Final Thoughts

As a pollster, my job is to ask interesting questions that yield interesting replies.  So, I sent five questions to a number of people on the trip (I only had emails for eight people, and I’m hoping some passed it along to their spouse).  Not everyone answered yet, but I will add replies as they are updated.  It's good to hear what others thought of the trip.

(Sorry about the uneven nature of the formatting, cutting and pasting from different emails isn't as clean and simple as you might think!). 

Here’s the five questions: 

1. What ONE word would you use to describe Machu Picchu, and why                        that word?

  2. What ONE word would you use to describe the Galapagos, and why

                that word? 

3. What was your favorite place that wasn’t Machu Picchu or the                                 Galapagos, and what are some of the reasons it was your favorite? 

        4. What was your favorite animal (land or marine), and why is that one your                 favorite?

5. What was the most interesting cultural part of Peru or Ecuador to you,                     and what about that stood out to you?

Machu Picchu

“Exhilarating.”  Because I never experienced anything like it in all our travels. (Charles)

“Satisfying.”  Machu Picchu was a place I have wanted to explore since I was 13 years old and finally got there.  It was everything I imagined it would be.  Full of wonder, beauty snd mystery. (Carol)

“Awe-inspiring.”  How the Incas knew how to build and then construct their buildings to withstand weather and constant movement of the earth (Sharilynn)

“Enigma.” As impressive as it is, I still have so many questions. (Mary)

“Why?”  Why was it built and what was it used for? Unanswered questions, at least by our guide! (Neil)

“Curious.”  Why would the Inca’s built such a significant community in such a remote place?  God Worship had such a significance to the Incas that it must have part of what the site was used for.  But with so many homes there, that can’t be the only purpose.  Subsistence farming and tending to the Temples is all I can come up with.  (Bruce)

“Breath-taking.” (Nancy)

“Mystical.”  The Peruvian history was unfortunately written by the Spanish conquerors and therefore we do not have a lot of history from the indigenous people.  Certainly this disparity is seen more in Machu Picchu where to this date we don’t know what it was created.  This mystery will continue to remain for the future since it is very difficult to find any written artifacts from the Inca.  (Sanjiv)

Galapagos

“Awe.” The diversity, beauty and life found on the different islands was awe-inspiring. (Carol)

“Adaption.” We obviously see nature’s adaption to the environment, and it is very apparent in Galapagos, where we see how nature, the “wildlife” have adapted to the various environments.  We see land, marine, and aerial wildlife camouflage to adapt for survival.  We see things like cactus growing in an environment that is hostile and could not be imagined for any growth to occur.  It is easy to envision why Darwin fell in love and stayed in Galapagos for such a long time.  (Sanji

“Prehistoric.” I felt that every time we stepped on another island, despite how different each one was. (Mary)

“Evolution.”  This archipelago is relatively untouched by man and how the species there developed provided to me a clearer picture of evolution.  I can see now why Darwin thought what he did about that concept. (Bruce)

“Untouched.”  Alternate universe (Nancy)

“Awe-inspiring.” The natural unspoiled beauty and diversity from island to island. (Neil)

“Unique.”  Interesting from beginning to end.  From the wildlife that exists in the terrain that prevails the entire area from island to island.  In addition, the camaraderie on the ship couldn’t be better, met great people to become better friends.” (Charles)

“Untouched.”  Galapagos is a world of its own (Sharilynn)

Favorite Other Place

Cusco. The people were so friendly and proud of their city. Great shopping too : ) (Nancy)

The three hotels that Nat Geo had us in. Top quality, spectacular places, even if for just one night! Other than that, Lima!  Friendly people, beautiful and clean city.  (Neil)

Hotel del Parque in Guayaquil.  Beautiful hotel, great food.  Area around the hotel very exotic. (Sharilynn)

“Lima, after an exasperating trip from the mainland due to complications at the airport, we arrived two days later than intended.  However our Lima City tour arranged by the concierge at the hotel, including Lima, Miraflores,, Barranco, Isadora was outstanding, with great service from our tour guide David Johnson and Freddy our driver.”  (Charles)

Tambo Del Inka.  This was a very busy tour.  We were given a limited opportunity due to unforeseen circumstances to relax in a beautiful resort situated in the middle of the Sacred Valley of the Inca, giving us a reprieve of the busy days that we had.  In addition to the magnificent room amenities, I also found some interesting life including hummingbirds, hawks, and others.  (Sanjiv)

Cusco-the intersection/clash between the Inca culture and Christianity (or maybe more specifically Catholicism is well preserved in the churches and statutes.  It was thought provoking. (Bruce)

Quito.  The Colonial architecture, the Dancing Virgin, the cool hotel made are final city on the trip extra special (Carol)

Lima. I always love exploring new cities and Lima was both easy and fun. (Mary)

Favorite Animal

Sea turtles.  Fascinating to watch them swim and then come up for air.  (Sharilynn)

Sea lion because they let us get so close and for a large mammal, they were friendly. (Mary)

Galapagos Penguin.  Penguins at the Equator, need I say more. (Bruce)

Iguanas.  I learned Iguanas are not dangerous or aggressive to humans are are unique to the area.  (Charles)

The penguins in the Galapagos. They move so quickly in the water, unfazed by humans and unique to the area.  (Neil)

So hard to choose. I would have to go with.... the sea lions. They were so personable and fun to watch. After getting home, I realized how photogenic they are. (Nancy)

Penguins!  What more is there to say. (Carol)

The one unique bird I found was the Magnificent Frigatebird with the male having the red gular pouch.  The male inflates its distinctive red gular pouch during breeding season to attract female.  It is nice to see aside from the peacocks that it is not the female that is looking for the prime mate. (Sanjiv)

Cultural Part

Peru:  The people! Everyone was extraordinarily friendly and helpful and proud of it! I felt extremely safe while in Peru and I enjoyed their pride in their country.

Ecuador:  Such a primitive way of life. After spending some time in mainland Ecuador, we learned that there is no mail service (it went bankrupt), there are very few paved roads, such significant poverty and a high influx of drugs passing through the country. Guayaquil is a major port and why it is so dangerous. Basically no infrastructure in the country. The people we met were very family oriented and hard working. (Nancy)

The labor unrest in Peru, resulting in a transportation strike and deaths in that country, along with protests in Quito resulting on our guide being harassed by an upset local.  (Neil)

Escaping Peru during a national State of Emergency .  Seems a very South American thing to do. (Carol)

Both Peru and Ecuador/Galapagos are very interesting in their own ways.  Galapagos is a place where humans have had very little influence and one can easily see what nature can do when left untouched.  This is the main attraction for Galapagos and to see how nature works and the resilience gives us hope of adaptability. 

The Peruvians also proved they are very resilient.  Despite the indigenous Peruvian civilization coming through hardships of diseases and war brought on by the Spanish, they were able to survive through ingenuity.  They were able to construct walls and edifices using interlocking stones weighing 25 to 200 tons without any grouting material or machines.  The interlocking of the stones are so tight and precise that not even a piece of paper can slide between them.  (Sanjiv)

Cultural-our guide Alvin-his views on the strengths and contributions of the Inca and pre-Inca civilizations were “interesting” if not a bit grandiose and woke. Makes me curious to understand the provable historical facts that played into his views. (Bruce)

Not withstanding the difficulties we experienced in transit from Machu Picchu to Cusco, I was overwhelmed with the Town Square and the delightful meal and time with spent at Hanz Eatery with Ray, our waiter. (Charles)

Our personal guide in Lima, David.  He was very informative and explained in great detail the Peruvian culture, both past and present. (Sharilynn)

The food. (Mary) 

Some photos by Sanjiv

Sanjiv Bansal took my request for answers to my questions (final blog post) very seriously.  He included photos to illustrate his points.  That blew my mind, because no one has ever done it before.  I didn't want to lengthen the last post -- it's already long.  However, some of the photos are so compelling that I had to include them in a separate post.  

Enjoy:

All the birds and I didn't see one egg. 

Sanjiv nailed it with this photo!

One more picture of Machu Picchu:

definitely NOT one too many.

I posted any number of photos

of Magnificent Frigate birds,

but Sanjiv's photo did a great

job of capturing the green 

feathers.  I'm green with envy!

This is a very cool shot up

Prince Phillip's steps. I'm

above in red with goofy hiking

hat.  Nancy is below me, then

Mary, and finally Meena.

Sanjiv deserves huge props

for telling us to turn around

so he could get this shot.

I love, love, love this shot of Sanjiv

and Meena at Ollantaytambo.

(And I don't even have to look

up the spelling of it!)

Hawk in Peru at Inka 

del Tambo in Urubamba.

Remember how I noted I'm not good at 

taking pictures of birds in flight.  Well,

not only is Sanjiv a better orthopedic

surgeon than I am, he's better at

taking pictures of hummingbirds!

By the way, I know I've mentioned this in passing, but Carol and I look forward to many years of friendship with Sanjiv and Meena, and with Charles and Sharilynn.  Great people, and their already warm friendship that we developed on this trip is a significant bonus.

The Tourist Trap At the Middle of the World

So it was a tourist trap, and yet it was, in its own way, cool.  America has plenty of tourist traps -- biggest ball of yarn, Wild West City in Stanhope, NJ (they were a client of my dad's advertising firm, so we got to go frequently as young kids -- very cool).

It's the Itinan Solar Museum, and I will let roadunraveled.com comment on the place:

"The Intiñan Solar Museum is part guided tour, part museum, and part    carnival, and it’s a fun way to spend an hour or so. We joined a group with a local guide who provided an interesting introduction to Ecuadorian history and culture."

After being taken to some displays, we went down to the real star of the show -- the Equator, and the line.  According to a sign, GPS shows it is the equator, I suppose they were definitive about this because of another line in that same blog:

"The real fun started when we were first deposited on the red line that marks the “true” equator, although my GPS never quite showed that: I consistently saw 0° 0′ 6” latitude and, once, 0° 0′ 4” latitude, neither of which would indicate I was precisely standing on the equator."

I choose to believe it was the Equator, and even if it's off by a little, at some points during our wandering around "the museum" it's clear we stepped on and around the equator.

The entrance.

The Chipmunks toeing the line.  One foot

is in the Northern Hemisphere and

the other is in the Southern.

Mary and Neil.

Bruce and Nancy.

PDA Alert!  Daughters,

look away quickly!

Back to the roadunraveled.com blog for a succinct description of the Stupid Human Tricks they had as do -- better that I cut and paste rather than essentially type the whole thing again.

"The majority of the Intiñan Solar Museum tour consists of feats the staff claim cannot be duplicated unless you are right on the equator. We started with a demonstration about balance: everyone was encouraged to stand on the red line, close their eyes, and try to walk in a straight line along the equator. While most people struggled, there were a few people who could walk the line easily. Was it because the equator genuinely makes it hard to walk in a straight line, or was it because most people have a hard time walking with their eyes closed? It’s hard to tell without observing the same people attempt the same action away from the equator, but it was entertaining to watch people veer off-course as they lost their balance.

"We were then escorted further along the equator where a golden basin filled with water stood on the red line. To demonstrate the Coriolis effect, our guide pulled the drain stopper from the basin and we watched as all of the water rushed out—without draining clockwise or counterclockwise. Our guide then moved the basin to the northern hemisphere just a few feet away, filled it with water, and removed the stopper. The water drained out, but this time it moved in a decidedly clockwise rotation. To complete the demonstration, the basin was moved to the southern hemisphere, where the water drained in a clear counterclockwise rotation.

The last experiment was a favorite for most people: balancing an egg on a nail. Our guide told us it’s only possible to achieve such a feat on the equator, where the yolk would be perfectly centered inside the shell. While this makes sense, it doesn’t mean a yolk can’t be perfectly centered anywhere else on the earth. In theory, you can balance an egg on a nail anywhere.  

Personally, I skipped the human tricks -- thanks to my ankle, I have balance problems even with my eyes open, so I took a seat in the shade and enjoyed the show.

It turns out there are two other spots near Quito to celebrate being at the Equator (when the ship crossed it both times in the Galapagos everyone was fast asleep, so the captain did not come on the microphone to wake us up.)  Those places are less touristy, but the equator is the equator, so even the tourist trappy place was good.

After we finished all that, we got back to the hotel around 3pm, and went up to the Terrace for lunch.  It didn't make sense to go out for lunch -- by the time we got back it would be nearly dinner.  And, de Plaza de San Francisco is up on a hill, so eating at the Terrace provided us with great views.

We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at the hotel, had our COVID return test at 5:45 in the lobby, and promptly went to the hotel bar in a successful attempt to rid ourselves of the "swab up the nose" feeling.  We had dinner at the hotel again. . .we would have been more adventurous and ventured out, but Neil and Mary had a 3 am pick-up for their flight, while Bruce and Nancy had a 5:30 am pick-up for their separate birding adventure in the cloud forest.

The only thing left was for us to return home, and we did.

No Quit in Quito

When we were been driven from the airport to the hotel in Quito, Rodney gave us a stern talking to about how to walk around Quito.  No wallets or purses, no passports.  No backpacks.  We were to bring some money and a credit card, tucked unobtrusively into a pocket.  We received none of that kind of warning in Lima or Cusco.  I wonder why Quito is different.

So Rodney and our driver (name escapes me) picked us up at the hotel, and we headed for the Virgin Mary statue on a hill high above most of Cusco (the city is quite spread out).  Also known as the Dancing Virgin (you'll see it in one of my photos), at 135 feet it is higher than the far more famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

(Christ the Redeemer statue is easily "far more famous" because I had never even heard of the Quito Virgin Mary.)

It's also the biggest aluminum statue in the world, which has got to be worth something when ranking statues while sitting at a bar drinking beer with friends.

Virgin Mary

Virgin Mary, Glen, Carol.  The

Virgin Mary statue is the one

that's above us, in case

anyone is unclear.

Quito in the haze from the statue.

They say this looks like she's

dancing, but given the way

she is clutching her stomach

I think it is indigestion.

But I've been wrong before.

Another view from the hill.

When we first ascended up the roads and got out at the Virgin Mary, two tourist policewomen went up to Rodney and started talking with him at length.  We all thought we were being told to put our masks on (even though Ecuador doesn't have the insane outdoor masking rule that Peru has).  

As it turns out, the policewomen were warning us about the latest thievery scam.  Crooks throw something on your back shoulder, offer to help clean off the bird poop, and reach into your pocket while you are distracted.  That was good to know.

No one tried it on us, probably because they've heard about the Dynamic Duo's heroic rescue of my pickpocketed iPhone in Barcelona, when Carol and I teamed up as crime fighters to get my phone back.   

Then we descended into the old main part of Quito, where we walked around, admiring the colonial structures, the squares, the churches, and enjoying the downtown, except for when the crazy lady started berating poor Rodney. 

All of the dogs we saw looked well

fed and had very calm dispositions.

Are they strays, or do they just roam

around during the day and return

home at night?  Not sure.

Statue at the center of Plaza Grande.

Condor, national symbol of Ecuador.

Lion, national symbol of Spain.

The President's Palace.

One of the seven crosses on 

the Street of Seven Crosses. 

It's called that because there 

are seven crosses spread out along

the street.  (Editor's Note: Wow,

you never hesitate to point

out the obvious.  Blogger:

Obviously.)

This barbershop is located

in the basement of the

President's Palace.  Anyone

can get their haircut here,

as long as they don't blow

up the palace.

The crosses are decorated

because it was Semana Santa

(Holy Week).

The top of the Golden Church.

Part of the doorway.  No photos allowed

inside the church.  The Golden Church

is quite remarkable inside, but you'll

have to take my word for it.

Photo of the door, allowed.

Photos inside the church, not allowed.

Turtles, fish, and other sea

creatures on the door.

The church at Plaza de San Francisco,

right across from our hotel.

I had some questions for these guys, but

I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

The lower half of the photo shows our 

hotel's terrace, where a few hours later we

had lunch.  High on the hill behind

it is the Virgin Mary statue.

Mary calls this a creepy photo.

I'm not sure if she's referring

to the penitent in purple

or the American in red.

Or both?

Very peaceful cloisters at the

Iglesias de San Francisco.

Absolutely beautiful.

Winged cherub.  Also a bit

high on the creepiness scale.

Altar.

After that, we took a quick break and headed to the Equator, where we could stand astride both hemispheres.

Our Man In Quito, Berated

So we're walking along a street in Quito when we come to a pre-protest gathering.  Our guide went to ask someone what the protest was about, when suddenly he was accosted.

A woman, presumably American, walks up to him and says loudly, "Metropolitan Touring, you are what's wrong with Quito.  I've lived in Quito 25 years and your company is ruining it."  Then she went on and on.  She is angry about a belief that Metropolitan Touring runs the city council and corruptly convinced the council to close more streets and make them pedestrian walking roads.  

She claimed that cars could no longer park in front of  small businesses, so I presume she owns a small business.  The flip side is my experience with pedestrian streets is that they draw more foot traffic, but what do I know.

The six of us were bewildered for a while.  Rodney talked calmly with her, but she just kept on yelling at him.  We went from mildly bemused to utterly annoyed at her.

Finally I bellowed at her, "Leave him alone, he's only doing his job."  The others joined in, telling her to leave.  I gotta believe Rodney does not both own the company (which is quite big in Ecuador) and also takes time to guide six random people around Quito.  

I thought about snatching her hat and throwing it, but decided she was so nuts that there was no telling how she would react.  After have six Americans defending our guide, she left.  

Weirdest encounter with a guide I've ever seen. 

If you see her on the streets of

Quito, avoid her.  She's nuts.

Nuts, nuts, nuts.

Photo credit: Neil Newhouse

The Revolt of the Chipmunks

It was a dark and stormy night when we landed in Quito.  It was around 7 pm, and raining hard.  We had not really eaten anything since a hurried lunch in Quito. 

Our man in Quito, Rodney, was there to meet us.  We get into our van, meet our driver, and Rodney announces a three hour tour of Quito that night.  In the heavy rain.  The streets are not crowned.  There are no gutters.  Given that it is the most hilly capital city I’ve ever seen, that meant every road was a rushing raging river, more suitable for whitewater rafting than driving or, more importantly, walking.

So we revolted.  Neil and Mary led the charge, with Mary serving as the point of the spear.  Rodney was nonplussed (I gotta use that word more often, it’s pretty cool!), got on his phone, and rearranged our schedules for the next day.  Going to Otavalo was ruled out, with Mary pointing out forcefully that we’ve already been to a weaving demonstration, and we were done. with weaving demonstrations.  The rest of us gave a chorus of hoots and hollers to indicate our agreement.

While writing this, I just looked up the distance to the village, Otavalo, from Quito.  One hundred kilometers.  Yes, 62 miles in a van one way, and let me tell you, the van wouldn’t be going 65 mph.  We dodged 3-4 hours of driving time the next day, as Rodney changed it so we would tour Quito in the morning and then go to the Equator.

Instead, we had a very nice dinner as the Chipmunk at the hotel.  When in Ecuador, get the potato soup.  Called Locro Quinteno, it is one of the best soups ever.  In the world.  So that means it is one of the best soups ever in the world.  And the bowl was so large I could have skipped the main course, which was supposed to be a Lamb Loin, but was so large I’m pretty sure they served the whole lamb.

By the way, we certainly had our problems with Nat Geo on this trip, but they picked excellent hotels (with the exception of the first night in Lima, but since the Wyndham is right at the airport, it was certainly a logical choice.).   In Quito, our hotel, the Casa Gangotena, was right on Plaza de San Francisco in the beating heart of the city.

Rando iPhone Photos That I Liked

Last night I was scrolling through my iPhone photos, and picked out a few random shots from the trip to make into a post.  After all, why not?

Bridge/Valley in Peru.  I think this is the

Sacred Valley of the Inca, but I

could be wrong.

Our waiter has done this before!

The Chipmunks.

Cusco at night.  The individual dots

are various houses going up

a mountain.

It's a dog party, a big dog party!

(By the way, the discussion over the

greatest children's book starts

with "Go Dog Go" and ends

with "Go Dog Go."

Ollantaytambo.

Rainbow at Machu Picchu

Another rainbow at Machu Picchu

Our musicians at Yaku

restaurant in Cusco.