Livin La Vida Loja: April 2010

Occasionally in the states one will have the unfortunate occasion to pass by someone relieving themselves in public. That is to say...we have all done it, either out of necessity or inebriation but, at some point, duty calls and there is nowhere to go but in a dark alley or behind a large stand of bushes. In Ecuador, however, there seems to be a large portion of the population that feels ANY tree, corner or inanimate object is open for interpretation as a public bathroom. Obviously not all of the citizens of this country see things in this light, but the audacity of some people has not ceased to amaze us.

One time we were going for our afternoon jog on one of the main streets in town. A woman in front of us, probably in her 70’s, simply slipped between a couple of hibiscus plants, hiked up her skirt and without looking, dropped trow.

At the football game the other night, one well dressed and somewhat older man was not satisfied waiting in line and so decided to pee in the corner of the hallway leading to the bathroom. Oddly enough a teenage boy took note and decided he would do the same.

In front of our apartment on the busiest street in town, we regularly see people peeing into the river from the edge of the sidewalk (as shown in this picture from our balcony). Upon further inspection we noticed that every one of the large trees on the the boulevard has a permanent stain on it.

On the same street about 3 blocks away, the taxistas have decided their pee spot is the slow lane. They simply pull over, open the driver’s side door and act as if they have stepped into a public bathroom.

These are just some of the more mundane and regular sightings we encounter and obviously it gets much worse at night when people are walking around drunk. We won’t go there.

This seems to be a country-wide phenomena that is as ubiquitous as litter. It’s one thing that has been very hard for us to understand.

In Ecuador, nearly the entire country celebrates “Semana Santa” or the Holy Week. Essentially it is a weeklong celebration of the Easter season which includes many traditions pertaining to the church, eating and family gatherings. However, if you are not Catholic, it means you get a week off from school and for us it meant a chance to indulge in the vacation of a lifetime.

So Friday March 26 we hopped aboard a night busfrom Loja to Quito (this one took 13 hrs!) and arrived Saturday morning to meet Kathy and Jamie (Sara’s parents) who had arrived the night before. We spent a day touring Quito and seeing a few sites including the Teleferico which is a cable car that goes up 1600’ to a magnificent view above Quito. Most importantly, we also visited the tourist agency and nailed down the final details of our trip to the Galapagos.

Sunday morning we headed out to the airport and by 2 pm we were on San Cristobal Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The weather was gorgeous, balmy with a breeze and it truly felt like a warm tropical welcome. After navigating through the park entry and paying our $100 fee, we traveled by taxi to our hotel Hostal Galapagos. We had booked an extra night on the island before the boat tour so that we could have a little extra time to enjoy the beaches. As it turned out, the hotel was totally uninhabited (with exception of a small population of lava lizards) and Sara had to make a call back to Quito to have someone come and let us into our rooms. The accommodations were lackluster and a little overpriced but the water was hot and there was AC. The best part is we were just a stone’s throw from the water and a short walk to town. We spent that afternoon enjoying a nearby beach and getting our first swim in the clear Pacific waters that surround the islands.

The next day, we met up with our cruise boat and the rest of the passengers at the dock in town. We had booked a 5 day / 4 night cruise on a 70’ boat called Estrella Del Mar. There were 16 passengers total and 8 crew including the guide. The boat accommodations were cozy, and we felt lucky to be small people because our below deck cabin was a little tight.

We were surprised to find out that the fun would begin right away when our guide Estefan told us we would be going snorkeling and hiking after lunch. We motored a little ways out of the port and went on a short walk. Within the first 15 minutes of our walk, we saw Sea Lions, Sea Iguanas, Blue Footed Boobies, Frigate birds and the well known Sally Lightfoot crabs. And all within a 5 foot distance or less. We witnessed the mating dance of the Blue Footed Boobies and as well as the Frigate Birds luring their mate with their big red throat pouches. The male Frigate bird cleaned an area, prepared a nest and then sat with his red throat in full display to lure his mate. What a man! We could tell the Galapagos was just as amazing as everyone had told us. Back on board the boat we got fitted for snorkeling gear and headed out for about 45 minutes of snorkeling in a small bay. We swam with the sea turtles, sting rays, playful seals, a few sharks, some penguins and innumerable colorful fish. And on it went for three more full days.

Boobies!

A male Frigate bird on display.

Sara making friends on Española.

In the following pictures you will get a taste of what we saw. The typical day included breakfast at 7, on shore by 8 a short walk and snorkel, back on the boat for lunch and a couple hours to rest, then back out to hike and snorkel again. The boat motored at night, and we certainly felt the motion of the ocean, making it difficult to walk straight at dinner and throughout the evening. Thank goodness we all avoided sea sickness. Sleeping at night was generally no problem given our busy daily schedule. We were exhausted each night. It was such a great experience as you will see…..

The pristine beaches were amazing.

We got to see the first of the Waved Albatross returning to Isla Española from their migration. We were told that in a few weeks the cliff sides would be covered with Albatross mating and nesting.