Bomboli

Yesterday a group of us went to Bomboli to meet a couple who lives off of the grid. First we went to a waterfall that this couple protects and it was so clear and fresh. Next we went down the highway a bit and there we saw a totally dirty waterfall that is used for water for the residents of the city. It was amazing how different they were even though they were so close.

Clean waterfall protected by Oswaldo.

Contaminated waterfall

After seeing the waterfalls we went to the house of Osawaldo and Marianita. This couple has lived in their home for 23 years, which has no electricity, heat, or air conditioning. It was wonderful visiting them because they live off of what they make for the most part. The wife makes manjar (dulce de leche), mozzarella cheese, queso fresco, and marmelada (jam). They have a humongous garden with potatoes, lettuce, onions, berries, herbs etc. On their garage they have 2 litre pop bottles with plants inside of them and througout their land, there are huge tires with plants inbetween them or inside of them because the heat that the tires absorbs makes the growing process that much better. It was so lovely seeing such earth friendly people.

For our trip we started out by watching the wife make fresh mozzarella cheese. It was a quick process and it resulted in the stringy-est fresh mozzarella I've ever laid eyes on. She was passing it out to everyone and they were asking for seconds and thirds. It tasted differently from the mozzarella in the United States, obviously, but it was great nonetheless.

 Marianita making cheese.

Next we went on a 2 hour hike around their land and saw a plethora of orchids that grow there. There are 20 different types all together. There were red, dusty pink, mustard yellow and brown, orange, and other colors that we saw. Some smelled slightly sweet and some didn't have much of a scent at all. We also saw succulents (gorgeous!), lychins, different types of moss (you can eat it!), tons of different trees (one had bark as thin as tissue paper), and various other types of flowers.

Orchids

The husband is an ecologist and he did an experiment where he planted 3 trees in the same area 2 minutes apart and by different trees that have different amounts of "friendly-ness" to that type of tree, and even though they were grown in the same area, fed the same food, etc. they grew at different rates. They reminded me of the Sprint bars because the one grown first was tiniest at about one foot tall, the second was about 4 feet tall, and the last was the tallest and about 6 or so feet all.

After our hike we stopped in the middle of a trail, closed our eyes, and listened to what we could hear. I literally just heard the rain pattering on our umbrellas, jackets, the dirt, and on the gargantuan leaves that surrounded us. It was relaxing and so uncommon to only hear nature. I'm so used to hearing cars, airplanes, people talking, etc that when I only hear the sounds that our world makes, it seems strange. That's one of the reasons why I adore the Galapagos and Bomboli, it's so much more quiet and the air is pure and fresh. Even in Fort Wayne or Manchester, it's hard to have a solid minute of quiet.

Finally, we had a late lunch of marinated chicken, a salad of greens, cabbage, carrots and a homemade vinigarette, a baked casserole of carrot, zucchini, and parmesan cheese, and a dessert of a crepe filled with the manjar and topped with the chocolate. She also gave us pitchers of fresh mint tea that came from her garden. It was such an amazing lunch and to make it even more enjoyable, we were sitting right next to a huge, crackling fire that warmed up our rain-soaked bodies. After our meal we bought manjar, chocolate, marmelada, and cheese and hopefully helped them the best we could. Wherever we go we meet the sweetest, most though-provoking people ever and it always makes me more excited for the next trip.

Los Galapagos

Long time, no blog!

A few weeks ago I went to the Galapagos Islands and had 6 of the best days of my life! We flew from Quito to the islands, and when we landed I could not even believe my eyes. The water was the clearest teal I've ever seen in my life. It was stunning! We went to Isla Santa Cruz and stayed in an awesome hostal with ships all over the place and my room was a little bungalow that you had to take a spiral staircase to get to. The first day in the Galapagos we went cliff diving and it was utterly terrifying! Puenting I could do any day, any time because it feels safe having 2 harnesses on your body, but with cliff diving you are literally throwing yourself into a narrow crevice between two cliffs. Two people almost hit rocks, so I had a reason to be scared haha. But of course, I can't tell myself no, so I went off of the tallest peak first just to get it over with. It was one of the most liberating feelings ever, and I went off of the shorter one, too. After cliff diving we went to the ocean to practice snorkeling, where we saw sea snakes, puffer fish, and other types of fish too.

The astonishingly teal water!

Me cliff diving!

 

The second day in the Galapagos we took a boat to Isla Isabela where we stayed the rest of our trip. We went to the beach and had beers and danced all night long and it was just an incredibly chill day. We had one restaurant that made all of our meals while we were there and the food was delicious and fresh. One day we had grilled tuna that was caught that day and another day they grilled whole lobsters for us. I was in seafood heaven.

 

The second day on Isabela my group and I went on the half snorkeling, half land day. We went snorkeling in an area that was gorgeous beyond words. There were sting rays below us, schools of fish, sand dollars, star fish, and we even got to swim with sea turtles! That was probably my favorite day because it felt so surreal. I always felt out of place in the Galapagos because there was so much utter beauty around me. After snorkeling we went to El Jardin de Iguanas, a little island made of "AA lava", which is just lava with lycans on it that hurts immensely when you walk on it. There were probably thousands of iguanas on that island, and they were so large! We walked to one area where the tide had trapped in white tipped reef sharks and sea turtles in a little cove, and it was so majestic watching them swim together.

After that we went back to Isabela and got mountain bikes, then we biked to a sea turtle breeding center. They protect the baby sea turtles and try to release them when they become old enough. We learned about how there are 5 different types of sea turtles since there are 5 types of volcanos in the Galapagos. After that we biked to a man-made quarry that now houses a type of krill that attracts Greater Flamingos from Central America. They were a bright shade of pink that blew my mind. I learned that when they're pregnant they produce milk in their stomachs and regurgitate it to their babies and that they sleep on one leg because when they sleep, only one part of their brain shuts off so that they can be alerted if a predator comes close! Next, we biked around the entire town and saw huge black lava fields. It was so interesting to see vast amounts of lava surrounding you!

Swimming with the sea turtle :).

Biking around the lava fields.

 

The next day we went on the all water day, which was not the funnest day of my life for the sole reason that it was raining the entire time and we had a 2.5 hour boat ride in it. We boated to an island made up of lava tunnels, which were too gorgeous for words. It's the only place in the Galapagos with these tunnels. We snorkeled for 40 minutes, and swam with more sea turtles and got to see sea turtles mating under water! It was so crazy to see that up close and personal. We saw more white tipped reef sharks and star fish and schools of fish, too. Next we went to Tortuga Island, which is just shaped sort of like a turtle lol. We saw red chested Friggits, Nasca Boobies, iguanas, seals, and lava birds. It was so pretty and besides the rain, it was an incredibly relaxing boat ride. After the trip, 14 of us pushed the 3 beds in Emily's room together and we had a "cuddle puddle" where we just cuddled and slept together. It warmed us right up! We also did this after the hiking day like the little cuties we are :P. That night we went to the beach and I danced with this guy who was seriously the best teacher ever. He was so nice and talked with me the entire time. Everyone else was having a blast dancing and Brian and Louisa kept doing the Dirty Dancing lift hahaha. These nights on the beach were so fun and entertaining. I definitely miss every second of the dancing, drinking, and talking.

 

On our last day of activities, we did the 6 hour hike up Volcan Chico. We got on a chiva and drove for a little over an hour to our starting point, and it was so lovely out. Sun was shining and when we got to the starting point we could see all over the island, which is rare apparently becuase it's usually foggy. We got our boots on and started the hike up the mountain and had a hell of a time. It was muddy and rainy in most parts, but it was so cooling and it made the hours fly by. My group of people that I went with on all 3 trips is so close and we have a great bond usually, but the hike let us talk a lot and share stories of our lives back home. It was so nice to learn about my friends more. We stopped at one point and looked out at the the volcanic crator and oh my goodness was it amazing. It was so vast and looked like we were on another planet. It took all of our breaths away. There was no sign of life, and that made me feel small somehow. This world is too glorious and has things like volcanic eruptions that destroy things, yet make even better things happen. I would hike another 6 hours to see that again.

At the end of the volcanic hike were more crators and huge rocks that were orange, red, yellow, gray, and black. The colors were bright and deep and intense. I couldn't even explain them to you if you asked me. There was hardly any plant life around and it just made me feel so refreshed knowing I was in such an empty place.

 

At Volcan Chico

That night we went to the beach for the last time and let's just say it was quite entertaining, interesting, and ridiculous. I will never forget how crazy everyone got. I still cannot believe I was lucky enough to go to the Galapagos when a huge amount of Ecuadorians have not even had the opportunity to go themselves.