Galapagos

The day before we were due to join our cruise, we arrived in the attractive Galapagos beachfront town of Puerto Ayora. We wandered along the beach and caught a sea lion leaping into an anchored fishing boat, watched bright red crabs crawl over lava rocks and almost trod on marine iguanas sunning themselves on a fishing dock. Our flights were scheduled to take us back to the mainland the day after our cruise, but we were already somewhat smitten with the place. We contacted the airline and added a week to our stay.

I'd always imagined the Galapagos to be a remote, isolated and desolate group of islands, inhabited only by the abundant wildlife and visited only by grey-haired scientists. It's not quite like that.

The islands are almost 1000km off the coast of Ecuador, but they are not really isolated and some islands are inhabited. Several flights full of tourists and locals arrive daily from the mainland. There are two main airports and each is supported by sizable townships, agriculture and fleets of cruise vessels. There are ATMs, supermarkets, hotels and restaurants. It's part of the real world.

That doesn't detract at all from the wildlife experience. Once you get on a boat, you don't see houses, roads, cars, power lines or aircraft until you disembark. It's just you, the boat, the water and the wildlife.

The curiosity and tameness of the animals is astounding. We swam with a turtle, were within spitting distance of a pod of dolphins, stepped over sea lions that were blocking our path and virtually laid an egg in a blue-footed boobie's nest. Every step you take is a risk of squashing a lizard, kicking an iguana or, more likely, stepping in sea-lion excrement.

The cruise boats range from 'tourist class' to something like 'emporer of the world class', and prices vary accordingly. We got really lucky by coming in the off season, which is only 6 weeks long, and were therefore able to join a cruise at a budget price in a midrange category. Due to a booking mishap (our agent 'confirmed' our booking, then sold our places to someone else), we even got upgraded to a suite cabin with king sized bed, couch, jacuzzi, balcony, indoor cricket pitch and English country garden. It was really not what I'd expected of the Galapagos; I expected very basic skinny ship beds or bunks with a basin of cold water for washing. But it's luxury. It made me feel a little uncomfortable actually. Nobly, I suffered through all the same.

Our tour didn't cover a lot of distance, but visited several islands in the archipelago and gave us the opportunity to see more animals than a sheep shearer in spring. We had incredible luck on our first day: the plan was to go and snorkel along a rocky coastline to look at some fish or rocks or something passé. But on our way to the site we stumbled on a pod of bottlenose dolphins (that was figurative stumbling - these dolphins weren't amphibious). We spent about a quarter of an hour buzzing around with them as they swam and jumped around our dinghy. They are so graceful and powerful; just awesome.

Next we went on land for a short walk with sea lions (including the cutest pups), iguanas, frigate birds with massive puffed out red necks, blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies and several other birds (but no tom tits, unfortunately).

In the days that followed, the wildlife interactions were constant and consistently spectacular. A penguin swam past me while I was snorkeling, scything through schools of bright tropical reef fish. We came close to a large turtle underwater, shared a moment with a stingray and saw aquatic iguanas swimming along the beach's edge. Pink flamingos and red crabs joined the party along with yellow land iguanas and their cousins the lava lizards. We also visited a sea-lion colony and enjoyed the coastal scenery and sea birds.

The tour ended with a crap visit to an 'interpretation centre' in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno - a visitor centre with tired displays about tectonic plates, lava, erosion etc. What a complete yawn. I didn't come to learn, I came to see the animals. Thankfully the preceding days had already provided a fantastic experience, and we still had a week on San Cristóbal island ahead of us.

We commenced our post-cruise days with a visit to the hinterland of San Cristóbal to see giant tortoises. They are just incredible. It seems odd to describe them as graceful when they are so laboured in their movement, but their purposeful lumbering is just that. They stumble, they slip, they crash through brush and branches, but all with a resolute calm. Their jaws roll in an exaggerated chew, like their mouths are filled with tobacco leaves. They extend and bend their necks to look you in the eye. And they chew again. If startled or anxious, they recoil their heads deep under the protection of their huge thick shells, folding their front legs in front as a further barrier. But their demeanour barely changes; they retain the same weary interest in their surroundings. They make you want to pull up a seat and just watch them for hours.

Thankfully we managed to tear ourselves away from the tortoises and instead did some swimming and snorkeling around San Cristóbal. I say 'thankfully' because it was such a magical experience. We swam with sea-lions - literally nose to nose with one young fella. He was so playful and fun. In addition, we snorkeled so close to two large turtles (about a metre in length) that I had to paddle vigorously to avoid hitting them.

This seems like it could be a never-ending blog entry; every time I think I'm finished, something even more exciting happens. It feels like it could go on for weeks like this.

Bananas, beach and our poor pooch

After the appalling wasteland that is Lima, we took a two day bus ride to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Entering Ecuador was like entering one big banana plantation. In the small pocket of land near the road we passed enough banana trees to produce truckloads of exports. Containership loads. Several loads, or several ships. There are just extensive plantations as far as you can see in all directions, each tree cowed under the weight of massive bunches of green and yellowing fruits. I could have made one hell of a smoothie.

Guayaquil's the commercial centre of Ecuador, and I'd be willing to bet that its port sees its fair share of bananas. It's apparently a very dangerous city in most areas, with increased police presence improving things in the more touristy locales. Outside of these areas, petty theft and 'express kidnappings' (quick drive to the ATM to withdraw dosh) are relatively common day and night. We stuck largely to the Malecon (river promenade) and CBD areas and consciously didn't carry anything of value. We didn't have any problems.

After a few days relaxing in Guayaquil, we headed up the coast to Montañita. We both love the sea and beaches; they have an appealing calm and rhythm about them. Even the street dogs take it easy at the beach. We just chilled out for a few days amongst the usual array of surfy dudes, yoga girls and soap-dodging jewellery makers selling the kind of friendship bracelet a 12 year-old could whip up, not to mention the grubby buskers with ukuleles and wooden box drums playing the same four tunes on repeat. (The word 'tune' is used in an act of extreme generosity on my part). Not quite as bad as the appalling hippies who wanted money for waving flags and juggling badly in Peru.

Despite my cynicism, it was quite nice to escape from South America for a few days and just be in Internationalville. We wandered the beach, hung out with homeless pooches and kicked about in international style restaurants.

Sadly we also learnt in Montañita that our own lovely old pooch, Tide Sizzles has died. She had been showing signs of aging for a couple of years, so in that respect her death wasn't completely unexpected. But the last time we went to the vet they told us she might last another few years. Unfortunately it wasn't to be.

She had a great last couple of months with a friend who cared for her incredibly well. She retained a good appetite and interest in walks right to the end, so wasn't suffering.  She was last seen staring at a nearby pigeon, no doubt mentally reliving her youth when she loved chasing birds. Not long after she was found dead in the garden, looking like she was asleep. It's really sad that she's gone, but I can't think of a better way for her to go. Wish I could have given her a big hug and a kiss before she went though.

Lima - why bother?

I reckon that title pretty much sums up Lima, so perhaps I'll just blog the shit out of something else.

Drugs in cycling... it's all just blown up. Several former teammates of Lance Armstrong have confessed to doping and implicated Lance as the doping ringleader. You can't put all those allegations back in a box, and Armstrong's decision not to defend himself against the charges means they can certainly never be disproved. That basically means that the allegations are as good as fact in the public domain. I'm wondering what it might mean for professional cycling.

The allegations largely relate to cyclists who have retired, are retiring or have already admitted doping. The point, of course, is that all this scandal is doing is damaging the reputation of former cyclists while leaving open the (remote) possibility that the current pros are largely racing clean. I can't see how that's going to change anything.

We're supposed to believe that the current pros aren't doping because stage times are slower than years in which Armstrong was winning. That seems to ignore the fact that riders are still regularly testing positive. Just because it's not the high profile riders returning positive tests (with the exception of Contador) doesn't mean they aren't doping. In fact, you'd think it makes it more likely that lots of top riders are on something more than Gatorade - lesser riders are doping but still performing at a lower level than the top guys?

It's hard watching pro cycling in that context. Any time a new guy wins a stage or challenges for overall victories, the first thought is to wonder if they're doping. And when a whole team dominates like HTC in 2010/11 or Sky in 2012, you just wonder...

The weird thing is that the doping doesn't put me or millions of others off watching. There's some human desire to want to believe. We want the best athletes to rise above the cheats and restore faith in great athleticism, training and mental strength. And every time one of them falls, we just want the next guy to rise above it all.

It's hard to accept that your favourite riders are cheating. I've been betrayed by Vinokourov and Ullrich, just like millions of others have been let down by Armstrong and Contador (surely nobody believes the contaminated steak story?). I just hope that Evans will always remain a true example of a clean rider, because I'm pretty sure that all the other top guys will be busted before too long. Does anyone think Wiggins and Froome are clean?

Nasca Lines

Nasca's a bit of a hole really. It's small and a bit grubby. The Incas found it to be a bit of a bore too, apparently, so amused themselves by drawing big pictures in the desert.

We splashed out on a flight over the Nasca lines because that's the best way to get a good view and see a large number of figures. They're really cool. I was surprised at how visible and distinct the figures are.

I guess the coolest thing about them is the mystery. Why are they there? What do they mean? I wouldn't dare speculate, but I like the idea of ancient aliens best. Georgio's show is incredibly reliable and factual. http://www.facebook.com/ancientalienstheseries

Arequipa

I am overwhelmed by how beautiful Arequipa is. I am tempted to say that it's indescribable, but that would make it a pretty short post.

The main reason that tourists visit Arequipa is because it's the so-called gateway to the Colca Canyon where you can see condors in flight (more below). But the city itself is worth the trip to South America. It's that good.

The central city is a triumph of Spanish colonial architecture. If I was Spanish, I'd buy myself a big trumpet and march around town singing 'yay us, look at our fancy buildings'. The main square is surrounded on three sides by beautiful covered archways supported by countless pillars. (That's not quite true - I could count them. The number is definitely finite, and is probably less than a hundred. I could probably count that high in Spanish if I had some thinking time. It would have been far more accurate to have written that the square was surrounded by a finite and eminently countable number of pillars. That's still quite impressive). On the fourth side - or is it the first side? - stands a magnificent cathedral built of a pale grey volcanic rock. It is such a grand building that it could easily be a palace or, um... something like a palace.

We went and had a wander inside the cathedral. It was undergoing some restoration, so wasn't presented at its best, but it was still mighty impressive. We were lucky enough to be there while the choir was practicing. It made the atmosphere almost, well, religious. It was pretty cool.

But I haven't even got to the best bit yet - the incredible Santa Catalina monastery. The monastery has been open to the public since the 1970s. It was founded in the 1500s and has had nuns living there continuously ever since. They have retreated to a small section of the complex to allow visitors into the rest.

The buildings have been restored and are in excellent condition. They form part of a massive two hectare complex of chapels, prayer rooms, courtyards, orchards/groves, kitchens, washrooms and sleeping chambers. We visited in the late evening when the whole monastery was lit solely by candles and gas lamps. It was absolutely spectacular. We loved it so much that we braved the $15 entrance fee a second time a couple of days later. Go there.

While in Arequipa, we also went to see the Colca Canyon and the condors. We took an overnight tour into the canyon, which allowed us the luxury of spying on the condors both in the early evening and the following morning. They're massive birds and look amazing in flight. We also saw llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and lots of other fancy animals. The scenery was amazing too. The canyon is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, the surrounding mountains are beautiful, and the whole valley is filled with Incan and pre-Incan ruins and terraced hillsides.

The area is a complete blast. We loved it.

Off to Nasca next.

Lake Titicaca and Isla del Sol

We finally managed to escape from Sucre by air. Major roads all across the West of Bolivia were blockaded by striking miners. Apparently they think they deserve more than $3 a day, or something.

We were quite impressed with the extreme nature of the industrial action. It's such a contrast to the appalling situation in Australia where you have to have permission to commence industrial action such as wearing a badge of support, or not checking your email for an hour. So weak and pathetic.

The miners also like to wear their helmets when on strike and when they are in negotiations over their pay and conditions. It is a great show of solidarity, although I should note that the reason for the strikes is the disparity between pay and conditions in government and private mines.

So the result for us was that we couldn't get to the Bolivian salt plains at Uyuni or get out again. Instead we decided to skip that part of our plan and hope that we have time to go back in November on our way home. Our backup plan was to fly to La Paz (in a 19 seat Metroliner), then either bus to Lake Titicaca if the roads were open, or fly to Cusco. Luckily the road was open because the miners decided to have a break from striking over the weekend.

Being back in La Paz was exciting because it meant we could have some different food - Indian, Thai and some kind of non-Asian weird satay noodles. While the food wasn't as delicious as we'd hoped, it made a welcome change from potatoes, pizza and pasta which were particularly prevalent in Sucre. (I'd found 'Pad Thai' on a menu in Sucre, but it came out as spaghetti with broccoli, flavoured with curry powder).

The bus trip to Lake Titicaca was really beautiful. There were great views to the mountains, lots of lovely farm animals, and for the last couple of hours we were beside the lake. The bus trip is also broken up by a short ferry ride across the Straits of Tiquina (photo).

The bus takes you to Copacabana on the shores of the lake. It's a beautiful spot, but very heavily touristed. We were lucky to be there in low season so didn't have to fight it out for accommodation or a seat in a restaurant.

The restaurant we went to for dinner the first night was pretty funny. The guy serving (and seemingly running the place) was probably about 14 or 15 and was a bit freaked out with having tourists in his restaurant (although they had an English version of their menu so it can't be that unusual for him). What freaked him out even more was me ordering a vegetarian pizza with no cheese. He was dumbfounded. He checked a couple of times, then when it was apparent that I hadn't made a mistake he said, roughly "dude, that's not a pizza". They made it for us anyway; it was ok.

We stayed in Copacabana for a couple of nights before getting on one of the regular boats to Isla del Sol, home of the predominant Inca creation myth and some Incan and pre-Incan ruins. The island was beautiful and generally fantastic.

The boat takes about 2 hours to get to the north end of the island where we were met by a local Spanish-speaking guide and some pigs that live on the beach. Although it was possible to guide ourselves up to the Incan/pre-Incan ruins, we're glad we went with the guide. He had a lot of knowledge and history that was fascinating. In particular, he told us about a submerged pre-Incan temple just off the coast between three tiny islands. I bet there's buried treasure there. And probably evidence of ancient aliens.

We had the option of walking the length of the island (about 8km) to catch the boat from the south end. Once we'd finished pondering the ruins, there were only two and a half hours until the boat was due to leave, so we just caught it back at the north port instead. And hiking at that altitude's not as awesome as it might sound (between 3800 and 4100m above sea level). I'm gasping for breath just tying my shoelaces.

We got back to Copacabana around 5:15 pm, then boarded our bus for Arequipa, Peru shortly afterwards. I'm on the bus now. You're up to date.