Ecuador - Cotopaxi

The mountain's snowy peak was stark against the blue sky, when I first saw it. Cotopaxi had a fantastic appeal. We're already at 3000 meters, and Cotopaxi juts up to 5900 meters, like a proud throne. We camped at Laguna Limpiapunga across from the tallest active volcano.




The night was cold and a light drizzle came down. The cows, bulls, deers, and birds all migrate to the lagoon edge at dusk and seemed to crowd around us.



Earlier in the trip, we did go to Banos, the famous town that cradles the jungle/mountain boundary; and had quite a good time riding bikes through the "rota de las cascadas", but the camera broke.

After the Galapagos, Scott and I returned to Quito, and spent 12 days roaming the Andes and mountain towns. We started at Isinlivi, a little village on the "Quilotoa Loop", after a slightly harrowing bus ride.



The landscape was a patchwork of family farms on steep slopes. One gentleman escorted us to the river, and we had a picnic together. After some prying, he revealed worry about his kids' schooling - the uniforms were expensive, and the school was far away. We contributed to their education fund, as best we could.



The land was completely but sparsely occupied; the region made for better hostel hopping than camping, but after the Galapagos' strict regulations we were excited to sleep under the stars.

Diving at Cousin's with Sea Lions and Rays

Diving - Cousin's Rock

Cousin's Rock is north of Santa Cruz Island, 1.5 hours from Baltra. Super clear and vivid diving peering into the rocky shelves to uncover some gems.







Afterwards, we went to Bartholome Island, which has a famous vista, but nowhere near the underwater beauty at Cousin's Rock.

Isla Isabella - Sea lions and Mangroves

An amazing wetland where we played with sealions for 25-30 minutes, in the middle of the mangroves.

World Heritage mangroves enroute to the Concha de las Perlas snorkeling lagoon.

Our accommodation at Isabella, at the end of the sandy road - the bar was on the beach, the bungalows were on the lagoon with pink flamingos.

The beach at Puerto Villamil in Isla Isabella, a short walk from "Bar do Beto".

Mural.

Artwork in a lady's house.


The trio: Scott, Kym, and I.

Isla Isabella - Baby tortoise, flamingos

Baby giant tortoise ontop of an egg at the breeding center in Isabella. Males can be differentiated from females only after about 5 years, when their tail becomes thicker and longer.

Behind our room at "Bar do Beto" we had a view of the pink flamingos in one of the many lagoons in Isabella.

Isabella is a fantastic island. Funny thing, most Galapagos cruise boats don´t stop here; those people who do visit come on a 2 night "tour" and wish they had stayed longer. Scott, Kym, and I stayed for 5 nights and even that was barely enough.

Isla Isabella - Volcano

Our trip to Vulcan Sierra Negra - 2nd largest crater in the world, recently erupted in 2004.

Our trip leader. Everything in the Galapagos requires an arranged tour.

The volcano crater - the bed was like a black sea, flat, with steep cliffs all around in a big oval.

The backside of the volcano had some surreal landscapes.

The moon in daylight? Behind Sierra Madre.

From Galapagos - Isabella

Happy that the lava is not currently flowing.

Isla Isabella - Tunneles y Tintoreras

LOS TUNNELES

Galapagos Penguins migrated to the equator in the Humboldt current and adapted nicely to the tropical climate. They are about a foot tall.


Los Tunneles, a 45 minute boat ride from Puerto Villamil in Isabella, is reached by a treacherous boat ride through breaking waves and a ridiculous channel. Wonderful to watch sea turtles swimming in the shallow water, clearly visible, doing laps around the lava formations like go-karts on a track.

Kym with a blue-footed booby (piquero pata azul) at Los Tunneles - these birds are almost like the lizards, they couldn´t care less if we are next to them...

From Galapagos - Isabella

Penguins kept a watchful eye as we snorkled in the Tunneles. Just around the corner, we could see about 5-6 white tip sharks (small, around 1-1.5 meters) swimming in the caves and tunnels, less than six feet underwater. In retrospect, I wish the Tunneles trip had lasted all day instead of a half-day - the place was just too amazing!!

LAS TINTORERAS
Another trip was to Las Tintoreras. It started at a dock near the town and went 5 minutes to a small island, where the white tip sharks (also called tintoreras) like to rest. Note the marine iguanas on the rocks right above them. No worries though, these sharks are vegetarians, supposedly...