Summery

I've now been home for a few days and slowly is it sinking in, what I have experienced, done, smelled, tasted etc during my time in South America. It takes a while to digest it all and turn it in to memories.

One thing that helps is all the photos, and yes, there are a few! 

Some things was really easy to get back into, like throwing toilet paper in the toilet and not in a bin next to it. To brush teeth with water from the tab. 

Other has been more difficult, like not having three meals a day served (however my sister and BIL has helped a lot on that point. Thanks!), doing laundry and wash dishes... 

Hardest is the time difference. I didn't think it would be so difficult. The first two days was ok, but after that I've really struggled. Well, I'm sure it will be fine shortly. It's been worth it though! 

The trip I did was amazing! Absolutely fantastic! It is difficult to find words to describe it without having it sound OTT. 

It was exciting, interesting, beautiful, breathtaking... Yip, it was fantastic and I'm so happy I decide to go.

One of the highlights was of course the Inka Trail, even if it also was the hardest part. To end of on the Galápagos was a good decision.

Thanks to you whom followed me! It was great sharing my experiences with you.

Finally I can also share some pictures.

Follow this link and I hope it works for you. If not please let me know! 

https://plus.google.com/photos/107744381702141923223/albums/6090547848141678033?authkey=CNyR0J6Jh-L09QE

Thanks again! 

Hope to see you soon again on a new adventure! 

Quito - centre of the world

Day 25 Quito

Woke up after a pretty ok night sleep. I was still deciding what to do with this day. Last night I was pretty tired and had switched off my holiday mood. However I had some new energy this morning and wanted to do something with the day.

I decided to get up, get ready and see what the others were up to. Couldn't find anyone so I decided to go by my self, and after talking to some taxi drivers I decided to go to the Equator. 

Found one of the group as I was about to go, but he didn't want to come, so off I went with my new "friend" Raul, the taxi driver. 

We couldn't communicate but he understood where I wanted to go and we negotiated a price. 

I got a bit concerned when he pointed out the monument with a big smile, but passed it. First I thought it might be you have to drive in a different way, but he went quite far.

We stopped at a place with some sort of gate, and parkings. It was a crater. Don't know it so I have to read up on it later. We had a look. He loved to take pictures with my camera of me and the view. 

Then we drove back the way we came from, towards the monument, but he said something about a museum and turned in between some houses. 

He took me to a guy that wanted $4 and then I was told to wait there. I asked and the tour was to take 30min. My time was a bit short since I had to get back to the hotel and then to the airport. But I thought I could make it.

The museum was outdoor and looked like it was showing different cultures. Could be interesting. 

We started in a small house build similar to the ones one tribe lives in in the jungle. Next stop was a tomb.

However after that I realised that I was for sure where I should be. This is where the real equator is. There was a line and along the line clocks, calendars etc to show how the equator works and differs the south and north hemispheres. We got to see some experiments too.

I was great.

I balanced on the equator. There are only about three places in the world where you can do that. And what place is better than in Quito (that means Centre of Land) where the studies of the equator was done and where the real measures has been done.

After the visit to the museum that also showed some more old houses, one build on the place 1847 and some shrunken heads. A very strange tradition from before.

Next visit was the actual monument for the equator. But well, as I said the real equator is where the museum is. When they first found out about the equator passing just here they didn't have the right equipment or something, at least they measured it a little bit wrong. But hey. It is close enough. So now I've seen both equators! Stood on them both and stood with one foot on each side of them both.

My driver was happy to do this for me and even more happy when he understood I had to go to the airport. He insisted to take me there, and why should I say no after a morning like that?!

So, after a refreshing shower and final packing I was back in his taxi on the way to the airport. Time to leave and go back home. Mixed feelings about that. 

The flight home is going to be long. The flight from Quito to Amsterdam is going down in Guayaquil to pick up more passengers. Total flight time around 14 hours. Then a short transfer in Amsterdam and hopefully working trains from Copenhagen to home. 

See you back in Europe!

Galapagos to Quito

This morning the packing had to be ready. The check-in luggage was left in the room to be taken by staff to the airport for check-in.

We were anchored in San Cristobalite harbour. San Cristobalite is the second biggest town in Galápagos, 7000 inhabitants. 

The group when to "Centro De Interpretacion", where they have a museum of the history of the islands. How they appeared. The first animals arriving and adapting. The first humans arriving. And also about how it is today.

It was interesting.

After the visit we had some free time in town before it was time to go to the airport and catch the flight,back to Quito.

A boring flight with s long stop over finally ended and we were back on mainland, in Quito.

We got bused to the hotel and on the way the group made plans to go visit the equator tomorrow. I'm not,sure,if I join. I'd love to, but I'm very tired and my holiday mood is kind of finished. 

I have to sleep on it, which I will do in a big and comfy bed, satisfied after a good dinner.

Even more Galapagos

It was a rocky night, but not as rocky as I predicted from what we were told. I was fine. Didn't sleep too well, but that's not the end of the world. 

Most of the group was pretty tired after a night with lack of sleep.

We went to Suarez Point on Espaniola Island. The weather was fantastic. The sun was shining and brought out the colours of everything, sand, water, plants and animals. We went for an approx two km walk on a rocky trail. We did frequent stops looking at animals or plants, listening and learning from our guide of what we saw. We were again very lucky. We got to see a lot. For example; sea lions, iguanas, lava lizards, Nazca Boobies, the biggest of the Boobies, albatross. To see albatross was a very lucky. It is the end of their moving season and most of them are already gone. The ones we saw was babies, still not able to fly. 

It was a great walk. The island is absolutely stunning and with the luck of seeing all this animals it was amazing. 

Back on board it was time to move Xavier a little,bit to find nice snorkelling waters. While moving we were served lunch and we also managed a short siesta before we took of for some snorkelling, the last chance for me, so I had to go. We found a few playful sea lions in the water, not many, but what was there was great. Apart from that I saw more or less the same as before. Beautiful fish. One was new for me today though, a green and black one that almost wasn't visible when sitting still, but when it moved it sparkled. Someone said it was very poisones, but I don't know. I couldn't get confirmed what it was. 

Snorkelling was really fun. I have never done it before, and when I got my breathing right I enjoyed it very much. However next time I need to have a waterproof camera to capture some of the beauty in the under water world.

After the snorkelling Xavier had to move slightly again. To get closer to Gardner Bay. A beach with pure white sand, turquoise water, like a paradise beach with no Palm trees. We were the only humans on the beach but we shared it with lots of sun bathing sea lions. 

We got some time to walk alone along the beach. It was now late afternoon, the weather was stunning, but the worst heat was gong. A perfect afternoon. I could see myself spend a day or two on this beach.

It's amazing how time flies when you are having a great time. It was time for our little farewell party. Most of the group is leaving the boat tomorrow. 

We gathered in the lounge and got to see the staff in a more formal way, to thank them and say good bye to them. We had six staff and one guide on board. 

We were given a tropical cocktail before our last dinner was served.

The food has been good, nothing special, but nice, pretty healthy, and very generous. Desert for both lunch and dinner takes a bit of the healthy part though.

Some of us stayed up a bit later chatting and having a glass of wine before it was time to sort out and pack bags and go to bed. 

Tonight they moved Xavier to our final destination earlier in the evening to give us most of the night on calm water and hopefully better sleep.

More Galapagos

After a bit of a rocky night we were no at Floreana Island. It was a bit cloudy and windy today. But still rather warm. 

We got to the "green beach". The beach got its name from a green shiny stone that is in the sand turning the sand a bit green in the sunlight.

A bit higher up on the island you find a lagun where, if you are lucky, you can see flamingos. And how lucky were we?! The first thing we saw was a flamingo chick, about two months old. Still whit and not able to fly.

A bit higher we could even see around 15 pink flamingos further out in the water. Our guide hadn't seen flamingo chicks here in the last five years.

On the other side of the hill we reached this beautiful white beach with turquoise water. But the best of all was the fresh tracks of turtles, and in the water we could still see them, they hadn't managed to go to far yet. 

In the shoreline was also rays, even some sting rays, so we were not allowed to walk very far out in the water. 

Back on the boat it was time to get the snorkelling gear and head out for a new snorkelling, this time form the dinghy. It was deep and rather rough. 

I got in the water and as I put my head in the water to check my gear I saw a turtle just below me. Priceless!! 

However I had to return to the dinghy because my mask was suddenly leaking. Luckily they had some spare and I found one that worked better and could continue my swim and experience the underwater world. 

Unfortunately the new snorkel missed the top part so the rough water got in. That wasn't too bad though, I managed the rest of the swim pretty well and enjoy the colourful palette under me. Even got a glimpse of a sea lion in the water.

After this amazing experience we were back on the boat for lunch and siesta while Xavier moved a bit. 

It was time for a new snorkelling, this time we were looking for turtles, so of course I had to jump in the water again. Couldn't miss that chance. 

The water was rather murky but we managed to find turtles. I saw about five or six before I gave,up due to the murky water. I felt a bit lost under the surface. 

Happy I did it though.

The Last activity for the day was a visit to "Post Office Bay". The place where the old sailors stopped to drop of and pick up letters, as a postal service. Still today it is in use for tourists. You can put post cards or letters in the barrel and at the same time look through the post in there to see if there are any that is addressed to a place close to you. Then you take them and send or deliver them to the recipient.

Let's see if any of you receive a post cards from a barrel in Post Office Bay, Galápagos.

After the postal service our guide told us about the first humans coming to live on this island, which were actually Germans. 

On tonight's briefing we were told about tomorrow and it looks like it will be another fabulous day, with lots of animals. 

After dinner and some chatting we all went to bed. It is going to be a hectic night tonight. They say it will be really rocking, and rocking the wrong way. 

Let's hope for the best. 

Boat is about to start moving, time to get my head on that pillow.

Galapagos

Welcome 2015. 

We anchored outside Rapida Island where we went a shore on the red lava beach meeting a lot of sea lions and their pupps. We took a walk up on to a hill watching over the ocean, the evergreen terrain and the lagun. Our guide told about animals, plants, the islands etc. very interesting. 

After the walk it was time for one of the highlights for me on this trip, the snorkelling. My very first time. We went from the beach so my first struggle was to to get the,hurting sand out of my flippers. 

However that turned out to be a minor problem when it came to the most important thing about snorkelling. Breathing! Above water I was fine breathing in the snorkel. As soon as I put my head in the water I started to hyperventilate... the more that happened the more frustrated I got and the worse the breathing got. Finally I got it to work and I could enjoy the experience. And if I did!! Wow!! That was just awesome. Watching all this beautiful coloured fish swimming under you. What a feeling! 

I got up and I was like a kid on Christmas! 

Back on the boat we got served lunch and had a siesta on deck while the boat moved to the north side of Santa Cruz. At the start of the journey around ten dolphines were playing and swimming in front of the boat. 

We arrived and entered Bachas Beach, where we took a walk to a lagun where we were very lucky to see three flamingos. They are rather rare in the area. We saw some blue-footed boobies in a distance, marks after turtles and  iguanas, and even a few iguanas. 

Before leaving the beach I had a quick swim in the lovely turquoise water. It wasn't very warm, but lovely and refreshing.

On the way back to the boat we saw a group of around 15 dotted dragon rays. 

After a shower, dinner and a glass of wine it was lovely to get in to bed. 

It was a fantastic day and tomorrow there will be another one to follow... 

Going to Galápagos

On New Years Eve I flew with my new group to the Galápagos Islands for a four-night cruise. I had arrived in Quito from Lima the afternoon before. 

We arrived in Ballasta Island where we were taken across to Santa Cruz Island on by bus cross the island to Porto Aynor where our yacht was waiting, together with a few other people. We were now 16 in total for this trip.

We were taken in dinghys to the big boat, Xavier III, which was to be our home for the coming days. Got our cabins, guess if I was happy to get one to my self. Lunch was served, security information given and then we went back to the island. To visit a place where the giant tortoise lives. 

They are just awesome these animals. 

After all it was New Years Eve, why we later after dinner got back to the mainland to get the feeling and to see the local new year traditions. 

What they do is make papier-mâché dolls, only male, of a person the want to forget/get rid of. They are painted and sometimes even dressed in human clothes. At midnight all these dolls will be burned on a big fire to get rid of negativity and start the new year fresh. 

As a part of this traditional guys dress up as women to symbolise the widows of these burned men. Lots of them carry dolls as their babies. All day they walk around the streets crying for the lost husbands and collecting money to be able to take care of the babies. 

A very strange but quite fun tradition. They do it very organised and in a good way. Everyone enjoys and there is a lot of fun around. 

I didn't stay in town for midnight, I was on the boat for that. Watching the fireworks and Bonfire from there. 

Not a bad way to end one and start a new year.

It had been a long day so when fireworks were done, so was I. 

Happy new year everyone! 

I wish you all a great year.