Charmed in Ecuador
Leaving Colombia was hard. After over 5 weeks enjoying the beaches and mountains while drinking beautiful Colombian coffee, I thought Ecuador couldn’t compare.
That was until we arrived in Otavalo. This little city surrounded by mountains looked to be straight out of a storybook, with palm trees next to fruit stalls where indigenous women sold oranges by the kilo. The city is famous for the textile market, where you can see all the colors of the rainbow woven into scarves, blankets, pillowcases, bags and ponchos. My heart exploded when we walked into the market, knowing I would have to mail home a box full of treasures.
It was strange to use US dollars in Ecuador. We hadn’t used dollars since Panama, and even then it was strange to pay in dollars and receive back change in balboas. Unlike using Colombian pesos, where approximately 2000 pesos is a dollar, there was no calculation or conversion required in Ecuador. I found a cozy brightly colored blanket which I loved, and when I asked the price, she said it was $12. My only task then, was to bargain. I knew I wanted to buy the blanket for my mom, so after a simple Spanish exchange with a smile, I got the blanket for $8. After I broke the seal, I ended up spending the next 3 hours in the market strolling from stall to stall, filling my arms with goodies for friends and family.
Our next stop in Ecuador was the second highest capital city in the world, Quito. We stayed in a hostel in the old town surrounded by steep winding streets and bright yellow and white buildings. After getting settled, we took a ride out into the countryside surrounding Quito and visited the Condor Park. The park rescues and rehabilitates Andean condors, owls, and birds of prey, while helping to prepare the birds for release back into the wild. We saw huge condors as well as tiny ones flying right before our eyes. Perhaps the strangest moment of all was when live chicks were put into the cages of the birds, allowing the birds to “hunt” for their food at feeding time. Despite being hard to watch, this is a necessary step in preparing the birds for release into the wild. Upon returning to the city, we dined on Chinese food and rested up for our final stop in Ecuador: the incredible Galapagos Islands!
I wasn’t sure that I would be able to visit the islands on this trip, but as we got closer and closer to Ecuador, we began to cross paths with travellers who had spent a week visiting the islands. We heard stories of marine iguanas and blue footed birds in the sky, and knew we had to see it for ourselves. We flew roundtrip from Quito for $450, and visited 3 of the 4 islands. Many people take cruises from island to island, but as I am prone to seasickness, and since the cruises tend to be at least $600 for very minimal quality boats, we decided to island hop on our own. Call it DIY Galapagos.
Starting on Santa Cruz, the first order of business was scuba diving. We had heard amazing things about the aquatic life around the islands, and wanted to see it for ourselves. We were lucky enough to dive with the best company on the island, Scuba Iguana, and they took great care of us. The water was really cold, and it was my first time wearing a 7mm wetsuit. I forgot all about the temperature of the water once we were under though, since just a few minutes into the dive I was face-to-face with a shark. As I regained my composure, another shark appeared, and before I knew it, 4 sharks were within my view. They seemed very calm, moved lightly, and one even rested on the ocean floor under a small ledge next to us. We all just clung onto the rocks surrounding it, gazing into the eyes of the misunderstood beauty. Sometimes when you have a moment so amazing in your life, you realize you’re living a memory you’ll have forever.
After a few more dives, we took a boat to the widely unpopulated Isabela Island. This ended up being my favorite island of all. On our first morning, we hiked up to an active volcano, Sierra Negra, and got a breathtaking view of the volcano’s 7km wide crater, which is one of the largest in the world. The next day, we observed penguin families in the sun, and snorkeled in the bay. The water was cold here as well, so after about 10 minutes of shivering without seeing anything, I was ready to throw in my flippers. Right at that moment, we spotted a giant sea turtle right below us. Moving gracefully through the water like a spaceship, we followed behind the gentle giant for 20 minutes. This interaction with the turtle is another memory I will cherish forever. When we returned to Santa Cruz to fly back to Quito, our hearts were full. I felt so grateful to see the animals and nature of the Galapagos with my own eyes.
Like many countries in South America, Ecuador surprised me, in the most brilliant and wonderful way. I entered not knowing what to expect, but I left dreaming of returning someday.