Return to Miami

We landed just before midnight and then had an hour at immigration where there were just 4 officers on duty, which they take very seriously.
This time we have another tank, a Nissan Pathfinder and arrived at my aunt's at 2am. Nice to sleep without rocking.
We had planned to go to the beach for the day but there were thunderstorms and torrential rain again. So we went to the Dadeland shopping centre and I went looking for a few new things for work. I am not good at co-ordinating outfits so was delighted when the personal style adviser offered to help. Ross was a trooper and sat in the change room where I must have tried on 40 different garments which could each be mixed and matched. Took a couple of hours and Trevor sat patiently in the strategically placed couches outside the door. I have used up all my brownie points and don't think either boy will come shopping again with me for a while. Bought 9 items which have 16 combinations. I wish I could find someone like that in the UK.
Still raining so I packed the cases whilst enjoying a glass of wine and chatting with Aunty Lindy. She made tacos for supper proudly wearing her boobies apron which we had bought her.


Aunty Lindy also tried to fix Ross's hair. In a fit of temper at his fringe, in Quito, he had taken the scissors from the first aid bag and given himself a haircut. We had repeatedly said not to do it etc etc but our stubborn son learns best from experience and now has a fringe cut to 1 mm which will take a few months to grow out. He obviously realised two thirds of the way across that perhaps this was not such a good plan and his parents were right, and had stopped. So Aunty Lindy finished the job, school photo will be delightful this term!


- posted by the Krige family

Centre of the World, the equator

We were only flying back to Miami late on Monday evening, so we packed all our shopping and cases and decided to go to visit the Equator and see a bit of Quito.


Brilliant experience as not only do you have the monument and line drawn on the ground but they have a little centre where they do all experience with you.


We were all enthralled and watched the impact on water running from a sink when placed on the north side, south side and then on the line. There were 2 interactive ones, firstly the Krige family all proved to be eggsperts. On the line, it is possible to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail. We all had a go and managed to balance it and got an eggcelent certificate.


The second involved clasping your hands above your head and resisting whilst another pulled them down. So the tiny guide tried this with Trevor on the north side and was left dangling. Once Trevor was standing on the line, with one hand she just pulled his arms down. Weird.


On the equator line you are at the widest part of the world so have the least gravity and in fact way a kilogram less. I need to live on that line!
Lunch on a roof top terrace in Quito and then a rush to the airport.





- posted by the Krige family

Back to Quito

A sad farewell to the crew and the friends we made on the Letty. They had us packed up and off the boat by 8am and we wondered around their small history and environmental museum.
There was an exhibition on the natural resources, recycling etc and they had on display these recycled art projects made by the local community school. Great idea for a school project.





We wondered around the St Christobel main street and harbour and did a bit of last minute shopping and looked at the news. Earthquake and hurricane on the east coast of the States, Apple CEO resigned, Market plummet, opposition leader of Canada dies, Gaddafi deposed. Goodness so much happened in the world whilst we were "off the grid".
Air flight the reverse of the way we came with a stop in Guayaquil to offload passengers and then climbing up to Quito with a sad farewell to fellow passengers from the boat who were all going different ways in Quito.
Was delighted to see our guide Antonio who returned us to the same hotel. How times have changed, when we normally travel we are rather gung-ho in organising ourselves and finding our own way but it is so reassuring to have someone to take responsibility for you.
We took a $2 taxi to a recommended restaurant and Trevor ate a massive T-bone steak which he declared the best ever. No alcohol sold in restaurants on Sundays.


- posted by the Krige family

Ross in the Galapagos (pics for the grannies)

The babies of the Galapagos

A few pics of the babies we have come across this week.

Espaniola and the great albatross

Over lunch the boat travelled around to the west side of the island where the albatross were nesting and also had their runway. Such gorgeous birds which are so elegant int he air and so clumsy on ground. The landings and take offs were just like the albatross in the kids movie The Rescuers, with them stumbling onto their tummies once they had landed. The sea iguanas there were more red and a brighter green as a result of the algae colour which formed the basis of their diet.
Stunning 2 hour walk which included magnificent cliffs, a blow hole and blue footed boobies.















- posted by the Krige family

Espaniola

Started the day with the final snorkel at 9am, it was chilly but as it was the last time that we had the opportunity to snorkel with the sea lions we all got kitted up. What an awesome experience, I could just here Ross chortling as he was diving, chasing, being chased, playing hide and seek with a family of sea lions.
Then had a couple of hours on a White sand beach with just us and a few hundred really playful sea lions. Ross was in and out the water and was convinced he had trained a sea lion to play chase, but I think in reality the sea lion pup went home and told his mum the same thing about Ross.
A few pics








- posted by the Krige family

Santa Cruz

We went on the pangas to the small harbour and boarded a bus for a 30 drive to the highlands. Such different topography as was misty, cool and the trees were covered in Spanish moss.


There are huge volcanos craters and incredible lava tunnels. These are hollow tubes that are made when the lava is flowing down the side of the volcano in a big river. The area that is exposed to the air hardens first and forms a layer.


Underneath the lava continues to flow and when the lava stops flowing it leaves behind the tunnel that has been formed.
We walked into a tunnel which was cavernous and then walked about 400m uphill within the tunnel.


There was either the option to go half way and turn around or continue to a break in the tunnel where you could exit. This involved going under a section that was just 50cm high for about 2m. Ross and all the kids were game and were eventually joined by the guide and the moms. Not the wisest move with my claustrophobia. I was fine until I got to the small section and in the 1 minute that I had to wait for the person in front of me to crawl through I could just feel the panic rising in my chest. But then it was my turn and down and through I went, very proud of myself!


We then went onto one of the farms which is on the migration route of the giant tortoises. They are free to roam the island and the farmers respect this and although they have wire fences, they only use the upper strands so that the tortoises and pass freely under them and continue on their way.


They are true relics of the dinosaurs and peer at you with such wise and considered looks as they just carry on with their slow stroll and even slower grazing of the vegetation.








We returned to the boat for lunch and will be at the Darwin tortoise breeding centre this afternoon which is home to lonesome George. He is the last of his breed but they have found some female tortoises on one of the outlying islands which are of a similar breed and he is shacked up with these 2 girls in the hope that he will soon be a dad. There is some concern as he was with another female last year but they obviously did not hit is off and no baby George's were forthcoming.
We are being let loose on the local harbour town for an hour after visiting the centre, which has wifi so will send all the Galapagos blogs through.


- posted by the Krige family

North Seymour island

Another different terrain which was really dry and hot. Got the panga to a rocky ledge and had a circular walk around the island for a couple of hours. This island is known as a breeding place of blue footed boobies





the magnificent frigate bird, the males were out touting for females by puffing up their red pouches,


home to the land iguanas






and we even saw a snake. Little yellow warblers


hopped through the hot and arid landscape





We all decided that we would be changing Ross's name to Ross lava lizard Krige as he was a super spotter for the lava lizards.


- posted by the Krige family

Snorkelling at the base of Bartholomew island

Definitely the best snorkelling of the holiday. The water was freezing and really took your breath away and after an hour my feet were numb. The best part was coming across a sea lion that just wanted to play and we all just laughed and had fun with it weaving in and out and under us. At one time it even started chasing a penguin. The cold water brought such good visibility that despite the depth of the water you could see right down to the ocean floor.
I am the one with the yellow flippers








The last is a White tip reef shark which was about 7ft long.
posted by the Krige family