1) After our time in Peru, we then flew to Quito in Ecuador to start the second half of our tour. The first site we visited was the Equatorial Monument. These policemen were patroling the main avenue leading to the monument.
La policia.
Caminan con amigos.
Por la manana.
2) Up to the center and onto the equator, this is the official marker denoting latitude 0 degrees.
3) Straddle the line! Jonna and Alan bridging the Earth's two hemispheres.
4) A nearby "alternate" site also marks the equator but with some touristy tricks thrown in. Fortunately, it did have some nice plants to enjoy, including this blossoming cactus.
5) The cheap way to protect a building and something that is very common in south America: walls topped with broken glass.
Substitute barbed wire.
The ultimate recycling.
Glass catching the light.
6) We happened to arrive in Quito, the capital of Equador, on the 200th anniversary of the founding of the country. The bicentennial celebrations also included the inaguration of the second term for president Correa. Military where stationed all around the government buildings, including these soldiers just outside the presidential palace. We did not run into Chavez or Achmidinijad but they were in Quito as part of the celebration.
7) After our day in Quito, we flew out to the Galapagos Islands to do a boat tour. Before boarding the ship and leaving the main island of Santa Cruz we did a short nature hike. Here is the first finch (one of the famous thirteen varieties of Darwin finches) we saw on the Galapagos. Can you see it?.
8) Our short hike also gave us our first glimpse of the lava lizard, a critter which exists in large numbers throughout the islands.
9) Another of the unique species on the Galapagos are these cactus trees.
10) Perhaps the most famous animal in the Galapagos, the marine iguanas. These guys are hanging out on a stone wall soaking up heat after swimming in the cool ocean. While resting, their bodies expel the salt that they absorbed while swimming.
11) Our first anchorage, after leaving Santa Cruz, was between the islands of Santiago and Bartolome. Here Jonna and Alan enjoy the view from the top deck of our ship, the Carina.
12) Hard to get more iconic that watching a blue-footed boobie fly over the scenic coastline of Bartolome Island.
13) Ear-worm for the day, "Walking on the Moon" by the Police.
14) Even on the barren lava islands like Bartolome, living things dig out a foothold. Here lava cactus grows on a harsh, step volcanic slope.
15) On each island we visited, we did a guided hike to understand each one's unique environment. The boardwalk below was constructed to minimize human impact on the fragile landscape. Island visits are carefully scheduled by the Ecuadorian National Park Service and highly monitored by the guides.
16) Panorama photo taken from the top of Bartolome Island.
17) Jonna, blissed-out after snorkeling with sea turtles.
18) One of the interesting facts about the Galapagos is that both tropical and arctic birds co-exist here. The arctic portion was proven by spotting these penguins on Bartolome Island.
19) Our next visit was just across the bay on Santiago Island, as viewed in this panorama taken from the Carina. Note the different colors, proof that this island was covered by different volcanic eruptions that those that formed it's neighbor Bartolome.
20) One animal which is not endangered in the Galapagos is the bright red Sally Lightfoot crab seen here on the black lava formations of Santiago Island.
21) Texture galore. The volcanic lava fields on the eastern side of Santiago are amazing.
22) A marine iguana hanging out on black lava. This must be the express method for re-heating a reptile's body.
23) No end of interesting lava formations.
24) Hiking on lava flow in the late day sun.
25) Jonna "Walking on the Moon".
26) In the evening, the Carina moved from Bartolome island around to the western coast of Santaigo. On our way, we stopped briefly at a small island which serves as a rookery for sea birds. We spent a moment enjoying the "golden light" of sunset and spotting the various birds (boobies, gulls, noddys, pelicans and frigate birds).
27) Our next excursion was a combined hiking and snorkeling trip on Santiago Island. Here Jonna enjoys a moment on the beach just after coming ashore.
Walking on a beach.
Anywhere and any time.
Is my favorite.
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