2geonomads

Friday 29th April 2016

Neither of us enjoy a really good night’s sleep although I fare better than Gail.

A taxi arranged by Columbus Travel ( driver Javier ) arrives at the agreed time of 4.30 am and we are met at the Quito airport by Sebastian who smooths our path through Immigration and Customs.

We have an amusing moment when we are standing in a fairly long queue waiting to get through Immigration when another tour guide pushes forward and shepherds her charges through and past us in spite of protestations and apologies from a very polite American guy in her group. One poor unsuspecting fellow tags on to  the US group before being verbally accosted by Mrs I who in a none too subtle way challenges his right to be going past us. On admitting his guilt he is directed to his rightful place at the back of the queue.

The last I saw of him he was receiving counselling from airport staff!

As we have some spare time before the flight departure we decide to have coffees at airport cafe. One cappuccino and one double shot espresso find us $ 11.95 worse off. I’m still not sure whether I should have declared the recent purchase of an Ecuadorian coffee plantation among our assets!

A short 38 minute flight brings us to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and after a short stop we are on the 1 hour 45 minute flight to Baltra Island.

We are greeted at the airport by Sylvia and then taken by bus to the mooring where we find our home for the next week Tip Top 2.

There is a slight delay as some work is carried out on cabins recently vacated by the previous group of tourists. Once on board we are given a briefing by Sylvia Panchana who is the tour leader before lunch at noon.

Sylvia is of Swiss origin but after many years on these islands she speaks fluent Spanish to go along with her English and Swiss- German.

The cabins are vastly superior to those on the Aurora Polar Pioneer which took us last year to Antarctica.

The afternoon sees us at Playa Las Bachas on the north shore of Santa Cruz Isla where as an introduction to the Galápagos we take a stroll along the beach and come across an array of birds including frigate birds, pelicans , a solitary flamingo and blue heron. Sally Lightfoot crabs, warblers and marine iguanas complete the picture.

On the beach we come across remnants of one of the World War 11 barges which give this beach its name.

A quick dip in the ocean by some of the group rounds off a splendid first day in this far-flung part of the world.

Back on board the boat for dinner at 7.00 pm and then a quick rundown by Sylvia on the next day’s programme.

First impressions on the boat and crew bode well for a great adventure on Tip Top 2 and we seem to have a very pleasant group of fellow travellers with whom to share this experience.

Sylvia is very much across her brief and the whole operation is very professional.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Thursday 28th April 2016

Wake up decidedly less jet-lagged than the previous day and Gustavo duly arrives at the hotel right on time and we head north out of the city, past the impressive Parque La Carolina and through suburbs of variable quality, covering the full gamut of socio- economic groups. As always there exists a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor.

Our main target destination today is Mitad Del Mundo, located in the equinoctial valley and reputedly the most visited tourist site in Ecuador.

However, Gustavo first takes us to a the crator rim of a long-dormant volcano Pululahua. This vantage point offers us a superb vista over the very fertile area inside the crater which is home to about 40 families ( 120 people ). Whilst there is a road access from the far side of the crater many of the local people face the daunting long climb on foot from the floor of the crater to source all manner of supplies.

We now return to Mitad Del Mundo which comprises the Ciudad Mitad Del Mundo, a large complex seemingly run mainly by the State. The large monument with a globe perched on top dominates the skyline and lining the avenue leading up to it are statues of significant figures representing the history, culture and ancestry of this site.

However, before walking through this very touristy, commercial complex Gustavo takes us to the centre Latitude.0,0.0 which is run by the local indigenous population and supposedly marks the more accurate GPS location.

We are able to stand astride a marked equator line, try to balance an egg on the end of a nail and observe water emptying from a bowl into a sink ( in different  directions depending on which side of the Equator  one is standing.)

Some of the demonstrations and the validity of the experiments were met with some scepticism by the numerous tourists. Nevertheless it’s not every day that one can straddle Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Time to head back to the centre of Quito and to visit La Capilla del Hombre and Museos de Arte, Precolombino,Colonial and Moderno.

Oswaldo Guaysamin is one Ecuador’s finest painters but also an activist who strove for accord among nations in South America and denounced dictators.

This lead to Unesco honouring him for dedicating his life to peace.

In 1976 Guayasamin, in collaboration with his sons established a foundation bearing his name . The foundation provided a vehicle for him to promote his work, ideas and beliefs and ultimately donate his entire art collection and house to his country, Ecuador.

The property is located in Bellavista and in keeping with the name affords superb views of the city of Quito.

In 1996 Guayasamin began work on his architectural masterpiece ” Chapel of Man” and this was opened in 2002. He died before it was completed but today it stands as the master’s tribute to unjustly and cruelly treated peoples of Latin America. He remains today one of the most iconic figures in Ecuador’s cultural history.

We return to the hotel by taxi and then set off on foot to find a restaurant in the local area. We eventually find a suitable establishment on Reina Victoria where we enjoy a very fine meal. Surprisingly, given the quality of the food, we were their only customers but some peace and quiet didn’t go amiss as far as we were concerned.

As we had. 4.30 am taxi pick up the next day we are in bed at a very civilised hour.

Quito, whilst not totally unattractive , certainly does not live up to the hype contained in reports and travel brochures on the city. However, this judgement is made after arriving in Quito well and truly jet- lagged and having insufficient time to do justice to this city. Unfortunately we will only have one night in Quito when we return from the Galápagos Islands and Guayaquil.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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Wednesday 27th April 2015

Up at a more reasonable time and after another good breakfast at the hotel we have a chat with Daniel in Reception about a possible walk down to the historic centre of Quito. He advises us against such a lengthy walk at this altitude and he introduces us to Gustavo, the resident hotel driver who takes us first to Columbus Travel where we meet the delightful Maria Soledad Loaiza who has been Gail’s contact all along. Gustavo waits while we have a chat with Maria who gives us a small gift of Ecuadorian dolls as a memento of our visit.

We then head off back to the historic city centre where Gustavo drops us off at the impressive Plaza Grande ( also known as Plaza de La Independencia ) where a local brass band entertains us in front of the Presidential Palace.

In common with so many ‘latino’ cities the square is very crowded but as always middle-aged and elderly males account for the greater part of the assembled masses with hardly a female in sight. Emily Pankhurst would be turning over in her grave!

All the tourist guides had told us that the real ‘ must see’ in Quito is the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus and once you get past the singularly unimposing facade the gold leaf -laden interior is simply breathtaking, if only for the obscene opulence on display. The contrast between the unbelievable wealth on display in the the cathedral and the daily struggle of so many Equadorians raises so many of the age-old questions about the Catholic Church. No photos allowed.

We continue our walk in this southern end of the historic part of the city taking in a visit to the interesting if unspectacular Museo de la Ciudad and the El Panecillo Monumento de la Virgen de Quito. Whilst not quite the Christ the Redeemer of Rio fame this statue of the Virgin Mary nevertheless dominates the Quito skyline as one looks to the south-west.

Parquet Floor Museo de la Ciudad

Museo de la Ciudad (formerly a hospital)

The other major church in Quito, the Basilica del Voto  Nacional , is our last port of call for the day but on the way we find a restaurant near to the Plaza del Theatro which provides us with a more than acceptable lunch.

The final walk up to the Basilica is a real tester with Gail in particular feeling the effects of Quito’s 2800 metres  above sea level.

The Basilica is a fine example of a classic Gothic Cathedral but observing the ever more threatening skies we decide to limit our time there,hail a taxi and head back to our hotel.

The body clock is still well and truly out of sync but hopefully we will both be ready for a 8.30 start the next day with Gustavo.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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