Lazing and Lava

Kat writes: After my long awaited sojourn to the beach we finally stepped off a very hot bus in Samara, on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. In Samara we found a long palm tree lined beach, places to eat/drink and very hot and humid weather. After finding a hotel with air conditioning (no fan was going to be enough in this heat) we headed straight for the beach. I dived in expecting cool relief only to find the water almost as warm. Oh well, we can´t have everything.

We spent 3 days in Samara doing, well, nothing. We didn´t need to go in search of wildlife as squirrels, various birds and the odd iguana hung out in the gardens at our hotel. We then thought we´d give the Caribbean side of Costa Rica a look-see. We ended up in a small place called Cahuita where reggae rules the roost and the activity of the day is relaxation. Cahuita is a dirt road town with just enough eating and drinking places to keep you going.

We actually did something in Cahuita. The beach, and the forrest behind it, form a national park. We went on a snorkeling trip for a morning and saw lots of fishies and one baby reef shark. We then left the trip and walked back to the town through the forrest. The boat dropped us off on a bit of beach but before leaving, we were given some watermelon and pineapple to eat. The local monkeys know this happens almost daily as we were met by a lot of them. The monkeys were very cheeky - if you stood under a branch a monkey would hang down and pinch the fruit from you. One even climbed up my leg to try to grab the fruit from my hand.

The walk through the forrest was lovely and there were plenty more monkeys to keep us entertained.

Favorite moment: sitting in Coco´s Bar in Cahuita drinking beers while listening to a reggae band sing "Oh oh my demanding wife, she trying to destroy my life..."

We then said goodbye to Costa Rica and took a plane to Guatemala City. We didn´t bother staying in G.City but jumped straight on a bus to Antigua, an hour west of G.City. Antigua is the old capital of Guatemala and is a very pretty city. The old colonial buildings and cobblestone streets make for some nice pics. Also, being so close to Xmas, loads of Xmas lights are decorating the place. Antigua is in the middle of 3 inactive volcanos so the surroundings are also stunning.

Also close to Antigua is a very active volcano, Volcan Pacaya. This time, we were determined to see it and this time, luck was on our side. The volcano isn´t very high (compared to the others we´ve tried to see), reaching approximately 2,500m. We climbed it with relative ease and at the top we were able to stand right at the edge of the crater. Inside the crater another cone has started to develop so you´ve sort of got a mini-volcano on top of the volcano. It was amazing - sulphur smoke is billowing out of the main crater and the smaller one and in the smaller one you can see the red glow of the lava inside. Not only that but every minute or so the small crater would spurt out globs of lava into the sky. It was so amazing to see this close up.

The way down was also fun as it involved running down all the loose lava rocks (you had to run, if you tried to go slow you´d just fall on your bum).

So finally, we get a beach or two and also the volcano experience we were after. Nice one.

Tomorrow we head off further west until just before Xmas and then we´ll be back in Antigua for Xmas day. For our Xmas present we´ve booked ourselves into a really nice hotel with a pool and all the trimmings.

Feliz Navidad.

Are you observing?

Kat writes: Here we are in Costa Rica, our first stop in Central America. We´re finding it quite different to South America but that may just be Costa Rica, not the region as a whole. There is a lot more money in this country and it really is set up for the millions of American tourists who come here. We get the impression that Costa Rica is to Americans what Spain is to the English. No doubt as a result of this, Costa Rica is much more expensive than what we´ve been used to over the past 3 months. The difference between a room for US$12 in Peru or Bolivia to a room for the same amount here is quite substantial. Also, the cost of tours and excursions is in most cases extortionate. Just as well we only have 2 weeks here. Despite this fact and my brief winge, we´ve done some fab stuff.

We found San Jose to be a big noisy city (as most capital cities are) so we didn´t spend much time there. Our first trip was to the CafeBrit coffee plantation and production factory. Dylan, of course, was in heaven and had symptoms of a bad come down later that evening. The place is gorgeous (as it should be given the price of the tour, sorry, I´ll stop now). The tour around the plantation was not quite what we expected. It is run by 3 actors who act as workers. It turned out to be some sort of comedy show and pantomime. We did learn about the coffee plants and the production process but most of the 3 hour visit was a little bizzare. Funny, but bizzare. We were given a very yummy lunch and all the coffee you could drink (Dylan could drink alot). Classic moment of the trip was an older lady of a certain nationality asking how cocaine was extracted from coffee plants.

That evening there was a contempory dance concert at the National Theatre. Being true seekers of all culture, we went along. A couple of the dances were quite good but in the middle of it all there was some sort of variety show act with all the dancers´ younger sisters - not a pretty sight.

The next day we had booked ourselves on a tour (yes, I know it´s risky but it was a good way to see quite a few things, given the time we´ve got). Within a couple of hours´drive of San Jose there are a number of things to see and this seemed to be the best way. A word must be said about our guide. His name is Adonis (yes, I´m quite serious) and he had definitely been to guide school as every syllable of every word was pronounced sep-er-ate-ly (with a slight lisp) and we were always told "Now we are looking at the xxxx. Are you observing? ". It was hysterical and I found it hard not to giggle every time he spoke. Being fair to our Adonis, he knew his stuff and was a good guide. First we were taken to a different coffee farm - only time for one coffee which was probably a good thing for Dylan´s nerves. Again, a very pretty place with thousands of coffee plants.

Then it was on to the Poas Volcano. You can virtually drive right up to the crater on this one so Dylan and I were excited about finally seeing the crater of a volcano (given our failed efforts in Ecuador). The day started out sunny and clear so we were hopeful. Then, of course, as we came to the top the mist rolled in and it started raining. Still, we walked to the crater and saw nothing but more cloud. We were told a crater was down there but we saw sweet f.a. Our luck with volcanos is not changing. Dylan Says: There was a smell of sulpur though which reminds me of fireworks :o)

We then went to a beautiful area called the La Paz Waterfalls. First, we went into a butterfly sanctuary which was great. Then into the Hummingbird Garden where Dylan tried for a very long time to get a photo of a hummingbird hovering - fat chance. They are bloody quick (and very cute). After another yummy lunch we walked to the waterfalls. Stunning scenery and amazing waterfalls (well, they were to us as we´ve not seen waterfalls that big).

Dylan says again: Actualy I got a pretty good picture of a humminbird, just not in flight - look

The next stop was in a small town on the Rio Sarapiqui where we were taken on a boat ride to spot animals. We saw a two toed sloth, lots of monkeys, a few iguanas, a cormorant and a couple of caymans, so we were quite happy with that!

Feeling like true American tourists we were then taken back to our hostel. I surprisingly enjoyed the day - it didn´t feel too rushed, the scenery was beautiful and as I said, Adonis was a constant amusement.

Next we took a bus to Monteverde which is a small town north west of San Jose. It is well known for the lovely cloud forest surrounding it. There is an abundance of trips you can do from here, all made very easy for all the tourists (I´m thinking all of Costa Rica is like this - all very easy). We went to the frog sanctuary (we like frogs) to see all the different types of frogs they have in Costa Rica. Some are so tiny! We have also done a walk through the tree canopies - there are a number of suspension bridges through part of the cloud forest so that you can walk up at "tree level". It is really beautiful. Later the same day we went to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve which is a protected area. We walked for a couple of hours around there. I love cloud forest - lots of moss grows all over the trees and you feel like you´re walking through the Lothlorien Forrest in Lord of the Rings - stunning.

Today, we did a Canopy Tour which entails 16 suspension zip lines built in the cloud forest, some are over 260 feet high and almost a kilometer long. You are harnessed onto the line and then you fly through the air and the forest to the next tottering platform. I thought it would be terrifying but it wasn´t. I really enjoyed it. What was terrifying was the tarzan swing. They take you up to a high platform, harness you to a rope and push you off. You then free fall until the rope takes up the slack and you swing through the trees a la Tarzan. Great fun once the initial free fall is over. Before that, I almost pooed my pants.

This area of Costa Rica is very beautiful and there is a lot to do. I guess my only concern is whether there is some control on the number of companies running these sorts of trips and what they can build. So far there doesn´t seem to have been too much clearing of forrest. I only hope it stays that way. They seem to have a good balance at the moment.

Tomorrow we´re leaving to go to the beach (finally!!!!!!). We were going to go to La Fortuna which is a town at the base of the Arenal Volcano. That volcano is erupting at present and at night you can see the hot boulders being shot out of the crater and red lava seeping out. It sounds excellent but given our luck with seeing volcanos so far (and the fact that only about 10% of people get a clear day to see the volcano), we think on balance we should just go to a certainty - white sand and crystal clear water. Isn´t that in-cred-i-ble?

Planes, trains and automobiles

A Welshman who puked up a hill and rode down a mountain

Our travels took us from Baños to Riobamba where Dylan was hoping to find some decent off road mountain biking. We found a good company that did us a deal so that I could come along in the support vehicle as there was some good sightseeing to be had. The ride was down part of the highest volcano in Ecuador, Volcan Chimborazo (6310m).

Just in time for his biking extravaganza, Dylan contracted food poisoning from an innocent looking pizza. Still, he solidered on and our guide drove us up to the first climbers refuge on the mountain (4,800m) where Dylan was to start his descent. Just before heading off he thought he´d get rid of the offending pizza and puked all over his shoes. He felt a bit better though. He soldiered on again and did most of the ride while I sat in the car chatting to the guide and looking at the beautiful scenery.

Dylan later collapsed into bed and I set off to buy tickets for a well known train trip between Riobamba and Sibambe, known as the Nariz del Diablo (the Devils Nose).

Going Loco
The train ride was great. It is totally unsafe with everyone sitting on the roof of a very old train (in fact, there is only one carriage with seats inside) chugging along what I would say is quite a dangerous track. Being able to see the scenery like that though is well worth the risk (maybe). The trip is called the Devils Nose due to the last 45 minutes of the track which is down the face of a mountain. All very amazing engineering-wise I´m told, but I´ll get the resident expert on such matters to talk about that.

Dylan (who is quite keen on railways) explains: This is fondly known as "The most Difficult Railway in the World", and after seeing the landscape you can see why. This is the steepest railway I have ever seen, and in some places on the track we would be jostled out of our seats as the train bounced out of its tracks (actually we only derailed three times), but the most staggering part of this run is the devils nose where the track makes two tight switch-backs via sets of points, being simply too steep to climb.

It took two famous american engineers to tackle the job and it´s a credit to them (and no doubt their workforce which must have been considerable) when you look at the sculpting of the mountains and sidings. The mountains don´t seem too happy at being conkerd, and after half an hour or so I noticed that they are continously moving in an attempt to recover the track and claim back what is theirs. Mostly just dust and small rocks as we passed but on one occasion a large boulder about two and a half feet across. Firstly this merely lodged itself under the brake truck which I guess could have been ok, but when we felt the jolt through the train we realised it was going to get worse. The boulder had manged to wedge itself in between the wheels of the boggie and the whole truck lifted a foot in the air as it rolled around underneath. I was pretty sure we would lose the coupling but it held. We stopped the train for about 4 seconds, but one of the many guardsmen was having nothing stop his train. "Vamos" he was shouting, and we continued. I guess that rock is still on the track.....

Devils Nose

Fixing the track

The second and third de-railments were classic tracks drifiting apart on the sleepers and the wheels "popping" out in between. At first I thought we would be walking back, but they managed to hammer a wedge under the loco and reversed over it to raise the boggie up enough to bash the rail straight. In my mind there is NO way this railway should be allowed to run passengers, but we are both happy to have made it off safely. Notice we don´t mention the sheer cliff drops or the moment we almost went "run away" at any point in this text.

Kat says: After making it safely off the train we got on a bus to a small and pretty city called Cuenca. A nice place to recover from bugs and hairy rail journeys. I also accidently bought 2 ponchos.

We decided then that it would be nice to spend a few days on the coast having a general beach relax session. After a suicidal bus journey (the young driver was definitey a boy racer on speed) we made it to Monteñita. We had heard Monteñita was a surfers hang out which was perfect for just chilling. It was that, I guess, and it was nice but we found it a bit manufactured. It seemed to be purpose made for tourists so was sort of a faux-surfer/hippy scene (if that makes any sense). We managed to stay at the main party hostel in the town which belted out unoriginal dance music 24 hours and was full of young girlies flirting with the bartenders (the hostel had a bar downstairs). I´m all for a bit of dance music but at 9.30am on a sunday morning sometimes you just want a bit of peace.

Anyway, we spent a couple of days in Monteñita laughing at the girlies and cringing at their shrieks then packed up our zimmerframes and got another suicidal bus up the coast a bit to Puerto Lopez. This bus ride was definitely the worst we´ve had so far (and we´ve had some doozies, I´m tellin´ ya). I thought the bus drivers in Bolivia were mad but they have nothing on the drivers in Ecuador.

In Puerto Lopez we found a gorgeous hostel on the beach devoid of 18 year old squealers and spent the afternoon relaxing. The coast of Ecuador at the moment isn´t sunny - warm but overcast - so I haven´t as yet satisfied my lying on beach for a few days urge. Never mind, Costa Rica is a day away!

Yesterday we spent 11 hours on a bus (several buses actually) making our way back to Quito, via the "alternative" route I´m sure. I´m always a bit circumspect when people hurry you onto a departing bus saying "Si, si, Quito" when the signs on the front of the bus indicate the bus is not going anywhere near Quito. Still, a few bus changes later shared with a rooster and a dog, and we made it. Tomorrow we fly to Costa Rica to see what awaits us there.

Volcanic Adventures

Dylan writes: So the plan was to climb up the highest active volcano in the world and we can at least say that we have done it. There is just no corrobrative proof that we actually made it to the top. Cotopaxi is 5,879 metres or there abouts and is deemed as an active volcano because nobody really knows when it is going to errupt again. We figured we would go up for the first days hike, but after seeing the photographs of the summit, and all the cool kit you get to wear I convinced Kat it would be a good idea to do the whole thing. After yet another grueling 4X4 drive, we set off on foot with full backpacks and much excitement. Within 20 steps we were exhausted and dripping with sweat. We still had another 20 minutes to go before reaching the refuge. We quickly remembered never to underestimate high altitude.

After dinner we tried to get some sleep, tricky at 7 p.m. and with a dorm of the rudest "fellow" climbers peeing all night. Nethier of us managed a wink, and by midnight we were pulling our wet clothes back on to begin the hike to the summit. We started pretty well, but it soon became apparent that climbing mountains is not as easy as the tour operator was lamely trying to convince us. Within two hours we were wondering if it was possible for anyone to make it at all. Our guide uttered the words Kat was waiting for, and I didnt want to hear, "its impossible tonight". Damn!

We (well I) was a bit saddened to hear the news as I really thought we could do it, but the guide continued to tell us that the snow was too deep and loose and it would only get steeper the higher we climbed. We hade made 5,300 meters up a 45 degree slope in drifting snow and cramp ons, we were exhausted, and it would take at least another 4 hours in harder conditions to reach the ice wall before the summit. We decided to call it a day (about 2.15 at night actually).

Going down was great fun, and I still couldnt believe we made it as far as we did. In the darkness we could make out the ice structures and glaciers that we had been too preoccupied to notice on the way up.

So although we didnt get to wear tweed and caps, I feel I can, in some way at least, sympathise with George Mallory (who I still believe made it to the top of Everest first). Why did we climb Cotopaxi? "Because it's there."

The next day we made our way south to the town of Baños, a wonderful looking town surrounded by steep green cliffs and waterfalls and a very active volcano. On the outside it appears to offer so much, but for some reason we struggled to find anything to do. Perhaps we are running out of things left to try, perhaps we were just tired. However off road quad bike riding was perfect for me, so we hired one and headed for the active volcano Tungurahua. I dont think I will persuade Kat to come "quading" again with such ease in the future. We struggled to reach the summit this time as well, and had to give up when we reached warning signs and an absence of track.

Now we are in Riobamba and I hear there is some decent downhill mountain biking and a pretty hairy rooftop train ride through the Andes to look forward to..........

Galapagos Islands

Kat writes: We finally made it to Ecuador after an 11 hour wait in Lima airport! We had to stop in Guayaquil over night. We stayed in a hostel that had a variety of animals living there (not sure how legal it was). As well as a macaw and 4 parrots they also had a few of these tiny monkey-like creatures. They don´t look totally like monkeys but they are obviously related.

Some odd small monkey type creatures

The next day we arrived in Quito. We had a wander around the Old Town which was nice. The Lonely Planet had "bigged it up" so we expected a lot more. Lesson learned. The next day we started our Galapagos Island tour. What I didn´t realise is that the islands are 1000km from the mainland so it´s quite a hike.

Upon arrival at San Cristobel airport (on San Cristobel island obviously) we met our fabulous guide Hansel (as in Hansel and Gretel, he told us). Hansel is a real character. He was in the navy for most of his adult life and spent a lot of time in the US where he learned English. He has a degree in biology as well as extensive knowledge of all sorts of weird and wonderful things (such as explosives?!). Hansel is a very funny man, a very knowledgable man, and even after 15-20 years of being a guide in the Galapagos, very enthusiastic about the islands and the animals. He took us to our home for the next week, a lovely boat called the Cruz del Sur. I was really impressed with it. The cabins were bigger than I thought they would be and the beds more comfortable.

The animals of the Galapagos took no time in making themselves apparent. On the dinghy ride from the dock out to the boat, we saw sealions lounging all over small boats (apparantly a problem for the very small boats, as they tend to sink). Our group of 16 were a great group so it was shaping up to be an excellent week. That afternoon we went to a different part of San Cristobel called La Loberia and saw more sealions and our first marine iguanas.

A Sea Lion Pup feeding

Another Sea Lion Pup

A Marine Iguana

Just before dinner on the boat Hansel had the crew introduce themselves to us. I must say that the crew was excellent - everything ran like clockwork. A special mention goes to the chef. Every meal we had was restaurant standard. He baked, made ice cream - you name it, he made it. The best part about it was that you could eat everything without worrying - they are catering for tourists so everything is washed in treated water. We all took advantage of this and ate everything (plus a bit more).

The crew of the Cruz del Sur

Over night we travelled to Espaniola Island and in the morning, we went to Gardner Bay, a gorgeous beach of white sand and aqua blue water. It was there we had our first close up experience with the sealions. They were all over the beach. We were soon to discover that you can´t take too many photos of sealions, especially of sealion pups. They are soooo gorgeous. It took all I had not to put one in my bag to take with me. The wonderful thing about the Galapagos is that the animals have no land predators so they have no fear of humans. This means that they don´t mind you coming right up close to them. Even better, they come up to you, whether you like it or not. It was an amazing experience. The sealions in particular are so playful.

That afternoon we went to a different part of the island called Punta Suarez. To say there were lots of marine iguanas here is an understatement. The "jetty" where you get off the dinghy was so covered in iguanas that it was quite difficult to find a spot to put your feet. These too are amazing creatures, some are over 3 feet long and very fat. Although they live on land they feed in the water for an hour a day (they can hold their breath under water for that long). Seeing them swimming is great. (Dylan says: Not so much swimming as floating between waves, but as Darwin correctly observed, they appear completely indifferent to the waves, no matter how fierce the swell. They can grip onto rocks on the sea floor in the strongest currents, something as we were later to experience ourselves, is no mean feat.)

Kat continues: We also saw lots of lava lizards, tiny lizards that unlike the iguanas, are very quick moving and much smaller. Along our walk we also saw lots of Nazca (or masked) boobies and some tropic birds (very pretty birds with long white feathers). We also saw some albatross birds. They are excellent. These were the smallest of the albatross species but still pretty big (7" wing span). Their babies are huge! There was also a natural blow hole on this island which made for a very nice view. One particular inhabitant of this and other islands is the mockingbird. At first we thought they were just very friendly - they follow around the island, chirping away. Later we found out that the reason is that they want water and recognise the plastic water bottles. Apparently years ago tourists used to give them some water in the bottle caps. The island authorities tell tourists now not to do this as the birds should be finding the water themselves. If you happen to get out your water bottle for a drink you are usually dive bombed by several birds.

There was one little bird that appeared to be not only interested in water but in being a film star. For a while there, every time Dylan tried to take a photo the little guy stuck his head in at the last minute. We now have lots of photos of iguanas and other animals with a small mockingbird head in the bottom corner.

A mocking bird steals yet another picture

Marine Iguana mountain

Marine Iguanas digesting their breakfasts on the hot rocks

The Blow Hole at Punta Suarez, Espaniola Island

A mocking bird looking for water bottles and more photos to steal

The Albatross ritual beak slap dance

A "baby" Albatros

We moved through the night again and woke up at Floreana Island. In the morning we visited Punta Cormorant. More sealions (they are everywhere - no complaints there), pink flamingos (pinker than the ones we saw in Bolivia) and best of all, blue footed boobies !! These birds are the best fishing birds out of all boobies. Seeing them fishing is a sight to behold. They hit the water at very high speed then pop out again on the surface with their catch.

A blue footed boobie

Blue footed boobies high speed diving

After that we had our first scuba dive in the Galapagos, at a site called Devils Crown. We were quite nervous as we´d only done a couple of dives before and that was a year and a half ago. Still, after a small hiccup (caused be me having a slight panic about the strength of the current), we stayed down there and saw lots of wonderful things. The varieties and colours of the fish were breath taking, not ideal when underwater! There was at one stage a "wall" of fish slowly moving to wherever they were going. Hansel saw a white tip shark tail sticking out of a hole so he pulled me down to see. Then he started slowly pulling the shark out of the hole by its tail!!! I mean, what???? After the dive he said it was fine, white tip sharks aren´t interested in humans. Well that´s ok then I guess?? Thankfully, the shark merely looked grumpy.

about to dive for the first time

In the afternoon we went to Post Office Bay which is where the pirates that used to sail amongst the islands would leave messages to be picked up months later. It is now a place where tourists leave postcards for other tourists to deliver for them, if they happen to live near the addressee. Great idea. A Californian man on our trip found one addressed to a person who lived down the road from him so he took that to deliver.

The oldest post office - and its free!

The rest of the afternoon we sailed to Santa Cruz island. On the ride we saw a whale and dolphins - wow. On Santa Cruz island the next day we visited the Charles Darwin Research Centre. We learned a lot about the work they are trying to do to conserve the islands and the animals. They also have lots and lots of Giant Tortoises that people had kept as pets and now can´t be released into the wild as they wouldn´t survive. When the tortoises have babies, they release the babies into the wild. These creatures are truly amazing. They´re huge for a start. The way they move is so funny. We also saw Lonesome George, a giant tortoise who is the last in his sub-species. They have been trying furiously to find a female but to no avail. Old George isn´t interested in females of other sub-species so it looks like his will die out when he goes. Very sad.

In the afternoon we went to a private park where giant tortoises are left to roam and do their thing. Then we walked in a lava tube - cool!

Underground Lava Tube

The next morning we woke up at North Seymour Island. Lots of sealions (yes, more photos), swallow tailed gulls, blue footed boobies and frigates. The frigate males puff out their red chests to attract females - they were doing a lot of that but none appeared to be that successful. That afternoon we did some snorkelling at Sombrero Chifa island (Chinese Hat Island - yes, it does look like one). There were 5 very playful sealion pups in the water making the most of our presence. They really are amazing in the water - so agile compared to their movements on land (which are very funny). They swim round and round you and sometimes come full speed right up to your face only at the last second to via off to the side. Also on this island there were lots of Sally Lightfoot crabs - really like them too.

Sally Lightfoot Crabs

An Adult Pelican

Sea Lion Pups playing

A Male Frigate looking for a mate

Land Iguana

The rest of the afternoon we sailed to Bartoleme Island. The next morning we went onto the island, which is quite amazing. It´s how you´d imagine the surface of Mars to look. We climbed to the top of the island for a gorgeous view. Saw a couple of Galapagos Hawks up there too. We then went for a dinghy ride around the island - saw some very cute penguins. One in particular was very playful off the back of the boat. Then we went for our second dive. This time it was more about the underwater landscape than the marine life. There were lots of ledges and holes to swim through. We of course had the playful sealion to accompany us (he liked nibbling on our flippers the most). Dylan and I came up first and the sealion came with us, waiting for us to come back down to play. When we didn´t, he left.

Pinacle rock, Bartoleme Island

A Cute Gapalpogos Penguin

All he wants is someone to swim with

The boat then sailed to Santa Cruz island again (the north side) and we went for a dinghy ride through lots of mangroves. In the water we saw lots of sea turtles, eagle rays and a carpark of seven white tip sharks. Not very easy to get photos (Dylan says: Although I was the only one to have polarized filters on my sunglasses which made seeing them a doddle).

Giant Sea turtle

The next day we were at South Plaza Island in the morning. This island is covered in cacti. More sea lions (and therefore, photos), land iguanas, swallow tailed gulls, nesting troipic birds and a sealion bachelor colony. The males (bulls) usually have a harem each and all day, the bull stays in the water making loud noises, guarding his gals and pups. There are of course those bulls that lose the fight for a harem, hence, the bachelor colony. It was quite sad really. All the males there had war wounds from their fights.

Cactus landscape

A nesting tropic bird and egg

Apparently the oldest cactus of the islands

That afternoon we went to Sante Fe island to take yet more photos of sealions, cacti and land iguanas. Then we did some snorkelling - saw some sea turtles and of course, sealions to play with. That day there had been the opportunity to dive at Gordon Rock (apparantly a very famous dive site) where you usually see lots of hammerhead sharks. We had heard that you need quite a bit of diving experience to dive here because of the strength of the currents, so we gave it a miss. I´m glad we made that decision because when the other divers came back they said the current was incredibly strong (it was even hard for them to hold onto rocks) and they only saw a couple of sharks.

The next day was our last one, back on San Cristobel island. We visited an information centre there and then got our flight back to Quito. We were quite sad to leave the boat - we´d felt very much at home there and it was sad to say goodbye to Hansel too. It was in all a totally amazing trip. The different landscapes on each island, the animals, the boat - everything was perfect.

So now we´re back in Quito. We did the tourist thing and visited the equator line, which is in fact not the true equator line. Apparantly the monument and line were put there by the government when some French scientists estimated the location of the equator (they were there for a different reason, not to locate the equator). That spot is not accurate yet for some reason the government has not moved the monument and no one tells you it´s wrong (no doubt because they have built a complex of shops around the monument). We only found out by going to a small museum run by a private group of scientists. We real equator is 200-300m north of the spot. So we went and found another museum sitting on the correct equator line (a GPS was used for accuracy) and they proved it by doing the plughole test. It´s quite amazing really. Right on the line a couple of small leaves in draining water went down the hole straight. Moving the sink 2m south, the leaves went down clockwise and then 2m north of the line, anticlockwise.

Yesterday we managed to score tickets to a soccer game, Ecuador v Brazil. It was a World Cup 2006 elimination round. Great game (Ecuador won, which was a good thing for us I guess) and great atmosphere. Now we´re about to head off south to see some big volcanos.