From Quito to the Colombian Coast

Basilica

After spending nearly three weeks in Ecuador I was back where it all started: Quito.  I only had one full day left in the city and I knew it would be a busy day seeing everything that I missed the first time around.  One of my friends from the Galapagos, Gil, flew back to Quito on the same day so it was nice to travel around the city with a fellow backpacker.  We stayed at the same hostel, Secret Garden, in the old city and it felt a little like home going back there!

We got an early start and decided to go to the Basilica which was located in historic Quito.  Unfortunately it wasn't open so we were only able to see the outside of the building.

From the Basilica we caught a bus to Mitad Del Mundo to visit the center of the world at a latitude of 0'-0'-0'.  What is confusing about Mitad Del Mundo is that there are technically two sites.  The first site is the very popular tourist attraction, which has a little souvenir village built around the monument.  Although it isn't technically 0'-0'-0' on a GPS it has still remained the nationally recognized site.  I will say though that the monument makes for a great picture!

 From this site we went to the "real" Mitad Del Mundo called Museo de Sitio Intiñan, which is a quick five minute walk from the monument.  This museum was very interesting, built like an old Ecuadorian village.  Not only did the entrance fee include a guide, but we were given history on the tribes of Ecuador before our guide took us through some demonstrations that could only take place at the real equator line.

Our guide showing the small shadows on the equator

Successfully balancing the egg on a nail on the equator

The true Mitad del Mundo mark!

The bus back to Quito took much longer than expected! On the way back from Mitad Del Mundo I was resting my feet on one of the bars of the bus and somehow when the door opened it managed to crush my ankle.  I kept screaming "Ayudame, Ayudame (help me, help me)" but it took the bus driver a minute to realize that my ankle was stuck in the door! At first I thought I broke my ankle as there was a huge dent in it but luckily I think it was just a bruised bone.  After recovering from the intial pain of it I started laughing, explaining to Gil how stuff like this always happens to me!

By the time we actually made it back to the hostel I was exhausted.  Luckily it was calzone night so I enjoyed one final meal in Ecuador on the rooftop of Secret Garden!  At 7am the next morning, I found myself saying farewell to Ecuador as my flight departed for Bogota.  After a quick stopover in Bogota my flight landed in Cartagena.  The views of the city from the flight were amazing.  I definitely felt good about my decision to opt for a flight rather than a 48 hour bus journey to Cartagena!

From the moment that I arrived in Cartagena I fell in love with the city.  You can feel the energy of the city at every turn.  The colorful buildings, vendors, crowded streets, and music bring the city to life. It is a perfect city for walking with no particular destination in mind...you just embrace getting lost in the narrow alleys.

On my first day in Colombia I met up with one of my friends from Baños, Ecuador (Carol from Brazil) to travel with up the Caribbean Coast of Colombia.    Given that Carol was in Cartagena for the past five days we decided to continue up the coast as I knew that I would return back to Cartagena to spend some time there before going to Panama. So, more to come on Cartagena!

From Cartagena we took a four hour shuttle bus to Santa Marta which is another colonial city of Colombia although it doesn't have the charm of Cartagena.  Since we had not heard great things about the city we decided to take a 15 minute cab ride to a laid back fishing village called Tagonga.  The town in itself is incredibly touristy but still has a cool beach vibe with a mellow atmosphere along with fresh fish and juices everywhere.

Tagonga

A proud local fisherman

Life as a tourist in Tagonga is a simple, but relaxing one! We wake up, have a nice breakfast, hang out at a mellow beach, then drink some Alguila (Colombia's national beer) as the sun goes down.

And where there is a laid back beach vibe there are hammocks, which is always an added bonus!

From Tagonga we spent a day at Playa Grande which is a quick 10 minute boat ride, or 30 minute walk from the town.  This was a great little beach and it was perfect for relaxation.

Playa Grande

Our time in Tagonga was uneventful, but a good time! We met other fun backpackers and fully embraced two days of complete laziness which was perfect before heading on a five day trek to Ciudad Perdida!

THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (Part 2)

By my fifth day in the Galapagos Islands I knew that I wanted to extend the trip in order to see more of the islands and luckily the change fee was only $1.40! After extending my stay I mapped out my final five days on the islands.

Isla Isabela
From Isla Santa Cruz I packed a day pack and left for Isla Isabela to enjoy two days on the island.  It took only 1.5 hours to get there by speedboat and then an easy 10 minute walk to get to the main town, Puerto Villamil.  It was a nice change of pace to get away from the crowds in this small laid back town.

The main beach on the island was perfect for walking...a long stretch of isolated white sand beaches!

During my time on the island I managed to see some of the nearby sites by bike as well.  From Puerto Villamil I followed a dirt path along the beach and then crossed through a red lagoon to arrive at the tortoise breeding center on the island.  I actually preferred this breeding center over the one on the main island, as it provided more backround information on the species.

Look at that face!

Red Lagoon




  





By the time I reached the path again it was boiling hot and I was dripping sweat!  All of the viewpoints were beautiful but I was startng to become exhausted!

Along the dirt path

 Although I was tempted to turn around I figured that I should see the final site before calling it a day.  After a bumpy 7km uphill ride through the slippery gravel I finally made it to Muro de Las Lagrimas (Wall of Tears).   Perhaps it was because I was so exhausted and was expecting something more but when I got there I thought to myself "are you kidding me...I biked all this way for a wall!".  Regardless, I made it to the end of the trail, took a couple pictures of this lava brick wall built by convicts in the 50s, and then went back to town as quickly as possible so I could hydrate and eat lunch!





Muro de Las Lagrimas



Later on I biked to the main port before returning the bike.  There were a ton of iguanas and sea lions out and about on this quiet afternoon.

By the time I finished my day I was exhausted and ready to take a cold shower, eat, then go to bed!  I was up bright and early the next day to catch the boat back to the main island.  Luckily I was at least rewarded with a beautiful sunrise at the port!

Overall it was great to get away and experience Isla Isabela for a couple days.  The locals were incredibly friendly, the food was delicious (and cheap!) and it was easy to get around the island.

Kicker Rock (Dive Trip)

On my first day in San Cristobal (below) I went to a local dive site called Kicker Rock.  Typically, for any diver going to the Galapagos Islands their main goal is to see hammerhead sharks.  Of course, that was my hope as well!  We left at 8am and made our way to the site arriving a couple hours later.

Kicker Rock aka Leon Dormido

After doing a test dive we went in between the rocks, along the wall for the first dive.  We saw so many sharks on both of the dives.  Its a shame I didn´t have a camera but one of the dive masters managed to capture this shot of a hammerhead as it was approaching us.

Our wonderful divemaster, Angel

During our second dive we saw more hammerheads, Galapagos Sharks, and Reef Sharks, along with plenty of fish and turtles.  While the visibility wasn´t great we certainly were able to see a nice variety of fish at the site.

On our way back we went snorkeling with sea lions at a place called Islas Lobos.  We had a lot of fun playing with the sea lions and they were very curious about us!

Overall, this was a great tour/dive site/day trip to do on the island

Isla San Cristobal

Isla San Cristobal was the last leg of my journey and pehaps my favorite island of all.  The main reason that I loved this island was because it had a nice port town, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, that had everything you could need but wasn't nearly as developed or touristy as Puerto Ayora.  I spent my last three full days of my trip in San Cristobal. 

My favorite part of the island was the fact that there were sea lions EVERYWHERE.  During ciesta everyday there would be far more sea lions out than people.  They took over public benches, playgrounds, and the beach.  If you tried to get in their way they would bark and scoot over to scare off anyone!

  

Clearly this sea lion didn´t get the memo

Overtaking the beach



Hanging out at sunset

Scaring away the children!



Apart from my obsession with the sea lions I managed to see quite a few parts of the island as well.  The beaches near the main town were great for both swimming and snorkeling.  In the morning at low tide it felt like I was stepping into an underwater aquarium.  Less than 5 feet from the shore I was able to see a family of massive sting rays, turtles, and a wide variety of fish.

It is hard to sum up San Cristobal because I didn't do that much there.  Perhaps the best part of the island was just wandering around without a plan!

Local beach with Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the backround

Overall, I was very happy that I decided to do the Galapagos Islands independently.  While it certainly required a little more work and planning, it was worth it, not only because I spent significantly less money, but I was able to customize the trip to cater to my interests.  The combination of day trips, exploring the islands by foot/bike independently, and diving was perfect.  All in all, my Galapagos adventure was unforgettable, unbelievable, and certainly well worth the money! I can't wait to return someday!