Tag Archives: South America

Most Remote Places in the World

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Thanks to modern technology and air travel, the world is forever becoming a smaller place. Where journeys from one continent to another once took months, they now take hours, and sometimes it seems like there is nowhere left for a would-be adventurer to really get away from it all. Still, if you have the time, money, and know-how, there are still some places off the map—or just barely on it—that remain shrouded in mystery simply by virtue of being really difficult to reach. Whether mining camps at the top of the world, or tiny islands thousands of miles from civilization, the following are the top 10 most remote places left on planet Earth.

10. Easter Island

Located some 2,000 miles west of the Chilean Coast, Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is a tiny island that has become famous for its remarkable isolation in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. It is relatively small, measuring roughly seventy square miles in size, and is today home to around 4,000 people. The island has become well known for the massive rock sculptures called Moai that dot its beaches. They were carved sometime around the year 1500 by the island’s earliest inhabitants, and it has been said that the massive wood sleds needed to transport them from one place to another are a big part of what led to the almost total deforestation of Easter Island. Scientists have argued that the island was once lush and tree-covered, but today it is relatively barren, a feature that only adds to the sense of sheer isolation that is said to overtake most first-time visitors. When the first settlers migrated to the island, the journey took several weeks, but today there is a small airport (reportedly the most remote in all the world) that carries passengers to the island by way of Santiago, Chile.

9. La Rinconada, Peru

For sheer inaccessibility, few locations in South America compare to La Rinconada, a small mining town in the Peruvian Andes. Located nearly 17,000 feet above sea level, La Rinconada is considered the “highest” city in the world, and it is this stunning geography that makes it so desolate. The city is located on a permanently frozen glacier, and can only be reached by truck via treacherous and winding mountain roads. Just reaching the city takes days, and even then altitude sickness, combined with the shantytown’s deplorable condition, means that few people can handle living there for long. Still, the town is said to have as many as 30,000 inhabitants, almost all of whom are involved in the business of mining gold, which is extracted from beneath the ice inside nearby caverns. In addition to its remoteness, La Rinconada has gained a dubious reputation as a destination for poor and desperate workers, many of whom work the mines for free in exchange for the right to keep a small percentage of the gold ore they find.

8. McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Located literally at the bottom of the world, Antarctica is easily one of the most remote places on the face of the Earth. There are no native inhabitants to the continent, but there are several research centers constantly in operation there, and of these McMurdo Station is the largest. Located on Ross Island near the northern tip of the continent, the almost perpetually frozen station is a center of international research, and is home to as many as 1,200 scientists and workers during the warmer summer months. It’s one of the most desolate locations on the planet, but although McMurdo is as far from a major city as any location in the world, even it is no longer as backwater as it used to be. Trips by boat to Antarctica once took months, sometimes even years, but McMurdo’s three airstrips have helped make the region a much less remote destination than before. Thanks to this, the scientists at the station now enjoy many of the modern amenities found in major cities, including gyms, television, and even a nine-hole Frisbee golf course.

7. Cape York Peninsula, Australia

Australia is known both for its extremely low population density and untouched natural beauty, both of which are best exemplified by Cape York, Peninsula, a huge expanse of untouched wilderness located on the country’s northern tip. The region has a population of only 18,000 people, most of whom are part of the country’s aboriginal tribes, and it is considered to be one of the largest undeveloped places left in the world. This helps contribute to its stunning natural beauty, but it also makes Cape York about as difficult to reach as any destination in Australia. The peninsula has become a popular destination for adventurous tourists, who drive jeeps and trucks down the unpaved Peninsula Development Road whenever it isn’t closed due to flooding during the rainy season. But even with 4-wheel drive trucks, many of the more heavily overgrown parts of Cape York Peninsula are completely inaccessible, and some regions have still only been surveyed by helicopter. Photo: http://www.abc.net.au

6. Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland

At 836,000 square miles in size, Greenland is the world’s largest island, but its tiny population of 57,000 people means that it’s also the most desolate. And of all the towns in Greenland, perhaps none is as remote (or as difficult to pronounce) as Ittoqqortoormiit, a small fishing and hunting village located on the island’s eastern shore, to the north of Iceland. The town is part of a municipal district roughly the size of England, but it has a population of only slightly more than 500 people, meaning that each person technically has more than 150 square miles to call their own. Residents make their living off of hunting polar bears and whales, which are prevalent in the area, and by fishing for Halibut during the warmer months. Ittoqqortoormiit lies on the coast, but the seas surrounding it are almost perpetually frozen, leaving only a three-month window when the town is easily accessible by boat. There is an airport some 25 miles away, but flights are rare. For the most part, the town, one of the northernmost settlements in the world, is completely isolated in the vastness of the tundra. Photo: http://dlareh.blogspot.com

5. Kerguelen Islands

Also known as the “Desolation Islands” for their sheer distance from any kind of civilization, the Kerguelen Islands are a small archipelago located in the southern Indian Ocean. There is no airstrip on the islands, and to get to them travelers must take a six-day boat ride from Reunion, a small island located off the coast of Madagascar. The islands have no native population, but like Antarctica, which lies several hundred miles south, the Kerguelens have a year-round population of scientists and engineers from France, which claims them as a territory. The islands do have something of a storied past, and since they were first discovered in 1772 they have been visited by a number of different biologists and explorers, including Captain James Cook, who made a brief stop on the archipelago in 1776. Today the island is primarily a scientific center, but it also holds a satellite, a French missile defense system, and even serves as a sort of refuge for a particular type of French cattle that has become endangered on the mainland.

4. Pitcairn Island

Pitcairn Island is a tiny speck of land located nearly dead in the center of the southern Pacific Ocean. Its closest neighbors are the Gambier Islands and Tahiti to the West, but even these are several hundred miles away. The island, which is the last remaining British territory in the Pacific, has a standing population of some fifty people, many of whom are descended from crewmembers of the famed HMS Bounty. In 1789, the Bounty was the setting for a now-legendary mutiny, when crewmembers enchanted by the idyllic life of the native Pacific islanders overthrew their commander, burned their ship in a nearby bay, and settled on Pitcairn. Today, the descendants of those sailors mostly make their living off of farming, fishing, and selling their extremely rare postage stamps to collectors, but even with modern transportation they still remain one of the most isolated communities in the world. There is no airstrip on the island, and getting there from the mainland requires hopping a ride on a shipping boat out of New Zealand, a journey that can take as long as ten days.

3. Alert, Nunavut, Canada

Located in Canada on the tip of the Nunavut territory, Alert is a small village that lies on the Arctic Ocean only 500 miles below the North Pole. It is widely considered to be the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world (with a whopping five year-round residents), and also one of the most inhospitable. Temperatures in Alert, which also serves as a Canadian radio receiving facility and a weather laboratory, can get as low as 40 degrees below zero, and because of its location at the top of the Earth, the camp alternates between 24-hour sunlight during the summer and 24-hour darkness during the winter. The nearest town to Alert is a small fishing village some 1,300 miles away, and you would have to travel nearly twice that distance to reach major cities like Quebec. Because of its military function, Alert does have an airport, but because of weather it is often unusable. In 1991, a C-130 aircraft crashed there when its pilot misjudged his altitude and brought his plane down 19 miles short of the runway. 4 people died in the crash, and another perished while waiting for a rescue party, which took nearly 30 hours to make the short journey to the site because of a blizzard.

2. Motuo County, China

Considered the last county in China without a road leading to it, Motuo is a small community in the Tibetan Autonomous Region that remains one of the few places in Asia still untouched by the modern world. Just getting to Motuo is a Herculean task, as travelers must follow a grueling overland route through frozen parts of the Himalayas before crossing into the county by way of a 200-meter-long suspension bridge. The county is renowned for its beauty—Buddhist scripture regards it as Tibet’s holiest land—and it is said to be a virtual Eden of plant life, housing one-tenth of all flora in China. Despite its stunning geography and natural resources, Motuo still remains something of an island unto itself. Millions of dollars have been spent over the years in trying to build a serviceable road to it, but all attempts have eventually been abandoned because of mudslides, avalanches, and a generally volatile landscape. As the story goes, in the early 90s a makeshift highway was built that led from the outside world into the heart of Mutuo County. It lasted for only a few days before becoming un-passable, and was soon reclaimed by the dense forest. Photos: http://news.cultural-china.com

1. Tristan da Cunha

The single most remote inhabited place in the world, Tristan de Cunha is an archipelago of small islands located in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The nearest land to the island is South Africa, which is roughly 1,700 miles away, while the South American coast lies at a distance of about 2,000 miles. Despite its tiny size and astonishing isolation, Tristan de Cunha has enjoyed a rich history. The island was first discovered in 1506 by a Portuguese explorer, and was later annexed by the British, who feared the French might use it as a point of departure to rescue Napoleon, who had been exiled to nearby St. Helena. A small group of British, Italian, and American settlers began living on the island in the 1800s, and it is still under the U.K.’s jurisdiction today. The islands now have a total population 271 people, most of whom are descended from those original settlers and make their living as farmers and craft makers. Although the island now has some television stations and access to the internet via satellite, it is still the most physically isolated location on planet earth. The island’s rocky geography makes building an airstrip impossible, so the only way to travel to it is by boat. It was once regularly connected to South Africa by a British transport ship, but this vessel has since stopped calling on the island, and outside of the occasional cargo vessel, now the only visitors to Tristan da Cunha are deep sea fishing boats.

via Top 10 Most Remote Places in the World | Top 10 Lists | TopTenz.net.

25 Things You Didn’t Know About The Olympics

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With the 2012 Summer Olympics winding down,  the whole world watched as new records were broken and new champions were made. Take a moment to reflect on the long history of Olympic competition. From its brutal beginnings all the way to its modern day fanfare, these are 25 things you didn’t know about the Olympics.

25 A bloody past

The Ancient Olympics were much bloodier and deadlier than today with some boxers even wearing gloves spiked with sharp nails.

24 The first modern Olympics

The first modern Olympics was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece and cost roughly $448,000.

23 The price tag today

The 2012 Olympic stadium cost £537 million or $832 million…enough to send one person to the moon 11 times.

22 Goose feathers galore

It takes 16 goose feathers to make each badminton shuttlecock, with the best feathers apparently coming from the goose’s left wing.

21 Diving domination

Since the birth of modern Olympics roughly 100 years ago Americans have won over half the total amount of Olympic diving medals.

20 Gold medal vs pie

Although an Olympic gold medal seems valuable its really only worth about 450 English pounds (700 dollars), which is supposedly only half the price of the most expensive pie ever made. In case you’re wondering you can find this record breaking pie at Fence Gate Inn in Lancashire, England.

19 Football flopping

Although it comes with its share of sprained ankles and broken shins, for every Olympic football match there are an average of 11 fake injuries.

18 London breaks a record

London is the first city ever chosen to host the modern Olympics three times.

17 Girls in the ring

The 2012 Olympics will include females fighters in the boxing ring for the first time ever

16 Olympically deprived

Africa, South America, and Antarctica are the only continents where the Olympics have never been held although that will change in 2016 when Rio de Janeiro hosts the summer Olympics

15 Silver was number one

At the first Olympics in 1896 the winners were crowned with silver. It was only later that the gold medals was introduced.

14 Going the extra mile

Originally 25.85 miles long, the marathon was extended to 26 miles and 385 yards at the 1908 Olympics in London where the race began at Windsor Castle and ended in front of the Royal Box in the stadium. Legend has it that the race was extended so that the Royal Family could watch both the start and the finish.

13 Sprinting past the speed limit

Olympic sprinters can reach speeds of up to 30 mph…that’s breaking the speed limit in some neighborhoods!

12 The oldest Olympian

The oldest Olympian ever was Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn who won gold when he was 60 years old in the 1908 Olympics. In the 1920 Olympic games in Antwerp he participated again and was crowned oldest Olympian at age 72.

11 Logo madness

The logo for the 2012 London Olympics cost 400,000 English pounds, which is apparently the same price it would cost to adopt a panda in China for 365 years.

10 Kicking things off with a bang

The 1896, 1900, and 1904 Olympic Games all failed to catch fire, but in 1906 when the interim games were held the world all of a sudden paid attention. This was the first modern Olympics to include all of the theatrical aspects.

9 Barriers to entry

In order for a sport to be included in the Olympics it must be practiced by men in 75 countries on at least 4 continents and by women in 40 countries on at least 3 continents.

8 Heavy medal

The gold medals in the 2012 Olympics will be the biggest and heaviest medals ever although they are mostly made of silver (only about 1.5% of gold)

7 Crackdown on streaking

Anyone caught streaking at the 2012 Olympics will be fined 20,000 pounds.

6 Lots of competition

The 2012 Olympics will have 10,500 athletes competing.

5 Hitler’s torch

The modern Olympic torch has its beginnings in the the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Hitler and his regime reintroduced the ancient concept supposedly for the publicity and propaganda.

4 Fire and water

The Olympic torch is designed for rugged terrain and was even taken underwater passed the Great Barrier Reef during the 2000 Olympics in Australia.

3 A long journey

The 2012 Olympic torch traveled 8000 miles around the UK which is more than twice the width of the United States.

2 Olympic lasers

The most extreme measures ever taken to transport the torch occurred during the 1976 Olympics. It was literally beamed across the ocean by radio signal from Athens after which the signal triggered a laser that lit the torch.

1 As the whole world watches

For the 2012 Olympics over 4 billion people watched the opening ceremony. That’s well over half of the world’s population.

via 25 Things You Didn’t Know About The Olympics.

Brasilia – Not So Secret Obsession

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An entire city of Mid-Century Modern Architecture?  It sounds amazing.

Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,562,963 (3,716,996 in the metropolitan area) as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the fourth largest city in Brazil. However, as a metropolitan area, it ranks lower at sixth. It is listed as a World Heritage Site UNESCO. Brasília hosts 124 foreign embassies.

As the national capital, Brasília is the seat of all three branches of the Brazilian government. The city also hosts the headquarters of many Brazilian companies. Planning policies such as the location of residential buildings around expansive urban areas, as well as building the city around large avenues and dividing it into sectors, have sparked a debate and reflection on life in big cities in the 20th century. The city’s design divides it into numbered blocks as well as sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector or the Embassy Sector.

The city was planned and developed in 1956 with Lúcio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principal architect. On April 22 of 1960, it formally became Brazil’s national capital. Viewed from above, the main portion of the city resembles an airplane or a butterfly. The city is commonly referred to as Capital Federal, or simply BSB. Residents of Brasília are known as brasilienses or candangos (the latter referring to those not born in the city, but migrated there when the city was established).

In local usage, the word “Brasília” usually refers only to the First Administrative Region within the Distrito Federal (Federal District), where the most important government buildings are located. Brasília has a unique status in Brazil, as it is an administrative division rather than a legal municipality like nearly all cities in Brazil. Nationally, the term is almost always used synonymously with the Brazilian Federal District, which constitutes an indivisible Federative Unit, analogous to a state. There are several “satellite cities,” which are also part of the Federal District.

Brasília International Airport is the main airport in Brasília, connecting the capital to all major Brazilian cities and many international destinations. It is the third most important airport of Brazil, in terms of passengers and aircraft movements.

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Braniff International Airways – Not So Secret Obsession

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Braniff International Airways was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982, primarily in the midwestern and southwestern U.S., South America, Panama, and in its later years also Asia and Europe. The airline ceased operations on May 12, 1982, due to factors including escalating fuel prices, aggressive and unsustainable expansion, and fierce competition following changes that resulted from the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.

New Mexico architect Alexander Girard, Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci, and shoe designer Beth Levine were called in, and with this new creative talent, Braniff began the “End of the Plain Plane” campaign.

Girard outfitted the interiors with 57 different variations of Herman Miller fabrics. Fifteen colors were used by Braniff for plane exteriors during the 1960s (Harper & George modified Girard’s original seven colors in 1968). Many of the color schemes were applied to aircraft interiors, gate lounges, ticket offices, and even the corporate headquarters. Art to complement the color schemes was flown in from Mexico, Latin America, and South America.

Pucci used a series of nautical themes in overhauling the crew’s uniforms. For the stewardesses, Pucci used “space age” themes, including plastic “space bubbles” (resembling Captain Video helmets) which the stewardesses could wear between the terminal and the plane to prevent hairstyles from being disturbed. However, the “space bubble” was dropped after about a month because the helmets cracked easily, there was no place to store them on the aircraft, and jetways at many airports made them unnecessary. For the footwear, Beth Levine created plastic boots and designed two-tone calfskin boots and shoes. Stewardesses were called “hostesses” at Braniff and were attired with uniforms and accessories composed of interchangeable parts which could be removed and added as needed. In 1969, Pucci designed “Pucci IV”, for the intro of “747 Braniff Place” (1971). The collection was debuted at the Dallas Hilton by Pucci himself, in 1970. Today all of the vintage Pucci attire designed for Braniff is valuable.

In 1968, under the leadership of Mary Wells and Jack Tinker, Braniff expanded the advertising campaign that showed the likenesses of Andy Warhol, Sonny Liston, Salvador Dalí, Whitey Ford, the Playboy Bunny, and other celebrities of the time, all flying Braniff. It became one of the most celebrated marketing efforts Madison Avenue had ever produced, blending style and arrogance. One advertising slogan was “if you’ve got it — flaunt it!” Although management considered the campaign a success, Braniff’s core customers were outraged by the grandiose behavior and perceived “bragging”, causing many corporate accounts to leave Braniff.

In 1977, Braniff dropped Pucci as its designer of uniforms. American fashion and couture designer Halston was then brought on to bring a more American look back to Braniff. His all-leather looks—dubbed the “Ultra” look—were applied to uniforms and the fleet, including Braniff’s new Boeing 727-200s (and the “Flying Colors” planes as well). His uniforms and simplistic design were praised by critics and passengers.

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Call me Ishmael.

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Call Me Ishmael.

On this date in 1820, a sperm whale attacked a whaling ship off the coast of South America. The Essex hailed from Nantucket, Massachusetts, and was captained by George Pollard Jr. Pollard was only 29, the youngest man to ever command a whaling ship; the Essex, by contrast, was pretty old, and she was also small for a whaleship. She was considered lucky, though, because crews made money on most of her voyages.

This particular voyage, which was to last two and a half years, didn’t start very auspiciously. Soon after leaving port en route to the whaling grounds off the west coast of South America, the ship was hit with a squall, lost her topgallant sail, and nearly sank. It took longer than usual to reach the whaling grounds, and the crew began to get edgy and superstitious. Then, when they finally arrived near the Galapagos Islands, they found the grounds nearly fished out. They struck out for a new whaling ground, but it was thousands of miles off the coast, much farther from land than whalers usually felt comfortable hunting. But the risk appeared to pay off when a pod of sperm whales was sighted on the morning of the 20th. The crew harpooned a couple of the whales, but then found themselves face to face with an enormous whale, which appeared to be acting strangely. The whale rammed the ship repeatedly; first mate Owen Chase later recounted, “I turned around and saw him about one hundred rods (550 yards) directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his ordinary speed (around 24 knots or 44 kph), and it appeared with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship.” After crushing the bow, the whale swam off, never to be seen again.

The crew set off in some of the small whaleboats, but they didn’t have enough food or water. The captain wanted to sail west, to the Marquesas, but Owen and the crew believed the South Pacific was inhabited by cannibals, so they set off east, for South America, and this decision proved disastrous. By the time they arrived at the Pitcairn Islands, some of them had already died of thirst, and the survivors soon depleted the meager fish and bird population of the uninhabited island they landed on. The crew set out again in hope of rescue, but again, food ran out, and they resorted to cannibalism themselves, first eating the crew members who died, and then drawing lots to determine which living member they would sacrifice. By the time they were rescued by another whaling ship, they were completely out of their heads, and were terrified of their rescuers.

Owen Chase, who survived, wrote an account of the event, called The Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex (1821). Twenty years later, Chase’s son William met another seaman, Herman Melville, who had heard about the sinking of the Essex and asked him about it. William Chase gave Melville a copy of his father’s book. Melville read it while at sea, not far from the site of the original shipwreck, and it inspired his Moby-Dick.

Get the Moby-Dick ebook (Kindle, HTML, etc.) from the Gutenberg Project FREE here.

Get the Moby-Dick audio book (zip file, iTunes RSS feed, etc.) from Librivox FREE here.

Watch the first part of the 1956 Film adaptation, directed by John Huston and staring Gregory Peck below:

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36 Hours in Quito, Ecuador – NYTimes.com

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36 Hours in Quito, Ecuador – NYTimes.com.

NESTLED amid snowcapped Andean peaks, Ecuador’s capital has long been overlooked by travelers on their way to the country’s most famous destination, the Galápagos Islands. But visitors who bypass this lively historic city of some two million people are missing out. At 9,350 feet above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, Quito offers breathtaking vistas around nearly every corner. Its historic center, a Unesco World Heritage site, is one of the largest in South America, with 40 colonial churches and chapels, 16 convents and monasteries and picturesque plazas. In recent years, museums have been opened; mansions restored; hotels, restaurants and cafes opened and safety improved. And this year, in recognition of Quito’s rich mix of architectural heritage and cultural traditions, the International Cultural Capitals Bureau chose the city as its 2011 American Capital of Culture.

Friday 

5:30 p.m.
1) SUNSET OVER THE CITY

Parque Itchimbía (Calles José María Aguirre N4-108 andConcepción; 593-2-322-8470) offers panoramic views, including Quito’s historic center and, in the distance, the winged Virgin of Quito statue. Check out the Art Nouveau Itchimbía Cultural Center (Itchimbía Centro Cultural, 593-2-258-4362; centrocultural-quito.com). The glass and steel structure imported from Hamburg in 1889 was on the other side of the city until it was moved to Itchimbía hill in 2004. Then, venture below the observation deck, where you’ll find Pim’s, an Ecuadorean chain. Order a cocktail and find a seat near one of the heat lamps on the outdoor deck to watch the lights come on in the city below.

7:30 p.m.
2) WITH A LATIN TWIST

Theatrum Restaurant & Wine Bar (Teatro Nacional Sucre, Calle Manabi between Guayaquil and Flores; 593-2-257-1011; theatrum.com.ec), on the second floor of the National Theater, serves Mediterranean cuisine with a Latin twist in a high-vaulted room draped in red velvet curtains. The five-course tasting menu ($38 plus tax; the official currency in Ecuador is the United States dollar) includes specials like grilled octopus with olives and fava beans, crab ravioli and rabbit risotto, and a refreshing sorbet as a palate cleanser. The restaurant will also arrange free transportation to and from your hotel.

10 p.m.
3) PARTY PLAZA

If the food and altitude haven’t sapped your energy, head to Plaza Foch at the intersection of Calle Reina Victoria and Mariscal Foch in northern Quito, where young people gather before hitting nearby night spots. A noticeable police presence makes it safe to explore the immediate area, but if you plan to party beyond the three-block radius of Calama, Juan León Mera and Pinto Streets, take a taxi. On Fridays, you’ll find live music after 10 p.m. atQ, a restaurant and bar at the base of the NU House boutique hotel (Calles Marsical Foch E6-12 and Reina Victoria; 593-2-255-7840; quitoq.com). Across the plaza, La Boca del Lobo (Calles Calama 284 and Reina Victoria; 593-2-252-7915; labocadellobo.com.ec) has a red lounge and a glassed-in patio with funky chandeliers, hanging bird cages and ceiling tiles featuring religious iconography. It serves a selection of fried appetizers for midnight snacking.

Saturday

3 a.m.
4) AFTER HOURS

Most bars close by 3 a.m. One after-hours option is the Metro Café (Avenida Orellana at the corner of Rábida; 593-2-255-2570), which prepares diner fare around the clock. It’s also a good breakfast option, serving up stacks of pancakes and greasy-spoon dishes like Cheddar scrambled eggs with hash browns and bacon. During the day, families with restless children will appreciate the outdoor playground.

9 a.m.
5) INTO THIN AIR

Take the dizzying Teleférico aerial tram up to the Cruz Loma viewpoint, some 13,000 feet above sea level (Avenidas Occidental and Fulgencio Araujo; 593-2-222-2996). Bring a hat (temperatures drop as you climb to the top) and spring for the express line ($8.50 for tourists, $4.90 for locals). At the top, stroll the nature paths threaded amid waving grasses and buy coca tea ($2.25) at the tea shop in the mountain lodge to help counteract the high altitude.

11:30 a.m.
6) ART AND ARCHITECTURE

La Capilla del Hombre (Calles Lorenzo Chávez EA18-143 and Mariano Calvache; 593-2-244-8492; capilladelhombre.com), which means Chapel of Man, is an impressive cultural complex conceived in 1985 by Oswaldo Guayasamín, one of Ecuador’s greatest artists, as a tribute to the resilience of the Latin American people. The three-story museum, in the Bellavista neighborhood, houses a heart-wrenching sequence of paintings, murals and sculptures that captures the miseries and victories of people struggling against political oppression.

1 p.m.
7) A TASTE OF THE COAST

Settle in for lunch on the leafy patio of La Chillangua Verde Esmeralda (Calles Zaldumbie N25-165 and Toledo; 593-2-222-5313), which specializes in coastal Ecuadorean cuisine, including tasty ceviches (from $6 for a small calamari to $16 for a large langosta) and camarones encocadas, a rich seafood dish prepared with coconut juice.

3 p.m.
8) FOLKLORE AND FORAGING

Folklore Olga Fisch (Avenidas Colón E10-53 and Caamaño; 593-2-254-1315;olgafisch.com) is a boutique with a selection of indigenous and Ecuadorean art, including handwoven tapestries, silver jewelry, straw fedoras and pottery. It’s a must-stop for shoppers. The small museum upstairs displays pre-Columbian artifacts and post-colonial art. Next, hone your haggling skills at El Ejido park, a short taxi ride away, where artisans in indigenous garb line the northern end on most weekends with stalls featuring handmade jewelry, alpaca scarves, wooden flutes and other crafts. Nearby, the Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal (Calles Jorge Washington between Reina Victoria and Juan León Mera) has about another hundred stalls of similar souvenirs.

8 p.m.
9) ABOVE THE CLOUDS

Hold tight for a bumpy ride up the potholed gravel road to Hacienda Rumiloma (at the end of Obispo de la Madrid; 593-2-320-0953; haciendarumiloma.com), more than 10,000 feet up the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, literally above the clouds. The jarring ride is well worth it for a romantic dinner overlooking the city. Outfitted in a hodgepodge of Baccarat chandeliers, booths made of thick slabs of worn wood and antique chairs covered in woven fabrics, the restaurant offers a luxurious, rustic feel, with a wood-burning stove in one corner and a baby grand piano in another. Specialties like the Asian-influenced camarones Rumiloma ($20) and cordero La Cantera, a savory lamb dish ($22), are served on heavy metal platters. Head downstairs to the Irish Pub for an after-dinner drink next to the fireplace. (There are also luxurious suites with fireplaces from $305.)

Sunday

10 a.m.
10) SWISS BREAKFAST

Grab a pastry at the Swiss Corner’s deli/bakery (at the corner of Avenida De los Shyris N38-41 and El Telégrafo; 592-2-280-5360) or sit down in its cheery restaurant next door for yogurt and fruit parfaits or eggs and hash browns. Prices from $3 to $10.

11 a.m.
11) OLD TOWN

The cobblestone streets of Quito’s historic center are closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday — an ideal opportunity to explore. Start at the Basílica del Voto Nacional, (Calle Carchi 122 and Venezuela; 593-2-228-9428), Ecuador’s largest Gothic cathedral, adorned with gargoyles inspired by the country’s iguanas, pumas and Galápagos tortoises. Then take Calle García Moreno to the Plaza de la Independencia, Quito’s main square, surrounded by the cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop’s Place and City Hall. Take a break at the Plaza Grande Hotel’s Café (Calles García Moreno and Chile; 888-790-5264; plazagrandequito.com) and order a creamy cup of Ecuadorean hot chocolate ($5). Continuing on Calle García Moreno, you will pass La Compañía de Jesús, with its gold-leaf altar. Entrance: $2. On Calle Sucre, head uphill to the Plaza San Francisco, dominated by a church and convent, where musicians gather and locals spontaneously break into dance. Next, make your way to the pedestrian street La Ronda (also known as Calle Morales), where balconies are decorated with flowers and flags, children play hopscotch and tiny restaurants serve up Ecuadorean specialties.

IF YOU GO

Taxis (typically $2 to $6) are recommended for getting around, especially at night. Or rent an air-conditioned mini-van with a driver, about $130 for a 14-hour day from JL Turismo,jlturismoecuador.com.

In Old Town, Hotel Patio Andaluz (García Moreno N6-52 between Mejía and Olmedo; 593-2-228-0830; hotelpatioandaluz.com) has 32 elegant rooms with antique-style furniture. Rates from $200 a night.

Casa Gangotena, a historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco in Old TownQuito (Calle Bolivar 541; casagangotena.com) plans to offer 33 rooms with painted tin ceilings, antique furniture and marble bathrooms beginning this month. Rooms will start at $425, with breakfast. There will be eight rooms with plaza views for $550 a night.

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One.

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10 REALLY RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME
-I can do back flips.
-I have lost my eyesight and hearing at separate times.
-I still mourn the death of Polaroid instant film.
-I have never been either kind of skiing.
-I have swam with five different species of shark.
-I haven’t had a single migraine since my appendix was removed.
-I miss carbs.
-I secretly named the dead dog that was in the woods down by the stream when I was a kid. His name was Jack.
-I have more books than I have friends.
-I do not even know how much coffee I drink daily.

9 WAYS TO WIN MY HEART
-Humor.
-Altruism.
-Empathy/Compassion.
-Passion.
-Have or be a pretty silver road bike.
-Spontaneity.
-Have a spot-on Joe Pesci impersonation.
-Proper personal pronoun usage.
-Coffee

8 THINGS I CARRY/WEAR EVERYDAY
-Phone
- Keys
-Money
-Sunglasses
-Lip Balm
-Driver’s License
-Coffee
-A secret fear of handshakes.

7 THINGS THAT ANNOY ME
-Fear/Hatred of the unknown.
-Misuse of personal pronouns, their/there/they’re, etc.
-When walking downtown, the wind is blowing against you no matter which direction you are walking. I begin to feel like Mother Nature hates me for something.
-My inability to open anything that is factory sealed in plastic.
-My ever-so-slightly bent front bike wheel.
-Pears.
-Apathy.

6 PLACES I’VE VISITED OR INTEND TO
-Seychelles Islands
-Galapagos Islands
-Patagonia
-Brasilia
-Tahiti
-Easter Island

5 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE
-Be a parent.
-Write the next great American novel.
-Unlock my potential.
-Learn to surf.
-Love, and hopefully be loved in return.

4 THINGS I’M AFRAID OF
-Becoming Stagnant.
-Mediocrity.
-Ignorance-based fear and hatred.
-Coffee bean embargoes.

3 THINGS I DO EVERYDAY
-Write.
-Eat.
-Sleep.

2 THINGS I’M TRYING NOT TO DO
-Engage in negative self-speak.
-Have a single day of inactivity.

1 PERSON I WANT TO SEE 
-Ivan Parker.

Galapagos Diary

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Nine years ago, I was planning for a trip that changed my life. I just came across the diary I wrote while I was in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and thought I would share it again [unedited]. I cannot seem to find any photographs on this computer from that trip, but I will keep looking. Here it is:

The Flight
Some things that I have learned: 
1. If you sit in the window seat in front of an exit row, your chair will not recline.
2. Peanuts and an endless supply of Coke cannot replace a day’s worth of well-balanced meals.
3. Texas is AWESOME, just ask anyone there.
4. Some flight attendants may have not had the time to schedule in their companies “Diversity Training” and could result in them asking small Asian girls on domestic flights if they understand English.
5. Not feeding their customers meals is somehow seen by American Airlines as giving their passengers “more room.”
6. If you have an hour layover and think that you have enough time to tear up the Duty Free shop, you don’t.
7. The best place to find “Quito Punta” is exactly fifteen feet outside customs.

Day One:
If you are in Quito, Ecuador and love coffee, it is all about “The Magic Bean.” I don’t know what the magic is and frankly I don’t really care, their coffee is best served black, thick, and smooth.
Within seconds of entering one of the largest Indian markets in Quito, a man asked me if I needed some “Ganja” Between that and the “Quito Punta”, I have decided that these Ecuadorians can read me like a book. Local artists show their wears at every corner, and park in Quito, I bought several canvases as well as a decorative tile, baby clothes, finger puppets, a scarf, and a small painted box for les than $80. Shipping them home will break the bank, most likely, but I’m on vacation.

All day long, we were witness and at times civilian casualties of water balloons and squirt guns. I had explained it away as some crazy local past time or whatever. Not until tonight, upon reading a Quito travel book did we realize that water balloons and squirt guns are part of the local celebration of “Carnival.” Not that it makes it all fine with me to get hit with a water balloon, whose contents are of highly questionable quality, but who am I to tell the locals that I would prefer to not celebrate carnival?
Cabs from nice hotels are very clean, the drivers are friendly, and they speak some amount of English. We took one to the newer part of town to see a movie in a shopping mall tonight. We saw “Heartbreakers” with Spanish subtitles, which meant that we laughed about five seconds before the rest of the viewing audience. Cabs from shopping malls are not nearly as a delight. It costs more, which is still only $4 (cab drivers in Seattle wont even unlock the doors until they see a $10 bill), and the drivers claim to not know where your hotel is located. Our particular cab didn’t have working headlights or a proper exhaust system. Traffic signals are just pretty lights and do not even function as a possible suggestion to drivers as to what may be advised when approaching an intersection. We exited the cab reeking of exhaust and believing that perhaps walking the streets would have been safer. Even before checking into our hotel, our guide told us that is was not safe to be outside at night, so we have felt like prisoners once the sun goes down. A possible refuge was thought to be found in the hotel’s business center, with Internet access and all the photocopies your heart desires, but Internet access has proven to be spotty at best. I think that you are automatically kicked off after three minutes, which is oddly just enough time to open your hotmail account and delete all the porn/herbal viagra/mortage/porn spam.
Tomorrow, we are torn between climbing to the top of this large hill to look at a statue in the oldest part of the city or going to the shopping mall. My vote has yet to be cast, but I have already window-shopped that mall and feel confident that I am not missing much.
Day Two:
”Friends” is on twice a day, just like home. Also, we finally got to watch most of that movie where Kathy Lee plays a pill popping nightmare bitch actress. It was bad, and they sure did make Howie Mandel look completely different, and Kathy Lee says “Friggin” several times, which I have no doubt that she has used the full octane version of that word every day since she was on the Lawrence Welk Show.
Carnival will never end. Today, my day was spent being followed around by my very own personal paparazzi (Tim is OUT OF CONTROL with his new digital camera) and being dowsed from every rooftop, passing car, and small child with a super soaker. I do not understand the fun behind the whole spraying people with all the water. Especially for us, who have been reminded several times to not drink any of the water that comes out of the bathroom faucet. God only know where the fuck the water came from before it was hauled up into the muffler-less pickup truck and sprayed all over us.
Our hotel staff is finally starting to get into the groove of their specific job descriptions, the concierge actually helped us today. A true dear diary moment. More than I can say for the front desk people who actually suggested that we walk four blocks down the street, the very same street we are not allowed to step foot on after dark, to get a newspaper from the Hilton. The Hilton front desk boy (as gay as you can be in Ecuador without getting publicly stoned to death) was so helpful, to the point of trying to get us to stay at his hotel instead. He said he would make us a deal, a deal that we did not hash out the details of, for obvious reasons.

Today’s Miami Herald horoscope told me that I would be complimented on my love making skills, amongst other things. It is now 1 am and nothing came of it. I considered complimenting myself, but shared bedrooms limit that sort of availability. Why the hell have I never learned to masturbate in the shower?! Sharing a room for two weeks, I am going to need to learn how, I fear. 

I decided to wear my ugly sandals around today to break them in before they become second skins to me on the islands. I am not sure if it was coupling them with a pair of camouflage army pants or if just on their own merit that they garnered stares from almost everyone. Do they think that exposing bare feet is horrible? Tim seems to think that I am so fashion forward that they were in shock by my hip footwear. If that is the case, these sorry bastards are worse off than I could ever imagine. I will ask someone about this at some point and get back to you.
I found a new hobby to pass some of the time during lockdown tonight. Wet balled up tissues thrown from our eight-floor balcony, trying to hit the windows of the office building across the street. Then when that proved to be unattainable, I switched to tossing nickels down onto the corrugated tin rooftop of the newsstand on the sidewalk below. We all celebrate Carnival in our own way.

Day Three:
Up at the crack of dawn or about 6 AM depending on what you consider what the crack of dawn to be. We grabbed a quick breakfast downstairs at the café and then set off for our last leg of the trip, the Galapagos.
We flew to Quayaguil and then found out the truth of our changing of planes. Our guide told us that we would change planes, but she failed to mention that it was going to include a 5-hour lay-over. We ate at the KFC at the airport, when was the last time I ate at a KFC? College? I am sure that little meal is going to give my typhoid shot a run for its money tonight.
We landed in the Galapagos Islands. Everything changed, we instantly calmed and can physically feel the stresses and worries of the city and our lives flow away. The peace and ultimate breath taking beauty of even what I have just seen this afternoon brings tears to my eyes. We walked past Sea Lions, Sea Iguanas, and Frigates so close they could reach out and touch us. They were completely unconcerned by the entire event, they were much more concerned about doing what they had done for hundreds of years without us. The beauty and love I felt coming from one baby sea lion’s eyes was humbling to the point of making me want to sit there and stare into them for hours, not speaking, just trying to emit the same love back to her that she was emitting to me. She was perfection in form and in function, all surrounded with the most piercingly dark oil spots for eyes that enveloped you with stillness.
”Evolution is the combination of an isolated population and a food shortage.” The talk on board tonight focused around the basics of how the islands were formed and what factors were involved in creating the specific species found there. I quoted Barry above because that is basically summing up what really was said. It was not always survival of the fittest or even the strongest and evolution did not occur slowly over time but mostly in spurts in quick succession. Meaning sometimes it was the freaky looking tortoise with the long neck and the screwed up shell that survived because he was the only one tall enough to reach the plants to eat. Sometimes, it was the Iguana that swam while all the rest stayed on the sore while the island imploded. It is a lesson to me as well to probably everyone that the status quo is never that, the status quo has to change and evolve and adapt and create all the time or it will be passed by. That girl that you laugh at on the streets could hold the next brain that is kinked in such a way she can figure out the necessary factors for an AIDS cure, or write the next modern symphony, the likes that haven’t been heard for hundreds of years.

What does any of this mean? I don’t really know, but it has given me pause to think about how I was a freak, a misfit that didn’t fit, and how my evolution has not happened in spurts, but all the same has happened and has created in me, the next symphonic masterpiece.
Day six:
You will forgive me for not writing, won’t you? I have affectionately coined this trip the “Galapagos Iron Man” because of all the activities the events we do each day. Rising at six in the morning to go on a pre-breakfast hike seems like something that is against the Geneva Convention, but seeing a mother sea tortoise walking back into the ocean after laying her eggs is not something we would have ever experienced by waking up later. Especially meaningful as she was our very first sighting of a tortoise this trip. She took her time; she plodded along back to the ocean, leaving behind her possibly one hundred eggs and the mark of every step in the sand. Beautiful. Farther down the beach, there were dark black lava rocks spotted with read crabs. They had the most contrasting of blue underbellies and rapidly moving eyes I had ever seen.
We snorkeled twice before lunch, seeing white tipped sharks, full grown and baby sea lions, and an impossibly long list of vibrantly colored fish. At one point, I was diving down, twirling around and attempting, with my clumsy human body, to mimic the grace and agility of the sea lions, as they swam circles, literally and figuratively around me. It was the most humbling and amazing experience, to be on their turf, playing their games, and being taunted by their abilities.

Later that day, we kayaked to a lookout point high atop a hill and had the chance to see out over the surrounding islands. It was a wonderful view of everything. 

Today, we ate breakfast at 6:30 am and boarded the ponga for the small town on Santa Cruz, the location of most of the population of the Galapagos Islands and home to the Charles Darwin Station. They rescue turtles and iguanas and repopulate islands that for one reason or another have been dangerously close to losing all their original animals. The chance to go back into the regulated portion of the center to see the baby iguanas was something the average visitor does not get to do, since our travel company is the scholarship sponsor to several past and present interns at the center, we received a private guided tour. The Darwin Center is also home to Lonesome George, the suspected last Pina Turtle left in the world. He does have playmates in his area for company, he does seem a bit sad because all turtles seem sort of sad; maybe it is their slowness? Can you imagine being the last of your kind? I wonder if he realizes that?
Jacqueline De Roy joined us for lunch at the Galapagos Hotel, she brought some of the silver jewelry and sculpture pieces she has been working on recently and regaled us with stories of what her life was like when she arrived on Santa Cruz over 50 years ago. She is a vibrant, interesting, insightful, calm, witty free thinker that makes you wish you had a little of what she has in her to take risks and gamble. She is obviously a success story in the game of risk, establishing a life here, and making everything from her entire house to the sailboat they used for transportation.
After lunch, we went to several lava sinkholes; some so deep I had to lean over the wooden railing to see the bottom. The vegetation higher on Santa Cruz changed drastically from our previous island visits to lush grassy pastures, full of bamboo, papaya, and mangrove trees. We then traveled to a small restaurant for dinner. One of the best dinners we have had to date. Besides the breathtaking setting amongst the tall trees with open walls and wooden plank floors, the food was prepared so lovingly and expertly it dissolved in your mouth like cubes of sugar. The music playing was a trip hop compilation CD that had some of my favorite bands mixed with local Ecuadorian ones, which I found odd, yet had to take as a sign as something very good.
Our bus back to the pongo almost hit a cow in the road, and since everyone had consumed at least one rum and fresh grapefruit juice drink, it couldn’t have been funnier.

I think that I have fallen in love with everyone aboard at some point. All for different reasons, but mostly as a deep respect for who they are, how they got to where they are, and the levels of comfortability inside their skins they all seem to possess. We are such a diverse group, all bonded together by the early mornings, the power snorkeling, and the unique awareness to realize that we are incredibly fortunate to be experiencing something most people will not.
I need to go to bed now, we are waking at five tomorrow morning to hike and ride horses all day, the Iron Man continues. But I am not missing a thing, and are all the better for it.

Day Eight:
Yesterday, we woke up at 5 to have breakfast at 5:30, so we could be in the ponga by 6 and off to Isabella Island. From there, we all climbed in the back of a pickup truck and rode the bumpy uneven roads up into the hills outside of town. Some of us were to ride horses and some of us were to hike, I had chosen the hike because I was afraid that the horses would be too nagged up to hold my weight and that I would end up carrying them. While the horses did look very skinny, very tired, and a little beat up, they proved to be full of spunk once the riders mounted and headed up the trails to Sierra Negra’s caldera. They passed us hikers like a gang of banditos, whooping and hollering, all the while wildly brandishing their switches in the air. We didn’t know until later that the horses worked in a pack mentality and any attempt to control an individual was pointless, one ran, they all ran.
The hike was long and tiresome, leaving our guide the very last to make it to all resting spots. We walked along the rim of the caldera for quite a ways, the huge crater stretching in all directions. We then entered a newly formed lava bed, from 1979, very little vegetation and almost no animals have returned. The terrain was rough and glasslike, causing the travel to be slow and cautious. Once we were as high as possible in the lava fields, we stopped, sat down and remained silent for ten minutes, allowing ourselves to experience the space without a guided commentary, without a history lesson. Just to sit there and experience the wind, the smells, and the feeling of power, heat, and change that the area still stores within its glassy rocks, even after 20 years.
Our dirty hike proved to be more than most had thought and some could handle. My legs can feel it today, and conversation around the breakfast table was centered on sore and tired parts. Today will prove to be a tad slower, as for now, we are cruising along, I am sitting in the stern seating area while Marie sketches, Ross sleeps, Jerry scans the water for whales, and Richard tells us stories of his past jobs, past lives.
A tad of gossip from last night: Michael accused Barry of being passive aggressive during the evening lecture, in front of the group. Barry denied it, as the passive aggressive would do when confronted, deflected all responsibility for the situation off of him. Anyway, we all sort of agree that it could have been best handled in private, and with fewer accusations. Marie, whom I respect and admire very greatly, sums it up to mostly just male testosterone. I agree to some extent, where as Nancy can see the differences between East and West coasters when dealing with issues, I guess the big thing for her was that it was two west coast types, making it a very foreign sort of situation. It is a small boat, we are all expected to or should allow a bit compromise from our normal lives.
Day Ten:
Yesterday, my siesta was punctuated with a rather vivid dream about me interviewing a dominant Sea Lion. There was a language barrier that we had to get around, he spoke Spanish and I spoke English. To be honest, he looked a bit like the ships engineer. I ask pretty basic questions: “Why so much noise and thrashing about?” and the like. I was curious if it was more about claiming his territory or if it was more about proclaiming his prowess as the head male and an announcement that he is willing to take on any challenger. To say the least, the Galapagos Islands have entered my dreams and started to affect me on more subterranean levels. Last night, I dreamt that we caught a Blue Footed Booby in our dragline and we were all very sad.
We had our first night snorkel yesterday after dinner. Although the water was not very clear and our entire thrashing about could have contributed to the lack of anything astounding being seen, it was great fun. Everyone stayed very close to each other, compared to the day snorkels, so we all shared more sightings. The phosphorescence of the water was incredible, it was like a million stars were created each time you moved you arms, swirling off into distant galaxies.

Our hike was quite amazing yesterday; we hiked all around and saw for the first time close up, cormorants. These flightless birds have remarkably long necks they use for getting in between tight rocks under water. One seemed to torment most of the swimmers earlier in the day, including biting Elizabeth on the arm. I think he just thought that he was playing and it was very funny to see, this bird following everyone around.
I have been thinking about Greg more and more lately, most every night before I go to sleep. I am not really sure what that means or if I should take it to mean anything really, but I have been thinking a lot about him, sort of missing him, thinking that I want to make it work, that I can make it work, that maybe all I need to do is be bold enough to open up the communication lines a little wider, to establish a higher lever of comfort with a wider array of subjects? I can’t deny that he has been on my mind a lot, I can’t deny that he is a good guy, and I can’t deny that I miss him and have for several months. One lesson that I have learned so far from the trip is to let people into your life, let them know you and take risks that by letting them know the real you, they may actually like you. I used to know that, back from those summers at Interlochen, but I guess that the city has a way of changing you; your credentials need to be up front, your face, your car, your bank account, your spin as it were. I will remember it again. Even though it is a possibility that I could be moving to Los Angeles soon, we shall see.

Nancy asked me what I missed most about my life at home, and I couldn’t think of anything. Is that because I am so in the moment? Or is it that I don’t let much get to me at home enough to miss them? I sort of thought about how I missed driving my car, but even I can identify that as a fleeting thought. She also asked me my thoughts about hitting my five-year mark at Amazon and what I planned on doing. I really have not given it any thought which is wrong, I should have a plan, I should be aggressive with my life and make decisions that are not the easiest path and that are active.
Almost everyone has experienced some sort of intestinal discomfort on this trip, but for some reason, I have not. I thought that it was a bit odd that I had gone without, not that I was feeling left out, but I wondered when/if I would get to experience the tales I had one heard second hand. Well, I guess it may be that my turn is about to come up, the grumbling in my stomach have me worried to stray far from any bathroom.
Later that very same day
The grumbling have proved to be nothing, just that, grumbling.
I love bananas, don’t get me wrong, but we have had bananas and plantains served in more ways that I ever thought was possible. Cooked somehow, maybe boiled or poached? As a desert with some sort of sweet syrup on them, and julienned into French fries. None of us are going to get scurvy or whatever happens from a lack of potassium that is for sure.
Our freezing snorkel this morning was punctuated by a beautiful cave exploration and thousands of invisible little opportunist jelly fish stinging any exposed skin and some through the thinner wet suits. The pain is minimal, but grows slowly on the softer spots like armpits and eyelids. Don’t ask me how they got to my eyelid; they are crafty in their ways.
Roca Rotunda is this isolated island with steep rock walls, permitting only tiny shelves for the fur seals to call home. The convergence of several strong opposing currents causes great swells on all sides, and made our ponga ride the most exciting to date. Up and down, pushed in and out, we circled the island once and then went back to let those snorkeling have a go at it. They really enjoyed it and saw hammerhead sharks. I should have gone, but at the point of decision, it was still questionable for even taking the ponga out, from now on, I just need to jump with both feet and feel the chance completely. Let someone sort out my car payments if the worst happens.
Dolphins joined us on our way from Roca Redondo, they swam along the bow of the ship, jumping and splashing, turning sideways to look up at us, making actual eye contact. Such incredibly beautiful and peaceful beings, so much grace and warmth, a strong sense of love emitted from them, my eyes welled up.

In the last day or so, everyone’s auras have just opened up into these bright shining beacons of light; everyone is clearing away the clouds and becoming such beautiful people. I am not sure it is the surroundings, the close quarters, or if it is something all together different, an exposure of their true selves and acceptance of it. Diane was one of the people that arrived with an aura full blazing, but the rest of them have joined her and it is so wonderful to witness. I had hoped that the experience would be one of great change and discovery for me, but it is so much more enlightening to see that it was that for others as well. That we all have that possibility within us for crystalline purity and greatness.

Day Twelve:
We traveled all night, rocking and rolling. I woke up shortly before we arrived at 5:30 am; it was still dark and cool out, one of the best times of day. Breakfast and a short ponga ride found us on the beach in James Bay. The standard type of characters littered the black lava and sandstone beach, sea lions, sea iguanas, and those crazy red Sally Lightfoot Crabs.
We snorkeled off the shore for over an hour and then had lunch. A few hours in transit and then we snorkeled, walked the red sand beach, and then did an additional night snorkel in the same location. I lost my dive light over the edge. Filipe says he can find it and that I should give him my address in case he does. We had dinner and now here I am, after the debriefing for tomorrow’s full day of the same, just at a different island.
Today is Gavin’s birthday and I tried my best to take a roll of photographs that I can make into a small book to show him what I did today. He will maybe find it interesting in years to come. It will go with all this other gifts.
I am sorry for cutting this so short, but I am beat.
Day Thirteen:
Today was the isle of horrible bird guano. It was actually overwhelmingly beautiful, even if it was my own personal allergy hell. We climbed Prince Phillip Steps and saw our first Red Footed Boobies, Vampire Finches, and Owls. Apparently, somewhere along the way, the Vampire Finch found out that they could attack the necks of boobies and drink their blood, strange.
We kayaked out from the boat back to Prince Phillip and snorkeled along the cliffs back toward the boat. For some reason, there was a lot of junk in the water, but it was very impressive, we saw several Manta Rays, Hammerhead Sharks, and exotic fish.
When we got back, we jumped off the side of the boat and I lost my sunglasses somewhere along the way.
Day Fourteen:
At 12:40 this morning, our boat ran aground at Punta Sieta. A lot of Spanish screaming and a serious list to the boat made us realize that something was wrong. We were told to pack up all of our things and be ready to evacuate the boat. The Polaris, a large cruise ship, was in the area and agreed to take us aboard. We slept on the floor of the cocktail lounge until about 5:30 that morning and then went back to the boat. Thanks to the metal hull and rising tide, there was no damage and the boat floated off all by itself.
Later in the day, we snorkeled back around the exact spot where we ran aground. I couldn’t find any spots where paint had rubbed off or anything like that. We climbed up to a view spot of Pinnacle Rock called Barta Lamay.

The crew organized a huge diner tonight, it was so amazing, and they really went all out for us. I don’t think we could have had nearly as good of a time without them.
This journal has sort of trailed off at the end now, but it was such a trying experience, that I barely had enough time to shower, let alone write what I could.

Day Fifteen:
Our last day on the boat. We rode around in the ponga to Black Turtle Cove and saw so many Pacific Green Turtles, too numerous to count. We then got on the airplane to go back to Quito. The airport was hot, slow, and very tiresome, but we were glad to wait, to have the chance to sit together and sort of just sit.

We had a group dinner that night in Quito, and had the chance to just let loose, and be goofy, not be learning about nature and listening to lectures. They actually let us pick our own food, we had choices, and it was something we had not thought about in a while, one of the options being goat. Goat? I guess it is supposed to taste like lamb, whatever.

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