Isabela Round 2, Day 2

Weather: 80 and Hot.

I couldn’t sleep too well last night because I think I was dehydrated and the AC was really drying. By the time 7:30 rolled around some people were up so I joined them. Jintong and Eve made breakfast for us and it was fabulous even though my taste still isn't all there. We had eggs and toast with mora (blackberry) jam. It was great and I'm happy we’re able to cook here because we’re saving a good amount of money in doing so.

Around 9am we all headed out for the day. Jintong, Eve, Raina, and Mika decided to join in on the day’s plans, and moved their plans to go to Sierra Negra to tomorrow. Kayelyn and I wanted to see the breeding center for Isabela Island and the flamingos that habituate in Isablea. Genesis told us about another trail that we follow and from it we can see bunches of beaches, and the Wall of Tears which is a historical monument. Apparently the wall was made by the slaves when they were brought here many years back, so we were hoping to see this as well today. We walked from our air bnb to a trail that led us through some wetlands where we saw tons of flamingos! They were so majestic and the fact that they were wild was the cherry on top. This was my first time seeing flamingos in the wild and not in a zoo which was really cool. The fact that there’s flamingos and penguins in the same island is mind blowing to me.

We walked a bit further to the turtle hatchery where we saw tortoises that are native to Isabela. It was similar to the Galapaguera in San Cristobal and the Charles Darwin Research Station in Santa Cruz. They had tortoises of all ages and sizes. We ended up hanging there for awhile just watching them all, and taking some time lapse videos of them. Seeing tortoises moving very fast is hilarious. After a good rest we got back on the trail but we weren't sure if we were headed the right way. The one we were on headed to a flamingo pond but there were no flamingos to be found so we were happy we saw them when we did! As it turned out, we were walking towards the highlands and a cab driver driving by told us there was nothing ahead. We turned back and followed road back towards the ocean to the trail that would eventually take us to the Wall of Tears. We walked along the trail (which was just a sandy path parallel to the beach) for at least four miles. Along the four miles we stopped to take pictures of the view and look at some wetlands that were on the other side of the path. We were wondering when we would get to the Wall of Tears and after walking a bit more than four miles, we reached the head of

the trail that would then lead to the wall. At this point it was around 11:30am and we were starting to get hungry for lunch. We decided not to walk to the Wall of Tears as it would be another 4 miles round trip to get there and back to where we were. Instead we went to all the other stops along the way that were really close to the start of the trail.

The first stop was a beach called La Playita which was really pretty, and there were some marine iguanas lounging about. We kept walked and went to an overlook that had a view of a pond/wetland surrounded by a lava field and cacti. There was a volcano in the background as well that made for some impressive pictures. We skipped the next stop and headed to the lava tunnel called Tunel del Estero. It was quite a sight and we ended up going down into it. Kayelyn and I sat on the edge of the tunnel and dipped our feet in the water but the rest went for a swim. While they were swimming I went to Playa del Amor which was a really small beach that had some mangroves to the left and a huge lava field to the right. There were tons of marine iguanas that were really big. Once I soaked up the view, I met the rest of the group and we walked back towards the spot we skipped. It ended up being a dense mangrove forest, the sight was called Pozas Verdes. There was a boardwalk as a path that took you through the forest. It was awesome seeing how long their roots are and just how dense they can get. At this point it was a bit after 1pm so we walked briskly back to town because we were really hungry at this point, and most of us were getting low on water.

We had lunch at a local spot. Lunch for me was grilled fish with the usual rice, veggies, and couple fries on the side. We got juice and dessert all for $6, normally in San Cristobal it’s $4 though. After lunch we hung out at the air bnb for a bit, and then headed to Concha Perla which is a good snorkeling spot. I opened my snorkel bag to find my mask shattered earlier in the morning so Kayelyn and I just sat on the dock and watched the other snorkel. I was okay with it because the water was freezing. After about 20 minutes everyone was back saying they were cold, and didn’t see anything. We headed to the bigger beach that was near where we were staying for the sunset. I hopped in the water to cool off and then enjoyed the sunset. It was stunning the sun set behind the outlines of the volcanos and it made for a great way to end the day.

After watching the sunset we headed split up in twos to get ingredients for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. Eve and Raina were making curry so we needed lots of veggies which are hard to come by. Jintong and I headed to get carrots and what we needed for breakfast. We had no luck finding carrots, but we got eggs and bread for breakfast. We planned on doing the same thing for breakfast tomorrow...eggs and toast this time with a side of pineapple. As we were buying things Mika met up with us pretty mad because she paid $19 for some ingredients and she didn’t get money back yet (meanwhile everyone was still out shopping). Jintong then expressed how mad he was cause he bought $1.50 worth of bread and eggs and a watermelon and didn't get any money either. I told them when we all got back to the air bnb we would write everything out and everyone would get their money. I assured them there was no need to worry or get mad over it. We got back and everyone ended up paying so I asked Jintong if he was all set and good now that he got all his money...he started freaking out a bit and yelling at me for no apparent reason. I had him follow me to where we were all sleeping because at this point he was bashing me personally, and also expressing how he is mad at the others we’re staying with. After talking everything through with him I realized he was stressed to the max (he worries about what everyone could be thinking which then makes him overwhelmed trying to make everyone happy). He ended up planning everything for himself, Mika, Raina, and Eve and they didn’t help him with much at all. Of course I was the one he unleashed his stress onto but it's over with at this point. I was trying to avoid drama as much as possible this trip, and this was the first blip I’ve really run into. Long story short, we’re all good because he sincerely apologized to me and I had him tell the others he has been really stressed.

Soon after we were eating our dinner on the roof which had great views of the stars. We all hung our for a bit and then headed back to our room around 10. Overall, it was a great day and I think seeing the flamingos, tortoises, different beaches, mangroves, and the lava tunnel made the trip back to Isabela worth it. Kayelyn and I don't have anything specific planned for tomorrow, but I’d be good with a chill day as we have to catch the boat back to Santa Cruz at 3pm.