Pimampiro Hosteria Galapagos Islands

... an american guy Rich, all got off the bus when we realised it was a tour bus and shared a taxi into town.<br><br>Anyway, I met with her for an ecuadorian beer yesterday and we chatted. She invited me to join her at the conservation farm this morning as there would be a tour with some school children. So I met her at 8am (I was up at 4am due to the noisy hostel owners - in fact its not really a hostel, more like renting a room in a family house but anyway - its ...

... Santa Cruz island today. Just breathtaking. Ive seen all the wildlife just sitting around on the pier!!! Amazing. Cant wait for the diving and the tour.<br><br>Went to the Charles Darwin station aswell to walk amongst the giant tortoises! They really are huge.<br><br>Well that was just day one of the Galapagos ... more to come!!!<br><br>

... red of their shears flashing threateningly to male competors, hungry herons populating the low bushes behind the lava bed keep a keen eye on them no doubt waiting for me to depart so the can close in for the kill, dinner is served well before nightfall, crab meat a delicacy to heron stomaches.<br><br>This place is just perfect for an pastel of one of these iguanas soaking up the last of the day`s sun, collecting solar warmth before tonight`s hunt for ...

... island, approx 2,000 people meant that the animals life is a lot less and some areas near the little town have been affected by pollution. The 'Flamingo Lake' is a very sad state, it erroded over the passed 20 years into not much more than a swampy mess. There were only 6 Flamingos who looked very uninspired The number of Flamingos in the Galapagos has dramatically declined as they have moved to other countries that have better habitats. Very sad.<br>My hostel was ...

... br><br>But my worry instantly eased as a Scottish accent drifted from the group (I wasn't faced with the scary prospect of 12 retired Americans), and by the time we&#8217;d reached the boat I knew I was actually in for a big treat. I couldn&#8217;t have wished for a more fantastic crowd, everyone was so much fun, enthusiastic and really lovely (especially the couples!). AND not only that but I&#8217;d actually managed to tag onto an organised photography tour from the ...

... might be a bit of a mistake because it would be heaving. This morning (Wednesday) we wandered around the market (presumably the Wednesday not the Saturday market, there was so much there I'd like to know where they put the extra crafts on a Saturday) where they were selling all kinds of bags, rugs, jewellery, paintings, pottery etc, it was so colourful and a photographers' dream. We'd already stopped off for breakfast so it wasn't particularly ...

... food market. It's so interesting to see how people live and make a living!<br><br>Afterwards we headed to the market where we did not find ourselves overwhelmed with people trying to force their wares on us, which was really nice. We saw a lot of weavings and jewelry, and sweaters and it was really fun just walking around and seeing everything. When we got back to the hostel I was beat, but with only four hours left of sunlight Gabe ...

... br>We took a cab from our hostel to a supermarket (called SuperMaxi, no, not the sanitary kind) and met up with Mark and his family at 730 am. We all piled into the truck - 9 of us like sardines actually, it was very much mexican style transportation. After a while Ryan got in the back of the pickup with 4 of the kids and enjoyed the view and the breezes. Traffic was crazy - everything you´ve heard about driving in Latin ...

... best and shining with excitement. We hopped on a bus to Guayabamba, a town about halfway between Otavalo and Quito. Despite its middle-of-nowhere appearance, the zoo was actually quite nice, and hosted a fairly impressive collection of animals. The kids ran from one exhibit to the next, excited to see what exotic animal was hidden around the next corner. After strolling past a variety of monkeys, large turtles, exotic birds, jaguars, bears, etc. we stopped for ...

... then carried him to safety (hilarious videos soon to come). We hiked back down the mountain to my parents´house, and the aihados arrived soon after, with the youngest, Joel in tow. Joel is only 2, so this was my first time meeting him, but he is just as adorable, and quickly found a place in my heart along with the other 3. We drew and played a very creative form of Scrabble, and then headed into town for internet and ice cream, and had fun walking along with the ...