Luxuriating in Los Galapagos

After 2 weeks of the backpacker lifestyle, I went to the Galapagos. It was a big decision - big money for a backpacker budget, really. But so many people have told me I must go, and encouraged going for as long as possible. I met a few others at the hostel who were thinking about it as well and we decided just to go for it. And we went big - 8 day luxury catamaran trip. Amazing. Honestly, I just got back and it is a difficult adjustment. We had 3 gourmet meals a day and 2 snacks. They put little napkin jackets around our beer bottles. They made our beds every day and if you left your crap on them they folded it into neat little piles. Our days were filled with hikes on the islands, snorkeling, relaxing on the boat... rough, I know. The animals were amazing. So fearless and oblivious to us. You are really in their space. Truly a unique place in this world. Alas, now it´s back to loud crowded dorm rooms, unreliable hot water, bumpy bus rides and scrounging for food. I´m sure you all feel sorry for me.

Pata de Vaca in Quilotoa

Left Quito and headed for the Quilotoa Loop - small villages tucked in the Ecuadorian Andes. Made it to Quilotoa - where there is a volcanic crater lake. Rode horses around the crater and had a great time despite some altitude issues (3800m) and my travel friend falling off her horse. Went to grab some quick lunch before our bus left and, not finding many options, knocked on the door of a place that looked like it could be a restaurant. A little boy of about 7 answered the door and said they were closed, but we should follow him. He led us to the back door of a house. We were welcomed in and found a woman cooking in a tiny kitchen and two tiny tables filled with people. The woman scooted the children aside to make room for us to squeeze in. She set down the first course. A bowl of soup with something floating in the center. My friend and I looked at each other - what the heck is that? It was about 6 inches or so in diameter. One side was purple-ish and had a scalloped edge, almost like octopus. Could this be a sea creature? Yet here we are in the mountains. Hmm. The other side felt hard, like bones. The man next to us picked his up and started gnawing on it. We opted to eat the broth around ours. I asked her what it was. ¨Pata de Vaca¨ she said, ¨it adds a lot of flavor.¨ Well, I wasn´t sure what ¨pata¨ meant, but ok, it is some part of the cow. We finished our lunch and raced off to catch our bus. As soon as I sat down on the bus I grabbed my spanish dictionary. Pata... Foot! Cow´s foot soup - delicious! :)

Jail Time in Quito

At long last, my first blog entry - much overdue. Communication while traveling alas proves to be more difficult than you think it is going to be. It's hard to believe I've already been in Ecuador for 3 weeks! So far so good. Setting out on this trip I really expected to have a lot of down time and a lot of alone time and it has been the exact opposite. I think today was the first time I had a few hours to myself since I arrived! Have met lots of other travelers, made plans with them and suddenly I'm busy and constantly on the move. I'm sure there will be up and downs, but it has been a pretty packed few weeks. Quito for a few days, then Quilotoa loop, out to the coast and Puerto Lopez and then 8 days in the Galapagos. Head to Columbia tomorrow...

Jail Time in Quito:

OK, this first entry is a doozy. Arrived in Quito and stayed for several days at the busiest and most popular hostel in town, The Secret Garden. I have a love-hate relationship with the place, but I have met good people there and have gotten loads of good travel info. There was an idea going around the SG that a must do in Quito was a trip to the jail - Penal Garcia Moreno. And, after hearing the stories, a group of us decided that this was a trip we had to take. Penal Garcia Moreno is a real jail, not a museum, not an official tourist attraction. We set out on a rainy afternoon, 6 of us - 3 men and 3 women.

We arrived just in time before it closed. We were checked, then checked again with a "pat down", handed over our passports, gave them all our belongings to hold, had our arms stamped several times and, through 2 locked doors, we were in. Our friend who had been there already told us to give a name of one of the foreign prisoners - so we gave the name of an English fellow at the front and were ushered to his cell. When we got there - the tiny cell was full of other tourists. Most decided they were there long enough and left so we could squeeze in. Tiny tiny space - for 3 men. Bunks, with Bathroom/Kitchen combo all in a space of about 5x9 feet?

We brought gifts, as were told to - tp, chocolate, cigarettes. They were very nice and welcoming. Both men were from England. Both were there for getting caught with drugs on them - and both claimed to be innocent. One had drugs hidden in his suitcase, which he was unaware of when going through customs, and the other had drugs placed in a mail envelope he was sending, also unknown to him. They went on to tell us all about what it is like to be in prison in Ecuador. Essentially, the prisoners run the prison and everything can be purchased. If you don´t have money, you are in pretty bad shape there. You need money for food, protection, medical care, etc. Both of these guys were just going through their money from their English accounts. It´s a little bit of a free for all. The guards have little control - and all take bribes to get prisoners what they want and need. Ironically - you can buy any drug you want right there in the prison, as well as guns, knifes. On the lighter side, there are also some restaurants, shops that sell toiletries, etc. It was completely surreal to be there. I didn´t exactly feel unsafe, but it was probably good that we were in a big group. We were quite conspicous and got lots of stares. It was only later, after we heard the stories about how it is really run by the prisoners that I thought hmm, pretty much anything could happen while we are in here. Yikes! We were all relieved to get out of there without incident. Not sorry I went though - such a trip!