El Fin (The End)

The end is here.  13 cities.  4 countries.  15 different hotels.  11 total flights.  53 blog posts.  1 missing suitcase (but it was found!).  2,368 photos taken!  $33 dollars remaining in my pocket.

Four Hundred Forty-Four

Day 28.  We leave Guayaquil, Ecuador tonight @ 11pm for our flight home.

Starting at step #001....our challenge today was to head down to the riverfront and climb the popular 444 steps at Las Penas to the replica lighthouse at the top.  It would also give us a great view of the city.  Along the way there were small restaurants and bars....but we were too early for any type of drink siesta.

It doesn't even look like Jenesa broke a sweat, huh?  I give her an A for effort.  But she wasn't quite to the top yet!  Another 55 steps to reach the top of the lighthouse!  Leonard wins the prize!

Goodbye Galapagos

The end of our summer vacation is fast approaching!  We'll be home in 2 days (Sunday)....don't forget to pick us up at the airport!  We left the Galapagos early this morning and will be staying in Guayaquil, Ecuador for our last night in South America.

Galapagos Safari Photo Page

I'm ready for some American food.....and Jenesa can't wait to adopt two kittens when we get home!

Professional Snorkelers

We're getting pretty good at this snorkeling business!  Today was not nearly as good as yesterday....but we spent time chasing around more giant tortoises in Devine Bay.

After chasing the tortoises around the bay.....we snuck up on some marine iguanas on the beach.  Watch your step....or you might just step on one!  They blend in quite well with the black volacanic rocks on the shoreline.

And, finally.....I was eyeing up some crabs for dinner!  Unfortunately, no one is allowed to eat any of the wildlife from the island.  It's been the law since 1959.  They sure look delicious....don't they?

Meeting Charlie...

Today we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station.  Galapagos Islands is home to the famous Galapagos Tortoise, which fully grown can weigh up to 500 pounds and reach 6 feet in length. During our visit to the Research Station we saw tortoises at all stages of growth from unhatched eggs to full-grown adults.

These slow-moving animals were easy prey for pirates and colonists who used them for food and money which led to a threatening decline in numbers in the late 1970’s. This is why today great care is taken to ensure the Galapagos Tortoises bring their numbers back up. The hatcheries help make sure the tortoises get to a big enough size to where they have a better chance of surviving once released back to the island.

Lonesome George is the most famous tortoise of them all! He became the face of the Galapagos Islands and an icon for conservation. After the drastic decline in subspecies, Lonesome George was the only known living individual from his specific subspecies until his recent death in 2012. The loss of any subspecies is seen as a tragedy by biologist and the general public.

Unfortunately, no George.  But Jenesa did get to meet Charlie!   Natural selection was Darwin’s most novel and revolutionary idea....Survival of the Fittest!....and it began here in the Galapagos in 1835.

 

Home Sweet Home

I got to get me one of these things at home!  The only thing missing is my newspaper!  We've been having a great time in the Galapagos Islands the past 4 days....and I think we'll stay here for the rest of the summer.  Does anyone really miss us????????????

Absolutely Priceless!

Refer to the map above....We're staying on the island of Santa Cruz at the Finch Bay Eco Lodge (southern tip of the island)..  Our excursion today would be by sea....sailing 2 hours to Santa Fe Island for a snorkeling adventure.

Once my snorkeling partner was ready to go....we jumped in for what would turn out to be one of the most priceless opportunities we've ever had.  If I could recommend one thing to any of you "future" travelers....invest in a good waterproof camera.  It has taken some great photos we otherwise wouldn't have gotten....and today I thank God I had a waterproof (under water) camera.  ***I think I could easily charge $5 per photo to some of my fellow group members for these pictures.  They were seriously jealous! 

School is in session.

Giant sea turtles all around us.

We avoided the stingrays!

Our naturalist guide (Mario) predicted we just might be fortunate to be joined by some playful friends while in the water.  Playful was an understatement!  His friends swarmed us from all directions....and it was absolutely a priceless experience!

Cooling Off @ Tortuga Bay

To get to Tortuga Bay you must hike a 1.5mile trail of rock and boardwalk surrounded by cacti, palo santo trees, and matasarno trees.  After hiking around Machu Picchu....this was a cake walk for me!  Jenesa, on the other hand, was ready to turn around after the third hill.  I admit it felt like a long walk, especially in the 90 degree heat, but we were told the beach was absolutely beautiful at the trail's end.

When we finally reached the beach....WOW!  This beach is famous for its expansive and pristine shoreline that gradually descends into the sparkling Pacific Ocean.  The sand felt like you were walking on FLOUR!  It was so soft (like a powder) and your feet melted right into it with each step.  We didn't bring along swimwear.  We were actually dropped off at the trail after our morning tortoise adventure.  But after the 1.5mile walk in the Galapagos heat....Jenesa wasted no time stripping down to her skivvies and cooling off in the water.  I just can't take her anywhere!!!  We practically had the entire beach to ourselves....so I wasn't too embarrassed.

While my wife was swimming in her noodles, I was trying to perfect my photo-taking skills.  I was observing the brown pelicans as they skimmed over the water in search of food.  When food was detected, the pelicans would plunge-dive directly into the waters with beak open, wings extended and two large feet spread out behind it. Once under the water, the pelican traps the fish, along with several gallons of water in its gular sac. It resurfaces and sits for a moment, trying to remove the water while keeping hold of the fish. It will sometimes lose its catch whilst doing this.  I was so amazed by this that I spent the afternoon attempting to capture the "plunge dive."

Not bad, huh?  Now it's time for the 1.5mile trek back to town....so put your pants on, Jenesa, it's time to go for dinner!

Tortoise Shellfies

Get it?  Shellfies?  Selfies?  Oh....I crack myself up!  That's just shell-arious!!!

Charles Darwin visited the Galápagos for five weeks in 1835 and saw Galápagos tortoises noting "these animals grow to an immense size ... several so large that it required six or eight men to lift them from the ground."  They appeared several times in his writings and journals, and played a role in the development of the theory of evolution.

Today we went hunting for wild tortoises!  These creatures are royal shellebrities on the islands.  Wearing a fashionable pair of rubber boots, we slogged through the muddy highlands of Santa Cruz Island to find us a tortoise (not a turtle!).  After spotting 8-10 tortoises on our walk....we finally saw it!  The biggest dude of the day!  We were shell-shocked!!!

The Galapagos tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and the 14th-heaviest living reptile.  The tortoises' gigantism was probably a preadapted condition for successful colonisation of these remote oceanic islands.  They can survive up to six months without food or water.  And, like Jenesa....they can nap for up to 16 hours each day!

Unfortunately, one question still remains.....if a tortoise loses its shell is it naked or homeless?

Bootleggin' SugarCane

Check out Jenesa's sexy ass in the Galapagos!  Jenesa and I visited an old farmer in the Galapagos who attempts to continue the traditional ways of farming sugarcane, coffee beans, and bananas.  I reluctantly spent a few minutes helping extract sugarcane juice...

....then willingly volunteered to drink some 100-proof sugarcane alcohol that was produced through an old bootleg still.

And, finally....KRISTI GODFREY THIS IS FOR YOU....I experienced a Jack Daniel's whiskey moment after one swig of that sugarcane!  Wicked stuff!

I Love Boobies!!!

Already one day down in the Galapagos Islands....and it seems we're on a tropical safari!  Birds. Iguanas. Sea lions. Lizards. And, boobies everywhere!!!

Leonard being Leonard....again!  But he is telling the truth....there are boobies everywhere!!!  These are the blue-footed boobie birds....and they take great pride in their fabulous feet!  During mating rituals, male birds show off their feet to prospective mates with a high-stepping strut. The bluer the feet, the more attractive the mate.

Blue-footed boobies also use their webbed feet to cover their young and keep them warm. When a typical brood of one to three chicks hatches, both parents feed and care for them.

Foch In The Afternoon...

Leonard being Leonard.  He couldn't help his naughty self today when we went for lunch in the Foch (pronounced Fosh) neighborhood of Quito.  We sat down at a great little restaurant and ordered two Ecuadorian dishes:  1.) Locro (thick cheesy potato soup w/ avocado) and 2.) corn on the cob w/ melted cheese.

Goodbye, Ecuador!  Tomorrow morning @ 5am we'll be leaving for the Galapagos Islands!

Middle of the World

Although the Equator runs through hundreds of places, one country that takes particular pride in its unique geographical location is Ecuador.  The capital city - Quito - runs smack in the middle of the imaginary line.  Today Jenesa and I stood beside each other.....but we were in different hemispheres!

We visited the "Middle of the World" monument this morning which designates the Equator with a thick yellow line.  Unfortunately, they TRICKED us!  I did some research and according to modern GPS units...the actual Equator lies about 240 meters to the north of the indicated line. Park officials claim that the nearby land where the Equator runs is traversed by a ravine and that the ground there was not suitable to hold a monument, so the builders chose a different location.

Even though we were "tricked" a little at this monument....there was some weird things going on during our visit to the Solar Museum (which GPS calculated as exactly 0 latitude).  We were challenged to participate in a few Equator games to test the "forces" of the hemispheres.  The first challenge was to close your eyes and walk down the designated Equator line (one foot in front of the other). Each hemisphere pulls you from one side to the other.....making it impossible to walk straight and keep your feet on the line.

The next challenge was to balance an egg on top of a nail.  Carefully placing the egg on the head of the nail and getting it to stay there.....would result in being rewarded with a certificate!!!  Our tour guide demonstrated that it WAS possible....but neither of us could do it.

And, finally, I stood on the Equator and raised both arms up in front of me.  Another person would stand in front of me and attempt to push both my arms down.....using just 2 fingers!   Jenesa proved that she had some muscles.....at least in Ecuador!