Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Last Hoorah




We decide to guild the lily after the Galapagos and catch a flight from Quito to Cuenca. We stay at the Hotel Santa Lucia housed in a wonderfully restored mansion that dates to 1859. Cuenca is Ecuador’s third largest city, but it feels much more like a old-world town—with cobblestone streets and a rich collection of colonial-era churches, plazas and buildings.


Parque Calderon is the historical heart of Cuenca and the center of the action. We visit both the Catedral Nueva and Catedral Vieja (above), the oldest structure in the city which begun in 1557 and utilized stones taken from the nearby Inca ruins of Pumapungo. Because cities can’t have two cathedrals, once the Catedral Nueva opened in 1967, the old one went out of business, at least as a house of worship. It now houses a modest museum of religious art.


One of the daily local markets.



The blue-domed roof and white walls of the towers of the Nueva Catedral echo the colours of the sky.







You may be surprised to know that Panama hats have always been made in Ecuador. For generations, the people on the coast have been using the local straw to create finely woven hats. The trade was moved inland, and Cuenca is now the major hub for the production of Panama hats. We tour the factory and store of Ortega & Hijos, who make the highest quality Panama hats in the world; patrons include the Queen of England. The finest can cost as much as $1500.




They even make wedding dresses woven from straw!


Tim looks like a wealthy and very handsome sugar cane plantation baron.



We take a tour to Ingapirca and stop to have a look at this old church built into the rock on the hill of one of the neighbouring towns.


The view from the church balcony.


Ingapirca is the largest pre-Columbian architectural complex in Ecuador. The Incas arrived here around 1470. Before then, Cañari people had inhabited the area. It's believed that both the Cañari and Incas used Ingapirca as a religious site. When the Incas conquered the area, they ordered all the Cañari men to move to Cuzco. In the meantime, Inca men took up residence with Cañari women, as a means of imposing Inca beliefs on the local culture. In the end, Ingapirca shows a mix of Cañari and Inca influences. For example, many of the structures here are round or oval-shaped, which is very atypical of the Incas. In fact, Ingapirca is home to the only oval-shaped sacred palace in the world.





Llamas like their bottoms scratched.


The highlight of the site is El Adoratorio/Castillo, an elliptical structure which is believed to be a temple to the sun. Nearby are the Aposentos, rooms made with tight stonework, thought to have been used by the high priests.


Saturday, November 26, 2011

The Galapagos Islands, Day 8


Today our cruise comes to an end in San Cristobal where we started, but before we bid farewell to The Grace and our shipmates we visit Galapagos National Park Visitor Centre that presents a comprehensive exhibit of the Islands’ natural history, human interaction, ecosystems, flora and fauna. Then it’s on to the airport for the flight back to Guayaquil on the Ecuadorian mainland.

Friday, November 25, 2011

The Galapagos Islands, Day 7


Española (or Hood) Island is the southernmost island of the archipelago, and is one of the most popular due to the breathtaking variation and number of fauna that inhabit the island. In the morning we visit Punta Suarez with the largest variety of marine iguanas in the Galapagos, Masked Boobies and Blue-Footed Boobies nesting along the cliff’s edge, as well as the famous Waved Albatross.


During the mating season male Marine Iguanas take on bright red and green colours and are referred to as “Christmas Iguanas”.


Mama and baby sea lion cuddle.












The ever-curious Mockingbird is ever-present.























A Galapagos Hawk rests on one foot.

















Nazca Boobies on a date.


And voila!, the next generation is on its way.






An Oyster Catcher guards her two brown-speckled eggs.
























Many thanks to our friendly shipmate, Tim Mulcair, the only one with an underwater camera on our snorkeling trips, who kindly shared his great photos with us.


A baby Albatross rests on his haunches.





When foraging for food for it’s chicks the Waved Albatross finds points in the ocean where prey will be more surfaced. This can be 10 to 100 km away from the place where the chicks are nesting.






































Our guide points out this unusual Green-Footed Booby.




A pretty Tropic Bird flies over the rocks.

















A mother Albatross regurgitates her food to feed her baby.








In the afternoon we visit Gardner Bay, a magnificent long, white sandy beach, where colonies of sea lions laze in the sun, sea turtles swim offshore, and inquisitive mockingbirds boldly investigate new arrivals.








A sea lion, oblivious of our photo shoot, moseys along directly in front of our camera.






It’s Tim’s turn.





Our last night on The Grace and in the incredible Galapagos Islands. What a world!



He’s not really driving the yacht but a guy likes to dream.