Tours to China, Vietnam, Cambodia and South America
Girl with her pet, in Cusco, Peru
Details of the itinerary and the cost are on this page….
Well, only in the metaphoric sense, that is.
I love to travel for many many reasons. I love seeing new people and places. I love learning about other cultures and countries. I enjoy learning their history and seeing their customs and their handicrafts. I love learning their legends and folktales. Perhaps, most of all, I enjoy the magnificent sights I see. And so, here in a picture is a thousand words about why I love to travel.
Beauty at the middle of the world
One of the joys of visiting and revisiting places is that I get to see the same people time after time. I will be talking about the people I met in Quito, but to preserve their privacy, I won’t identify any of them.
The Quito Jewish Community has two major elements:
1. The large indigenous community that has a beautiful community center and a synagogue and lovely grounds. People in the community are of European origin, most of their families arriving before or during the Second World War. They number around 500 and have a community school of high academic quality that has a non-Jewish majority and afternoon religious school for other children in the Jewish community. The community is a Conservative community and so people who live throughout the Quito area can belong and attend services there. We were lucky enough to visit their complex and to see their synagogue.
After entering the complex, one sees two buildings with a patio area between them. To the left is the huge auditorium/banquet hall, said to the be second largest banquet hall in Quito. On the lower floor is a room that we used for lunch. It was also large and because the building was built on the side of a hill, it had large windows and an outdoor area as well. Further to the left outside is the swimming pool.
On the right is the synagogue building itself. Although the congregation president did speak with us about the community, we were not able to take a full tour of the facilities since we still had a lot to do and wanted to get back to the hotel well before shabbat so that people would have time to prepare.
The synagogue grounds
The doors and entrance hall
The synagogue interior
Synagogue under attack by camera-wielding tourists
The inside of the domed roof
On my recent tour of Ecuador and Peru, our travelers had requested to see a bullfight. Traditional bullfights being rather bloody and gory and altogether inappropriate for a religious group, we chose instead to go to a bloodless bullfight.
We went to a beautiful hacienda not far from Otavalo, Ecuador, and had lunch there, prepared by our own chef, Boaz under the supervision of our mashgiach, Eyal. Lunch was delicious.
After lunch we were invited to the bull ring. We were told that this is a place where aspiring bullfighters are trained and the bull itself is being trained for bullfighting. The bull was kind of small and didn’t have much desire to perform, but he was persuaded by waves of the cape and the footwork of the matador.
After a demonstration, volunteers were solicited. To my dismay, our chef and our mashgiach both volunteered to fight the bull. Someone rightly called out, “anyone but the chef, please!” The chef was a pleasant young man who produced fantastic meals in the most unlikely places. The mashgiach was a delightful young man whose wife is soon expecting their first baby. Neither one was expendable.
But fight they did. Here’s how it started:
And here’s how it ended:
As we say in Hebrew, Kol HaKavod! Way to go, guys!
The islands are alive. One feels there like a visitor and often like an interloper. On Espanola Island, we encountered a greeting party. Of course we saw the sea lions who as always were playful and fun. They always are either playing or lazing around in the sun. Maybe that’s why I find them so amusing. They live a life most humans would envy. These guys were taking it easy.
Seal lions on a break
We also were greeted by marine iguanas
Marine iguanas
But most surprising was the blue footed booby welcoming committee. About every 10 feet, there was a couple of blue footed boobies standing along the trail. It was as if someone had placed them at their posts.
Here they are:
Blue footed booby welcoming committee
Another couple
And another
The big treat, though, was to see the albatrosses. In June, they were everywhere. In January, there had been only one or two sighted. So here is one, up close and personal:
An Albatross
Even closer
Of course, once again we saw the Nazca boobies, really beautiful white birds.
Nazca boobies
Unfortunately, our visit to the Galapagos had to come to an end, but next is a glimpse at Lima, Peru!
One of the most amazing things about traveling to the Galapagos is the sense one has of not needing to speak. The landscape, the animals, and the birds are all just there for us to enjoy. Each time we went to visit another island or another location on an island, it was a new experience even though sometimes we would see the same animals and birds over and over again. Each time was special.
Great Blue Heron
This bird has to be one of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen. And, like the other Galapagos birds and creatures, he was not frightened by the humans and held still for a good number of pictures.
Cactus trees
Lava Lizard
Another amazing critter!
Nazca or Masked Booby
The Nazca Boobies are very beautiful and what is even more exquisite is a very young Nazca Booby. They are fluffy and white. Here’s a mother and her baby.
Nazca Booby and baby
Flamingo
In certain light, it seems as if the endemic flamingos glow. They do not. They get their beautiful color from the sea animals that they eat.
A cooperative Blue Footed Booby
And yes, that is really the way they look. They tell me that it really attracts the girls (girl boobies, that is) which is a good thing.
What you can’t possibly imagine is how completely amazing this place is and how right the world seems with this beautiful life just living and thriving in a tranquil landscape.
And once again,
The Land Iguana smiles in approval
Our first outing to an uninhabited area was to Bachas Beach which is located on Santa Cruz Island, but is far away from any human habitation or signs of civilization.
Bachas Beach
In the background you can see our ship, but otherwise, it was only we and nature. Bachas Beach got its name from a mispronunciation of the word “barges” as during World War II, US ships docked there in an effort to protect the Panama Canal.
As we walked onto the beach, I was overwhelmed with the peace and the natural beauty of the place, but looking further, it became clear to me that the island was full of life. Do you see it?
Life on the Island?
If you look carefully at the two pictures, you may be able to see some very small red/orange objects. They are Sally Lightfoot crabs. These crabs are strikingly beautiful. And they are everywhere. The entire rocky coastline is alive and moving!
A Sally Lightfoot Crab
Taking a walk
Up close
Here I was, on the fifth day of creation. I couldn’t believe it. The crabs did not shy away from the camera, nor did the Lava Gulls, who posed for pictures.
Lava Gulls
The Galapagos Islands are all about seeing and listening, and not so much about speech. In fact, one of the things I loved the most were the long silences when no one was speaking and when I was alone in this magnificent natural environment.
Lava Gull
We saw some other creatures too. Here are two of them:
Greater Flamingos
At first they were shy, but once they noticed that we were silent, they stopped hiding.
Our Flamingo Friends
And who was there to say goodbye once our magnificent visit came to an end?
Sea Lion
More fabulous creatures to come….
Finally we arrived at the Darwin Research Station outside of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.
We have arrived!
Our visit there was fascinating as we saw species of plants and animals that we had never seen before. One of the animals we came to know and love was the land iguana, a reptile so clever that it has learned how to eat cactus pads and get not only fluids from them in the dry season, but food value from them as well. Land iguanas vary from island to island in the Galapagos. They can grow to be as much as three to five feet long! Here is a land iguana eating a cactus pad.
Land iguana at lunch
The major concentration at the Darwin station is the giant land tortoises. They too vary from Island to island with different shapes of shells and other remarkable differences. At the Darwin Station, scientists are concerned with preserving all of the existing species. There is, unfortunately one tortoise who is partnerless… Lonesome George is the last known existing tortoise of his kind. He was identified on Pinta Island and was brought to the breeding station in 1972. Since then he has waited in vain for a female Pinta Island tortoise. You can read more about him here.
We enjoyed seeing these enormous tortoises. Unlike what was permitted in the Galapagos Islands years ago, people are not allowed to ride on the tortoises. In fact, we are not permitted to touch them. The government of Ecuador takes very seriously the importance of preserving these islands and their air, land, and sea inhabitants– But we can take pictures!
Wow!
My husband and his new pet
and here’s something I thought I would never see:
Up close and personal!
When our tour of the station was over, we were satisfied and happy. We got back to the boat for a delicious kosher dinner and a restful night’s sleep, lulled by the gentle waves of the Pacific. What a wonderful day!!
After our lovely trip to Otavalo and environs and then back to the middle of the world, we went back to the hotel to prepare for shabbat.
And what a shabbat it was! First of all the flowers that filled the hotel put all of us in a good mood.
Roses
As shabbat neared, the women went to the dining room to light shabbat candles and shortly afterwards, the services started. The chanting and singing were lovely and in the short time we had been together, we had become a group.
More roses
After services, at dinner, we began to get acquainted with our guests, members of the Jewish community of Ecuador. Eating with us Friday night were the Israel consul to Ecuador and his wife and children. In addition, there were other Jews who lived in Quito and the vicinity. It was fascinating to hear about them and their backgrounds and why they were living in Quito and a little about life there.
Quito does indeed have a Jewish community. It numbers about 500 people and follows the Conservative stream of Judaism. There are some Orthodox Jews as well, but they comprise only a small fraction of the community. The community is dwindling with young people leaving the country for the US or Israel. There is a community center and a synagogue. There is also a Jewish school, the Albert Einstein school which is known for its excellent education. We were told that a majority of the students are not Jewish and are sent there because of the fine academic reputation the school possesses. The community has a store that sells Judaica, a mikvah, and the availability of kosher food. There is also a mohel (ritual circumcisor).
On Friday night and Saturday we enjoyed talking to the people who came to our hotel to join us for services and meals. We loved seeing the bright-eyed, beautiful children they brought with them– little children learning to speak Hebrew, English, and Spanish. I was not the only one who tried to encourage them to take the aliya plunge! After all, being a Jew in Ecuador is a bit like being a fish out of water. In Israel, they will be swimming along in a current of wonderful, refreshing, fresh water.
We were treated to talks by the Israel Ambassador and the Israel Consul to Ecuador and in addition, we met the local Chabad rabbi.
Yes, more roses
On shabbat afternoon we went to see a very beautiful ethnology museum. We enjoyed seeing the dress and artifacts and crafts of some of the peoples who have been living in Ecuador for centuries.
Our walk back to the hotel was pleasant and once shabbat was over, we were treated to a folkdance show put on especially for us in the hotel.
But all of us were very excited because we knew that bright and early on Sunday morning we would be getting up to start the adventure of a lifetime, a trip to the Galapagos!!!
Early in the morning we set out for Peguche Falls, just outside Otavalo. It was a lovely, sunny day and we enjoyed riding through the picturesque countryside. When finally we got to the village adjacent to the falls, we went on foot, through the town, and then along the path to the falls, located in the woods.
We were walking along, just enjoying nature. The scenery was lovely and the people we were with were delightful. It was very quiet and relaxed when suddenly we noticed that we were not the only people who had the idea of seeing the falls that morning. We turned around and saw this:
School children
Of course, their young legs were faster and more nimble than ours and very soon we were looking at the backs of some of them.
More school children
Yes, there were hundreds of them!
And all of us were treated to this at the end of the path.
Peguche waterfall
It seems that each Friday school children take trips and these falls are a big attraction. In addition to walking to the falls and seeing them, the children played soccer and other games and had bought along picnic lunches. They chattered and laughed and seemed to be enjoying themselves!
After our visit there, we made our way back in the direction of Quito, but we stopped at a very interesting landmark, one of the places that is located along the equator. This one attempted to instruct us about what it meant being on the equator and they did some experiments that were supposed to convince us that the forces of nature act differently on the equator. We all found it entertaining, even those of us who are natural skeptics.
My husband once again at zero degrees latitude
My turn to straddle the equator
And what a surprise to find there a sign that was trying to be in Hebrew. We could make out the last two words: Middle of the world. The rest is still a mystery!
Hebrew?
We arrived at the hotel happy and ready to prepare for a shabbat together. It was time to relax just a bit before we were out and about once again.
Next time: Shabbat in Quito. Not what you think it would be at all…
update: I received this comment:
Hachtamat Darconim : Hotemet Emza Haolam… I guess the shop was marketing its stamps for being in the Centre of the World. I got a certificate once for reaching the Arctic Circle…. but personally I think Israel is the Centre of the World… Mihal Indyk
She would have won the prize if there were a prize because indeed, inside that building, there was someone who stamped our passports indicating that we had visited the center of the world!
Rona Michelson was born in Philadelphia, PA and lived there until her marriage in 1966. With her husband, a US Army chaplain, she lived subsequently in 18 different homes. Along the way she has had 5 children and received 5 university degrees … [Read More...]
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