Vagabond

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Iguana crossing. Notice that the land iguana is not gregarious like the marine iguana.  Since water is scarce -you can see how dry the land is, the land iguana gets its water from their food ie Prickly Pear. During the rainy season they drink from standing pools of water. They live in burrows that we could see while we trekked carefully to avoid stepping on them or their burrows

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Having been on this holy pilgrimage to Fernandina, and witnessed 4.5 million years of the evolution when the land iguana and marine iguana diverged, it is no longer a surprise why initial ideas of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection were implanted in his mind here. Due to variation, some iguanas were able to survive on cactus, usually Prickly Pear. Their mouths are incredibly leathery, enabling them to eat the cactus pads whole including the spines. Land iguanas show a fascinating symbiotic interaction with Darwin’s finches, raising themselves off the ground and allowing the little birds to remove ticks.

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The video shows a marine iguana expelling salt through glands near its nostrils. This is an important adaptation that has allowed this species to thrive on marine algae. Notice the lack of any plant material on the rocks or on the land. The marine iguana is therefore a great example of evolutionary survival.

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There is only one species of Galapagos marine iguanas at the archipelago, but due to environmental selective pressure, these iguanas vary slightly in colour and size between islands. We saw these red marine iguanas on Isla Española.

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We flew from Quito to Baltra in the Galapagos on a chartered Avianca flight and were taken by bus to board our tender that would take us to our home for the next 7 days-The Celebrity Expedition. My emotions got the better of me as I set foot on a Galapagos Island. The next seven days was sheer euphoria. Here is a picture pf our first encounter with the Galapagos Marine Iguana. When the terrestrial iguana was transported to the Galapagos islands from the mainland possibly on rafts or debris, they could not find food on the barren basalt rocks. Due to a variation some iguanas were able to dive into the shallow waters and scrape on green algae found underwater. Under this environmental selective pressure marine iguanas evolved at the Galapagos islands. Speciation has occurred and these iguanas now have short noses for scraping algae with strong limbs for diving. Since they spend so much time in salt water they need to get rid of excess salt through a gland near their nose. It was so much fun counting how many salt spits we saw. Marine iguanas are the only aquatic lizards in the world. Although  Charles Darwin described them as "hideous-looking" and "most disgusting, clumsy lizards", I grew to love them.

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The highest capital city in the world, Quito is at 2850m above sea level. The city tour took us to the monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía. This church is a masterpiece of baroque art with lavish golden altars and gilded columns, making it one of the most ornate structures in Ecuador. Its gilded interior shines and its paintings, sculptures, altars, cupola and pulpit are illuminated strategically. Photography is not allowed but we have a distinct memory of the large Final Judgment and Hell paintings at each side of the entrance. 

After a luxury lunch where we met a group of friends who would be our buddies for the rest of the Galapagos cruise, we visited Intinan, the Half of the World park and museum where we stood on the Equatorial line. This museum features interactive exhibits on how the Incas determined the middle of the earth, and some phoney science experiments such as balancing an egg on a nail and the effects of the Coriolis force on earth. On our way back we went to a beautiful park like setting on the top of a hill for the best view of Quito. At the top is a statue made of aluminium called La Virgen del Panecillo. This sculpture is the tallest in South America, taller than Christ the Redeemer in Rio and the tallest aluminium sculpture in the world. The virgin with silver wings for escape has a crescent moon under her feet and 12 stars is on her head. After battling a dragon, Satan, she is trampling on it with a heavy silver chain.  

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Lawn mowers at Machu Picchu: llamas and alpacas

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The Vistadome train took us to Machu Picchu which is a 15th century Inca citadel built on the Andes mountains at 2,430 metres above sea level. The train is completely surrounded by panoramic windows that allow you to enjoy the incredible landscapes of the Sacred Valley, the snow-capped Andes mountains and the banks of the Urubamba River. This train route is considered among the most amazing in the world. We had great company on our trip in both directions. The former Mexican Ambassador to Peru give us insights into his country and some lesser known stories about Peru.

It is believed that the Royal Estate was chosen for safety as it is surrounded by the Urubamba River and mountain ranges. It was abandoned during the Spanish invasion and in 1911 discovered by American historian Hiram Bingham. Some historians believe that most of its inhabitants died from smallpox introduced by the Spanish conquistadors. For me, reaching the highest point of the ruins gave me a huge sense of achievement. I could not have done it without my beloved’s physical and emotional support (and prednisolone!) as well as Ellisbet, our patient guide. BTW there is no lawn mower at Machu Picchu; the llamas and alpacas do the job.

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Our walking tour of Cusco which is 3399 m above sea level was an incredible introduction to the continent’s oldest continuously operating city. Walking a block at this altitude through Cusco feels like running a marathon for a normal person and a completely different story for a person with asthma.

A living museum, Cusco incorporates pre-Inca, Inca and Spanish influences seamlessly and one can see all three types of architecture on a single wall. It isn’t difficult to see why the Incas named the city the ‘navel of the world’. We visited the Inca museum where we discovered just how extensive and advanced both Inca and pre Inca civilisations were and how these were destroyed by the Spanish invaders mostly in the name of religion. Notice the churches and cathedral that surround the main square, Placa de Armas. The plaza is a great place to catch up with friends. When the Spanish conquistadores arrived in Cusco, they demolished a prominent Inca temple and replaced it with the catholic cathedral. Most of the stones for the building were taken from Sacsayhuamán, an Inca holy and defensive structure located on the hills above Cusco…another stab for us catholics. Cusco Cathedral is home to the historic painting that depicts Jesus and his disciples dining on a traditional Peruvian menu-gunea pig. Our guide goes, “How many of you have tried guinea pig?” He continues, “If Jesus could eat…why can’t you?”  

After exploring the city’s architecture along its cobblestone streets, we dined at some great restaurants and met interesting tourists with whom we exchanged stories. Moreno Peruvian Kitchen was one restaurant that every tourist must visit; the Peruvian food was delicious and the service was fantastic. The bartender wheeled a cart over to our table and began to work his magic on our drinks - something with Pisco, lime and some kind of juice -it was delicious. You may not get a table if you have not booked in advance. The first day we were disappointed but on our second night, we had a booking.

Talking about food, G has been having ceviche for most meals since Lima and it is presented and tastes better when the cost is higher. He has had ceviche to last a long time. I can’t imagine eating raw fish “cooked” in lime juice! We enjoyed the Aji de Gallina (Creamy pepper chicken) and Lomo saltado (stir fried beef).

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I could not finish my journey through the Amazon Rainforest without recalling the sounds. Immediately upon arrival, you will notice the sounds of the Amazon…a constant buzz from the millions of insects and the bird calls at all times of the day and night. Occasionally, a loud piercing noise might startle you; some Amazonian critters emit sounds that reach up to 130 decibels! 

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You can see the blue headed macaws feeding on the clay cliff and then they suddenly took off. Macaws sometimes unknowingly feed on toxic forest fruit and nuts. They then feed on clay that contains several salts to detoxify. Nature is unpredictable. You catch these sightings by chance. Turn on the sound. This is the only sound we could hear for 3 days at the Inkaterra Amazonica.

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We woke up at 4am to ride the boat to see the clay licks. We were greeted with the most glorious sunrise over the Madre de Dios river and the Amazon rain forest. 

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After getting our passports stamped at the Tambopata National Reserve, we headed out on a 3km trek through the forest to Lake Sandoval. We got on a paddleboat as motorised boats are not allowed since the sounds would disturb wildlife. We have seen a lot of monkeys in India and in Bali but the monkeys at Lake Sandoval were unique- we saw capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys. The lake is surrounded by forest and palms, which made sunset simply magnificent. The famous otters made a brief appearance. We were some distance away from them but other boats were close to the rather social but endangered species.

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One of the highlights at the Amazon rainforest was our canopy walk -100 metres above the ground in the midst of the tall, old rainforest canopy. Howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and a few varieties of macaws and parrots make all the noise. We learned about the complex ecosystem and the many adaptations of rainforest flora.

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The challenge of all rainforest trees is to reach sunlight. Because of the dense canopy, the understorey is extremely humid since heat is trapped here and at floor level. Our local guide seemed to have infinite knowledge of the local flora. Back home I am trying to research these trees but even Google cannot find them. I have figured that you cannot learn about the amazing Amazon rainforest from the web or from books. You have to be there with the guides. Our guide pointed out almost every tree, plant, epiphyte, shrub, moss and fungi and all their uses with fabulous anecdotes about how his family used some of them. The picture on the left is the Pona palm (penis tree) with unique external roots and the picture on the right Cashapona (walking palm). Its roots are said to move the palm towards sunlight. Below are pictures of an epiphyte and the Strangler fig. Lichen on another Strangle fig is in the last picture

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Before landing at Puerto Maldonado, we saw this gorgeous view of the Madre de Dios river, which is a tributary of the Amazon river. On landing, we received the most gracious welcome by the hosts from Inkaterra Amazonica. Their smiling faces and eagerness to make us comfortable made the high temperature and extreme humidity bearable. After about a half hour coach ride we reached the river where got into a canoe to Inkaterra Amazonica, an eco-luxury rainforest lodge. The hosts provided us with cold bottled water and some delicious banana chips for the 45 minute canoe ride.

That’s the bell which sounds when the canoe is ready to leave for the town/airport. On our twilight river cruise we spotted a large caiman and other small nocturnal animals. Our cabin was clean, bug free and rather luxurious, given that it’s in the middle of the rainforest. We relaxed in our hammocks between treks in the rainforest. We learned to appreciate power at the flick of a switch back home when electricity was turned off from dusk to dawn.

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Saturday evening after mass (in Spanish) we strolled to Parque Kennedy in central Miraflores…which is the safe and happening district in Lima. The local park is a fabulous place to get a taste of local culture. The highlight was the little dance amphitheatre where a speaker was blaring out salsa music and the locals were dancing in the centre! It was so cool to see people socialising, being out and about and generally busting some pretty good dance moves. When I grow up I want to dance like the señor in the foreground in the video.