Puerto Lopez & Isla del Plata, Ecuador
BIENVIDOS A ECUADOR! Today as the gentle early call made by our expedition leader woke us up, the ship had arrived to Ecuador on this magical odyssey along the Pacific coast of South America.
The real earlybirds jumped into Zodiacs and headed for the beach, landing at the small fishing village Puerto Lopez. Here the local fishermen were about to launch boats into the water and head out to sea in the first rays of daylight or just arrived from a long night at sea fishing. The beach was buzzing with activity.
Our aim was to reach a special forest only found in this part of South America, usually referred to as “dry forest” in southern Ecuador and northern Peru!
Now with the heavy rains it was hard to call it “dry”. The trail we hiked can best be described as “very muddy” as we followed a stream, but on the other hand the bird and plant life was very rich. The vegetation holds a huge diversity and our devoted botanist was able to point out many interesting features like two species of bamboo, one of them growing about 15 meters high (45 feet)! Where ever you looked into the forest you saw movement, but the birds here are masters of hiding. You always need a lot of passion but if you wait long enough, you are usually rewarded by amazing colored birds!
The “culture group” had a later departure and headed for a small village, Agua Blanca. This location is a fascinating archaeological site, which is pioneering a collaborative relationship between researchers and villagers.
The site called Manteño, dates to 800 AD and the culture was continuous until the Spanish Conquest. Around 1440 the Manta people of this region were conquered by the Inca but they kept their own language and identity until the 16th century.
The small museum houses some unusual pottery and a double burial which was found inside a large clay urn. The two individuals were reburied together after having been removed from another site where they had decomposed.
Our walk took us through a thin forest along a dry deep river bed which fills with churning water during the rainy season which begins in December. We passed the communal banana and corn fields, among which local pigs rooted for food.
Several groups of mounds and a large public meeting house which is protected by a roof built and maintained by the community which seemed quite proud of their heritage and kept referring to the site as their “patrimony.”
Back onboard for lunch the ship slowly made its way towards the island, Isla del Plata, the aim for the afternoon. Lunch was rapidly ended by an announcement, “dolphins ahead” and as we got a closer look it turned out to be a nice pod of False Killer whales. This elusive whale is not uncommon and is in fact widespread in the world oceans but still rarely encountered with a close approach. Now we had them swimming up front the bow, a very special treat! It was a group of about 25 animals and they were all close together and performing very lively for us. Very little is known about the species and most knowledge is still built on stranded animals.
As we arrived to Isla del Plata Zodiac cruises and snorkeling was on the program. We were able to feel colder winds coming from the South. Isla del Plata is the most southern region where you still find coral reefs along the west coast to South America. By early tomorrow, off Peru, we will be sailing in much colder water, the Humboldt Current.
A perfect way to end a remarkable day was with the hotel manager, Henrik, and his great galley team; they had arranged a barbeque on the sun deck with freshly bought fish at Puerto Lopez: Amber Jack, Wahoo, Durrado. All different fishes which are all included on the list of sustainable fish to catch. Fish today are becoming rare but here at Puerto Lopez small boats are still the main tools and trawlers are not seen. The ocean is of course still rich!
BIENVIDOS A ECUADOR! Today as the gentle early call made by our expedition leader woke us up, the ship had arrived to Ecuador on this magical odyssey along the Pacific coast of South America.
The real earlybirds jumped into Zodiacs and headed for the beach, landing at the small fishing village Puerto Lopez. Here the local fishermen were about to launch boats into the water and head out to sea in the first rays of daylight or just arrived from a long night at sea fishing. The beach was buzzing with activity.
Our aim was to reach a special forest only found in this part of South America, usually referred to as “dry forest” in southern Ecuador and northern Peru!
Now with the heavy rains it was hard to call it “dry”. The trail we hiked can best be described as “very muddy” as we followed a stream, but on the other hand the bird and plant life was very rich. The vegetation holds a huge diversity and our devoted botanist was able to point out many interesting features like two species of bamboo, one of them growing about 15 meters high (45 feet)! Where ever you looked into the forest you saw movement, but the birds here are masters of hiding. You always need a lot of passion but if you wait long enough, you are usually rewarded by amazing colored birds!
The “culture group” had a later departure and headed for a small village, Agua Blanca. This location is a fascinating archaeological site, which is pioneering a collaborative relationship between researchers and villagers.
The site called Manteño, dates to 800 AD and the culture was continuous until the Spanish Conquest. Around 1440 the Manta people of this region were conquered by the Inca but they kept their own language and identity until the 16th century.
The small museum houses some unusual pottery and a double burial which was found inside a large clay urn. The two individuals were reburied together after having been removed from another site where they had decomposed.
Our walk took us through a thin forest along a dry deep river bed which fills with churning water during the rainy season which begins in December. We passed the communal banana and corn fields, among which local pigs rooted for food.
Several groups of mounds and a large public meeting house which is protected by a roof built and maintained by the community which seemed quite proud of their heritage and kept referring to the site as their “patrimony.”
Back onboard for lunch the ship slowly made its way towards the island, Isla del Plata, the aim for the afternoon. Lunch was rapidly ended by an announcement, “dolphins ahead” and as we got a closer look it turned out to be a nice pod of False Killer whales. This elusive whale is not uncommon and is in fact widespread in the world oceans but still rarely encountered with a close approach. Now we had them swimming up front the bow, a very special treat! It was a group of about 25 animals and they were all close together and performing very lively for us. Very little is known about the species and most knowledge is still built on stranded animals.
As we arrived to Isla del Plata Zodiac cruises and snorkeling was on the program. We were able to feel colder winds coming from the South. Isla del Plata is the most southern region where you still find coral reefs along the west coast to South America. By early tomorrow, off Peru, we will be sailing in much colder water, the Humboldt Current.
A perfect way to end a remarkable day was with the hotel manager, Henrik, and his great galley team; they had arranged a barbeque on the sun deck with freshly bought fish at Puerto Lopez: Amber Jack, Wahoo, Durrado. All different fishes which are all included on the list of sustainable fish to catch. Fish today are becoming rare but here at Puerto Lopez small boats are still the main tools and trawlers are not seen. The ocean is of course still rich!
