ECUADOR – “Discovering a New Species of Life”
I've struggled with writing about my trip to Ecuador more than any other journey I've taken. I booked my flight and the majority of my trip within a week, yet 5 months following my return I’m still plagued with empty pages and frustration. It’s a relationship that started quickly and innocently, but has led to an entanglement of conflicted emotions and ideals that have been difficult for me to explain. Ecuador is simply much more than the small volcano-ridged South American country that straddles the equator and claims the Galapagos Islands. There’s a beating heart within those volcanoes, and her fiery pulse can be felt from the city streets to the island shores. She began gently whispering secrets in my ear as soon as I arrived in Quito.
At 9,400 feet and between two volcano-studded ridges is a 40km stretch of valley where Quito claims its title as the second highest capital city in the world (#1 is La Paz, Bolivia). Over 1.5 million people call Quito home despite being located in the infamous "Volcano Alley." The lines of towering volcanoes that once spit fire and devastation now look more like hunched little old ladies draped in snowy white shawls. If those ladies had a matriarch, her name would be Volcan Cotopaxi. Towering over the others at 19,000 feet and 5 years past her scheduled 100-year eruption cycle, Cotopaxi sternly looms over her sisters and the city of Quito.
Quito Skyline
Once I touched down in Quito and checked into the Swiss-owned Cometa bed and breakfast, I was out the front gate to explore the city. The most prominent structures in Quito are the towering spires of the Basilica. Up several flights of stairs and across a wooden catwalk above the Basilica’s ceiling, stand very narrow iron rod ladders precariously bolted to the side of the towers. Introduce sweaty palms, subtle trembling, strong breezes, and second thoughts, and you start to have a sense of this visceral experience. After a couple “Our Fathers” and a self-motivational pep talk that would make Tony Robbins proud, I was treated to panoramic views of a city cradled within a valley of volcanoes. However, as proud as I was of overcoming my height anxiety, I also noticed that I wasn't alone. A couple of smiling Quiteno teens stood holding hands and staring into each others eyes in the corner of the tower; they didn't seem the least bit impressed by the amazing view. While their heartbeats raced with passion, my heart pounded from climbing a paperclip ladder, seemingly scotch-taped to a 377-foot tower.
As I continued through the streets of Quito my senses were pleased by the smells of fresh spinning rotisserie chicken, the rhythmic sounds of Spanish, and the melodies of an accordion street musician. My eyes darted from colonial to modern architecture, and from the angelic Panecillo that watches over the city, I appreciated the balance between tradition and “progress” in a city that was founded in the mid-1500s. In many ways, Quito is not only the point at which the northern and southern hemispheres meet, but where the past meets the future, devastation meets renewal, fire meets ice, and love meets fear.
After a few days, I flew from Quito to the Galapagos Islands and boarded a 16-passenger yacht called the Angelito for a 5-day Galapagos Island-hopping adventure. I didn't know what to expect from the Galapagos; all I knew was that the excursion doubled the price of my entire trip. I hoped that Darwin wasn't full of shit, and this place was worth it. Our first landing was on the black rocky coast of North Seymour island. We were immediately greeted by a mother sea lion nursing her pup; huge red-breasted frigates flying overhead; black marine iguanas, who were only noticeable on the wet black rocks when they spit; neon-colored Sally Lightfoot Crabs scurrying through crashing waves; land iguanas sunbathing like Floridian tourists; and boobies bouncing around everywhere! I loved the boobies… It’s true. I wasn't allowed to touch them, but I took as many pictures of them as I could. They usually were seen in pairs, but I certainly didn't mind clicking my shutter on a lone booby. Innuendos aside, I learned that almost all of the species on the Galapagos Islands are without natural predators; therefore, none of the species have fear or mistrust of anyone or anything. I felt envious of such an existence. The time spent exploring each unique island over my 5-day tour provided me with the purest and closest experience with wildlife that I've ever felt. For those 5 days, all species were equal and I realized that my concerns for the cost of the excursion to the Galapagos were pathetically naïve.
Mini Galapagos Marine Iguana
After I flew back to Quito from the Galapagos, I took a day trip to visit a volcano crater lake that I saw pictures of in a travel book. Although Laguna Quilotoa is located 3 hours south of Quito in the middle of nowhere, I felt an irresistible draw to see it for myself. When I arrived and hiked up to the crater’s edge, I stood in silence for what seemed like hours. The reflection of the clouds floated across the green water and swirling crater winds carried a beautiful acapella of baritone sheep juxtaposed with soprano lambs and accompanied by the occasional harmonic horse and dog. As I hiked around the perimeter, I thought of the searing lava that catastrophically destroyed everything in the area 800 years earlier. Greenish-yellow farmland and prairie now blanket the surrounding hills, and locals tend to sheep and children along side of the collapsed volcano’s crater lake.
At the equator
Darwin might have written "The Origin of Species" based on the variations of species that he found in the Galapagos, but he didn't focus on the life that those species lived. Ecuador may draw her name from the line dividing the northern and southern hemispheres, but she has many conceptual divisions from which we can all learn. My experience in Ecuador has given me a new appreciation of how I should live the rest of my life. From the city of Quito, I am reminded to enjoy and appreciate my life and loved ones, despite that massive volcano that looms in the distance. From the teenagers in the Basilica bell tower, I realized my heart should pound with love, rather than from fear. From the Ecuadorian volcanoes, I learned that the snowy blanket of logic may look safe, but we can never escape from the fiery emotion that percolates just beneath the surface. From the species of the Galapagos, I discovered the importance of trusting and sharing with others, as if we have no natural predators. From Laguna Quilotoa, I saw that even disastrous traumas in the past, can lead to new growth, recovery, and a beautiful future. Ecuador might have whispered her secret in my ear while I was with her, but it took me 5 months to figure out what she meant: “appreciate life by living it in the name of love, rather than pickling it in fear…”
-Don
Laguna Quilotoa