It was finally December 31, 2017, and I was heading to New York, not to see the ball drop, but to prepare for what became the best experience of my life. I arrived to the airport hotel about 4 hours before our meeting time because I was so worried about being late. So I spent some time watching my favorite team, the Jets, get smacked around by the Patriots (theres hope for next year). This took up most of my time until I met up with John and Hunter since we were rooming together. We then all met up in Tait’s hotel room and had our first official meeting as a group. Tait provided us with some pizza (wish it didn’t take dominos 1000 years to deliver it) and we went over the plans for the next day and then we listened to Greg and Haley give an excellent presentation on Seismic Activity. We then left from the meeting just in time to be back in our rooms for the start of the new year. This New Years eve was like no other because we got to see the ball drop and about three and a half hours later we would be on our way to the airport to depart on our long-awaited trip to the magnificent country of Ecuador. It was 3:30 in the morning when we woke up and headed down to the lobby to get on the shuttle over to the main terminal. Once we made it to the airport we checked our bags, got our boarding passes, and got in line to go through security. This is the moment where it actually hit me, I was really going to Ecuador, it was such a long-awaited experience that I spent ample amounts of time and effort preparing for and ensuring that I will fully understand and gain the most knowledge of the country and its people as possible.
By the time we got to the gate it was time to relax, I was exhausted, and it was about 5 o’clock in the morning. Time pasted slowly as our boarding time approached, but then it was finally time. We all got on the plane, everything went smoothly, I was sitting next to John and Abby, the flight doors were closed, and then we just sat in the same spot for 2 hours. It was brutal. They said that the conveyer belts that load the luggage on to the plane were frozen. How could they have not thought of that, The whole region was currently going through a bitterly cold spell and it was no secret that it was going to be cold enough to freeze up machinery, how could one of the biggest airports in the country not be prepared enough for this, we are going to miss our connection in Bogota, what happens if that happens. This was all running through my mind as I was sitting eagerly ready to finally take off. Then 2 hours past and the plane finally took off. The Airline that we were flying on was called Avianca and it was a very pleasant experience other than our delay, and the food was oddly something I always looked forward to on their flights. Anyway, the flight went well I kept entertained with the free pacman game that was included on the TV and my music, I only slept for a small portion of the flight and was so jealous/kind of angry at John because he legitimately passed out like a rock for the entire flight. We finally got to Bogota and found out that luckily our connection in Bogota was delayed as well so we were not goin to miss it, Thank god. The layover went very quick and we got our last plane before arriving in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
We then unloaded the plane and got our bags we met up with our guide for the entirety of the trip, Diego. Diego was waiting for us with a bus in which we loaded up our bag on and got on to head to our first hotel, the Hotel Continental. We were greeted at the hotel with a variety of different juices to pick from, something that at the time we didn’t know, but we would eventually get very accustomed to juices because they were served everywhere, and I mean everywhere, and I’m not complaining. We then settled into our rooms, we were only staying for the night as we departed for the Galapagos the next day. We then had our first meeting with Diego before we had dinner. Diego introduced himself and gave us a rundown on what was going on for the trip, his expectations and what we can expect. We went over the plans for the next day and what was imperative to bring (i.e. sunscreen because it can be priced over $25 for a bottle in the Galapagos because they can.) Then Diego just highlighted some basic Ecuador knowledge such as the 4 regions; the Galapagos, the Coast, the Andes, and the Amazon. We also touched on the abundance of species diversity in both plants and animals in the country. It set the stage for what was to come, and I couldn’t be anymore excited at the time. After the meeting a group of us went with Tait and Diego to the drugstore to get last minute items before heading to the Galapagos. I didn’t need to get anything but went along for the journey anyway. This was my first, firsthand experience of what Guayaquil was like which I have always heard was not very safe. However, with Tait and Diego with us we felt very comfortable. It was New Years day so there was not much going on, Diego mentioned to us that it is a very lazy day in Ecuador. We did see a decent amount of people though and it was such a lasting experience for me because I was gaining a different perspective outside my own of how people go about and live their lives. This was a common feeling that I experienced throughout the trip and I loved every second of it. When we got back from the drugstore we had our first dinner, I got steak with an egg on it served over rice with some French fries and it was great. So far so good with the food, now it was time to rest up for the big next day, the first day in the famous Galapagos Islands.
By the time we got to the gate it was time to relax, I was exhausted, and it was about 5 o’clock in the morning. Time pasted slowly as our boarding time approached, but then it was finally time. We all got on the plane, everything went smoothly, I was sitting next to John and Abby, the flight doors were closed, and then we just sat in the same spot for 2 hours. It was brutal. They said that the conveyer belts that load the luggage on to the plane were frozen. How could they have not thought of that, The whole region was currently going through a bitterly cold spell and it was no secret that it was going to be cold enough to freeze up machinery, how could one of the biggest airports in the country not be prepared enough for this, we are going to miss our connection in Bogota, what happens if that happens. This was all running through my mind as I was sitting eagerly ready to finally take off. Then 2 hours past and the plane finally took off. The Airline that we were flying on was called Avianca and it was a very pleasant experience other than our delay, and the food was oddly something I always looked forward to on their flights. Anyway, the flight went well I kept entertained with the free pacman game that was included on the TV and my music, I only slept for a small portion of the flight and was so jealous/kind of angry at John because he legitimately passed out like a rock for the entire flight. We finally got to Bogota and found out that luckily our connection in Bogota was delayed as well so we were not goin to miss it, Thank god. The layover went very quick and we got our last plane before arriving in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
We then unloaded the plane and got our bags we met up with our guide for the entirety of the trip, Diego. Diego was waiting for us with a bus in which we loaded up our bag on and got on to head to our first hotel, the Hotel Continental. We were greeted at the hotel with a variety of different juices to pick from, something that at the time we didn’t know, but we would eventually get very accustomed to juices because they were served everywhere, and I mean everywhere, and I’m not complaining. We then settled into our rooms, we were only staying for the night as we departed for the Galapagos the next day. We then had our first meeting with Diego before we had dinner. Diego introduced himself and gave us a rundown on what was going on for the trip, his expectations and what we can expect. We went over the plans for the next day and what was imperative to bring (i.e. sunscreen because it can be priced over $25 for a bottle in the Galapagos because they can.) Then Diego just highlighted some basic Ecuador knowledge such as the 4 regions; the Galapagos, the Coast, the Andes, and the Amazon. We also touched on the abundance of species diversity in both plants and animals in the country. It set the stage for what was to come, and I couldn’t be anymore excited at the time. After the meeting a group of us went with Tait and Diego to the drugstore to get last minute items before heading to the Galapagos. I didn’t need to get anything but went along for the journey anyway. This was my first, firsthand experience of what Guayaquil was like which I have always heard was not very safe. However, with Tait and Diego with us we felt very comfortable. It was New Years day so there was not much going on, Diego mentioned to us that it is a very lazy day in Ecuador. We did see a decent amount of people though and it was such a lasting experience for me because I was gaining a different perspective outside my own of how people go about and live their lives. This was a common feeling that I experienced throughout the trip and I loved every second of it. When we got back from the drugstore we had our first dinner, I got steak with an egg on it served over rice with some French fries and it was great. So far so good with the food, now it was time to rest up for the big next day, the first day in the famous Galapagos Islands.