Trip of a lifetime: Galapagos

Galapagos is a trip of a lifetime. It's one of the few places in the world that I would visit again. And I am the one that hates boat trips. Besides aquaphobia, I am very prone to seasickness.
This trip required plenty of research. First we had to decide between day trips or a cruise trip.
The day trips at first seemed the best option because they are cheaper. But in fact there are several cons, like the long hours to reach the islands, the better islands to spot wildlife are further away and you'll arrive there very late in the morning.  Plus the day trip boats are small to navigate in rocky open seas.

Galapagos Legend

It took us weeks to analyze and select the best cruises. The U.S. embassy in Ecuador has a list of the boats involved in accidents and non-reliable operators. 

There are two options, small or big boat cruises. Both have positive and negatives aspects. Four important factors for us were route, knowledgeable guides, price and boat stability. 

Sea lions

The big boats tend to be cheaper and more stable in open seas.
We ended up booking a 5 days trip in a standard cabin in the Galapagoss Legend through an Ecuadoran travel agency.
You have to reserve well in advance, at least 6 months. At the time we were said and done, there was just one standard cabin left.

Blue-footed booby

One of the cons pointed out about big boats in several travel forums is the large amount of people embarking, disembarking and visiting the island at same time. I didn't find it so bad. We were divided by groups of 10 or less people. Each group had a different guide assigned. In the islands the guides would find alternative paths to avoid the other groups. We were lucky though, since our boat who can hold up to 90 people only had little over 40 passengers.

Penguin

We visited all the Galapagos's highlights, Sullivan Bay, Black Turtle Cove, Rabida, Urbina Bay, Tagus Cove, Espinosa Point and Vicente Roca. All the islands are different and they are all amazing.
We had the chance to see countless animals as the blue-footed boobies and snorkeling with pinguins and sea lions.

Rabida Island

A typical day trip includes a shore trip after breakfast, snorkeling after lunch and another trip to shore in the afternoon. For the ones that don't want to do snorkeling, there are other activities on board, as watching documentaries. There are also some lectures in the middle, not very interesting though.

There are lots of room to improvement concerning the guides. Although they are among the best professionals in Galapagos, they didn't seem very committed.
Food was surprisingly good and the cabins were nice and comfortable. We got upgraded to a cabin with large windows are more space which was really cool.

Baby sea lion sleeping next to their mother

Essentials: Light clothes, sneakers, hat, sunscreen and medicine for seasickness. I got motion sickness patches, they were very effective but when I finally took it off, I got dizzy and my vision was blurry. It took me a while to recover. 

Ecuador Highlands, Part I: The mythic cheese factory in the mountains

When we arrived in Ecuador we found out Cotopaxi volcano was erupting. So we had to make last minute changes to our plans. Instead of staying at Cotopaxi we headed to Chugchilan.

This was an arduous journey. In Quito we took a bus to Latacunga And then we took another bus to Sigchos. There, we took a pick up cab to Chugchilan.  The road is still under construction and it took us a while to reach our destination.

Quichua lady 

We got a simple but spotless room in a family owned hostel.  We tried to book it in advance, by e-mail, but the hotel was unresponsive. Later on we got why, this is a very isolated area and the Internet signal is almost non-existent around here. Until the very recently completion of a paved road from Chugchilan to Quilotoa, this was one of the most remote areas in Ecuador. And it’s certainly one of the most impoverished places as well.

El Vaquero Hostal 

Breakfast and dinner are included in the $25 rate  – what a steal. Food is homemade, made from scratch and they use local products. Everything tastes fresh and good.

Llappingachos

The drawback is the cold temperature At night and in the early morning it gets freezing. Rooms don’t have heating.

 10,500 ft Altitude

At first I wasn’t very excited about the Highlands. The freezing temperatures and altitude sickness (altitude 3,200 mt or 10,500 ft) were a big no-no. I am familiar with altitude sickness, I got sick before in Peru and Bolivia. And it wasn’t pleasant.

Mountain cow

On our first day we asked about short hikes around the hostel area to get used to the altitude. We were told about a trail that leads to a cheese factory in a village in the mountains above. No map and vague instructions. The short hike turned out to be an eight hours steep and painful one – on top of that I got a severe sunburn.

Gusumbinialto village Church 

After you climb the steep and long path from the main road in Chugchilan to the mountains, there is a crossroad a few meters away from a green bench and next to a green waste bin. You have to turn right. The other way goes to a cloud forest. This took us a while to understand because in our hostel they told us about a green house. There is no such thing to be seen around here.

Donkey staked on the hillsides

Then you have to walk for a while until you arrive to the center of the village. And then you’ll go up on a hill. Passing the tiny church, the cheese factory will be on the right side.

Small cheese factory using Swiss technology

 When we finally arrived around noon, the factory was already closed.

We asked around but no one seemed to know the schedule.  If there is one.

Quichua women washing clothes

Thankfully we bought a couple of packed cheese sandwiches at our hostel. And we always carry some KIND bars in every trip.

Hillsides at 12,500 ft

 The way down at first seemed easier than it was. It took us long hours to get back.

Quichua people

When we finally arrived I was feeling under the weather.  A warm soup, hot tea and a good night’s sleep made me feel like new in the next day.

Donkey carrying wood

What to bring: Dress in layers. Long sleeved shirts to protect your skin. Sunscreen.  Take with you plenty of water and some cereal bars or fruits.