We felt the itch for distant seas and the island bulk of the whale last weekend. So we went to Puerto Lopez. Puerto Lopez is a small fishing village on the central Pacific coast of Ecuador. To get there, we took a 4 hour bus ride northeast to Guayacil, then took another 4 to 5 hour bus ride northeast to Puerto Lopez.
Puerto Lopez is most famous for whales. Whales go there to breed from June to September. Since we were on the tail end of this season, we were worried that we might not see any whales. Fortunately, we caught the tail end of some whales...
We arrived in Puerto Lopez on Friday. We booked a tour (insert your token Gilligan's Isle reference here...except that our tour was a full day...and not 3 hours...and we lacked a millionaire...and a Gilligan...but we did have a skipper) and Saturday morning we were on our way to whale watching. Our tour included the following activities...whale watching, a hike on the Isla de la Plata, lunch, esnorkeling (translated to English...snorkeling), and more whale watching.
Upon our arrival to the Isla De Plata...
we encountered a variety of different animals...including sea turtles...
and crabs...
Blue footed boobies...
And other fowl creatures.
On our return to mainland the captain slowed the engine and Gonzolo shouted, "Mira! Ballenas!" Brigitte and I scrambled to the top of the boat to try and capture a few photos. With the boat moving in the waves it was difficult to capture images (you toggle between just letting your jaw drop and trying to take the photos). It is almost as if you have to choose whether to take photos or simply watch.
The humpback whales are a thing of beauty to behold. The males launch into the air and the crash back down into the water in an attempt to woo the females. It reminded me of the many times I tried to woo females by launching into the air and crashing into the land. But the whales have it figured out. They use water!
We were told that if we had come during the heart of the season, we would have been surrounded by whales.
After we had our whale time, while we were returning to mainland, our boat had some mechanicals. The brave mariners worked on the engine while the waves tossed us about. Brigitte tugged my sleeve and said, "I think I might get..." and suddenly, mid sentence, she turned and lost her lunch over the side of the ship. Immediately after Brigitte finished her gift giving to the sea, another woman in our group followed suite. Thankfully it stopped there...before all 15 of us got sick. After a short while the seamen fixed the motor and off we were.
The next day we explored the local playas with a friend we met on our whale tour. Her name was Daniella and she was from Chile. She patiently put up with our banal Spanish banter.
Daniella started singing while we were on the beach, "Abajo el mar! Abajo el mar!" We recognized the tune and started singing as well, "Under the sea! Under the sea!" This must have inspired my Sebastian crablike tribute...
We finished up the trip at a place called agua blanca. But the water was not white. It was like a hot spring, minus the heat...plus the sulfuric smell. The mud was supposed to be good for your skin. And Lord knows my skin needs all the help it can get, so we pulled a "when in Rome" or a "cuando en Roma" and smeared mud all over our faces.
And Brigitte took the best photo of her short 31 years...
We are happy to report the mud had an amazing effect on our skin. Specifically mine. Remember those Bucher bags I have under neath my eyes? You know the ones (Bucher, Bucher, Bucher...and even Bucher, you guys really know what I am talking about. I am bringing some mud back for next summer). My wrinkly under eye bags have now gone the way of the buffalo. Thanks Ecuador! Meanwhile Brigitte maintained her stunningly beautiful appearance.
Excellent boobie shots!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know that little Hament Kumar stopped by for some help with a college paper he is writing. He asked about you and we did a best of Bucher's blog perusal. We all miss ya!
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