I Speak of Dreams

Aboard the Nemo II: Galapagos. About Our Naturalist Guide

To go ashore anywhere in the National Park (Parque Nacional Galápagos), you must be accompanied by an officially qualified guide.  The guides are restricted in the number of tourists they can lead, to a maximum of 16.

There are a series of qualifications (Level I, Level II, Level III), but according to numerous sources, the courses and tests to advance to Level II and Level III haven't been offered for a number of years. It's not clear why.  

Our guide, Morris García, was exceptionally well qualified, personable, and passionate about the islands, the ecology, and the wildlife.

Each night, he gave us an overview of the next day's activities and the meaning and setting of each site.  I was charmed by his illustrations:

Morris (like many of the guides) is a native of the Galápagos. He earned a bachelor's degree in international and resource development in Honduras, with the help of a scholarship.  He went on to earn a master's degree in ecology and natural resource managment from one of the Ecuadorian universities (I forgot to ask which one).

Of the folks on all trip, all had at least a college education and most had advanced degrees, so Morris's talking style was just right.   He was able to weave together the interrelationships between the islands' geology, the development of species over time fostered by the geologic separation and each area's unique ecology, and the changes that had occured since the buccaneer Abrose Cowley published a map of the islands in 1684.  islands' discovery by European sailors in 

Another area in which I think he excelled was explaining about the ecological changes wrought by invasive species--particularly goats, but not limited to vertebrate species-- and how these threats to the islands have been eradicated.  It's a sensitive subject -- the goats weren't, after all, relocated, but I think he handled it well.

Morris was also very articulate about the economic, educational, and ecological  challenges facing the human population of the Galápagos.  There are no opportunities for higher education on the islands themselves, so those who wish to go on must travel either to the mainland or other Spanish-speaking countries, as he did himself for his batchelor's and master's degrees. That's a not-inconsiderable challenge for the children of low-income families. 

Morris in involved in a foundation, Fundar Galápagos, which "works with the Galápagos community, using alternative and responsible approaches to strive for sustainable development." 

Another effort Morris explained was the conversion of Galápagos fishermen from market fishermen, which had a deletorious effect on the environment, to providing artisanal fishing tours.

If you are on a guided tour anywhere, not just the Galápagos, the guide can make or break the tour. In this instance, you really have to pick the boat or the itinerary you want, and hope that the guide is congenial.

 One advantage to larger boats (>16 guests) is that you then have more than one guide, so if you find one uncongenial, you have the choice of another.  On the other hand, the smaller boats (<17 guests) may be more selective about their guides, knowing that the tour guide is so essential to the experience.  

 

 

 

 

Aboard the Nemo II: Galapagos Day 1: Afternoon North Seymour Island

note: if sources aren't given for photos, they were taken by me or by JG.

First landing! This is the vessel we used to for landings.  In US English it would be called a Zodiac; in Ecuador all these sorts of small, outboard powered vessels are called pangas.

click to enpanganate

The panga is up on divots because we will be leaving the harbor; that's how it is stowed while we are underway.  The man in the photo is cleaning the bottom of the panga; it is carefully cleaned between each island landing to prevent the transmission of spores, seeds and other intrusions between islands.  The green mat on the front of the boat protects the sturdy but still puncturable skin from damage.

Typically the boat is crewed by two: a steersman and a sailor, who stays with the boat, plus the naturalist, who stays with the passengers.

It was a dry landing on North Seymour, which unlike other islands, was formed by seismic uplift, so it's rather flat.  In other words, it's a lava shield that was uplifted.

"Dry landing" doesn't mean a dock or jetty, though.  The pilot nosed the panga into a flat, rocky area that had been been slightly enlarged with cemented rocks; we hopped from the boat onto the little rocky platform.

North Seymour is a nesting area for blue footed boobies, magnificent frigate birds, and also has land iguanas, sea lions, Galapagos fur seals, and a number of other species.

What did we see first?

click to emboobenate 

 Sula nebouxii, that's what. The males'  bright blue feet serve to attract the females; the more intense the color, the healthier the male.  Males are stressed by mating and their feet fade; so males may mate only every other year. We didn't see any boobies engaging in the famous courting dance, this time (in 1990, we did). The boobies make me ridiculously happy, even if they aren't dancing. 

click to engirlenate

What is making this trail? Looking more closely at the track, I can also see footprints on either side.

click to eniguananate

The Galapagos land  iguana,  Conolophus subcristatus.  I wish I'd kept better field notes, because the colors varied from quite dark (like this fellow, who I think is a male) to much yellower all over.  (Also see AnimalDiversity.)  These are pretty big critters, over a meter in length, and The Galapagos Preservation Trust  reports that males can reach 13 kilos in weight.  They aren't really sociable or cuddly in real life, but that didn't inhibit my imagination.

In 1990, our visit to the Galapagos was during August (the dry season runs from July to December.) Then, there was almost no greenery: the palos santos trees were leafless, there were very few grasses, and almost no groundcover as seen above and below: 

click to engrassenate

I didn't find out which species this is, or if it is an endemic species or an introduced species, but you can see the seedheads in various stages of maturity.  The finches, of course, are seed-eaters.

click to enfrigenate

Here you can see a male magnificent frigate bird (Fregata magnificens) displaying himself on a salt bush (Cryptocarpus pyriformis) with an opuntia cactus, the unnamed grass, and the palo santos trees (Bursera graveolens) in the foreground.  On this trip, the palo santos trees were just starting to lose their leaves.

About the cactus: Wikipedia reports:

In the Galapagos Islands, there are six different species: O. echios, O. galapageia, O. helleri, O. insularis, O. saxicola, O. megasperma. These species are divided into 14 different varieties; most of these are confined to one or a few islands. For this reason, they have been described as "an excellent example of adaptive radiation".^[3] On the whole, on islands where there are tall, trunked varieties there are also giant tortoises, and islands lacking tortoises have low or prostrate forms of Opuntia.

I can't tell which one this is, but North Seymour lacks tortoises, accounting for the low form. More detail on later days.

click to enspineate.

It's an abandoned nest from a Darwin's finch. I also liked the composition, the regular clumps of spines contrasted with the organized, but less ordered form of the nest.

click to enfrigenate

Why is this male frigate bird not inflating his throat pouch (gular sac)?

click to enfrigenate

The sac is inflated to attract a female.  He doesn't need to; he's attracted a female; their nest is well-built; she's laid an egg, and he's helping to incubate.  

The breeding behaviour of the magnificent frigatebird is highly unusual and dramatic. During courtship (which generally occurs between August and October), the males gather in groups of various sizes, with gular sacs inflated, bills clattering, and wings and heads waving, while making calls to attract females flying overhead. Once a pair decides to mate, they commence construction of a nest, usually in a tree or bush, with the male providing material such as twigs, while the female does the actual building. After mating, a single egg is laid, which is incubated for between 53 and 61 days by both parent birds. The chick, which takes around 22 weeks to fledge, is brooded and fed by both sexes for the first seven to twelve weeks, after which time the male leaves, and the female assumes full responsibility for raising the chick, providing food until fully fledged, and then for a further four to nine months (2). This extended period of parental care exhibited by all frigatebirds is the longest of all birds (4), and means that the female can only breed in alternate years (2). In contrast, by abandoning parental duties relatively early on, the male is able to breed with a new partner each year. Frigatebirds are the only seabirds known in which the sexes breed on cycles of different lengths (2).

The distance walked on North Seymour isn't very long -- less than two miles, but there is plenty to see.  Another critter I spotted:

I'm pretty sure this is Schistocerca melanocera, the large painted locust which is endemic to the Galapagos. I wanted to take more of a profile view, but I was afraid he (or she) would hop away if I moved too much.  The color contrast was really striking, with the reddish lava rocks and the reddish wing casings.

Isn't she an elegant little creature?  (I'm pretty sure it's a she, as the males of the species have sort of armored crests.) She's a Tropidurus albermarlensis.  As usual in the Galapagos, there are a number of other species on other, more distant islands.  It turns out that the painted locust is a big part of the lava lizard's diet.

With that, we left Seymour (another dry embarkation) and returned to the boat for the evening.

If you would like to know more, here is the Parque National Galápagos page on North Seymour.

As always when returning from an activity away, Raoul met us with a cold beverage and a small snack.  I didn't write down Sunday's offerings, but they were typically fruit juice or sweetened lemony tea, with crackers or cookies or even little yuca bread morsels. 

Just before dinner, our Naturalist, Morris, called us together to announce the activities for Monday and to give us a short orientation talk.  Then another delicious dinner, and relaxation afterwards.  Some folk read, some folk played cards, and some folk watched Ecuadorian TV when available.  The Ecuador's Got Talent show was quite funny.

After dinner, the captain lifted anchor and we set sail for the next island, Santa Cruz, where we would begin at the Charles Darwin Research Station on the south shore. In other words, we passed down I think the east side of Santa Cruz until we anchored in Puerta Ayora 

image source http://gaedex.blogspot.com/

Some people found the passage rather rough, but neither JG nor I did -- we rather enjoyed it.  

Aboard the Nemo II: Galapagos Day 1: Morning

We spent Saturday night at the Rabida, a small, charming hotel in Quito.  My only complaint is that we arrived too late, and left too early, to enjoy the comforts of this hotel.  We arrived at Quito airport a little after 5:00 pm, and were met by representatives of LatinTour, the owners and operators of our ship,  the Nemo II.  The representatives had our tickets and shepherded us throught the boarding process. The flight was shortish and uneventful, landing in Guayaquil on the mainland before proceeding to the airport on Baltra.

Once on Baltra, there was a bit of confusion.  JumperGirl and I were looking for the wrong clue: we needed to be looking for someone from the Nemo II,  not our tour packager, AdventureLife. That sorted out, we boarded a bus for the 5-minute drive to the pier where we'd be transported to the ship.

Once on board, we sat down in the spacious lounge for introductions

image source http://www.galapagosinformation.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=58

and sorting out into our cabins. 

image source http://www.galapagosinformation.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=58

JumperGirl kindly allowed me to have the lower bunk.

Our company comprised:

1. Uta and Michael, from Germany, a couple I think a few years younger than I am
2. Georgia and Robby, an Australian couple in their late 20s
3. JumperGirl and myself
4. Danny and Laura, a young couple from Vancouver, BC
5. Keith and Leigh, a father-daughter pair from Texas.  Leigh is a couple of years younger than JG
6. Kenny, an accountant from Berkeley, and James, a business consultant from London, UK.

We set sail (well, motor) around the two small Daphne Islands, which don't currently have landing sites for tourists, and then had lunch: 

Of course, the first thing we had to do was go topside and JG had to execute a a self-portrait:

While we didn't land on Daphne, the geology is clearly indicated by what erosions reveal:

In this image, you can see at least 3 different volcanic events: the light-colored layer at the bottom, then two or more darker-colored layers above, overlain by vegetation. Each of the islands has erupted at different times over the past, so the age of the islands are revealed by their vegetation.  

This one shows a bit of a different layering: there's a darker layer on the bottom, then the lighter layer, then some more greyish material, then darker (and perhaps a harder layer), then the vegetation. So lava (or tufa or other flows) weren't uniform like cade icing over all this island.

This image, perhaps a more recent exposure, shows clearly that in the light-colored layers, there were many different events, shown by the layering effect.  The same is true in the darker overlaying layers.

Then it was time for lunch, which was a rich vegetarian spaghetti, garlic toast, broccoli, a green salad, and watermelon and other melons (I think cantelope?) for dessert.  We then motored north to North Seymour island for the first land tour.

 

A Week in El Salvador with Santa Clara University's Study Abroad Program:Family Week (1)

My daughter, Jumper Girl, has been in El Salvador since mid-August with Santa Clara University's program in El Salvador,  Casa de la Solidaridad.  The Casa program invites parents to come to El Salvador for Family Week.  JG's aunt Renée took me to  El Salvador for the week.   In the next post I'll have some more personal reflections, but I wanted to jot down what we did.

Where we stayed --  All of the families stayed at the Alacante Hotel, which is about 6 long blocks (10-15 minutes) walk from the Casa de la Solidaridad houses, all in the Antiguo Cuscatlan neighborhood of San Salvador.  Here's my Trip Advisor review of the hotel. 

Monday -- flew overnight from California to El Salvador.  JG arranged for Salvador, a reliable taxi driver to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel, as she was engaged with her praxis site until late in the afternoon.  We'd arranged for our rooms to be ready when we arrived, so straight to bed for a nap and then had lunch at the hotel.  It's not a destination restaurant, but (for example) a lot better than Denny's or other hotel restaurants in the US.  Then, we walked around the neighborhood and found La despensa de Don Juan (a local chain supermarket) about 3 blocks away.  JG returned from her praxis site in the afternoon and we went with her to her residence,  Casa Ita, and then to Casa Sylvia (down the block) for the usual Monday night dinner and announcements (planning for the week). Students in the Casa program aren't supposed to walk through the city after 9:30 in the evening, so the Casa arranged for us to have a taxi from the Casa houses back to the hotel.

Tuesday:-- JG was in Spanish-languages classes all morning so Renée and I arranged for a taxi to take us to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace and the National Theater, all arranged around the Plaza Morazon.  We wandered about a bit -- Renée is an architectural enthusiast --but mistook Iglesia el Rosario's exterior for a sports facility, so didn't walk over.  My bad.  I can only claim the heat (it was about 90).  We joined JG for lunch at Casa Ita, and then seized the kitchen from Casa Ita's cook Franny to  made preparations for the Thanksgiving meal on Thursday.  I made stuffing from some mixes I'd brought from the US and local toasted bread.   We had dinner at the Casa and then went with JG to "spirituality night", then taxi'd back to the hotel.

Wednesday:--the regularly scheduled bus, half-full of Casa students,  picked us up at 7:30 am to take us to the various praxis sites.  The first part of the morning was visiting with leaders at El Pueblo de Dios en Camino, listening to their experiences in the civil war and the country's  journey since the Peace Accords.  Then we walked up the volcano -- on a dirt road, but sometimes a stiffish slope-- to Las Nubes, which is the name of the community.   My understanding of Las Nubes was inaccurate -- I thought there was sort of a central village.  There isn't --there's a house here, a house there, all strung along the dirt road up the mountainside. Las Nubes has no running water, no electricity, no sewage service, no garbage service.  At the several houses we helped carry water from the roadside delivery site to the houses.  Thereafter we visited, or admired the larger cisterns the Dios en Camino community is helping to construct.

Then at mid-day, we walked back down to San Ramon to have lunch at Ann Greig's Nutravida. This innovative program provides low-cost, healthy cooked food for the San Ramon community, plus very low-cost supplemental protein/calories for children.  The rest of the group visited other families in San Ramon, while Renée and I rested up from the hike at the home of Hector, one of the Dios in Camino leaders.  

In the evening, many of the parents went to a social hour at the program coordinator's home....Renée and I were just too tired.  At at the hotel (ok...but beefsteak isn't a national dish and I should have made a different choice) and early to bed. 

Thursday:  JG's taking "Issues in Economic Development" with Professor Carlos Gerardo Acevedo Flores...whose day job is President of El Salvador's Central Bank. In the morning, we visited the Central Bank as the guest of Mr. Acevedo, and got informal talks on the many fiscal and financial  issues facing El Salvador, including insights into how El Salvador came to dollarize their currency. Then, we all bussed back to the Alacante.  JG went back to the Casa, to help with the set-up for the grand fiesta, while Renée and I had lunch at a local Mexican restaurant (tasty!).  We proceeded to Casa Ita.  I made (no kidding!) a gallon of gravy, in four batches.

The Thanksgiving feast was amazing.  The expected guest list was about 300, current students, visiting parents, and many many Salvadoreans, from UCA professors to the folks (vigilantes) who provide security around the student housing. There were tables spread around the courtyard, the entryway and the Peace Garden, all lit by candles.  JG, Renée and I stationed ourself close to the entryway so met many people.  After dinner, dancing!

Friday:  We walked to UCA for an introductory talk at Unversidad de CentroAmericana UCA by Sr. Peggy O'Neill, S.C., who is teaching JG's class in Latin American Theology.  JG's had a number of inspirational teachers, and Sr. Peggy is among them. We then went by bus to and then traveled by bus to Hospitalito de la Divina Providencia, the Carmelite convent and hospice where Mgr. Romero lived during his tenure as bishop, and in whose chapel  he was murdered, while celebrating mass, on March 24, 1980.  The sacristry where he lived has become Centro Historico Mgr. Romero.  In the chapel, we heard a talk by one of the sisters (translated by Sr. Peggy) on Msgr. Romero's life and death, and then toured the Centro -- a photo essay by another here.

Lunch at Casa Romero, where we were introduced to the cooking staff, who are also an important resource for students on the difficulties during the civil war.

In the evening, we had dinner at a local pupuseria with all the Romero Program participants (Salvadoran students from the campo, the countryside, who are supported in college) and then walked to Casa Romero, where the students explained the Romero Program.

Saturday: In the morning the group of parents and students toured UCA's  Sala (Museo) de la Martires (a photoalbum is here), which commemorates the November 16, 1989 murders of  Ignacio Ellacuria, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, Juan Ramon Moreno, and Amado Lopez - and of their housekeeper Elba Ramos, and her daughter, Celia Marisela Ramos. 

JG, Renée and I decided to take in some tourist sites in San Salvador: first, the National Zoo, which is a small and charming zoo.  I realized I expected more on the wildlife of Central America than (say) lions and tigers.  From there, we went to MUNA (Museo National de Antopologico), which I would say is more of a must-see early in your visit than, say the National Cathedral.  We had a late lunch at the bistro next to the rather small museum gift shop, Bistro San Lorenzo.  Highly recommended -- the most delicious meal of the week.

In the evening, JG took us to a crepes place (good enough of its kind) and then a concert at Casa Romero with Talticpac, which I enjoyed immensely (here's the website for the band's director, Benjamin Palomo  http://benjaminpalomo.com/talticpac/)

Sunday: The program took us via bus up the volcano to brunch at Café San Fernando (the linked review also has other restaurants and venues on the volcano). After returning to the hotel, JG did homework while Renée enjoyed the pool.

We walked to dinner  at the "fancy pupuseria",  and then enjoy the lighting of the tree at Plaza Central (Iglesia de los Santos Niños Innocentes).

Monday: Revealed my lack of planning (see below).  We ended up going to the village of Panchimalco.  The church is much more impressive on the inside than the outside -- really beautiful, and then went back to San Salvador to another small museum, Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen, and then...off to the airport.

What we didn't do that I wish we had

Our primary focus was to hang out with JG and try to absorb her experience, so I didn't research much in the way of tourist opportunities before we arrived.  This is a quirk of mine -- if I had had possible plans, I would have been disappointed if we didn't get there...  What I wished we'd planned better:

• A day to visit Joya del Cerén (a UN World Heritage site) and San Andrés (pyramids) with an English-speaking guide (but I am an archeology buff, and JG and Renée, not so much).
• A day at the beaches, Costa del Sol with a kayak or other boat trip through the estuaries.

Other things:

• Packing and attire: 
  • I wore long cotton pants and short-sleeved shirts, plus a skirt for the Thanksgiving dinner, and felt that I was attired appropriately.  
  • JG asked me to bring down some of her gently-used clothes, to share with students and other Salvadoreans.
  • Hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and personal wipes.  Bring lots and leave them with your student or for later students to use.
  • I brought both a light wrap and a padded cotton coat to wear in the evening and used them both.
  • Bug spray: if you don't like deet, shop ahead.  It can be difficult to find in the fall.
  • Don't forget a bathing suit and surf trunks if you plan to go kayaking.

So there you have it -- a week in El Salvador, accompanying my daughter.  I'm glad I went.  More on my experiences --reflections, rather than just travel--later.