So much, so soon

We got a cab at 3:45 am and made it to the airport in plenty of time for our 7:05 flight. It was recommended to be there 2.5 hours before departure, but it wasn’t very busy. We got to our gate around 5:30 and waited for the sun to come up. As it got later, the light began to reveal the surrounding mountains. Quito sits in a valley with mountains rising on each side. The airport is situated at the top of a hill, at about 8000 feet above sea level. When the plane took off, my tummy did a somersault, as the ground dropped away down a cliff. It was a dramatic start to our flight over the Andes. The plane took a left turn around one summit, rather than going over. I could see how planes accidentally crash into mountains, and I suddenly regretted watching “Society of the Snow” a few months ago. But, alas, we made it over the mountain range, and we didn’t have to resort to cannibalism.

We arrived at the airport on Baltra island, where you have to take a bus to a ferry to a taxi to get to Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz. It was obvious why they put the airport on this small island, rather than Santa Cruz. It is small and desolate, save for some limited vegetation, cacti, and at least one confirmed beefy iguana. The taxi ride from the ferry required going up and over the middle of the island. I had the window down, enjoying the fresh air, until it became noticeably cooler. We reached a maximum elevation at 2000 feet, where the mist covered the vegetation. It didn’t last long, as we quickly dropped back down the southern side. I was enjoying the scenery, when a giant tortoise came into view. Then another and another. There huge shells dotted the landscape, looking like miniature VW Bugs scattered in the meadows. The taxi driver pulled over so we could take a few pictures of the tortoises in the wild.

As soon as we could drop our bags, we headed for the pier to get a closer look at the bay. We were walking along the jetty, when we noticed a couple of blobs on the pier. As we got closer we realized they were sea lions that had decided to take a nap, despite the human traffic. That’s the thing about the animals here. They have no natural predators, so they don’t have the same fear response that you see everywhere else. I got inches from one of the animal’s face, and it didn’t even wake up, but I did get a good photo. I literally had to step over one when we left, and it didn’t even flinch.

The jetty was a hubbub of activity the longer we stayed. Two large turtles scoured the rocks along the bottom of the bay, eating at something near or attached to them. Bright red crabs dotted the rocks encircling the bay. A couple of marine iguanas slowly ate their way over the rocks, while the crabs refused to budge on their approach. As we talked under a tree, a finch landed within a foot of my head and seemed unbothered at my inquiry. Even my pointing at the bird to emphasize the proximity for Kim did not cause it to fly away. So strange.

I checked in with the dive shop after dinner and got squared away for tomorrow. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the park to watch a local dance competition, at least that’s what I think it was. We caught the young’s kids, probably around 10 years old, dancing to Gangnam Style. It was fantastic!Read more