The Twelve Divine Generals represent protective deities that correspond to the animals in the Chinese zodiac. Each has his own personality, time of day, weapon and… CONTINUE READING >>
Normally a train, and then a ski-lift-type gondola suspended across three and a half miles of mountains, valleys, and lakes would take us up to Ngong Ping from Hong Kong.
But when we got off the train the cable car was out of commission, so we had to take a bus. No doubt less spectacular, but still quite an experience on the narrow, winding mountain roads.
After a ride that gave us a pretty good idea of how a pinball feels, we arrived and entered through the main gate.
The ornate archway led to a path flanked by The Twelve Divine Generals, representing protective deities that correspond to the animals in the Chinese zodiac. Each has his own personality, time of day, weapon and a creature on his head.
The General Catura represents 1- 3 AM and the ox of the Zodiac. He is armed with a sword.
The General Kimnara represents 3- 5 AM and the tiger of the Zodiac. He is armed with a rope (though this guy looks like he’s got a bat and ball).
The General Makura represents 5 – 7 AM and the rabbit of the Zodiac. He is armed with a axe.
The General Pajra represents 7- 9 AM and the dragon of the Zodiac. He is armed with a bow and arrow.
The General Indra represents 9 – 11 AM and the snake of the Zodiac. He is armed with a staff.
The General Sandira represents 11 AM -1 PM and the horse of the Zodiac. He is armed with a conch shell.
The General Anila represents 1-3 PM and the sheep of the Zodiac. He is armed with a arrow (The Big Buddha is way up on the mountain in the background).
The General Andira represents 3-5 PM and the monkey of the Zodiac. He is armed with a mallet.
The General Mihira represents 5-7 PM and the rooster of the Zodiac. He is armed with a vajra.
The General Vajra represents 7-9 PM and the dog of the Zodiac. He is armed with a sword.
The General Kumbhira represents 9 -11 PM and the boar of the Zodiac. He is armed with a boardsword.
The General Vikarala represents 11 PM – 1 AM and the rat of the Zodiac. He is armed with a vajra.
At the end of the walkway we reached a circular area perfectly aligned with stairs leading up Muyu Mountain to The Tian Tan Buddha or Big Buddha.
Join us in a tale of Sultans and Emperors, of grandeur, conquest and really big ideas.
Istanbul surprised us at every turn – the colors, the vibrancy, the sheer newness of it all. We sat on pillows, had a REAL feast, learned to haggle at the Grand Bazaar and finally found out what Turkish Delight is!
Rome may be The Eternal City, but Istanbul can make a pretty good case for immortality too. It is certainly not some insignificant transient stop along the highway of history.
The cities are about the same age, both over two and a half millennia, and for much of that time the larger, wealthier, and more influential of the two was not the one in Italy. In fact Istanbul, known as Constantinople at the time, spent hundreds of years ruling over Rome as the capital of the Roman Empire.
By the time we arrived, early in the twenty-first century, Byzantium/ Constantinople/ Istanbul was no longer the capital of anything, not even Turkey, but it remains one of the world’s great cities.
In an effort to soak up some of that history we chose to stay right inside the ancient walls, in the heart of the Old City. Most all of the major landmarks were within an easy walk of our hotel.
Jetlagged and hungry, we set out to see what we could find, since it was too early to check in.
First thing that caught our eyes was a woman sitting in the front window of a restaurant called The Han making what looked to be tortillas.
She rolled the dough out on a big wooden table, laid fillings on top, then folded it over and cooked it on a griddle. It looked great, so we had to go in.
We sat on pillows and ordered two of the gözleme, one with meat filling and another with spinach and cheese. Delicious!
The name comes from the Turkish göz, which means compartment. While eating, we noticed that nearly everyone who passed by on the sidewalk stopped to watch the lady making gözleme. Seems The Han had discovered the best advertising possible.
We perked up a bit after eating and walked to Sultanahmet Square, the heart of the Old City. The square is flanked by The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, two of Istanbul’s most famous landmarks.
In fact most of the city’s main attractions are within a stone’s throw, The Topkapı Palace, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, and Hippodrome are all nearby. We couldn’t possibly visit all of these in one afternoon, but we could start at the top.
A Stop in Sultanahmet Square – The Blue Mosque
The square is named for the Sultanahmet Mosque, the official name of The Blue Mosque, so that would be first on our list. Built in 1609 by Sultan Ahmed I, it features a main dome, eight secondary domes, and six minarets, and is considered the pinnacle of two centuries of Ottoman mosque development.
Upon entering the mosque we saw how the unofficial blue moniker came about, the color is prevalent in the tiles adorn that the interior.
This is still an active mosque, so as the time for prayers approached, visitors were ushered out. Back in the square, we were just in time for the call to prayer, and learned what the minarets are for.
Originally a Muezzin would climb to a balcony on each minaret and call out the adhan five times a day, but now each minaret has several loud speakers.
With half a dozen mosques within earshot of the square, the mid-afternoon call became quite an audio spectacular. In our time-zone-addled condition it struck us as almost surreal.
WATCH: It’s impossible to show the enormity of the mosque in photos – video helps!
In keeping with our jet lag suppression theory, that a nap and then staying up as late as we can manage on our first night helps to acclimate, we checked in and crashed for a bit.
After waking in one of those “Is it morning or late afternoon?” freak-outs, we got ourselves together and set out. We certainly weren’t going to waste any time.
Haggling in the Grand Bazaar
We wandered through some back streets toward The Grand Bazaar, got a little lost, and then pointed back in the the right direction by some neighborhood kids.
They were extremely friendly and seemed to find our cluelessness quite amusing.
Finally finding our way to the granddaddy of all malls we ventured in to one of the oldest and certainly largest covered markets in the world.
It seemed as though most of the 400,000 visitors who come each day were inside with us.
Talk about lost, with over three thousand shops packed in along sixty-one covered streets, we felt like lab rats looking for cheese (when we did stumble upon one of cheese shops, it didn’t help much).
WATCH: A romp through the Grand Bazaar – Veronica learns to haggle!
After adjusting to the spectacle of product overload, we focused on the architecture. When the market was built, in 1455, Istanbul was very much the crossroad between Europe and Asia, and the bazaar soon became the hub of trade between the continents, so it had to be spectacular.
Merchants came from far and wide to stock up on items to sell back home.
But over the course of four and a half centuries things had changed, fires and earthquakes nearly dealt a death blow to the already declining bazaar.
After fading and falling into in disrepair until the 1950s it staged a comeback.
By the 1980s restorations had taken place and the bazaar returned to its glory. These days tourists, rather than merchants, come from far and wide, and the name grand is fitting once again.
WATCH: See how Turkish carpets are made, what kinds of dyes are used and how to spot quality – and see a REAL flying carpet!
Istanbul At Night
We came out of the maze into narrow neighborhood back streets again. But things were very different, it was nearing sundown, and during Ramadan, so the city looked like a ghost town.
All the shops had closed and everyone was home getting ready to eat for the first time since sunrise.
Once the sun set, life picked up again especially around Sultanahmet Square.
The scene was almost like a fair, the fountain glowed with colorful lights, vendors were selling food and trinkets, and families spread out picnics on the grass. As soon as it was completely dark another adhan rang out from the mosques and a huge group assembled in the square for prayers under the stars.
WATCH: A sweet street food – osmanli macunu – it’s dessert AND a show!
Walking back to the hotel we passed The Column of Constantine, constructed on the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great in 330 AD. This marked the city’s change from the Greek Byzantium, to the Roman Nova Roma.
The New Rome became the capital city of the Roman Empire, and in time took on the name of its ruler, to be known as Constantinople.
Across from the column we picked up a variety of Turkish Delight in a little shop, not only to try the many flavors, but to celebrate our accomplishment of staying up late enough to reset our body clocks. Time for a little Istanbul-dozing.
A Wonderful Clash of Culture – Hagia Sophia
Bright and early we headed for Hagia Sophia, which could be one of the most impressive structures we’ve ever seen.
Not so much for the building itself, although it is spectacular, but for the fact that this massive cathedral was built in the year 532, and finished in only five years.
The Emperor Justinian wanted to build the largest church in the world, and succeeded… by a long shot. It remained unchallenged for almost one thousand years, until the Renaissance cathedrals of Europe finally caught up. But those all took decades, if not centuries, to construct.
Like many of the churches in Istanbul, it served first as a cathedral, then as a mosque. Now it is a museum commemorating both of those pasts. Interestingly, unlike many other churches, when Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque the Christian artwork was not destroyed, only covered over.
As restorations took place, several masterpieces were found intact. Now it is one of the few places where Christian and Muslim art are displayed side by side.
The Topkapı Palace stands just behind the former cathedral and is where, after the fall of the Roman Empire to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the sultans and their courts lived for four hundred years.
Once conquered, the city’s name was changed once again, and Turkey was ruled from Istanbul.
When the Ottoman Empire ended after World War I and Turkey became a republic, the capital was moved to Ankara and the palace became a museum of the imperial era. We were rightly amazed by some of the items on display.
The sultans had quite a collection of jaw dropping jewels, among them a gold box filled of emeralds, multiple ruby and diamond handled swords and daggers, and the highlight, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, one of the largest in the world at eighty-six carats.
Across the courtyard there are perhaps even more valuable treasures, a plethora of holy relics from Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Among them, the oldest known copy of The Koran, several bits of Muhammad’s beard, a cloak and a sword also said to belong to the prophet, a staff that Moses carried, and bones of John The Baptist. We cannot show these since no photos were allowed, so some things must be taken on faith.
Very apropos where relics are concerned, and while we are prone to take the authenticity of most with a grain of salt, a little research showed that at least some, particularly the ones attributed to Muhammad, may be genuine.
Several hundred ancient cisterns lie beneath the city, but The Basilica Cistern is the largest, and the only one we knew how to get inside. Descending into the damp darkness felt pretty darn good on a hot August Mediterranean day and, once our eyes adjusted, we were dumbfounded by the sight.
Row after row of hundreds of columns hold up arches and domes in a stunning work of architecture that was never meant to be seen.
The huge space was built as a water storage facility which was used by the city for around fifteen hundred years. Those zany Romans hid all of this surprisingly ornate work under twenty-one million gallons of water.
For unknown reasons, they also chose to hide oddly-angled sculpted heads of Medusa at the base of two pillars in one of the corners.
Back up in the sunlight we had one last stop, The Hippodrome. The track and stands are long gone, but with a little imagination we could still see the crowds and hear the thundering chariots.
It was originally built by the Greeks, but Constantine knew that a great Roman city needed a great race track.
So the new Emperor expanded the arena to hold 100,000 spectators.
Then he did a little decorating, which we didn’t have to visualize because the monuments survived. He installed an ancient Greek column formed from three intertwined bronze serpents that was taken from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
Later, Theodosius erected an obelisk from Egypt that had already been around nearly two thousand years when he put it up in 390 AD. Now over thirty five hundred years old, this was probably the oldest man made object we’ve ever seen.
With another Ramadan sunset fast approaching, we set out in search of supper. Avoiding the tourist traps, we took a side street and ended up at Antakya, which looked to be serving a mix of natives and travelers alike.
A fresh breeze off The Sea of Marmara had cooled the evening, so we took a sidewalk table and ordered a couple Efes, the local brew.
Luckily the menu had pictures, but when we started pointing at things the waiter had a better idea, bring on the Sultan’s Delight, or Feast, or whatever, for two.
A platter only slightly smaller than our table arrived, piled high with various grilled meats, veggies and breads, on a bed of rice. For a bit of flair, columns of flame adorned each corner. Dangerous, but delictable.
Eating so close to fire was more than enough to remind us of our sleep deprived condition and put us down for the count. It also was most certainly fit for a sultan.
And that’s no Istanbul.
Getting Around
WATCH: Of course David the Train Nut needed to ride something on rails and, lucky for him, there is a funicular that goes up the steep hillside from the waterfront to Taksim Square. Because it runs inside the mountain, it’s the only funicular we’ve ever been on that didn’t scare the tar out of Veronica!
Istanbul’s Old City can be a bit overwhelming but there is always help. Flag down a young person wearing an “ask me” shirt.
This is a fantastic college volunteer program
that we utilized quite a bit. These young folks are knowledgable, friendly, and speak so many languages, we’d be surprised if it were possible to stump them!
The Hagia Sophia could be one of the most impressive structures we’ve ever seen.
Not so much for the building itself, although it is spectacular, but for the fact that this massive cathedral was built… CONTINUE READING >>
The Hagia Sophia could be one of the most impressive structures we’ve ever seen.
Not so much for the building itself, although it is spectacular, but for the fact that this massive cathedral was built in the year 532, and finished in only five years.
The Emperor Justinian wanted to build the largest church in the world, and succeeded… by a long shot. It remained unchallenged for almost one thousand years, until the Renaissance cathedrals of Europe finally caught up. But those all took decades, if not centuries, to construct.
Like many of the churches in Istanbul, it served first as a cathedral, then as a mosque. Now it is a museum commemorating both of those pasts.
Interestingly, unlike many other churches, when Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque the Christian artwork was not destroyed, only covered over.
As restorations took place, several masterpieces were found intact. Now it is one of the few places where Christian and Muslim art are displayed side by side.
The sultans had quite a collection of jaw dropping jewels, among them a gold box filled of emeralds, multiple ruby and diamond handled swords and daggers, and the highlight, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, one of the largest… CONTINUE READING >>
The Gate of Salutation, only the Sultan could enter on horseback.
The Topkapı Palace stands just behind the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and is where, after the fall of the Roman Empire to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, the sultans and their courts lived for four hundred years.
Once conquered, the city’s name was changed once again, and Turkey was ruled from Istanbul.
The Imperial Gate, built in 1498.Built in the 4th century, Hagia Irene (Holy Peace) was the first church built in Istanbul sits in the outer courtyard of the palace.
The Imperial Council
The Imperial Council, or Kabbbeali, where the viziers held meetings.
The Sultan sat behind the Golden Window (right, with the grill) and the ball represents the Earth.The domeThe porch outside The Imperial Council.
When the Ottoman Empire ended after World War I and Turkey became a republic, the capital was moved to Ankara and the palace became a museum of the imperial era.
We were rightly amazed by some of the items on display. The sultans had quite a collection of jaw dropping jewels, among them a gold box filled of emeralds, multiple ruby and diamond handled swords and daggers, and the highlight, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, one of the largest in the world at eighty-six carats.
Across the courtyard there are perhaps even more valuable treasures, a plethora of holy relics from Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
Among them, the oldest known copy of The Koran, several bits of Muhammad’s beard, a cloak and a sword also said to belong to the prophet, a staff that Moses carried, and bones of John The Baptist.
We cannot show these since no photos were allowed, so some things must be taken on faith.
Very apropos where relics are concerned, and while we are prone to take the authenticity of most with a grain of salt, a little research showed that at least some, particularly the ones attributed to Muhammad, may be genuine.
Outside of the palace we spied many windows with wooden lattice. We were told this was so women could look out onto the street and maintain privacy. Another man called it a harem window.
We’re excited to announce we’re hosting round #68 of Travel Photo Roulette!
For each round a new theme is chosen, and independent travel bloggers are asked to submit their photos. Then a winner is chosen to host (and judge) the following round on their website!
Do you have a photo to enter? It’s EASY and you get a shot at hosting this very popular contest on your site!
Don’t have a photo to enter? Check in often to see some amazing photographs – by the world’s best independent travel bloggers – and please, Please, PLEASE help us pick a winner by leaving a comment about your favorite shot!
This one was incredibly hard for us to decide! There were so many weird foods to choose from – but we kept coming back to Sophie’s entry. Trying to imagine these heads on a platter with vegetables – and how or what parts one is supposed to eat simply boggled our minds. Smalahove is a traditional delicacy in Western Norway, especially at Christmas. The lamb’s head is torched, then salted or smoked, and finally steamed and served with potatoes, vegetables, sausages and sometimes peas and bacon. So – it’s really only smoked lamb, only the way it’s served is different. You’re left in no doubt as to what you’re eating.
We’re excited to announce we’re hosting round #68 of Travel Photo Roulette! Thank you so much to Am I Nearly There Yet? for choosing our photo in their excellent theme “Travel Fails!”
Travel Photo Roulette was started by Jeremy at Living the Dream as a way for travel bloggers to showcase their best photography.
For each round a new theme is chosen, and independent travel bloggers are asked to submit their photos. Then a winner is chosen to host (and judge) the following round on their website.
We LOVE food – the weirder the better. To us, weird=good. Everyone who travels has come across some weird regional food – hope you didn’t forget to snap a shot before you chowed it down! You can explore more from The Texas Tasty if you’re a foodie.
How Travel Photo Roulette works
The rules are simple. The hosting blogger is the chosen winner of the previous round. The new host chooses a theme for the next round and bloggers can submit a single entry based on how they interpret the theme. The time frame for submissions is one week. At the end of the week, the host blogger chooses the winner for that round and said winner repeats the process on their own blog. Readers can always try and sway the host via comments during the contest, but the host is free to give as little or as much weight to people’s opinions as they wish.
The rules for Travel Photo Roulette
1) One submission per blog (so sites that have 2+ authors only get one entry).
2) Post processing is fine for this round. Cropping and correction for red-eye or camera flaws are ok. Minor edits are totally fine if you think it improves your image.
3) Abstract submissions welcomed as long as it fits within the interpretation of the chosen phrase. Remember, the hosting blogger chooses the winner, so if they cannot understand the submission, you might not win!
4) Keep phrases general so that all bloggers can participate. Specific items like “Eiffel Tower” should be avoided but rather made open-ended like “monuments.” For variety, it is okay to say focused things such as “monuments at night” in which most of us have pictures of.
6) Abstract thoughts are appreciated, but keep it within the realm that all readers will understand. No “Kafka-esque”, but “Overlooking Creation” is able to be interpreted by all.
7) No obscene pictures or phrases allowed. Suggestive phrases and photography can be accepted, but please keep it within reason.
8) After a sufficient period of time, phrases can be reused, however new photos must be submitted. Keep the ideas and photos fresh!
9) Pictures from your entire portfolio are fair to submit. You do not have to take the photo within the week of the contest period to submit it.
10) Most importantly, ALL PHOTOS MUST BE YOUR OWN.
11) And last but not the least, talk about Photo Roulette! When tweeting about it, don’t forget to use the #PhotoRoulette hashtag.
How to submit
Entering is easy. Just leave a comment below with a link to the image you’d like to submit and a caption or description of the image to help flesh it out. Once you’ve added your comment, we’ll add the image to the submissions. Don’t forget to check back during the week to see the other submissions and join the conversation by leaving comments for others. We’d love to hear what you think.
The contest runs for a week, starting October 19th and ending October 26th (Saturday to Saturday). The winner will be announced within a few days of the end of the contest and the selected blogger will then host round #69.
Please do your best to keep your images to a medium size and be aware that anything larger than 700px wide will be reduced in size to fit our site layout.
Past Photo Roulette winners and hosts
The following is a list of the previously played rounds of the game and the hosting blogger for each. This list also doubles as a winners’ table as each topic host won the preceding round. Click the host’s link to go directly to that entry to see some stunning photographs from the chosen term/phrase.
Hit us with your best shot! We can’t wait to see your submissions. Good luck everyone!
The Entries!
#16 from Lunaguava: I eat shrimp and other bugs of the sea, so I’m usually fine with trying some crunchy terrestrial goodness as well. Case in point, these chapulines (grasshoppers) with chile and garlic we had in Oaxaca, Mexico. They went really well with bits of orange, to cut the spice and add a bit of zest.
#15 from Adelina of Pack Me To: When I first heard about lángos, I was skeptical. Who puts sour cream and cheese together and on top of fried dough? I tried it one late night in Budapest and have never turned back. It’s the ultimate greasy junk food.
#14 from Dave of Travel Transmissions: Everyone knows the Chinese enjoy exotic foods. I wish I could say this market was extraordinary, but it was a fairly normal dig found in the city of Hangzhou. In the midst of the usual fair of various grubs and creepy crawlies on sticks, was a crunchy tarantula. It was hard to justify $10 USD for the tiny bits of meat that came off the furry arachnid when entire meals can be found for $1 or $2, but it was good for the experience!
#13 from Heather of Ferreting Out the Fun: It’s really a shame I can only submit one photo because I saw loads of weird food items during my two years in China. Skewered insects, fried chicken feet, bowls of rotten tofu, the list goes on. But the most memorable has to be the platters of roasted rabbit heads sold on the street in Chengdu. There was something about those curving teeth that sent shivers down my spine!
#12 from Lydian of Shoutography: As big as your thumb, these little worms -locally called ‘suri’- will happily crawl around in a bowl until they will be put on the grill to be prepared for you. As a vegetarian I passed on this ‘exotic’ experience, but I have been told that as soon as you get used to the soft structure of the suri, the taste is actually pretty ok.
#11 from Jade of Our Oyster: Ok so this isn’t as weird as some of the others – but its a Canadian favourite… Poutine! French fries, gravy and cheese curd… nom nom nom
#10 from Jeremy of Living the Dream: My weirdest regional food is Balut from Vietnam and other SE Asia countries. Between you and me, it tastes like chicken.
#9 from Irina of Trips That Work: For me the weirdest food out there is the one that’s cooked with teeth & nails… It was crappy to eat this little guy in Cusco because I actually owned a pet guinea pig before.
#8 from Beyond My Front Door: One of the local beverages from the Balkans, made during a time when Coke / Pepsi could not be obtained in Yugoslavia.
#7 from Sidewalk Safari: Ice Kachang looks like simple shaved ice on the outside but then you dig in you find all sorts of goodness, like corn, kidney beans, and jello cubes. It’s like parents conspired to hide healthy fillings in a child’s favorite treat. It’s definitely a weird medley of flavors and textures!
#6 from Sophie of Sophie’s World: Smalahove is a traditional delicacy in Western Norway, especially at Christmas. The lamb’s head is torched, then salted or smoked, and finally steamed and served with potatoes, vegetables, sausages and sometimes peas and bacon. So – it’s really only smoked lamb, only the way it’s served is different. You’re left in no doubt as to what you’re eating.
#5 from Tom of Travel Past 50: Gee, it’s going to be hard to top bugs, so I’ll just go with baby eels. Delicious baby eels in Spain. And a mother of pearl spork to eat them without tainting their delicate flavor with a metal fork.
#4 from Cacinda of Points and Travel: I found plenty of strange foods in China during my visit, but was particularly afraid of eating these things!
#3 from Suzanne of Boomeresque: When I was in college (waaay back in the day), mystery meat was often on the menu, but the Japanese seem to have discovered how to pickle their vegetables into unrecognizableness. At this market stall in Tokyo, at least 12 types of unidentified pickled vegetables were for sale.
#2 from Zara of Backpack ME: If you thought eating snails (or fancy escargot in France) is too “been there, done that” try getting your mouth around these African Snails that can weigh up to 1Kg!!
#1 from Micki of The Barefoot Nomad: Our all time favorite strange food we found while traveling is this insect buffet we discovered at a street market in Krabi.
YOUR TURN: If you’re not submitting a photo, please, PLEASE, PLEASE help us pick a winner by leaving comments about your favorite shots! – David & Veronica
It started with a bobblehead. From there our obsession grew.
Our most recent trip to Italy included a stop in Rome where we had a day planned to take in the Eternal City’s most treasured sites. And we spent way too much time distracted by the somewhat odd souvenir tributes to the new Pope… CONTINUE READING >>
It started with a bobblehead near The Colosseum. From there our obsession grew.
Our most recent trip to Italy included a stop in Rome where we had a day planned to take in the Eternal City’s most treasured sites. And we spent way too much time, but not too much money thanks to souvenir vouchers and travel coupons, distracted by the somewhat odd souvenir tributes to the new Pope.
Pope thimbles: a little Papa pinky protection!
We may not be art experts… but obviously things have changed since Michelangelo’s day.
The pièce de résistance of swag — for us anyway, as lovers of the cheesy tourist diversion — were the Pope Francis cigarette lighters. With so many to choose from, we ended up purchasing one of every kind that we could find. C’mon Papa light my fire.
We’re asked about our favorite places quite often and The Galápagos Islands are always part of the conversation. There’s nowhere like it on Earth – we frolicked with sea lions, were blown away by Giant Tortoises, swam with iguanas and sea turtles (half the fun is underwater!) and hiked up to a live volcano!
Morning:
Our plane to the islands from Quito. We’ve never heard of Tame before, as it serves mostly routes within Ecuador. But, as we sit here writing this 36,000 feet above the Pacific eating a lovely lunch, we have to say we wholeheartedly approve of every aspect of the flight.
Aerial view of snow-covered Pichincha with a smaller volcano in the foreground as we climb out of Quito.
Afternoon:
Our first glimpse of the Galapagos Islands!
The vessel we will call home for the next week, the M/Y (as in Motor Yacht) Yolita II. David is in the zodiac pictured, I’m in the next one right behind. Our guide, Franklin, met us at the aeroport and had our bags transported, so we bypassed quite a few folks waiting to board other boats. That’s great organization, and we appreciate every extra minute we’ll have to explore these remarkable islands. -Veronica
Quick introductions, instructions and safety procedures are covered during the short cruise to our first destination, Las Bachas Beach on the island of Santa Cruz. The moment our feet hit the sand Franklin begins pointing out animals. Right at the shoreline, a brown pelican perched on an outcrop of lava rock, and a young stingray give us an unofficial welcome. This is going to be the best trip EVER.
A Marine Iguana, a species found only in the Galapagos, sunning himself near the water’s edge.
Sally Lightfoot (grapsus grapsus) crabs crawling across the jet black lava. They are one of the 100 species of crabs on the islands.
Another iguana considers a swim. Their fondness for water and diving ability, an adaptation they developed only here, separates these marine guys from
all of their land-based cousins.
A short walk inland leads us to a salt water lagoon where this Great Blue Heron is keeping an eye out just in case his lunch swims by.
After a spectacular sunset, we receive the first of our nightly briefings from Franklin. A quick recap of the day’s adventure and a look ahead at tomorrow’s.
We review all of our wildlife sightings and a question comes up about some small birds that have been trailing along in our wake, Storm Petrels, that leads to a great story about their name. The little guys fly just above the water and their feet skim the surface so that it looks almost like they are walking. Because St. Peter, (Petra) attempted to follow Jesus out onto the water, these were named in his honor.
Tomorrow we look forward to seeing many more of the water walkers, sea lions, perhaps a fur seal, the world’s only owl that hunts during the day, and the largest concentration of Red-Footed boobies anywhere on earth. By morning we will be anchored in the water-filled caldera of the ancient volcano that forms Genovesa Island, the famous Darwin’s Bay. Imagine Crater Lake, only in the middle of the tropical Pacific.
Galapagos visiting tip #1: Pack a battery powered or wind-up alarm clock. We had a bit of confusion this morning – the time didn’t update on anyone’s cell phones out here, so using the wake-up function was a lost cause. See all of our Galapagos tips here
DAY FOUR: Into the mouth of a volcano
Morning:
We wake up anchored in Darwin’s Bay on Genovesa Island. In reality the whole island is one-big crescent shaped bay formed by the remnants of a large volcanic caldera that just clears the surface of the ocean. The name is derived from Genoa, Italy and is in reference to the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. In fact the official name of the Galapagos is Archipiélago de Colón, in honor of the famous mariner.
In no time we are aboard the Zodiac boats and head ashore to the beach at El Barranco where several sea lions and an unimaginable number of birds greet us.
Rules for Going Ashore:
–
Always be at least six feet away from the animals. Stay alert, it’s surprisingly easy to break this rule as the animals have little fear of humans – if an animal approaches and comes within the six foot barrier, the HUMAN is obligated to step back.
-No touching the animals (which is, of course, impossible if you are obeying the first rule #1).
-Do not bring any type of food onto the islands, only drinking water is permitted.
-Stay on the clearly marked trails.
-No flash photography.
All of these rules are for the protection of this fragile ecosystem. Painstaking efforts are made by everyone involved with our Galapagos experience to avoid contamination of the islands from outside influences. From the airplane being sprayed for bugs right before we landed in order to prevent introducing invasive nonindigineous insect species and insect borne diseases, to our shoes being cleaned everytime we board the yacht to prevent transferring any tiny creatures from one island to another, protective precautions are made by these professional people who obviously truly love these islands.
Male frigates doing their version of the singles bar scene. After all, what girl could resist a bright red inflated gular sac like that?
The title “the bird island” is certainly fitting. Considering the proliferation of the red-footed and Nazca varieties of boobies, booby island was likely the original idea for a nick name… someone must have thought better of that nomenclature. Here are a Red-footed Booby and a Nazca Booby watching over their eggs.
After our birdwatching walk we don our fins, masks and snorkels to hit the water. Road Scholar participants, Roger & Debbie, help each other into wetsuits.
Afternoon:
Our afternoon romp begins with a Zodiac ride along the cliffs where we pull right up beside the rocks for intimate encounters with Red-billed Tropicbirds…
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We arrive at what are known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, a narrow path in a fissure, and climb to the top of the volcanic ridge that forms Genovesa Island.
Galapagos visiting tip #2: Bring comfortable, well worn, rubber soled shoes! They don’t mess around with the terrain here! See all of our Galapagos tips here
A baby boobie. Like a puppy, he needs to grow into those feet!
A female frigate gets a bit frisky! And these two aren’t sporting a throat pouch – go figure!
The highlight of this trek has to be spotting a Short-eared Owl eating a freshly captured Storm Petrel. These rare owls are diurnal, meaning they hunt during the day, and are the only owls known to exist that exhibit this behavior.
Franklin informed us of this owl’s unique hunting method. The owl will watch a hole in the rocks until a petrel comes out, then instead of immediately attacking, will enter the vacated opening and lay wait for his prey, sometimes for hours. When the unsuspecting petrel returns he is ambushed in his own home. The whole thing struck us as somewhat ingenious, if not a bit criminal in nature.
Early Morning:
In our briefing last night we learned about the geologic forces that created this volcanic archipelago, and that as one of the younger islands in the group, Bartolomé will offer us some fine visual examples of volcanic handiwork. Oh yeah, plus we might get to see a penguin.
We awake a stones throw from the equator with the sun rising in the east just as the full moon is setting in the west and feel really, really centered.
Our anchorage this morning is right at the base of Pinnacle Rock, “The Guardian of the Isles,” just off the coast of Bartolomé Island.
Morning:
We set out on the first expedition for the day, a hike to the summit of Bartolomé Island.
Easily observable evidence of recent volcanism surrounds us as Franklin points out lava bombs, flows and cinder cones.
A Lava Lizard, one of the few creatures willing to call this forboding environment home.
From the summit we can see for miles and Franklin points out about a dozen islands in the Galapagos chain.
Our next excursion involves a cooling snorkel journey directly beneath Pinnacle Rock. Just seconds from the shore of Bartolomé Island we spot this Chocolate Chip Sea Star.
Next thing we know, we’re in the middle of a school of Yellow-tailed Surgeonfish, named for the scalpel-like scales along their tails.
A white tipped reef shark scurries out from under a rock and we were in too much awe to snap a photo, but we did capture this Hog Fish.
Galapagos visiting tip #3: Keep a supply of large zip-type sandwich bags with you to keep moisture and sand out of your belongings and camera equipment. See all of our Galapagos tips here
On the way back to the Yolita II we encounter our first penguin. The Galapagos version are the only ones that live in the tropics.
Afternoon:
Our afternoon adventure is a trek across the barren landscape of a very young lava flow on the island of Sanitago. Young meaning in this case about 130 years, which may sound slightly less than young, but geologically speaking is just the blink of an eye.
The molten rock flowing into the sea formed numerous types of mind boggling patterns and designs mostly depending on the speed of the cooling process.
A sea lion plays in a lagoon surrounded by the lava flows.
Pinnacle Rock takes on a gravity-defying angle from Santiago.
Galapagos visiting tip #4: Have a supply of pre-moistened lens cleaning wipes for eye/sun glasses. Works wonders on camera lenses as well. Salt air is sticky! See all of our Galapagos tips here
The tropical sun on the black basalt flow takes a toll on Veronica.
We are happy to report that she survived to tell about another fabulous day.
DAY SIX: The Day of the Giant Tortoise
Early Morning:
We’ve been so busy studying the amazing wildlife and terrain of these enchanting islands that we have neglected to mention the incredible food, service and attention to every detail that Captain Vincente and his crew have provided.
Every meal has been beautifully prepared and presented right down to the snacks and juice that await us every time we return to the ship from an excursion. A giant gracias to the fantastic crew of the Yolita II.
Morning: Our day on the island of Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos, will begin at sea level, rise above the clouds, and then return to the sea.
As we rise in altitude going up the Volcán Sierra Negra the scenery changes from dry, barren, lava flows to wet tropical jungle filled with exotic plants and birds, many we have never seen before.
Signs along the way warn drivers to slow down for the safety of the birds.
In a stroke of huge luck (and the amazing eye of our guide, Franklin) we catch a glimpse of the tiny, extremely elusive Vermillion Flycatcher.
From the bus we hike about two miles up to the rim of the active volcano which is playing hide and seek with the clouds. Often we are actually looking down on the clouds from above.
The floor of the caldera is covered with black, freshly hardened lava from the last eruption, in 2005, and is still hot, warmed by the massive magma chamber just below the surface. Photos can’t capture the enormity of the situation!
Galapagos visiting tip #5: The flights into The Galapagos have a 44-pound weight limit for luggage and cabin space on the boats are tight. It’s best to take less clothing and to plan on hand washing if the need arises.See all of our Galapagos tips here
Afternoon:
On our way back down the mountain we visit the Tortoise Breeding Center of Isabela, home to over three hundred Giant Tortoises. The tour through the facility begins with an egg…
…then we see adolescents, twenty years old or so…
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..then the full grown big fellahs, who can easily top 500 pounds and be over 100 years old.
WATCH: This is a breeding center, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised to see some breeding going on.
From the breeding center we walk along the wetland trail and find a flock of Flamingos in a salt water lagoon.
Marine Iguanas seem to like hanging out on the boardwalk that leads through the wetlands.
The trail ends at the town of Puerto Villamil, a quaint tropical village, and one of the few human-inhabited places on these islands. After miles of hiking we were more than pleased to find this outpost of civilization and proceeded to wash down the trail dust with a chilled cerveza, Pilsner – Ecuador’s most popular brew – at an open air cantina called La Choza. We were pretty happy since they provided not only frosty refreshment, but a pretty jammin’ wifi signal too.
DAY SEVEN: Giant Tortoises & Massive Iguanas in the WILD and Swimming with Turtles
Morning:
We take the dingy into Elizabeth Bay and immediately come upon dozens of Galapagos penguins diving and frolicking beside us while they catch their breakfast. Our second day on Isabela will be filled with close encounters of the rare species kind.
A little closer to shore we pull up to a rock where a few Blue-footed Boobies stake out an observation post.
As we motored deep into the mangroves we could see an unbelievable number of sea turtles swimming just beneath the surface, along with spotted eagle rays and a large school of mullets. Since they were under water it was hard to tell what sort of hair style they were sporting.
Galapagos visiting tip #6: Don’t forget socks – we’re finding we’re going through quite a few pair. The hand washing of socks is happening. See all of our Galapagos tips here
Afternoon:
During our usual tasty midday meal the Yolita II made her way north to Urbina Bay, also on Isabela. Just after lunch a pod of dolphins join us on our journey. They seem to love riding on the surge of water that the ship pushes out in front… surfing the pressure wave.
WATCH: Dolphins frolic in the pressure wave of the Yolita II
See more about what’s going on underwater in The Galapagos!
We make a wet landing, jumping out of the Zodiacs into the surf, on the black sand beach of Urbina Bay and begin our search for the Galapagos Giant Tortoise in the wild. The signs of them are everywhere, their tracks and droppings, and it isn’t long before we find one of these magnificent creatures.
Not much farther along an enormous full grown male blocks our path. Eventually he let us by, perhaps because it seems he took a shine to Veronica.
Most of the animals here in the Galapagos show no fear of humans whatsoever, as we see again just up the trail with this Land Iguana.
Maybe our giant tortoise friend does have a thing for Veronica because a few minutes after we make it back to the beach he comes plodding out of the brush to say goodbye.
Morning:
Our morning activities kick off with a dingy ride around Tagus Cove where we see several penguins perched on the tuff cliffs. Tuff is a sedimentary form of volcanic rock that forms when ash is piled up in layers over the ages and compressed into soft stone.
Because of its softness, tuff easily erodes into interesting and unique formations, like Pinnacle Rock that we saw a few days ago, and these ledges.
Within a few minutes Veronica spots a Flightless Cormorant eating a Tiger Snake Eel. In the blink of an eye (but sadly, not of a camera lens) a pelican swoops down and, after a mighty tug-of-war, steals the cormorant’s prey and takes it to the sky. Talk about wild kingdom!
Then we disembark from the dingy for a hike up a short trail to Darwin’s Lagoon. Along the trail we find not only one of Darwin’s famous finches, but its house too.
When the first pirates and sailors first found this place they celebrated what they thought was the discovery of a big fresh water lake, but were terribly disappointed when it turned out to be salt water, even saltier than the sea. The water seeps in from the sea to fill the lagoon and is then concentrated by evaporation. From our vantage point, the lagoon looks much higher than the nearby ocean, but it’s only an optical illusion. No wonder they were fooled.
Galapagos visiting tip #7: Yikes! The sun is STRONG here. Bring sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and a t-shirt for snorkeling. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the back of your neck! Better yet, cover it up. See all of our Galapagos tips here
Afternoon:
The Yolita II steams a short way to Fernandina Island and we go ashore on the youngest of the Galapagos islands.
Unbelievable numbers of Marine Iguanas on every rock or trail, along the trail, actually on almost every inch of this island. This guy is sporting a youngster on his head!
The Galapagos Islands are the only place in the world to find Marine Iguanas…
…and boy did we find Marine Iguanas!
Fellow Road Scholar participants, Hub and Janet, take in the enormity of the situation!
These prehistoric looking guys are the only iguanas that can swim and dive.
They have adapted to eat seaweed off of the underwater rocks.
Their adaptation also includes the ability to filter the salt out of sea water, so they periodically spit, or more precisely sneeze, out the excess salt.
Evening:
After dinner we head north and cross the equator as we briefly return to the northern hemisphere on our way around the top of Isabela Island. A few hours later we cross it again when we turn to follow the Southern Cross back down to tomorrow’s destination, Santiago Island.
Back on board the Yolita II, a cry of “thar she blows” rings out, but the spouts are too far off in the distance for any photo ops. We choose to see the bright side though and celebrate the fact that we finally found an animal in the Galapagos that didn’t want to stay directly in our path.
DAY NINE: We saw everything on our wishlist – and more!
Morning:
We awake in Buccaneer Cove (Caleta Bucanero), Santiago Island, so named because it once served as a hideout for pirates before and after attacks on the Spanish Galleons hauling gold and silver out of Peru. The island is also known as James Island, in fact, all of the Galapagos Islands have old English names from back when the privateers were working these waters. This one was dubbed James no doubt in anticipation of our impending visit four centuries later.
Before moving on Captain Vincente gives us a spin around the cove, taking the Yolita II to within just a few feet of the sheer rock walls.
Galapagos visiting tip #9: Bring swim shoes! Wet landings are made quite frequently and swim shoes protect your feet and work well for beach romping. See all of our Galapagos tips here
Afternoon: The afternoon starts, after a quick jaunt over to Rábida Island, with our last chance to swim with the fishes. We snorkel up and dive in from the unusually red sand beach. For those who haven’t been keeping score, we’ve seen white, golden, black and red sand beaches in the week that we’ve been here.
We see amazing things – sea stars, surgeonfish, puffers, sargent majors, angel fish, but also a new guy, a Blenny, “sitting” on the rocks atop his little fins.
Then Franklin calls out that he has spotted the last item on David’s list of creatures he hoped to see swimming in the ocean… the Marine Iguana. Even though we saw several thousand of them yesterday, seeing one feeding under water, then swimming back to shore, really completed our Galapagos undersea experience.
Evening:
As the sun goes down we make our way back toward Baltra and the airport, but have enough daylight left for a circumnavigation around Daphne Island. This volcanic cone island holds a high standing in the history of research on The Galapagos. British scientists Peter and Rosemary Grant conducted an intensive study of Darwin’s finches here, and lived on Daphne for over 25 years while compiling the information that led to their famous book The Beak of the Finch.
As we circle, Captain Vincente takes us in close for a look at the cave where the Grants stayed, including their children, during their time on the island.
DAY TEN: One last morning (sigh)
Early Morning:
Our last morning on Yolita II begins early with a sunrise run to tiny Mosquera Islet.
Not much more than a sandbar in the straights between Seymour and Baltra islands, but a great chance to take in one last Galapagos sunrise.
Morning:
Then we are off to the airport and even in this pristine place, one must exit through the gift shop. Yes, we fell under the spell of the swag sellers and made a goofy “I Heart Boobies” tourist purchase for Veronica’s dad. We are fairly certain he will wear it in all its inappropriate glory.
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