Sunday in Lima with Limenos!

Ana reporting from Peru:

Since Darek return to LA and I went to Lima I have been busy participating in the ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) International destination Expo held in Lima. It was a very good event where I was able to learn more about other destinations within Peru that I still never been to.
My friends Charo & Publio, our local suppliers from Peru hosted me for all these days at their house. So I had a great inside /local feeling with them and their nice family.
The expo ended on Saturday so yesterday, Sunday, we finally rested with no alarm and I was able to spend a full day sharing what they normally do too.
In the morning they took me to visit a little bit of the down town Lima which I visited almost 10 years ago on my first fam trip to Peru!
The city has changed but the main square and colonial buildings are still the same and we where lucky enough to see the cathedral during the mass and the change of the guards at the government palace with a nice show as well!!
Then we visited the food museum (great for all the Peruvian cuisine lovers!) but  the signs are only in Spanish so I would recommend to have an English speaking guide there to enjoy it more!  After that we went to a street called Alameda, closer to the river Rimac where there is an open food market with great local food! We tried “tachacho con cecinas” which is a type of smoked pork with mashed bananas made with some bacon …yum! And a side salad that was so spicy that Publio was laughing while I was crying for such a hot taste!!
After that we also visited the Peruvian literature house and drove by the neighborhood Miraflores to pick up my friend’s son Publio Jr. and his Argentine girlfriend Juana.
The day was pretty clear and we had a super nice view of the coast of Lima and the hills around, while some adventurous people were paragliding!
Then we hit Barranco, a nice bohemian area full of cafes and restaurants where we had a Pisco Sour of course ! My friends told me that it is more romantic at night with candles everywhere and still great view:)  Next time I will come here with my husband!
After some good time with their family we went to their house and got “Pollo a las Brasas”! A typical meal for Sundays where all the family eats together.
The other son with his son also came in and we all spent a couple of hours chatting, eating, sharing travel stories while having a good time!
It was a great day enjoying time with friends and family like a lot of us do also at home, just a different geography:)
Today I took my flight to Arequipa (capital blanca del Peru!) and I had a city tour exploring this colonial city at 2300 meters above sea level (7500 ft approx) we visited the cathedral, the famous Santa Catalina convent and many other places…
Now I am enjoying the view at night having a sopa criolla to warm up a little! And I will go to sleep early because tomorrow I have a Colca Canyon trip!

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Visit to the Otavalo market.

The day I left for the US, Analia drove with Paul to the famous arts and crafts market in Otavalo, located north of Quito and about 2 hours driving distance. It is probably most known for the weaving. Although it is pretty touristy and somewhat of a cliché attraction it is still worth a visit if you have not seen such a market in South America. Tourists get a chance to browse through countless stalls with handmade souvenirs, clothes, rugs, hats and dolls and practice their bargaining skills. The market is similar to what we have seen in Pisac, Peru and Tarabuco, Bolivia and even Humahuaca in the north of Argentina although it is larger than the others. These markets are typical to the Andes or at least share the same history, the crossroads of trade.

On the way, Analia had a chance to cross the equatorial line again at another site.  Such a globetrotter!

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Visit to the Equator, where strange things happen.

Today, our guide Paul took us to the famed monument on the Equator, a place where locals call it “Middle of the Earth”. We first visited a small museum dedicated to the Equator where we experienced few “mysterious” effects of being at the latitude 0 deg 00′ 00″. We first learned about a group of French scientists who arrived here in 1700′s and conducted calculations as to where exactly is the equatorial line. They came quite close, but some 30 years ago it was determined by more sophisticated GPS technology that they were off by about 250 meters. The first museum we visited claims to be on the accurate site. So we conducted a few interesting experiments:

First we learned from the local guide about the Coriolis effect which basically deals with the direction of the swirling water in toilets depending which hemisphere you are on, south or north. (In actuality, Coriolis effect is much more complex). We had a demonstration with a water basin and floating leaves which was then drained into a bucket. Well, it drained straight down on the equatorial line and in opposing directions on either side. Truth or hoax, we didn’t care, it was fun to watch. The second “experiment” was about the forces. Apparently on the Equator we have less strength resisting external force. This was again proven by our guide breaking our arm hold which he could not do off to the side, one meter away. Strange… Our final experiment had to do with supposedly easier balancing of an egg on a head of the nail while standing directly on the Equator. In this case I proved once again to be an egg master as I balanced the egg within 15 sec, faster than the guide. Poor Ana could not do it at all. All in all it was all fun, science aside:)

Later we visited the official monument to the Equator (erroneous by 250 meters) but quite dramatic and grandiose. It is more of an amusement site with some attention given to education by exhibition dedicated to Ecuadorian history and biodiversity.

In the afternoon we visited Quito’s old town with its charming colonial architecture, narrow streets and plazas. We made a brief stop to the best coffee store in Quito, Cafe Aguila de Oro where we bought freshly roasted coffee. We also visited some hotels (part of the job), had a great lunch in a typical Ecuadorian restaurant called Mama Clorinda, where I had a chance to try guinea pig which tastes like rabbit and later visited a local arts and crafts market.

We finally finished the evening by trying the local coffee and dark chocolate ice cream before returning to our hotel. Ecuador is emerging as the next chocolate making star, using locally grown and harvested cacao.

Well, tomorrow I am due to return to Northern hemisphere and back to LA, and Ana will have one more place to visit in Ecuador before continuing her trip to Peru for travel convention.

Here are some pics from our trip today:

Farewell to Galapagos

On our last day in Galapagos we got a quick tour of some attractions in the highlands, accompanied by Maria Elena, a local guide. We visited a farm in the highlands where giant tortoises come and go to feed and hang out. Here they co-exist with humans and domestic animals. They are not in captivity but rather able to roam freely as they have for thousands of years before the humans arrived. They can live over hundred years and weigh over 400 lbs. The oldest tortoise known was alive for at least 180 years. Later we saw a lava tube, a remnant of flowing lava and the testament to a violent birth and geological processes on the islands. Our last stop was to see the Twins, a couple of holes in the earth where it collapsed most likely due to a thinner crust.
Finally we reached the airport on the small island of Baltra where we took our flight back to mainland.

Visiting with iguanas and a high-five from a blue footed booby.

On our third day in Puerto Ayora we took another boat trip this time to Isla Isabela. We departed at 7 am in a perfect weather for navigation. The sea was calm and no clouds in the sky. As we glided across the waters of the archipelago I sat on the front of the boat, mesmerized by the ocean and the flying fish jumping out of the water. After two and a half hours and passing some smaller islands we finally reached the shores of Isla Isabela and its beautiful blue-green waters. Our tour guide took us around the bay for a nature walk. We went to a beach known for iguana nesting and we witnessed many of them trying to dig holes in the ground in order to later lay their eggs. There were hundreds of them roaming the rocky land and the beach, some of the males fighting while others just looking for some shade from the merciless heat. I was able to take some photos of a pelican diving for fish and we even found an iguana egg which has a leathery feel to it. Later we did some more snorkeling and after that went for lunch. After lunch the guide took us to another giant tortoise preserve where scientist make effort to breed and incubate turtles to help in the survival of this species. tortoise is endangered due to many introduced domestic animals which either compete for food or simply trample or destroy the eggs or the little ones. The project is heavily subsidized by foreign money and organizations such as WWF. We finished our tour with a quick look at pink flamingos in a small lagoon.

On the way back to Puerto Ayora I sat on the from of the boat again and enjoyed looking at jumping fish, dolphins, occasional sea lion and the beautiful scenery of the afternoon sky and clouds with soft yellow and orange hues. Gliding over the water with the wind on my face and fresh air seemed to have a hypnotic effect on me and I wished for longer journey. But it came to an end and we pulled in the port with beautiful evening light highlighting the colors of the boats moored in the bay.
That evening we met with Monica, the manager of the Red Mangrove Lodges here in Galapagos. The company operates it’s own guided tours as well as lodges on different islands.
We finally retired to sleep in our room at Red Mangrove Divers lodge after another full day of exploration.

Trip to Isla Isabela

Here are some trophies of today’s picture hunt:)
The awesome variety of wildlife is just astounding and one feels presence of Nature at work for eons…
There is something truly primordial about this place inviting contemplation of Life…

Isla Santa Cruz and Floreana

We landed in Galapagos yesterday at about 10 am local time after 1hr and 40 min flight from Guayaquil. The islands are about 600 miles west of the mainland Ecuador and one hour ahead. It’s hot and humid, big difference from Quito where we stayed at the elevation of 2800 m above sea level. We are staying on Isla Santa Cruz in Puerto Ayora for the three nights and taking day trips. The first afternoon we took a short trip to one of the beaches called Garrapatero where we had an introduction to the awesome wildlife of the Galapagos. We kayaked along the shoreline for about an hour and we were able to see few marine iguanas, a sea turtle, blue footed booby and albatross. We also got a nice workout out of it and we even surfed a small wave at the end.

Today we took a full day trip south to Isla Floreana which has an interesting history of German settlers some of which mysteriously disappeared. The boat ride took 2 hours and we had a chance to see the bottle-nose dolphins playing and jumping out of water. On the island we visited a giant tortoise preserve and got a close up look at those awesome, prehistoric looking reptiles. After a delicious lunch the boat took us to a great snorkeling place called Devil’s Crown, a sheltered little bay. We swam with sea lions and saw penguins, variety of fish and even a manta ray. All in all we had a great day outdoors. After return to the port we enjoyed a cold beer while sitting by the waterfront and watching the boats come and go.
Finally we topped the day with a delicious backstreet meal of ceviche and fried fish with bananas, yum!

Here are some pics of the day: