Galapagos Islands: The End of the World

After finishing up in Peru it was time to move on to Ecuador, more specifically, the Galapagos Islands.

Ears: Exsonvaldes

The Galapagos are about 18 islands, smack bang on the Equator about 1000km west of mainland Ecuador. Everyone has pretty much heard of them, the fame coming mainly as a result of Charles Darwin, he based a lot of his ideas in The Evolution of Species from information he gathered whilst in the area (surprisingly he did only spend 5 weeks here). 

One of the big reasons why it was such an important place for Darwin is the fact that it is so remote, and quite a harsh and young environment. Darwin's Finches are a species of 15 types of Finch, and probably provided Darwin with his breakthrough moment. He noticed that all the birds were pretty much the same, except for their beaks. After studying them he realised that the beaks are different and allowed the birds to eat the food supply that was available to them on each island or area - some ate seeds, others ate cactus while others ate fruit; and there is the basis of Survival of the Fittest!

Another reason why we all know about the Galapagos is the Giant Tortoises, these guys were actually a highlight for me to see, I don't think I have ever seen an animal quite like them. Such a slow (and I mean really slow!) animal, hell they are so slow that whatever they eat takes 3 weeks to digest. They have a head a head like E.T. and eat like a young child who has just realised they have a mouth.

The Galapagos is mainly a number of volcanoes, as a result, the islands are full of cool little tunnels like this one - its about 900m long and 10-15m diameter.

St. Bartholome Island, the day we went here started off pretty normally. However, on the bus trip to the boat I felt a bit off, over the next 8 hours I ended up vomiting 4 times, including one from this very spot where I took this photo. Nice place though.

Two minutes before this shot, I was on the ground vomiting - I went another 3 times before finally getting to the hospital for a quick jab and some other drugs.

One more reason why the Galapagos are unique, is the Humboldt Current, a cold water current that runs up to the Equator from way down south, this brings a heap of nutrients, which in turn brings a heap of sea life.

The local fish co-op, basically a big tin shed in the middle of Puerto Ayora, just like any other fish market, except the real locals crash it every day.

I was amazed at how disciplined the Sea Lions were, like trained dogs, they know exactly what they are allowed to have (usually the tails and the skin of the fish), however sometimes these guys won't accept some of them!

One tail please!

Anyone who has ever had a dog would probably find this photo somewhat familiar.

The local pelicans get there fair share too.

Sniff

Las Grietas is this crazy collapsed lava tunnel that is connected to the sea by a small opening, the water is probably the clearest water you could ever swim in.

We went to a beach, it was called Tortuga Bay

Las Tintoreras, just off Isabela Island, a heap of these guys call it home.

Bruise Brothers

Typical scene

We climbed the Volcano Sierra Negra, the second biggest Volcanic Crater in the World

 There is the crater.

Not sure what this guy thought he was doing.

Not sure what these guys thought they were doing either?

The Blue Footed Boobie.

Hey, my eyes are up here!

I always thought the coolest sea animal is the dolphin, whenever I saw them on the boat when we were sailing I could watch them all day, an amazing animal and it always baffled me how hey could chill out swimming just inches in front of a boat doing 10 knots and having fun with it. No matter what my mood is, seeing them always makes me smile.

However after spending a good amount of time with Sea Lions, it is sad to say it, but I think the Sea Lion is a cooler animal......... just look at them!

Whenever I see penguins like this I just think about those guys in the Madagascar Movies - no doubt these guys are scheming something here.

Heerey and a turtle, Hannah is also in the background

Swam through this area just off the coast of Isabela Island, saw sharks, stingrays, turtles, penguins and a heap of fish.

Just a casual seahorse in the wild for your troubles.

Peru: The Land of the Incas

Upon leaving La Paz, we had a 12 hour bus trip over the Bolivia-Peru Border and onwards to Cusco. Recently voted in as a World Heritage Listed city, Cusco is the main place you will base yourself to do the Incan Circuit.

The Bolivia-Peru Border Crossing, up until about 18 hours ago I would have voted this one of the most bizarre borders I have gone through (The Costa Rica-Panama Border now takes the cake). Not too much of an issue, just a really big line and a lot of people going everywhere at once....... as the photos show.

Morning view from our window over Cusco.

 After a few days in Cusco, we jumped on a plane and headed to Puerto Maldonado, the Gateway to the Amazon. We soon found ourselves on a longboat travelling 20 miles downstream to a small jungle camp. Here, over the next few days, we did some jungle hikes looked for wildlife (hoping to see puma's but only seeing frogs and cayman's). The main attraction for us however was the monkeys, and a group of three of them lived virtually outside our doorstep. These little guys would play with you all day if you gave them the time - which we did our best to!

Hannah and a friend.

 Just before our first walk through the jungle, we went to get our gum boots on (the lodge supplied them, as the tracks look more like a mud bath than a track most of the time). Just as I had finished tapping my boots out (a habit I picked up from my granddad when I had a pair as a 3-year old). Hannah asked me to look at a shadow in her boot. Sure enough after a few more taps, out came a fist-sized tarantula.

Tarantula

 Our guide was this local kid who just loved his job, he would get so excited about seeing anything, and he was really good at it too. Often when walking or in the canoe, he would say "look there is a green and blue tailed amazon parrot" (or something like that), this would lead to everyone looking around for 20 seconds trying to find it - finally when we found it, it would look more like a silhouette of a cockatoo.

Our guide went skits over this frog. We were paddling past in a canoe when he told everyone he had seen it, "where?" we said, "on the green leaf!" he replied.

Sunset at Cayman Lagoon

Not a toad, but some sort of frog - probably an Amazonian Frog.

Our guide

I have done a fair bit of travel in my time, and I hate to admit it but I do get pretty jaded with people sometimes. Maybe I am getting grumpy in my old age, or maybe people are just getting more stupid? I think the Amazon was one of the hardest times for me with fellow tourists, the reason being on these walks and paddles we would do, we would need to have a guide with us. So as a result you would get put into a group, unfortunately for the 5 of us, that group included about 6 people from the good ol' US of A. Now we have all seen the "American's are Stupid" videos, the ones where someone asks a Yank to point to North Korea on a map and they point to New Zealand.

This was basically the same, the guide would say "ok we will be walking here and hopefully if we are quiet we may see Puma"....... 25 seconds after we start walking the american voice machine would start up, talking about the time they wrestled an alligator in Florida, then another would come in over the top talking about how the coffee isn't as good as starbucks (yes we are in the Amazon Jungle), this would then get louder and louder until the guide - or me on one occasion would crack the shits with it. Of which 10 seconds later they would talk about why someone was talking like that to them and how we haven't seen any puma's yet.

But it's ok - they had jungle survival equipment on so you know they were legit (one we nicknamed the beekeeper due to the mosquito net she had around her head).

Lorraine, from Brisbane, along with a bunch of Americans. Can you tell who is who?

After the jungle it was back to Cusco to get ready for some Inca-ing.

Plaza d'Armas, Cusco

Cusco

It costs money to get photo's of these people....... not.

The Incan's were a strange lot, they worshipped the sun and often showed it by making big things out of stone - like these faces carved into the side of a mountain.

The interesting thing about this face is that on the Summer Solstice, the sun lines up perfectly with the face and the temple from which I took this photo.

Hannah in the Sacred Valley

I would like to say we did the 3 day hike to Machu Picchu, but we didn't. Instead we took a really nice and comfortable train ride to the base of the mountain and then took a 20 minute bus ride up the mountain and basically stepped out onto this view.

Machu Picchu

Once we were done with the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, it was back to Cusco for the night before heading down to Lima. I don't think any of us have ever been so glad to see the ocean, but after almost a month at over 2400m altitude - it was like that scene in Willy Wonka when Charlie first see's the inside of the factory.

This fountain proved to be a bad decision for me - it is one of those water maze things that squirts water at different heights at different times. After being stuck in the middle for 5 minutes and in a small lull of water, I thought I was clear to escape. I wasn't.

 Next Stop - The Galapagos Islands.