Galapagos on a Budget

Pretty much all of my planning came from reading other people's blogs. I only felt that Galapagos was manageable for me on my budget because I saw so many others had done it successfully, and had blogged about it. So here are my thoughts and recommendations.

Budget for 2 people:

Flights: ~$925

Visas: $220

Airport transport: $28

Hostel: $175

Food: ~$110

Excursions: ~$130

Activities on Santa Cruz: ~$100

Total: ~$1688 ($844 per person)

HOSTEL:
What you should expect from a hostel - air conditioning or a fan, hot water, wifi, private bathroom
What a hostel might also offer you - laundry service (extra $), breakfast (extra $), water/tea/coffee, kitchen (recommended but not required), common space (nice plus)
Laundry service - Lava Flash had ours done by 5 pm for $1.50/1 kg, this is the cheapest any hostel offered it to us, so it's not a necessary hostel service.
Kitchen - HIGHLY recommended, we ran across our fair share of problems without one. Even if you don't cook, just being able to make a sandwich will come in handy.
Water - can't drink the tap here, there are lots of places to buy the large bottles, we lucked out because we got water from our hostel, which I think saved us money because we drink a lot and also used it to brush our teeth and wash our produce.

FOOD:
Breakfast was bread, fruit, and yogurt with coffee or tea from our hostel.
Lunch was $3-4 "almuerzo" or some empanadas in the backpack if we were going to be out for lunch.
Snacks were purchased if needed, and we also had a granola/peanut mix made from grocery store purchases.
Dinner was tomato/avocado/queso fresco sandwiches sometimes with fruit or ice cream.
With a kitchen we could have done more, but we enjoyed it. Our variety came at lunch. We just had some ant/mouse problems due to poor storage, and had to "borrow" plates and utensils from the breakfast area of the attached hotel.

TRANSPORT:
The cheapest option is the bus to and from the airport ($2/person).
We did this on the way to Puerto Ayora but decided to see Los Gemelos on the way out so we went with a taxi ($20). But to get the bus back to the airport, you take a taxi ($1-2) to Terminal Terrestre at the north of town for the 7:30 or 8:30 am bus. Miss these and you take a taxi ($15-20).
Around town we just walked everywhere.
We only used taxis to get to Garrapatero beach and to Puntudo.

ACTIVITIES:
Almost everything we did on Santa Cruz was free. The only thing that cost money was our 3 hour kayak rental
($50/2 people) and day-long snorkel rental ($6/2 people). Otherwise the actual activities were free. The taxis we took obviously cost money, but they took us to free activities.
Here is a list of everything we did and what we got to see there:

• Tortuga Bay - finches, lizards, marine iguanas, fish, pelicans, mangroves, cacti; also where marine tortoises lay their eggs (this happens at night)
• Main port/Academy Bay - small sharks, fish, sea lions, pelicans, crabs, sea gulls; where boats come and go for day trips and access to other islands
• Charles Darwin Station - land iguanas, giant tortoises, finches, lizards; the site where they are working on regrowing the tortoise population through breeding programs
• Laguna de las Ninfas - rays, spiders, mangroves; where salt and fresh water mix
• El Mirador - a collapsed lava tunel 2 km outside of Puerto Ayora
• Garrapatero Beach - bugs, finches, seagulls, frigates; beautiful beach on the other side of the island that sometimes has flamingos and ducks
• Playa de los Alemanes/Punta Estrada beach/Las Grietas - frigates, seagulls, crabs, fish; three different points along a walk on the other side of the main port
• Kayaking through Academy Bay and adjacent waters - pelicans, blue-footed boobies, ray, crabs, marine iguanas, sea lions, fish, other birds, mangroves
• Puntudo/Media Luna - birds, crickets, dragonflies, many new species of plants; a long muddy hike to see the top of an old volcano (we think?)
• Los Gemelos - a pair of craters we are going to visit on the way to the airport tomorrow

There are some things you can do that cost money on Santa Cruz, but it's mostly the other lava tunnels ($3/person) or the tortoise ranches ($3/person), but we just chose the free options instead. You can do kayak or bike tours of the island which could be cool, but you can also just rent kayaks or bikes and do it on your own. Just depends on your comfort level.

EXCURSIONS:
We only went on one day trip, to Isla Floreana. We got a great deal of $60 by purchasing directly from the tour operator. We did a lot of searching and chatting at various agencies, but the place across the street from our hotel gave us Julian's name and so we went straight to the source. However, we thought the price included scuba masks and it did not. Luckily you can rent them on Floreana for $3/person, the same as on Santa Cruz, so it worked out. I definitely recommend late night deal scrounging, and looking for the tour operator. Spanish speaking gets you a cheaper price (we tried this out with Steph going in English and me going in Spanish separately). Everything closes down at/around 8 pm so make sure you had your place in place and paid for by then. Otherwise, you can try your luck around 7 or 7:30 am on the pier to fill empty spots, but that's a pretty big gamble we ended up not taking. Be sure to confirm what is and is not included, since we did a bad job on that. Wear sturdy shoes, pack lots of water, and be prepared for any weather.


If I could do it again, I recommend island hopping instead of day tripping as a method to see other islands. For example, 2-3 days on Cristobal or Isabela and 2-3 days on Santa Cruz with maybe a day trip to Floreana or Santa Fe if there is something particular you want to see. But having a home on the island definitely makes it easier to explore. 4 hours on a boat to spent 4-5 hours on an island didn't seem like a good deal to us. But 4 hours on a boat to spend 2-3 days, that makes sense. And there are ferries and boat deals to get back and
forth from the other islands, so it's definitely doable, and in my opinion, recommendable.

If you read this and are considering a trip to Galapagos, feel free to message me or comment with any questions. Also, check out my other posts for more information. Happy traveling (and budgeting)!

Guide to: Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz, Galapagos

For anyone doing the island-hopping, budget version of the Galapagos Islands, here are some activities and tips for your time in Puerto Ayora. There are even more activities outside of Puerto Ayora but on Santa Cruz, so check out my other blog posts!

Essentials/Necessities:
Hotel Flamingo (1) - good place, water was a bonus, lack of kitchen was a negative, took utensils from hotel breakfast area, had ants/mice which was bad but our fault for poorly storing our food

The door to Hotel Flamingo

          Across the street market for empanadas if you need to carry a lunch, carne variety was good even after              hours in a backpack

         Also across the street - tour place that lead us to Julian's

Market (2) - lots of fruits and vegetables, definitely look around to find a good deal
Panaderia (3) - one block before market, delicious bread, also has dairy products

Grocery stores - multiple on main road between port and market, also one to the left of the hospital and church if your back is to the pier, good for non-perishables and forgotten items like towels
Kiosks (4) - block of restaurants that serve "almuerzos" and "meriendas" at $3-4 as well as "platos a la carta", chairs and tables pulled into the street at night but not for lunch because of the sun/traffic

The Kiosks at night

ATM (5) - the one closest to our hostel, there is one on the main road but it's more on the way out of town.
Main pier - good place to check out at night when lights are on to see fauna, very active in evenings, where boats and taxis come and go, where bus drops off
Terminal Terrestre (6) - where buses pick up to go to airport, also beginning of the red dirt road to El Mirador


Activities:
Julian's (7) - where we got our deal for our day trip, snorkel masks NOT included, found him through the tour place directly across from our hotel

Kayak rental (8) - also does tours and snorkel rental, got a great deal, took us to the people who actually own the kayaks (PICTURE BELOW), not sure if it would've been cheaper going directly to them, also this corner has $1 scoop and soft serve ice cream.

NOT what is #8 on the map. The location where we actually picked up the kayaks

Tortuga Bay (9)
Nymph Lagoon (10)
Charles Darwin Station (11)
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Map at the main pier

My homemade Google Map guide to Puerto Ayora.

The numbers in the guide above correspond to the numbers here

Guide to: El Mirador, Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Very easy trip to see a lava tunnel if you don't want a wet, slippery, dark, and $3 real one (plus the price of the taxi). It's collapsed so easily visible from the outside and free. Both my sister and I hate small, dark spaces, so this was perfect for us.


Walk about 2 km out from the center of Puerto Ayora. 1 km to the edge of town/gasolinera:

1 km along Red Dirt Road next to road to Baltra:

It's on the left side of the road so you have to be vigilant that you don't miss it walking on the dirt road which is to the right of the actual road. We saw not 1 but 3 giant tortoises on our walk there!

Definitely a nice post-lunch activity if you had a long morning. Also good if the weather is bad for other activities. You could also taxi or do it on your way to other activities, since it is on the main road.

Guide to: Puntudo, Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Puntudo is one of the tallest peaks on Santa Cruz, along with Cerro Crocker. The word in spanish means "Pointy", and it refers to the splatter cone of a volcano.

"El Puntudo" as seen from almost the end of the hike

This hike was recommended by the guy at our hotel when he explained that Gemelos would take 15 minutes and we were better off going on the way to the airport. Both he and the taxi driver said 2 hours, but the sign/letrero says 3. We recommend 2.5.

The sign/letrero at the beginning of the hike

We went to Puntudo, until Steph luckily saw a poorly placed "Stop" sign. I had already continued past it 5 minutes.

Sign about the size of a license plate.

Not sure how long Cerro Crocker would take. There is a split about halfway to Puntudo.

My sister (Vana White) indicating the path to Puntudo at the split

You don't climb up to Puntudo (maybe you can but you would probably need a knowledgable guide), you just get up next to it where you can see it well despite the mist. It was cloudy and misty on our climb up, which made it bearable. That also meant it was wet and muddy. Shoes will get soaked through with water and mud, and path will be slippery (Steph fell once and we both almost fell countless times). Also had mud on our legs up to our shorts. This could be an alternative pre/post activity for Garrapatero Beach, if Cerro Mesa is "nublado" or you want something more active, because its in the same direction on the road.


Taxi was $20 round trip, even though the taxi driver wanted $25 and the hotel man said it should be $12.

A Push for Public Transit: An Account of My Days in Santiago

My time in Santiago was broken up into two chunks, so I decided to write just one blog about my entire experience at the end of it. Currently, I'm sitting on flight 2 of 4 on my way home to the United States. Seems as good a time as any.

I was in Santiago from July 13th to the 16th, and then the 19th to today, the 24th. I stayed with my aunt/mom's cousin, Rebecca, and Gonzalo, and their newborn son Martin. It was really nice to have a home base during my time in Santiago. Becca and Gonzalo both work in tourism, and therefore know a lot about good places to visit, fun activities, and public transit. And the food wasn't half bad either ;) I really enjoyed getting to know them and the extended Chilean family. I can't thank them enough. Hopefully when Martin is older they can come visit D.C. and I will show them around.

As for being a tourist, Santiago admittedly doesn't have much to offer on the surface. Yes, it's the capital city, so it has government buildings and a decent amount of history. It is definitely filled with museums of all types, but I for one can't spend a whole week in museums. Better to pick a few good ones and use the rest of your time in a different manner. If you take a look at other blogs out there, you can't get a good feel for what is worth visiting and what's not. The title of this post comes from the fact that many people I encountered, including the family I stayed with, were amazed at the way I was able to use the public transportation system to my advantage. I was able to do pretty much everything I wanted without having to use taxis, colectivos, or renting a car (one exception was in Casablanca but I think I could've done it without the colectivo).

One thing I will recommend in going on a bike tour with La Bicicleta Verde. I did their afternoon "Parks and Politics" tour, which ended up being 3 hours in the freezing cold rain, but I learned a lot about the city and it really got me oriented to the different neighborhoods that surround the city center. I was also introduced to the history of Chile, most importantly the effects the "golpe militar" of 1973 had on the capital.

Other places I visited/wandered around in are:
Plaza de Armas
El Palacio de la Moneda* (I highly recommend going on a tour, must be prearranged online)
Cerro Santa Lucia*
Parque Forestal
Mercado Central* (delicious seafood, look for the inexpensive lunch stalls on the side away from the river)
Barrio Bellavista
Cerro San Cristobal (not as unsafe as they might say, especially if you team up with some other tourists to walk around)
La Chascona, house of Pablo Neruda
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos*
Museo Nacional de la Historia Natural
M100 cultural center
A public library
Reserva Natural Aguas de Ramon (11 km of walking and trekking! if you don't go here, trek somewhere)
Viña Santa Rita (see the separate blog post on this one)
Centro Cultural La Moneda
Barrio Lastarria
Calle San Diego* (good if you're looking to pick up a new book to read)
Mercado Artesanal Santa Lucia

I starred my favorites on the list, things I consider to be must see.

I also learned some fun new vocabulary in Chile, despite most of the people eating at least the last syllable of every word. Things like "po" at the end of a sentence, "huevando" being the equivalent of the Ecuadorian "chendo", and many others that I can't spell. Miraculously, I could understand most Chileans on the second repetition of what they were trying to say. I even managed to convince the people there I was Chilean on a few occasions. My spanish was good enough at this point that I got a few, "Pero es chilena, no?" (But, you're Chilean, right?), which made me swell with pride. I was also made fun of (in the nicest way possible) because of the very Spain Spanish way I would pronounce words like "gracias". Hopefully I will be able to keep this up now that I'm heading back to the states.

Overall, I really enjoyed Santiago, and Chile as a whole. I'm already planning to come back when it's summer in the southern hemisphere, regardless of how far off that trip will be. I know there is so much more to see in this beautiful country.

Books I read:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Game by Terry Schott
Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Viña Santa Rita, vineyard visiting in Santiago

Because I can't get enough of Chilean wine, I visited yet another winery during my time there. To decide what winery to visit, I used a copy of WineSpectator magazine, which my mom has a subscription to. They just happened to have a Chile edition come out before I left for my trip.

There are many wineries close to the city center of Santiago, and some are even accessible by public transportation. These are the ones I focused on, since I was without my own transport and on a budget. Of the top wineries in the region (Maipo valley), both Concha y Toro and Santa Rita are accessible for those without their own transport. I chose Santa Rita because all the reviews and blogs I read online said that the vineyard itself was pretty and that the experience did not feel artificial and automated, as many people noted after visiting Concha y Toro.

However, once I made my choice, getting there by public transit didn't seem as easy as I thought. After using Google Maps, various iPhone apps, and the internet in general, I settled on an approximately 1.5 hour trip. I took the Metro from Ñuñoa where I was staying, to Estacion Central, about 30 minutes and $630 chilean pesos. Then I took a Buses Paine bus to the center of Buin, the town closest to Viña Santa Rita (45 minutes, $1.200 chilean pesos). Finally, I took MB-81, a "micro" from a few blocks from where Buses Paine dropped me off to the gates of Viña Santa Rita (30 minutes, $600 chilean pesos). With waiting and walking, this put me walking up the path to the vineyard about 5 minutes before the 12 pm tour I was signed up for was going to start. Luckily, a man from the vineyard stopped his truck and took me to the tourism building.

The tour itself was great. It was the first vineyard tour I've ever been on, because before this day I had only done tastings. I learned a lot about how they make their wine and the differences between white and red wine as well as their different lines (Premium, Reserva, Gran Reserva). About 15 minutes in, I was joined by a woman from Sweden, but before that I had been on my own with my guide, Ignacio. Even though the vineyard is not as lush and green as it would be in the summer, I highly recommend doing a vineyard visiting trip in the low tourism season. A lot of places offer lower prices (not Santa Rita), and you are often alone or in a very small group. It really makes the experience more unique and personal. We ended the tour in one of the cellars with a tasting of a Sauvignon Blanc and two Cabernet Sauvignon (to compare Reserva with Gran Reserva). We received the glasses we were drinking out of as souvenirs and were allowed to savor the last wine as wandered through the wine shop upstairs.

Since this was my big splurge day, I had lunch in the restaurant at the vineyard, along with the Swedish woman from my tour. It was nice to have company, and we chatted in Spanish about our travels and visiting vineyards on a budget. I had lamb ravioli with a tomato and eggplant sauce, accompanied by the Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon we had tasted (it was the recommended pairing). It was very delicious, and worth the splurge.

Viña Santa Rita has something else unique to offer: el museo andino (Andean museum). It is the private collection of one of the original owners, and includes over 300 pieces of Precolombian art from various South American countries. I particularly enjoyed some of the smaller statues from Easter Island and the metal jewelry by the Mapuche people (indigenous to Chile). There was also a photo exhibition by Manuel Dominguez, of Chile around the time of its 100th anniversary of independence. It was a very nice after lunch activity to stroll around and enjoy the art.

To get back to Ñuñoa, I was determined to find a shorter more efficient path. First, our tour guide drove us both back to the gate in a golf cart. Then, I was instructed to take the same blue "micro", MB-81, in which I had arrived, and continue in the same direction. In this manner, I arrived at the metro station Plaza de Puente Alto, which is the south end of line 4, the line on which I was staying. this trip took about 30 minutes and again cost me $600. The trip from the end of the metro line to my stop also took 30 minutes and cost me $630. The Swedish woman was heading back towards the center of Santiago, and therefore took a green "micro" that said ALAMEDA across the top, to return to the bus station Estacion Alameda, at the metro stop Universidad de Santiago. Both of these methods are faster and more efficient than the methods she and I used to arrive (she took a more expensive "colectivo" = shared taxi). The vineyard is working on providing all visitors who email or call about tours and tastings with custom directions from where they live or are staying. However, this is a work in progress, so for now they recommend calling the day before and asking for specific directions directly.

I really enjoyed Viña Santa Rita. It had a lot of history, but the same time is not falling by the wayside when it comes to the modern wine industry. It is the number 1 wine in Chile and the number 2 wine in exports, constantly battling with Concha y Toro. So it shouldn't be too hard for me to find some of their wine in the states, especially since their distributor is located in Washington, D.C. So to anyone looking for a winery to visit while in Santiago, this one comes highly recommended!

Casablanca Valley, Chile on a budget without a car

As most can tell from my posts, I try to travel on a budget, however that does not mean I don't enjoy the finer things in life. Like wine. Specifically chilean wine. And my family here in Chile told me that Casablanca valley was home to some great vineyards, and it was on the way to/from Valparaiso. Without a car, none of us were sure how to visit this area. But I found a way, and it was pretty cheap.

On my Tours4Tips tour of Valparaiso, the guide Priscilla explained that you could go to the Bus Station in town and find a colectivo (shared taxi) that had a pretty reasonable price of 1.500 chilean pesos to go to Casablanca's main square. And if you haggled, you could get him to take you to a vineyard for about 4.000 chilean pesos more. However, that involved having a day during which you wanted to leave Valparaiso and then return there. I didn't have that in my plan.

So after some internet searching, I found a different method. I arrived at the Bus Station the morning I planned to return to Santiago, and instead of heaing to Pullman or TurBus (the big well-known bus companies), I went to the desk of Buses Casablanca. 5 minutes later I was on a bus to Casablanca's main square for 1.200 chilean pesos. Once there, I found a colectivo who had a very useful map of all the vineyards. I had a few in mind, but he showed me that if I picked different vineyards I could easily walk between them. So for 3.500 chilean pesos. he took me to Viñamar, right next to Viña Indomita. I could have gone to the winery I wanted for 5.000, but it would have left me 6 km from any other well-known vineyards. He left me at the front door of Viñamar, with his card so I could have the vineyard call me when I wanted to be picked up and returned to Casablanca. But I had other plans.

The wine tasting at Viñamar cost 4.000 chilean pesos, and included 3 of their wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. They were all very good (at least I thought so), though there were a lot of bugs flying around the tasting room which didn't really make the experience more enjoyable. I did get my own personal tasting assistant at both vineyards, since it was low tourist season and I was always 5 or 10 minutes behind any larger tour groups. After enjoying the view and finished off the provided palatte-cleansing crackers, I grabbed my stuff and walked to Viña Indomita next door. On my way out, I stopped to ask the guard about the way to cut through the vineyards, as well as the possibility of picking up a bus to Santiago from the nearby highway.

I unfortunately missed the tour of Viña Indomita by 20 minutes, but that happens when you arrive with no plan and no research. I could have stayed for the next one in 2 hours, but I wanted to get back to Santiago at a reasonable time. So I just did a tasting there as well. I splurged and payed 6.000 chilean pesos for the Premium tasting. This included an awesome souvenir tasting glass with the vineyard's logo. Here I got Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenere blend. The view was slightly more impressive since the tasting area is outside on a deck, and the building is set up on a hill. After a short relaxation period enjoying the view, I climbed back down the hill and walked to the closest bus stop on the highway, about 30 minutes when all said and done with.

Catching the bus was probably the most difficult part. It involved me standing in the bus lane so I could see down the highway, and then waving and jumping around once a bus that said "Santiago" came by. The 4th or 5th bus took pity on me and stopped, so I grabbed my bag off the bench and went running up to it. Pretty packed, I settled next to the father of the family in the row in front of me and took a nap until arriving back in Santiago.

Overall, this experience cost me 17.200 chilean pesos (about $35 US dollars), and since a bus back to Santiago directly from Valparaiso would have cost me 3.500 ($7), I really only "splurged" $28 US dollars on a day at the wineries. I highly recommend this for anyone going to/from Valparaiso or somewhere else on the chilean coast, especially if you don't have the opportunity to see vineyards anywhere else along your journey. 

Happy wine tasting!

The dirty drunkard cousin city of Chile...aka Valparaiso

Most of the words in the title are not mine, but a paraphrased quote from Priscilla, my Tours4Tips guide in Valparaiso. This tour was one of the first things I did upon arrival, and it oriented me to the city as well as gave me lots of ideas of what to do with the rest of my time there. I highly recommend it!

I went to Valparaiso mostly because there was not a single person who heard I was going to Chile and failed to recommend this beach town. So with a laundry list of recommendations for food, hostels, and activities, I hopped on a bus in Santiago and took a trip to the coast. With help from some pre-Google mapping, I found my hostel (Hostel Casa Valparaiso - I also recommend this place!) and settled in.

Throughout my stay I sampled many Chilean and Porteño (meaning "from Valparaiso") specialities, including:
Chorrillana - a huge greasy plate of potatoes, meat, onions, and cheese made for 2-3 people; I ate it alone...
Un completo - a hot dog covered in cheese (I think), tomatoes, avocado spread, and mayonaise
Chichon - chicha, in Chile a drink make from stepping on grapes, + young white wine
Alfajores - a cookie sandwich with manjar (dulce de leche) in between, entirely covered in chocolate
Pisco - a very suave ("smooth") liquor that is often served as a "sour"; I had it with ginger ale
A very inexpensive Chilean beer that I cannot remember the name of
Wine - 6 different vintages from 2 different Casablanca Valley vineyards; these get their own blog post

Valparaiso is a really cool city because the isolating geography of the cerros (hills) makes each neighborhood very distinct and unique. Cerro Concepcion and Alegre are full of hostels and tourists and are considered to be pretty safe; Cerro Polanco houses the commissioned, legal graffiti from a festival a few years back; Cerro Bellavista is well know for el Museo a Cielo Abierto and one of Pablo Neruda's homes, La Sebastiana. And by the way, there are 44-45 cerros in Valparaiso...I only visited less than a half-dozen, and I was occupied for days. There is also the "plan", or flat region of the city along the coast and port, which is more of a comercial area than residential.

I also went to Valparaiso's clean, organized brother, Viña del Mar, for a day. In this beach vacation town, all the roads are at 90 degree angles and have creative names like "14 norte" and "1 este". The beaches are a great place to relax and read or nap, but otherwise the city doesn't have too much to offer for tourists like me. There are plenty of expensive hotels and restaurants, as well as malls and a casino, but most of these were not in the budget plan, so I just took pictures of them and wandered on. Definitely good for a beach day though.

My hostel was a great place to meet people, and the people of Valpo, as it's affectionately called, are the best characters. Due to a large fire about 1.5 months ago, my hostel was also home to some porteños working to get back on their feet. So not only did I meet colombianos, franceses, argentinos, brazileños and australians, I hung out with some locals and listened to their stories. There was a great family atmosphere, everyone hanging out together at the end of the day, talking about what they did and saw, and giving suggestions/making plans for the following day. Traveling alone, it was great to hang out with a bunch of other young travelers on a budget, and just experience the city together.
So, just like everyone who recommended it to me, I recommend Valpo to any travelers passing through Chile. It's definitely worth the stop!

Book finished in Valpo - Cien Años de Soledad (100 Years of Solitude) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (in Spanish this time)

I DO NOT recommend Lima Airport as a layover spot

Hopefully this reaches fellow travelers who are planning excursions in South America. I just had my first experience in the Lima Airport, and unfortunately have to repeat it next week when I return home, but maybe others can avoid the headache.

Avianca had a package from Quito to Santiago, Chile that included a ~1.5 hour layover in Lima, Peru. I figured that if they were giving me such a small layover, that it was a small airport and I should have no trouble making my flight. My flight from Quito landed about 15 minutes late, already cutting my layover short, but I wasn't too worried. I discovered that it is a small airport, that much is true. But I just barely made my flight.

According to a family member who traveled through Lima in the early 2000s, not much has changed since then. There is construction everywhere and as a result the security lines that ALL international transfer travelers must pass through consists of 4 luggage scanners and 2 metal detectors. The result is a 30-45 minute line waiting to make it to this security checkpoint, and then just chaos. The people working there don't actually know what you need to take off and what you don't, so they just say "give it a try" and if the metal detector goes off you can just take it off. That results in many people going through the detector 2-3 times, and random small baskets of belongings being shoved through the luggage scanners. Luckily I only had to return to remove my shoes, but then I had to wait for 2 confused people to figure out exactly what was setting the scanner off.

If you ask any of the airport workers if you have time to make it through the line, they say yes of course. And, if you're worried, they reassure you that the airlines come down to security to search for people if the flight needs to leave. Do you feel reassured?

Luckily I got to my gate as they made the final "and everyone else for the flight to Santiago" call. However, my layover on the way back is even shorter, and I need to make it to Quito on time to catch my next flight with a different airline. So hopefully that adventure goes well.

Just wanted to put this out there to warn other travelers to look for connections that don't pass through Lima or that have longer layovers. Happy travels!

The Galapagos Islands!!

I will be writing various informative posts for other bloggers about my time in the Galapagos, because I found most of the information I used to plan this trip on other travelers' blogs. But they are going to involve helpful pictures and maps, so they can't be posted until I'm stateside with a computer at my disposal. So for now, a short summary of my trip to the "Enchanted Islands".

We arrived Saturday, July 5, to Baltra airport, and after passing through the most strict customs you will find anywhere, we rode a bus to a ferry to another bus to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. We had nothing planned, nothing concrete, nowhere to stay. We asked a kind lady on the bus (who turned out to own a newspaper stand in town) where to find the hostels. She pointed us to the street parallel to main street (Av. Baltra) and off we went with many other homeless travelers. After chatting with multiple, we chose Hotel Flamingo. The hostal they run is behind the new hotel in the old building, so we could get a good price on a room with 2 single beds and a private bathroom. Oh, and a fan, because air conditioning costs extra. It also included coffee, tea, and purified water (you cannot drink the tap water on the islands). The only thing I forgot to negotiate/look for was a kitchen. I had hoped to remember the importance of that when looking around, but forgot. Though since we are flexible and intelligent, we figured it wouldn't be too hard to improvise.

We got to see and do a lot while we were here, so instead of giving you a day by day account, here is a list of the places we went and things (mostly animals) that we saw there:

• Tortuga Bay - finches, lizards, marine iguanas, fish, pelicans, mangroves, cacti; also where marine tortoises lay their eggs (this happens at night)
• Main port/Academy Bay - small sharks, fish, sea lions, pelicans, crabs, sea gulls; where boats come and go for day trips and access to other islands
• Charles Darwin Station - land iguanas, giant tortoises, finches, lizards; the site where they are working on regrowing the tortoise population through breeding programs
• Laguna de las Ninfas - rays, spiders, mangroves; where salt and fresh water mix
• El Mirador - a collapsed lava tunel 2 km outside of Puerto Ayora
• Garrapatero Beach - bugs, finches, seagulls, frigates; beautiful beach on the other side of the island that sometimes has flamingos and ducks
• Playa de los Alemanes/Punta Estrada beach/Las Grietas - frigates, seagulls, crabs, fish; three different points along a walk on the other side of the main port
• Kayaking through Academy Bay and adjacent waters - pelicans, blue-footed boobies, ray, crabs, marine iguanas, sea lions, fish, other birds, mangroves
• Puntudo/Media Luna - birds, crickets, dragonflies, many new species of plants; a long muddy hike to see the top of an old volcano (we think?)
• Los Gemelos - a pair of craters we are going to visit on the way to the airport tomorrow

Our big day trip was to Isla Floreana, which will get its own blog post once I can add pictures. I will link all my other blog posts to this one once I write and post them. It was a really fun trip to see another island and go snorkeling (with a marine tortoise!), though the 2 hour boat ride was not too fun, especially since Steph unfortunately got seasick on the way over. My thoughts on the usefulness/benefits of day trips here in the Galapagos have changed, and that will also be added to my post about Floreana.

This trip has definitely been an adventure. Planning has been very day-by-day, hour-by-hour, but we got to see a lot of cool flora and fauna. We made the trip our own and did the types of activities that we enjoy, and I think that was definitely important. Flexibility, spontaneity, and a willingness to adapt are important to have when approaching the Galapagos on a budget. We ate lunch out almost every day and just had the $3-4 "almuerzo" menu that looked the most appetizing as we walking around reading the whiteboards. Breakfast was bread and fruit, and dinner was tomato/avocado/cheese sandwiches (except on the nights we splurged and went out). The in between times were filled with peanuts and granola, and occasionally an additional fruit or ice cream purchase. We worked really hard to keep a low budget, because we wanted to experience the Galapagos that we had already paid for, with our $110 of entrance fee and visa to come to the National Park. And I think we accomplished it pretty well. Obviously I would do it differently if I could do it again, but that's always the way it is. I'm glad that so many people encouraged me to visit the Galapagos since I was already in Ecuador, because it is an amazing place to see.

I leave with sun burn and sun poisoning, a few bug bites, a few purchased souvenirs, and hundreds of photos. Nothing much else can be taken from these islands. The mantra "Take only photos and leave only footprints" is something that they follow pretty strictly here, and we have tried to do the same. I look forward to sharing all my pictures with all of you soon!

Reflection on our visit to meet Steph's Compassion child, Angie

This whole experience started when I decided to spend a month in Cuenca, Ecuador. Steph and I discussed traveling together after my program was finished, and she mentioned offhand that the child she sponsors through Compassion International lived in Ecuador.
For those of you who don't know, Compassion International is an international (go figure) sponsorship program that connects willing and able donors to children in need of physical and spiritual assistance/guidance all around the world. The choir that Steph and I sang in for six years, Joyful Noise!, worked with and raised money for Compassion and I specifically helped run the table at concerts where we would help/encourage people to sponsor children.
I thought 'cool, maybe we could see her' but didn't give it too much thought since she couldn't remember exactly where in Ecuador Angie lived.

But it turns out, Angie lives in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, and the city I would be flying in and out of. So we decided that, regardless of our other travel plans, we would try to spend some time in Quito  at the beginning of our trip and maybe see Angie. Steph had waited until about 8 weeks before our travel dates to set up the trip, so I just went along and planned other things.

I was on the outside of the planning process, so I don't know much of what it entailed. I had to fill out information for a background check, as well as provide Steph with information about where we would be staying and my contact number in Ecuador. Then she sent me the itinerary/general plan that she received from Compassion.

The day of the visit, July 2, we received a call from Steph's contact in the Ecuador Compassion office. She reiterated the plan and told us to expect Angie and Ruth, the translator/coordinator, to arrive at 10. It was as we sat outside the hostel that I realized I didn't even know what Angie looked like. This day was really all up to and for Steph. And then she arrived. This cute little Ecuadorian girl with big poofy hair holding a drawing for her madrina. "Madrina" in Spanish means godmother, and while there is a more direct translation for sponsor ("patrocinador"), I think that this is the perfect term to describe the role of a Compassion sponsor. The money that Steph sends every month not only assists with Angie's living situation, food, and other necessaries, it also fosters her spiritual growth. And the connection made between them was facilitated through spiritual and religious organizations.

I maintained my role as photographer throughout the day, since I wanted to be sure that Steph got everything she wanted out of the day. I don't think Angie even noticed I was there too much. She just wanted to hold Steph's hand and hug Steph. Even though they were both nervous and couldn't think of too many things to say/ask one another, just being together was enough. We went up the teleferico to the top of a mountain outside of Quito, then to Parque Vulcan for some state park-esque games and rides, followed by KFC for lunch. All accompanied by Angie's mom and Sonia, one of the teachers from the Compassion center. This was great fun for Angie and Steph, spending time together and learning about each other, and a great experience for me getting to see and document it all.

After lunch was the visit to Angie's home and the Compassion center. I wasn't sure what to expect from this part of the day. We found out that Angie lives on the outside edge of Quito, in an area dominated by gangs on a street filled with speeding cars. She shares a room with her older brother and a bed with her mother and 2 year old brother. There is one other bedroom and then a living-dining-kitchen-closet room. They rent their apartment and keep their dog Muñeco ("doll") up on the roof. She walks to school every day and often comes home to an empty house because her parents are both at work. On Thursdays and Fridays, she goes to the Compassion center for lunch and classes. The center serves around 160 children, 130 of them teenagers. They currently support their students until 18, but are looking into extending the program until 22. Next year, Angie will enter high school ("colegio") which is 6 years long here in Ecuador. She wants to study gastronomia ("cooking") when she finishes high school.

All that's left is the end of the visit. The saying goodbye was the hardest part for both of them. They didn't want to stop hugging and they did not want to let go. Angie's mother could not stop thanking us for visiting and Steph for helping Angie. The center staff implored us to return. Angie is certainly in capable hands, and I know she will do amazing things. There are many more bits and pieces of this day that I could write about, but I think I've summed most of it up. 

Quito! (and Compassion and Otavalo)

So a lot happened this week and I didn't really have time to post. Or mostly I was just too tired/lazy to do so. Therefore, you get a summary of Steph's and my time in Quito.

Day 0: Steph's arrival in Quito. She didn't get in until about 10:30 so I spent most of my day in the Quito Airport food court, using the free wifi and indulging in KFC and Baskin Robbins. Then it was a 45 minute taxi ride to Hostel El Arupo, and beds.

Day 1: Breakfast at El Arupo is eggs, toast with guayana marmalade, coffee or tea, juice and bananas. We switched rooms to a smaller one after some confusions about our reservation. Then we headed off to explore the city. We passed through Parque El Ejido (and bought some delicious watermelon) and Parque La Alameda on our way to the Centro Historico (historical city center). We visited La Basilica del Voto Nacional (The Basilica of the National Vow), Plaza Grande, and many streets in between. Almuerzo (lunch) was a traditional Ecuadorian lunch with soup as the 1st course followed by a plate of rice, salad, and meat, with juice and a pineapple slice for dessert. Next was la Casa Museo de Maria Augusta Urrutia, a very wealthy quiteña who formed la Fundacion Mariana de Jesus to help the poor children of Quito. I had to do the translating since they only offer tours in Spanish. Hopefully Steph understood most of it. Then it was a trek in the rain to find the trole, a light rail/tranvia method of transport to make it back to the hostel. A nap/the US vs. Belgium World Cup game was followed by a trip to the Supermaxi and dinner of tomato, avocado, and queso fresco sandwiches.

Day 2: Today was the day set up with Compassion International so that Steph could meet Angie, the girl she has been sponsoring through the program since her first year of college. I could, and might, write an entire post on this magical day. For now, I will just say that I served as photographer for most of the day, trying to let Steph enjoy her time with Angie and her family. It was a great experience, and I recommend it to anyone who sponsors a child. And for those who don't, consider it! After our fun and emotion-filled day, we went to a local restaurant for empanadas, humitas, and tamales so that Steph could sample some traditional foods. Dinner was followed by some sweet snacks from a local panadería (bread shop) with some yogur de mora (Mulberry yogurt).

Day 3: OTAVALO! Up bright and early to catch the trole to the bus to the bus to Otavalo. This town is known for its artisanal products, so we were very excited to head to the big market. We got lots of great products for ourselves and for others. I won't mention any of them here as to not give away what people might be receiving as birthday or Christmas presents. Everyone there is very kind, and wants you to buy their products. It was interesting to hear the prices change based on your interest and how much they had inflated it in the first place. After loading ourselves down with wares, we headed to Mercado 24 de Mayo for lunch. We had chancho hornado, which is a big roasted pig on a spit that you eat with mote, choclo, papas, ensalada, and the deliciously crunchy skin of the roasted pig. It was yummy and greasy but definitely sites like lead in your stomach. We also picked up some tomatoes and avocados to repeat our dinner from Day 1. After a long 2 hour trip back to Quito, followed by the transfer bus and then the packed trole, we made it back to the hostel, picking up some bread along the way. We tried to go to the observatorio astronomico for the nighttime public telescope time, but it was too cloudy and they weren't open. So we walked back to the hostel for a delicious dinner.

Day 4: We spent our morning getting to and then visiting the Ruinas Rumipamba, located right in the city of Quito. We had a guide who started our tour in very nervous and broken English, but switched to Spanish when we were joined by three bilingual women. So yet again I was translator for Steph. We learned a lot about the plants of the region and how they can be used for dyes and medicines. This  park is 36 hectares of vegetation and excavation, so it was cool to walk around and see how the people of this region lived, before the arrival of the Spanish even before the arrival of the Incas. They lived in the danger zone of the volcano Pichincha, but as our guide pointed out, so does the entire population of Quito! Pichincha is dormant for now, but the modern city doesn't even have the protection that their ancestors constructed for their small civilization. After the ruins, we took the trole down to the south end of the Centro Historico to check out La Ronda. It is a cobblestone street that actually gets lively around 6pm, but we wanted lunch so after some exploring we found a restaurant. I specifically wanted to try canelazo de mora, a traditional drink usually made with naranjilla but here it is made with one of my favorite fruits. I had the almuerzo, with similar courses as Tuesday's, and Steph tried tortilla de papas with various sides along with morocho de dulce, a sweet fruity twist on the standard corn drink I had multiple times in Cuenca. Then it was back on the trole to go to the Museo Banco Central. We learned even more about the history of Ecuador and Quito, as well as looked at some cool art exhibits. Then we laid in the grass outside the museum to enjoy the weather and rest our legs. Then it was back to the hostel. Not sure what lays ahead for dinner tonight, but it's early to bed since we have to be ready to get in our taxi at 5 am tomorrow to get to the Galapagos!

Quito definitely needs more time than we gave it. We experienced the Reader's Digest version for sure, but the day with Compassion meeting Angie was definitely the most important part of it. Anything we end up missing, I just remind myself that I can see that on the next trip :)