14th April- a major achievement

14th April- a major achievement!

After breakfast we headed off in our mini bus for a full day out. Daniella had fully briefed us last night at dinner, re everything we needed to bring & we headed off across the island, to a family ran handicraft business in the hills. On arrival we were greeted by ornately carved doors, before walking in to a workshop, wood store and shop. Daniella translated for us, as one of the woodworkers told us how his father had worked with wood, and he himself began making his own wooden toys at aged 7, before training with his father & working alongside him at the age of 12. He showed us his tools and then took a small block of wood and in a matter of minutes, turned it into a sea turtle, using a jig saw and then a laithe. It was fascinating to watch, but I have no idea how he did it or how he still has all of his finger's, as his thumb and fingers were literally millimetres away from the spinning blade. We then had a free raffle to win what he had made in front of us. Bernie won it- the luck of the Irish! She said it was because she had shared a special moment with a turtle when it brushed past her. We all have such amazing memories from this trip & it isn't finished yet! We could then buy items from the on site shop if we wanted to, but there was no pressure to buy anything. There has been no hassle of any kind here, which has been great. We bought a small sea turtle as a momento. Anything too big would be impossible to transport for the rest of our trip. Although we spent time marvelling at some of the large creations, garden furniture and even a beautiful dining table and chairs, all with beautifully carved birds and animals that are native to the islands. The workmanship was incredible. It would be impossible to get any of the items home though, I kept telling myself.

We then went on to a private coffee plantation, where they grow coffee beans, cacoa and various fruits & sugar cane. We were talked through the coffee making process ( we already knew this, as have done the whole process by hand in the cloud forest, including planting the trees). We then had a cup of coffee & sampled the raw sugar cane & also candela, which is the boiled sugar from the cane, which goes brown, thick and rich in flavour with a taste like black treacle. It was delicious, as was the coffee, which we drank black & without sugar. It had a lovely smokiness to it. A few of the lasses bought bags of coffee & chocolate to take home, but we have too much luggage to manoeuvre across Peru & onto Cuba already, so thought we had better not. Also, it might not keep very well stuffed into a backpack with our dirty washing. 

Next stop was another private house, with a lovely walk around the grounds, a farm where we could feed the animals, a very random "museum", which housed some items left by American soldiers during the 2nd world war and a collection of bones & skulls, including whale vertebra, which are surprisingly heavy. There was also a magic swing, which was 2 swings, going out over the valley below, giving a fabulous view of the area. It was lovely as we created our own breaze in the sweltering heat & humidity. The walk through the grounds was filled with gorgeous flora & fauna and lots of inspirational signage,as well as a lava tunnel you could crawl through. We were also shown achorte fruit and it's seeds, used as a colouring for food, a paint & natives painted their hair red with it. Hibiscus flowers in shades of white, pinks, orange and red dotted in amongst the native plants.we made a refreshing drink from grinding sugar cane, by turning a huge wooden beam around in a circle. It was hard work, so we needed the drink afterwards. It was good with a big squeeze of lemon juice added.

There was also a table part way around with a "free lip filler station", which was actually petals from the flowers of bananas, which look like comedy lips- which was fun & a bit of silliness we could get photos of. 

I had somehow managed to drop my Oakley sunglasses somewhere on the walk, but luckily Daniella managed to find them after going back. Nothing is too much trouble for any of the staff we have met. Their customer service is excellent and we have all felt really well looked after. 

We had lunch there too, which was very nice, with homemade fruit juice, grilled tuna steaks, rice and vegetables with pickled radish, followed by a rich chocolate cake & tinned peaches. Emma's vegetarian choice looked good to- a vegetable fritata. There has been a vegi choice at every meal, but nothing overly exciting on offer. The vegatarian food choices were definitely better back in the cloud forest.

We could change our clothes & footwear here too.  We then piled back into the bus and headed off to a small village, where we were given bikes and cycle helmets. Mine had to be adjusted twice, to it's lowest point, as I am a total shorty and couldn't reach the floor whilst sitting on it. Thankfully today, the bike ride was mostly downhill, with only a few climbs and nowhere near as strenuous as last time. Some of the drops were quite steep, and we really picked up speed at times. We had a car in front of us, to watch for oncoming traffic, particularly as the road wound down, with lots of curves and blind bends, and dips in the road. Our mini bus followed behind, with any bags we wanted to leave & a cooler full of snacks & drinks. We cycled down all the way to a lovely beach and it was the thought of this that kept me going. We cycled past giant tortoises, and a lot of big pot holes in the road, and not all of them could be avoided, which caused a big bump and a bit of a wobble each time I hit one, but I managed to not fall off. I must admit, I was pretty terrified when hurtling down the hills,and was screaming silently to myself. As a completely non religious person, I referenced Jesus Christ quite a lot too (that's the polite version of what I was thinking & saying). I still can't say I enjoyed the cycling, but I felt pretty proud of myself for doing it, especially as I knew the bus was behind me, so I could have easily chickened out. Every one in the group was really supportive, which helped. I will try to keep going with cycling when I get back. Although I will definitely prefer cycling on flat roads not hills! 

The beach that greeted us was spectacular & definitely worth the journey. It wasn't long until we were all in the water, watching storm clouds moving towards us. Even when the rain eventually started, we stayed in the sea. It was refreshing after the heat of the day & very welcome. All of us got in, including Kate, who is not fond of the water. Once back at the hotel, it was a quick shower, change and out for a lovely steak in peppercorn sauce and a bottle of wine. We then had a wander around the town & ended up back at the upstairs bar with the bongo player. This time there was a live singer too. The place was bouncing with Ecuadorians and we had to squeeze in right at the back. Beth, Annie, Bernie & Kate came too, and after a few drinks, we were up dancing, although not with the moves of the locals, who must be born with natural rhythm. Then the Latino karaoke started, which was surprisingly good, as the drummer played along too. A young lad, who wouldn't look out of place as a premiership footballer, with his clothes, ridiculous haircut and bling got up to sing, and outshone the resident singer, much to the delight of the crowd. It was late when we got back, but we agreed to meet early in the morning to watch the sunrise. I was determined not to waste any precious time in the Galapagos, and tomorrow we head back to Quito. I could seriously do with a few more days in this absolute paradise. Yet again, we don't feel ready to leave. 

Speak soon,

Caroline.