Jealousy. Consensuality. Temptation.
ARGH! Apparently my sister wasn't kidding when she said she was going to the Galapagos and now my p&s went there and I haven't. NOFAIR!
12,000 feet above sea level, the air was so clean, you could nearly taste the crispness - a pleasant change from NYC. The higher we drove, the denser the cloud coverage, until finally we were driving in the clouds themselves. They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere, which was a moment of shock for Megan and me. We hiked another two kilometers in the freezing rain to "las termas", had a bowl of soup in the hostel and jumped into the steaming hot baths.
[snip]
Our first day we took panga rides out to a mangrove forest and spotted all manner of wildlife - blue footed boobies (their feet are so blue!), sally light foot crabs, pelicans, white tipped reef sharks, spotted rays and turtles. The turtles in the water were graceful, elusive creatures. I can't wait to see the very old ones. Still, the most incredible site is watching the birds glide above, flip their wings and drop like stones into the water as they hunt for fish. It is so primal and beautiful (and straight out of Jurassic Park)!
The way back from our panga ride I started to get chills. I was achy with back pains all day and was hoping it was due to the severe change in altitude. By the time we reached the ship I was shivering really badly and very miserable. I slept, drank a lot of water, put on all of my warm clothes and covered my bed in blankets. I think I caught the stomach flu, which was exacerbated by the cold weather in Papallacta. My fever broke by morning - just in time for me to be healthy enough to go snorkeling.
The water here is FREEZING, but worth the cold. While snorkeling today, three sea lions swam up next to us to play. I have some great underwater shots. We also have plenty of pictures of sea lions and iguanas on land.
Lastly, I was chased by an alpha male sea lion as I was getting into the water on our second snorkeling trip. I didn't even notice him until a man in my group started yelling through his snorkeling mask and waving his hands. I turned around and saw the thing charging after me. With my flippers on in knee deep water, I was just fumbling. Luckily, the guide saw this and drove the panga between me and one very large sea lion. What a scare! It's a good reminder that though we may come within inches, this is all wildlife, and we should respect its "wildness".
Kate would love this trip. I think of her a lot here. She would also be mightily impressed by the lenses I've seen some people use.
If it weren't for wild fargin' elephants, I'd be stomping around my apt right now.
Edit: I'm vastly amused at this proof that both the XX's in my generation seem to have the wanderlust gene :)
**
There's something that's been bothering me for the past two weeks, so I'm going to write about it here in my pensieve so I don't have to think about it anymore.
Nice guys asked you once if you'll model for them and never mention it again if the answer is no. They may in passing, years later, make a comment about how careful they are with the pictures to make sure they stay private, but they don't pester you.
Not-nice guys have the camera to their eye before they are done asking the question and keep trying to take your picture even while you've got your hand splayed in front of their lens.
**
Speaking of cameras... those bastards at Olympus have done it again. They've a new version of my Stylus 720SW just six months after releasing the old one. I could easily resist the new depth to which it is waterproof, since 33' isn't enough for scuba diving and if I'm canyoneering and that far below the water, I'm dead already, but it's "winterized", meaning it's good to 10F, which makes it much more useful for camping/mountaineering/hikes at altitude. ARGH!
12,000 feet above sea level, the air was so clean, you could nearly taste the crispness - a pleasant change from NYC. The higher we drove, the denser the cloud coverage, until finally we were driving in the clouds themselves. They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere, which was a moment of shock for Megan and me. We hiked another two kilometers in the freezing rain to "las termas", had a bowl of soup in the hostel and jumped into the steaming hot baths.
[snip]
Our first day we took panga rides out to a mangrove forest and spotted all manner of wildlife - blue footed boobies (their feet are so blue!), sally light foot crabs, pelicans, white tipped reef sharks, spotted rays and turtles. The turtles in the water were graceful, elusive creatures. I can't wait to see the very old ones. Still, the most incredible site is watching the birds glide above, flip their wings and drop like stones into the water as they hunt for fish. It is so primal and beautiful (and straight out of Jurassic Park)!
The way back from our panga ride I started to get chills. I was achy with back pains all day and was hoping it was due to the severe change in altitude. By the time we reached the ship I was shivering really badly and very miserable. I slept, drank a lot of water, put on all of my warm clothes and covered my bed in blankets. I think I caught the stomach flu, which was exacerbated by the cold weather in Papallacta. My fever broke by morning - just in time for me to be healthy enough to go snorkeling.
The water here is FREEZING, but worth the cold. While snorkeling today, three sea lions swam up next to us to play. I have some great underwater shots. We also have plenty of pictures of sea lions and iguanas on land.
Lastly, I was chased by an alpha male sea lion as I was getting into the water on our second snorkeling trip. I didn't even notice him until a man in my group started yelling through his snorkeling mask and waving his hands. I turned around and saw the thing charging after me. With my flippers on in knee deep water, I was just fumbling. Luckily, the guide saw this and drove the panga between me and one very large sea lion. What a scare! It's a good reminder that though we may come within inches, this is all wildlife, and we should respect its "wildness".
Kate would love this trip. I think of her a lot here. She would also be mightily impressed by the lenses I've seen some people use.
If it weren't for wild fargin' elephants, I'd be stomping around my apt right now.
Edit: I'm vastly amused at this proof that both the XX's in my generation seem to have the wanderlust gene :)
**
There's something that's been bothering me for the past two weeks, so I'm going to write about it here in my pensieve so I don't have to think about it anymore.
Nice guys asked you once if you'll model for them and never mention it again if the answer is no. They may in passing, years later, make a comment about how careful they are with the pictures to make sure they stay private, but they don't pester you.
Not-nice guys have the camera to their eye before they are done asking the question and keep trying to take your picture even while you've got your hand splayed in front of their lens.
**
Speaking of cameras... those bastards at Olympus have done it again. They've a new version of my Stylus 720SW just six months after releasing the old one. I could easily resist the new depth to which it is waterproof, since 33' isn't enough for scuba diving and if I'm canyoneering and that far below the water, I'm dead already, but it's "winterized", meaning it's good to 10F, which makes it much more useful for camping/mountaineering/hikes at altitude. ARGH!