BACK IN SANTIAGO!

Brown Pelican from Galagagos!!!! (I know we´re in Santiago..but the Galapagos animals are SO gorgeous!!!!)












Day 278

Santiago, Chile, South America

Hola!

It was pretty sad leaving Lima because that´s our last day in Peru. Awww....

We didn´t get met last night at the airport, as our tour company promised..and we were disappointed...not just because we´d already paid for our transfer (and had to pay another 20 soles to get to Miraflores) but because we were looking forward to seeing Ada because she was going to arrange some further flights for us.

We decided to forget her flights and organise it ourselves. If she can´t meet us at the airport, well, we don´t want to be mucked about at any of the other airports.

When we arrived here in Santiago we must have been tired because somehow my front pack got left on the shuttle bus!!!! Took 3 hours for it to arrive back at the hotel where we´re staying.

Gave us a fright.

Have to be more careful next time.

So...next is Rio de Janeiro in Brasil...and we´ll be there for a couple of weeks...we´re on our malaria tablets which are making me nauseas again....ew...

Hope ya´ll are well? Love to hear from you...muchas gracias!!!

What´s happening in Aus??????

Okies, it´s now time for bed! 1am here! 1pm there

Adios! See you there! Geepers, now we´ll have to learn Portudguese again...about all i remember of that is ola (hello) and obrigada/obrigado (goodbye!)

I think Spanish is easier!!!!

xx

BACK IN LIMAª!

Here we are back in Lima..colourful, colourful Peru!




It was sad leaving Eucador..such a great place! We had a great holiday there..and we learned, by observation, so much about the island and how climates and animals can adapt to certain condtions. Quite a science lesson really!

Even tho the hotel on the Island had lost all our documents and we had to stop at the flight office in Santa Cruz to see where our flight tickets were! Why´d we give them all our documents.....blimen heck. Anyway, i think it was because we were really tired!

And it was REALLY FRUSTRATING at the airport. For some reason...the airport at Baltra is dismal. You´d think it´d have a decent airport seeing the Galagagos Islands is actually the most popular tourist spot in Eucador!

Quayaquil is just as bad!

Anyway, when we were waiting for the flight out of Baltra..we learned that it was delayed again.....but just for two hours this time. What´s wrong with the planes???

And in Eucador the flights are ´free for all´ which means there are no designated seats!

Same thing happened from Quayaquil to Lima.....a nightmare! But Greg and i were lucky (and seasoned enough) to make sure we got seats together and shoved our way in like the best of them!

We arrived back in Lima..at midnight..and knew we had to be up at 4.30 to go to Santiago....

Flights, flights...

YUK!

Can´t wait to get to Rio!

It was weird going back to Lima again though...the xmas tree has a mate. There was one lit up outside the hotel as well! Such a nice little budget hotel...i´d recommend it to anyone! Budget but classy...called Stephanos. And to think..it was the taxi driver on the first trip that found it for us..we were supposed to be going to another hotel...

The things that happen eh.

LONESOME GEORGE!

Day 277

Santa Cruz, Galagagos Island, Ecuador, South America

Last day of Island tour!

We got our taxi at 6am and headed to the much awaited Charles Darwin Centre..and you know, it turned out to be WONDERFUL meeting Lonesome George on the one hand..and a let down on the other!

The let down was we never learned any more than what we already knew about Charles Darwin and his evolutionary theories. I´m not sure what we were expecting...some history? The reason´s why the Galapagos Is was an inspiration for him?

Much more than what we got anyway...

But...why did we expect so much anyway? It was all in the name..no one told us we should have expected any more.

So...we go home needing to know more about Charles Darwin apart from the fact that he came to the Galapagos in 1835, spent three months doing research here..and found that the tortoises on each island were different...but that they had come from a common stock of tortoises and evolved into different species that had adapted.

This observation formed part of his worldchanging Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection!

Apprently those different tortoises soon became extinct due to indians eating them..and hunters hunting them for their oil. There were once 11 species...and now there are only five. Six have become extinct.

Which brings me to LONESOME GEORGE!

He is also called Saint George or King George!

He is the last of the Saddleback tortoises from Pinto Island...and we´ve heard he is anything from 110 to 150 years old! I don´t think anyone really knows for sure...

But he certainly is sitting there all alone..but he does look happy! We saw him eating away....chomping really...and he did a huge yawn as if to say...more tourists - boring! haha

It was a real privilege to meet him..and to see him in his habitat there...he is the rarest animal on earth some say!

Such a celebrity!

And what a handsome fellow for a guy that old!

The funny thing is.............poor old George isn´t interested in the ladies. They have tried. In fact, in the natural pen where he is at the Charles Darwin Centre...are two girls, closely related to him who have come from Isabella Island.

But nope. Ol George has lost his mojo..and will not procreate and carry on his species!

IT´s funny..but very sad at the same time.

They are doing research and hare looking for a mate worldwide...

So....if anyone knows of a nice lady for George..ring the Darwin Centre!!!!!

We left Santa Cruz Island to head for Baltra Airport today..and Sammy Sea Lion decided the day was too wet and cold to be sunbaking in his chair on the boat because it was all deserted...

As we looked back at the island..we thought...we´d love to go back some day..but in our hearts we knew it was a once off experience..it reminded me of the Abrolhos so much..because it had that untouched, protected by the locals feel.

It´s a special place, and we knew it.