Galápagos: Snorkeling
While in the Galapagos, we snorkeled nearly everyday. The ocean was completely full of life. Here are a few of the spectacular moments captured underwater.
Next update: back on the other side of the Pacific to discuss the WWOOFing life!
My Uncle’s Grave
Cotacachi, Ecuador
Cementario de Cotachaci
I never knew my uncle. He lived in Ecuador my entire life and passed away in 2000, when I was almost 10. My dad only ever referred to him as “his brother,” so I didn’t even know his name. I had never seen any pictures of him. When I was in 5th grade, I wanted to write a story about him. When my teacher asked me his name I said I didn’t know. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I knew he was a horticulturalist, that he went into the Peace Corps and was placed in Ecuador, fell in love with it, and spent the next 40 years of his life living there (with some stints in the US and Mexico). I remember when my dad got the phone call about his brother’s death. A heart attack. He flew to Ecuador for the funeral, to Cotacachi, world-famous for its leather, and brought me and my mom back leather jackets and hair scrunchies. And that was that. I refrained from asking many other questions because it seemed my uncle lived his own life, and my dad did not volunteer information. Only now, when I had the opportunity to find his grave while in Ecuador, did I begin to ask questions again.
Guest room in Hacienda Pinsaqui.
My uncle Bill lives on through my cousins - all four of whom are scattered throughout the United States. Becky, the youngest cousin, lived with her dad in Cotacachi and married a local man, Fabricio Proaño. His family is still in Cotacachi, and my uncle was well known around town. Everyone knew the Whites, gringos in both in name and skin.
From left to right: Rosabelle, Becky, Thomas, Bill, and my dad, David.
I never knew my uncle, but being in Cotacachi helped me to understand who he was: a divine gardener and engineer. I walked the streets that he used to walk. I saw the apartment above the flower shop where he lived with two of my cousins, Becky and Bill Jr., and their dog, Ziko, after he and their mom split up. I walked the trails that he walked each weekend around the beautiful Laguna de Cuicocha. I saw the garden he created around the Indian sun sculpture near the gate to the city. I saw the grounds he landscaped outside of the famous Hacienda Pinsaqui.
The Calle 10 de Agosto thoroughfare downtown Cotacachi.
(August 10 is Ecuador’s Independence Day)
The top-floor apartment where my uncle and cousins lived over 30 years ago, when it was a brand new building.
Entrance to Cementario de Cotacachi
Hacienda Pinsaqui at night
Now, Hacienda Pinsaqui is a special place for many reasons. My uncle did the landscaping before the Hacienda opened to the public as an inn in 1995, but it also is steeped in history. The building has seen its share of historic events: it is where Simón Bolívar prepared for the battle of Ibarra in 1823 during the Ecuadorian War of Independence. He was apparently a frequent visitor. It is also where the “Treaty of Peace and Friendship” between Ecuador and Colombia was signed in 1836.
Hacienda Pinsaqui’s foyer
& breakfast nook with incredible old maps of the region
Local band of brothers and cousins playing traditional Andean music at the Hacienda.
Looking out into the courtyard from the guest room.
The hiking trail around Cuicocha.
Laguna de Cuicocha, a deep and cold glacial lake.
View of farmland and mountains from Cuicocha.
I could see why my uncle loved this place enough to call it home for so long. It is high in the mountains, crisp, and beautiful. The people are hospitable and the food is excellent. It is a town of artists and musicians, as evidenced by the statue of Charlie Chaplin, one of the greatest artists of all time in the minds of Ecuadorians. I was delighted to find a piece of family here, one that had been a mystery to me, and still is.
My cousins told me to ask the groundskeeper at the cemetery, “el ingeniero William White o el gringo.” But as soon as I mentioned his name, the groundskeeper said, “El gingro! Si!” Before I could say anything more, and led me right to his plot.
I still have so much more to learn.
“In loving memory of our father and brother: Rosie, Tommy, Billy, Becky, and David.”
William Charles White
June 30, 1939 - March 20, 2000
La Selva
Day Two: Into the Jungle
Quito —> flight to Francisco de Orellana (aka Coca) —> 2+ hour motorized canoe ride down the Rio Napo to landing dock —> 20-minute manual canoe ride to La Selva.
Limoncocha, Sucumbíos Province, Ecuador
The motorized canoes that took us down the Napo River.
View of Garzacocha (meaning Heron in a mix of Spanish and native Kichwa) Lake from La Selva Lodge.
Everything I need
I must admit that there is an excitement and lightness to shedding all the material items from my life save the essentials. I was able to borrow an 80-liter women’s backpack from the gracious Hannah Roberts (in addition to a camp pillow, bag, and laundry line — thanks, Hannah!). I am trying to do my best to prepare for all climates and unforeseeable hiccups. Cash placed in multiple nooks and crannies. Multiple copies of my passport printed and distributed. Japan rail pass securely tucked away. I am excited to figure out exactly what I use and how often from what I have packed. Don’t you worry — there will be a full report.
Curious about the full packing list?
Clothing: 3 short-sleeved shirts, 2 long-sleeved shirts, 2 tanks, 3 pants, 3 shorts, 1 skirt, 6 pairs socks and undies, 3 bras, pullover sweater, rain jacket, down jacket, scarf, bathing suit, flats, sandals, trail shoes, bandana, hair ties, visor, sunglasses.
Toiletries: travel toothpaste, toothbrush, hair brush, dry shampoo, eye drops, contacts solution, case, glasses, case, extra contacts and glasses, medications (including those for traveler’s diarrhea and Malarone), Neosporin, ibuprofen, women’s sanitary products, hand sanitizer, Campsuds, Q-tips, deodorant, bug spray, sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, soap, mini-hand/face towel, washcloth, multi-towel, razor and extra blades, travel toiletry bag,
Electronics: laptop & charger, Garmin & charger, headphones and Kindle & charger, cell phone & charger, power adaptor, headlamp.
Other: collapsable bowl, cup, spork, 2-liter water bladder, Grayl water purifier bottle, travel journal, Galapagos nature guide, waterproof notebook & pen, iPhone Moment camera lenses, REI daypack, passport, Global Entry ID, cash, credit cards, wallet, driver’s license (for renting a car in NZ), Spacesaver bags & pump, plastic bag for dirty clothes, reusable shopping bag, laundry line for drying clothes, sink stopper for hand-washing clothes, sleeping bag & liner, sleeping pad, and pillow.
Phew. How’d I get all that in there?
A clockwise cartograph
And here we have it! The first rudimentary map of my travels: a clockwise journey around the Pacific Ocean, chasing the summer as it moves from the Southern to the North Hemisphere.
As it stands,
Ecuadorian Amazon and the Galapagos
New Zealand
The Philippines
Japan
Hawaii
British Columbia
Blast-off from Nashville -> Atlanta -> Quito in t-6 days!