That’s Spanish for “there is no light (i.e. electricity)” . That was one of the first new phrases I picked up upon my return to mainland Ecuador. Currently in all of Ecuador there is a power shortage, apparently due to a lack of rain and resultant low river flows.

Gas Powered Internet:
So, here I sit in a wi-fi enabled internet cafe that has a 5.5 horsepower gas generator to provide electricity when the lights go out. Internet connectivity is pretty spotty and there aren’t any hotels in town that offer in-room wi-fi.

The Galapagos deserve a series of write-ups, but the challenges I must overcome to even manage to post a short update like this are too great to be able to do The Galapagos any justice. I did manage to post some pictures from my trip to The Galapagos. Have a look!

What I’ve been up to
I’m still in Montanita. I’ve been taking Spanish classes for four hours per day and spending most of the rest of my time drinking “cervezas grandes”. Beer is incredibly cheap here and shrimp (even coconut shrimp) is plentiful (though not cheap – WTF??)

What am I going to do next?
I’m not really sure. Today, I signed up for another week of Spanish classes and accommodation here in Montanita. After that, my thoughts are to work my way south and east to Iguazu Falls in Argentina and then back to the West Coast for a visit to Easter Island before heading back to the States to take my physical for my next Antarctic Deployment.

Don’t expect many updates until I leave Ecuador and find some place with a little better connectivity.

Hi there everyone. I’ve had a hectic several days. The Galapagos were absolutely spectacular. I ended up on an 8 day cruise touring several of the islands in the archipelago. Highlights include snorkeling with sea lions, penguins and sharks.

I just arrived in Montanita, Ecuador. It’s a little surf village just north of Guayaquil. A bit funky, perhaps I’ll stay around here for a while, perhaps not.

Once I find a place with wi-fi, I’ll get some photos posted and as soon as I find some time, I’ll work on putting a video together of The Galapagos.

Hasta lluego.

If viewing in a RSS feed, please visit vagabumming to view the photo gallery.

click any image to embiggen.

[mappress]
My travels have taken me to Guayaquil, Ecuador. There are two cities from which one can fly to The Galapagos Islands: Guayaquil and Quito. I chose Guayaquil simply because it’s less expensive to fly from here than from Quito.

First Impressions
The exit from the airport was devoid of the usual scene of general chaos and aggressive taxi touts and instead, despite my disheveled appearance and “swamp thing” aroma, I encountered very friendly people. What a pleasant departure from the norm! The airport itself is very clean and modern. As I have come to expect, my taxi driver from the airport was quite the character. When he asked where I was from and I responded “Wyoming” his point of reference was “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and Devil’s Tower. Later he made reference to “The Shawshank Redemption” in response to our conversation about the upcoming Dia de Los Muertos. Turns out the guy is a huge movie buff. Since I was willing to fly out to The Galapagos ASAP I hadn’t booked any place to stay (good thing since I arrived a day later than planned). I only had written down addresses for a couple of places. I went to the first one and it was fully booked for the night so I had them call another place for me and arranged a night’s stay downtown.

So, that’s it…I’m in Guayaquil until Tuesday. I haven’t got any plans but I think I’d like to get out and about today and shop around for Galapagos Cruises, but I’m fairly certain I’m going to wait until I get to the islands to make any bookings as I understand that prices there are lower than what I can book for here, though with the combination of my own research and advice from friends, I think I have settled on where I want to go and have a list of boats that go there and a price in mind so if I see anything that looks like a good bargain I’ll grab it.

I have lots more on my mind, so stay tuned for a “Will’s eye view” of Guayaquil.

Want to attract a lot of attention from Peruvian customs? Carry a big-ass expensive camera and have the misfortune of getting the “red light” when passing through customs. As I understood things, they just wanted some guarantee (I think monetary) that I wouldn’t sell the camera while in the country Y’know they want their piece of the action. I was SUPPOSED to be leaving very shortly after arriving, but unfortunately it was two separate flights as opposed to a connection so I had to go through the customs shuffle. I knew the connection was going to be tight and I did everything in my power to make it, but alas, the shakedown by customs delayed me by just enough to miss my flight. This particular route only goes once per day so I’m stuck. Lima is at least twice as smoggy as Santiago and for some reason I’m just not interested in doing much here, so, another night in an airport I suppose.

The LAN (South American Airline) customer service was exceptionally cordial, and even though it was by no means their fault that I missed my flight, they have upgraded me to business class and given me complimentary access to the VIP lounge (only 4 hours) all with no fees to change my ticket. Hear that U.S. based air carriers, it is possible to not treat your customers well and it makes them happy and they may be tempted to say nice things about you.

Anyone giving out travel awards for being the most likely to be shaken down by customs? I’m certain I’d win, as this has become the expectation rather than the exception.