day110

Day 110

     We went sightseeing today. We started in Old Town where we visited the dark and dreary church of Santo Domingo, eavesdropped on retirees quietly arguing politicians in the park, watched street artists, (and watched out for pickpockets). When it started raining we caught the first bus and ended up in the suburbs. The last stop was at a shopping mall where the sightseeing was just as good.
     Later, we saw an extremely long line of locals waiting at a restaurant. Figuring that many people couldn�t be wrong, we joined in and had a great typical meal of cebiche (shrimp cooked in vinegar) and guacamole-covered steaks.

Hotel- $8, Food -$12, Trans. -$1, Random (games -$4, internet/phone -$3)     Total -$29

Day 111

     We woke up this morning wanting waffles. (Maybe we are missing home a little bit). Anyway, Martha (quite incorrectly) told us that restaurants don�t serve waffles in Ecuador, but she had a waffle iron for us. Lady went to the grocery store but couldn�t find Bisquick. She bought cake mix instead figuring she could adjust the recipe. What a disaster! Martha came up in the middle and it only got worse. After some words about how closely the recipe was followed, Lady went to her room, Martha went back down stairs, and I got to scrape the waffle iron. I didn�t get waffles for breakfast, either.
     P.S. Lady says this story will not be funny to her for another week or so.
     After two weeks based in Quito, we feel ready to leave. We booked the earliest flight (tomorrow) for the Galapagos Islands and the rest of the day was a rush as we bought books, film, seasickness pills, tried to eat all of our groceries, etc. Also, two Australians, Cassandra and Stuart, checked in to the guesthouse today. We talked for hours about life and travel. They had recently travelled down from Central America, too. It was great to reminisce, as well as try to one up each other with horror stories. We won when we told them about mortadela. Apparently, they frequently ordered it in Nicaragua and Costa Rica and found it to be cheap and tasty.

Hotel -$8, Food -$11, Trans. -$1,
Random (books -$8, internet -$2, haircut -$2, meds -$1, stamps -$7, film -$12)     Total -$52

Day 112

     We woke up feeling like we were going on vacation (I guess a vacation from a vacation). Anyway, we left most of our things at Martha�s and left for the airport.
     We flew to the Galapagos without arranging for our boat first. Our somewhat exhaustive research found we would save by buying locally rather than in Quito. The significant risk was that the desired boats could be filled and we would have to wait for up to a week. Anyway, with a bit of luck we met the owner of a highly recommended boat who had also grown up in New York City. We booked on the Angelique, an old romantic sailboat, at over $200 better than the best quote in Quito. For what remained of the day, we walked around Puerto Ayora and had the best grilled fish of the trip.

Hote -$8, Food -$18, Trans . -$5, Random (Galapagos Entrance Fee -$200)     Total -$231

Day 114

     To start the tour, we joined our guide, Tony, at the Charles Darwin Research Station. The center is dedicated to conservation programs to protect the remaining subspecies of Giant Galapagos Tortoises. Several are now extinct due to the excessive hunting by whalers. We were able to play with several 400 pound ( about 3 feet tall and 4 feet long) tortoises who (unbelievably) used to be housepets. We also met Lonesome George, who at 80, is the last of his breed.
     For lunch, we boarded the Angelique which was even more grand than we had hoped, and quickly settled into our small room (bunk beds, porthole, and tiny bath). After more touring back on land, meeting the other passengers, and supper, we departed for the north islands. For most of the trip, we would travel at night and tour the islands during the day. It was a long first night for us as we got our sea legs. Most of it spent on deck, or in Lady�s case, leaning over the edge.

Food -$13, Tour -$115     Total -$128