After hugging all of our friends goodbye in the Guayaquil airport (many of them were spending the night in Guayaquil and retuning to the US on Monday the 11th), we transferred to our flight to Lima, Peru. Arriving after dark, we were driven downtown to our hotel.
Lima has approximately 1/3 of the country’s 28 million citizens, and from outward appearances looks like many of the international capitals that we have visited. What we didn’t expect in this region, flanked by the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, is that it is a desert. It virtually NEVER rains here. Seriously; the last recorded rainfall of significance was 34 years ago, the 1-2 inches of rain that the region receives per year is more in the form of mist (the Humboldt current offshore is so cold that it doesn’t evaporate to form rain clouds). On Monday morning, as we were driving to the Pachacámac ruins south of the city, it felt eerily similar to the landscape of Egypt in which we began our trip in August, including the unfinished buildings in the poorer areas (property taxes in both countries only kick in when a building is finished, so they are subsequently never finished). The similarities between the histories of both countries continued through our trip, as we would find out later.
Peru was a week long history lesson, but unlike many other countries that have been explored and researched in-depth, the story here is one that is unfolding in current day. Machu Picchu was only rediscovered (by modern man) in 1911, and new discoveries continue each year. We were surprised by the many layers of civilizations here, some dating back to a few thousand years before Christ. The famous Incan dynasty was relatively recent and short-lived (1200-1532), and only its last 90 years was the so-called Golden Age of its rule. Pachacámac was a pre-Incan shrine to the Sun God, with some of the buildings approximately 2,000 years old; however, like many of the Incan conquests, the Inca’s appropriated many of these buildings.
After Pachacámac we headed to a private museum of archaeological ruins, from all of the civilizations of this region. What we thought might be boring was fascinating, although the last section of the museum saw us zipping through, as it was a celebration of sexual practices throughout the ages, brought to life in ceramics and pottery. Scott was upset that we wouldn’t allow him to take pictures.
The next morning we left early for the airport, and the 1 hour flight to Cusco, the capital of the Incan empire. Due to the Andes, this trip would take 20 hours by car, and with an elevation of 11,200 feet, we immediately noticed that we were higher in the mountains than ever before.
We headed to the Sacred Valley, beginning a 4 night stay exploring the Incan Empire, its ruins, its history, and the present day culture of this area. Making a quick stop at a local farm to learn the differences between Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuna (the four types/grades of Peruvian wool), and then to a local market, we got to our hotel near Urabamba in early afternoon, and rested up.
The next morning we visited Ollantaytambo (right), an important Incan ruin, and the bottleneck that most every visitor to Machu Picchu comes through. The journey to the ruins of Machu Picchu is a nice part of the overall experience; one must either take a train from Cusco, or drive to Ollantaytambo and take a train from there. Although only 20 miles or so, the train ride along the Urabamba River was 90 minutes long, passing by the start of the four day trek along the Inca Trail (and Scott and Carson were lucky enough to score the first row seats).
At the end of the line we were deposited into Machu Picchu Pueblo, the new name for the village that everyone still calls Aguas Calientes. From there it was a 30 minute bus ride up to the ruins.
Our stay in the area would entail one night at the Sanctuary Lodge (immediately adjacent to the ruins) and two nights down in the village. Upon reaching the ruins, we spent the afternoon with our guide learning about the site. Without getting into too much detail, the Incan Empire is a fascinating study in conquest, management, engineering and symbology. At its height, its geographical area was larger than the Roman Empire. The Inca conquered others, but then ruled via confederation and conciliation (although everyone was taxed in that they had to work for the
empire two months per year). The road systems and the architecture were impressive, and the building techniques have yet to be understood by today’s experts (how did they lift and helicoidally fit those massive stones (OK, we didn’t know what “helicoidal” meant either)). Their “administrative centers” were aligned with the solar system, and the solstice and equinox days were critically important. And as noted earlier, their beliefs were strikingly similar to other cultures that we have seen around the world. The trilogy of the underworld, life and heavens (almost identical between the Incans, Mayans and Egyptians), the identical idolatry of the Sun, and the fact that we saw artifacts that clearly demonstrated likenesses of people from the Asian and African continents all made us question if Columbus and the Spaniards were truly the first contact made between the Americas and the rest of the world.
We also learned that Machu Picchu was no more special than many other Incan sites, other than the fact that the Spanish never discovered it and destroyed it like all the other Incan centers. Conquering the Incas in 1532, the Spanish obliterated much of the culture for material and evangelical reasons, but they never discovered this mountain top retreat.
The next morning, Claire and Scott awoke both feeling ill; that we had gotten up before 6 AM to see a cloudy sunrise didn’t help. Carson, our guide and I decided to head out for Intipunku, the Sun Gate, the last stop on the Inca Trail before Machu Picchu, as she describes:
“Bye Scott. Bye Mom. Have a nice time”, said my Dad and me.
Today we went on a hike to the Sun Gate. One quarter of the way my mom and my brother were feeling bad so that backed out of the hike. So it was me, my dad and our guide.
Step after step, rock after rock, person after person. Huff puff puff. Two finger touch (since holding hands made our hands sweat). Glug, glug, glug. Boom boom boom. Halfway point and we sit down. Tired but ready to go. We get up and start marching toward the top. Curvy, twisty, rocky and tiring, but that doesn’t stop us. Nothing will.
When we finally reach the top we looked over the path we had climbed. “45 minutes up. Let’s see how long it will take us to reach the bottom”, I said.
Down, down, down we went. When we reached the bottom we all checked our watches: 25 minutes to get down. Wow. The hike was very exclusive and exciting.
I enjoyed it very much and I liked spending “2 finger touch” time with my dad. The view of Machu Picchu was also fantastic. I wish the rest of my family was here to see it.
Upon reaching the bottom, our guide told Carson and me that it was a very special day at Machu Picchu. We both wondered what Valentine’s Day had to do with the Inca’s, but our guide instead said that on this day at Machu Picchu each year, at noon, the sun makes no shadow. Although I’m sure that such a phenomenon happens everywhere at some point of the year, it was neat to be at Machu Picchu, where they worshipped the sun, and look to the ground at noon and see no shadow even though the sun was blazingly bright.
After lunch, our guide and I hiked down to Aguas Calientes (right), and we all checked into our hotel there. For the next two days, we explored the pueblo and spent some downtime before heading back onboard the train to Ollantaytambo, and then on to Cusco. Surprisingly, at the top of the mountain ridge, Machu Picchu is at 8,000 feet. We had to climb back up 3,000 feet before arriving in to Cusco.
On Sunday, we enjoyed getting to know this beautiful city of 400,000, visiting mountain top temples, museums, cathedrals from the Spanish time, and the former Incan headquarters (discovered after a 1950 earthquake toppled the Spanish-reign Catholic church built on top of it).
We are now winging our way toward Miami to visit the Hutchinson family (and their new Portuguese Water Dog Joia!),
and then on to Winston-Salem on Tuesday, February 19th. Phase three is in the books, and we have a month at home before heading back to Asia.
It would take the pages of a small book to lead you through all of our adventures over the seven days we spent in the Galapagos Islands. Most of us had high expectations as we flew over the 600 miles of the Pacific Ocean that separates mainland Ecuador from the islands. After now spending a few days reflecting on our trip, all of the Tuttle's agree that the week exceeded even our own lofty expectations.
Instead of leading you day by day, please allow me to give you some trip particulars, some highlights, and some pictures – i.e., our Top Eight or so (in no particular order).
- As soon as I say in “no particular order”, I must stress that the number one wonder of these islands is the fact that the animals have absolutely zero fear of man (see who was
resting on the benches at the Baltra dock as we arrived from the airport). For our whole week, we would have to watch where we were walking, for if not, we would step on a perfectly camouflaged marine iguana, or a lounging sea lion, lazily watching us with one eye, or a nesting blue footed booby, eggs just a few feet from our footpath. The animals would literally not move out of ourway. We saw virtually everything that can be seen, and we were inches if not feet from all of them. The boobies, frigates, sea lions, marine and land iguanas, whales, dolphins, penguins, the famous Darwin finches, countless other birds, lava lizards, too many sea life to name, and so on. This was a safari from and on the sea, and although we all got used to another (hu hum) sea lion or iguana, we never tired of them. On the very last day, we were all snapping pictures like on the first day, for the sights were truly remarkable.
- In the same vein, our four snorkeling stops were all magical, with great debate as to which was the best. Nothing can beat snorkeling with, and almost
playing with, sea lions (again, swimming inches away from us). We hovered over swimming turtles, dove down to be with white tipped sharks, saw huge rays, thousands of fish, eels, sea stars and urchins, and even penguins. They were all swimming with us, and us with them. Seeing these creatures up close, under water, was an unforgettable experience, especially with the excitement of the kids (even the 40-something ones). Similar to snorkeing, kayaking through these majestic islands was also unforgettable.
- One morning just after snorkeling, as we were all returning to the ship, someone shouted “Orcas!” We all piled back into our Zodiacs (the sturdy rubber boats with an outboard engine)(this one being led by Hal), and headed out just a few hundred meters from th
e ship. There, an Orca mom was teaching two babies how to fish, and they allowed us to get very close (once, the mom swam under our Zodiac and surfaced just 20 feet on the other side). Amazingly, just a few hours later, we spotted a Bryde whale, and on the way to an afternoon hike, spent some time in the Zodiacs watching this massive mammal (and we commented on how the chase (zooming after the spout of air in the water hundreds of meters away, and then waiting) was more exciting than the catch (of actually seeing the whale crest nearby for a breath)). This afternoonof the whales was extra special for our family, for none of us had ever seen a whale in the wild.
- Having friends and family along made this trip very special. In addition to having other human beings to talk to after four weeks just to ourselves (J), our entire group got along fantastically and formed lasting friendships. There were 15 other North Carolinians (19 in total), 47 total passengers
(including us), and a crew of 32. For our group, with seven kids along, our ship was the perfect size ship --- small enough to be intimate, but large enough for the kids (well, for everyone) to find their own space (especially the hammock area, completed dominated by those under the age of 16).
Our NC gang, in addition to the Tuttle's included:
o Jeremy, Hal, Ben (9) and Mollie (9) Burnett from WS
o Laura, Mike and Patrick (11) Grace from Charlotte
o Kathy, Sophia (13) and Jake Lange (15), and Tom Hollingshed, from Southern Pines
o Virginia Oliver and her friend Elaine Lewis, from Fayetteville
o Terri Union and Carlos Zukowski, also from Fayetteville
Our vessel was the National Geographic Islander, the name being the result of the recent partnership between National Geographic and Lindblad (the operator of our tour). The crew included our expedition leader, and three naturalists, who led us on our daily activities (usually an early morning walk, something mid morning (like a snorkeling swim), an after
lunch talk and a late afternoon activi
ty (like a hike on one of the islands).
- We visited nine islands in all, and were treated to a display of the amazing differences between them. These islands are youngest-to-oldest from West to East, and the different landscapes are striking. Stark lava flows, where nothing should be growing (but where life is peaking through in the form of hardy
cacti or small oases of green) contrast with lush forests and verdant hills. On Isabella, we saw inland giant coral reefs, made unexpectedly part of the forest when a 1954 lava flow pushed the shoreline far out into the sea. Volcanoes here are still active, with major eruptions occurring just in the last few years; other islands volcanoes are now dormant as the whole archipelago moves to the southeast at three inches per year. Darwin’s toilet (yes a hole in the ground that flushes), hiking the seaside lava flows at low tide, the blow hole, giant volcanic craters where the caldera imploded, snorkeling around the famous pinnacle rock, all made us appreciate (and try to understand) the fascinating geology of this special place. Approximately 27,000 citizens live in the Galapagos, and 97% of the land is protected as a national park. The 3% (you have to land a plane somewhere) is concentrated in two main areas. Yes, and wherever you go in this 3% area, you can find hundreds of t-shirt designs, all saying “I Love Boobies!”
- We spent one entire day with the giant tortoises. Living for 150 years or more, this special creature has been badly treated by mankind, and their numbers are just a fraction of what they were a few centuries ago. Because they can survive for more than a year with no food or water, pirates and buccaneers used to take them to sea, turning them u
pside down for months before enjoying them as the only fresh meat available on long ocean voyages. Hundreds of thousands of tortoises were killed in this way, and we learned how the Charles Darwin Research Station is working to preserve this species. We then ventured into the highlands, spending some time with tortoises in the wild.
- The mind-expanding education, every day, was a special part of this trip. We couldn’t take in the visual overloads without the curiosity kicking in, and it was wonderful to see and learn so much at the same time. Question and answer, one after the other for seven days, was tiresome and yet invigorating, and we never tired of seeing si
ghts like a penguin, sea lion, iguana and a cactus all within ten feet of the other. Another exciting sighting was the largest bony fish in the world, and one that most of us had never heard of: the Ocean Sunfish, more commonly called the Mola Mola. We saw them from the ship, from the Zodiacs, and at the same time we saw the Orcas (and one guess as to main predator of the Mola Mola!). In the area of learning, we were also lucky to have Professor Burnett on board, giving afternoon lectures to the kids. What other parent would prepare lesson plans on Tectonic Plates or Genetics?
- One day during lunch, as we were sailing, we heard another scream: “Dolphins!” Some ran to the bow where they were riding the front wakes of the boat. Those that stayed in the dining room noticed that these dolphins were also behind us, putting on a show. From the front of the boat, they frolicked just ahead of the bow of the ship, and from the back, they soared HIGH in the air, ala Sea World, many times spinning and splashing as they came down into the water. It was so wonderful to hear the screams and applause of sheer joy and delight (much better than any Sea World presentation) from the guests and the crew. This show continued on the front of the ship, and we recalled that regardless of how often you see dolphins, you can never tire of their grace, beauty and playful zeal.
Please forgive the gushing. Simply put, the Galapagos Islands are a special place, especially for the traveler who is interested in the broader (and unfortunately over-used) area of eco-tourism. If this is you, you must make plans to go. Where else can you build sandcastles next to dozing sea
lions?
We are now in Machu Pichu, and will head to Miami (to visit the Hutchinson’s) on Monday, February 18th. We arrive home late on Tuesday the 19th. We hear that it is cold and rainy there. Here it is summer. We’ve decided that winter is overrated; we miss many of you, but we don’t miss our sweaters.
We arrived into the Quito late on the evening of the 29th. After being at sea level for many weeks, we could all feel the effects of the capital city’s 3,000+ meter elevation. Although we are not sure, we think that it was altitude sickness that dogged Carson for much of the next few days.
The next morning, Carson and I stayed in as Scott and Claire spent a few hours roaming around the old part of the Quito. Our hotel was perfectly situated in the heart of this district, very close to Independence Plaza and the offices of the President. At lunch, Claire and I tag-teamed, and Scott and I were treated to a fantastic lunch, and an even better view, by our new friend Jack Attia. Perched high atop the Panecillo hill, our lunch afforded us a view of all of Quito, and allowed us to better see this city that is 50 km long, but only 7-10 km wide, narrowly tucked into a valley between two peaks of the Andes.
After lunch, we headed 1 ½ hours south to the wonderful Haciendo San Agustin de Callo at the base of the Cotopaxi volcano. After lots of rainforest time, it was nice to feel a little chill in the air, and see some snow-capped peaks in almost every direction. they even had llamas on the property (and the kids thought the animals were just for them!). It was kickback time in wonderful surroundings, but not for long.
On Thursday we headed to the valley pueblo of Saquisili, and to the many markets of this small town. A special delicacy in this country is “cuy”, deep-fried and served whole. To save you from doing your own research, cuy in English is guinea pig, and along with rabbits, offered an interesting perspective (especially for the kids) on the food section of the market. We
next enjoyed the artisan market, buying some games, musical instruments and souvenirs (and a soccer ball for later on the lawn). That afternoon, back at the hacienda, we went horseback riding along the local roads and trails at the base of the volcano.
The next day we headed out early for an all-day adventure to Quilotoa, a supposedly extinct volcano with a lake. We drove for 2+ hours up to an elevation of almost 4,000 meters. Traveling through
absolutely stunning mountain scenery, by indigenous huts and locals farming the (again) almost seemingly vertical fields, we finally reached the rim of the caldera.
This volcano imploded in 1797, and the result is a majestic body of water (sulfur-rich and still somewhat bubbling) inside the caldera. The general idea is to hike down, see the lake, and hike back up. On many days the
clouds descend into the caldera such that the lake is obscured, so we felt fortunate to be able to actually see what we were about to do. Going down was fine, but hiking back up, at that altitude, was tough work. Reminiscent of our climb to the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan, Scott decided to purchase the services of a donkey after he had made it half-way up the ascent. We told him he had to pay ½ with his travel money, and he later said that it was the best $2.50 he had ever spent. The kids then had an energetic dialogue relative to weakness versus intelligence, and which trait had most identified Scott that day (J).
On our way back to Cotopaxi, we stopped by another hacienda for a late lunch. Later, as we were traveling back through Saquisili, we saw a small local bull fight in progress, set up in a vacant field. Although Carson was opposed to seeing an animal treated badly, we did make a quick stop just to check it out.
That day, Friday, was the first day of the four day Carnival holiday. For Ecuador, Carnival is a major holiday, with decorations, fireworks, and parties galore. One of the local traditions is for school children to splash or throw water on passing cars --- whenever we saw a group alongside the road, we had to quickly roll up our windows, and even though we were on the lookout, a few times we were ambushed! Thinking back to when we were kids … throwing water balloons at cars, with permission! So much fun!
The next morning, we headed back to Quito. Before getting underway, we walked down the dirt road to experience a little of the local agriculture. Like other equatorial countries, it seems like they can grow most anything here (as we walked, we passed huge fields of broccoli), and a major crop in this area is roses. Touring through enclosed growing areas, many hectares in size, we learned that this one operation cuts over 30,000 roses per day (at least they do the week before Valentine’s Day!).
Upon arriving back in Quito, we did what all tourists must do ---- visit La Mitad del Mundo --- the Middle of the World. There are actually two Middle of the Worlds, a few hundred meters apart (go figure). Instead of the “French” one, we went to the indigenous one, which proudly advertised that its middle of the world was “G.P.S. Certified”. Located at 0.0.0 latitude, we were amazed by all sorts of equatorial experiments that our Galapagos guides later told us were all stunts, but entertaining nonetheless (and sadness, we have confirmed the bad science via the internet).
After a little shopping, we headed toward our hotel. That evening we dined with Claire’s mom Virginia and her friend, Elaine Lewis, the first of our group of 19 North Carolinians that would be venturing toward the Galapagos Islands the very next morning (our plane would pick up the remainder of the gang in Guayaquil on the way to the islands). We were getting ready to embark on a wonderful adventure, one that in the end exceeded even our loftiest expectations.
We landed back in Panama City from Boquete late morning on the 27th. After researching the Canal, we were eager to see it (especially me, as I had just finished David McCullough’s interesting book on the canal’s construction). We first headed out to the Amador Causeway (named after the first President of the country) for lunch. The causeway is a long sea wall that protects the Pacific entrance to the Canal from ocean waves, wind and currents. We then headed to the top of Ancon Hill, from where we could see the entire city, and just to the northwest, the closest of the canal’s locks.
These locks, the Miraflores Locks, were our next destination. Learning more about the history, construction and administration of the locks, we were eager to see some ships passing through. However, none were forthcoming, so we called it a day and headed to our hotel.
That evening our new friends the Melchior’s met us and took us out for a fantastic dinner. Eduardo (who has just turned 13!) and Carolina (10) were fantastic with our kids, and they all had a blast. Marcello and Camila were very gracious to spend a Sunday evening with us, sharing their interesting perspectives of this country and its capital city. We even got a wonderful side trip at dusk across the All American Bridge (spanning the canal) where ships were now plentiful.
The next morning we headed to the Emberá Indian village, adjacent to the might Chagres River. After an hour’s drive, and two dugout canoe rides, we reached a waterfall deep in the rainforests of the Chagres National Park. We had gotten up early to beat the other tourists, and this special spot was all ours as we played under the waterfall and swam in the pool at its base.
Just as we were ready to leave, masses of other visitors started to arrive, and we saw the wisdom of our guide’s strategy. We headed next to the village, where we saw and sampled a little taste of how the Emberá Indians live day-to-day, and of course made some of the requisite purchases of bracelets and the like. Carson decided to get a traditional jagua vegetable dye tattoo, and to make her more comfortable, Claire got one too. Carson’s washed away in a few days, but Claire’s bold, cross-hatched design stayed strong for many days!
Returning by the canal, we did get to see some ships transiting the canal, and we were especially interested to see the fleet of sailboats making their final lock transits into the Pacific Ocean.
Visiting the canal presents you with a bevy of wonderful facts and trivia, but rather than boring you here, you can find them on the internet (OK, just a few: 52 million gallons of fresh water are used for each transit, a lock can be filled faster than your bathtub, and since many of the new cargo ships are wider than the canal, the country is currently in the early stages of creating a new passage of locks +/- 50% wider than the current ones). Even though it has been almost 100 years since its construction, the canal and its operations are still fascinating.
The next day we were back on, and actually in, the canal. We headed north of the Pacific locks and rented a small boat at Gamboa. Stopping first at Monkey Island (where the kids fed monkeys from our boat), we then motored around Gatun Lake. In this middle part of the canal, we found a place to stop for a
picnic lunch and some swimming, all the time watching huge ships making their transit north to south. Back in the boat after lunch, we passed these same ships, as well as some crocodiles (and now that I think about it, our boat captain kept the motor running as we were swimming!).
That afternoon, we focused on touring the city, and spent time in Casco Viejo, the old part of the city. It has narrow stone streets, and is reminiscent of some older European cities. Just a few miles away, the gleaming new part of the city was fast growing skyward, as Panama’s real estate and construction boom appears to still be strong. We drove through this section of the city and headed east to the ancient city’s ruins, Panama Viejo. Arriving just before the park closed, we saw all that we needed to of the Spanish ruins dating from the 1500’s. We watched a beautiful sunset over the city before heading on to the airport, and Quito, Ecuador.
In case you want to check in on the gang here in the Galapagos Islands, Linblad has a daily update which you can find at:
Look for Daily Expedition Reports and search for "Islander".
We'll get back to updating this blog when internet time doesn't cost $0.55/minute!
As mentioned previously, we left Basque del Cabo at 10 in the morning, and by the next morning we were having breakfast in Boquete, Panama. In between, we drove 45 minutes to Puerto Jimenez, flew to San Jose, flew to Panama City, drove into the city, were up again at 4:30 AM, drove to a different airport, flew to David, and then drove one hour up to Boquete. By 9 AM, we were enjoying breakfast at a small café on the main drag, albeit somewhat tired.
For you North Carolinians, to picture Boquete think of Banner Elk; in fact, there were probably the same number
of US retirees in Boquete as Floridians in the NC mountains. It is a charming small town, with one main street
and some offshoot streets, with numerous good restaurants and places to stay; it is, however, very North American. Coffee estates are everywhere, and similar to the grapes in Napa or Sonoma, the agriculture of this
area makes the countryside all that much more beautiful.
We hiked up and along Volcán Barú that afternoon, enjoying our first taste of the “bajareque” mist – there was constant moisture in the air, with a gorgeous rainbow, but it never really rained, and the ground didn’t get wet.
The next morning we were up and out by 7 AM, as Carson writes:
What! we all said. A TWO HOUR drive! Today we went whitewater rafting. First we had to drive 2 hours to get to the Chiriquí River (going, believe it or not, back to the Costa Rican border); when we finally got to the river, we got our gear and hiked down a steep hill to the water.
To start off, it was the first time that I had ever been whitewater rafting. I felt a little scared at first. I thought you would plunge off a waterfall and land in the water. But this was much different.
My feelings were cramped up inside me and I wanted to know what it was going to be like. I wondered what it would look like, or if someone fell out, or if someone drowned, or hit a rock and fainted. What would we do in that situation? But I was also ready to get off my feet and get wet.
I felt nervous inside but excited on the outside. My feelings were all pumped up and crammed inside. So I just followed what the guide “Tiny” said and got in the right position to paddle. We pushed off land and he said “Forward Paddle”. I started to paddle and was thinking that if we had to go high side, what would I do. Speaking of that, there were rules: 1. If someone falls out, pull them by their vest back in, 2. High Side: if the boat starts tipping everyone jump up on one (the high) side, 3. Listen to the directions and everyone will have fun.
I did have fun! Falling down the rocky slopes, the water splashing in my face, paddling to and fro, going high side, and the funniest of all, my dad falling out (on one of the easiest rapids!). The swims and the hikes to the waterfalls, oh, what a joy!
I loved rafting through the wide creeks with my family. And for the first time whitewater rafting, I thought it was the best of Boquete. I really enjoyed it, and know that all of my fears have been washed away by the white rocky waves of the river.
As Boquete is coffee, and vice versus, the next day we arranged to go to a coffee plantation. Both kids describe:
( C ) Today, we went to a coffee plantation. We had to rush through breakfast before the man came. After breakfast, we stepped outside to the chilly morning air. A tall man was waiting at the door with other people for the tour.
When he saw Scott and me, he said “The kids will be bored. I recommend not to bring them”. My mom said that “they are here to learn, not play”. Although the man thought it was going to be a waste of money, he nodded his head and led us to the car. There was no room in his car, so we took our own.
On the ride to the coffee plantation, we talked about how they hated kids at the coffee farm. My mom said that “you represent all the children of the world, so do your best”.
( S ) We sure showed him!
When we got to the farm we first went to the coffee field. The bushes were supposed to be trees that were only six feet tall. It was the smallest full grown tree I’ve ever seen. The “trees” have red and green berries (fruit); inside them are 2 or 3 slimy peanut-shaped seeds. The coffee berries, when you chewed on them, tasted like cantaloupe.
Next we went to the storage room (actually, we were given an extensive talk on sorting, washing, drying, etc., but if you’ve never had coffee, I guess it didn’t mean too much - RST). This was my favorite part. There were about 250 BIG bags of coffee beans, all 125 pounds, stacked up. Well, more like 500 bags. I was dying to climb them. The bags are stacked by the workers; when the stacks get too high, they have to carry 125 pounds on their back up a ladder designed for the weight.
Next, we went to the "old timey" factory. When I got to crank a crank, the water went into action, and made the belts run and the belts made the dryer run. It was very cool.
( C ) At the very end, we had to try their coffee (Scott refused, so he evidently didn’t want to write about it - RST). My favorite was the light roast with cream and sugar. We also got beautiful handmade bracelets from the local people who worked at the farm.
Both kids wrote that surprisingly, they enjoyed the tour, even though we were there for almost 4 hours (lots of coffee info!).
That afternoon we found a fascinating garden, filled with all sorts of witticisms (in Spanish). As the kids played, we were the two geeky turistas wandering around with our dictionary, trying to make sense of the profound sayings.
The next morning we were off to the airport (drinking coffee from the plantation) and heading for Panama City.
