The Galapagos Islands

Friday 11th November –Galapagos – Day 1

Today I flew to The Galapagos Islands.  A lifelong dream come true. Elisha and I made our way to the airport in Quito and the first thing I needed to do was get money at the airport but the ATM machine was broken.  I’ll sort that when land.  Or so I thought.  I thought that finally a flight had gone smoothly.  Upon landing in the Galapagos you have to pay a $100 entry fee which, due to the broken ATM at Quito, I did not have and they didn’t have any machines at the Galapagos airport nor did they accept card.  Another flight mess up.  Asked to step aside I’m now wondering if they’ll let me in.  They did, but only after confiscating my passport.  While traveling my most important item is my passport and now I’m going to be without it for a few days until I can make my way to some office somewhere on these islands to pay my fee and be reunited with it.  This is not a comfortable situation, but I have no choice.  I’ll have to sort it later.

After meeting William and finally being allowed on the islands we get transported to our boat, the Valkiria.  We get a brief welcome from our guide Pato, a quick bite to eat and off on our first activity – snorkeling in a deep water-filled fissure.  After getting back on land and walking for less than 100m we meet our first Galapagos creatures, sea iguanas  It’s hard to believe that we see something so quickly.  They look like prehistoric creatures bathing in the sun and completely unfazed by humans so we can get as close as we want. So close I almost step on one before someone warns me to watch my step.  After this we continue onto the fissure where I have my first go at snorkeling.  I have no idea how to do this so Elisha, who at this stage is fast becoming my own personal outdoor instructor, shows me.  It’s very strange because normally I don’t feel very comfortable in deep water, but with the snorkel mask on it all feels very natural.  Which is a good thing because going by our itinerary over the next seven days there will be a lot of it happening.  Unfortunately we don’t see very much in the water, but at least now I’m ready for what’s going to be happening in the coming days.  After an hour or so we make our way back to the pier to get the dingy to the boat and while standing looking into the water a sea lion swims by.  This is my first day and I already feel like I’m in the middle of a David Attenborough documentary.

My only real worry about this trip is sea sickness.  I’ve never been on a boat for any length of time before so have no idea if it will affect me.  After getting back onboard and having dinner, we prepare ourselves for an overnight trip to the next Island, Isla Isabela. While I’m falling off to sleep, the engine starts and we begin to move.  This is not what I expect – it’s like a rollercoaster – and I hate rollercoasters.  But I’m surprised as it actually rocks me off to sleep.  Hopefully I’ll avoid the sea sickness over the next week.

Saturday 12th November –Galapagos – Day 2

The overnight travelling is great.  I went to sleep in one place and have now awoken to a completely different sight, Isla Isabela.  The first thing we do today is horse riding, another new treat for me.  The horses are pretty placid which is good as I’m a bit apprehensive about it.  The horses take us to Sierra Negra, the second biggest caldera in the world.  It’s an amazing sight – 11km in diameter.  Well those were the facts told to us by our guide.  Personally, I don’t believe it is the second biggest, or even in the top 10 for that matter.  But I may be wrong.  There have been a few eruptions in recent years which has made the surface and sides unstable, so we are not allowed to go into the caldera.  On the way back on the horses, I’ve picked up a little bit of bravery and want my horse to pick up a little bit of speed.  The horse has totally different ideas about this.  No matter what I do he just doesn’t move.  At one point I was going to get off and walk to get back quicker at which point one of the other horses decides he’s the boss.  Every time mine gets close to him he runs my horse into the bushes.  My horse, obviously not liking this, decides that instead of using the path to get passed, he’ll just charge through the bushes, seemingly forgetting that I was on his back.  Ducking and failing to avoid getting whacked by trees I try and fail to get him back on track.  I find the best policy is to just give up and let him do what he wants until we eventually arrive back.

In the afternoon, we went to a bay for more snorkeling.  On the way we stopped and saw flamingos feeding in a lagoon.  It just seems that no matter where go we will see something new and exciting.  Once we got to the bay, we went snorkeling.  There was a chance to see turtles but none were about, but we managed to see plenty of tropical fish and it’s yet more practice for me.  I think I might be becoming a bit of a water baby as I love the snorkeling.  As we were making our way back to the boat and about to board, we spotted turtles in the water close by and were able to get the dingy to go very close to them.  There were three of them, mating. 

Tomorrow we have been promised that we will be swimming with turtles. 

Sunday 13th November –Galapagos – Day 3

Our first stop today was to The Wall Of Tears.  Part of the island used to be a prison camp.  While the prisoners were on the island they were made to build a wall from stones – just to pass the time.  The wall is huge in height and obviously pointless due to its location on the island.  Many prisoners died as a result of building the wall, the rest eventually made a break for freedom and some of them made it, with one still surviving on the island to this day.  But most importantly, we saw a tortoise there.

Next it was off to see white-tip sharks.  We made our way onto another part of the island and after walking through some jagged lava formed landscapes, we came to a channel where sometimes the sharks come to rest.  We were very lucky as today as there were 60 to 70 sharks there - all just relaxing.  In the past it was possible to swim in the channel, but as a result of this the sharks stopped coming there, so we couldn't.

But next it was time to swim with turtles.  After going out into the sea a bit and close to a rocky island, we dawned our wetsuits and snorkel masks and jumped in.  Within a few minutes I was swimming beside a turtle.  I was so amazing I forgot to breath properly and almost drowned.  They are so graceful and majestic.  Then Elisha calls me over as she has spotted an eagle ray.  I just about get over on time to see it swimming off in the distance.  Swimming for the next 30 minutes I see about another four or five turtles all feeding on the rocks under the water.  Thinking I won’t see any more I jump back on the boat.  But just as I’m changed a group that stayed in a bit longer spot a turtle, sea lion and white tip shark all swimming together.  I’m a bit gutted, but hopefully in the next few days I’ll be swimming with sea lions and sharks as well or at least that’s what I have been promised by our guide.

Before dinner in the evening we sailed around Turtle Shell island to see a few native bird species, before sailing overnight back to Isla Santa Cruz.

Monday 14th November –Galapagos – Day 4

On our way to Tortuga Bay we stopped off at some lava tunnels.  These were huge tunnels created underground by ancient lava flows and in areas where the roof has collapsed we were able to walk along them.  Then we hit Tortuga Bay.  After kayaking out to deeper water (another first for me) we jumped in to snorkel again and immediately came across white tip sharks.  We had been informed by our guide that they were not dangerous at all and only ate small fish, so I had no fears of featuring in a news bulletin back home.  When I first saw one though I had the same reaction as when I was swimming with my first turtle and swallowed a mouthful of water and almost drowned.  But they were very placid and just rested at the bottom of the sea bed, giving plenty of time for photographs.  After about 20 minutes we made our way back to the shore and Elisha and I spotted lots of turtles swimming in the bay.  When we finally reached the shore again, the rest of the group were out in the water, so we went to investigate what they were looking at.  As we waded out we came across a bunch of more white tip sharks resting in shallow water and swimming at our feet.  One seemed to be constantly swimming around the others, and each time he came straight at me (regardless of what our guide said) I was getting out of the way!

In the afternoon, it was time to go and see our first Giant Tortoises in the wild.  We went into the centre of the island by bus and then jumped onto mountain bikes to reach the area where they feed.  Me on a bike quite often ends in tears.  I tend to lose all self-control and decide that the best way to go is as fast as possible.  Not a good idea on the Galapagos Islands.  While hurtling down a dirt track I have to slam on the brakes and with some very quick reactions jump to the other side to avoid a major collision with a giant Giant Tortoise.  Now let’s face it here, it’s not like the tortoise all of a sudden dashed out on to the road in front of me, I just didn’t see the thing until much too late.  I dread to think what would have happened if I had hit it.  First I don’t pay the entry fee, next I kill a Giant Tortoise.  I think I would have been sent to continue building that Wall of Tears.  And the tortoise wasn’t happy about the whole situation either.  He made a very loud hissing-threatening noise before retiring into his shell.  After this near miss, we all continued on to see more of the Giant Tortoise, and they were massive.  They are very bizarre creatures to see in the flesh.  Like the iguanas, they look very prehistoric and mostly unfazed my humans.  Everything they do is slow – move, eat, hiss.  Definitely the strangest creatures I have ever seen.

Today two new people joined our tour group, Madeline and Stefan from Norway.  After discovering a guitar on board and that Stefan could play, we had a great guitar session in the evening over a few drinks.

Tuesday 15th November –Galapagos – Day 5

Today was a pretty relaxed day.  In the morning we visited the Charles Darwin Center where breeding programs are happening to help bring back a few species of animal on the islands from the brink of extinction.  Some species were down to as low as 12 individuals, but they have now been brought up to over 1000 due to the success of the programs.  The highlight was seeing Lonesome George – the very last reaming species of Giant Tortoise from Pinta Island in the Galapagos.  They have attempted to mate George with tortoises from other islands, but the offspring are born infertile (as is the case when they have tried to cross breed most tortoises from different islands).  So once George goes, so does his species.  Very unsurprisingly, the demise of most of the species on the islands is down to the past behaviour of humans – killing the animals for food, introducing new species that affect the indigenous species, trophy hunting.  But it is now good to see that humans are finally realizing their past mistakes and helping the species get back on their feet.

On leaving the Charles Darwin Center I was reunited with my passport after paying the entry fee at the main National Park Office.  What a relief.

In the afternoon we went kayaking in a bay.  Although it was fun, it got boring and just seemed a bit pointless.  I want to go swim with sharks again!

During the night we sailed to out next island - San Cristóbal.

Wednesday 16th November –Galapagos – Day 6

Today is a day I will never forget.  We wake up at San Cristóbal and after an early shout, we get on a speedboat and make our way to Sea Lion Island.  It’s an experience that defies explanation – but I’ll try.  After getting in the water and thinking I’m not going to see any sea lions, Elisha swims passed and tells me she has just been swimming with them.  I head towards a beach and in the distance in the water I see a young sea lion swimming towards me.  It glides passed, closely followed by what must be its parents.  The mother is always close by making sure the cub is ok, the father is always close by letting me know who is boss.  Every time he swims passed he blows bubbles – I’m taking this as a warning to be careful.  Then the three sea lions do what I can only describe as a dance, swimming around each other, standing vertical in the water, blowing bubbles.  After a few minutes they all swim away.  But very soon the cub comes back on its own.  It’s directly in front of me, swims straight at me, keeping eye contact the whole time.  Just as it gets within about one metre of my face, he turns upside down and glides underneath me, almost touching me.  Then it comes back and swims in circles around me.  I had goosebumps.  Finally he swims off into the distance after Elisha. A few minutes later the father appears again, making his presence felt.  Time to leave them to their own business – I have heard that the fathers can get aggressive and very protective and have been known to bite so I head back to the boat.  I don’t think anything will top this experience during my time in the Galapagos Islands.

After this we sail to Kicker Rock, where there is a chance to see Galapagos Sharks and Hammerheads, but only occasionally does this happen and we don’t see any, only a few more white-tip sharks.  Kicker Rock is out in the middle of the ocean and the water is freezing, so we don’t stay in too long.  But it was good to be snorkeling in the deep ocean and we do see a few turtles.  The highlight of this part of the day was a school of dolphins swimming alongside the speedboat on the way back.

After dinner back on the boat and a few drinks in the local port with a couple of guys we meet during the day, Ben and Andi, we set sail during the night for out final island, Floreana.

Thursday 17th November –Galapagos – Day 7

Today was kind of a strange day.  We went on to Floreana Island and went to a place where a German family own a lot of land that they acquired when they arrived many years ago.  I can’t remember the full details of the story, but there seems to have been some sort of feud between some woman and some man and then lots of people (and pet chickens) died in mysterious circumstances, including (I think) someone’s disabled son who’s dead body washed up on a beach in the Galapagos, but he was last seen in Germany.  It was all really bizarre.  After this we went to see some tortoises which had been introduced to the island as the native species had become extinct.  I found this a very odd thing to do as all the tortoises here are mixed species offspring so cannot breed as they are infertile.  It just seems to have been done for tourist purposes.  Disappointing.

Then it was time for our final snorkel.  This would have been very straight forward except for the aggressive sea lion that patrolled a beach nearby.  While doing my best to avoid this area I got totally disorientated having to constantly pop up out of the water to try and find the beach we started the snorkeling from.  At one point I popped my head up, realized where I was, popped my head under the water again and got the shock of my life.  The biggest turtle I had seen during the whole last six days was about one metre from my face - swimming directly at me.  Knowing that these things can bite, hard and to the bone, I scrambled, spitting out my snorkel, swallowing water, floundering in the water until I was sure I was out of its way.  In the commotion I tried to get a photo, but failed.  But I did manage to get one of it swimming away.  After that episode I decided it was time to head back on shore – in the process swimming amongst large shoals of tropical fish and managing to get one final swim with another turtle.

The end of our final full day in the islands was spent sailing back to Santa Cruz with the hope that we would see dolphins on the way, but they didn’t appear.

Friday 18th November –Galapagos – Day 8

Time to leave the Galapagos.  On the way to the airport we stopped off at what I can only describe as a massive hole in the ground filled with a mini forest.  Our guide said that no one knows what formed the hole.  This is something I will have to investigate as I’m sure there is some reason or explanation behind it. Then it was off to get the flight. 

NEWSFLASH: Mark experiences a completely incident free flight. 

I left the Galapagos Islands and got to The Secret Garden Hostel in Quito without one incident!  Long may it continue.

What a fantastic eight days.  It is at this point the second best experience I’ve had, only beaten in top spot by Iceland.  It will take something very special to beat Iceland.

To bring myself back to reality, I spend the evening out with a few of the volunteers from The Secret Garden in the La Ronda area of Quito.  A cool area with a lot of local bars.  Somehow the locals thought that an Australian guy along with us was famous.  From that point onwards he got free drinks, food, had to sign a painting belonging to the bar, and many requests for photographs and dances.

Ecuador - Cotopaxi To Banos

Friday 4th November –Volcán Pasochoa

I must be acclimatizing a bit because I managed to get a much better sleep last night.  Mind you that was probably more to do with the fact that I was completely exhausted after all the climbing, jumping and mountain biking.  And today it was time for another six hour trek to Volcán Pasochoa.  Again the altitude affects us all, and we need loads of stops to get to the top.  But the walk is spectacular.  At times when we stop and sit down for a much needed rest, I think to myself, ‘Ok, I’m trekking through The Andes.  How did this happen?’  It really is a pinch yourself moment.  There are mountains all around with amazing views into the valleys.  At times the trail under our feet is made from volcanic ash and in the areas cut for the road you can see the layers which I assume are from the different eruptions, but I could be wrong. The closer we get to the crater, the steeper it gets.  But as we are approaching, it is pretty clear that it’s not clear.  There’s a bit cloud overflowing from the crater and sure enough when we get to the top and peer in we can see nothing.  Apparently inside the crater is a forest and the crater is huge.  But I’m not too disappointed that this time the weather has not worked in our favour as the walk was great.  As we begin our trek back, Chris, our guide asks if want to take a detour and attempt to find a large waterfall.  Being an adventurous bunch we all say yes, not quite expecting what happens.

Once we leave the trail it starts easy enough but soon we are in amongst trees and only following the noise of the cascading water and creating the trail as we go.  Eventually we find a stream and start to follow that down, which leads us to the base of the waterfall. Exhausted I sit while the others venture more.  I wish I had gone with them.  I though there wouldn’t be much more to see, but apparently they found caves and walks under the waterfall.  Ah well, I’ll know for next time not to miss out.  Then to get back to the hostel all we need to do is follow the river.  Which works pretty well for about 20 metres until we come across a large waterfall that there is no hope of descending.  Time to start creating our own trail again.  But with more difficulty.  David trail blazes.  We aren’t even on solid ground anymore.  We are literally climbing through trees, using tangled branches and moss as foot holds.  Too many times when I grabbed a branch to haul myself up it crumbled in my hand.  Daylight can’t even be seen anymore.  But finally a shout from David means we can escape.  It was getting a bit hairy, but the relief at the sunlight was worth it.  Then we found ourselves at the waterfall we did the jump from yesterday.  No jumping today though.  Once was enough.

After getting back to the hostel, Lauren, David, Elisha and I get fed and jump in a taxi/jeep to Machachi to get on a bus to Banos.  The taxi stops, changes driver and we pick up a guy and some woman with a baby.  Not uncommon in Ecuador it seems as this has happened before.  After setting off again, all is going well until the driver begins to get agitated as there’s a police checkpoint ahead.  What’s going to happen here?  After showing ID the driver is taken from our jeep and photographed.  The jeep is photographed.  He spends a lot of time discussing matters with the police before handing over a bribe so we can get on our way.  The guy that jumped in the back earlier has disappeared.  Apparently he legged it across a field as soon as he spotted the police too.  Just another day travelling in South America.  We finally reach Machachi and have to flag a bus as we stand on the side of the Pan-American Highway.

After a three hour bus ride, we reach Banos.  I like it immediately.  It seems really chilled and we have arrived on a weekend when all the locals are on holiday too.  There is a great atmosphere about the town with bands playing in the square and lots of kids riding on a road train around the town.  After checking into Plantas y Blanco we head out for a bite to eat and at really nice Italian place.

Canyoning – abseiling down waterfalls - booked for early tomorrow.  Going be yet another challenge for my fear of heights.  Maybe it won’t exist any more?

Saturday 5th November – Canyoning

Another new activity ticked off the list.  It was both a little scarier than I expected but also a bit easier.  After getting kitted up in our wet suits and canyoning trainers we were taken to the first waterfall where we had to get our harnesses put on.  My fear started to kick in at that point and when I noticed that one of my straps was broken and would not click in properly, I asked for it to be changed.  They laughed and said it was fine.  I panicked and said it was not fine.  Thankfully Elisha was on hand to help out.  She trains abseiling, so we found another harness and she helped me get it on right.  Now feeling a little more confident we head to the first waterfall.  It’s about 8 m high.  There are about 15 people in the group and the instructor starts explaining in Spanish how we do it.  At this point I’m starting to feel very under prepared and in big trouble.  But Lauren, who claimed to only have a little bit of Spanish, starts to translate for me.  Thank god!  Being a little apprehensive about it all I hang back as long as possible, but eventually it’s my turn.  Lauren was as afraid as me and went before me.  So once I saw her at the bottom and happy my panic eased.  David gave me loads of instructions - he used to do abseiling too.  I’m definitely the novice in our travelling group.  Everyone has something to offer.  All I have is panic and too many questions.  But I did it!  It was much easier than I expected - except for whacking my knee at the very end after swinging out too far and losing all my coordination.  The next waterfall was just going down like a slide while attached to a rope.  Then the final one was a different experience altogether.  After abseiling down about two metres, we were then attached to a rope and no more abseiling.  We had to clamber off the side of a ledge and get dropped 30 m.  This brought back memories of the Tarzan Swing when doing the zip lining in Costa Rica.  And the same absolute terror kicked in.  But it was brilliant.  I think the instructor dropped me down a little slower than the others as he knew I was terrified.  So my fear of heights is still there, but now not stopping me.  A big improvement.

After strolling around Banos, we went out that evening to the Swiss Bistro.  Amazing food.  And then hit the bars of Banos for an evening with the partying locals.  It’s hard to choose a bar, but not in a good way.  It’s a lot of loud, bad music.  But eventually find a rock bar closely followed by The Leprechaun Bar.  The least Irish looking Irish bar I have ever been in.  But it had a big fire out the back so we could chill and get ready for some dancing – at which point all music stops and we are ushered out.  That plan didn’t go too well.  But a lot of fun was had after another adrenalin rush day.

Sunday 6th November – Decision Made

Sadly Lauren and David left today for Lima.  But if plans work out right, I’ll hopefully see them at some stage again in South America.  There’s talk of Christmas/New Year in Buenos Aires! 

Another Sunday in Ecuador – but thankfully Banos didn’t shut down as much as Quito.  Today after doing a few calculations and being convinced by a few people, including Elisha, that not going to the Galapagos would be something I’d regret forever, I have decided that it’s a must-do trip.  Now it’s time to get back to Quito and book a boat.  It’s going to be some experience.  A place I have wanted to visit all my life and it’s finally going to happen – I hope.

Monday 7th November – Back To Quito

On the bus back to Quito Elisha and I decide that to improve our Spanish we are only allowed to speak to each other in Spanish on the bus – a three hour journey.  This doesn’t work so good.  Elisha - being very dedicated and determined - insists I recount a story from Bogotá completely in Spanish.  After taking 15 minutes to say one sentence my brain begins to implode.  The two Ecuadorian guys sitting opposite us can’t stop laughing.  I tried, that’s a start.  I may have failed but at least I tried.

After an interesting music selection on the bus which ranged from local traditional music to Ace of Base, 2Unlimited and Vanilla Ice, we eventually get back to The Secret Garden hostel.  Right away I bump into Richie who I met in Panama City.  Himself and Dee are here to get to the Galapagos too but will be leaving before myself and Elisha can.  Then bump into Rich who we trekked with in Cotopaxi.  He’s getting his Cotopaxi climb sorted.  I’m jealous, but still think I can’t make it up.  It’s something I’m putting on my list of things to do on my next trip to South America – whenever that may be.

Tuesday 8th November – Galapagos Booked

Today, Elisha and I headed into the centre of Quito to get a last minute deal on a boat for the Galapagos – and we got it on a boat called the Valkiria.  It looks like we are also going to be joined by William who we have been bumping into in Quito and Cotopaxi hostels. 

Wednesday 9th November – Leigh’s Birthday Drinks

Although I’m very excited about the Galapagos trip, it’s really started to frustrate me about how I have to pay.  After several trips to ATMs and then being told I could pay by card with a 10% charge (no thank you!) I’m now being told I have to transfer money from my account.  This is all starting to sound a little bit dodgy and right now if I get on the boat at all I’ll be amazed.  But I’ve bitten the bullet and transferred the money.  Now it’s time to cross every extremity and hope I have a place on the boat.

It was Leigh’s birthday today, one of the guys working at The Secret Garden, so after a few birthday drinks at the hostel, we all headed over to the Mariscal area for a night out.  The first bar we hit was full of Gringos, so we quickly ditched that to try to find a salsa bar.  But for some reason as soon as we walked into each bar they would change the music from local salsa to rubbish Gringo music.  Once we managed to convince a bar to keep to the local music, we ended up having a great night.  Some of the guys we were out with could salsa to a level that was amazing to watch.  Obviously I stood away from this as all I could do was step on people’s toes.  Elisha attempted to give me a quick lesson.  It was a disaster and the teacher wasn’t to blame.

Hostel life always throws up its little surprises.  After we got back from the bar at 3 a.m. I was met by Elisha and Ellen coming out of our dorm laughing.  It was pretty clear why when I went in.  Someone was sleeping in my bed.  Feeling like of the Three Bears and being a little bit the worse for wear and confused I had to investigate why this was and asked the girl why she had decided to use my bed.  She seemed as perplexed as me.  But it turned out the security guard had let her in and pointed her in the direction of the nearest free bed.  He obviously failed miserably in his mission as my bed was quite clearly not free.  I was able to jump into a spare bed in the dorm.  Will sort this mix up out in the morning.

Thursday 10th November – Finally – Galapagos Tickets

After getting a haircut (trust me this was a more scary experience than it sounds as I had to ask in Spanish for what I wanted – and so far I have pretty much never got what I asked for on my first ask), Elisha and I went to our tour agent and finally got our tickets for our Galapagos trip in our hands.  A huge relief.

In the evening Rich came back from his Cotopaxi climb.  He made it to the top but said it was a very tough climb.  But he made it which was amazing.  Still really jealous of all these people doing it.  There are volcanoes in Peru that I’ll definitely will have to attempt now.  I need to be able to say I achieved one of the major climbs by the time my trip is over.

Now – time to pack for the Galapagos Islands.  Cannot believe I’m actually saying that.  The excitement just keeps growing.

Cotopaxi

Tuesday 1^st November – Galapagos?

This was a day of planning.  It’s time to get out of Quito.  Spent the day in the Mariscal area of Quito along with Elisha, Chris and William.  Chris was planning his climb of Chimbarazo after having completed Cotopaxi.  That’ll be me some day.  While in a few travels agents myself and Elisha investigated the prices for our Galapagos trip.  It’s going to be a lot more than I should spend but it is a once in a lifetime chance.  Will have to check out my finances.  But that can wait until after The Secret Garden at Cotopaxi.  It sounds amazing.  In the middle of nowhere with great views of the volcano and good trekking options.  Going to be leaving for there tomorrow.

After getting back to the hostel a crew of us head out for a bite to eat.  It’s a nightmare as we have to wait two hours for our food to arrive and a crowd of 12 gringos walking around Quito after dark draws far too much attention.  The highlight is the soup.  Julie has order her meal and it comes with a starter of soup.  One of the guys along with us, James, has just travelled 36 hours and is starving, so Julie very kindly hands the soup to him.  After a few mouthfuls, the groan and look of horror on his face is priceless.  A chicken foot has just floated to the top.  And he was once a vegetarian.  It looks vile, like a deformed baby’s hand.  Too good to leave behind so we wrap it up to bring back and photograph.  But I have to say, I tasted the soup and it was really good.

Wednesday 2nd November – The Secret Garden at Cotopaxi

I leave Quito after being there for too many days and head to The Secret Garden at Cotopaxi.  Finally getting into the wilds again.  I get the taxi along with David and Lauren, both from England.  Great guys.  We arrive at the hostel after a very bumpy two hour journey  The rain is pouring from the sky, but that doesn’t matter.  It looks fantastic.  We race from the taxi into the main living room to avoid the rain.  Inside there is a huge open fire blazing, a few sofas with guys relaxing to some chilled out music   It has the feel of an old farmhouse.  We get a bowl of homemade soup which tastes exactly like what my mum used to make every winter.  I could not have arrived in a better place.

The rain continues, accompanied by a thunderstorm, for a few hours.  When it clears Volcán Cotopaxi slowly comes into view.  It’s stunning.  Straight across from the hostel it dominates the skyline with its snow covered slopes.  There are a few smaller peaks on either side, but without snow.  I stand and stare at it for a long time, mesmerized.

Before dinner we chill out in the Jacuzzi with Rich and Rupert, our dorm mates, which has views straight at Cotopaxi. Then after dinner, it’s an easy night.  The dorm is a little house detached from the main building.  It has no electricity – only candle light and for heat there is a wood burner in the middle of the room.  Tomorrow we have an early shout at 6 a.m. to start our action packed days of activities.

Thursday 3rd November – Waterfall Jumping and Mountain Biking

Last night I got two hours sleep.  I think it must be the altitude as we are now are 3450m.  I was bright awake until about 4 a.m. and with a wakeup call at 6 a.m. I struggled out of bed.  But the first trek today knocked all tiredness out of me and woke me up for the day with a jolt. 

At 7.30 a.m. we all headed off for a 45 minute trek to a waterfall.  The altitude made the first part of the walk through forest and rivers pretty tough but we soon acclimatized.  We then arrived at two waterfalls.  The one closest we had to jump off - into freezing cold water.  The jump is about 4m high.  After getting changed and precariously walking barefoot across a rock and mud wall, we arrive at the top of the waterfall.  There were four of us brave (or foolish) enough to do this: me, Lauren, David and Rich.  After mentally preparing myself, when I got to the ledge I decided this is not a good idea.  I held back while the other three stepped forward and leaped off.  Their reaction to the cold was not encouraging, but they all looked like they loved doing it.  Maybe I should just go for it.  then it entered my head that jumping would be much more preferable than attempting the climb back across the rocks.  Plus, I’d be raging at myself for not doing it.  After all this trip is all about challenging myself.  Heights and being suddenly underwater are two things I’m not keen on – this will cover both those fears.  After a few encouraging words from our guide Peter,  I gingerly step forward, look down and jump.  As I hit the water the shock of the cold is instant.  I’m submerged for a few seconds and when I get my head above water I can’t even breath – my whole body has ceased to know how to function.  All I can describe it as is instant hypothermia.  The feeling in all of the toes in my right foot has disappeared..  I swim out of the water and can not stop shaking.  What a rush.  It was amazing.  I am now most certainly wide awake and ready to take on the rest of the day - a trip to the Cotopaxi Refuge.  David and Rich are brave enough to do the jump again, but I’m more than happy to get dressed and warm again. 

After trekking back to the hostel, we almost immediately jump into a van and head off to the Cotopaxi Refuge which is a cabin close to the base camp of Cotopaxi where climbers ready themselves for the hike to the top.  We are dropped off in a car park and have to clamber up a steep path for 45 minutes to reach the Refuge.  After many stops to try to get our next breath we reach the Refuge at a height of 4810m.  After stopping for some tea and cake we head back to the van and it’s time for the mountain biking. 

It’s just over 20 km back to the hostel and the first 10 km are down the side of Cotopaxi – a very steep and winding road (if you can call it a road, bumpy-dirt track would be a more appropriate term).  On the bike, I have to keep my hands on the brakes all the time and that’s not even enough.  The speed that you pick up without even peddling is scary at times.  I love every minute of this.  It’s been so long since I’ve been on a bike.  Towards the end it starts to rain, then pour, then thunder.  There’s mud sparking up everywhere and I get covered from head to toe.  Eventually we approach the hostel and now there are hills to get over.  I’m exhausted and have to get off and push.  Then reach a hill top jump back on, speed down and very quickly fall off after hitting the verge and losing control of the bike.  No damage down.  Get up and finally get back to the hostel.  I need to do more mountain biking.  I almost forgot how much I loved it.

Elisha has now arrived at the hostel too.  After dinner everyone in the hostel sits around the open fire having a few drinks and telling stories of their travels.  Chris, one of the volunteers, tells us how he walked from Georgia to Seattle in the USA.  Not hitchhiking, but walked.  Great stories to tell.  A very interesting guy.

Another volcano hike planned for tomorrow – Pasochoa.

Pichincha - Ecuador

The next few posts will be coming through in small updates until I have caught up.  Here's the first.

Saturday 29^th October – Halloween Party

After waking up far too early and getting an early breakfast I go to venture down to my room again.  At the top of the stairs something starts to happen.  I’m wobbling.  I’m not that hungover am I?  Then the fridge at the bottom of the stairs starts rattling and moving followed by then lots of stuff in the kitchen.  Earthquake!  It only lasts about two or three seconds, but I have finally felt my first earthquake.  It was pretty cool. 

Tibo, Valentine and Julie, who I met last night, are wandering over to the park and the markets so I join them.  All the stalls are selling traditional indigenous goods: alpaca jumpers, fleeces, hats and scarfs, armbands, leather wallets.  The colours are so vibrant and all the stall owners are dressed in tradition outfits.  Very relaxing.  I buy myself a decoy wallet.  Apparently Quito is well known for its street muggings which are all too common and one tip I was given is to have a decoy wallet with only a few dollars in it to hand over if the worst happens.  After a really good coffee, surprisingly rare in the this part of the world, we head back to the hostel for the Halloween party.

As hard as I try, I can’t pick myself up for the party.  Everyone gets dressed up with some pretty inventive costumes, and have drinks on the rooftop terrace before heading into town to continue the festivities.  But I decide I need and early night, and rather boringly good to bed.  Things are starting to catch up with me.

Sunday 30^th October - Dry Sundays

Quito, and it seems the whole of Ecuador, comes to a standstill on a Sunday.  Nothing is open.  No drinks after 4 p.m. The only marginally interest thing I do is take a walk to a square where a panpipe band is playing some traditional music.  But in the evening I manage to find a few people who are going to get the TeleferiQo to climb Volcán Pichincha.  The TeleferiQo will takes up to an altitude of 4100m, after which it will be a three hour hike to the summit at height of 4698m.

Another bonus to staying in The Secret Garden is good music, finally.  After weeks of torture, the music playing here is fantastic: Caribou, Four Tet, Jane’s Addiction, Band of Horses, Nine Inch Nails.

Monday 31^st October – Pichincha - A Breathless Halloween Climb

It’s Halloween and no better way to spend it than climbing my first volcano for a few weeks - Pichincha. Myself, Pete and Vlad get a taxi to the TeleferiQo, a cable car system which takes 20 minutes to get to the starting point of the trek.  These types of cable cars would normally terrify me due to my fear of heights, but I am now really starting to feel that my fear has gone (almost).  After reaching the end of the TeleferiQo, we start out on the trek.  After only a few minutes the altitude already starts to affect my breathing.  At this height, every 100m higher makes a big difference.  The start proves very tough.  There are a few hills we have to get over in the first 20 minutes, each only about 20m high, but steep.  I have to stop several times and I feel like I’m not going to get my next breath.  But it is surprising how quick the body can adapt.  After the initial 30 minutes it starts to ease, but breathing is still tough, and breaks are frequent.  It’s not long before Pete and I lose Vlad.  He powers on and soon disappears up the volcano.  As we walk along, behind us we can look down to see amazing views.  We are surrounded by other peaks and through the gaps see Quito spread out below.  The further up we go, the tougher the terrain gets, but it’s manageable.  There are a few places where the path becomes very narrow but nothing dangerous.  After about two hours we reach the steeper part of the climb.  The ground beneath our feet is more like sand and gravel making it tougher to make progress.  Then the final 20m is solid rock, but almost vertical.  At this stage we are rock climbing more than trekking. Every few metres we stop to catch our breath and prepare ourselves for the next push.  It’s very cold now and even with gloves my hands are numb making it hard to grasp the rocks.  The clouds start to slowly roll up the hill, like ghostly figures racing against us to the top.  Very apt for Halloween.  Finally after two hours and 40 minutes we clamber onto the summit.  It’s a great feeling.  Having just beat the clouds, standing on the small plateau at the top we can see into to the other side of the peak and the valley below.  It was worth every minute to get here.  A small bird lands beside us.  I’m surprised to see such a small bird at this altitude.  This is soon followed by a very large bird of prey.  This begins to circle us several times, checking us out, before landing only metres away. 

We take in the views for 20 minutes and get some much needed rest before beginning our descent.  As we leave the summit, another climber passes us on her way up.  While making our way down we meet her again.  She did the trek in one hour and 45 minutes.  That’s staggeringly quick.  The climb back down is much easier.  We tackle the sand and gravel areas like snow, running in a zigzag motion.  This is not a good method.  At one stage I lose all control of my speed and direction and crash my shin straight into a rock.  It could have been much worse.  Time to take it easy.  After only one hour and 30 minutes we reach the TeleferiQo again at which point I am dragging my legs, barely able to lift them.  Next time I do something like this I know to bring food.  Rookie mistake.

Part of today’s adventure was a test to see how I handled the altitude and whether I’d be fit enough to tackle Cotopaxi.  Although I made it today, Cotopaxi is a whole different story.  I’ve decided that it would just be a little too tough for me at this stage.  I’ll try something like that later in my trip, maybe in Peru.

After getting back to the hostel and getting back to better oxygen levels, I get talking to Elisha, from Perth Australia..  She’s planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands and has convinced me to go.  The Galapagos is somewhere I have wanted to go all my life, but it is very expensive.  It’ll blow out my budget completely.  But then again, when I will ever be so close?  When will I ever have this chance again?  Some big decisions to make. 

The hostel put on a special Halloween dinner tonight: green soup, black witches hair spaghetti and a Bloody Mary.  When chatting to Elisha a bit more over dinner she tells me the best hot chocolate she has ever tasted was in Mello Café in Bundoran, Donegal.  Mello Café is owned by my cousin Caoilfhionn.  Another small world incident.

Bogotá - Columbia

Sunday 23^rd October – Wasted

What a ridiculous waste of a day.  I check-out of Platypus and make my way to La Pinta Hostel.  I get there at about 12 noon to be told that I can’t check-in until 3 p.m.  Columbia is going to be a struggle with the language.  The girl showing me around the hostel knows zero English, and my Spanish is failing me at every turn.  The guided tour involves me nodding at whatever she says and hoping she hasn’t asked a question (she did several times, we muddled through it).  I hang around and get caught up on a few things on the internet, it starts lashing at about 2.30 p.m., finally get allowed into my room at 3 p.m.  There’s one other person in my dorm and I find it very hard to believe that my bed wasn’t ready the minute I first stepped into the hostel.  Now with the weather being awful, I can do nothing else all day.

But the hostel is really good.  Very clean with hot showers - definitely needed as the weather here is the coldest so far due of the altitude of Bogotá – 2600m.  A very secure hostel, and it’s the little touches that make a place.  Each room has a huge locker for storing valuables – with a power socket in it.  Perfect as I can now charge all my stuff – laptop, phone, camera – without having to be right beside it for a few hours.  I know this sounds trivial, but it’s such a good idea.

Think my time in Bogotá will be limited as it’s not really grabbing me and need to head to Ecuador and my next volcanoes.

Monday 24^th October – The Umbrella Business

Time to find out what Bogotá is really all about.  After lots of research last night and this morning I decide to hit the central area around Plaza de Bolivar and visit a few museums.  Museums are usually not what I’m drawn to, but apparently the ones in Bogotá are worth a visit.  But just as I’m about to leave I’m informed by one of the people at the hostel that all museums are closed on a Monday.  This city is really starting to bug me.  But undeterred, I’m going to explore.

I’m reliable informed the walk from the hostel to the central area is about 45 minutes.  That’s a good thing as I need to acclimatize to this altitude – it gets hard to catch your breath after climbing stairs but exercise is supposed to help with this.  After walking for an hour and no sign of anything I’m expecting to see I decide to ask for directions.  It’s easy, ‘¿Dónde está Plaza de Bolivar?’  The man I ask gives me a blank look, so I repeat the question, ‘Ah, el banco’ he replies and proceeds to give me very precise directions to the nearest bank.  I’m curious to know which word in my question even sounded like ‘banco’.  After thanking him and ignoring everything he said, I trudge on, no clue if I’m even walking in the right direction.  After about another 15 minutes, I spot four police officers standing on a corner.  Finally people who can help me.  I ask again, ‘¿Dónde está Plaza de Bolivar?’.  Yet again I’m greeted with blank expressions from all four.  I repeat my question.  In very broken English, one replies, ‘The bank, it is to the left’  ‘WHERE IN MY QUESTION DID I SAY BANCO?  WHERE IN MY QUESTION IS THERE EVEN A WORD THAT SOUNDS LIKE BANCO?  TELL ME – WHERE? WHERE?’  Obviously I’m screaming this in my head as annoying a Bogotá police officer is not high on my list of things to achieve on my travels.  I’m really starting to give up on Spanish.  It just gets so demoralizing.  But, after a few more hand gestures and a map I finally make it to Plaza de Bolivar, exhausted after a one and a half hour walk – but every minute was worth it.

On the walk down the roads were hectic – people and cars everywhere – but as you enter the square, that all disappears.  The traffic is soon a distant hum and the square is peaceful, except for the usual city dwelling pigeons being fed my a few of the locals.  After a brief walk around, I leave the square to the east and walk along a street that has high security all around.  I eventually find out that this is because it leads to the presidential residence.  Not knowing what any of the signs say, I break all the rules – walking on pavements too close to the fence, not going through the right entrances, photographing buildings I’m not allowed to – each time getting a ticking off from a heavily armed guard.

After finishing my wanderings I head into a sandwich shop for a bite to eat at which point a huge rainstorm drenches the city.  It’s brief, but I have thankfully avoided it.  Upon leaving the shop I discover a much hawked item in Bogotá which I never knew about – the umbrella.  It’s insane.  On every corner, at every bus stop, there are people screaming, ‘Paraguas! Paraguas!’  People are bouncing up to you with rucksacks full of them.  It’s impossible to avoid.  It’s hard to believe there could be such a high demand in a city that has rain all the time – surely everyone already has an umbrella?  The thought crossed my mind that if I run out of money, I’ll make my way back to Bogotá and set an umbrella business.  But then I realised that the market is probable already flooded.

After making it back to the hostel I got what I had been craving for days – a hamburger.  It tasted like manna from heaven after days of rice, chicken and beans.

Tuesday 25^th October – Columbian Gold

Walking around Bogotá yesterday it was pretty clear that the street art is something special.  I saw a graffiti tour advertised so decided to take it and find out all the details.  But things didn’t go to plan.  I arrived for the tour and only two people turned up, so it was cancelled.  Hopefully going to try again on Thursday and hope more people turn up.  So with no tour, myself and Marjan (the other person that turned up) decide to check out the Museo de Oro – The Gold Museum.  It has been highly recommended by both all the guide books and everyone else that has been in Bogotá.  And it’s well worth it.  It’s just amazing how much gold is there and that all of it has come from Columbia.  Some of the pieces are so intricate, others are huge and seem to have been used as body pieces or armour (I have no idea – I’m making this up as most of the information was in Spanish and the English text was so small I couldn’t read it).  And to think all this was created thousands of years ago.

After that we head for coffee, drinks and a bite to eat and I now have loads of travel tips for Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia from Marjan as she has already travelled through there.

When I get back to the hostel I have a few drinks with Len and Antti, fail miserably at playing darts, but get yet more ideas for my travels.  Len and Antti are both rock climbers – something I want to try out.  After chatting to them for ages about it, I’m hoping to go to Huaraz in Chile to take some lessons.  The area is supposed to be stunning – high in the Andes with massive mountains over 6000m.  Sounds like the perfect spot for trekking and learning to climb.  Hope it works out.

Wednesday 26^th October – Police Love

High on a mountain overlooking Bogotá at a height of 3200m is Cerro de Monserrate and that is where I go today.  To get there I have to get a cable car and after failing to find the main bus terminal I decide to take the one hour walk into town.  This becomes interesting when I stumble across another student protest.  London, San Jose, Bogotá – there seem to be students protesting all across the globe and somehow I always seem to run into them.  It’s just a small protest so I make my way passed and onwards to the cable car.  But just as I am about to get there I am stopped once more by another student protest.  This is getting weird.  Undeterred, I finally make my way up to Cerro de Monserrate.  The views over Bogotá are fantastic.  The city is huge, something that you don’t appreciate when walking through its streets.  The church is perched at the top of the hill, but walking around the grounds I come across The Stations of the Cross.  I’ve seen this in many churches, but this is something special.  It’s a long-windy-uphill path (difficult to walk up at this altitude) with life-size statues depicting each station.  What detracted from this a little bit were the lights and sparkly decorations being put up around them for Christmas.  A weird juxtaposition of Christmas and Easter.

After walking around, getting lost and constantly getting breathless I decided it was time to head back.  When walking to get the cable car I could hear something from the city below, I wasn’t sure what, but there was definitely something going on.  When I get back down to the city it all became clear.  As I walk over to the main street I come face to face with, yes, another student protest, but this is on a whole new level.  It’s crazy.  There are thousands of students marching down the street, chanting, spray painting the roads, banging drums, dancing.  But it’s all peaceful so I stop to see it pass by.  At a large intersection there’s a line of police officers dressed in riot gear so I decide that’s a good place to view from.  But a few minutes later a group separate themselves from the main protest and race towards the police line – which is about 5m from where I’m standing.  What happened next was not what I expected.  The protesters, instead of attacking the police, start hugging the police and the police start hugging them back.  It’s surreal.  Then as I'm taking a photo I get grabbed from behind.  Not knowing what’s happening, I pull back but realise it was just a few of the protesters grabbing me to join in the hugging. This goes on for a few minutes before the protesters rejoin the main march.  Then a few minutes after this the same thing happens except they run at a parked police van, surround it and lay their hands on it – a few climb on top and wave their banners.  This is not the type of protests I’m used to seeing.  After watching for another few minutes it’s time for me to head back to the hostel, but I soon discover this is not possible.  Trying to walk in the opposite direction of the march is difficult, and then I come across another police line.  A girl runs from the crowd and starts showering them with confetti.  Then things take a nasty turn.  A few missiles are thrown from the crowd at the police, then paint (or a strawberry milkshake, not quite sure which).  This is immediately met with jeers from protesters and onlookers alike, and a lot of finger wagging and as quick as it started the violent behaviour ends.  But I am left in the situation of not knowing whether to pass the police line in case it starts up again.  Getting hit with a missile is not what I want.  But a free strawberry milkshake would be nice.  After a few minutes the atmosphere has changed to the initial mood of happy protesting and I finally make my way back to the hostel.  During all of this can be heard the faint shouts of ‘Paraguas! Paraguas!’

Back at the hostel it was time for a BBQ,  Antti and Len had done the shopping, lit the fire, cooked the food, and I ate.  My skills were the washing up.  Great night with some metal music to help us along the way.  Tomorrow it’s time to do the graffiti tour again and find a metal bar to get some decent music.

Thursday 27^th October – Bogotá Graffiti Tour

Today the graffiti tour happened.  Len and Antti came along too so we definitely had the numbers.  It was excellent.  Christian (from Sydney but now living in Bogotá) was the tour guide and had loads of details on the different artists – their backgrounds, their styles, where they were from, their collaborations.  Seeing street art and admiring it is one thing, but getting the extra details makes a big difference.  The tours started in the La Candelaria area.  Yesterday I had spotted some graffiti I recognised from Barcelona and it turns out the artist, Pez, is from Barcelona but has done work in Bogotá too.  We then got a bus to another area near a military base which has loads of space where the graffiti artists could show off their work.  Some of the work is amazing - from the abstract tags to very simple but effective designs.  If in Bogotá, do this tour.  It’s the highlight of my time in the city.  Check it out here - http://bogotagraffiti.com/ - http://www.facebook.com/bogotagraffiti

In the evening, myself and Antti went on our mission for a metal bar.  No success at the start, but finally stumbled across an extreme metal bar.  Goodbye reggaeton.  After a while we change to another bar and I get chatting to Marcela, a student in Bogotá, and ask the full details of the protests yesterday.  After speaking to a few others as well, I discover that a few weeks ago a similar protest turned very nasty and lots of damage was caused by the protesters and a lot of confrontation with the police, so this time the students wanted to make sure that didn’t happen and the reason for protesting was reported, not the violence – so that’s what all the police love was about.

Today I booked my flight for Quito, Ecuador.  I think I may have jumped the gun on that decision.  I’m really starting to like Bogotá plus I have found out that Halloween, my favourite time of the year, is huge in Columbia.  But I have to move on

Friday 28^th October – Quito Bound

Seriously, you could not make this stuff up.  I get to the airport for my flight to Quito and check in.  All good.  I get through immigration.  All good.  I get to security, they scan my bag.  Problems.  They are only interested in one specific side pocket which they ask me to open.  In this pocket I have a book, a small pair of binoculars and a dome magnifying glass inside a leather pouch.  I show the book and that’s not a problem, they inspect the binoculars and hand them back.  Then she lifts the leather pouch with the magnifying glass in it.  She slowly opens it, pulls back the protective paper, stares at it and stares at me.  At this point I am taken to another desk so another security guard can inspect the mysterious item.  I am obviously perplexed.  Do they not have magnifying glasses in Columbia?  The new security guard slowly takes it out of the case.  I explain in Spanish about my eyesight (I have learnt the perfect phrase for that).  She puts it on her book and moves it across the page.  The expression on her face was at the same time priceless and scary – I swear she thought some kind of black magic had just happened to make the writing on her page all of a sudden become larger.  I am genuinely worried at this point as to what will happen next.  Then holding the magnifying glass at arm’s length she carefully places it back in the pouch and gingerly hands it back and lets me go on my way.

After an otherwise uneventful flight, I get to The Secret Garden hostel in Quito.  I immediately love this hostel.  It has an amazing view over the city with a really good roof terrace/bar.  The staff are friendly and there seems to be a good group of people in it.  Finally a hostel that isn’t empty, which I’m really glad about as I am now travelling on my own again.  A girl Kia overhears me asking about ATMs and offer to take me out to find one and have a walk around the city.  This is a good hostel.

I spent the evening having a few drinks on the roof terrace and then we all headed to an Irish bar in the new town area.  Normally I try to avoid Irish bars as I prefer to experience the local bars, but it ends up being a really good night. 

The hostel is having a Halloween party tomorrow night.  Perfect.