blue footed boobies

I saw blue footed boobies and a bunch of other birds and even whales today!

me, probably giggling at the name "blue footed boobies."

I went on a tour with the agency I'm volunteering with (so I didn't have to pay!) to Isla de la Plata...an island about an hour's boat ride off the coast of Ecuador that's part of Machalilla National Park. On the way there, we saw a bunch of whales breeching. (This part of Ecuador is prime location to see whales, so there's a huge industry of whale watching.) Some of the whales were just yards from us, and I spotted a couple whale tails too. I didn't snap any pictures because it was just too darn cool to be stationed behind a camera. So...just imagine. It was cool.

When we got to Isla de la Plata, we hiked around for about 2 or 3 hours. Along the way we saw SO many blue footed boobies (or, in Spanish, the equally cool name, piqueros patas azules). They are so funny looking! I kept imagining what they would sound like if they were featured on Lolcats. Is that weird? Don't answer that, I know it's weird. Anyway, these birds are so interesting; they all sit with their mates, in the same place for 8 months at a time. Adorbs.

We also saw finches, fragats (the "pirates" of the bird world, fragats nip blue footed boobies in the butt, and then steal the fish the boobies consequently regurgitate up), nazcas and the occasional snake and iguana. From a distance, we saw whales again, this time hard core jumping out of the water. Fortunately, I was carrying the guide's, Galo's, binoculars for him, so I saw some really cool leaps. It was rad.

Then we spent a little bit of time swimming in the ocean. It was soooo lovely and beautiful. It hasn't been sunny in Puerto Lopez or Puerto Rico, so this was a nice break from the clouds.

On the way back to shore, I may or may not have gotten seasick and puked off the side of the boat. (Translation: I totally got seasick and puked off the side of the boat). So worth it, though. It was a great day. I had a great time hiking around, seeing beautiful landscapes, and doing the occasional translating for Galo, although he speaks English well enough that he didn't really need me.

Also of note, a couple of days ago, a Canadian girl named Denise (who lived with Liz and her family last year) is back here working, so she and I have become fast friends. It's been really nice to not only have someone around who I can chat FLUIDLY and EASILY with in my native tongue, but someone who knows this area. She's back to teach more English and is staying at a nice little hostel whose owner turns out to be Galo, the guide for the tour. Such a small, lovely town. Last night Galo, Denise, some other hostel-ers and I went to a party down the road where some natives of Puerto Lopez and regular visitors were hanging out. It was super fun...lots of choripan, bife de chorizo, pisco sours, sangria..a mod podge of yummy global delicacies.

I'm so excited to be getting to know the onda (vibe) of Puerto Lopez more and more. The people here are soooo friendly and everyone knows each other and everyone has a vida sencilla...take Galo...he runs this hostel and gets to go to this beautiful island four days a week. What a life.

Ya! Es todo! Chau!