Mindo fue muy Lindo!

This past weekend a couple of us in the group went to Mindo, and it was probably the most adventure I've had packed into a short weekend! We left early Saturday and got there about 10, first thing on the list: buy bus tickets back for Sunday since its over a 2 hr bus ride and who wants to stand for that? We checked in to our hostel and bought tickets to go to the canopy! (ziplining- 10 lines for 10 bucks!) We went to the main road to catch a taxi (ride in the back of a truck) up to the canopy. Our driver was suuuuper crazy and wanted to show us gringos a good time so he was swerving all over the road.  Also we gave eachother points if we dodged branches in cool ways like Matrix-style. Once we were at the ziplining place we got our gear on and were ready to go.  We had a brief 5 minute safety talk, which would have lasted 2 hrs in the states, and we were climbing up the ladder for our first zipline.  These are the coolest ziplines ever, and on some of them we could do fun things like upside down or superman.  The picture to the right is "Mariposa" (Butterfly) style. The guide has to help hold your line, but it is so crazy going upside down and not holding on! I was really scared but it was cool to see the canopy from a different point of view! We even had gloves to hold the line for balance on the lines that were super fast because you would sway back and forth if you didn't hold on.

Next we rode our truck back down to go "tubing" as my sisters here had called it before we left for Mindo. I picture tubing is one tire or tube per person and you float down the river. Wrong. It was a bunch of tires tied together with ropes and we rafted down the craziest river with the most rocks ever. Our guide had to keep getting in the water to turn/push our raft so we didn't hit huge rocks, and when we hit them then our raft dropped suddenly into the water and we all flew around all over the place.  Jessica fell into the middle of one of the tires, and our guide was like a spider monkey and in .05 seconds he was there to save her. Basically, a lot of screaming and laughing for the whole ride.

Next we decided to let the four people who weren't staying the night choose what do to since their bus was leaving soon and we had the whole next day for activities.  It was between the chocolate tour or riding quads, well of course we were going to ride quads. Only problem, not many people had drivers licenses (who knew one place would actually ask for documentation in Ecuador) and the quads were semi-automatic. The guide spoke English very well and was explaining to me that it was just like driving a car (no cars are automatic here) so he didn't realize I only knew how to drive automatic cars, so this was no help. After our crash test course around the block, I sort of figured out after he kept repeating in a Spanish accent, "Neutral, one, two, tree." Oh yea I'm good to go, ha! So us 8 got on 4 quads and were off, in the pouring rain all of a sudden.  We were covered head to toe in mud, probably Sarah and I were worse because I just tried to stay in a straight line and not mess up so we hit every mud puddle. Good news is I didn't tip the quad or break it, I think. A couple times the guide rode his motorcycle up by me and told me to switch to a different gear, but this is expected of girl gringo drivers. Overall, learned that I should probably stick to automatic cars, and not too bad getting muddy since its bound to happen on any excursion here. After the other four left to go back to Quito, us four girls (Leslie, Ashely, Sarah & I) decided it was a great idea to take a nice hot shower! Group shower style of course since we had our bathing suits on already from rafting, and no one wanted to wait to shower fourth after being all muddy and wet and cold. Next on the agenda was the frog concert (concierto de ranas). We had no idea what to expect but it was 3 bucks and sounded pretty cool. So we got lost on the way there of course because directions here consist of "oh yea its right over there" (point finger) but when we were walking down one of the wrong roads a cute little black lab puppy ran out towards us so I began to pet it of course, and it started rolling around on my feet. I was very tempted to bring it with us! Finally when we found the frog concert we were greeted with a shot glass size glass of wine. Complementary. Very nice. We learned about the different frogs and toads we would be seeing and other cool insects (I guess spiders are cool to some people) and then we all took off for the walk. We saw different species of really tiny cool looking frogs and the place where the frog concert was at had different cabins and a lake in the middle, and was really cool all lit up at night. Probably the coolest thing was seeing dead logs that had micro bacteria inside so when all the lights were off it glowed in the dark! After the frog concert we were hungry for some pizza (best pineapple pizza is in Ecuador) and a couple of us got some beer (Pilsner the best of course!) Then it was time to hit the hay, in our mosquito net covered beds since our hostel walls didn't go all the way up to the ceiling.

The next day we went to the waterfalls for a couple hours since there is a really nice hike out to them and then about 5 or 6 pretty close to each other. The gondola style thing that went out to the waterfalls was super long, high, and fast. All ingredients for something scary.  We were all worried hiking out to the falls since it was all downhill that we would be tired on the uphill way back. We were right, I even took my shoes off and waded out into one of them to cool off, which was really refreshing! Also since we are out in nature and all some of the waterfalls lead right over paths. I was really nervous getting around one of them because the rocks were very uneven and the water was flowing right over the path. But we survived of course, we are getting used to the rugged terrain here.

After the waterfalls we decided to go on the chocolate tour that we heard about to learn how to make chocolate and to sample of course! It actually was pretty cool learning about how to make chocolate and the fermentation process, they even make chocolate beer there! We also got to tour outside and see the different plants they use to help sweeten the chocolate, the sugar leaves (or grass maybe?) and the lemon grass that they learned could help in the process. Tasting was the best part. Cocoa is actually disgusting by itself.  He gave us each a little sample without sugar and it was so bitter. Then we got to mix the sugar in and it actually tasted like chocolate.  They even make barbeque sauce from some of the chocolate (super good!!) After lunch and of course some icecream we walked around a bit more then needed to pack up and get ready to go. Overall, really cool weekend and I forgot we even saw a wild Toucan when we were walking back from the waterfalls so we could get cell service to call a taxi. Also there were humming birds everywhere and a ton by our hostel! On the bus ride back it was neat to see the clouds under us and live stock on the super steep hills.  Not sure how they do it, it seems like if they took one step they would fall.  Also, a man on the bus had a rooster and I'm pretty sure someone had a box/bag full of chicks because they were chirping the whole ride back.  Oh the things you will see in Ecuador! :)

Las Islas Galapagos

Sorry I haven't posted in forever, but this will be a good one.  So the Galapagos is my favorite place in the world (even tho I haven't been to many places yet) the islands are so beautiful and there are so many cool plants and animals; I want to live there! Our first day we spent at Santa Cruz (also the next morning). We all tried on our snorkeling gear and headed to las grietas (cliffs) where there was water inbetween them and we practiced our snorkeling. We also had the chance to jump off the cliffs into the water, which of course seems easy since I went bungee jumping, right? Well, it was WAYYYY scarier because I wasn't attached to a rope and jumping into water, I closed my eyes the whole time and got a huge bruise on my pompous after. But worth it of course.  The next day we went to go see the Galapagos- what the famous giant tortoises are called and we explored the lava tubes. (how the islands were created) We broke BCA history by seeing two Galapagos mating, which only occurs 3 times a year, we are pretty lucky! Then we took a 2 hr boat ride to Isabella where we spent the rest of our 6 days.

I don't think I've seen more cool animals in my life besides the zoo (which doesn't count).  Sea lions are as plentiful as squirrels in Michigan (and PA too) they will come right up and play with you when you're in the water! There were iguanas everywhere, the one part of the island we were on you couldn't take a step without stepping on one.  PENGUINS!! The second smallest species of penguins in the world, they are so darn cute too! When we went snorkeling we saw a bunch of sea turtles and there were always blue-footed boobies on the rocks! (note the blue feet on the boobie to the left)

We went snorkeling to 4 different places and on the way to one Sarah and I got to ride on the front of our boat and soak up the rays.  On the way to snorkeling we rode around Isla Tortuga which has really cool rock formations and a ton of sea lions, iguanas, and other cool birds. We also got to go to the turtle breading site and see the giant tortoises when they are babies, which is still pretty huge! (very important to the islands because that is the only place where they are found) Then we went to the lake where the flamingos are: something I learned: flamingos are white when they are young and get the pink coloring when they get older. The same day we went to the wall of tears which was a prison on the island.  The best place for a prison is the Galapagos because the prisoners can't escape, or if they did they wouldn't get far.  The guards at the prison made the prisoners make a wall of bricks as punishment.  We hiked up near it and then up into the boonies of the Galapagos, there were some stretches of the hike that I thought I was going to fall off down the mountain. But the view was beautiful!!

We also hiked up Volcano Sierra Negra which is about a 6 hour hike to the top, and it rained almost the whole time we hiked up! It was a lot better than getting burned tho because all of us were so burned from snorkeling the last couple of days.  And when you get burned in the middle of the world, it really hurts, and peals for days, and weeks. The volcano was really cool tho, it is still active and we could see the steam rising out of it! We all tried to stay dry for awhile, but it was so muddy and slippery we just ended up jumping in the mud puddles!

So many other things to talk about, but the most important thing was we were there during Carnival.  Basically just a huge party on the beach, but people have spray creme stuff (kinda like silly string but foamier) and they just come up and spray you with it! Also they have paint and flour that they douse you in.  On Isabella there was a horse-riding relay race to start off the festivities.  Also there were contests at night of the best woman and man on the island and they had to walk up and down a run way model style. Other contests occurred like water balloon toss and soccer games, which a couple of my friends won and the prize was a case of Pilsner (only the best beer ever!) Also its really easy to get guys to buy drinks for you- if you are a girl of course- so we didn't spend any money on alcohol except for the first night when Sarah and I split a bottle of cana (which is like a tiny bottle) literally sugar cane, and a thing of cheap boxed wine. Did the trick.

Saving the best story for last- when I got married. Ok family, don't worry not for real, but this guy was obsessed with me.  Well at first he was obsessed with my friend Katie and he wanted me to talk to her for him, well that turned into us talking and then he went up to all of my friends (after 20 mins of us talking mind you) and he told my friends that they are all pretty but that I am beautiful and have the biggest heart in the world and blah blah blah and someone asked if he would want to marry me.. and of course he says yes. And we are all just dying laughing having a good time while this guy goes on and on about how I am the smartest woman ever and just using every trick in the book.  Well, one of the Galapegeanos (ppl from Galapagos) that had been hanging out with us the other nights said that he would perform a ceremony.  My girlfriends held their beer bottles as bouquets and the guy even bought a cheap silver ring that didn't fit me.  Then we celebrated and they bought us two more cases of beer.  (Pilsner of course!) Finally he wouldn't leave me alone that my friends had to tell him that I had a boyfriend in the states and I was drunk (which was not true) he was heartbroken.  But we all still had a great time dancing!

Overall, best 6 days of my life, making friends with sea lions, getting to beach it, staying out late partying on the beach, watching huge tortoises mating, seeing penguins, getting married, and hiking 6 hours in the pouring rain. And the best part is, the only way you can move there is if you marry a Galapageano, which I already have checked off my list.  (note: pictures don't really correspond with what they are next to)