Sunday, Feb. 21st, started at 4:30 a.m. with a wake up call, from the San Jose Garden Hotel.  The bags we were storing there during our trip to the Galapagos would be picked up at 5!  Once they were stored, we were treated to a great - off to the airport breakfast - cheese, meat, apples, pears, bread, butter, and coffee.  

I became the second fall casualty of the trip, when I was walking and talking and missed a step and went down flat on my face.  For a brief second, was certain my nose was broken....but it wasn't and although my arm was bleeding.....there was no permanent damage -- and it did not spoil my breakfast. 

The driver arrived right on time,  packed up our luggage for the trip and we were off on our 20 minute drive to the airport.   We were on an Avanica, domestic flight, so did not have to worry about customs, for the trip to Baltran Island airport.   We had our most unusual meal on that plane....warm chicken salad sandwiches at 9:30 a.m.!  But we were headed to a small ship, with a fantastic chef that has us all eating more than usual.

Once on Baltran Island, we were met by Hernand, who was to be our guide in the Galapagos.  We boarded a bus for a 5 minute bus ride , then a pontoon (of sorts) for a 5 minute boat ride, then a tour bus for a 45 minute bus ride, then a dingy for a 15 minute boat ride to the ship.  After being assigned our cabins (below deck), we had a fantastic lunch and were off to San Cristobal...our first stop in the Galapagos.

San Cristobal is the only  people populated island,  and one of the two  islands that have fresh water on them.   The Charles Darwin Scientific Research Center is located on the island.   Huge land turtles ( who live to be over 100)  and brightly colored iguana's (because it is the mating season and their colors change after the mating season), and many lizards were seen in abundance there.  Lola, the other member of the guide team, joined us there and we learned about the care of and do's and don'ts of visiting Galapagos.   Simply put....touch nothing and take nothing and STAY ON THE PATH!!!   But - photography is allowed...however, turn off the flash!!!   Stay 2 meters away from the animals, and have a great day! 

Also....this was our first, last, and only chance to shop in the Galapagos and/or use the internet.  We were being cut off from communication with the world.  We did both....found blue footed booby t-shirts for ourselves, sent a few messages saying we would be incommunicado.....and found  a skate ramp, the dock and the dingy that would take us to the Coral I for our first dinner and night on the boat.  

We have been on our Galapagos part of the trip for the last four days and completely without internet.  So today begins catch up time on the blog.  

 Friday, Feb. 19,  we had a relaxing breakfast in our Cotacachi house and then headed for San Pablo lake and a view of the mountains surrounding the lake.  It was a cold, windy morning, so we decided against a pontoon ride , took a few photos, and left for San Antonio Ibarra, a town renowned for its wood carvers.   The quality of work is exquisite, and their special carvings are sent around the world.  

As Ecuador is a predominately Catholic country,  the greatest percentage of carvings are religious in nature.  ( I could not resist including a carving of a chubby crucifix.  It is done in the style of a Columbian craftsman, whose work encompasses a multitude of religious statues...and everyone is more than a bit chubby.   The fun part of visiting the town was meeting the artisans.  Mary Lu  purchased the bargain of the day,  a framed grouping of three wood carvings. (There has to be a way to get it on an AA homeward bound plane.)  Two brothers work together in wood, and paint, and one very large wood/fabric mask that I would have loved to bring home. However works or art three feet tall, simply do not fit in a suitcase and the cost of the mask, plus UPS (or whatever it is called in Ecuador) was simply tooo prohibitive. 

While in Ibarra, we heard a procession moving through the streets, it was a funeral.  The coffin was hand carried through the streets with the mourners surrounding it as they walked to the grave site.  It was a very moving experience, so much so, that none of us could take photos.  It would be too invasive, and so we watched in silence as did everyone in the streets. 

An elderly lady (probably the same age as us) stood in the streets welcoming and hugging all who passed.  (What a lovely idea.  Wonder what would happen if I tried it on the streets of DC?)  We spent an hour or two looking at carvings.  I missed the photo op of the day, when we visited a wood carver, who does baroque carvings. His work is known worldwide and he was working on a HUGE picutre frame being sent to France that will cost the purchasers $10,000.  Since I wasn't buying, I didn't want to take photos.  

We left Ibarra to travel to a restaurant Charito's sister recommended.  La Estralita, is at the top of a very high mountain.  It is accessible via a cobblestone road that was put in place over 100 years ago for foot and animal traffic.  The road weaves back and forth, as it is to steep for a road.   It has now become a two way road up the mountain,  (It is also used by students training as running or for gym class - not sure which -- but there they were.)   Two thirds of the way up, it turns to a dirt road....and when the busses passed us, we were holding our breaths. and wondering if there really was a restaurant somewhere up there.   (http://www.laestelitahosteria.com)   

There was!  High in the Andes (but not a high as we thought 2.5 miles about the city, we discovered a first class restaurant and hotel.  The view was magnificent - professional cameras are needed to do it justice - and the rustic buildings and settings most restful.  We enjoyed great food (but saved room for ice cream in Cotacachi)  and were given a tour of the hotel rooms, once again including the Presidential suite..  Mary Lu and Rose can be seen standing next to the fireplace in a two level room.

 

The trip down the mountain was less breath taking and seem much quicker than the trip up the mountain.  On return to Cotacachi, we headed for the ice cream (helado) store.  Ice cream in Ecudor more of a sherbet - fresh fruit and sugar (about half the sugar used in U.S. ice cream and milk only in leche (milk) helado)  blended together and frozen then hand whipped!  I confess to eating four scoops (but had had a light lunch - was looking forward to the helado.)  Wanted to taste the Ecuadorian fruit flavors that are not available elsewhere. 

Fortified with food and ice cream, we hit the leather stores in Cotacachi!   Dozens and dozens of leather stores line the streets. The delight is nothing there (except for a few "tourist trinket - non-leather things") was made in China or India The leather goods really were made right there in Cotachachi.  Before entering one shop, an ancient woman stopped us to tell us about her sore feet.)    Rose and I both bought a poncho made by Alexandra.   She was working on another one when we entered the store and showed us the tool she uses to punch holes for the wool /leather ponchos and how she crochets the pieces together.  Several purse purchases concluded the day.  We were spent - in both energy and dollars - exhausted might be a better word.

Charito decided to take us to La Mirage for a relaxing dinner.  La Mirage is so perfect for the name!   (http://www.mirage.com.ec) This has to be a one of a kind restaurant/spa/hotel!  Entering the restaurant, it feels like a fantasy world from a Victorian era!.  From the antique rugs and elephant monkey lamps, to the floor length tables, candles, roses, and crystal chandeliers, complete with a live gold fish in a crystal bowl on the table.   (A note card told us his name was Jerry and would we please not feed him.  I hope the crystal bowl is only his dinner time habitat.  Learned years ago (the hard way) that crystal bowls kill gold fish -- they leach lead!)  We ordered dinner and then had beautiful wooden boxes placed in front of us.  We opened them to discover they were music boxes and inside was a small caprese salad!   Before dinner was over we unanimously agreed to return there for lunch on Saturday...our last day of the first leg of our journey.  

Wednesday, Feb. 17,  we headed for 1.5 days at the Papallacta Wellness Center /Spa, high up in the Andes Mountains.  We said goodbye to Bella Vista Cottage, the roads and areas surrounding Machachi.  However, first, we stopped at Casa de la Vaca for an incredible  breakfast and excellent cafe con leche.  The Ecuadorian breakfasts are so filling - and irresistible that we are only eating two meals  per day.    The remainder of the morning  was spent driving UP the mountain to the spa.

When we arrived it was cold and chilly.  Papallacta is set in the highest altitude we have experienced.  So high that it was seriously affecting  Rose and the staff doctor was called.  She arrived, and appeared to be a child prodigy of about 12;  however,  she was obviously much older, very knowledgeable, and much wiser than us in matters of altitude sickness. She increased Rose's  blood oxygen level,  checked all her vital functions, gave her medication and stressed drinking Cocoa tea, which is used by many doctors in Ecuador for altitude sickness and is aromatic and delicious. She advised against deep tissue massage and replaced it with relaxing massage  on Rose's agenda and gave orders for her to use a wheel chair for distances.  This scenario sounds worse than it was and Rose feels fine...unless she has to walk uphill. 

The rest of our day was spent settling into our rustic cottage, complete with hot mineral bath pool outside the backdoor, and waiting for our first spa treatments. (See photos)   It was cold at the spa, so Charito was the only one of us hardy enough to enjoy the mineral pool that evening.

After our first round of spa treatments, which included several types of massages and  body wraps with either Andean mud or Wine.  We had dinner in the hotel restaurant (see egg dish photo - my dinner).  Following that Rose,  Ruth, and Mary Lu had facials and returned to the cottage looking 20 years younger  :-)  !!!   Thursday morning began with breakfast at the hotel. Their specialty that day was an American breakfast buffet, which we all bypassed for traditional Ecuadorian cafe con leche (caliente), bread,  Ecuadorian omelets, and other guava marmalade  --  good enough to eat by the spoonful. 

Our morning was rounded out with more spa treatments and relaxation in the pre-post treatment waiting room.  I must say that I had an Pindus Herbal  Massage using large sachets of heated herbs, which included lemon grass, chamomile, eucalyptus, and mint in a manner similar to heated stone massages.   It ranks number one on my list of relaxing massages.    Once all treatments were completed, we started down the mountain on our way to Cotacochi for the last two days of the Ecuadorean leg of our vacation.

Traveling through the mountains was a mind boggling,  and (to use and overworked word) and awesome experience. A new highway has been cut through the mountains in the last three years.  The mountains have been cut away and permeable coverings put on them to enable water to drain and plants to grow to revegetate the environment.  Photos included simply do not tell the scope of the project.  Also included are photos of salt caves and the monster in the mountain!   (See if you can find it,)

On the way to Cotacachi, we stopped at a roadside fruit stand and enjoyed the green chitimoya fruit, which is soft and scrumptious, and simply too fragile to ship very far, so rarely seen in the States.  Dinner was at Puerto Lago on a beautiful lake in Otavala.  Please note The duel world contrast of our fine dining and the woman outside the window washing clothes in the lake.  Two cultures meet. This can be said about Ecuador in general, the original people very often maintain their clothing and life style, while the Western culture influence comes in and the two live side by side.    

Included is a photo of a partially completed cement structure, this is to show how the houses are built. Wood structures are very rare, and is it not uncommon to see s one story structure with steel rods extended above...placed there in preparation for completing the second floor at a later date.  We dropped our luggage off at our last Ecudorean home away from home and went into town to walk the streets, see some of the leather shops, as it is a town of excellent leather artisans, and shop for a few supplies for our house -- especially coffee and water!  Now we could brush our teeth and begin the next day  with coffee.