| Home | May - June 2004
(39 days) |
View from the cathedral tower of Quito, Ecuador's capital and largest city (5/2004). |
My time in Ecuador coincided with the 2004 Miss Universe contest. For a small developing country, this was the biggest thing to hit them in years, so they took it very seriously and the whole country was in party mode. I happen to run into the pageant (by chance) just in time for Miss Serbia to wave at me. What you do not see in the picture are the hundreds of heavily armed police and military personnel, road closures, blockades etc etc. All this for the pretty ladies.....sigh !!!!! Guayachil airport, Ecuador (5/2004). |
Lots of beautiful and cheap arts and crafts....all hand-made too and not like the machine-made mass-produced Ikea stuff. But, as a backpacker I really have to think twice when shopping since I have to carry whatever I buy. Otavalo, Ecuador (5/2004). |
The "Angelito", a 16 passenger boat, was my home for a 7 day cruise around the beautiful Galapagos Islands. There were 8 crew on board who served us like royalty. Its was an all-you-can- eat so I did quite well for myself. Genovesa Island. | 
The Galapagos is famous for its wildlife. Many species here are endemic, which means, they only exist here and nowhere else on earth. The male frigate bird expands his colorful red sack to attract females circling overhead. |
The Galapagos archipelago sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 1000km west of the South American continent. Its is such a special place because it was never connected to any mainland. Reptiles and marine mammals came (somehow ??) millions of years ago but their predators never made it here. Later on, when land mammals (such as humans, elephants, bears etc) evolved, they dominated the planet and wiped out these early creatures. However, these new species never made it to the Galapagos, so what you see in the Galapagos today is a glimpse of our world millions of years ago. Also, humans only started living here about 150 years ago (because there is almost no fresh water) so we havenŽt had the chance to screw-it all up yet. |
The blue-footed boobie is looks like a duck/geese with these weird blue feet. You can walk up to within inches of it and it will just stare at you and do a weird tap-dance to show-off its blue-feet (I have a video of it too...hillarious stuff). | 
The red-footed boobie has red feet. The reason why Galapagos animals do not run when you approach is because they have no predators. They all die of old-age. Can you imagine that...a place on earth where animals fear no man. |
IguanaŽs are common in the tropics but the Galapagos marine-iguana can swim and dive underwater to 10 meters for fish. Yup...a swimming lizard ! It uses its tail to propel itself underwater. The reason this lizard learnt to swim is because all the good food is in the sea. If it did not learn, it would have starved. |
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Thousands of colorful Sally light-foot crabs crawl all over the black volcanic rocks of the Galapagos. |
Only in the Galapagos can you approach a pink flamingo to within a few feet. Isabela Island. |
The 600 lb Galapagos tortoises are about the size of a pool table. They move slowly and sleep most of the day. They are fascinating social creatures and one of my favorite Galapagos animals. There was never a boring moment.as I sat amongst them for hours observing their behavior and hanging out with them. Charles Darwin Research Station, Santa Cruz Island. |
2 different animal species in one picture. The Galapagos is just one big happy family. Different species hang out together and nobody eats the other. | 
Apart from the stunning wildlife, the Galapagos is also an incredibly beautiful place with some of the best beaches in the Pacific. Espaniola Island. |
A Nazca boobie couple in their mating ritual. Galapagos creatures are not shy. I managed to witness a lot of mating in my 12 days here. | 
Penguins in the tropical equator. In fact, I swam with a couple of them. I guess I do not need to go to Antartica anymore ! |
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Lounging about the magnificent Bahia Tortuga beach on Isla Santa Cruz. |
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I have travelled quite a bit and have seen a lot of this world. For me, the Galapagos Islands has to be one of the most incredible places on our beautiful planet. I feel so fortunate to have gotten a chance to visit. We should all be so thankful that at least one place in this world like this still exists. The Galapagos is relatively expensive to visit but that is not a problem for people like us who earn a strong currency and have disposable income. I truly believe that everyone should treat themselves to a visit here at least once in their lifetime. Sun-tanning with the sea-lions on Espanola Island in the Galapagos (5/2004). |
Travelling is not always fun and games. Slight mishap, wiped out on some slippery rocks while trying to chase and photograph a sally light-foot crab. | 
The doctor bandaged-up my hand with this perpetual one-finger salute ! Oh well, at least its not broken and this contrapcion will be off in a week. Ecuador (5/2004). |
I was strolling around town and came upon a Panama Hat factory. I knocked on the door and asked if I could get a tour of the place. A few minutes later, a manager came out and gave me an hour long tour of the production process. Panama hats drying after a special bleaching process. Cuenca, Ecuador (6/2004). |
The famous Panama Hat is actually from Ecuador and made in only 2 towns. Long boring story why the name got mixed-up. Trying on some US$300 hats in the factory showroom.....and no, I did not buy any. Cuenca, Ecuador (6/2004). |
During the annual Corpus Cristi festival, thousands of people crowd into the main square and light-up hundreds of home-made mini airships. Some rise majestically into the night-sky but most, a) catch on fire and blow-up within seconds then fall back down into the crowds or, b) crash into surrounding buildings and lit roofs on fire. It was one of the most hillarious spectacles I have ever seen....there is just no price you can pay for such entertainment. | 
Suddenly, this huge wooden tower in the middle of crowd explodes in a hail of fireworks AND shoots-out firework pellets which swirl around then explodes in the surrounding crowd. Really crazy stuff and once again, gave me a really good laugh. If that happened back home, everyone would be suing each other and lots of people would be off to jail. Hence, the subtle differences between home and the 3rd world. Cuenca, Ecuador (6/2004). |
Ecuadorian BBQ = take a pig, shove a rod up its butt, grab a kerosene tank, blow-torch the whole thing out on the pavement. BBQ pork anyone ???? Cuenca, Ecuador (6/2004). |
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Most people assume that backpacking is about grotty cheap hotels, crappy bus-rides etc. YouŽd be surprised how well you can do for yourself if you are smart and know where to look. US$7 per day hotel/resort tucked into the beautiful mountain countryside of Vilcabamba, Southern Ecuador (6/2004). |
| Subject: In South America in one piece | Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 |
Yup, I am at it again. To be honest, I still have to pinch myself at my own nerve and sheer audacity. IŽll also be the first to admit that I do not deserve this 2nd mega-sabbatical....oh well, someone has to do it. The past 4 days have been transiting through some pretty undesirable stopovers forced upon me by my Aeroplan points. 5 flights in total and 21 hours in the aluminium tube....all this for 50000 points, good deal eh ? Impressions of Sao Paulo, Brazil (24 hour stopover number 1) : 1) Dangerous - when a supermarket parking lot has a 12 foot high perimter metal spiked fence and a military base-like barricade/check-point entrance, you know its a dangerous place !! 2) Soccer crazy - observed a soccer pitch every 2 blocks during the descent into the airport. Impressions of Lima, Peru (24 hour stopover number 2) : 1) holy pollution Batman....from 11500m, the Pacific coast of Peru is a bright brown desert abruptly meeting the cobalt blue Pacific...quite stunning...then as you approach Lima, the whole thing becomes a big brown cloud of crap, then you descend into it...yuck. The one highlight of the fore-mentioned transit hell was the great views from the plane on the Brazil to Peru leg, whereby we flew over the Andes......wow !!! I had my head plastered to the window the entire 4.5 hour flight. Right now I am in Quito, Ecuador which is my actual intended starting point for my 10 month South America trip. Quito is a great looking city surrounded my lush green mountains, colonial architecture everywhere etc. Just finished my first day of Spanish classes and my head is going to explode. Its been a while since I was studying, but this is a fun studying so I am really enjoying it. My teacher has a Masters in Education and speaks good English incase we need to switch (for obvious reasons)....all this for USD$3 per hour. I love the 3rd world ! Till later, Lee Chai |
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| Subject: Ecuador and the Galapagos island | Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 |
As you travel about, you generally see lots of good stuff. Every once in a while, you hit something simply outstanding. I recently spent 12 days on the Galapagos islands. This place is one of the most special and amazing places in our planet. It was here that Charles Darwin formed the modern theory of evolution (humans evolved from apes and all that...). My time here also coincided with Ecuador hosting the Miss Universe contest. This was probably the biggest thing to hit Ecuador in years and it was like the Olympics to them. Kind of funny since nobody really cares about it back home. The government pulled thousands of troops and police personnel from their normal duties of patrolling the dangerous northern border (with Colombia) to "guard" the pretty ladies. The running joke here in Ecuador is that the drug cartels were in 7th heaven for those few weeks !! Miss Ecuador did not win and some locals were miffed. Here is an excerpt from local newspaper (translated from Spanish) : Since being crowned Miss Ecuador, Susanna spent the past few months promoting women's causes, childrens literacy and other social issues. She visited over a hundred schools in some of the most remote parts of the country...blah blah blah. Miss Australia, ".....likes to spend time with her friends and surf", and wore the skimpiest evening gown of all the contestants. Guess who won. I am now in Cuenca, a middle-sized town in Ecuador's south. I will be in Peru by next week. Hard to believe that I have already been gone a month. I really don't feel that I have seen that much of this continent yet. Thank goodness I booked 10 months here. Hope the summer weather is being kind to all. Lee Chai |
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South America 10 months (May 7, 2004 toMarch 7, 2005)
| Month | Location | $/day | Cum $ |
| May | --------- | ||
| Ecuador - Quito for Spanish course | 40 | 300 | |
| Ecuador - Otavalo, climb Cotopaxi, hostel trek to Laguna Quilotoa (2 days) | 40 | 600 | |
| Ecuador - Galapagos | 160 | 1800 | |
| Jun | Ecuador - Banos, Cuenca for Spanish course : Corpus Cristi festival (June 6, 2004) | 40 | 2100 |
| Ecuador - Vilcabamba and other | 40 | 2400 | |
| Peru - Chachapoyas, Cajamarca | 35 | 2663 | |
| Peru - Trujillo, Huanchaco, Caraz/Huaraz | 35 | 2925 | |
| Jul | Peru - Caraz for Alpamayo Trek (7 days) | 35 | 3188 |
| Peru - Santa Cruz trek (4 days), Huaraz | 35 | 3450 | |
| Peru - Lima, Pisco, Ica, Nazca | 35 | 3713 | |
| Peru - Arequipa, Canon del Colca trek (5 days) : Independence Day (July 28, 2004) | 35 | 3975 | |
| Aug | Peru - Cuzco, Inca Trail (3 days) (Aug 4-6 festival in Copacabana, Bolivia) | 35 | 4238 |
| Peru - Tinque for Ausangante Trek (5 days), Puerto Maldanado for Amazon Basin | 35 | 4500 | |
| Peru - Puno and Lake Titicaca islands | 35 | 4763 | |
| Bolivia - Copacabana, Isla del Sol trek (4 days) | 35 | 5025 | |
| Sep | Bolivia - Sorata for Illampu trek (7 days) | 35 | 5288 |
| Bolivia - La Paz, Canon de Palca, Chacatalya, climb Huayana Potosi | 35 | 5550 | |
| Bolivia - Choro Trek (2 - 3 days), Coroico : Festival in Sorata Sept 12-16 | 35 | 5813 | |
| Bolivia - Rurrenabaque for Amazon basin and Pampas | 35 | 6075 | |
| Oct | Bolivia - Sucre, Potosi | 35 | 6338 |
| Bolivia - Tupiza, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni (4 days) | 35 | 6600 | |
| Chile - San Pedro de Atacama to Jujuy | 50 | 6975 | |
| Argentina - Jujuy, Salta, Cafayate | 45 | 7313 | |
| Nov | Argentina - Mendoza, Puente del Inca & PN Aconcagua | 45 | 7650 |
| Chile - Santiago, Valparaiso, Vina del Mar | 50 | 8025 | |
| Chile - Chillan, Pucon | 50 | 8400 | |
| Chile - Valdivia, Puerto Montt, 4 day ferry to Puerto Natales (leaves Monday 4PM) | 50 | 8775 | |
| Dec | Chile - Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine | 50 | 9150 |
| Chile - Torres del Paine, transit to Ushuaia | 50 | 9525 | |
| Antartica | 350 | 12150 | |
| Argentina - Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, trek (3-4 days) | 45 | 12488 | |
| Jan | Argentina - El Calafrate, El Chaten & PN Los Glaciares | 45 | 12825 |
| Argentina/Chile - Chaiten(Carretera Austral), Isla Chiloe (Ancud, Castro, Conchi) | 45 | 13163 | |
| Argentina/Chile - Petrohue to PN Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche | 45 | 13500 | |
| Argentina - Bariloche, flight to Buenos Aires | 45 | 13838 | |
| Feb | Argentina/Brazil - Iguazu Falls : Feb 2 flight from Iguazu to Rio | 45 | 14175 |
| Brazil - Rio de Janeiro (Carnival Feb 5 - 8th, 2005) | 50 | 14550 | |
| Brazil - Rio de Janeiro, Isla Grande, Parati | 50 | 14925 | |
| Brazil - Salvador de Bahia | 50 | 15300 | |
| March | Brazil - other : Mar 7 flight from Rio to Canada | 50 | 15675 |
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