Galapagos Islands

So how did it feel to arrive first time in Galapagos? I felt embaressed. Already on the pier I almost stepped on a sea lion. It was just lying there, on pier, front of a Bar like it would have had really rough night and it had had hardly energy to growl out or the bar, or even have thrown out from there, and then just had decided to sleep his head clear there just in front of the bar. The only reason I understand it was so ignoring us.

Diving is surpricingly expensive already in Ecuador (mainland), so shouldn’t be surprice, that it is it also in Galapagos Islands. But, I wasn’t ready to nöyrtyä to the fact, that when getting dives from other island, there were some middle hands more -all taking their share. I actually saw everything (but hammehead sharks) already the first day while snorkling, so I was convinced, that it wouldn’t be that big deal if I wouldn’t dive at all. I’ve been diving with sharks already quite many times and have nice pics from those dives. As such, I waited until I was in San Cristobal and tried to book my dive only then. But, as I had only one day on the island, all dives to see the hamnerhead sharks were fully booked. 🤷🏼‍♀️For a while I was a bit disppointed, but as I liked so much more San Christobal than Santa Cruz and Puerto Ayora, I thought it would be nice walk around the close by beaches. And I was so right! Hammerhead sharks would have needed to do quite tricks to päihittää the sealions that came to play with me, even nuuskia me, even though their mommy was clearly advicing them not to and even giving a hard lecture to me. Still tried to not to touch the baby sealions as their mammies would reject them in case they would smell human. Oh, but they were so lovely. 😍 Definitely made my trip to Galapagos islands. ❤️

Arrival to Ecuador

A small local man, who didn’t speak any English was waiting for me in the AirPort lobby. As he didn’t speak any English, he made me to run after him, with all my luggage, around the AirPort when he was redeeming his parking ticket. Just to assure we wouldn’t get lost each other, although his tiny car was really close to the main door. After a night flight with stopover I would have preferred just to stay by the main door while he was handling tickets and taxed.

It was pouring when we tried to fit my backbag to his car’s tailgate. And there was hardly room for me and my hand luggage in the back seat of his car. But the mentality he had in everything he did… I had missed it. I was feeling home -it was good to be back in South America.

My first destination was Quito, the capital of Ecuador. As those were my first days, I was just walking around the Old Town and breathing the atmosphere.

Quito is also a good home base to visit the surroundings like the Mitad del Mundo, the central point of our Earth. And just like that, I’m now certified to put egg standing on a needle. Walking on a line eyes closed didn't go that well. 🙈

Spanish came back to me already after one week. No, I still don’t speak any Spanish, especially when it’s convenient not to speak Spanish. So maybe I just smell when someone tries to explain something without any glue, what he is talking about. Happens surprisingly often in here. Although, they are all doing it meaning well, not in an arrogant way trying to hide their weakness. However I do it, this understanding Spanish takes quite a lot away from the adventure. At least I still look like a tourist.

Pics on ig @delighted_virgin. (Don't ask...)

Aruba -Pearl of Caribbean

 

What to say about Aruba? It’s a small island, really only 10 km long, and popular among US tourists. The beaches were beautiful and the nights were full of that Caribean night vibe. It is a former Dutch colony, so it there were also lot of Dutch people everywhere -as well as Dutch cheese, Dutch wafers… You name it and if it’s considered Dutch, they had it.

 

I really enjoyed my time in there. I found it way nicer place to visit that Belize two years ago. This actually returned my trust for the Caribean as a place worth to travel. But it was still enough to have only a short pit stop there and then continue to lovely South America.

Lausanne and Bern

With these two cities I have nice memories. They both kind of have the same athmosphere. Lausanne is a small town by a lake, Alps on the background. Bern is the capital, but somehow Zürich has taken the ”big city” role and left Bern to be really nice down to earth town with a river running through it. And they both have those lovely clock tower figures! 😍In Lausanne the clock tower figures show the history of the city every hour. Now they seem to be just cute, but by the time they were built, they must have been amazing technological break through -Switch watches, you know. 😉 So I enjoyed more the Old Town, Cathedral and the oldest covered wooden stairs, although Olumpics Museum is the thing to mention in Lausanne.

Partially my nice memories about Bern comes from the fact that I and Jasmine were again united. You remember the smugling in Los Coloradas? And her friend Joanna join us also. This time my temper wasn’t tested the way that it would have led to something as extreme as smugling.

Initially our plan in Bern was to rent a plastic boat and let the river take us three hours from upriver to the city. Unfortunately we were late with renting and they were all already booked. The other big thing for me in Bern was to visit Einstein’s Home Museum and Historical Museum’s permanent Einstein exhibition. They both handle the achievments and personal life drama. We started with the Home Museum. It kind of was a mistake. I have been quite a fan of Einstein, you know. I totally agree his saying ”If you can’t say it simple, you just don’t know it”. I even have that in my office as a painting. 🤓 But did you know, he was a total as....le? He never even met his first born, the daughter. Even through he later married the mother of this daughter and had two sons with her. Girls were asking whether I was surpriced -after all great persons are rarely nice personalities. I don’t agree. Genius (or introvert, as a trending excuse nowadays) -you don’t need to be an asshole! So, I got a bit upset and we skipped Historical Museum and went straight (after me leading us to wrong zoo first) to see the city mascots: bears. I certainly felt obliged to refress Finn’s (the daddy bear, born in Finland) Finnish skills. He was quite busy to chat but posed few nice pics with her daughter.

So my nice mood was back and we continued to the river bank. We had left this as a cherry on our Bern cake. And so we jumped to the river and joined the other swimmers and boats. Yes, the river was full of floating boats and people. And there were every now and then stairs on the river bank so you could get up again, walk upriver and jump floating again. And hey, this is a must, if you ever visit Bern. 🤩Those who floated several kilometers had their valuables and chlothes in floating waterproof bags. But as we were floating only few hundred meters we left our valuables under the towel. The local rule says, that they are secured under the towel. So don’t forget those on your towel. 😉

P.S. We certainly also discovered the Bern Old Town which is named as Unesco World Heritage Site. 🏆

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexico City Part II, Stones in the amazing Anthropological Museum

When visiting Anthropological Museum on Mexico City, I was stunned of all the stones collected there. But on the other hand I was a bit disappointed, that most of the text was only in Spanish. So I didn’t get all the fascinating history they could tell, but got it surprising well. It was over whelming. We agreed to meet in our meeting point after rough one and half hour, but by that time we hadn’t even taken half of the museum. So we gave us an additional hour and made running the rest of it. By that time we were already too hungry to do any more. It was a pity, that there was so much to see, but as you couldn’t get food in and there was no restaurant inside, you just were driven by your hunger. 🤷🏼‍♀️

It was a great place to start my adventure to the history of Mexico. Most of the original statues and constructions were in Anthropological Museum to assure they will stay in shape for the coming generations. of course they hadn't left the original places empty but reconstructed them there also. (And you can trust my word, they have stones, original stones, still also on those archeological sites. Yes, Mexico has stones. 😅 ) The constructions were huge, both inside the museum and on outside area -almost like in a jungle. And all in the middle of the city.

So I started naturally to think the business side of it... It was almost like using what I have learnt now in my studies about Service Design. I might even use that some day as a case in my studies... There would be so many ways to get the visitors more involved. 🤩 It could easily be 1-2 days amusement park, even with quite minor changes. You could so clearly see the difference compared to any amazing place for example in States. But as a summary: as long as they don’t have restaurant inside, eat well before. And as the ticket is only few euros, prepare to visit for two days and enjoy the other half day in the surrounding park (and street food you can find from there). 😋

Last days in Mexico City ❤️

When I arrived first time in Mexico City I immediately felt like coming back to home. Diring my whole trip Mexico City has been my homebase. And it has felt like coming home every time arriving to U-Co Roma Nomadi hostel. I have been always taken such a good care -I will miss all the new friends I have got.

Although you go to new places when travelling, the people you meet there are actually the true thing. The moments you share, the connections you have. It is hard to explain how you meet people in totally different level when travelling, and especially when travelling alone. Last year I met lovely Mexican girls in Amazon and they were part of the reason I chose Mexico City for my base camp for this trip.

There are of course always ups and downs during longer trip. The most important parts for me are still the starts (even mini starts like every time arriving to a new city) and endings. With this trip I was lucky to have a lovely ending for the whole trip. ❤️ I spent the last night and days with lovely people, still doing a little bit turistic staff I hadn’t had time before and finally also getting to a salsa club 💃🏼🕺🏼in Mexico City (like planned from day 1 😄).

I’m happy and lucky. And this applys both to my trip and return. I have experienced amazing thing things with beatiful people -I have still so many stories and pictures I haven’t shared with you. I will share atleast those which are already written and are only waiting for the pictures. (Yes, technical challenges have been one of the main themes of this trip.) With some luck, I will some day add pics also into this text... 😁

It was lovely to get this nice ending for my trip and leave home smile on my face, although feeling maybe a bit melancholic but at the same time sure I will meet these people again. ❤️

Panama City -views from Old Town, pool, zip line over jungle -and not so nice neighborhood

Panama reminder me a lot of Cuba and maybe especially Havanna. For me Panama was windy city with palms and beatiful old buildings. The sea was disturbing blue - the kind of they paint the bottom of the pool of swimming halls.

When discovering the City first day I again ended up in kind of streets we can be happy it was daylight time. I had already a bit missed that Ooops! feeling. Before travelling to Mexico and Guatemala I had friends from there who gave me strickt instructions where to live and where to walk. (And Caye Culkin in Belize has only three streets from north to south and three from west to east, so there wasn’t so much to get in troubles. 😁) But, in Panama I have hotel in area they forbidded me to go out after dark. 😳🙄 I do follow the instructions, but feel sooo destrickted. 😫

But at hotel they said the area was safe at daytime, so I desided to walk to the bus station only 3 km apart when heading to zip lines in Lagun Gato, Colon. Didn’t even take my long sleeves with me as assuming to travel in chicken busses. But the beaty in difference of planning and doing... On my morning walk to the bus station I was stopped by a policeman. (Yes, I admit, I had been already looking around me, that now I have a reason to walk like knowing where going and in the middle of the road. Everybody probably had already seen me, so didn’t want anybody to surprice me behind a corner by being all too close to me. 😐 My only defence, Attitude Walk, saying ”If you are looking for easy, keep on looking!” So no pics from that situation, but from few blocks earlier... Yes. 😄) Considering the reputation police have in some of these countries, I was a bit sceptical. But after a small discussion he made his opinion clear: it is not safe in here and I should take a taxi. Then he saw a police car, winked them to us and clearly instructed them to take me to bus a station (where I have told I was heading). No one open any doors, so I played I didn’t understand and said I will look a taxi. So, I had plenty of time to choose, whether I want to be robed by taxi or police. I chose my poison for the day and decided to give the opportunity to taxi some other day.

When sitting in the back seat of a police car, doors locked, the streets seemed even more ”not recommended area”. I saw so many places where I would prefer not to be with two bad cops... But these happend to be the good ones, or atleast one of the four was, and so I got my way safely to the bus station. 😅 So, if I’m fattie, it’s not because I have avoided my excercise. It’s because police has forbidden it. ☝🏻

Well, in bus everybody were again taking care of the Blond (who was freezing in airconditioned bus). I was trying to ask the driver, where to step out from the bus, but also the lady in front row wanted to participate. Ok, ticket-collector robt me with a double price, but that’s kind of the spirit.

When arriving the zip lines, I noticed my tour would be private. Nice, but in Spanish and the guide had clear injuries on his hands. I almost laughed out loud and decided not to think any safety perspectives in a hysterical manner -just signed them out from any liability. As this evidently had already shown to be my lucky day. 🤷🏼‍♀️😂 And yes, the boys were absolutely great. I just let them do their thing, taking care of my safety. And they were even really helpfull with all foto taking, into my cameras.

Panama was the last Spanish speaking country at this trip and tomorrow I’ll continue to Portugese speaking Brasil. The next two weeks in there might smelt all my learnt Spanish away. But I’m happy into which level I have brought it. I’m using words which I didn’t know I would even understand. And manage to fool taxi drivers several blocks, that I do speak Spanish. 😅 Or atleast I’m saying something and get the answers I want and things are going the way I want to. 😂 I have even started answering ”Si” to questions, when it feels right, and still haven’t ended up into troubles. 😇 And in customs I always struggle first 3-5 questions in Spanish, but then change into English before I say something illeagal. 😬 So it seems, that the excitement of travelling without common language is soon taken away from me -in Spanish speaking countries. Hmm... Maybe I’ll after that learn the language properly. But anyhow I have a strong feeling that I’ll be back. ❤️