Quito and The Galapagos: Where Time Stands Still
A Walk in The Clouds
It’s the first day of 2022, and it’s our first day in Ecuador, an adventure that starts in a cloud forest above Quito. Reserva Yanacocha is a magical setting steeped in mist and alive with a menagerie of colorful birds. Wild turkeys eat bananas in a tree (you heard me), and a dizzying assortment of hummingbirds dances around us.
Everything is more exotic and surprising here--including the never-ending ride up and up and up to this forest. David, our guide, is proud of his country. From the food to the scenery, we can’t help but share his enthusiasm. The plants are so large we feel like ants. Huge green leaves are as big as satellite dishes, and tall trees are cloaked with silvery moss. A series of man-made caves cut through the mountains. When you exit into the light, you feel like you’re in Jurassic Park.
We hike for four hours and climb a waterfall. Sitting on the rocks, we sack lunches of cheese tortillas, quinoa snacks, and a tropical orange fruit called granadilla. You break it open with your hands so you can suck out the tiny sweet, crunchy seeds.
This is our fifth trip with Uncharted, the travel and adventure outfit owned by dear friends Sandy and Chip Cunningham. In an awesome, elegant, and one-of-a-kind manner, they have curated and orchestrated the journeys we’ve embarked upon to different parts of the world. And yet, as we find in the Galapagos, each experience with Uncharted remains unique and surprising and awesomely memorable.
What a perfect way to start the new year.
The Mercado of Mystics
David picks us up at 9:00 a.m. from the warm and welcoming Illa Experience Hotel. We feel lucky to be in his care.
Our first stop is the Quito Central Market. Roxy and I always try to see markets when we visit a country because you learn so much about a place and its history. For example, we discover that mysticism is a strong force in Ecuadorian culture. Potions to attract men, keep women under your control, or heal skin problems are on display, along with bunches of better and sweet herbs. They cleanse the evil spirits and energy, bringing good and strong healing powers.
David asks if we would like a healing from one of the “mamas.” No way are we going to miss out on such an event on the second day of the year! So, we followed a young woman to an outdoor area with benches under placards with women’s names: Rosario, Sara, Betty, etc.
After a few minutes, Sarita emerges from a tiny room. Like most of the women in Ecuador, she is diminutive, standing less than five feet tall, with dark brown skin and a big smile. She directs us to a tiny shower-like space with a small window above it that displays a statue of Mother Mary.
The healing begins with a raw egg rubbed vigorously on my head, down my shoulders, onto my back and legs, and eventually over my entire body, front and back. David films the whole ritual as Sarita speaks to God, begging him for redemption and releasing bad energy from my body and soul. Finally, she stops and shakes the egg next to her ear. The sound tells her that I worry too much and need to be patient.
Sarita then commences healing this ailment by sprinkling Aqua de Flora onto stinging nettles and whacking me with brute force. Speaking quickly and intensely in Spanish, she moves my worries out of my body with every stinging thwack of the branches, which leaves wet imprints on my clothes. It feels like hundreds of baby bug bites.
Then it is Roxy’s turn, and she takes it like a champ. The egg reveals that my daughter is low energy. Because her force field is down, she is also a magnet for other people’s negative pull. Sarita cleanses her with the stinging nettles and then seals her heart and soul against evil.
David tells us we are lucky only to have an egg rubbed on our bodies and shaken to predict our challenges. He has seen the same healing done with a live Guinea pig. Yuck!
Over-the-Top Spanish Colonial
We want to eat like locals, so David takes us to lunch at a casual restaurant called Ecuviche. We are served huge bowls and plates of aromatic food on a rooftop terrace. Octopus and shrimp ceviche are garnished with popcorn and fried banana chips. The dish is shrimp, fish, and squid in a rich garlic sauce atop fluffy white rice. Enormous shrimp-stuffed empanadas round out the delicious meal.
After lunch, bellies full, we walk to San Francisco Plaza, where retired men dressed formally to meet each other and discuss their world. They would wear their finest--and often only--suit to live out the rest of their days on these benches. Sadly, that elegance is now gone in the families who gather now. But stately Spanish colonial buildings still hold their own. From the Presidential Palace and other surrounding government buildings to the oldest church in the city, it’s all thick white stucco walls and red clay tile rooftops. And not just the square. The entire town is uniformly Spanish colonial, making it one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Not far from the square is an over-the-top baroque and Rocca Jesuit Church. Compania de Jesus Church took 150 years to build. Layers of gold cover hand-carved wood from the arched ceiling made in the Moorish style, reaching down to the marble floors. The indigenous people were the artisans who created this masterwork for little play and no fanfare.
As we exit, David points out two enormous paintings facing each other. On one side is a depiction of hell—a frightening scene. The other side is judgment day. Together, the paintings would scare anyone into turning over 10 percent of their earnings. “And that’s how the Jesuits became the richest order in our country,” David comments. What a business model!
Bohemian Rapsody
Our city tour continues to the bohemian part of the city. Walking under a long tunnel, we emerge onto narrow streets with artsy shops, bars, and restaurants. Recently, the government gave away space for free to anyone who wanted to start a business here, reviving this once-abandoned neighborhood. In the days before Quito had indoor plumbing, human excrement would roll downhill. Today, the streets are spotless, with rainbow-colored Spanish buildings featuring charming balconies overflowing flowers.
Ecuadorian Chocolate Artistry
We end our day in the sweetest way with an artisan Chocolatier at Republica del Cocoa. Step-by-step, we learn how to take Arriba pods, extract beans, separate the good seeds from the bad, grind, and shape the world’s best chocolate. At one time, chocolate/cacao was the number one export of Ecuador. Today, it comprises five percent of the total G.D.P., the largest in the Americas. Sixty percent of the world’s finest dark chocolate comes from Ecuador. The Swiss chocolate maker and his Ecuadorian wife are devoted to the purity of their product, which is the best we’ve ever tasted.
Arriving back at our hotel, we are handed ice cream cones filled with passion fruit sorbet. It’s made traditionally in a metal bowl full of ice from the Andes, straw, and rock salt. Delicious and fresh with a perfect touch of sweetness. We end the evening at Noe Sushi Bar. The sashimi platter, seaweed salad, and gracious service are on point. Pieces of delicate fish melt in our mouths. Chocolate and sushi…oh yeah!
Face-to-Face with Giant Tortoises
Giant tortoises. Meeting them is our first introduction to the Galapagos, and boy, did they make a big impression. They are everywhere at the Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserve on Santa Cruz Island. That’s because the Rancho is dedicated to protecting, nurturing, and growing the tortoise population.
Our guide for this part of our journey is Alejandro, a jolly young man who, like all of the guides in the Galapagos, grew up right here in Santa Cruz. He tells us that tortoises can live up to 200 years. We watch them become curious about us, munch on grass, and sleep. We fall in love with their lumbering movements and faces, which inspired Steven Spielberg to create E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial.
Later, at the Rancho, Alejandro says, “I hear moaning. Stop. Stop.” What are we waiting for? Roxy and I wonder. Giant tortoises are having sex! Frankly, it didn’t look fun for either partner. Nature can be cruel.
Are We in Africa or Ecuador?
Afterward, we are greeted by the exuberant Alejandra on the steps of the Galapagos Safari Camp, which will serve as our home base while visiting the islands. She’s the camp counselor extraordinaire who plans your experience. We can tell right away that she intends to make every moment unforgettable.
Over fresh juice and yucca chips, Alejandra helps us plan our first day of activities and reviews the dinner menu. Walking with us down the lava gravel-covered steps to our safari tent, my mind conjures up as an Indiana Jones movie set. Are we in Africa or Ecuador? The landscape and the tents all speak to the Serengeti, but here we are in South America. Our elevated tent is well-appointed with all the comforts of home and a lovely waterfront view.
After freshening up for dinner, Roxy and I meet our fellow travelers at the sundowner spot where Diego, the bartender, serves perfect margaritas and gin and tonics. A sense of awe instantly comes over all of us. When the sunset bursts into a dramatic red-orange, Alejandra says, “Before you go to bed, look up at the night sky. We are at the equator so that you can see the shape of the earth and the entire milky way.”
Swimming with Sharks
The following day, Alexandro brings us to his favorite childhood beach, Tortuga Bay. As we walk along the path, that rolls up and down to the shoreline. He says, “Every morning before school, I would come here with my brothers and sisters and surf.” My daughter and I agree that it sounds idyllic. Untouched and uninhabited by nothing more than marine iguanas that climb the lava rocks jutting out from the water, the beach is mysterious, vast, and quietly beautiful.
Thankfully, the woman who rents kayaks is at her post under a prickly pear cactus tree. Roxy and I dip our kayak into the water and stay next to Alexandro’s. He directs us to paddle near the rocks where dozens of reef sharks are swimming under our fiberglass hulls. They are up to six feet long and white-tipped, which means they are harmless to humans.
Farther along, we spot sea turtles and manta rays in the clear water. We are wowed by how close they come to us, fearless because they have been completely protected. That’s when we decided to jump out of our now anchored kayaks and snorkel with all these marvelous sea creatures.
Come See the Puppies (a.k.a. Sea Lion Babies)
The next day is a two-hour boat ride to Santa Fe. We had been told by our dear friend Doug Yates, who recommended the Galapagos to us as our next adventure, that this island would be the highlight of the trip, and it didn’t disappoint.
As soon as we land onshore, we are greeted by colonies of sea lions. Robert, our British-Ecuadorian guide, says, “Come see the puppies!” As we watch them nurse, he tells us that alpha males’ duty is to find the best real estate for the mamas and their pups. We watch them patrol their territories. The males go without food for three weeks during mating season, living off the love of their ladies. “After the 21-day mating period, they retreat to a bachelor pad of their choosing. Look at that one over there,” he points to a lone male, laughs Robert. “He’s exhausted by his responsibilities.”
The impregnated females carry their babies for nine months, just like humans. Their puppies are so playful and utterly adorable, with big brown eyes, light brown fur, and endless curiosity. We put on our wetsuits and snorkel with them until an alpha male puts an end to our fun.
Meanwhile, Back at Camp…
The advantage of being on a boat 24/7 in the Galapagos is that it motors to each island while you sleep.
So, you always wake up in a new place. However, being at the Galapagos Safari Camp means you don’t have to sleep on a boat. It’s a rustic haven with all the right touches of elegance. It also has a homey feel. Each evening, you walk through the beautifully hand-carved doors into an oasis filled with high-backed leather chairs, cedarwood tables, a stocked bar cart, and a roaring fireplace. Holding a cool washcloth to the back of your neck with one hand and a drink in the other, you find out what’s in store for the next day, put in your breakfast order, and get tucked in with a hot water bottle.
In Search of Boobies
Our third day of island-hopping is to the plaza. In a beautiful, rolling landscape with paradise-like views of the bay, we find cliffs that give shade to gulls with orange-rimmed eyes and the famous blue-footed boobies. Eye-popping bright red succulents cover the ground and set off all the green, gray, and blue surrounding us. Robert makes everything seem completely fascinating. He describes how some plants and animals are “pioneers,” drifting to the islands by water or carried by birds. Others are “native,” arriving naturally, and can be found in other places in the world. There are also “endemic” plants and animals only found in the Galapagos. The last category is “introduced” by humans like mice, cats, and goats. They all threaten life here.
The Galapagos is a glimpse of life before human civilization and a reminder of its beauty.
Yes, Missouri, There Are Penguins at the Equator
The Galapagos Penguin is the only tropical penguin in the world. It’s the last creature you’d expect to see at the equator, but there they are, cute as can be, swimming and sunning themselves on Bartolome Island. The smallest penguin in existence, only 2,000 counted in the last census.
We climb to the top of the peak on wooden stairs and are rewarded with a clear and crisp view across twin half-moon beaches. The island of Bartolome looks like Mars. The color of rust in the landscape makes the blue water and white sandy beaches even more beautiful in contrast. Rising behind us is the famous Pinnacle Rock, a jagged lava formation.
Starfish The Size of a Frying Pan
The Galapagos may be best known as a place to watch wildlife on land, but Roxy and I feel that underwater is where the real show happens. Where else can you swim with penguins, sea lions, giant sea turtles, schools of colorful fish, sharks, and the most enormous starfish you’ve ever seen, all with perfect visibility?
We snorkel for a long time as the current carries us far from the others. Roxy and I climb aboard and share our joy over a hot lunch of Ecuadorian chicken stew, rice, and salad. The food tastes so much better after swimming in the ocean.
Finding Lost Treasure
Boarding the plane the next morning, we are exhausted from all the treasures we’ve experienced in the Galapagos, rare and rich. We are looking forward to chilling out for a few days at Las Tanusus, an eco-beach resort and foodie paradise on the Ecuadorian coast. I nod off as Roxy sleepwalks to her seat.
“Mom,” Roxy whispers, “that was a trip for the ages. I keep flashing on all the faces of the people we met in the Galapagos. Like Robert, who guided us on the Sea Finch Yacht. His enthusiasm was contagious, wasn't it? Remember how he’d hoist the kids onto his shoulders and held a life preserver for them as they splashed in circles?”
“I remember everything,” I say, sighing. Yes, I am tired from all the excitement, the wild splendor of it all, but oh, I’d go back in a heartbeat and do it all over again. So would my daughter.
