Jody muttering, “What the hell”.  I looked at her and mentioned that we could be in the Swiss Alps with this massive covering, and we both just melted into laughter.   I couldn’t stop.

I’m still laughing!

So, here’s the first thing I have learned about myself so far on this trip. High elevations make me giddy. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but that’s my conclusion. If I want a good laugh, I can just head to the highest elevation that is near me and let loose.

I have also learned that, just like my blow up back pillow, my body, particularly my feet, swell up like water balloons. And, whatever is being harbored in my sinuses leaks out of my nose and eyes as fast as I can mop it up with a tissue. The last, and most important, is that alcohol and high elevations don’t mix. This grand mixture leads to sleepless nights, leg cramps and a light hangover. Even the 1 glass of wine that I am having now gives me an unpleasant vision of my night ahead. But, I’m still having it.

We have also learned that taking organized tours leads to many hours on the bus as we move from place to place and many early mornings as we get our luggage ready to put out for pick up in the morning.

This is not making us laugh…..

But it’s all part of the adventure and, now that we are this far in, we realize that it’s probably the only way to see all of the things we wanted to see here. Sites are very far apart. So, despite it all, we are having a good time in our first 6 days here in Peru and have seen an unbelievable amount of beautiful scenery, wildlife and very diverse towns…..and, of course, have met some very nice people.

I am going to give you some detail about these places in the next few posts. But, for now, I am heading to bed in hopes that I can sleep. We have a wake up call at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning so that we can get our luggage out for pick up at 6:45. We are leaving for the Sacred Valley tomorrow at 7:30.   So, it will be an early one. Jody and I have decided that we are going to share one of my Ambien pills so that we can get some sleep.

So, as I am thinking about this schedule of events, once again, I am laughing. And, I am mopping my nose and eyes and trying to relieve cramps in my legs……

Still laughing……really hard…….!

…for this little guy and his award-winning smile!

I’ll bet you thought I was talking about Jody and I……. Shame on you!

Truth be told, we would have had a “Pisco Sour”…..or maybe 2……for lunch on our first day in Lima. But, we are still advised by our tour guide to wait until closer to the end of the trip. The alcohol and the raw egg whites……either separately or together……could give us the “skitters”. If we aren’t careful, we could be dancing the “Aztec two-step” for the rest of the trip! No reason to temp fate so early in the trip. We’ll stick with water!

The little guy above is one of the many very impressive artifacts at the Museo Larco, where we spent a good chunk of our first afternoon in Lima.

Per the tour guide, this museum is the best one in all of Peru to get a good overview of Peruvian history and culture. He wasn’t kidding! The museum is chocked full of all kinds of examples of the fine artisan work of the ancient Peruvians.

The Peruvians were, and are still, known for their fine ceramic, textile, and metal work. Each area of the country focuses on one particular type of artistry. My happy little friend above was part of the extensive collection of ceramics in the museum.

It’s almost unbelievable that these fine pieces could have been produced with the primitive tools available to the Peruvians at the time.   The detail on the design, color and finish of these pieces is incredible. To me, one of the most interesting thing about the creation of these pieces is that the ancient Peruvians did not have access to pottery wheels, which would have helped them to shape the vessels.   Yet, they were all perfectly round and perfectly balanced. According to the guide, they had a very strong sense of proportion and an innate sense of symmetry.

We also looked at the textiles. We looked at 1 piece that had made the Guinness Book of World records. The cloth had something like 397 stitches in a linear inch. Of course the stitching was done without the aid of tools and modern equipment. It was stunning!

Take a look at this piece. What do you think it is?

We all had a lot of guesses to include a necklace, a belt, and a skirt. Wrong….wrong and wrong……It’s a type of Abacus that was devised by the ancient Peruvians. They had a very developed and strong sense of Mathematics, as well. There are only a few people in the world today that actually know how to use this little gem.

We also looked at a large variety of ancient jewelry pieces that were formed out of the gold and silver metals that were abundant in this area. Just beautiful!

The last section we visited was interesting……

This was filled with all kinds of ceramic couples in the act of….well…..coupling. The Peruvians were of the mind that life needs to continue. So, reproduction was an important part of their culture….both now and into the after-life. The collection of ceramics reflecting this was quite extensive…..and creative. I’m wondering if our little smiling, ceramic friend above had, perhaps, gotten a glimpse into this section of the museum. That could put a smile on his face. It did ours!

After our museum tour, we had a quick, down and dirty, tour of Lima. The city has kind of a chaotic feel about it. The traffic in the city seems somewhat unregulated and there were traffic jams everywhere. I give the tour bus driver a lot of credit for being able to negotiate the traffic without incident. Every now and then you would see people making money from the traffic jams by washing the windows of the cars that were stuck and then collecting money from the drivers. The economy is not great here, so people do whatever they can to make money.

The city square was very similar to many I have seen on my travels….nothing too new here…..

…..except for this cute lady dressed in traditional Peruvian garb!  Cute!

We learned that Lima is one of the culinary capitals of the world boasting a very high number of Michelin rated restaurants and 2 of the best restaurants in the world. I am hoping to hook into a cooking class during my stay here. We’ll see. I will say that, so far, we have had excellent food to include Ceviche, potatoes cooked in all different ways and some of the best Chilean Sea Bass (my favorite) I have ever had. I am already looking forward to the next meal!

I need to sign off now. It’s almost time for dinner. Don’t want to miss that! But, I wanted to share this as a parting “jolly”. This is sure to put a smile on your face………

These little guys were used to identify the gender of the bathrooms at the museum. Check out the detail.  No question about which is white here.  So, for those of you who have followed the “bathroom tales” of my previous trips, this is the first of what I am sure will be a long line of fun bathroom signs and tales. We are drinking copious amounts of water in order to battle the current and upcoming high altitude conditions. I have seen every bathroom in every stop we have made…..some more than once. But, I’m going to keep on drinking…….water…..

So, signing off for now……..with an award winning smile on my face. Hope you have one, too!

…….always my favorite……..they were all so nice……

In addition to the obvious excitement of exploring new places and experiencing what they have to offer, for me, the people I encounter along the way is always my favorite part of a trip. This one was no different. Between the people in the small towns that we visited, the crew on the ship and the other passengers, there was no shortage of interesting observations and stimulating discussions on the subject of just about everything.

As I mentioned, the SilverSea ship that we were on was capable of holding 100 people, but it wasn’t full. There were just 75 of us that shared this experience together. And, because of the small groups that were in each “Zodiac” group, we were able to meet almost everyone. Each time we boarded the small rubber dinghies, it seemed like were traveling with a new group, making it easy to make everyone’s acquaintance.

I felt, on this cruise, as I did with the Antarctic cruise, that I was involved in a kind of summer camp for adults. Because of the small group of people interested in this very focused, specific experience, it seemed that we became friends very quickly. We, the passengers and our well-versed guides were on a great adventure together, which caused us to quickly form a bond that felt a bit like that of an extended family. Our common goal of seeing as much as we could, motivated us to help each other find the land animals that were camouflaged in the flora and fauna and see the beautiful fish that were under the water.

At any point on our explorations, you could hear someone say, “Did you see that?” And, then someone else would say, “No! What is it? Where is it?” Then, you would see one helping the other to find the creature, whatever it was.

After a few days at sea, the group at large divided into smaller sub-groups of people with similar interests and activity skill levels. These smaller groups tended to stay together on the excursions, for drinks and for dinner. At the end of each day’s adventure, we met in the lounge before dinner and, over drinks, and discussed our thoughts about our experiences of the day. We were like children in our wide-eyed wonder as we described the things we witnessed. It was so much fun!

By the end of the week, all of us had a small group of new friends. It was amazing!

The helpful nature of the fast forming group of friends extended to the SilverSea water activities as well. As I mentioned, there were several of us who had not snorkeled before. As each of us beginners took our first dip into the water, the more experienced people encouraged us and coached us so that we would be able to have the best possible experience. It was the same with my kayaking experience.

I wanted to try kayaking. Again, non-outdoorsy gal that I am, I had never done this before. So, I was looking for another passenger who was a beginner to go with me. No need to hold back a more seasoned person. After some questioning, I found another beginner to go with me! Sue, another novice, was willing to give it a try! Great! We would be a team, paddling our way through the wavy waters, helping each other to learn. We were set.

But, when one of the guides caught wind of our partnership, he let us know that it was not a good idea for 2 beginners to try this. It was really better to have someone in the kayak with some experience. I was disappointed, but it did make sense when I gave it further thought. So, I went searching for someone willing to ride with a beginner. That’s when my new friend, Allen, stepped up. He had gone with his wife the day before and was happy to take me out.

So, off we went on the appointed day. The water was a little rough….rougher than the day that he had gone out with his wife. Much to my surprise, I found that I was a “natural” at kayaking! I felt fearless, protected by my life jacket and my new-found swimming abilities! I may have a new career in the water sports arena. HA!

Allen and I did quite well as a team as we bumped our way along and negotiated the waves that came our way. I learned how to go forward, left and right….and how to avoid bumping into other kayakers. I’m happy to report that we didn’t turn the kayak over, fall out or hit any ground, although we had a narrow escape on the latter. What a thrill!

In the end, we both had a great experience! Allen said that I was a little more adventurous than his wife, which made the ride a lot more fun than the day he went with his wife. She would have made him come back to the “Zodiac” after just a few minutes. Too rough! Not, me…..onward! It was a lot of fun!

On the last day, I opted to venture off on my own to do some shopping in San Cristobal, where we found the best shopping of the trip. But, true to form, as I walked along on the street, my new-found friends would see me and call me over to them to view a purchase they were considering. Together, we would evaluate the options and pick the best one. I did the same thing. Two of my fellow passengers, Everett and his wife, were in one of the stores where I was deliberating on the purchase of a bracelet. He said, “Does it make you feel happy?” and “Will you enjoy wearing it?” Yes, I thought it would. “Then you should have it.”, he said. He was right. I appreciated the encouragement, bought it…and, I have already worn it. It did make me happy!

And, then, of course there were the staff members, who were so helpful and kind. From Enrike, our snorkel instructor to Desiree, who’s love of the Galapagos was obvious in the information she shared with us. On our last “Zodiac” ride, Desiree and I had an extensive discussion on Ecuador and the many things to appreciate in the different sections of the country. She said that I should come back and spend a few weeks, travel around the country and experience what she was talking about. I just might do that!

And, of course the townspeople were also interesting and uplifting from the shop keepers to the women in the fish market to the group sitting along the street having a “bake sale”.

I am home now and as I sit here in my living room writing this last post of the trip, I am already missing the people.  I will always remember the things I have seen and done.   But, it’s the people that will hold a special place in my heart and my memory.

It’s always the people……always my favorite…..

Trip of a lifetime……..in so many ways…….

Or, if you are in the Galapagos, a friendly sea lion…

We have seen so many sea lions you would think I would be tired of them by now. But, honestly, I just can’t get enough of them! I love their little puppy-like faces with the long whiskers and sleepy black eyes. I admire the way they doze a little bit, open their eyes to check things out, look around and then settle back in for a few more winks of sleep, indifferent to the things that are happening around them. We should all take a lesson from them. What a way to live!

The sea lions have to be my favorite of all the creatures I have seen on this journey.   As a resident of California, this was certainly not my first encounter with this type of animal. But, here in the Galapagos, it is a different experience. These special creatures are very curious and playful. They have no problem waddling right up to you and greeting you with their unique “honks” or swimming up to you in the water and tickling you with their whiskers. And, honestly, their faces are so cute, that I don’t know how one could not like them. We saw them in the water, on the rocks, and sleeping on benches.

Here’s a photo of a mother and baby.  The baby is nursing.  I thought it was quite special that I would see this.

This is one of my favorite photos.

In the afternoon of the last day, we had free time to walk around the city and do some shopping. Our guide suggested that we take a look at the “fish market”. So, after I did my shopping, I wandered over to the section of the waterfront. It wasn’t as elaborate as some other of the markets I have encountered on my travels. There were 2 women at a long table selling 3 different types of fish, each stacked in a small pile. It was just these 2…no other people….no other fish. But, when I looked under the table, I saw that they had a “sea lion helper”. I watched this comical scene for a long time. The sea lion stood between the 2 women and waited with his nose just under one of the stacks of fish….hoping for something to fall.Every now and then, the sea lion would nudge one of the women and they would push it away. Finally, after several nudges, one of the women would throw it some fish.

The sea lion would savor this delight and then resume his stance, nose pointed at the stack of fish. It was like a little dance. I couldn’t look away! It was so funny!

As much as I loved the sea lions, I have seen some other incredible wildlife as well during our tour of the Galapagos Islands in a variety of different settings. Many of them are “endemic” to the Galapagos (they only live here), so it makes it even more special to be a part of their world here, if only for a short time.

During the course of the cruise, we went out several times on the “Zodiacs” where we have been able to get up close and personal to the water creatures that hug the waterline edges of the craggy lava and rock masses that protrude from the water, as well as the birds that call these outcroppings home.

We also visited, by “Zodiac”, the sea creatures that live in the murky waters of the mangroves.

In both of these settings, we have been so close to them that it would be possible to touch them, if that were allowed. It’s not. So, we just observe…and take pictures. Sometimes the birds flit around as they hear the noise of the “Zodiacs”, but mostly, they just briefly inspect us without moving and then look away. They seem not to have any fear as they watch. It’s as if they saying, “Welcome to my home. Be at your ease.”

We have seen “frigate birds” and “blue footed boobies” everywhere. These 2 birds have something of a symbiotic relationship with each other. The “frigate birds” are scavengers. They are not able to find their own food. So, you often find them near the “blue footed boobies” that are diving into the water for food. Several times, we watched as the “frigate birds” snatched food from the “boobies”. It was quite comical.

The “blue footed boobies” are quite spectacular looking with their blue eyes and blue feet. When they come into land or dive into the water for food, they spread their wings widely and expose their blue feet.   Everyone, including the guides who see this every day hoped, each time we went out to look at these creatures, that we could get a picture of them coming in for a landing. It would be an award-winning shot….if you could get it.

The “frigate birds” are quite large. When in flight, they pick up the thermal currents of the wind and never move their wings. The wings stay outstretched and they just glide in the air. Even though they are a nuisance to the “boobies”, they look quite elegant as they sail along.

We saw all types of birds that I would love to be able to name here, but I am not a “birder” and, so, don’t have all of the names in my head. But, they included the Darwin finch, sea gulls of all types, Galapagos mocking birds, penguins and more.

We also saw many marine iguanas. These prehistoric-looking creatures are endemic to the Galapagos Islands and they are everywhere there is water. Often we would see them together with crabs of all types and colors that scurried along the rocks looking for food and escaping some of the waves. Sadly, there is a real shortage of food for the iguanas and, in addition to those that were alive, we also saw many skeletons and bodies in different stages of decay. That part was very sad. We also saw a few baby sea lions that were not well. We didn’t know why. But, it was sad to see some of them struggle for breath. It brought tears to my eyes.

On the last days, we visited a turtle farm and a ranch where the old turtles roam free. These turtles are also endemic to the Galapagos. Many of them are quite large and very old. We looked at some that were heading towards 100 years. One of them had moss growing on its shell. One of our guides said that the oldest recorded age of one of these turtles was about 200 years. It was incredible to see them slowly moving around with their heavy shells.

We learned that the turtles don’t have any hearing, but they can feel vibrations on the ground. And, they were not as bold as the other animals we saw. They become very frightened when they feel the vibrations of people walking along and see people. At the last farm we visited, we heard something that sounded like a hiss. The guide explained that this was not a hiss, but the sound that the head of the turtle makes as it retracts back into the shell when it is afraid.

I wish I could retract into a shell when I am afraid…..but, I wouldn’t want to carry the shell around. The weight of the turtle is almost all shell, and can weigh several hundred pounds. I think I have a back issue now. Imagine if I had to carry a shell around.

I am again blown away by the amount of information we learned about all of the animals the in the Galapagos and the ability of the guides to point things out that we would never find on our own.   Just amazing!

As I think about it, at the end of the day, I will still take the carefree sea lion above the other animals in the sea. When I get back to California, I will view our local brothers of these sea lions with love……

Happiness is a friendly sea lion.

Dr. Seuss knew what he was talking about when he created this fun children’s story. I wonder if he had the opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands to see the beautiful and colorful fish here? I hope so. The snorkeling days we have had here in the Galapagos have been some of the best times of the trip so far. Who knew there were so many things living under the water and so much going on there?! It has been a real education for me.

In the last days, I learned that there is a rainbow of fish…and some other things, too…. living in the depths of the waters in and around the Galapagos Islands.   I had no idea what I would find a few days ago when I looked below the surface of the water for the first time. When I took my first dip, I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole palette of color moving around me. It was just incredible!

I have now had several “real” snorkeling experiences in addition to the training day…and, I’m feeling very confident about the technical part. I’m still wearing the “floatee” thing, even on the last snorkel day. But, I’m OK with that if it means I can continue to watch the fish swim and play under the water during my time here in paradise.

The first day of snorkeling was the most interesting for me, probably because it was so new. When I put my head in the water, I immediately saw fish below me. They were curious and started to move towards me, which was, frankly, a bit shocking. But, then, I realized that I was visiting them in their home, and they just wanted to take a look to see who was there. Once they saw me and exchanged a few friendly “hellos”, they were happy to move on. The depth perception in the water is skewed a bit, so I’m not really even sure how close they were to me. But, it looked like I could reach out and touch them, which we were instructed not to do, so I didn’t try. It was quite surreal.

Somewhere at the beginning of this first experience, I bobbed my head up to see where I was. As I looked out over the surface of the water, I saw 2 seals moving through the water together. They were heading right towards me. They came so close that I thought they would knock me over. Again, it was startling to me, but they had no fear, so I didn’t either.   They just came up to check me out and then went on side by side together. I put my head back down into the water and looked as far below as I could.   A seal and a large fish were chasing each other playfully in a circle. It looked like it was close to the bottom. Really, I don’t know if they were playing or if one was chasing the other. But, I choose to think that they were having fun. It was cute to watch!

Before long, I looked up and right in front of me was a flightless Cormoran diving into the water. This bird doesn’t fly because its wings are too small. They simply dive into the water from the surrounding rocks where they sit, swim down to get some food, and then return to their perches along the shore. The guide said that they are very curious birds. They will come right up to you and check you out….and, sometimes touch you. On the second snorkel day, one of them approached me and said his “hellos”. I guess I didn’t look too interesting, and I definitely wasn’t food, so he moved on. Truth be told, though, one of the other cruisers was “attacked” by one of these things and had to push it off a little bit. I didn’t see it, but it sounded quite exciting!

I floated along with the current and before too long, I saw 2 sea turtles swimming along. They were close to the bottom and taking their time as they moved along.

There were more sea lions as I swam through. All just swimming along and sometimes playing with each other.

The second day of snorkeling was more of the same, but there were more of the brightly colored fish than the day before. I wish I knew the names of them. The only one I was able to really identify was the “puffer fish”, but only because David, my cabin neighbor, was swimming near me and knew what it was. It was a kind of white fish with some brown spots on it. David tried to make it puff up by tickling it under the belly, but, alas, he wasn’t able to get it to “puff”. But, I have to say that in its natural state, it was quite attractive.

The fish were truly a rainbow of color. My favorite was one that was mostly bright orange with some black stripes. It was a little bit oblong in shape. I saw lots of them swimming through the schools of smaller fish. They were stunning.

There was a “flavor” of fish for everyone. Sometimes I would look down and see yellow fish with black stripes, or fish of neon blue, or light lilac colored fish. Sometimes the fish were just black or grey….or so it seemed.   They were all shapes and sizes. I saw them traveling alone and sometimes in a group of similarly colored fish. And, sometimes, I saw a mixture of all different kinds and colors of fish floating along with the current.

My favorite experience of the first 2 days was swimming with a school of fish. As the waves crashed on the shoreline and washed back to the ocean, I could just float on the top and move out with the current. As I was moving along, I looked down and saw school after school of fish. They appeared to be very close to the surface. I looked right and then looked left and realized that I was in the middle of the group of fish. How incredible is that? I felt like I was a part of their little fish community. They were very welcoming!

On our last snorkeling day, which was today, I had the experience of actually swimming alongside a sea lion. It came up next to me and looked up at me as if to say, “Let’s go play”, and I did…for a short time until it dipped down into the water and moved on to its next playmate. I wanted to dip down with it, but the “floatee” kept me on the surface. What a thrill to get that close to him!

I will never forget these last few days in the water.  I am absolutely blown away by the movement, the colors and the fact that you can get so close to these animals and they don’t bother you. Many of them never move. They simply look at you and then just go on about their business.

As I looked for the last time down through the clear water, I realized that the fish, sea lions, birds and other creatures of the Galapagos were living together in what appeared to be “perfect harmony”. They all have a place in their world and seemed to accept each other for what they were. I had a fleeting thought that it would be nice if we, as a human race, could just move along in peace with each other. But, we don’t do that. And, I guess, neither do the sea creatures all of the time. But, it’s a nice thought.

I will end by telling you that today, on our last snorkel day, I was actually able to instruct a fellow passenger on the fine art of snorkeling. Jaima, whom we met on one of the earlier days, was a beginning snorkeler, too, and she was a little nervous about going out. She was doing the same thing I was doing on the first day. Chatting along nervously…wondering when she should put on fins, how to prepare her mask, etc. Her husband wasn’t going today, so she needed a buddy. I offered to go with her and so we went. I found myself doing the same thing that Enrike did with us on the very first day. Taking her through the process of using the equipment and how to position herself in the water, and then pointing out some of the sights as we went along. Before too long, we were pointing things out to each other. It was a nice feeling think that I was able to help her. Sadly, I lost track of her in the water, but there is literally no way that one can get lost, so I felt OK about that. The Zodiac boats surround the snorkel group at all times and watch for people in distress. When we regrouped on the Zodiac at the end of our time, Jaima and I were both happy with our respective experiences. Who knew that I could get the hang of this snorkeling business well enough to help someone else. If that isn’t success, I don’t know what is!

So, now I really am thinking that I will open a snorkel shop!

Let me know if you want a lesson!

And, other things…….

I just finished my first “real” snorkeling experience. I’m happy to say that I was able to breathe through the tube while swimming, stay afloat and swim along without a mishap. I was even warm enough, usually a problem for me. I owe it all to the fine folks at SilverSea, who provided me a very fine wetsuit, my new zip-up “rash guard”, and a little instruction.  Equipped with these necessities, I can say that I enjoyed every minute of the experience. Maybe I can be a “water baby” after all. We’ll see!

I am also happy to report that my iPhone, that was protected by the “Life-proof” case and the pouch with the lanyard, did not take on water, and that my phone is still functional. It’s a miracle! The good news is that I could have take pictures underwater. The bad news is that I didn’t actually take any.   I realized too late….actually, when I was in the water all geared up and ready to go….that I could get to the screen where one enters the password, but I couldn’t see it well enough to actually put the password in. My sign in screen is white letters on a black background. Between my eye issues and the darkness in the water, it just looked black to me. My random pressing on the screen was not effective. Sigh……..Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

In between fun activities here on SilverSea, I am going to work on a fix. There has to be one. I’ll figure it out, and tomorrow, I might actually be able to show you some pictures of the amazing life that happens under the water,

But, for now, I’m going to go back a few days and fill you in on how I got to the fantastic snorkeling extravaganza!

We boarded the ship on Sunday and had a good part of the day to organize our clothes, get any missing snorkel gear and get to know the ship a little bit so that we would know where things are and how to get to them. Our collection of the snorkeling gear was highly organized which was not my experience in my last attempt at this. The nice staff on board SilverSea called us by floor and we picked up a wet suit, if we wanted one, fins, masks, and snorkels. I also opted to get a “floatee” that would help me to stay up on the top of the water. We all got a bag for our equipment, filled them with our gear and hung them on a hanger with the wet suit. Each day before the activity, we collect our “stuff” and get on the Zodiac and each day at the end, we leave our wet gear there for drying. It makes my organized, systematic mind feel very happy.

On our orientation day, the first day on board, we also had ample opportunity to meet some of the other 75 passengers that would be our companions for the next week as we motor along. In the evening before dinner, we all met together as a group to get a lay of the land on how the activities would run for the next week. We would have a meeting such as this one each evening before dinner to go over the next day’s schedule and the timing of activities so that we could decide what things we wanted to participate in.

For each activity or for transport to the activity, we would be paired with 14 other passengers on the small rubber “Zodiac” boats. Together, we would sit on the rubber sides of the boat, bounce along in the waves and explore the Galapagos by land and by sea.   Each of the small boats would be assigned a guide who was filled with interesting information about the Galapagos and the things we would see.

My favorite guide, so far, is Enrike (I’m not sure how to spell his name, so you can use your own imagination on the pronunciation) and here’s why. Yesterday, (our second day) was supposed to be our first snorkeling experience. We were going to snorkel off the beach. Lee and I thought this was so that people could get used to the snorkel gear and practice a little bit. It would be great for those of us who had never snorkeled before…(much to my surprise there were more than just me) ….great practice in a safe setting.

However, there were a lot of waves and the water was too murky to be able to see much near the beach, so the SilverSea crew decided that deep-water snorkeling would be a better experience. Those that weren’t comfortable could go to the beach. Hmm…..what does deep-water mean? So, I asked around and learned that we would be in deep water….still floating on the top….but, we wouldn’t be able to stand up. Hmm……..

After some deliberation with myself, I decided that I would try it. Why not, I’m here to see things, I have a wet suit that would provide some buoyancy and I had a “floatee” thing that was supposed to keep me up. When I told Lee that I was going to try this she suggested that it might not be the best idea because of the rough seas.   So, I sought out the advice of Enrike. He agreed with Lee. He said that my first snorkeling experience needed to be a good one. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to do it again. The waters today were too rough today for beginners to have a really good experience. So, he suggested that I go to the beach and practice using the snorkel gear so that I would be ready for the next day, which would be calmer. OK.

This is where I met up with Drew and David, who turned out to be our neighbors on the ship. They were sick and unable to do the snorkeling. So, they were going to the beach as well. I looked at them and said,

“I’m with you today.”

They were fine with that….and so it began.

We boarded the Zodiac and off we went with the other people who had never snorkeled before. I was surprised at how many there were. In fact, there were so many of us that Enrike gave us all a lesson, which is not really part of his job. This is part of where I think SilverSea excels. The customer services is exceptional all around, but especially on things like this. He took the initiative to see a need and fill it. What more could one want!

When we got to the beach, I pulled on my wet suit and went out with the others to learn how to do this. After a few minutes, we were all swimming along on the surface of the water. No problem. After I felt I had sufficient practice, I went back to shore to share my story of success with Drew and David. David started to look at my chest. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t really care.

Finally, he said to me, “Turn around.” So, I did. He said, “Did you know that you have your wetsuit on inside out?”

What?! How is that possible?! But, he was right. The words across my chest were backwards and the zipper of the wet suit was on the inside instead of the outside. You would think I would have noticed that the zipper was in the wrong place at least….but, no! This threw me into one of those nonstop laughing fits that I occasionally write about in my blog stories….can’t talk, can’t breathe, can’t stop laughing. We all had a good chuckle….more than a chuckle… about that one.

I was so glad that I waited to do the snorkeling until the 2^nd day. The training on the gear and the wetsuit were instrumental in my snorkeling success. I’ll tell you all about it on the next post…..just beautiful!

When I get back to California, I am thinking about opening a snorkel shop. I can do instruction on the basics….and training on the fine art of donning a wet suit!

Until next time, I’m happily floating along in the Galapagos….on the zodiac, in my wet suit and “floatee”, or on the ship.

It’s all good!

Or, trying to, anyway….”

Lee and I spent the last day with our heads in the clouds, huffing and puffing in the thin air of Quito, Ecuador while we visited the sights at the highest of heights.

Actually, in the scope of places you can visit in South America, Quito isn’t the highest place you can go. But, the 10,000-14,000 foot elevations that we were exposed to here are high enough for me…..at least for this trip.   Lee and I both live at sea level in our respective hometowns, so it was a bit of an adjustment. But, truth be told, we both did pretty well with the elevation until the end of our touring day yesterday when I developed a blinding headache, and both of were so fatigued that we went to bed at 8:00 pm, not that we did much sleeping, which is a common complaint of those trying to newly adjust to a high altitude. But, I took a nap (and did sleep) at 6:00 pm, in between touring and bedtime. So, I felt somewhat rested at 5:00 am this morning when we got up to get our luggage out for pick up for our journey to the Galapagos. We were pooped! Still are, a little bit!

When the nice people at SilverSea picked us up at the airport, we were instructed on the finer points of altitude sickness…headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, lack of sleep…. I am adding puffiness to the mix, although I’m not sure whether that’s altitude or something else. My body seems to be taking on water as it tries to adapt to its new surrounding, as evidenced by the tight fit of my shoes this morning. I guess it doesn’t help that we are drinking copious amounts of water, which is the antidote to altitude sickness. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate…water, no alcohol. No fun!

But, despite it all, we had a great day in Quito and the surrounding area. In the planning process, Lee and I agreed that we wanted to visit the old, colonial town of Quito and some of the old churches as well as a few sights that are outside of town. We had planned to take a taxi, but SilverSea had some other ideas. They offered some fairly priced guided tours to the places we wanted to see. We would get an English speaking tour guide and a chance to meet some of our fellow cruisers. My experience in Costa Rica told me that having a guide was often the best way to see things and get a good explanation of what you are looking at. So, we opted to take one of the SilverSea tours. It was well worth the money and the time. What a great day!

Antonio, our guide, was a former journalist with many interests. So, his commentary was spot on and very interesting and included some extra tidbits of information about the area and Quito besides what we were seeing on the tour. He seemed to know a little bit about everything. And, Pablo, our driver, deserved a medal for his superb driving skills on the narrow and steeply winding streets of colonial Quito.

Our first stop was at TeleferiQo, on the lower slopes of Volcan Pinchincha, one of the 4 volcanos that surround the city. From our perch on the peak of Cruz Loma, at around 14, 000 feet, one could get a look at the city from afar and from on high.

We reached our vantage point by gliding along the side of the volcano high above the ground in a 6-passenger cable car. It reminded me of some of my visits to the Swiss Alps where we did something similar and listened to the music of the cowbells as we sailed along. No cowbells here, though…..just the spectacular scenery and the nice company of some of our fellow cruisers and some friendly locals. We were lucky to do this on a clear day.   We could see all of the nearby volcanoes, including one that had a small stream of smoke curling out of it.

When we reached the top, Antonio provided a lot of information. We learned that Quito was highly influenced by the Spanish and the art and architecture has many Muslim characteristics. The architecture incorporated more geometric figures rather than figures of nature like flowers and animals. We saw this later as we toured one of the old churches in colonial Quito. From our vantage point, we could see greenhouses on the far side of the city and learned that they are used to grow roses, for which Quito is famous. The roses have long stems and are beautiful, but have no odor because of the position of the sun in Quito.

Next, we went to stand on the north and south side of the equator…..at the same time! We visited the information center, Museo Inti Nan, where we learned about the quirkiness of events in and around the equator. Our guide talked to us about some of the customs of the indigenous people such as how they killed their food. They used huge, long blow darts that were quite heavy and spears that were equally as daunting. I can honestly say that if I would have to use one of those to secure my dinner, I would go hungry. I wouldn’t be able to lift it! Getting enough air to actually blow a dart through the hollow tube with enough force, while holding the blowgun would be a feat in and of itself!

We also saw a demonstration of how head shrinking is done. No. Not the psychological kind, but the kind where the head is physically removed from the body, emptied and shrunk in a vat of hot water.   We saw several real live examples!   Here’s a fun fact, if you were to have your head shrunk, it would be just the size of your fist. They don’t call it shrinkage for nothing! Don’t worry…..Lee and I both came back with our heads in tact! But, it was a close call! Whew!!

We also saw some guinea pigs that were being raised for someone’s dinner. Guinea pig is a staple here. Sadly…..or maybe not……we didn’t actually get to experience this delicacy. But, we hear it tastes like pork and is served with the head and legs attached. So, you can become very intimate with your meal.

We straddled the equator line and, thus, stood on both the north and south side at the same time. That was fun!   And, we experienced the great challenge of walking toe to toe on a line drawn on the ground where the equator is located. There is a definite pull on both sides, making it very difficult to “walk the line”. We were drunk….but, not with alchohol. We also got a “stamp” on a dollar bill to prove that we had been to the equator. We could have had our passports stamped. But, even though Lee and I both read about this, we forgot to take our passports with us….memory loss…the effects of a high altitude…..maybe.

We also visited one of the old churches in colonial Quito that was completely done in gold filigree. My favorite part of the church was an organ that was added years ago and a spiral staircase leading to the organ. The powers that be thought that the symmetry of the interior design was off and had another spiral staircase painted on the wall on the other side of the organ to even it out a bit. The perspective from a distance was interesting, and we agreed that the painted stairs did, indeed, provide the needed symmetry.

We did a good bit of walking in the colonial part of Quito, making me think that I need to come back and do some more exploring. Lee had some empanadas from a street vendor that I was not adventurous enough to try. He was selling them out of a plastic bin. But, she is still alive and kicking so next time, I will follow her lead.

Early this morning, we boarded our flight to go to the Galapagos and several hours later we met our ship in the Galapagos. I am now at sea level on the ship, my headache is gone, and I am grateful. I am on to my next challenge….the water sports! We met a very nice couple that will be a good complement to Lee and I.   The woman is at my level of outdoorsiness and the man is at Lee’s. I think we will switch partners. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Signing off headache free and happy!

….By the way,  as I suspected, the internet here is extremely challenging.   I’m working on how to get some pictures up on the blog.  I’ll do the best I can, but I will post some on Facebook.  Email me if you want to friend me and I will hook you up.