Villa de Leyva
13. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
We had a hotel nearby so in the morning it was just a short drive to the bus terminal which was new and very modern and organized. So when we entered there was an overview of the next departures and all the bus companies with the directions. Super convenient and we found a bus company leaving 10 minutes later to Villa de Leyva. Perfect timing 😁 The bus drove through the center of Tunja so we got a free tour :)
It was a relaxed 40 minute drive up into a beautiful little town with small houses and a magnificent backdrop of the valley. First up we tried to find Julia's school friend who lives there with her husband. There had been a little miscommunication so we didn't have an address but Julia did some detective work and after a little walking we had found the language school. She had lectures until early afternoon so we had time to explore the town which had a unique and very pleasant flair. After a typical Colombian lunch from the region (Boyacá) we met up with Anaïs and walked to her apartment a little bit outside of the center. Then we chatted for hours, it was really nice seeing her and her husband, Javier, again because at the wedding we didn't really have time to talk. The time flew and we needed to get back to the bus terminal to go to Bogotá. But we'll probably see each other again soon in Europe 🥰
We arrived just three hours later in the main bus terminal which is unfortunately quite far away from the city center. So we just got a taxi to bring us to our hotel, where we settled down and tried to go to sleep early...Læs mere
Bogotá
14. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
After getting up we stored our luggage and then made our way to hike up to Monserrat, a popular mountain overlooking the whole valley where Bogotá is nestled. There are several options to get to the top, one is of course walking the other two are taking the cable car or furnicular.
We decided to walk up because we had sufficient time and you enjoy the views more if you did something to earn them 😁 The walk from our hotel to the start of the trail already took more than 4km with some elevation. The trail was perfectly maintained and quite a lot of people already walked up at 9 in the morning. I had misread the first sign thinking it was 2000 metres ascend but I didn't really think about it... At the first sign I realized that the 2000m are distance and not ascend, which obviously makes sense but I was still relieved 😌 The walk up was not too tough and the view from the top was amazing despite the cloud cover (which is apparently normal for Bogotá). We took some pictures, looked at the church and walked through the stands on the top. But there wasn't much more to see and we weren't hungry so we went back down and into the old city, La Candelaria.
The little alleys are full with amazing graffiti artwork next to colonial style buildings. The whole area has a very hip charm and we enjoyed the whole vibe, it also seemed very calm for a Saturday afternoon. From there we continued on to the Botero art museum and it was soo much fun! His artwork is so unique and interesting, the scenes so normal yet so remarkable. I'm not very artsy but I loved it ☺️🤩 Afterwards we relaxed a bit in the patio of the museum and bought the tickets for the night bus to Medellín. Then we continued our exploration of the city to the Plaza Bolivar with the significant buildings surrounding it. We made a quick lunch stop at a typical Colombian restaurant and for dessert I tried a Oblea with cheese, cream, mora and some sweet creamy stuff 😁 It was really good und thanks to the cream with a fresh taste. Just as we started to eat the forecasted rain starting pouring down.
Luckily we were already in the entrance of our next stop for the day, the Museum of Gold 🪙 Unlike the one in Santa Marta this one did cost an entry fee but the dollar was easily worth it! We spent more than three hours with the interesting exhibitions about metals, their significance and how the different indigenous people had handled them. It had the perfect mix of showcasing artifacts and providing the information to them for us. Maybe I'll turn into a museum person after all 😅
We walked back to the hotel in the late afternoon to grab our luggage and continued on to the bus terminal. Our bus departed at 10 so we had almost 4 hours which we spent sorting some clothes (the warmer ones are necessary right now!☔) and having dinner. In the waiting area was a TV with news running and it showed just then that there was heavy rain in Medellín with floodings 🙈 After boarding the bus the driver walked through the whole bus and filmed us... When Julia asked what for he said that it's necessary to identify the victims in case the bus crashes 🤐🙈 With almost no delay we started our trip and we are supposed to arrive at 08:00 in the morning...Læs mere
Medellín
15. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
The bus ride was uneventful but a little bit bumpy (when we got off the bus my fitness watch had recorded 24000 steps since midnight 😅). But the bus arrived half an hour before the expected time and then we took a taxi to our hostel. It is located in the neighborhood of El Poblado, a hip area with lots of bars and nightclubs. We just wanted to drop off our luggage but the receptionist offered an upgrade of the room and we could immediately go in. We relaxed a bit, had a shower and then went out to see the city.
To get to the metro we walked all through El Poblado and got some arepas (rather sweet) for breakfast. The metro system is very modern and convenient and even includes the cable cars going up the hills surrounding Medellín at a fixed rate (0,64$). So we crossed the city by metro and then crossed over the Western neighborhoods by cable car. It was an impressive sight of the city and the tin roofs hugging the hills closely underneath us. We didn't get off at the last stop and returned back to the base station at San Javier 🚡 From there we walked up to the Comuna 13, a famous and popular area especially for arts.
It has an interesting past that changed as a hub for Narco trafficking into the hip, artsy neighborhood. Many of the graffitis handle this topic and the victims of these times. Nowadays it's lively, loud and fun to explore despite being very crowded. We enjoyed drinks overlooking the city and immersed in the sound of street artists.
Afterwards we took the metro back to the city center, called La Candelaria. There are only a few sights and it's not as nice as the old town of Bogotá but it also has it's own charm. There are Botero figures all over the center and a park dedicated to him with his statues as it's his hometown. Besides that there wasn't much more to see in the center and we returned to the hostel as it was already pretty late in the afternoon.
In the evening we explored El Poblado and especially the party street was a highlight with little bars, international and interesting food choices and massive nightclubs. We had a beer there but were ultimately too tired to go out 🙈😅 And we had booked a tour for the next day with pick-up time at 06:40 🥱Læs mere
Guatapé
16. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We were picked up a little earlier as announced and had some time to sleep more on the way to our first stop, a restaurant, for breakfast. It was a typical Colombian breakfast and very tasty! From there it was just a little drive to a little bit unimpressive town that was "replicated" because the original one got flooded when a dam was built on the lake Embalse de Peñon. The electricity produced by the dam powers 30% of Colombia ⚡💡 They had rebuilt the church in a small scale overlooking the lake, so the location was great but besides the church there were just tourist shops 🤷♂️
Next up we boarded a pontoon boat for a 45 minute ride on the lake which had great views. Part of the tour was also a villa built by Pablo Escobar and of James Rodriguez (and his ex wife 😅). There is a cross on the lake to commemorate the place where the original church had stood. We enjoyed the boat ride, the pontoon boat drove really calm and smooth so no problem with sea sickness 🙂
Afterwards we got back on the bus for a short ride to the town of Guatapé where we spent some time exploring the lovely, colourful buildings 🥰 They are in a specific style called zocalo with tiles on each building, they are unique for Guatapé. The town was a bit of a surprise for us as we hadn't heard or seen anything yet about it.
Because for the last stop we went to the main purpose why we went on this tour, the El Peñón de Guatapé. A popular tourist destination and I've already seen it several times in travel blogs or Instagram. It's a huge rock overlooking the lake and its little islands. It looked quite tough to climb but it was just a little stair walking (702) to the top and we made it in about 12 minutes. It would've been even less if the people in front walked faster 😁 The view from the top was absolutely amazing and the pictures fail to capture the beauty of this place... After spending some time at the top we went back down and had a beer while we waited for the sun to disappear behind the clouds to take some pictures from below.
The two hour bus ride back to Medellín we spent mostly sleeping. Then we had a bit time at the hostel to plan before we headed to the terminal to board the bus to Salento, a 8 hour drive south. The bus was completely booked so we were glad to have our seats at the front with a little more leg space. We had contacted our hostel in Salento that we're supposed to arrive at 04:30 and asked if they let us store the luggage.Læs mere
Salento - Valle del Cocora
17. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We arrived an hour later in the bus "terminal" of Salento due to a lot of roadwork on the way. There were also signs of landslides along the way, probably the news we had seen three days back. We had slept okayish but were still pretty tired when we arrived. From the terminal it was about 10 minutes walk to the hostel and when we arrived we called a number to get in... Buuut they didn't answer the phone and it said that they will return on Wednesday on the door 🙄🙈
After several failed calls and some knocking we heard some noise and finally the door was opened and we were let in by the sweet owner, Lili. She apologized that the phone was out and offered us a tea or coffee. But we had already planned to go to a nearby viewpoint to see the sunrise over the incredibly scenic Cocora Valley. It was a little cloudy but the sky got soon illuminated red and pink from the rising sun.
We walked through the village but it was only 07:30 so most of the shops were still closed. The great thing about it was that the doors were closed and you could see the beautiful colourful buildings along the streets. The style is a bit different than the towns we've seen before and yet similar. It's difficult to explain 😅 Our plan was to go into the Cocora Valley as early as possible because it was supposed to rain in the afternoon. So we took a "Willy", a Jeep converted to carry up to 15 people, just not very comfortable... But it was okay for the 15km ride at a pretty cheap rate. After getting off the Jeep we walked in direction of the valley and when there was a ticket booth we continued on because we had looked up a 10 km loop.
After about 2km it started getting muddy and we were soon almost alone walking along a river... When we passed a tour group the guide said that in this direction is only the 5 days trek to the Nevado del Quindio but we had checked that there is a trail and it was on our maps so we continued on. A woman from Portugal, Sonia, had joined us despite us telling her that we're not sure what we're doing 😅 The trail got extremely muddy and quite steep and Julia slipped several times. But it was super beautiful in the cloudy rainforest we were on our own with the thick green vegetation and a magnitude of different bird songs. After about three kilometers the muddy and bad trail merged with the main trail where a lot of tourists were wandering all clean, unlike us 😁 From there it was just a kilometer more to the uppermost viewpoint where we had a relaxed late breakfast with snacks. And there we got beautiful views over the valley and the famous highest palm trees in the world standing tall in the rainforests and on plains. We enjoyed the easy hike down on the well made trails of the park while taking some pictures. Then we returned back to town with the Jeep and booked a tour to a coffee plantation 😍☕
Once again we were transported with a Willy about 6km away to the coffee plantation of Luger (not associated with German name) where we were greeted by a guide in perfect English. We got a coffee for the welcoming, then he seated us next to a family of 3 that also joined in on the tour. They were from Austria and the father had been making (roasting?) his own coffee. The 2 hour tour was interesting, the guide was very knowledgeable and we're glad to get to know the Colombian highland coffee better ☺️
We returned to the town and were recommended a restaurant by the hostel owners. I've tried a Cazuela de frijoles which was super delicious and so was Julia's vegetarian Bandeja paisa. After returning to the hostel we washed off the mud leftovers from the hike and then booked our flights on to Quito. Initially we had wanted to take the bus but a landslide between Cali and the border to Ecuador is interrupting the traveling. And as there was anyway only one town in Colombia and one in Ecuador that we wanted to have a look at we're saving some time while it costs the same.Læs mere
Calí
18. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
The bed in the hostel was incredibly comfortable so we stayed in bed a little longer ☺️ Then we packed our stuff and got a tinto from the sweet ladies running the hostel. It turned out to be a little difficult to get a breakfast but after a little search we were successful and got a quick tasty one in a great location. Afterwards we said goodbye to the ladies in the hostel and at 10 we were on the bus to Armenia bus terminal. There we got a connection to Calí just 20 minutes later ☺️
When we arrived in Calí in the early afternoon we were greeted by quite heavy rain 🌧️ So we took a taxi to our hotel and after 10 minutes it had stopped again... We checked in and dropped our luggage off and went to see the city. Between our hotel and the historic center is a park where there were some sketchy people but nothing actually threatening. Our first stop in the city was the Iglesia La Ermita in a striking gothic style. Its colour stands in contrast to the surrounding buildings in the 70/80s style. We continued on to the main church and cathedral. The cathedral was interesting because it wasn't standing completely alone but continued on into the blocks around it.
From there it was just a short walk to a hip neighborhood where we walked by a coffee shop offering a coffee lemonade. Intrigued we went in and ordered one and a creamy lemon milkshake. It was surprisingly a delicious and refreshing treat ☺️ It's always good to have low expectations 😅 Then we continued a bit further up a hill to a cute, little church and a great viewpoint overlooking the city. Our last two destinations for today weren't far away, the art museum and the cat's park. There were some people around the art museum doing street performances and we watched them a while. As it started getting dark we went to the park with the really cool cat statues 🐈
On the way back to the hotel we came across a Pizza Hut and decided it's time for a pizza 🍕Læs mere
✈️ to Quito
19. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 7 °C
We slept in as good as we could which was at least until 7:30, then packed everything and went for a great little breakfast in the lobby with the receptionist Sebastian who has been very nice and helpful 🙂 Afterwards we checked out and stored our luggage.
We've had seen almost everything we wanted to already yesterday, so we made a plan for a walk that brought us by a park dedicated to salsa dancing. But the end was about 4km away and next to a sports complex... There are lots of food stands all offering the same, a local Calí speciality, Chola'o. A ice cream cup with several fruits and dulce de leche, a tasty sweet treat and thanks to the fruits and lime still refreshing 🍧 When we arrived back at the hotel we had walked more than 10 km and finished our checkout. Then we chatted a bit with the receptionist who ordered a taxi for us to the airport. This taxi driver didn't talk a lot and - unlike the one we had yesterday - didn't tell us about his Narcos past and problems with the police 🙈
We arrived early at the airport to sort our luggage to make sure that there will be nothing confiscated. Then we dropped off the backpacks and explored the small terminal of the Calí airport. This was done in 15 minutes, then we got a Colombian meal (beans, rice, arepa, fried banana:)). Initially we wanted to go through the security check but afterwards we would've needed to wear masks. So we decided to visit Juan Valdez, a Colombian coffee chain, for the first time to get us some sweet treats. An hour before take off we went through security and then boarded the plane first to Bogotá and then Quito.
Shortly after midnight we crossed the border to Ecuador and landed soon after. The flight had been pretty turbulent and a Swiss woman next to me had panic attacks. But at least it was pretty short ☺️
At the airport we took a taxi to our guesthouse in the historic center where we were greeted warmly and fell asleep directly after hitting the mattress 💤
We tried to plan a little further but the situation in Peru is getting worse every day rather than better so we're probably have to skip that unfortunately. It doesn't make sense to get stranded there while the roads are closed. The main bus company cancelled all services and Machu Picchu is completely closed as of tomorrow. We still have a little time until then but the tendency is currently pretty clear.Læs mere
Quito
20. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
We forgot to set an alarm but still woke up before 9, got ready and had an amazing breakfast. The guesthouse we're staying at is very charming and feels almost like coming to your family. They recommended going to the cable car first because it often rains and gets more foggy in the afternoons. So we took an Uber with an older man who told us all about the best sights and typical Ecuadorian food that we added to our bucket list.
By the time we were the base station there was already some fog at the top which covered the mountain station completely. On the way up we had some decent views over the city but soon after flew right into the fog and on top you could see only about 20 metres 😶🌫️ But we were surprised to see that there was a nice hiking trail leading up the nearby dormant volcano Cumbre Rucu. We walked until one of the summits before and then returned as there were almost no views and we wanted to go to another spot. Occasionally we got glimpses of the surrounding mountains and the city though. We sat down in the restaurant at the top station and had a coffee and a chocolate banana 🍌 just in case it would've got better 😁 As it rather got worse we went back down and took a public bus an hour further North to the Middle of the Earth museum.
We didn't expect much from it and were surprised by the size of the monument and what they have to offer. Museums and interesting displays, a train ride around the area, several rest areas, playgrounds and park areas. And of course in the middle of it all, the middle of the Earth monument. It's something different and unique, we enjoyed strolling through the large area. We stopped by a souvenir shop next to it where they offered to stamp a passport and also had certificates 🤩 I also found a patch and so we were already set in terms of souvenir shopping 😁 It got a little late because the drive back to the center takes an hour and we were getting hungry. On the way we fell asleep occasionally but we needed to go on to make the most of the remaining sunlight.
We got off 2km away from one of the main sights, the Basílica del Voto Nacional. It was unfortunately already closed but still a stunning sight. Afterwards we walked through the historic center with it's magnificent churches and beautiful plazas. It was all pretty unexpected and so wonderful, we just enjoyed the feeling of being in awe after every corner 🤩 Most of the churches were already closed or had a mass so we decided to come back tomorrow. Then we went quickly back to the hostel to drop off our stuff and get a recommendation where to eat. What they recommended was too far away so we relied on Google for a restaurant right next to the main plaza.
It was beautifully set in the third floor of a large villa with a huge patio. The prices were a bit higher than elsewhere due to the location but the food was delicious! The Ecuadorian cuisine turned out to be quite different from the Colombian one. A traditional meal is for example a potato soup much to Julia's delight. I've had a mixed platter with different typical foods, really unique was the popcorn 🍿 Also we had gotten unpopped corn with a salsa as a starter, a little bit weird but tasty. For dessert we shared a small plate with figs, honey and a fresh cheese that combined the tastes perfectly.
Later in the evening we planned our estimated time and route through Ecuador.Læs mere
Machachi
21. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
We set our alarm early but didn't feel like getting up so we went back to sleep 😁 At 9 we had packed our stuff, ate the breakfast and were on our way to the Basílica del Voto Nacional to see the interior but we were still a little early. We were able to take a peek through the closed doors and it was "just" a continuation of the foyer area. The view from the outside was more interesting so we moved on without waiting for it to open.
Our next stop on today's itinerary was the viewpoint with the statue Virgen del Panecillo. It is supposed to give you the best views over the city and when arrived we were lucky that it wasn't that foggy and we had some decent views down to the historic center. Our host had warned us that walking up there can be dangerous but we had time, so we decided to walk down. We didn't have any issues but when we were almost back down in the center two policemen came by and asked us if everything was okay or something happened. And there was a sign telling tourists not to walk the street ⚠️ The policemen told us that there had been regularly robberies... When we entered the center we were greeted by a woman of the tourist police who was really sweet and recommended where to go but also warned us of areas that might be dangerous. Generally people had told us to be careful in Quito but we never felt threatened in any way 🤷♂️
Then we visited the Church of the Society of Jesus which is famous for the golden interior and had already been closed yesterday. But when we went into the foyer it was too expensive for us and we could see almost everything from the ticket booth anyway 🙂 This concluded our tour of Quito and on the way back to the guesthouse we shopped a local speciality, Bolón de Verde. A mais and banana mashed, filled with either Chicharrón or cheese and fried. We also tried juice from Tree Tomatoes, a sweeter variety but still has the acidic taste. It works better as a salty variant in my opinion.
We took an Uber to the main bus terminal and from there a bus to a town an hour South, Machachi. There we got off and needed to walk 2km through the whole town to our Bed & Breakfast "Casa del Montañero". We had chosen it specifically because they offered individual tours to the nearby volcano Cotopaxi. It had generally the vibe of a mountain hut with a fireplace and tea. We had hoped to be able to do some hike in the area nearby but the town didn't have a lot to offer. So we just booked the tour for the next morning 🥾⛰️
We had time to relax a bit and read about speciality foods of Ecuador. There is an Ecuadorian restaurant in town, "La Posada del Chagra", with lots of options which we visited for an early dinner. Which was lucky because they already closed at 6 and the food was again delicious 😬 Our host had told us that there is a festival in town today but we were either too early or too late... So we just stopped at the supermarket to get some supplies for tomorrow's tour and went to sleep early.
We had also received some news on Ruedi 🥹 He's still alive and well ❤️ The sister of the owner of the Overlander Embassy has been using it the last days and loves it 🥰 Alejandro said that she'll decide what she wants to do and maybe import it...Læs mere
Cotopaxi
22. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
Last night the time of departure had been postponed to 07:30, so we had time to have breakfast at the B&B. But the driver just arrived a few minutes before 8. We had packed everything already in the morning so we could continue further South after finishing today's tour. It was foggy the whole way which took about 1.5 hours up to the parking lot of the volcano. The first stop would've been the Laguna de Limpiopungo but it was too foggy to see anything. I already expected that we wouldn't see anything at all today when the fog broke and we could see the volcano in all it's beauty 😍 It was surrounded by three shades of white from the snow, clouds and vapor straight out of the volcano. With that magnificent view the jeep made its way up the volcano to the parking.
In great weather conditions we started our ascend to the mountain hut (refugio) offering snacks, drinks and beds. The 1.5 km long hike was on a perfectly prepared trail with switchbacks winding up beautifully. The altitude difference wasn't that bad, from 3600 up to 3850 but Julia got a bit altitude sickness 🤢 So we had a Coca Tea and some chocolate which helped a bit. The view from up there down into the valley was equally amazing as from the valley up 🥰 We spent a little time in the refugio before continuing further up until the edge of the glacier. There was beautiful intense deep blue snow and ice stalactite. The trail ended just a few metres in altitude below 5000 metres, afterwards there was just loose gravel. Hiking up would've been dangerous for ourselves and also for the ones hiking behind because of sudden rockfalls. The fog/clouds had been also moving in again so the sight got pretty bad. Therefore we decided to go back down which was an easy pleasant walk 🙂 We were super happy to have seen that gorgeous views of the volcano!!
Afterwards we went back to the laguna, which was now fully visible lays beautiful in a mountain range. The sight reminded us of the lush green hills of New Zealand and specifically "The Shire", filming location of the Hobbit Village. The 3.5km walkway around the laguna consisted of a boardwalk at first and then turned into a beautiful trail with views over the whole valley and Cotopaxi.
Our taxi driver brought us back to the entrance and the highway where the buses stop going South. After a few minutes we caught it and were on our planned way to the Laguna Quilotoa. At least that was the plan but as it turned out the laguna closes at 3, so it would've been impossible to go there today as the bus takes 2 hours. Also we wouldn't be able to do a tour tomorrow in Baños, so we decided to skip it and just kept going in the bus 😅 On the way we booked a hotel/hostel room for the night and then relaxed more or less on the 1.5 hour bus ride(s). On the second bus they tried to charge us 10$ instead of 2.50$ but Julia checked back with other passengers and called him out for trying to scam us 😁
Our hostal (seems like that's a hotel here, not sure which ones are the hostels then) was right next to the main bus terminal so just a bit of carrying luggage around. Afterwards we went directly to explore the town which is very lively with bars, restaurants and tour agencies. We wanted to do an activity for the next day so we stopped by the first agency and decided to go canyoning which will be in the morning so we have time to explore in the afternoon. Then we walked through the town and took pictures of the few sights until we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. There we tried the Canelazo, a sweet, thick and hot fruit juice with alcohol. A little bit similar to hot wine...
Afterwards we bought some snacks for the tour tomorrow and the local beer. We decided to stay another night as it might get too late tomorrow but we booked another hotel as it was pretty loud there...Læs mere
Baños de Agua Santa
23. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We got ready, checked out and had a small breakfast before going to the tour agency. We were a little bit early but so was the tour guide, Leonardo and the other person joining the tour. His name is Peter from Linz in Austria and he's on a 1 month trip to celebrate his 40th birthday. He's well traveled and it was fun chatting with him. When we got our equipment and he got into the harness he mentioned that he's scared of heights... He also asked if he can have another harness because the one he got had a small rip. The guide said that it's fine 😁
With a taxi we did the 20 minute drive to the waterfalls where we got an introduction on how to use the harness and ropes. Our guide was really good, took his time to explain the handling and what we're going to do. I've lost a bit my concentration when I saw masses of sandflies on my ankle 😩 But we finished the preparation and walked about 400 metres up along a river until we reached a waterfall of 15 metres. I went first and after going slowly hung into the rope and harness and descended in the waterfall. The last metre we released the rope and let us fall into the water. Afterwards followed Peter who did it similar to me and in the end Julia who went down super fast and easy 😁 After we finished we waited for Leonardo to set up the rope for the next waterfall when we heard a loud splash... The guy is the group after us had released the rope after a few metres and fell down into the shallow pool 😳 We were shocked but luckily nothing had happened. Then we also saw that they went without the safety rope... Leonardo explained that many of the guides just don't care 🙈☠️
We continued on to the second and third one before having a little walk and one where we were let down by our guide. Then it was time for the highlight of the tour, going down a 45 metres waterfall. We needed to wait for the tour ahead of us so we had way too much time to think... So when it was our turn we were a little nervous 😬 I went first and had a little trouble with hanging into the rope as it was too long. Leonardo fixed it and I made the descent of 5 metres before hanging only in the rope. After a few metres I got the hang of it and felt comfortable, it was an amazing feeling and view being right under and behind the waterfall 🥰 It took some time for me, same for Peter, just Julia rushed down the rope while we were watching her almost shocked 😲😅 But she had it under control and landed safe and sound a few seconds after starting. We walked back up where Leonardo waited for us to bring us back to town by taxi. We got off at the main street because we wanted to take a bus to the most popular waterfalls of Baños, El Pailon del Diablo. Peter decided to join us as he had nothing else to do and was interested.
It was a short and very scenic drive of 20 minutes where we exchanged with Peter about traveling and destinations. Then the bus stopped right in front of the entrance and we walked down into the valley where we got the first glimpse of the waterfall 🥰 The closer we got the mightier, louder and wetter it got. There was a well made walkway leading through a cave where you needed to crawl through and ultimately right underneath the waterfall. We walked back and found a hanging bridge with great views to the waterfall and the gorge. Afterwards we walked back up to the entrance where we directly caught a bus to Baños town. There we split ways with Peter and quickly relocated to our new hotel which was close to the bus stop to go to the Treehouses.
It was a 45 minutes drive in the bus and just as we went on board it started raining heavily and the views that we had all day started to hide behind clouds 🙈 The "Casa del Árbol" are located high above the town on the mountain range. When we arrived the rain had gotten less but it was still very cloudy and we were done with the attraction in 15 minutes. But they had a nice cafeteria, so we ordered a hot chocolate, maduro con queso (banana filled with cheese) and choclo (Ecuadorian corn knob). Meanwhile it lighted up a bit and we got some glimpses of the volcano Tungurahua. After an hour that we spent on the swings and cable lift we took the bus back down to properly check in to our hotel.
Then we went to town to book a tour for tomorrow and have dinner. We had found an Ecuadorian restaurant with good reviews and fair prices. And - as we were deep in the Andes - a perfect opportunity to try guinea pig 😬 They had so many interesting choices on the menu that it was rather difficult to decide. The foods that we had chosen were all delicious! Especially the Avocado soup was something else. The guinea pig was good but nothing all too special 🤷♂️ For the end of this eventful day we treated ourselves to a massage 😊Læs mere
Chimborazo
24. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
We had booked a private taxi to bring us to Chimborazo because there were no tours leaving today and we didn't want to return to Baños. It was the best option in regards of available time and costs. So we packed in the morning, had a breakfast and then waited to get picked up... She was 20 minutes late but at least we had scheduled an earlier time, so it wasn't that bad. The drive to the Chimborazo volcano took three hours in which we drove through occasional rain and constant fog and clouds. We made a quick stop in Pailitas to grab some typical corn tortillas filled with cheese and baked on volcan stone. It was really tasty, especially with the delicious salsa picante.
Just 10 minutes before we reached the entrance of the National Park the sun broke through the clouds and we got gorgeous views of the volcano 🌋😍 And not only that, we were also treated with wild vicuñas 🦙🦙 strolling through the plains in front of the volcano. Then we registered at the entrance station and drove up to the first refugio where we were greeted by a strong wind, sunshine and great views up to Chimborazo. The trail leading up to the second refugio at 5.000m was well prepared and made the 200 metres ascend pretty easy. We took some breaks to avoid altitude sickness and Julia felt better than at Cotopaxi. We took a little break there and the wind intensified but we still continued on until the Laguna Condor Cocha at 5.100m. This is also the most you're allowed to go without a guide as the terrain gets a lot worse and dangerous. But the scenery was absolutely breathtaking! The way down went nice and easy and we soon left the park. We just needed to make a short stop to take pictures of the cute vicuñas 🦙🥰
Our driver brought us to the bus terminal in Riobamba where we were lucky to catch a bus 15 minutes later to Cuenca. The drive was quite long with 6 hours but we got to see some beautiful Anden scenery (never getting tired of that) and we didn't arrive that late. On the way we booked the hotel that was perfectly situated between the bus terminal and the historic center. After the check in we planned what we're going to do the next days and then went to sleep on the very comfortable beds. And most importantly, the pillows were great 😅Læs mere
Ingapirca
25. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
In the morning we extended for another night in the hotel and then had breakfast at a cute little café next to our hotel. Afterwards we walked to the terrestrial terminal to catch the bus to the Ingapirca ruins. This turned to be a little bit confusing, because we were told there are no direct buses but after we had bought a ticket we found a bus that went directly 🥴😤 So we bought the ticket for the direct bus... It wasn't very far but the bus still needed more than 2 hours.
So we got off at 11:30 and were trying to get in but the ticket office was closed and people queued at the entrance. We did the same and chatted a bit with the other foreigners waiting there. After 15 minutes Julia asked someone what's happening and apparently we were waiting for a guide. For another 15 minutes nothing happened and then they said we can go in with a private guide but it costs 3$ per person additionally. We only had until 1:30 because then the bus returned to Cuenca, so we did that despite being pissed about it. Others were even more and said that it's robbery and that they're going to call the police on them. The Inca and Cañari ruins were interesting but pretty small and mostly reconstructed. Also the main building was not accessible due to renovations. The museum was well made but we were overall a little disappointed with the ruins... The highlight were definitely the llamas grazing in the middle of the complex. When we went back to the bus there was an alpaca right next to the entrance, so we made a little photoshoot 😍🦙📸
After coming back to Cuenca we quickly stopped at the hotel and then went on the suggested walking tour around the historic center. This was a 6km loop with the highlights along the way. Unfortunately the churches were already closed by the time we came by but at least we saw them in daylight. The Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción is without a question the highlight in the center of the city with its unique 3 blue domes. After every corner there appeared beautiful buildings that weren't even noted on our map 😍 As it started to get dark we went to have dinner right next to the cathedral which was pretty decent. Then we took a few more pictures with the cathedral illuminated.
For the end of the day we treated ourselves to the chocolateria Dos Chorreras for a hot chocolate and dessert 🎂🍪🥰 They had amazing and pretty cheap options which all sounded delicious so it was pretty difficult to make a choice. I ordered a volcano with nata ice cream and Julia fig ice cream with a cheesecake. When mine came it had a cloud of cotton candy on top 😍 The desserts and hot drinks were incredibly delicious but super sweet 😬Læs mere
Parque Nacional Cajas
26. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ 🌙 3 °C
We packed our stuff and then went back to the city center to see the inside of the Cathedral. We had wanted to climb on the tower but that would've meant waiting for another 2.5 hours. So we just walked through the - beautiful - interior made of pink marble and then returned to the hotel for the luggage. From the bus terminal we took the next bus in direction of Guayaquil which dropped us off at the entrance to Cajas. There we registered us and then went on the recommended trail 1 with roughly 250 metres altitude and 5 km long.
Right after entering the trail you get gorgeous views over the laguna and the mountain backdrop. The terrain and vegetation is subalpine and from afar similar to areas in the Swiss Alps. The trail was perfectly maintained and along the wet areas of the laguna with boardwalks equipped. We enjoyed the scenery and the hike very much as it changed quite a bit. Especially entering the forest of paper trees was a magical moment. It appears like straight out of Lord of the Rings or a fantasy novel... You'd expect anytime that fairies buzz around the trees 🧚 After the forest there was a little cave system to explore but we just viewed from the entrance as there was water in the cave. The trail continued with gentle elevation changes over rolling hills and along peaceful little lagunas. It ended at a parking lot about 5 km away from the visitor center where we had started. We could've walked back on the road but found another trail in Maps.me that led back through the park. It wasn't marked and we got a little lost one time but ultimately found our way back 😁
We grabbed our luggage and stood next to the road leading to Guayaquil for about 20 minutes until the bus showed up. Shortly afterwards we were covered in thick fog and didn't see anything of the scenery for more than an hour. Then we were under the fog/clouds and could see the plains leading to Guayaquil. Overall the drive took us 3 hours and we were glad that we had finished the hike in Cajas earlier than anticipated. When we got off the bus we were hit by heat 🔥 It was more than 30 degrees and very humid. At Cajas it had been 10 degrees at best and without wind chill and on the bus the AC was on🧊😅 So that was quite the shock, also we went from almost 4000 metres down to 0... Very confusing for our bodies 😁 Then we got a taxi to the our hotel where we dropped off the luggage and went to explore the nearby city center.
First stop was the Iguana Park and the adjacent Catedral Católica Metropolitana de Guayaquil. There are so many iguanas and turtles around that are fun to watch and the cathedral gives a nice backdrop. The city center is pretty mixed with nicely renovated colonial style buildings but also a lot of run down places. Apparently apart from the touristy areas it can be a little dangerous. Our highlight was definitely the Malecón! Amazing architecture, lots of seating areas, wide space to walk, greens and food stalls. Everything you could ask for... We had dinner there and continued along the Malecón to the end where a little amusement park is located. As we had nothing else to do we decided to go for a spin on the ferris wheel 🎡 named La Perla. It was super slow and not very much too see but the first time that we went on one together 😁 In the evening we went back to the hotel and had a relaxed beer.Læs mere
Guayaquil
27. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
We had a pretty quiet night but couldn't sleep in because breakfast was only until 09:30 and we barely made it 😅 Afterwards we packed our luggage and stored it in the hotel. Our first stop on today's agenda was the short walk up to the hill next to the Malecón. It's one of the oldest areas in Guayaquil and was really a highlight with the narrow walkway, colourful houses and lovely cats 🐈 On top is a lighthouse which offers 360 degree views over almost the whole city and a small but pretty little chapel. It was still quite early so we had the walk and the top almost for ourselves.
Then we walked back down to the Malecón station of the cable car. It's running from the main square in the city center, via the Malecón station all the way to the other side of the river. There weren't a lot of tourists and we've been later told that it's twice as expensive compared to the bus going the same way. Therefore mainly tourists are using it nowadays. It was a fun and relaxed way to see the city from above without being stuck in traffic. We didn't go out in the city center because we've already seen it yesterday and continued on to the other side of the river. There wasn't a lot to see but we were a little hungry (the breakfast in the hotel had been tiny) so we got a few different tortillas (yuca, maíz, patacones) that we enjoyed outside the terminal.
Next up was the museum of cocoa located on the pretty street Panama in an exceptionally renovated colonial style building. The entry fee of 5$ was okay for the things offered with some history how cocoa came from initially from Ecuador to Mexico. The pre-colonial usage of cocoa was then more centered on the Aztecs before continuing on to the change in production by the colonisation. Hereby building the boom of chocolate which reaches continuing records in sales... In the end we got to taste two samples 🍫 Afterwards we had a little snack (entrees 😋) and went back to the hotel to re-pack our luggage. Then it was time to catch a taxi to meet my Couchsurfing friend from about 7 years back, Lissette, in the outskirts of Guayaquil. She's from Ecuador and been traveling back then in Europe when she stayed with me for a few days when visiting Liechtenstein. We've stayed in loose contact over the years and she's now married and has two kids. She insisted that we'd stay at her parents place.
After greeting and introductions we sat down and caught up on everything that happened. They're going to move to the Netherlands in the next months because of safety. After catching up and exchanging old and new stories we were invited to a homemade dinner. Together with Lissette's parents and aunts and cousins we were treated to typical Ecuadorian food. Afterwards we played Bingo for hours together and talked about our next plans because Lissette had worked on the Galapagos Islands and had some useful information 🤩 It was nice meeting again and hopefully we'll get to see them earlier again when they are in Europe.Læs mere
Galápagos Islands - Santa Cruz
28. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
We got up at 7 and Lissette and her husband brought us to the airport where we said goodbyes. We tried to self check in but it didn't work for me so we went to the counter. There we were told that we need to pay a fee for Galapagos, which we knew. But as we went to the ticket counter of LATAM, they said that there is a penalty for foreigners that book the cheapest category of flights 🤔 Because this is apparently reserved only for Ecuadorian residents but it didn't say anything about it when I checked in online with the German passport 🥴😤 Anyway... The penalty was then 150$ per person which we payed of course but we were pissed about it for a while 😤 Then we went to the migration of the Galapagos Islands where we got a tourist card, then our whole luggage was checked. You're not allowed to bring plastic bottles and plastic bags on the islands. We had used them as refillable water bottles and laundry bags, so we had to get rid of them... The flight was just a two hour hop over 2000 kilometers offshore until we landed on Baltra Island, located north of Santa Cruz, the main island.
After we landed our luggage got controlled in the airport by a scanner and K9 dogs, mainly for biosecurity I guess. Then we quickly checked at the LATAM counter that we won't need to pay again on the way back 😁 While waiting for the bus we were approached by a guy offering us a snorkeling gear for 5$ because they're flying back. Each rental is the same so it was a pretty good deal. From the airport we took a 10 minute bus to a ferry terminal, then a 5 minute boat ride and then an hour by bus to get to the southern end of the island. On the way we saw a giant tortoise casually walking on the bicycle lane 😳🐢 What a welcome to the Galapagos Islands 🤩
We checked in to our hotel, dropped off our luggage and went straight to the Charles Darwin Station at the outskirts of the town, Puerto Ayora. Right on time when we arrived a tour started to the giant tortoise breeding center. It was exciting seeing these majestic animals so close and the size comparison in their lifespan. We spent two hours there just watching them 😍 Afterwards we made a quick stop at the interpretive center. There were some interesting exhibitions about the wildlife in the islands. But it was overall not a lot and there were donation boxes all around, even the gift shop was "donation" based but had a minimum 🙄
We had thought that there's enough time to go to another spot near town but were told that it'll close by 5 and so we couldn't make it... Instead we went to the dive center to confirm our dive for tomorrow, try our equipment, sign the paperwork and pay. We will go with the divers and get a refresher course on the way to the dive site. So perfect for us! As we have limited time we needed to plan our next days well so we stopped by two agencies until we found one who helped us a lot. There we also reserved the spots on the tours we want to make as they sometimes sell out. Luckily we were able to fit everything we wanted to do into a neat schedule ☺️ We're excited and happy that this went so well!
So we treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at a stand on the popular Kiosko street. I've had finally some seafood again 🍤 while Julia went for rice with beans. Afterwards we went a bit window shopping in the many clothing shops on the main street. Soon afterwards we made our way back to the hotel because we need to get up early tomorrow for the dives. The entire evening the whole town has been noisy with super loud political advertising for an upcoming regional vote. And they had decided to have the meeting after cruising the town center right next to our hotel 🙈
This loud evening concluded our first very exciting and interesting day on the Galapagos Islands.Læs mere
Galápagos Islands - Mosquera
29. januar 2023, Ecuador
We met up early in the morning at the dive shop and then got to know as well the other members of today's dives: A couple from Ecuador, a woman from Chile and a guy from Munich, Florian. We were all around the same age and got pretty quick into conversations. As promised we got a little refresher course but unfortunately not as in depth as we had hoped for. So we were a little nervous before the first dive.
And when I got into the water, the spare mouthpiece blew out and then I lacked weight to go down 🙈 The dive master brought another weight which helped for a few metres but then it fell 🙄 At least it wasn't my fault but still annoying... So he took me down with him and put a stone in the bag, then I had a pretty good buoyancy. But it was already like 10 minutes into the dive, right when we had entered the water there was a hammerhead shark underneath us 😳 Also a seal swimming quickly along the edge of the reef. As we reached the bottom there was a school of whitetip sharks curiously around us 🦈 It was a surreal experience to see the outline of the hammerhead sharks above us... Also a huge sea turtle came to visit and got up pretty close 🥰 My oxygen had been running a little low so our dive master helped out with his spare and we ended up at a - still formidable - 40 minutes dive. The conditions were pretty good but the currents are pretty tough there.
When we got out of the water, we drove to North Seymour Island and the other group "Discovery Dive" went in. We relaxed a bit on board with snacks and drinks while we waited for the other group to return. We were completely stunned by the amount of sharks we've seen!
Then it was time for the second dive... My system was a lot better and I felt a lot more comfortable. Unfortunately my breathing is still too quick, so I need some oxygen support to extend the dive time... The second dive treated us with manta rays and then all of a sudden we were right above a massive school of hammerhead sharks 😳😍 My heart was beating so fast, so I'm not sure if I took a good video... But the sight will be forever in my memory!
Soon afterwards we went back to the boat for some more snacks and then the relaxing boat ride and drive home. In the tour was a lunch included which we got at the Kiosk alley. Nothing special but I had a pretty good ceviche 🤩
At 14:30 in the afternoon we still had enough time to go explore the nearby Tortuga Bay, which we had planned already yesterday. It was a quite long walk with about 4km one way but after the dives it felt good moving our legs. And the pathway leading to the beach of Tortuga Bay was just magnificent with the cacti and local flora and fauna 🥰 But all of that was topped by the view when we reached the bay and the incredibly fine sand touched our feet. It really is one of the most beautiful beaches that I've ever seen... And as a special treat it's full of marine iguanas 🦎 They leave distinctive tracks in the sand and relax on the beach 🏖️ They're vegetarian, so despite their mean looks, harmless. The sea is too rough right in the bay but a little further is a laguna with shallow calm water, perfect to enjoy the views while cooling off. The temperature has been pretty high and also very humid. We dipped in but the horseflies were a bit annoying so we rather kept walking back to town.
There we had an overdue shower and made us presentable to go out for dinner and also clothes shopping 😁 We also stopped by the dive shop for the photos and videos of our dive. We went back to the hotel early because we were tired of the long day and activities. Also there is the ferry ride tomorrow morning at 06:30 😅Læs mere
Galápagos Islands - Isla Isabela
30. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
A little bit sleepy we boarded the ferry at 6:30 in the morning going from Santa Cruz to Isabela. Before you get on the actual boat you have to pay dollars: a fee to use the harbour and to get a short transfer to the slightly bigger boat 🙄 It's not about the cost but mostly just annoying that you've got to pay a dollar around every corner. On the boat Julia got very badly seasick and after halfway needed to change seats so she'd sit in the back where she could see the horizon and also there's more fresh air. Generally the boat services have been not very comfortable and too costly for what they offer 🤷♂️ But they're basically the only option except for flying which takes a lot longer.
Besides that the ride was uneventful and we saw glimpses of turtles and rays around the boat. When we arrived we needed to pay an entrance fee of 10$ for the island. There was directly a little boardwalk after the harbour that led to "Concha de Perla", a beautiful little laguna with lots of sea lions and marine iguanas. Occasionally and if you're really lucky, you can even see a Galápagos penguin. We didn't go in to snorkel but walked the 1.5km into town to check in to our hotel. It's interesting that they have adjusted their times to the ferry service, so check-in starts at 10am but checkout needs to be completed by 9am. We just dropped our luggage and then went for a little walk through town to the nearby Flamenco laguna. We didn't have a lot of time because our tour started at 11:30 but we were lucky to spot some intensely pink coloured birds 🥰 With the camera I managed to get them close enough to see the details. After a few great shots we went back to the hotel and arrived there shortly before the departure.
Our today's tour brought us to the tunnels, a structure of volcanic origin spanning over a large area. Between the volcanic rocks there are a lot of mangrove trees and many animals use the rocks as a natural barrier giving them safety against larger predators. Directly after we went into the water there were a lot of sea turtles eating seagrass and completely unbotherd by our presence 🐢 In the rock crevices were small and big blacktip sharks hiding 🦈 We also saw octopus 🦑 and a lot of other marine wildlife 😍 On the tour we talked to an Austrian couple who are also travelling for half a year. They were really nice and the time of travel went by pretty quickly chatting and exchanging about past and upcoming travels. Then we went to our second snorkel spot where we saw 7 seahorses but no penguins... They hang out on the rocks there sometimes but you have to be lucky. Then we had a little lunch on the boat before continuing on through the narrow tunnels where our boat was a pretty tight fit. Or at least it looked like it 😁 We were allowed to sit in front of the boat for this part of the trip which was pretty cool.
At the end of the tunnels we set anchor and went ashore to visit a (currently very small) colony of the blue footed boobies. They aren't unique to Galápagos, we saw them already in Mexico on this trip, but there is the largest amount and they are prominently on almost all of the souvenirs. We were lucky to see a single one pretty close that was posing for the photos and a cute couple doing a mating dance 🥹😍
Afterwards it was time to head back to the town. There was still half an hour of daylight left so we went back to the Concha de Perla to snorkel. But besides some pufferfish and smaller ones the water was pretty calm ☺️ So we went back to the hotel to refreshen up and then go see the sunset from a beach bar 🥰 At dinner we met the Austrian couple again and chatted a bit more but we were super tired and have to get up 04:30 for the ferry 😵Læs mere
Galápagos Islands - San Cristóbal
31. januar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Without really waking up we made our way to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry service back to Santa Cruz. It great seeing the sunrise over the rugged volcano bay while leaving out of the harbor 🌅 Julia had a good spot at the back of the boat so she felt a little better during the two hour ride. At 8 we were already in Santa Cruz, just in time for a breakfast. The host at our first hotel had recommended a breakfast restaurant, La casa del Bolón. Julia had a cheese bolón and I finally had the chance to try a typical Ecuadorian breakfast, Tigrillo. It's a bit like a squished bolón but not as dry and especially great with an egg and a spicy salsa. We enjoyed the delicious breakfast with coffee and juice ☕
Then the tour agency we had booked everything through opened up and we could leave our luggage there. Because there was still one spot here we wanted to explore, Las Grietas. To get there we needed to take a taxi boat to the Playa los alemanes, an upscale hotel area, pass the beach and walk for about a kilometer. There we reached the entrance shortly after 10:30, just a few minutes after the tour left, which meant waiting for an hour until the next one started. So we first went to the pier and watched the fishes and then had cold drinks overlooking the salt flats until the tour finally started. The - mandatory 🙄 - tour guide was nothing special and we moved on pretty quickly until the end of the tour. Las Grietas is a narrow canyon where there is salt and fresh water, so it's salty but not a lot. And there are a lot of different fish species enjoying the safety of this hardly accessible space. We snorkeled 🤿 for about an hour and then walked back out and dried on the beach.
After returning to the main town we wanted to go check on the beach at the Charles Darwin Station but I got caught in a clothing store that had really great stuff 😬 I couldn't resist buying a t-shirt and then we did have to turn back to grab our luggage and take the ferry on to Isla San Cristobal. The ferry ride was at least 30 minutes quicker than the one going to Isla Isabela so we had a little time to explore the town and especially the Malecón before sunset.
The Malecón and nearby rocks were crowded with sea lions and a lot of pups 🥰 The walkway was very well made with lots of seating areas, art constructions and playgrounds. The beaches, rocks and parts of the Malecón were taken over by the sea lions but they were mostly unbotherd by people. After we had walked the 1.5km and back we stopped by the dive shop that will do the tour tomorrow to try on our gear. Then we walked along the main street looking for a place to have dinner and found a nice spot next to the Malecón offering burgers and pub food variants. I decided on a surf and turf variant and Julia had a vegetarian burger with guacamole fries 🍟
On the way back to the hotel we walked by another political party advertising campaign making noise. We've definitely seen - and especially heard - more than enough of those now 🙈 Even though the hotel windows weren't that tight it was sufficient noise insulation that we could sleep 😴Læs mere
Galápagos Islands - Léon Dormido
1. februar 2023, Ecuador
Today we could sleep in until 7 😅 but still woke up a while before. We packed a few things that we might need for the tour and then walked to the dive shop which was empty because we've been too early. We still had half an hour left so I tried finding a coffee shop, it took a little while but then we were successful. The chocolate croissant 🥐 was a perfect companion and then the day could start!
We walked a few metres to the pier where we watched the sea lions and talked to the other tour guests from the US and UK mostly. The tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly and explained the schedule for the day. One group was going to dive, the other snorkeling. We had thought about diving but after we've seen so many hammerheads in the first one and also have the flight tomorrow, it doesn't make sense. Also at the tunnels tour we've been told by divers that the snorkeling is probably more pleasant as there are quite strong currents and the visibility is better. We saw some frigate birds and boobies on the way to the spot where we were about to snorkel. We jumped in the water and then navigated along the colourful walls of Kicker Rock... It was buzzing with all kinds of life forms, right in the beginning a sea turtle swam next to us. Further along the way we saw hammerhead sharks and groups of eagle and golden rays. Overall we spent 1.5 hours in the water exploring all around and through Kicker Rock! An amazing place to see the underwater 🫧 world. Right after we got out, the divers group started their second dive and it started to rain a little bit which was great to wash off the salt water ☺️
Next up we navigated to a nearby beach for an amazing lunch in buffet style on the boat. Especially great because they had vegetarian and even vegan options! The crew was super friendly and helpful with any requests, we felt comfortable. The last stop was to get ashore and relax in the sun, snorkel or walk a bit. It was interesting that only the beach we were at had sun, the rest of the island was in heavy rain clouds ☀️🌧️
We grabbed the snorkeling gear and went to a nearby rocky area, soon a group of three sea lions (a mother with two puppies) joined us and they were super playful 🤩 Blowing bubbles to us, swimming around in the bubbles we made, getting up close to the camera... It was a magical experience to be up close to these cute, social and playful animals. Especially it was their free will to come to us and check us out 🥰 We spent almost the whole hour that we had there with them... It was difficult to leave but we had to go back 🥹
On the way back we chilled on the front of the boat and watched the island pass by. When we came back we were a little tired but we needed to switch hotels and then we wanted to go see a nearby walk up to a viewpoint and beaches, called Cerro Tijeretas. So we just quickly checked in and then walked the 2km to the interpretation center and also the start of the trail. It leads up a lovely volcanic stone trail to the viewpoint overlooking the town and all the way to Kicker Rock. When we arrived there was a rainbow 🌈 above Kicker Rock which made a beautiful view 😍 It started raining a little bit when we continued the loop to a statue of Darwin and the most famous animals of the Galápagos Islands. There would've also been a snorkeling spot but we didn't bring it and we've done enough snorkeling for the day 😅
The trail led back down to a beautiful little beach where there were some sea lions and a lot of puppies. So some of them were protective and it was a good idea to stay away from the puppies... Not everyone did and the parents loudly intervened 😁 It started raining heavily when we wanted to walk to the lighthouse so we decided to return back to town as we were completely soaked... There we discovered that we had gotten a pretty bad sunburn on the back ☀️🔥🦞 We went back to the same restaurant as yesterday as I really wanted to try the grilled shrimps 🦐
We walked through town and enjoyed the last evening here... Then we were once again interrupted by the parade of the other political party 🙈 It was okay though as we needed to go back to the hotel anyways.Læs mere
Guayaquil again
2. februar 2023, Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
In the morning we needed to catch the ferry back to Santa Cruz as our flight leaves from there. It was okay at 06:30, we're already used to it by now ☺️😵 We both got a comfortable seat in the back of the boat and then hopped back to Puerto Ayora within less than 1.5 hours. There we quickly split up because I wanted to go to a shop to buy a longsleeve for water activities that I had seen 😬 Julia bought the bus tickets and waited at the harbor. It took me just 15 minutes and we still had plenty of time before the bus left. But it was also the last bus for today on the schedule.
The transfers (bus->ferry->bus) took 1.5 hours and we arrived at the airport 45 minutes earlier than necessary. So we could review our luggage and then check in. As hoped for it went smoothly and we didn't need to pay anything this time 😌 Even though we had the confirmation through different channels we were still a little bit nervous about it. At the airport we got something to eat and finally tried the local Galápagos beer, named Endemic 🍻 Even though it was a craft beer it was decent 😬 We walked a bit through the airport but it consisted mainly of souvenir shops 🤷♂️
Overall the Galápagos Islands have been an amazing experience! It's still a little surreal that we've been there, it's something mystical that you see in documentaries and not that you "just" visit 🧐 The wildlife is absolutely stunning and we're glad that this little piece of paradise persisted through the centuries. On the other hand it should be noted that it's excessively expensive where you don't really see why. The policy to keep the island clean and forbid to take plastic bottles and plastic bags with you is ridiculous when you get those everywhere on the islands 🙄 Apparently the money that people spent on cruises doesn't get the local population anything. There's a lot of room for improvement, especially with transparency where the money goes.
The flight back was quick and easy with a tasty coffee to have enough energy to catch up on writing here 😁 Also the internet on the Galápagos Islands has been pretty bad so the upload didn't work ☺️
When we arrived Lissette's father picked us up at the airport and brought us to the Bed & Breakfast. He also brought our luggage that we had left with them. The Bed & Breakfast is pretty close to the hotel and didn't look like it but had a beautiful interior and huge rooms. We unpacked our stuff and sorted out for tomorrow's flight. Then we tried to call an UBER to a nearby mall complex but none accepted so the receptionist called a taxi for us. In the end we arrived just 15 minutes late to meet with Lissette and Erik. We chatted over a bottle of wine and later dinner and had a great evening together.Læs mere
Lima
3. februar 2023, Peru ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
We had time to sleep in and did so a little bit after the early morning ferries on the Galápagos Islands. The breakfast was great with fresh, tasty bananas... Afterwards we walked to the airport, checked in and dropped off the luggage. We were a little bit later than usually but the airport was very calm with only a few people in the waiting areas. As we just had breakfast we weren't hungry, and they didn't offer the typical Ecuadorian breakfast anyways...
We spent the flight watching the next episode of Game of Thrones and it fit almost perfect for the flight time 😁 The service from LATAM has been pretty good so far, somewhere in the middle between low cost and higher standard airlines. After we landed in Lima there was a sign noting that if we don't go directly to the connecting flight we'd have to pay an airport tax. We had planned to use the 8 hour stopover for a quick visit to the city. But a quick Google search said that the airport tax is around 35$ per person which was then too much overall for a 2 hours visit... So I had time to archive the photos from my phone to SD cards, transfer videos and photos from the GoPro to the phone and sort out some photos. We also worked on our plans for the next weeks... There was a Peruvian restaurant in the international departure hall which was a bit expensive but had the classic ceviche on its menu. I've seen the Peruvian ceviche advertised in every country in Latin America so I was excited to try it. And it had a delicious taste but I think the best one so far has been the Ecuadorian one.
Looking through the hours long video footage of the diving and snorkeling trips the time flew... The boarding started at 11 and at exactly midnight we departed further South to Chile.Læs mere
Antofagasta
4. februar 2023, Chile ⋅ 🌙 17 °C
The flight surprisingly only took a little more than two hours but it had a two hour time difference. So we landed at 04:00 AM and then went to the little bit chaotic immigration but it went pretty quick and smooth. A little while later we were in a taxi on the way to the main bus terminal. And we already saw that it'll get a little more expensive with an ATM fee of 12$ 🙄
Just 15 minutes after we arrived at the bus terminal the bus departed to Calama. It was a super comfortable and modern bus that even had WiFi. Which we didn't use because we immediately fell asleep 😁 When waking up a few hours later the sun had set and we were in an unreal desert landscape with the Andes as backdrop 🤩 We got dropped off at the tour bus shop and they told us that we can continue to San Pedro de Atacama in the shop next door... But they sent us 4 blocks further where we were able to get tickets an hour later. So we had breakfast with the snacks from the airplane and then just enjoyed to stretch our legs out. The second bus was not as nice as the first one but sufficient and we got an amazing spot right at the front on the top floor. Even though we spent most of the time sleeping we woke up in time to see the town appear like an oasis in the valley below us 🫶 Additionally some vicuñas appeared along the road, never getting enough of seeing these cute, fluffy animals 🥰
When we arrived in the town of San Pedro de Atacama we had some things on our to-do list. First we went to the tour company for the pre-booked 4 day tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats to check in and clear up open questions. She wouldn't accept the US Dollars we had because they need to be in "perfect condition" 🙄 It's not like we could select the state of the bank notes... Well, at least we could also pay by PayPal. Then we brought our clothes to a laundry and checked in to the hotel. Even though we were tired we decided to go back into town and see if we can take a tour today. There were only a few options as it had rained and the main attraction, Valle De La Luna, has been closed because the road isn't accessible. Therefore we booked a similar tour for the sunset which left us just enough time to walk back to our hostel and put on our trekking shoes. On the way there it started raining a bit and then a thunderstorm moved in 😲 The house or something nearby was hit by lightning and the electricity went off.
After a misunderstanding they picked us up an hour late 🙈 But we were on our way to see the worldcup rock, an abandoned bus and some interesting salt rock formations. Usually there's also a trekking tour but the weather was too uncertain. It was overall still a fun tour and by the time we reached the viewpoint for the sunset the rain and thunderstorm had moved on. With some snacks we saw a magnificent sunset with dramatic rock formations and clouds like painted. Back in town it started raining again and we collected our laundry and then went to the nearest restaurant. It was lucky that we stopped at one that had a vegetarian menu and was still open 🙂 Afterwards we went home and packed our things for tomorrow's tour and fell asleep 😵Læs mere
San Pedro de Atacama
5. februar 2023, Chile ⋅ 🌩️ 22 °C
We got picked up on time shortly after 7 and gathered the rest within 15 minutes. After a short drive we got in a traffic jam which our driver said can happen after snowfall. They close the access road to a pass because of the snow on the streets and as soon as they've cleared it, they review and open it. Unfortunately we waited there for hours, had breakfast and ultimately still couldn't get through. So after 6 hours we turned back and drove back to town to the tour agency to see our options.
They wouldn't help us with accomodations for the night but rebook us for tomorrow. The tour will probably take another route depending on the weather that is open even when there's heavy rain and snow... We decided to rebook it because it's still the best option. A little bit later they confirmed the pickup time for 4:00 am 😵
So we had the whole afternoon for ourselves to explore the town and a site that had been recommended by the tourist information about 3km out of town. We decided to walk there and see what's there to do... Unfortunately our navigation apps showed bridges/paths across the river that weren't there anymore due to the heavy rain yesterday. So we walked until the end of the road along the river and then forded the river. We made it dry to the other side but Julia's sunglasses went to the other side 🙈 We weren't sure if we'd just walk by but it looked super nice so we went in to Pukara de Quitar despite saying that it closes at 5 and it was 5:05 already 😁 The ruins were really cool perched along the gentle hill. In the background mighty Andes mountains and a green oasis winding through the valley. A truly picturesque view 🤩 There is a walkway leading up the mountain and giving an amazing view over the whole area and into the nearby Death Valley. The weather has been luckily very stable today and we just had a light drizzle on the way.
For the way back we decided to go on the other side hoping to have more luck with any way of crossing the river without getting wet feet. It was about 2km of detour but we made it and just in time to get to a restaurant that had been recommended, "La Picá del Indio". It offers interesting menu options at an affordable rate. There we also had a Pisco Sour, which tasted like a well mixed Caipirinha 🍸 It's a great refreshing cocktail... We walked back to the hotel and shopped some snacks on the way for the next days. Just as we came back to our room it started pouring down 😌Læs mere
Villa Mar
6. februar 2023, Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
On time we got on the bus once again, just that we were the last ones this time 😁 Aaaand it was 4 in the morning so we fell asleep directly after getting on the bus. Waking up occasionally on the way we saw the landscape changing and got more and more beautiful views on the endless plains... When we reached the border we were told that it's closed currently and will open up soon 🤷♂️ So we spent the time walking, sleeping, sorting photos and waitiiiiiing.
It took more than 5 hours until it opened and then - thanks to the border control that went to lunch - two hours to get into Bolivia. But at least and finally we made it!! 20 minutes later our driver, Vladimir, stopped at the bottom of a volcano for a little exploration walk and views - with luck - to it. It was such a relief to finally make it to Bolivia and to get the chance to walk around with a purpose! The highlight was definitely the green succulents forming hard bubble-like structures! And generally the beautiful views over the valleys!! The nexy best stop was at a laguna where you could see a lot of flamingos 🦩 Even though they were not that intensively coloured, how could they without shrimps?!? 🍤🦐 It was still impressive to see so many in a spot 🤩
Two more little stops and we arrived at our hostal where we were glad to be the only ones to get a room with a double bed 🥰☺️ The dinner was pretty good and we sat together with our group for a while chatting. Julia had asked them to be in the 6 person Jeep with us. A couple from Poland but living in Hamburg on a three weeks vacation and a couple from Germany on an open end world trip. They were all around our age and we understood each other immediately very good. But getting up at 4 and waiting for the border crossing we were all pretty tired and went after a shared beer to bed.
We're super happy to be in such a great group and we're looking forward to explore Bolivia together with them for the next days.Læs mere