Trip of a Lifetime

Gallery: Peru

sregevig — Tue, 1 Apr 2008 00:10:00 GMT

Next stop...the Amazon Jungle!

sregevig — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:36:00 GMT

Today is the start of my tour, our first stop....the Amazon Jungle! We took a 30 minute flight to the town of Coca. From there, it was a 10 minute ride to the launching spot to begin the next phase of our journey. We took a motorized canoe 2 1/2 hours (60 miles) up the Napo River which eventually empties into the Amazon. We then walked for 15 minutes on a board walk that was built about 4 feet high and about 3 feet wide. I was happy to not be walking in the mud but can only imagine how long it took them to build it. We then got into dugout canoes for the final 20 minute ride through the lagoon to our lodgings for the next 3 nights, La Selva Jungle Lodge. To be continued.....

La Compañia Church in Quito

sregevig — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:23:00 GMT

Yesterday, Colleen and I had made plans to go to the historic district since the first time I went, my exploring was cut short by pouring down rain. We literally walked up and down the streets of the historic district and were typical tourists, taking pictures of the main squares and the old churches. We went inside the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesus which is in the pictures. It was built from 1605-1765 and the interior looked like it was made of gold. It was actually 23 karat gold leaf that they used to guild the church and with the sunshining through the windows and dome, the interior of the church glowed. After that, we went to Plaza Grande and people watched. I tried in vain to find a post office to mail off postcards but although it was on a ¨you are here map¨ and in my guidebook, I never did find it. Colleen was kind enough to mail them off for me since we knew there was once by the hostel. We saw rain was coming, so we headed back and said a quick good-bye. Tomorrow, I was taking off on my GAP tour.

Meeting up with my GAP group

sregevig — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:35:00 GMT

Yesterday was mostly an errand day. I mailed a box home of souvenirs from the market in Otavalo, got my laundry done, and walked around the area near by hotel. I also checked into my new hotel and met up with my group for my GAP tour. I´ll be on this tour for the next 36 days leaving from Quito, Ecuador and ending in La Paz, Bolivia. Our group consists of a Canadian couple, an English couple, two other gals from England, an Aussie guy, a gal from Norway and our guide is from Peru. Our group seems to be made up of 4 people born in the 60´s and the rest from the 80´s so at least I´m not the oldest one in the group.

Mitad del Mundo

sregevig — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:32:00 GMT

Yesterday, I left Otavalo and took the bus back to Quito. It was a much quieter ride and since I knew what to expect, it was uneventful. I had ran into the couple from Oakland who also came back to Quito yesterday for their flight home. We went to Mama Clorinda´s which serves Ecuadorian food. I had a really good empanada and rice and shrimp dish. Many of the restaurants will give you popcorn which you´re supposed to put in your soup or many places will serve a plate of large cooked kernels but you can eat them. They´re nice and crunchy. Similar to the size of corn nuts.

I had decided to go to the equator today and I was happy that the Canadian gal I met last night wanted to join me since I was taking the local buses. I had received good directions from the front desk at the hostel and 2 1/2 hours later, we had made it! It was 25 cents for the first bus and 15 cents for the second. They offer tours to go to the equator but who could beat that price? Colleen had heard that some of the people she had met, paid $80 for a taxi. We took the required pictures standing on the equator, walked around the shops and then went into a small museum. It´s the tower type building in the picture. As you walk up to the top of tower, each of the six floors showcases the indigenous people from the various regions of Ecuador. It was interesting and had descriptions in English! I must be in a tourist trap! Coming home was a bit more of an adventure. We caught the bus where the guy was yelling "Quito, Quito" but this bus didn´t stop by the metro bus terminal so we got off when the guy told us to get off. After stopping and asking for directions a few times, and pulling out a map a few times, we made it back to the hostel about an hour later. Of course, we arrived soaking wet because it began to pour down rain a few minutes after we got off the bus. I remember thinking, this is my first miserable point of my trip. They have had so much rain and the places don´t have heaters so your things never dry out. Even the pages of my book in my room was damp. I´m definitely ready to move on and get out of Quito.

Visiting local villages

sregevig — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:51:00 GMT

I decided to stay an extra day so I would have a chance to tour the local villages. Alfonso, my guide, showed up and he spoke even less English than my last guide. I also soon realized that this tour was going to be a walking one. Straight up the hill we went and I'll admit I was out of breath! All I kept thinking was that this was preparing me for Machu Picchu! We reached the Agato Community which has 2,000 people and they are known for their weaving. There were small plots of land with corn wherever they could fit it. They also grow potatoes, beans, and watermelon. Again, there were chickens and pigs alongside the dirt road and music seems to be coming from every house. We walked past a church and it was overflowing but you could hear the sermon outside since the priest was on a microphone. Besides futbol, they also had basketball court and a volleyball court but the net was so high. I have since learned that they have a sport called Eco Volley (?), it's 3 on 3 with a very high net and they play with a small soccer ball.

The first home we stopped at had the grandmother scrambling around to light a fire. She had us sit down on a log in an open room. She then proceeded to bring bricks, hot embers and then brush to start a fire. She then brings a large pot of water and starts putting leaves (nogal) in it to make a green dye. While that was boiling, we went into a lean to and she pulled out wool shorn from a sheep. She proceeded to clean it with a brush and then used a loom to make it into string. I got a chance to try it and then we left. I felt so bad, all that effort to get the water boiling and I never even saw the color in the pot but I did give her a tip for all her effort. I didn´t realize that my guide was from this village and we went to his house next. His wife and two young girls were there. He showed me two different looms, I tried one with four foot pedals but I think I messed up the pattern so I quickly got off. The large loom is used for their hammocks and a smaller one for scarves. The last place I visited was his neighbor´s house and they had an even larger loom for the large wool blankets. I was standing in the corner watching him use the loom and a chicken squawks in my ear. They had a cardboard box attached to the wall and the chicken was roosting above my head. It startled me and then I had to laugh, it looked so strange up there. The houses were quite small and maybe had two rooms with a covered porch on the outside. The first and last place we went to had dirt packed floors. They cover up the cinder block walls with posters, old calendars, etc. All the people we met and as we were walking along the dirt roads were very nice and greeted us as we walked by. Most people seem to walk in the community or take the local bus. I saw 5 cars the whole time I was there. The local buses are like our passenger buses back home complete with TV inside. They have the driver and the assistant that shouts at every corner where they are headed and then takes money after people have boarded. I don´t know how he keeps track of who has paid and who hasn´t. We took the local bus to the Peguche community which has a population of 6, 000. The bus was full and so I had to stand and hold on with both hands or I was going to end up in someone´s lap! My last stop was at a home where they demonstrated many of the instruments they play. He made a pan pipe and then showed me flutes from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. They can make such a pretty sound but I need lots of practice. He also demonstrated a cluster of black things that made a nice rattling sound. I got closer to see what they were, they were sheep hooves-claws? I let go of those quickly. My tour was over and since my hotel was close to the Peguche community, we walked up the hill and he dropped me off. I quickly took a siesta. My 3 hour walking tour was tiring but informative. I´ve met a nice group that had been to the Galapagos and so have been having dinner with them the last few nights. One couple is from Oakland so that was nice to chat with them and they also gave me a couple of books to read.

Visiting the Saturday Market in Otavalo

sregevig — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:13:00 GMT

Otavalo has population of 70,000 and is well known for it's Saturday Indian Market. For hundreds of years, indigenous people from over 70 surrounding villages have brought their crafts and produce to barter and exchange. There is also an animal market but even at 7:30 a.m. I was still too late to see it. Now, many tourists come to buy souvenirs and of course, that is what I did. There was a main square full of booths and then it just spilled over into all the surrounding streets. At one point, I had no idea where I was because you couldn't orient yourself and I wanted to get back to the main square. Some examples of items: artwork and some beautiful paintings, scarves, alpaca scarves, ceramics, handbags, baskets, hats, embroidered towels and pan pipes and other types of musical instruments. I also came across the fruit and vegetable market and that was interesting and a bit smelly. The farther I got away from the traditional craft goods, it became more of a market for the locals. They had jeans, shoes, shirts and household items, and many stands with DVD's but they are all copies.

Everyone was eating and there were carts being walked down the street that had a portable BBQ. They also had a whole cooked pig sitting on a table and they would just fill up a plate from the back side of it and cut away to it's head. They also had whole fish being fried in big pots and laying out on the table. I had to take a picture but I chose pass and had a really good pizza. At one point, I was standing near an older man and he had a bag down by his feet, the next thing I know, it starts moving! And squawking! He must have bought chickens at the animal market this morning. I had to laugh.

Later, when I arrived back in Quito and compared prices, you could get the same scarf for about half the price at the market.

It was an exhausting day and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and catching up on my journal.

Lakes near Otavalo

sregevig — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:49:00 GMT

Ok, this is my 3rd try to type this up, so if it doesn't work, I'm skipping this day! Last night, I checked with the front desk and they booked a tour for me. I wanted to get out and see the countryside. Carlos showed up and he spoke very little English and I realized I was having my very own independent tour. We first drove 16 km south of town and headed up into the hills to Lagunas de Mojanda. The road was once again bumpy, full of ruts and there were times I didn't know if we were going to make it in his small car but we did. There are three lakes near the top of the mountain. The lakes occupy the crater of an extinct volcano. The views were beautiful and the surrounding peaks are about 12,000 feet high. Yes, it was a bit tough to breathe as we went for a 30 minute hike. Along the way, there were farms on the side of hills and there were cows, chickens and pigs alongside the road. Carlos shared with me that children go to school from 8 - 12:30 pm. for 12 years. I have since learned that getting out at 12:30 is only for public schools. Children who go to private schools attend from 8 - 3 p.m. but they all wear uniforms. Private school uniforms are more colorful and dressier.

We then went to Reserva Ecologica Cotacachi-Cayapas. The Reserve was established in 1968 and covers over 2000 sq km. We went to the overlook of Laguna Cuicocha (Guinea Pig Lake in Quichua-the language of the indigenous people of this area). This is also a crater lake at 10,000+ feet. Rumor has it that the two islands in the center (a pair of old volcanic cones) were used by the Incas as a prison. It began to pour down rain so this picture was the only one that I took of this area.

Our last stop was Cotacachi which is a small prosperous town known for it's leather industry and located about 11 km from Otavalo. As were driving to it, we passed a sub-division that was going up they were going for $35k - $50k which is quite alot when most people earn about $300 a month! It was a quick stop as my 3 hour tour was almost up. My tour ended up being quite successful given that I was able to understand about a third of what my guide was telling me. I really wish I would have brushed up on my Spanish before I left but I seem to be getting by okay.

MIsc items: Most of the Otavalo area consists of farming communities. They grow corn, potatoes, strawberries, blackberries and they had some huge greenhouses to grow roses for export. Most of the homes are made of gray cinder blocks and are not painted so they are very dull.

In the afternoon, I went for a walk around the area near my hotel. Women were standing in a small canal with water to their knees washing clothes. You could hear the clothes being slapped against the rocks. Then an older woman was walking up the hill in her bare feet with a herd of sheep.

I headed down the steps and met up with an English family that were looking for Cascade de Peguche, the Peguche waterfalls located nearby. I had a map so I joined them. We walked through the La Facca community and made a donation to visit the falls since they are owned by the native people. I read that the waterfall is the site ritual purification baths which begin a festival in June. It was a very pretty waterfall and we were so close that you could feel the mist.

Gallery: Galapagos Islands

sregevig — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:32:00 GMT

Local bus to Otavalo

sregevig — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 06:53:00 GMT

I said goodbye to my Galapagos group and was once again on my own. First stop, a camera shop! They were able to fix it! It cost about 1/3 the price of my camera but since I had only had the camera for 14 days, I gladly paid it. My plan was to take the local bus about 100 km North to Otavalo. It cost $2.50 for the ride and there were only 6 people on the bus. We then proceeded to stop at every corner, while the assisast yelled, Otavalo, Otavalo. By the time time we left Quito, the bus was almost full. Theý charge a 20 cent gate fee so the locals wait outside the station so they don´t have to pay it. It was a new experience for me and I was the only tourist (white person) for the 3 hour ride. They kept stopping and picking up and dropping people all along the way. Also, whenever we came into a town, someone would jump on and try to sell anything from chips, to candy, to jewelry, grapes, sunglasses, and homemade goods. It was fun to people watch, there were locals in their business clothes to indigenas people in their traditional clothes with children strapped to their backs. When I arrived, I wanted to find a market to get some snacks so I just started walking around. There were whole chickens lying on tables, slabs of meat hanging in shop windows. What a transition from Quito. I had no idea where I was going and must have stuck out with my big backpack. I had found market, when a guy from New York came in to make sure I was okay. He said I looked lost, I´m sure I did. Again, people have been very nice. I took a taxi to my hotel and it was $3 because it was up the hill. Amazing you can go, 100 km for $2.50 and spend more than that just for a 10 minute ride.

I stayed at La Casa Sol and it was absolutely beautiful! Views of the city below, all the rooms had separate entrances from courtyards and gardens. It was so nice and the cost included breakfast and a 3 course dinner each night for $30. Well worth the splurge for a few days.

Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos

sregevig — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:35:00 GMT

We arrived at the Darwin Research Station at 7 a.m. We took a quick walk around and found the Giant Tortoises. They live to close to 200 years old. We watched them eat breakfast of plant leaves. It looked like such a struggle for them. We then went on to a farm where they had a preserve for giant tortoises in the wild. We put on rubber boots and went for an hour walk and saw about four during that time. We then headed to the airport, back to Quito. If anyone ever gets the opportunity to go to the Galapagos Islands. Go!

Española Island, Galapagos Islands

sregevig — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:10:00 GMT

Again, we traveled all night. Last night, I didn´t take my Dramamine early enough and we were really rocking so I headed to bed and prayed for sleep so I wouldn´t get sick. I was fine in the morning and we head arrived to Espanola. The wildlife was supposed to be incredible here so we decided to try my camera after drying for over 30 hours. No luck, I was bummed but my group said they would send me their pictures so I´ll have some, someday. We had free time on the beach and walked for about an hour. There were crabs on the rocks, sea lions all over the beach and even a few marine iguanas. We went snorkeling and I saw a mother sting ray with 6 or 7 children swarming all over her. It was so amazing to watch. Again, the sea lions got quite close to me in the water. It´s a bit unnerving. You feel like they are coming straight at you and then they veer off. I also saw the usual starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, puffer fish, etc.

We moved to a new spot for lunch and then went snorkeling again. I finally saw a reef shark. Others had been seeing them in my group but it was my first one, for this trip anyways. I also followed around a sea turtle for awhile.

That afternoon, we had a dry landing and were going for a 3 hour walk. This is the best way to describe the abundance of wildlife on the Galapagos. I was the first one out of the dingy, we were landing on lava rocks so I had to find a trail to the nearby beach. But there was no place to go! One way was full of Blue Footed Boobies and their chicks in nests and the other way was full of sea lions and marine iguanas in my path! You literally had to watch every step! As our guide was talking, a baby sea lion was looking for her mother. She must have went up to at least 10 adults and they all pushed her away. She then came straight towards me and began this crying sound. It broke my heart. We all wanted to take her back on the boat with us. She then went to the other side of the island and I kept wondering about her for the rest of our hike. She was skinny and the guide thought that her mother may have been killed by a shark. This is what the Galapagos is all about....letting nature take it´s course and I didn´t like that part. He said, it was very rare for a another sea lion to adopt an orphan. Also, if someone had touched it, the mother would then reject it. So cruel...but we were all hoping for the best!

We walked to the other side of the island where the Waved Albatross nests. They are at sea until April so there wasn´t much to see except a large blow hole that shot water 60´ into the air.

Floreana Island, Galapagos

sregevig — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:14:00 GMT

We traveled about 8 hours last night to reach Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. We headed to shore and our first stop was the Post Office. Back in the late 18th century, a barrel was placed here by English whaling vessels to be used as a post office. Passing ships would stop to leave mail for family at home and pick up any mail for ports on their itinerary. Now, it´s mainly used for you guessed it, tourists. You can mail a postcard with no stamps! There was a six inch stack that we went through. I picked up two postcards that are for Madrid, since I´ll be heading there in April. The plan is to hand deliver or if you can´t do that, take it home and put a stamp on it. The other option is leave a postcard for pick up if you know someone that will be heading there in the future. Eric and Christi - I left a postcard for you! Wes, Tammy and my dad - I also left postcards with your address on them. So, if you get a stranger knocking on the door, it may be mail hand delivered all the way from the Galapagos!

We then walked to a lava cave. It was about 40-50' below the ground. There were two long ladders and then we just kept going down. We then reached a swimming hole. The water was so cool and deep, I swam to the end and it was definitely over my head. It was something I had never experienced before. My head lamp worked really well to light the way. Unfortunately, I also had my first mishap. I had asked the guide if I should bring my camera. He said sure, as we reached water, I slipped on a rock and was in the water. My camera was around my neck and only two weeks old! Even though it was in a case and was only in for a few seconds, it was done for. No more pictures for me! My guide, felt so bad, he hand carried my camera all the way back and put it in a special spot on the boat to dry it out. He also pointed to all the scrapes on my legs and said, memories of the Galapagos.

After lunch, we usually had a two hour break. Our crew was meeting up with three other boats to play soccer. About 5 of us went to watch. It was a small dirt field with small goalposts. They had their own uniforms with their names on the back. It was fun to root them on, especially since they had $100 on the game. It´s something to they do each week. Unfortunately, they didn´t win but they did let one of our group members play. When we got back, we traveled to Punta Cormorant. We went snorkeling at Devil´s Crown and saw so many colorful fish and sea lions. The sea lions startled me a few times. They were so close! I also swam through some jelly fish or something. I had red marks all over my arms but the stinging stopped within a few hours. Later, we went on land and hiked to a lake where we saw flamingos and their nests and then to a beach were you could see sea turtles in the bay. There were two that were mating, actually two males and one female, the poor thing. The worse part was she was probably waiting for night time to lay her eggs on the beach. So, it really was a waste of their time! It was quite amazing to watch them in the water and you could see the trail they make in the sand when they head to shore at night. We had to be off all the islands by 6 pm each day. It is one of the park rules and they are also very good that you do not veer off the trail. Two steps in the wrong direction and they are on you to get back on the trial. We also saw many sea lions on the beach.

That night, a few of us were on the top deck and watched dolphins jumping in front of the boat as we headed to our next stop. It was such a beautiful sight, with their reflection in the moonlight. There must have been at least 6 of them, 3 of them jumping in unison.

Off to the Galapagos Islands

sregevig — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:49:00 GMT

We were up early and heading to a different airport to fly to the Galapagos. It was a 30 minute flight to Guayaquil (city located on the coast) where we picked up passengers and then a 90 minute flight to Baltra on Santa Cruz Island. The Galapagos are located about 620 miles off the Pacific coast of South America. There are 13 major islands in the archipelago along with many islets. We met our naturalist guide, Wilo, and got our luggage and headed to our boat. Our boat was called the Loba del Mar (Sea Wolf) and was about 70´ long and slept 18 people and had 9 crew members.

That afternoon, we headed out in two dinghies (sp?) to Black Turtle Bay to see the Pacific Green Sea Turtle. Along the way, we saw blue herons, blue footed boobies, lava birds, brown pelicans, and frigate birds. There were dozens of sea turtles swimming around. They live 75-100 years and each female can lay up to 60 eggs! Unfortunately, only 1-2% make it to 5 years old.

I had already taken a shower but we were in this canal between the islands and the water was so smooth so a group of us went swimming around the boat. It was so nice and it has been so long since I´ve been in the water that wasn´t freezing!

We had an excellent dinner and I think everyone was asleep by 9:30 p.m. since breakfast was at 7 am the next morning.

Centro Historico, Quito

sregevig — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:33:00 GMT

Today, I took a taxi to Centro Historico, the old town section of Quito. I´m staying in La Mariscal which is where most of the hotels are located and everyone warns you to not stay in the old town. My taxi driver, Ivan, was very nice and asked if I wanted a tour of the city for 2 hours. I declined but I did let him take me to El Panecillo. It´s at the top of a hill and is a huge statue of the winged virgin. It´s 148´ high and is a copy of the sculpture, La Virgen de Quito, that is located on the altar in one their church`s. The hill is significant because back in Inca times, the local people used this hill as a place to worship the sun. After the Spanish arrived, they built a fort to watch what was going on down below. It provided 360 degree views of the city. Ivan, took my picture and was a great tour guide. He also warned me to be careful and gave me his card in case I had any problems. So far, the people have been very nice. It was an incredible ride, the driver´s fly through intersections and just honk their horn to warn people they are coming. If there is back up then they just lay on the horn. They love their horns. In one section, there was a market and people were carrying all this furniture on their heads up this hill. Just amazing! Ivan dropped me off in the old town and I walked around. It was much larger than I expected, I had lunch and they had straps on every chair to hook your purse on. I guess Ivan wasn´t kidding about holding on to my belongings. I had a potato and cheese soup with slices of avocado for $2. Another item, that is very popular here. It then began to pour down rain so I headed back to my hotel. Of course, I couldn´t find a taxi but until then, they have been on every block.

We had a meeting with our GAP representative and the people from our group going to the Galapagos. I went to dinner with two of them, Mady and her son Gabriel from Sydney, Australia. We took the trolle' for 25 cents to the old town and went to La Ronda Street. This street had been re-stored in the past year to a traditional neighborhood. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this neighborhood was home to musicians, poets and historians. They have done a very nice job with placards about where each person had lived. But the best part, were the two young men playing guitars and the locals dancing and clapping their hands in the middle of the street. We were the only tourists there and it was a unique moment to watch. Thanks to our bell captain for telling us about it and then the restaurant, Vista Hermosa. It was on the rooftop on the 5th floor and had incredible views of the city, especially after the rain. All the churches were lit up. Again, we were the only tourists among the locals. It was a wonderful evening, my best one yet.

Gallery: Ecuador

sregevig — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:55:00 GMT

Ecuador

Exploring Quito

sregevig — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:13:00 GMT

At 9,348 feet, Quito is the second highest capital in the world after La Paz, Bolivia and is located 14 miles south of the equator. It was founded in 1534 and now has a population of 2 million people. The population of Ecuador is 12 million. I was very surprised to find out that since 2000, the offical currency is the US dollar. One country where I won´t have to figure out the currency. They do have Ecuadorian coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents along with US coins. I was at a store and counting out change and she pointed to one of our ¨state¨ quarters that I still had left over from home. She wanted it so I gave it to her and she said Alabama in her spanish accent. It was very cute.

In the afternoon, I took a taxi to Fundacion Guaysamin, a museum of the famous Ecuadorian artist, Oswaldo Guaysamin. There were 3 different buildings. One with his collection of pre-Columbian art, colonial art and then his own art. It was very interesting and I loved all the pottery. The pottery pictures are from this museum. I hate to admit that I hadn´t heard of him before but I did recognize some of his pieces by sight.

I had dinner at the hotel, ceviche is a popular Ecuadorian dish and so are empanadas so I had both. It was very good and only $7.00. They had a keyboardist playing and when he was finished he came over to talk to me for about an hour. He had been to the States and was desperately trying to help me with my Spanish!

Off to Ecuador

sregevig — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:22:00 GMT

There was still so much to see and do in Costa Rica but I'm very excited about this next leg of my trip. I left at 9 am to the San Jose airport and waited in line for an hour, good thing I was 2 hours early! Security is much the same as we have experienced at home....take off your shoes, jacket, etc. I had a small bottle of hand sanitizer that Laura had given me along with a travel journal and it's now gone. Sorry Laura! But my water bottle, half full was fine. Go figure. It was a 3+ hour flight south to Lima, Peru and then I had another 6 hour layover. The price I pay for cheap airline tickets. It was then a 2 1/2 hour flight back up north to Quito, Ecuador. I got in at midnight and was a bit concerned about taking a taxi by myself in a strange, new place but then I went to the Transportation window and told them the Hotel I was staying at and it was someone from GAP Adventures. What a nice surprise! I got to my hotel and felt like I was in paradise. It has a flat screen TV and a blow dryer. I know I've only been roughing for a week but this was a nice surprise. This is my starting off point for the Galapagos Islands tour that I signed up for with GAP Adventures. So far, I'm happy with them!

Travel day to Alajuela

sregevig — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:46:00 GMT

I left Monteverde this morning to begin my way back to the San Jose area since I leave Costa Rica in the morning. I took a small van/bus and the trip took about 4-5 hours. The first 90 minutes were on a dirt road that was very pot holed, bumpy, curvy and steep at times. I´ve taken dramamine three times now because I don´t want to be sorry after the fact. We had a 20 minute pit stop and I think I got some great pictures of scarlet macaws (parrots). I´ve heard two different reasons why they do not improve the roads to this part of the country. 1) They don´t want people to only take day trips to the area 2) They don´t want the area to become too accessible so they can help preserve it.

Alajuela is much warmer than Monteverde and so much nicer than San Jose. It´s also only 3 km from the airport so I´ll be set tomorrow morning. I walked around this afternoon and had tacos at Jalapenos Central. I hate to say it but that was my first Mexican meal since I´ve arrived. I met an English gal in the shop that is a biologist and has lived here for the past 5 years. She enjoys it but she did say it is easier to stay since she has a Costa Rican boyfriend.

I walked to the Parque Central (Central Square) and took a picture of a 19th century church. I couldn´t believe that they didn´t have a name on it but I read that two presidents are buried there. I finally got a chance to just people watch. There were men playing chess and checkers on benches and school kids in their uniforms having ice cream. The styles seem to be very similar to home. The skinny leg jeans and the ballet slippers, etc. etc. And of course, there was a McDonald´s and a Radio Shack across the street. The only other chain that I have recognized since I´ve been here is Church´s Chicken or something like that. It´s hard to believe all that I have done in this past week and a person could spend weeks more but I´m ready to get to Ecuador. Hasta luego Costa Rica!

Gallery: Costa Rica

sregevig — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:36:00 GMT

My trip