After a long time I have managed to get around to editing the video I took on the Galapagos and Sacha Lodge rain forest trip. I only started to edit the video after Rosemary brought back some ballet dancing video she filmed of a friend Ann. I hate to say it, the ballet video proved to be the stimulus to finish the record of the Ecuador 2012 holiday. I have divided the video into two. The Galapagos Islands, and Sacha Lodge. They are both available in full HD.
Went into work for a couple of hours. Actually had to go in as I had left my American power adapter in the office. Back to the hotel in time to go out for what I hoped would be a small lunch.
The walk to the Tilted Kilt is no more than 6 minutes. I reckon I am the only person walking, and I take great joy in bringing the traffic to a halt as I cross the road. In this walk I pass no fewer then 3 dentists, and 1 hair transplant therapist. I don’t believe it’s a centre for dentists, and it’s not an exactly thriving and affluent area of the town. I suppose the demand for straight white teeth must fuel the supply of dentists, or is it the over supply of dentists that create the demand for white linear teeth. Who knows.
Quieter at lunch in the TK, chose what I thought was going to be a small lunch time snack of spicy chicken, turned out to be 4 slabs of chicken. That destroyed any afternoon activities, and I definitely did not want supper tonight.
200 Glastonbury Blvd, Glastonbury CI
Another dry and warm day here in Glastonbury. A picture of the office where I am working. I now know where it is and get there with unfailing ease. There are two similar brick built buildings. A short walk away you can buy sandwiches, coffee and eat Mexican.
Zoup sandwich and soup place in Glastonbury
Today thought I would go for a sandwich, not sure about these American 
sandwiches. Actually rather disappointing, but I felt very proper by eating a veggy sandwich.
Beer Beer Beer
After a long day at work, 6 -7 back to the hotel and out for some beers and food. Went to the Tilted Kilt again. There does not seem that many good places to eat in walking distance of here. Maybe will have to drive and not drink. Today I ate at the bar and consumed some more of these strange brews. They all seem to go with the name IPA, which covers pretty well anything from Ho Garden to a dark black Guinness look alike.
Meal was a delicious salad with slices of rare cooked steak on the top.
Managed to get to work today in a few minutes flat. No stupid routes around Glastonbury. Another hot and dry day, thank goodness for air conditioning, and a company that dresses down, so jeans and t-shirts are in order.
Dinner today in a lively bar called the Tilted Kilt. Sat at the bar drinking what looked like real pints. Drank some Sam Smiths from Boston, and then another pint which was an American Ho Garden beer. They seemed to have several different cloudy beers on tap, obviously trendy.
No pictures today, forgot to take the camera, will have to go back. I am afraid this bar can only employ flat stomached females with large perky busts and artistic tats. At least they had some good themed channel on the TV which was not American football, but extreme sports, which vied for attention.
Food other then liquid, a large burger.
My drive to Wethersfield was a doddle. So armed with my trusty printed out Google turn maps I drove to Glastonbury and the offices where I am to work for the next few days. Suffice to say the time taken for this 3-mile drive would have got me 60% of the way back to Boston. Somewhere I went wrong and drove up and down every road in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Yes, I was forced eventually to ask someone for directions. I blame Google, they made me drive some circuitous route, so I did not have to turn left over traffic lanes. When I got to where I was driving there were no such restrictions, even had traffic lights and signs telling me to turn left.
So, I am in these big offices with no one there. They all work from home. First job was coffee. Do you know, they actually have Starbucks in America. Would you believe it? Back to work, and then lunch. Chipotle a fast-food Mexican. Not too bad, I knew of the chain from the podcast program TWIG (This week in Google).
Back to the hotel, shower to remove all the leaky biro that somehow has destroyed my pants (ok, trousers, but I am in America), stained my new, white Samsung Galaxy 3 S (you should have heard Rosemary laugh when I showed her the phone on FaceTime), and marked my legs with a blue smear.
Out to supper at the Ginza, a 3-minute walk. Pissed off all the drivers as I turned the lights red on the multi lane highway. Ginza is a Japanese Sashimi and Sushi place. Yes, I am looking forward to the results of the raw fish in a couple of days’ time. Quite expensive, well over budget, so tomorrow it’s going to be the Red Lobster. It was the cute Chinese girl who on commission got me to have the special starter. I was not going to have a starter, and no way one that cost as much as the main meal. It though was the best part of the meal. Crab on raw tuna. The Sushi main course was a bit ordinary.
On the way back popped into a liquor store. My God, the number of bottles. I have never ever seen anything quite so large and well stocked with such a huge variety of drinks. I came out with a bottle of Makers Mark which I am quietly shipping while writing this blog entry.
You have this firm conviction you will never visit a country again. Suddenly you make two trips on the same airline in the same year.
The first time, you think, why bother to sign up for frequent flyer, you are hardly ever to fly with the same company again. Then a few months later you have another trip, and again think you will never fly with them again. Looks like I may be making a third trip this year. Better sign up to frequent flyer, that will guarantee never coming to the USA again. Well at least until the points expire.
So I flew to the USA, staying in Wethersfield Connecticut. Flew in to Boston on Tuesday, 30 years and 5 months since my last visit. Picked up a hire car and drove 2 hours to my hotel in Wethersfield. Hoped it would be an all daylight drive, again 30 years since I last drove in the US, but alas heavy rain in old blighty had delayed my flight by 2 hours. Come on Dave, stop chillaxing and axe a few houses and build 2 more runways at Heathrow. You cannot seriously run an airport at 99% capacity.
Well I arrived at the Comfort hotel. Well with a name like that, you know you won’t be getting the best service. Things looked up, at check in I was asked if I had a reservation, “Yes” I said. “Welcome Steve”, came the reply. “I’m famous” I said. “No” she said, “just the last to check in”.
Well the room is big, the bed is big, its free wifi, what more can a man want?
Breakfast you might say. Well breakfast was available, toast, bagels, cold hard boiled eggs, de-caffeinated coffee, all served on expanded polystyrene plates. Yes, not the best hotel, and I believe the guys I am working with are somewhat surprised at where I am staying.
Holidays seem to be hard work, up at 5.30 to spot some birds in the highlands of Quito. We travelled by bus to a national park with a fantastic view of the highest active volcano. On the way and on the way back we managed to spot condors flying. Once we managed seven at the same time. In all there are 100 Condors in Ecuador, so we must have seen 10% of them.
We saw all hinds of other birds including the giant humming bird. Back to the hotel and beers and dinner in the restaurant.
Rosemary went to a traditional craft market, where she bought some water bottle holders and scarves.
Up early at 5.00 and a quick pack and wash, then out on to the Pangas for a quick sortie through the Mangrove swamp. Saw small black tipped shark, Pelicans, a couple of turtles, a couple of species of Herons, on the way back we witnessed a feeding frenzy of Blue footed Boobys. Over 100 diving into the water to catch fish only yards from the Pangas, even on 100 mm I was hard pressed to capture the scene. It was an amazing spectical.
Back on board for breakfast and then we disembarked at 8.30, caught the bus fro the short. Trip to the airport. Checked in and away at 11.30 for the direct 2 hour trip to Quito.
Back at Quito we went has a group evening meal at La Choza. This was an Ecuadorian restaurant. Looked great, but the service was odd, main courses arriving before starters, and the food was in the main not so good. Much of it tasting similar with no strong flavours. I don’t think I will go out of the was to eat the same food again. To bed early as up at 5.00 for more bird watching in the Andes mountains.
During the night we crossed the equator on our way to Tower Island in the Galapgos. We arrived in the early hours of the morning. I heard the anchor being dropped. Tower island is the top of a volcano, with one side collapsed so boats can enter. It is deep at 250 meters, and the sides are shear. It does not rise far above ground. The boats anchor near the beach where the water is shallower. We were up at 6.00 for our walk. The Panga took us to the far tip of the flooded volcano, where we climbed some steps. Amazing view of the sea birds sitting around. Alas unable to take any pictures, usual problem of the camera lens being steamed up. As we moved off, the lens cleared and I was able to take a few pictures of Red Footed Boobies. Rosemary spotted a Short Eared Owl in a crevasse, was able to get some reasonable pictures of it.
Stormy Petrels were flying up and down the coast. I could see thousands upon thousands. It is estimated a million live here. We did not get close to these birds.
Male Frigate-birds were displaying their red pouches looking for females. Several even flew with their inflated pouches, a risky business in windy conditions, often resulting in aviation disasters. Lots of single chicks were being reared by their parents.
Our last finch was spotted. Rather elusive, so some rather poor photo shots of the Sharp Beaked Ground Finch.
Back on board, we changed quickly for swimming. Pangas taken out to the steps which we had earlier climbed. We swam along the cliffs, I kept in close because there seemed to be little to see in the depths. On the cliff walls there were some lovely sea anonemes and urchins. Some white tipped sharks were spotted. No sea lions, but fur seals instead.
Back at the boat for lunch, and a snooze.
After noon was meant to be a trip on to shore and or some swimming. Instead we elected for a quick swim off the sailing boat and then to motor back to the airport island. A Sea Lion appeared for the swim, though it studiously kept clear of me. Other tourists were rather more lucky. Early on in the trip, before the sun set, we were able to watch a school of Dolphins swim by. There could have been at least 50 and there were jumping. We followed them for quite a long time, even heading back from where we had come from.
We were on the deck for the sen set, have some pictures of the sun going down over the sea. Not a particularly spectacular set, but clear so you could see the green flash as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Lorraine reckons she has the flash on her pictures. The Southern Cross, Orion’s belt and the Plough were in view.
After sunset we crossed the equator and had a celebratory cocktail with the crew, and stood in the captains bridge and photographed the GPS as it made zero.
Supper bell rang and we had our final good meal, well expect for tomorrows breakfast.
Long trip to Santa Cruz Island overnight, but today was the first time I did not hear the anchor being dropped. Early start, breakfast at 6.00 and then out for our walk. This was an undulating path past some small lakes and then rising slightly to a low ridge which gave a good view of the sea, islands and our boat. There was a lot of vegetation, trees, scrub, bushes. I dropped back from the group, and the silence was wonderful. No sound of people, no sea shore sound, just the squawks of the birds. I have several videos of the area, taken for the bird song.
On the sea shore we spotted a Wimbrel and a Heron. When I was back at the shore there was also a Lava Heron. Walking inland to the lake there were a couple of Flamingos and Stilts. Some pintail ducks also, but I don’t believe I have any pictures of them. Flocks of finches, and insect eaters were to be seen.
Carefully navigating the path, in fear of stepping on land Iguanas we photographed our way through numerous spiders.
Making my way back to the boat I came across a lost Loraine, and then some dragon flies which we stopped to photograph.
On the boat the sails were set, more for show as there was no wind. We proceeded to motor towards Santiago Island, stopping for a short break by a school of Dolphins. There were about 40 of them, and they didn’t really want to play, despite a delegation of humans being sent out on a Panga to parley with them. They did though give me a brief display in the bow wave of the Chacalote.
At around 12 we made anchor in Sullivan Bay on the East of Santiago Island. Hopefully we will meet with the Galapagos Penguins as they make their way home to roost. At lunch we can now only view the very lunar landscape of lava flows and the cones of dormant volcanoes. There is very little vegetation to be seen on this relatively young island.
After lunch we went for a swim, intention was to see some Galapagos Penguins which we did. Chased after them when I saw them, and eventually a group were spotted on the shore, watched these only from a couple of yards away. These two eventually dived in and swam towards me. I could have touched them as they swam past me.
After swimming we went for a walk on the Lava flow. This was really interesting with the glass like solid lava, with the swirls and eddy ripples as it froze. The walk was cut short as the birders became bored with the geology and we made our way back to the Pangas for more Penguin spotting. On the way back 0ne of our party fell and badly cut himself on the Lava. Amazingly, the other yacht in the bay, had a doctor on board who soon stitched him up & bound his broken finger. Better treatment than at home, we all said. Darwin had visited this island and had walked to the summit. It had been teeming with Iguana, but now there are no Iguana, all wiped out by the Volcanic eruptions in the late 1800s.
The Panga trip was well worth it, we viewed an area where the lava had surrounded old volcanic craters, then we saw the penguins on the lava flows. Able to get some pictures of them in the dying light.
Supper was more yummy fish, beers and wine. At last I saw the Southern Cross in the skies, along with a magnificent milky way.