He was a young man who had come to Israel as a tourist and to visit friends. He is an English teacher in Sao Paulo, and his English was pretty good. Of course, over the duration of the flight, we had some time to talk. When he heard that we had some hours in Sao Paulo, he wrote down for me information about where we should go and how to get there and back.

When finally we reached Sao Paulo and ascertained that our luggage had been checked through, he said that perhaps instead of taking the bus that he had originally recommended, we join him in his taxi that he had ordered. He said that they would be passing through the center of the city and it was not a problem to drop us off.

Of course we agreed. He told us that this taxi driver was wonderful, very reliable- and that’s why he had him pick him up at the airport. As we rode, our friend told us about Sao Paulo—what a huge city it is! He also told us a lot about the Jewish community which has 5 non-ultra-Orthodox day schools! He didn’t know how many ultra-Orthodox day schools there are. One school, established by Safra for his sister’s children, hires teachers who will teach in English so the children become fluent in English and are able to study abroad. Of course the children also learn Hebrew.

He and the taxi driver (who spoke no English) talked about our taking a bus back to the airport and about where we might find the bus. Then the taxi driver suggested that he transport us back to the airport for less than we would have to pay for a bus. Naturally, we agreed. After all, our friend had told us that the driver was reliable.

As we neared the center of the city, the taxi driver suggested that he keep our carry on bags for us. The truth was that our carry on bags were pretty heavy and we knew that it would make things easier for us. He told us that he would not be transporting anyone with luggage and that our bags would be safe.

We had his business card and we had the recommendation; it sounded good. As we left the taxi, we agreed to meet at the same location at 3 p.m. As we left, the driver gave us an umbrella to use since it was drizzling.

We walked through the park and then saw across the street an amazing building that our friend recommended we visit. It was the Museum of Contemporary Art. There was a long line of people waiting to get in. I went to ask how much a ticket was. It turned out that today, entrance to the museum was free.

The exhibit was wonderful. There were both European and South American artists represented and the exhibit was well narrated in English as well as Spanish. There was even a wonderful exhibit and video on the restoration of one of the pieces that was exhibited.

After our museum visit, we just walked and looked at the city. Close to 3 o’clock the two of us started to think about what we had done—leaving our carry-on bags (each containing our notebook computers and all of the information relevant to our tour) in the taxi of a person we didn’t know. Yes, we had his card and I had taken a photo of his license plate (because I wanted a photo of a Brazilian license plate), but how much good would that do us if we wanted to be on a plane in 2 hours…

We waited from about 10 minutes to the hour. We watched taxi after taxi pass. We began to doubt ourselves and then, on the dot of 3 o’clock, the driver pulled up to the curb and took us to the airport. He charged exactly what he said he would charge and our carry-ons were completely intact.

It was perfect.

Our only question… we never got the name of our benefactor from the plane. Who was that masked man?

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!

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

Swallow Tailed Gull

I was very excited about the prospect of seeing blue-footed boobies. Even having seen a number, they still fascinate me. This is a picture of the first one we saw. He/she didn’t feel like cooperating with us, but at least didn’t fly away.

Uncooperative blue-footed booby

We saw this very beautiful bird.

Yellow Warbler (Canario Maria)

A frigate bird

Frigates are completely black as they fly through the sky. They look almost the way you would expect ominous black birds to look, except watching them fly was just beautiful. However, when they want to impress each other ( and particularly the female of the species) they can puff out a sac that is bright red (and actually, quite impressive.) Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good pictures, but you can see some magnificent pictures of magnificent frigates here.

I tried to identify the next bird with my handy-dandy identification guide. Unfortunately, the birds in my pictures are never in the same position as they are in the guide, and so I am just guessing that this incredibly gorgeous bird is a Royal Albatross.

Royal Albatross (?)

A land iguana

These guys always smile. I know that they must just be the happiest characters.

And no island trip is complete if one doesn’t have a chance to see sea lions. This time it was a nursing mother and her nursling.

Sea lion baby snack time

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….

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!!

Our luggage was inspected thoroughly before we got onto the plane. Because the Ecuadorians are concerned that the Galapagos Islands remain a living laboratory, as untainted as possible by civilization, there is always concern that people might be bringing things that will destroy the unique ecology of each of the islands. For that reason, no plants, or seeds can enter the islands. Similarly, when we travel from the Islands to the boat, the bottoms of our shoes are washed off before we enter the boat so that we will not transport seeds from one island to another.

We flew from Quito to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city and then on to the Galapagos Islands. Before we landed, the interior of the plane was sprayed.

The first thing we saw when we landed at the airport in Baltra was this tree.

Galapagos cactus

We thought it looked unique. It seems to grow quite profusely in the Galapagos Islands.

The archipelago consists of 15 main islands, 3 smaller islands and over 100 rocks and outcroppings. Once we had claimed our luggage, we went by bus and ferry and bus to the ship’s landing in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is one of the 5 islands that are inhabited by humans.

Santa Cruz

From there we walked along the pier. I thought that we would see our ship, a small cruise ship that takes a maximum of 100 passengers.

The pier

It was raining and happily, it was the only rain we experienced during our visit there.

What I didn’t anticipate was our mode of transportation to the cruise ship and subsequently to each island. The islands are to remain unspoiled and so large ships do not dock near them, but stay removed from them so as not to pollute or to carry anything that might upset the ecology of the islands. So it was like this that we reached our ship.

The dinghies

And here is a picture of the ship

The Galapagos Legend

Once settled in, all of us were ready for our first big adventure. Late in the afternoon, we set out on our dinghies to visit the Darwin Research Station.

Imagine our surprise when we came upon a whole welcoming committee of marine iguanas who graciously posed for pictures!

Marine iguana

and friend

The Marine Iguana is the world’s only sea-going lizard and is found only on the Galapagos Islands. We found them fascinating. We almost forgot that they were not what we were there to see. The Darwin Station is most concerned with the giant tortoises. You’ll see them next time…

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!

Ecuador is not a rich country. Its top source of foreign capital is the export of crude oil. However number two is the income it derives from its expatriates who work in other countries and send money home to their families. According to our local guide, Julio, 4 to 5 million of the population of 14-15 million work outside the country. There are an estimated 700,000 Ecuadorian women working in Spain alone! Ecuador’s third highest source of income is from the magnificent roses grown there. Agriculture is an important industry and fruits and vegetables are exported as well as coffee and cacao.

Our guide, Julio, in the vest and the Panama hat

Julio here was introducing us to some new and exotic fruits.

Oh, and a piece of trivia: Panama hats are Ecuadorian!

In the year 2000, after years of economic crisis, Ecuador adopted the US dollar as its currency. Since then, prices have stabilized. Having the US dollar as currency makes it an attractive tourist destination for those familiar with the dollar! On a recent tour to Vietnam, I misplaced a decimal when converting to the local currency and almost gave our local guide $320 for items she purchased for us when I only owed her $32. She, thankfully, was honest and told me that I had better check my math! In Ecuador, I had no such problems.

Trivia: Remember that song we sang in the US– “Kumbaya”? I never quite knew what to make of it. It turns out that Kumbaya is the name of a town not far from Quito and the song was a song they sang, in a circle, to bring down much needed rain. The people would sing louder and louder again and again to bring the rain.

We made our way from the hacienda to Parque Cóndor Otavalo, a refuge for birds that have been injured and need special care. Often these birds are not equipped to survive on their own and spend their lives there. We saw a number of fine looking birds:

A barred hawk

A black hawk-eagle

and our old friend, the bald eagle

Later we drove to San Pablo Lake. It ’s a beautiful area at the foot of the Imbabura volcano. The land is rich and the mountain is seen as the sacred protector of the area. We stayed at a beautiful resort with wooden buildings that contained large, lovely guest rooms each with its own fireplace.

Hosteria Puertolago

The inn

Another view

After taking our things to the room,we all went out on a boat for a look at the lake and its surroundings. As Israeli groups tend to do, we sang together a good deal of the time. There was lots of laughter and joking and lots and lots of smiles. As it got dark, we noticed that the lights in the homes surrounding the lake had been turned out. We wondered if there was a power failure. We were told that the lights are turned out for an hour or two each evening to save electricity.

What is particularly amazing about this place on earth is that being so near the equator, one is able to see both the constellations of the southern hemisphere and of the northern hemisphere. With the lights out, the view couldn’t have been more perfect– and if I had studied more astronomy, I am certain I would have been even more awestruck. Next time I will be sure to look for the Southern Cross.

When we returned to land, we were greeted by a delicious dinner, sent by our mashgiach in Quito, in the beautiful, elegant dining room with windows out to the lake.

After dinner and some time spent getting to know each other, we all went to our rooms. When we arrived at our door, a young woman was waiting to build us a fire. A lovely end to a perfect day!

Next time: You and me and thirty gazillion school children at a waterfall and a visit to another spot on the equator.

The first thing I noticed about the market is the colors, brilliant colors everywhere. The handwork was delicate and skillful. Here are some of the sights:

Key rings

Decorated gourds

Necklaces

Flutes

Chess sets

Hanging Chairs

They had lovely embroidered blouses and shirt and dresses as well. They had beautiful woven fabrics in a multitude of colors. The vendors were friendly and nice to deal with. There was none of the hard sell that one experiences in other parts of the world.

We took some time to walk into a little shop and order some diet coke and coffee to go with our lunches. The coffee took a really long time to come. Finally, when the next customer came in, we realized why. They were getting the coffee from another restaurant down the block!

After lunch we continued on to see a hacienda. We found it particularly interesting because our local guide had come many summers with his family when he was a boy to spend time there. It was not only a hotel (and quite a lovely one) but also the food, he told us, was excellent and it is surrounded by beautiful gardens. We looked into some of the guest rooms all of which have fireplaces as well as lofts for additional family members.

The Hacienda

A lovely variety of plants and flowers

A welcoming entrance

The hallway that runs parallel to the front of the hacienda with our hostess

But the afternoon was not yet finished. Next time you will meet some of our fine feathered friends and see a most exquisite resort by a lake.