Toadfrogs and Elephants

A smaller group of us wanted a second round of scuba diving. Guy, Sonya, and I joined a few others and spent our morning with the same dive crew. This time I saw most of the same animals except I saw a hammerhead shark up close! At the end of our second dive, the dive master motioned for Guy and Sonya to surface, but wanted me to stay down longer. This is unusual and definitely not the safest course of action. The dive master had quite a bit of air left and shared his with me so that I could experience more underwater time. Guy and Sonya didn’t stop for their safety stop and had to go back down, but it worked out fine and there were no ill effects.

Sonya and I diving

We were quite late returning from the dive and had to join our group at the Charles Darwin Station – a refuge for land tortoises. I came into the tour part way, but I did get a picture with one of the large turtles. Sadly the guides weren’t too keen on us sitting on the turtles back.

The night activity was themed “Pirate Night”. We all received pirate decorations in our room and were asked to wear them. Wade and I ended up being some of the more tame people present. The dinner was local dishes and included sushi – but the freshest sushi I have ever tasted. The tuna was outstanding!

Wade and I

The days start early on the boat so our group was hiking Punta Espinosa, Fernandina Island by 8 am. I am continually fascinated by the wildlife and spent most of the morning watching the sea lions play in a small tidal pool.

Wade and I

After a quick lunch and a nap for Wade and I, we were off for some deep sea snorkeling. The small area near our boat had penguins, sea turtles, and sea lions. They were all very friendley and wanted to play. We were just finishing up our snorkeling as the rain started.

Chris and Grant get ready to snorkel

We made it back to the boat just in time for the rappeling. Dad and Laura didn’t participate, but most of the kids did.

I started the day with an early wake up call for scuba diving. Of all the families, only ten of us are certified divers. I dove with Guy and Sonya. The underwater wildlife is amazing. They have no fear of humans, which allows us to get very close. I could touch them if I wanted. I saw White Tip Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Sea Turtles, Sea Lions, Moray Eel, and a Manta Ray.

Manta Rays

While I was scuba diving, the rest of the group was hiking to the top of Cusin Rock on Bartolome Island. Below is a picture Melissa took. The views are breathtaking.

After lunch, the boat made a stop at Puerto Egas, James Island for hiking and snorkeling. On the beach we swam with sea lions and saw a baby sea lion on a ledge nearby. Did I also mention there are crabs everywhere?

Family picture on the beach

The theme for dinner tonight was “White Night”. All of the ladies were gifted with jewelry made from local stones and the men received cuff links made with local stones.

Last night was a rough night for Wade. We aren’t sure what he ate, but he was violently ill all night long. He seemed to have mostly recovered in time for our flight to the Galapagos Islands, but he isn’t at 100%.

View of Galapagos from the plane

After we were shown to our rooms we only had a few minutes before the activities began. The first was a short hike on Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Island to see the marine and land iguanas.

Melissa and I on the beach

My dad belongs to a group called WPO (World Presidents Organization) which provides him with a lot of business contacts, classes, and vacations around the world. Growing up most of our family vacations were with this group (or rather the younger group YPO) and they were always fantastic. This is the first time I have been on a YPO trip since high school. Most of the vacations have large numbers of families from all over the world. This vacation was limited by the number of rooms on the boat in the Galapagos Islands. With only 100 people things were planned a little differently and started with team building exercises at a local hacienda. Our family of 10 is by far the largest and is already causing a lot of laughs.

Group picture at the Hacienda

The next stop was a local market and a short speech from the mayor.

Melissa and I shopping

Dinner was at a waterfront restaurant with a fireworks show at the end.

The official trip with other families does not begin until tomorrow. We decided to fill the day with local activities. Laura arranged for a guide and off we went to the cable cars, an authentic Ecuadorian lunch, and the Museum on the Equator. Quito is at an elevation of 9,000 feet, but the mountains around it are even higher at 14,000 feet. The cable car ride was a lot of fun, but the day was overcast and visibility was low.

View from the cable car

The next stop was for lunch. Our guide picked a small local restuarant that served us a traditional Ecuadorian meal. I remember the empanadas were fantastic and the main dish of pork was very similar to the Puerto Rican food German cooked me while living in DC.

Our last stop of the day was at the Equator Museum. Strange phenomenon are known to occur on the Equator and this museum allows you to experiment. We all watched the water go down a drain both on and off the Equator line. We also tried to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail. Melissa was by far the quickest; I was slow but determined; and poor Chris never quite got it. The museum also detailed tribal traditions such as creating shrunken heads and practicing with blow guns.

Family Picture on the Equator

As a side note, we learned that guinea pigs are not pets in Ecuador, but considered a delicacy. I don’t think I will be trying that particular local treat.

Wade and I were picked up by the shuttle at 7 am. We flew to Atlanta and met up with the rest of the family for a bite to eat. Below you see Chris (my sister’s husband), Dad, Wade, Me, and Sonya (Laura’s son’s Guy’s wife) on the left and Tammy (a friend of Sonya’s), Laura, Guy (Laura’s son), and Grant (Laura’s son) on the right. Melissa is taking the picture.

After a five hour flight, we arrived in Quito, Ecuador around 9 pm. A shuttle picked us up and quickly delivered us to our hotel. We were all starving and discovered that the bar served tapas and sushi.

Family Dinner

Wade and I are heading off to the Galapagos Islands for a family vacation with my dad and Laura. All of the kids are going and we should have a ball! I doubt I’ll have internet while I am gone, but I’m sure there will be lots of pictures when I get back.