Ecuador con la Familia!

So my first day in Quito was a nice one. After getting my bags no problem at the airport, I got a cab to 'Mansion del Angel,' the hotel my family was staying in that night. I checked in and soon after was in paradise, lounging in my nice robe with tasty food on my big comfy bed. It was so nice to get a really nice hotel room after more than three months of lousy accomodation.
I expected my family to arrive at 10 PM, and my anticipation was high as I waiting, watching TV. Come 11:30, there was still no sign of them so I decided to investigate. The hotel receptionist made a call for me and found out that the airport in Quito was closed due to bad weather so my family`s flight had gone to Guayaquill, a city to the south of Quito. He also said the airport would not open until the morning, so I went to bed alone and dissapointed.
In the middle of the night, there was loud knocking at my door. I got up and opened to the door, dazed and still half asleep. I was so surprised to see Annie followed by Ellie jump into my arms! then followed Will, Dad, and then Mom. I was so happy to see them and even though it was 3 or 4 in the morning, we stayed up talking for a while. It felt so good to see them all after three months.
The next morning after a deliscious breakfast in the hotel, we cruised around the Old Town of Quito, before getting a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant. After lunch we got our car that took us to our hotel just outside of `Parque National Cotopaxi.` It was a nice, old hostel with nice gardens and open spaces. After an intitial problem that came up regarding our rooms, we settled in and went for a `walk` that lasted about five minutes and took us halfway down the hotel`s driveway. The rest of the day we relaxed, playing car, reading, and chatting.
The next day, we got a car that took us to the park entrance, where we rented bicycles. Unfortunately, the bikes looked like they were about to fall apart and riding them assured one of the validity of this observation. We got a car that took the bikes and ourselves to the very same parking lot where I began my trek up to the top of Volcan Cotopaxi months ago. We got out of the cars and got right back in when we felt how cold and windy it was. Once the bikes were unloaded, we got on our bikes and took off, wanting to get to lower, warmer, and less windy grounds asap. After half an hour or so, the temperature became tolerable and we were enjoying ourselves. The views were amazing, just like my previous visit. However, I was experiencing them in a very different mindstate than my first time, being with my family and having done so many things since my visit back in September.
The ride was a lot of fun, but the lack of functioning breaks and gears made it somewhat difficult and sometimes scary, when Annie or Ellie went flying past me at high speeds approaching sharp turns.
Back at the hotel, we relaxed doing much the same thing we did before. The only difference was that it was Christmas Eve, and we all couldn`t believe it.
The next morning, Ellie, being the first one awake, woke everyone up at 8:30 and we had a nice morning opening presents. At 11, the kids all went horsebackriding. We met our guide, who accompanied us on an old bike. The ride lasted two hours and took us down nice roads with nice views and through a nearby town`s center. My horse, which I gladly traded to William halfway through the ride, was nuts. I was constantly pulling back on the reins as hard as I could. If I let my guard down for even a moment, the great beast would take off at frightening speeds.
For dinner, we got a car to a nearby hotet and had a nice dinner that was preceded by a small firework show and all sorts of problems with our car, a snotty couple, and a long wait. It was a great Christmas day, but not being at home or in the home of a relative felt strange.
The next morning, we were picked up at 5:30 AM and drove back to the airport in Quito where we got out flight to The Galapagos Island. Oh man, it was incredible. As we stepped out of the plane, we instantly felt the extreme heat that was so different to what we had been experiencing on the mainland. We packed into a crowded bus then got a little boat across a channel. Then we got in out nice, air conditioned private bus with other people staying at our hotel. We visited huge sink holes and a massive, naturally created tunnel created by eruptions of the island`s volcano before going to see the world famous Galapagos Giant Tortoises. They were similiar to the Giant Tortoises at Santa Martha, but there were many more and some of them were much bigger. These things are massive, dinosaur-like creatures whose top speed is simply laughable. Then we drove into Puerto Ayora, the main city on the island, Isla Santa Cruz. We got a boat from our hotel to a path leading to our hotel. One of the first thing we saw as we strolled down the walkway towards our hotel was a group of marine iguanas at the beach, chilling out taking in the sun. Our hotel was right on a nice beach, and shortly after checking in Will, Annie, Ellie and I rushed off to Las Grietas, a strange but incredily beautiful place. It is a spot where freshwater and saltwater are combined, and the turqoise-blue body of water is long and skinny and flanked by high cliffs. Cliffjumping time! After checking the depth, I climbed up about 15 feet and jumped down into the cool, refreshing water. Then being totally sure of the depth, I climbed up to the top (about 50 feet high) and jumped in. It was awesome. The girls had a good time watching, swimming, and jumping off the low ledge. Will took a few jumps from the low ledge before gaining confidence in himself and jumping off the big cliff. Oh man, he decided to do the old lifeguard jump, and the resulting SLAP frightening but funny. The undersides of his arms were bright red and he was definitely hurting. We hung out at the hotel that night, enjoying a nice dinner and the hotels comforts. Unfortunately, Mom was feeling sick and turned in early before dinner. During the night, Ellie also got sick so the two of them decided to skip the next day`s excursion.
The next morning, Dad, Will, Annie, and I got up early and met the hotel`s group that was going on the excursion. We got on the Sea Finch, our hotel`s beautiful boat that would be taking us to various spots on different island for the next few days. After a two hour trip, we arrived at a beach on another island, and we were greated by an enthusiastic group of baby sea lions! They were adorable, and lost no time flopping over each other to get a better look at the strange humans. Adult sea lions were sprawled out all over the beach enjoying the sun`s warm rays.
We took a short hike around the area, seeing cactuses with odd shapes and land iguanas. We went back to the Sea Finch and had a light snack before cruising to a nearby spot for some snorkling. This was, HANDS DOWN, the best snorkling I have ever done in my life. The water was crystal clear and I saw huge schools of big fish with colors vibrant and varied, ominous galapagos sharks, and big rays. Then we went to a new spot to snorkel with sea lions. They were in a little cove, but out guide warned us to be careful of the alpha male who was relaxing nearby. I got in the cove and one big sea lions took a great interest in me. He was so eager to see me that his nose touched my mask, and we stared at each other for a brief moment. Then the alpha male started barking and coming towards us, so we jetted out of that cove and back to the boat real fast.
Back at the hotel, Mom, Dad, Will, and I walked over to Las Grietas. Will and I did some cliff jumping then snorkled for a bit. That night we relaxed as usual.
The next day held another great excursion for us. We went to a spot on Isla Santa Cruz to see a huge colony of sea lions. Then we took a hike around the area, and the landscape seriously looked like it would be better at home on Mars than on Earth. Big, funky cactuses all around and some low, red plant that was growing all over. We saw lots of blue footed boobies (awesome birds endemic to the Galapagos) and what our guide explained was the `bachelor`s pad,´ an area where alpha males would come to recover after being beated by another male in a fight. It was great.
After the hike we snorkled nearby, and today it was much foggier than the day before but it was still awesome. We went back at the hotel and enjoyed another evening of relaxation in the hot tub or by the pool reading.
The next day was amazing. We were on the Sea Finch in the morning, and someone spotted a few dolphins, ahead in the distance. 15 minutes later, they were EVERYWHERE! There must have been well over twenty of them. A group of 5 or 6 started swimming right in front of the boat, and one did a massive jump out of the water less than 10 feet away from the front of the boat. It was as if they were greeting us. After we stopped, we went out in the small boat for a closer look at the dolphins. It was just as cool as before, except we were much lower and had a better view. Then we snorkled with them, and it was definitely one of the top three experiences I`ve had with animals in my entire life. There were dolphins all around us, swimming all over the place. At one point I counted 7 or 8 swimming together in a group. These animals have such a majestic way of moving through the water. Allthough some of them are huge, they cut through the water smoothly, with an amazing grace. Oh man it was incredible. A sea turtle also decided to check the scene out and slowly swam by under o ut feet. A fat shark appeared out of nowhere and we hurried back to the boat, all more than satisfied with what we has seen. We moved closer to shore where we snorkled around, seeing lots of fish before finding a sea lion. The first thing I saw was Will, floating vertically in the water while one of his flippers was gnawed on by this sea lion. We were joined by another sea lion, and we played with them for a while. It was so much fun, they swam along with us and right up to us. Myself and several others received a couple of playful bites that did not really seem playful. Then we got in the boat in search of the Galapagos Penguins, but we only found one lone fellow standing by himself on a rock.
Back at the hotel, we all sat down together after cleaning up for me to open presents. Whoops! I forgot to say that it was my 19th birthday, and could not have asked for a better day. I got lots of good gifts from everyone and we had a great dinner. All in all, it was a fantastic birthday.
The next day we got up early and went to the Charles Darwin Center and saw baby tortoises no bigger than the palm of my hand, more HUGE tortoises, and Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species. Then, sadly, we drove to the airport to get our flight to Quito. The Galapagos were awesome. Most definitely one of the main highlights of my trip.
Back in Quito, we checked back into Mansion del Angel and went out for an awesome dinner at an Argentinian steakhouse. Will and I went to Finn McCools, an Irish pub I had visited when I first arrived in South America.
The next day, we walked around the Old Town again doing a little shopping and getting some tasty food. Then we went back to our hotel before going to a nearby `parade` which was actually just tons of stands and huge stages with big dolls that were mainly poking fun at various politician. One stand titled The Fantastic Four impersonated George Bush as Dr. Doom! It was lots of fun.
We chilled for a while back at the hotel before going out for our New Year`s Eve dinner. It was a good meal at a nice place, but it was somewhat hard for me to enjoy it, knowing that it would be the last family dinner we would have in a long time. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and everyone hit the sack, except for Will and I. We went out for some New Year`s festivites and hit the streets and were delighted to find fireworks and beer for sale all over the place (our excitement was almost totally for the fireworks). It was crazy, people were setting off huge fireworks right in the center of the city as police officers enjoyed the show. There were fires all over the street, the remnants of lifesize puppets made for the sole purpose of setting on fire.
The next morning, my family left the hotel early for the airport and I miserably crawled back into bed.