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Europe Italy Uncategorized Unesco World Heritage Sites

Love it or Hate it: Venice, Italy

After leaving my short-lived life as a Londoner, I did a week-long ultra touristy trek through Italy, hitting up Rome, Venice, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast. Everyone assured me I would absolutely love the romantic old-world charm of Venice. But after three days of exploring the maze-like canals and carless streets, I wasn’t impressed.

 

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To me, I could easily see how Venice could be like the Times Square of Italy—the overcrowded tourist trap where no local in their right mind would ever go. Maybe it was just the time of year (late April) or the places I’d visited, but it seemed as though every narrow walkway was jam-packed with groups of map-wielding, camera happy tourists.

 

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The antique architecture was enough to make me reach for my own camera at every turn. But after a while most of the streets (and my photographs) began to look the same. Okay, so maybe all of that weaving over and around canals led me in circles more times than I’d like to admit, but the narrow walkways crowded with storefronts, restaurants, and hotels really did become difficult to tell apart from one another.

Sometimes (particularly when I was hangry or had to pee) it was just downright annoying to look across the street and see where I wanted to go, only to have to go six blocks out of my way to the nearest bridge to do so—and then getting lost. Lazy/dumb I know, but I don’t like maps and well, this is what happens when you don’t use maps in Venice.

 

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Venice

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A lot of people talk about how romantic Venice is. I wasn’t there on a romantic getaway, but the sheer amount of people at every turn made me wonder how anyone could consider Venice a romantic destination. These must be the same kind of people who also think New Years in Times Square or Jumbotron marriage proposals are romantic as well.

And let’s not forgot the infamous gondola ride. I knew they would be expensive, but $80-$100 to ride down a crowded canal alongside noisy motorboats while sucking in exhaust fumes? No thanks, I’ll go stuff my face with a five course meal of carbs at an awesome restaurant for that kind of money. I saw gondola guides talking on their cell phones and shouting at one another when they got within earshot. Ooh yes, I’ll take my romance with a side of boat rage please! (Okay I’m sure they’re really not that bad, this is just my way of justifying the fact that I didn’t spend that insane amount of money).

I must say that all of the food I had was pretty delicious in Venice, even though I’m sure that I ate at more than my fair share of tourist traps. Fresh meats, milky cheeses, homemade pastas, and an abundance of wine made every mealtime my favorite time of day.

 

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Sadly, my absolute favorite day was the day we decided to grab a glass of wine (sometimes three) at each place we passed on our aimless walk through the maze-like streets. I usually prefer traveling to places where I don’t need to get drunk to enjoy myself, but the booze really helped to block out all of the tourists and notice the things that so many people love about Venice. Suddenly the city had a kind of rustic charm to it as wrinkled couples made their way through the streets while spouting off loud Italian. Loads of brightly colored laundry flapped against the peeling paint of centuries-old buildings. Kids ran through the car-free streets kicking soccer balls, and restaurants lured us in with their accordions and wine lists.

Wine was definitely a good choice in Venice.

Have you ever been to Venice? What do you think, love it or skip it?

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Adventure Guide Money Saving Tips Outdoor Scuba Diving Solo Travel South America Unesco World Heritage Sites Wildlife

Galápagos Islands Travel Guide & Money Saving Tips

The Galápagos. A cluster of volcanic islands, teeming with rare, exotic wildlife, rising out of the Pacific Ocean some six-hundred miles off of mainland Ecuador. Sounds like an expensive trip, doesn’t it? Sure, it can be. But it doesn’t have to be.

Don’t get me wrong, the Galápagos aren’t exactly a backpacker destination. The costs of getting there alone will run you at least $500—including a ~$400 flight from Quito or Guayaquil, the $100 park entry fee, and the $10 transit control card. (Word of advice: do NOT lose that card, or you may end up missing your flight home if no one is around to sell you a new one upon departure.)

But really, once you get to the islands you can spend as little or as much as you want and still have an awesome time. So if you’re considering a trip to the Galápagos, or even just looking for a unique beach vacation, hopefully this guide will help you determine whether or not the Galápagos Islands could be in your near future.

 

Tourists in a water taxi in Puerto Ayora
Tourists in a water taxi in Puerto Ayora

 

All about the Galápagos Islands…aka the stuff you can easily find on Wikipedia.

The Galápagos are a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, so much of the land and surrounding marine area is carefully monitored and preserved by park authorities. The archipelago is made up of about 13-18 main islands and a few smaller ones (everyone will tell you a different number). Of those, only four or five are inhabited, and the rest you need to be with a tour guide to access.

The population is roughly 25,000, with about half of those people living in Santa Cruz. I showed up expecting an untouched, desolate paradise with like a 100:1 sea lion to human ratio, so I was definitely surprised to see the town of Puerto Ayora full of bars, souvenir shops, restaurants, cars, and people.

You can easily research the different islands to find out which are best for your visit, but here are a few notes I took on the ones that stood out to me:

Bartolomé uninhabited island with the breathtakingly scenic Pinnacle rock, and an awesome lava flow that spills right onto a white, sandy, deserted beach.

Española- I didn’t visit but since it’s the oldest island, it sounds like a kickass wildlife spot with tons of endemic species. It’s also the furthest South so unfortunately it’s not an option to visit on a day trip, only on a cruise, which we’ll jump into more in a minute.

Fernandina- basically an active volcanic island covered in old black lava flows. I got excited thinking I’d be able to see active lava flows, but after reading that tours don’t take you anywhere near the crater, I chose not to go.

Floreana- most people I spoke with liked Floreana, but I thought it was worth skipping. We saw some tortoises, did a small hike, visited a painfully rocky black lava rock beach with cloudy snorkeling due to the current, and of course stopped by Post Office Bay. Nothing special.

Isabela- my favorite Island that I visited, and not just because it’s shaped like a seahorse. There are volcanoes to hike, flamingos to see, and penguins and sea lions to swim with. Population is about 2,000 people, and the largest town of Puerto Villamil has dirt roads, no ATMs, and is super chill. I just wouldn’t recommend diving here because there’s only one dive shop on the island and they’re not exactly the most reputable bunch.

North Seymore Island- an easy day trip from Puerto Ayora and a good spot for beginner divers.

Rabida- red beaches. Enough said.

 

The #1 way to save money

The biggest way to save money in the Galápagos is to stay on land. It’s what I did and it’s the only way I can recommend making a trip to the Galápagos affordable (unless of course you have your own sailboat and you’re sailing down there and living aboard your own boat for free).

When most people talk about dropping thousands to visit the islands, that’s because they’re taking a cruise. These small boats of roughly 20 or so people set you up with a tour guide and tout you around to a new island each day. If you book in advance it looks like you’ll spend at least a grand—all food and excursions included—but you can also get some pretty good deals if you book last minute from the islands (not sure if I’d risk taking that chance during high season though). A lot of people aren’t even aware that you can stay on land too, for as low as $15/night in Puerto Ayora (the main town of the Galápagos), and take much cheaper day trips out to visit a number of islands.

The only downside I could see to staying on land is that you won’t be able to visit some of the islands that are much further out. But there’s so much to do and see on those nearby islands, you can easily fill up a ten-day trip without missing a thing.

 

Tell me more about these day trips

Most island day trips head out of Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz and will run about $60-$110 depending on the island, usually with lunch included. Walk along Avenida Charles Darwin and you’ll be able to book whatever trips you want from a number of vendors.

I would suggest figuring out which spots are must-sees for you, then choose a good base island or two. For example, I stayed in Puerto Ayora for five nights and took day trips out to Floreana and Bartolomé, while also spending some time exploring the island and beaches by bike and foot. Then I took the $40 water taxi to spend my last four nights on Isabela, where I walked out to the Flamingo Lagoon to see pink flamingos for free, went on a 6-hour hike up to Sierra Negra and Volcán Chico for only $35 (including lunch), and dropped $75 to go snorkeling at Los Tuneles. Sounds like a lot for a snorkeling trip, but this was a guided tour snorkeling through old lava tubes, coming across caves of sharks and manta rays, seahorses, and swimming with baby sea lions. Worth it.

All in all I spent around $300 on at least five days worth of trips and was busy every single day.

Diving is another popular activity, but just like anywhere else it’s not cheap. There are tons of dive shops in Puerto Ayora that’ll likely run you around $110-$175 for a two-dive trip along with some food and underwater photos. But when you’re 40 feet down swimming alongside hammerhead sharks, it’s obviously worth it. Even if you start puking like I did.

Bartolome
Bartolome
Black rock beach on Floreana
A gorgeous but painful beach on Floreana
Scuba diving with manta rays off Turtle Island
Scuba diving with manta rays off Turtle Island

 

Where should I stay?

Like I’ve mentioned a few times already, Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz is a good place to start because it’s basically the main hub of the islands. There are a bunch of hotel options including backpacker friendly hostels for less than $15/night, more private hotels and b&b’s for around $50, and a few fancy way-out-of-my-budget places that I think were around a couple hundred a night. But with so much hustle and bustle, I wouldn’t recommend staying too long or you might start to forget you’re in the Galápagos. There are also a couple of desolate high-end resorts up in the highlands that are pretty far from the coast, and I’d imagine quite expensive.

Puerto Villamil on Isabela is another great town, and one of my favorite places I’ve ever been to. I stayed at Caleta Iguana in the $70/night private room with a private bath, which included a delicious homemade breakfast every morning. It’s right on the beach, and has the most happening happy hour in town. Every evening people come from all over the town to have a few drinks, walk across the tightrope, party around the fire, listen to music, sway in the hammocks, and watch the sun set.

 

Sounds awesome. So how do I get there?

For some reason a lot of people ask me this, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from giving some smartass remark about a booking site and an airplane.

Flights travel from mainland Ecuador either through Quito or Guayaquil, and take about 2-3 hours depending on which city.

There are two airports in the Galápagos, one on Baltra and one on San Cristóbal. Most people (including me) fly into Baltra, which is a tiny island just north of Santa Cruz that basically looks like Mars. After landing you’ll jump on an airport bus which will take you to the docks for free. From there you’ll cram into a water ferry, which is actually like an oversized canoe that will leave you questioning exactly how buoyancy works with that many tourists. As it chugs against the surprisingly strong current, the reality is that you could probably toss a football over to Santa Cruz so it’s a fairly quick transfer for $0.80. Once you’re on Santa Cruz you can catch a bus through the highlands, all the way to the other end of the island to Puerto Ayora. It takes about an hour and only costs about $1.50, but they cram the shit out of the bus. I enjoyed the bumpy ride while crammed between seats on the plastic astroturf-like floor.

Sweating on the bus
Sweating on the bus

 

I can’t tell you much about arriving in San Cristóbal, as I didn’t get the chance to visit. But I do know it’s the easternmost island with a population of about 6,000 people, and I’m told you can sunbathe alongside sea lions if you visit the beach.

Either way, transportation between the islands will run you roughly $40 for a ferry ride, and take about 2-3 hours, so limit and plan your transfers wisely.

 

What are some free/cheap things I can do while on land?

You’ll need a tour guide to access many places, but there are still a ton of free things you can do that are just as cool.

Santa Cruz


– Explore the Darwin Research Center and visit the giant tortoise and iguana breeding center.

– Walk to Tortuga Bay. Once you reach the entry point just outside of town, locals will tell you it’s about a 20 minute walk. Bullshit. I didn’t have a watch or phone on me but it’s definitely closer to 45+ minutes. Despite the heat and humidity it’s an easy walk, but once you emerge from the partially tree-covered pathway, you’ll see a long white stretch of gorgeous, untouched natural beach with perfectly blue and white waves breaking at the shoreline. This area’s a bit too choppy to swim but there will likely be a few surfers in the water along with some sharks flapping about in with the waves. Walk another 15 minutes or so to the end of the beach and you’ll come across the swimming bay which is much calmer, and probably at least a little crowded with locals. You can even pay a few bucks and take a kayak out to explore on your own.

– I didn’t make it up there, but if you’re all about seeing some giant, old ass tortoises in their natural habitat, head up to the highlands and explore El Chato Tortoise Reserve.

– Cliff diving at Las Grietas. Intrigued? It costs like 50 cents for a 15 minute water taxi ride from the Puerto Ayora docks, and a short hike until you’re there. It’s basically a crevice between two cliffs where salt and fresh water meet, and the lack of a current makes it a popular spot to swim and take daring jumps.

– Grab a bike and explore the city. I hopped on a mountain bike and went as far as I could before the hill started to get to be too much for my lazy ass. I rode around the back streets and explored the neighborhoods and it was definitely a day well spent for only a few dollars.

 

Old tortoise
Old ass tortoise
Tortuga Bay
Tortuga Bay
Biking the streets of Puerto Ayora
Biking the streets of Puerto Ayora
Exploring the streets of Puerto Ayora
Exploring the streets of Puerto Ayora

 

Puerto Villamil, Isla Isabela

Isabela is an incredibly behind-the-times island with painfully slow internet, which was absolutely perfect.
 It’s really easy to spend mornings exploring and afternoons napping on the beach without a worry in the world.

– Hike Volcán Chico/Sierra Negra. The guided volcano hike is only $35 with lunch, and in my opinion totally worth it. Not so much worth it if you just hike up to Sierra Negra, but definitely so if you continue on to Volcán Chico. Here’s more in-depth info about what to expect on that hike.

– Walk up to the Flamingo Lagoon. There’s a manmade lagoon where flamingos tend to hang out. A pickup truck taxi will charge $10 to take you there, but you can easily walk or bike there for free. Follow the main road that runs along the water (I didn’t see a name because it’s a dirt road and I really don’t think there even was a name). Pass Caleta Iguana, the hot pink beachfront hostel on the left, and the Booby Trap cafe/restaurant on your right, and turn right up the dirt road. You’ll pass La Jungla hostel and a soccer field along the way, but keep walking. Locals will tell you you’re super close, but it took me about 20-25 minutes to get there. Eventually you’ll come to the Tortoise Breeding Center, and finally the lagoon.

– 
Walk on the beach. There are Galápagos penguins and gorgeous sunsets right there, so really there’s no reason to leave.

– Go down to the happy hour at Caleta Iguana, the Westernmost hostel/hotel on the beach, and hang out for some drinks and watch the sunset.

 

Pink flamingos on Isla Isabela
Pink flamingos on Isla Isabela
Hiking Volcan Chico
Hiking Volcan Chico
Caleta Iguana on Isla Isabela
Caleta Iguana on Isla Isabela
Pausing for a selfie at Los Tuneles
Pausing for a selfie at Los Tuneles
Sharks at Los Tuneles
Snorkeling with sharks at Los Tuneles
Snorkeling with sea turtles at Los Tuneles
Swimming with sea turtles at Los Tuneles
Snorkeling with sea lions at Los Tuneles
Swimming with sea lions at Los Tuneles
Isla Isabela
The perfect dirt roads of Isla Isabela
Sunset from Caleta Iguana
Sunset from Caleta Iguana

 

Other helpful things to remember/expect/know

Go during low season
The weather is generally the same year round, but low season is April, May, September and October. I’d suggest going then to avoid the crowds, and you may even save a few bucks on day trips and cruises.

The Galápagos are a tsunami zone
Especially if you don’t know Spanish, at least learn the escape route so when you hear the sirens start waling and see people start running, you know what to do. On Puerto Ayora I learned the hard way that you should head uphill on Av Baltra until you reach Bellavista.

They’re also not necessarily a beach destination
There are quite a few beaches, but they’re not really easy to get to. You generally can’t stay on a resort and walk outside to lay out during the day. In Puerto Ayora, it’ll take an entire day to head to the beach, and on many other islands the beaches are rocky or take a lot of time to get to via boat.

Don’t flush toilet paper
Sure I bitched about this first world problem in London, but being in such a fragile environmentally-friendly ecosystem, I was actually more than willing to comply.

Bring enough cash
Some of the islands don’t have ATMs, and many places don’t accept credit cards. Puerto Ayora was fine—it had at least one ATM and one bank, but Isabela had neither. I was told sometimes tourists withdrawal more money than the ATM has anyway, so sometimes they’re left SOL. To be on the safe side, bring a bit of cash.

USD is the official currency
Despite being a province of Ecuador, the official currency of the Galápagos Islands is actually the US Dollar. So if you’re traveling from the US you don’t have to worry about losing money in exchange rates or frequent trips to the bank.

Bring protection
No not that kind of protection ya pervs. Okay wait actually, yeah you should probably do that too if you plan on getting freaky. But I’m talking sunscreen. Like any island, items are marked up. Like $30 for a small bottle of sunscreen. So bring what you need, the sun is ridiculous down there. I usually don’t wear sunblock on vacations, but the whole trip I was slathered up in SPF 30 every day and still left with an almost-Latin tan. Than being said, I stupidly took a 4oz Neutrogena sunblock and another travel size stick with me and had to buy more halfway through my trip. Bye bye money.

Walk an extra few blocks for food
If you visit any of the restaurants along Avenida Charles Darwin in Puerto Ayora, you can expect to pay tourist prices. I’m used to New York prices, so $9 for a beer, a cheese sandwich, and an order of fried plantains and queso was a steal. But if you walk the extra five minutes up a couple of blocks to Bordados El Alquimista, you’ll find a road full of outdoor-seating restaurants serving up super cheap traditional Ecuadorian food and $1 beers.

There’s also an amazing little shack/bar on the playground right near the docks. Almost every night I went down and had an empanada and a large, probably 40 oz Pilsener for $4.50. Other tourists told me I was getting ripped off and could’ve gotten the same snack for about $2.50 elsewhere, but I couldn’t help it. It was awesome to sit amongst locals and try to improve my Spanish right in the center of all the port action.

Bring seasickness medicine
If you think there’s the slightest chance that you might get seasick, bring some pills. You’ll likely spend a lot of time on boats down there so it’s better to be prepared than barfing your lunch out over the side of the boat for two hours. The islands aren’t close together, so it’s common to spend 2-3 hours seeing nothing but the huge, rolling waves of the Pacific on every horizon. And those waves are not small.

Bring a water bottle

The Galápagos are hot and you’re going to need a lot of water. The locals don’t even drink the tap there, and all of the hotels I visited or researched had a water cooler in the lobby for guests to fill up on. So bring a jug and keep it full. Some places ask for donations, others don’t.

 

Fried plantains and questo and an iced tea
Fried plantains and queso and an iced tea

 

So, should I go?

For better or for worse (i’m really leaning towards worse), the Galápagos are becoming more and more popular as a tourist destination. Despite the efforts to manage tourism so that it doesn’t destroy the ecosystem, the islands are definitely suffering. You see sheets of oil across the water in the ports and litter carelessly washed up on the rocks of shore. And even though most of the islands are still uninhabited, those that are inhabited are encouraging tourism more and more. Isabela for example, is the largest (size-wise) of the islands with a population of only 2,000. At first they shunned tourism and wanted no part in it—until they started seeing the financial benefits. Now there are buildings being constructed all along the beach which actually made me a little angry. I know I know, this makes me a bit of a hypocrite. But it’s a perfect island with dirt roads and no ATMs, where everybody knows each other. Hell by the end of my trip I knew most of the locals. It doesn’t need hoards of tourists moving in, changing the local cultures and environment.

Sometimes making decisions on whether or not to visit certain places that are honestly better left untouched are difficult for us travelers who are always looking for new, unique experiences and connections. So I really think that anyone visiting the Galápagos should make a conscious decision to do so. Don’t go just for the hell of it. Respect the land, the people, and the wildlife. Learn a thing or two, and give back whenever you can. And if you do go, hopefully this guide will help with your beginning steps of planning.

Categories
Adventure Outdoor Scuba Diving South America Unesco World Heritage Sites Wildlife

Scuba Diving Round 2: Swimming with Hammerheads

I was really looking forward to doing a redemption dive in the Galapagos Islands—just one kickass dive to erase all the bad memories from Florida. But after reading online that the dive sites are best for advanced divers and known for their strong currents, not their water clarity, I wasn’t sure how great it could actually be.

Whatever. I just wanted to dive without emptying my guts into the ocean.

I decided to go with Scuba Iguana based on their reputation (and a solid recommendation from a very attractive Latin diver I’d met). They had one last spot on their dive scheduled for my last day on Santa Cruz, so I paid the $175, signed some paperwork freeing them from any responsibility should I die or get dismembered, got fitted with all of my gear, then went to dinner eagerly anticipating the next morning. My plan was to grab a quick bite then go back to the hotel to hydrate and brush up on my scuba skills before calling it an early night.

An hour later the whole tsunami thing happened and completely destroyed my plans.

I didn’t get back to my hotel until the wee hours of the morning so I started to think diving wouldn’t be the best idea, especially with my nerves still on edge. Plus two divers in the shelter told me that diving the next morning would be a bad idea because there would likely be even stronger currents and lower visibility.

I woke up a couple hours later and tried to call the shop to tell them I wasn’t feeling it that day, secretly hoping it was canceled. I assumed that they would understand since my PADI courses continuously harped on the need to be a responsible diver and not go diving when you’re quite feeling up for it so that you don’t endanger the rest of the group.

Long story short, I couldn’t get through to them until they called me over an hour and a half later, and despite Scuba Iguana’s stellar diving reputation, they didn’t give a fuck about my safety concerns and hesitations. They refused to reimburse me even though it would have been as simple as throwing out the carbon copy of my card they had yet to send off to the bank. So not only did I not go diving, I was out $175.

The next day I was feeling back to my normal self and I was pissed that I’d let fear get the best of me on my last day in Santa Cruz. So I decided to try, try again on Isabela Island. There was only one diving company there and they didn’t have a great reputation. But I had made up my mind, I was not leaving the Galapagos without going diving and $150 later I was signed up for attempt #2.

 

Wall of fish

 

Diving day came and I did everything by the book. I took seasickness pills, ate breakfast, drank a ton of water. I was ready to go. As we sped out to Turtle Island I was actually really excited, and before I could think about it all of us were bobbing around in the choppy water. We didn’t even do any checks to make sure our gear was functioning properly, they just handled it themselves and hurried us into the water.

Just as quickly Harry and the other non-English speaking divemaster were ready to go under. I dumped all the air from my BCD and once my head was under I sank like an anchor. Due to our shitty preparation I think my weight belt was way too heavy because getting neutrally buoyant is actually one thing I’m pretty good at. This time I was all over the place trying not to touch the rock and coral below me. Luckily the sign of struggle is universal, so the divemaster tried to inflate and deflate my BCD with quick bursts, using up tons of oxygen before giving up and grabbing my hand to drag me along. We floated around holding hands for a few minutes before I realized this was the most romance I’ve had in a long time, and naturally after a few minutes I got weirded out and let go.

 

Scuba diving

 

I was using up a ton of oxygen trying to fill my lungs with air as it was the only thing that seemed to keep me slightly above the ocean floor. But I felt great. The vomit-fest of the Florida Keys seemed so far away.

Suddenly everything got really dark like a storm cloud moving in. I looked up to see we were in the shadow of a massive manta ray gliding about ten feet above me. I’ve never seen anything so big, so close in the water. I was half wishing it would swoop down and wrap me up like a pig-in-a-blanket in its massive fins.

 

Manta ray

 

Then it happened, the highlight of my dive. The only thing I really wanted to see while I was underwater. About 15 feet away a hammerhead shark that was at least 9 feet long slowly swam past, not paying any attention to us with its goofy eyes. I’m not particularly scared of sharks, but I wasn’t sure how I’d react to seeing one 40 ft under water, though I definitely wanted to find out. Seconds later three more hammerheads appeared and swam by. Oddly enough it felt just like seeing them in an aquarium. I was simply observing the sharks as they paid no attention to us or anything that swam by. I didn’t feel nervous or scared at all, in fact I felt the urge to swim in front of them and see if they would even notice me head-on.

 

Shark

 

We swam along with tons of crazy-looking fish, reef sharks, starfish, and more unidentifiable creatures. There was something new to see at each turn, which was definitely the selling point to diving in the GalapagosFar too quickly I realized I was already down to 700 PSI in my tank, which was when we were supposed to start heading up. Unfortunately I was the only one even remotely close to going up, so the divemaster motioned for me to head up alone.

 

Sea turtle

Sea turtle

Seahorse

 

If you don’t know much about diving, basically you can’t just pop right up to the surface or you risk decompression sickness, and you can get the bends and/or die (hence the pre-dive paperwork). To stay on the safe side you should ascend slowly, then stop for about 3-5 minutes at around 3 meters/15 feet. Since my depth gauge seemed to be off and I was without a watch, I knew I’d have difficulty determining the right depth & duration for the safety stop. I kept trying to communicate with the divemaster that I didn’t want to go up alone, but it was pretty hard considering you can’t speak under water. And I didn’t want to ruin the dive for the rest of the group so I sucked it up and started up alone.

 

Fish

 

For the first couple seconds I started rising slowly and steadily below my air bubbles. Then out of nowhere I was being pulled up like I was being beamed up by aliens. I tried to slow down but my head was above water in a matter of seconds. Shit.

The surface was choppy, and I started to get dizzy as the boat came to get me. I swam my way against the current towards the boat, which seemed to take about a week and a half. By the time I got there I was exhausted, breathing heavily and my limbs worthless. The crew had me take off my BCD and hand it up to them which was incredibly hard to do. I felt like I was going to pass out. Then they had me take off my fins, but with such little strength left I was worried I wouldn’t be able to stay afloat without them so I latched onto the ladder like a Barrel of Monkeys game piece, my body bashing against it, bruising me with each wave.

I tried to climb the ladder which was even more difficult than all those times I failed trying to climb the knotted rope in gym class. I felt like I weighed 1800 pounds, but with the help of the crew I fell into the boat and made my way to a seat. My head was pounding and I felt dizzy. My stomach started to churn again, just like last time. Except this time I was worried I’d gotten the bends from rising up too quickly. I kept telling myself that I was okay and that I needed to calm down and focus on something other than feeling like shit.

After about 10 minutes the others made their way to the boat as I took a few deep breaths and a few sips of water. The boat crew gave us a snack but I knew that snack was going to turn into fish food if I put it in my mouth.

Everyone suited back up for dive two as I sat staring off in complete silence before deciding to sit it out. My stomach felt the same as it did in Florida, and I knew as soon as I put the regulator in my mouth I would be puking. So I went up to the front of the boat and stared off at the horizon. I made it about ten more minutes before I was bent over the bow, heaving warm bile into the Pacific. Then I wiped my mouth off and posed for this seasick selfie:

 

Seasick selfie

 

I don’t know what it is with diving, but my stomach can’t seem to handle it. I’ve been on countless boats in my lifetime and I spent more than half of my days in the Galapagos on boats, and I’ve never been seasick until after I’ve been diving.

Weird, my stomach can handle Taco Bell’s destructive goodness like nobody should be able to, but I can’t handle a little compressed air.

*All the underwater photos in this post are from a lovely girl named Dorieke, who was kind enough to send them to me since my camera wasn’t waterproof past 43ft. Thanks Dorieke!

Categories
Outdoor Scuba Diving South America Unesco World Heritage Sites Wildlife

6 REASONS TO GO TO THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS NOW

To say the Galapagos Islands were one of the most surreal, jaw-dropping places I’ve ever been to, leaving me with the urge to abandon everything I’ve ever loved for a simpler life, would be a massive understatement. The 19-island archipelago has a lot to offer in a relatively small-ish space, so even though I only visited five islands during my nine days on land, I didn’t need to waste days traveling in order to see a huge range of landscapes and wildlife.

The Galapagos made the ideal vacation destination for me because it was a good mix of a photography lover’s landscapes, adventurous day trips, and uncrowded beaches, all without being too touristy. Oh, and VOLCANOES. Not to mention the added benefit of getting up close (and sometimes personal) with wildlife, both above and below sea level. Even though I’ve barely seen all of what the Galapagos have to offer, I’m convinced that everyone needs to visit at some point in their life. Probably sooner rather than later.

Here are just a few of the obvious reasons why you should consider a trip to the Galapagos as your next destination. And really, it’s not as expensive as you think. But more on that later.

 

1. The Wildlife
Playfully curious sea lions. Blue and red footed boobies. Hissing tortoises. Lanky pink flamingos. Wobbly little penguins. Deep-diving marine iguanas. Whether you’re on a boat, bike, feet, snorkeling, or scuba diving, you’ll get to interact with so many different species that are generally unafraid of humans. That means they’ll stand there and examine you while you examine them. They’ll swim alongside you and continue about their journey. Or if they’re really playful like the sea lion pup we encountered, they’ll come right up and hug you and beg for you to scratch its belly.

Iguana

Galapagos Penguin

2. The Landscape
The different elevations of the volcanic islands give way to several ecosystems. At first glance some of the islands look like lifeless spans of nothing, but if you look closer or walk a few meters all of that can easily change. One minute you could be on a long stretch of white, resort-free beach, the next walking up a shaded dirt road, then suddenly you’re scrambling over a Mars-like rocky surface, peering into an active volcano crater. Some of the beaches on uninhabited islands such as Bartolome have layers upon layers of undisturbed lava flows covering soft white sand that looks like it’s never been touched by man.


 

3. Snorkeling
You can jump in the water with a snorkel just about anywhere and see all kinds of fish and sea turtles. But in places like Los Tuneles, you’ll get to swim through caves and tunnels where sting rays and schools of sharks sleep, sea horses huddle, and baby sea lions swim, who just want to play tag and have you tickle their bellies.

 

4. Scuba Diving
I didn’t take my camera diving because I was worried about exceeding the depth at which my camera is actually waterproof up to. But diving in the Galapagos is a must. Many of the dive sites have strong currents and are for more experienced divers, but there are a few spots you can visit even if you don’t have that many dives under your belt. I mean really, you don’t have to go very deep to find yourself swimming below a ten-foot manta ray or alongside a school of hammerhead sharks.

 
Snorkeling

 

5. Active Volcanoes
Sierra Negra is a fairly easy hike that can be done in about 5-6 hours from the car drop-off point. The first, more relaxed part of the hike breaks through the clouds on a dirt path surrounded by trees. Before long you reach the summit, which is actually the second largest caldera in the world (behind Yellowstone). While it’s definitely a sight to see, especially the lava flows from the 2005 eruption, the real awesomeness comes when you continue onwards to Volcan Chico. Climbing out there took another 45 minutes or so of climbing alongside lava tubes and lava rocks in the brutal sunlight, only to find ourselves looking down into steaming craters at the end of the trail.

6. Colorfully Diverse Beaches
One day you can choose to make the hour-long trek from town to Tortuga Bay before finding yourself on the flawless, secluded stretch of white sand beach. The next you can try to play tough guy while running barefoot across hot, black, rocky sand. Either way, land is more abundant than people here so it’s easy to find plenty of space to claim as your own for the afternoon. Though I didn’t see them all, I’ve heard the Galapagos also have dark green, pink, and red beaches too.

Sunset from Caleta Iguana

And with that I’ll stop at six because I’m pretty sure the photos speak for themselves.

Stay tuned because I’ll be giving you all kinds of tips for making a trip to the Galapagos more affordable than you think. Until then, you might as well go ahead and request at least two weeks off work whenever works for you—because there’s never a bad season to visit the Galapagos thanks to their location.

Categories
Adventure Solo Travel South America Unesco World Heritage Sites

EVACUATING PUERTO AYORA FOR A TSUNAMI ALERT

Mother Nature played a very cruel April Fool’s joke on us down here in Puerto Ayora yesterday.

The day started off great. I woke up early, went on a relaxing yacht ride to Bartolome (my new favorite place in the world by the way), took some fantastic photos, and met quite a few travelers to hang with. Once we were on dry land I planned to grab a quick drink alongside the ocean with Lucas, a Canadian who’d been traveling around South America on his own as well. But first I had to set up my dive for the next day which ended up making me about 45 minutes late for drinks. I finally got down to the waterfront bar at about 645PM, right after sunset and only 15 minutes before happy hour ended.

I wasn’t really feeling up for drinking so I figured one Pilsener, a quick bite to eat, then back to the room I’d go to refresh on some scuba stuff. But before I knew it there was an icy cold, perfectly mixed caiprihania in front of me. I was looking at the food menu when Lucas casually mentioned “my friend messaged me something about a tsunami but I don’t know.” Immediately I looked up at him, “what do you mean, tsunami?” He just kind of shrugged his shoulders and changed the conversation.

Even for four sips, you were delicious caiprihania.

Five minutes later I looked up at the TV and saw a news channel with “ALERTO” in big bold letters across a red banner on the screen. It was hard to make out anything that was going on, but one by one I noticed the locals pausing mid-chew, entranced by the television.

“Is there a car chase or something going on, what the fuck is on TV?” I asked, still not putting two and two together, while Lucas kept yammering away about something that had completely lost my interest by now.

Within ten seconds the sirens started wailing throughout the streets. I still had no clue what the hell was going on, so I looked around for some sort of information. There were only a handful of tourists and they all looked just as confused as me, but everyone had gotten out of their seats by now. A few locals had begun racing down the street while others just walked quickly. Then an announcement came over the loudspeaker entirely in Spanish and I couldn’t make out a single word. Just as quickly as he began talking the locals kicked it into high gear and started sprinting in every direction except for towards the sea. Waiters and waitresses were dropping their menus and running out the door, while others were yelling and pushing people out in order to close their shop.

At this point my heart was racing and I kept yelling out “What is going on? Tsunami? Where do we go?” It was terrifying, not knowing anything that was happening because I wasn’t able to put the situation into context or gauge the urgency of the situation. Was this a tsunami warning? What IS a tsunami warning? Is it like a tornado warning, meaning they’ve spotted a giant wave headed for shore and we’ve got thirty seconds to get to higher ground? Where is higher ground? On an island as small as Santa Cruz is there even such a thing as higher ground? WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON?

Me and this older English-speaking guy from Zimbabwe ran back and forth looking for information, but we knew we had to get moving because the street was emptying out quickly. All we could make out in English were people shouting “run! up!” so we quickly tried to decipher which way was up.

Lucas seemed more concerned about the drinks than his surroundings, as he grabbed them both and started strolling.

“Fuck the drinks dude, leave them!” I shouted back at him while formulating a solo mission to get out of dodge because he was definitely not the kind of person I wanted to be holed up with in a survivor-type situation. Plus I did NOT want to be drunk in case some serious shit went down, and those drinks were definitely strong. I was only a few sips in and I already had a buzz going.

“I know of a hotel, we’ll be safe there just climb to the roof.” he yelled, trying to get me to follow him against the flow of locals fleeing. I started to follow when the older man also ran in the same direction saying he knew of a place too. Stupid me thought maybe they knew of some magical tsunami shelters. We made it about a block, still along the water, and Lucas turned into a half-built shack with shoddy construction work going on.

“Are you fucking crazy? I’m not going in there, you’re on your own!” I told him. At this point I realized he was too slow-moving for my taste and I was concerned his island-time ways were going to get me killed, so I kept running with the older guy. We made it a few blocks and ran into another hotel to the third floor. I still felt uneasy but luckily we ran into the staff who were gathering up their laptops and printers and shouting “no” at us. We had no idea what else they were saying beyond that, but they kept pointing out so we knew it wasn’t safe to stay there.

I still had no idea what was going on. My brain kept imagining scenes from a movie where you hear a warning and ten seconds later a gigantic, disastrous, city-consuming wave hits. But here we were probably about ten minutes after the warning and we were still standing 20 feet from the ocean. I finally semi-realized how incredibly stupid I’d been in my panicked mindset and figured we just need to run uphill as fast as possible.

I was fully fucking terrified at this point and I grabbed my phone out to start texting my mom while running as quickly as possible in a strapless dress and flip flops. The older guy and I ran together for several blocks before someone finally told us “go two blocks, turn right and keep running uphill.” Thank God we were on the right track now, not franticly scattered at sea level. We passed a puppy going absolutely insane while tied up to a storefront. Someone yelled to get the puppy, but we kept running as my heart broke a little. After a few more blocks uphill he began to run out of steam, but he knew I was terrified and he told me to continue on without him. Again it was exactly like those movies and all I could think was “no man left behind.” But then again I was in the Galapagos Islands, and if there’s any place where survival of the fittest should hold true, it’s here.

So I ran. And ran. And ran. Everyone was running with babies and loved ones in tow. Every restaurant was gated up with half-eaten food and drinks still at the tables. Motor bikes and taxi pick-up trucks were all crowding the only street out of town now, heading for higher ground. I looked to hop onto one but so did everyone else. Every truck cab was full of locals and people hanging off the sides. I kept running and looking downhill behind me, waiting to see if a wave was coming. At this point it seemed to be just me and the locals, I didn’t see any more tourists in sight. Finally I got exhausted and started fast-walking, while still wondering what the hell was going on. I figured in the urgency that all of the locals had gotten the hell out of dodge, it must be serious.

A few minutes later I heard someone shouting in English so I turned around to see the older guy I was running with earlier crammed into the back of a pickup with a mix of tourists and locals.

“Hey! HEY! Do you want to get in?” he screamed at me.

“HELL YES, THANK YOU!” I screamed back in utter relief as I ran over to the truck.

Now that I was mostly out of danger, I attempted an “I’m fucking terrified” selfie in the back of the pickup truck

There wasn’t much room to climb in but I wiggled my way in, probably flashing everyone within eyesight of my dress. Even though there were about nine of us and a bicycle crammed in there, I finally felt at ease for the first time that night. I was in a vehicle, and we were headed up. Plus there were two kids who were about 4 and 8 in the cab with us, so I felt like I had to keep my shit together and not frighten them.

We drove up the main street in bumper-to-bumper traffic moving at a steady pace for about 15-20 minutes. We passed a gas station along the way that had cars and motor bikes lined up for blocks.

Finally we got to Bellavista where it seemed like the entire island of Santa Cruz was crowding the streets. The shops were open, locals were holding bags and pillows, chatting amongst themselves. Vans, tour buses, construction vehicles, and motor bikes were dropping people off in hoards. The woman in the cab happened to be a tour guide so she spoke English fairly well. When we got out she directed us into a soccer/football complex to stay put. She assured us that we were definitely high enough up and we would be okay to wait it out here. I thanked her profusely and went into the stadium with the others.

Locals were camping out on the steps, but most of the tourists met up in the corner trying to piece together what the hell was going on. It was almost 8PM now and we finally heard about “an 8.2 earthquake in Chile” and the “last time this tsunami evacuation happened was in 2010.” It was then I realized it wasn’t an ordinary occurrence like a tornado siren is in the Midwest.

Pulling into Bellavista

I finally felt at ease knowing there were other tourists here who didn’t speak Spanish and had left all of their belongings back at their hotels. I definitely felt a strength in numbers and have never bonded so quickly with fellow travelers.

We sat in the shelter and watched children chase bugs and each other around the concrete field. About an hour later we got an update that they were expecting a set of three waves to hit in ten-minute-intervals around ten o’clock, so we were to stay put until then. I ventured out to the nearest corner store and picked up a few bottles of water and a family size bag of animal crackers in case we were going to be up there for a while. I was fully expecting some serious American style price-gouging, but I only paid $3.50 for my whole purchase.

Shelter
Our shelter for the evening after most locals were allowed to return to their homes away from sea-level

 

Tourist hub shelter
Our tourist corner of the arena

 

Supply kit
My water & animal cracker survival kit

Some time passed, stories were told and information was shared as people came and went. Once it hit about 11:30 we were told the first waves were only about a meter high and not a big deal, but there was another earthquake and a second set of waves set to come through around 1AM, and they had no idea how big they could be but they feared much bigger. Luckily fear and compassion are language-independent, and it was at this point that a nice Ecuadorian family invited the Dutch family with children whom I’d been with into their home to spend the evening as the kids were clearly exhausted. Another nice neighbor came and brought everybody tea he’d made in his home, but I politely declined for fear that the water could be contaminated (wouldn’t that be great, a tsunami and diarrhea?)

We kept waiting and waiting, but I was back to my normal self. I was entertaining people and bringing groups of people together. I started going back and forth between the shelter and the local store, looking for new bits of information and trying to catch a glimpse of the news to relay to all of the other tourists. A policeman and an armed military guy came in and made announcements that we of course couldn’t understand over a loudspeaker. Loads of buses began trying to head back down only to be turned away by the police and told to come back to high grounds.

My British and Canadian tsunami buddies

All in all this went on for about five and a half hours before the police drove through with their lights on, making announcements over the loudspeakers. Of course we couldn’t understand a damn word being said, and in such a remote town there were no English speaking translators. But we heard the crowd cheer and the shops began to close up so we could only assume it was good news.

Almost everyone had left at this point, just a few of us stragglers were left behind

A few minutes later buses and pickup trucks began to arrive and people piled in. We managed to fit eleven people into the back of a tiny pickup bed and head back downhill.

Apparently we were one of the first trucks to make it back down because the oceanfront was empty. All of the shops were closed up, lights off, and no one was on the streets. Coming from New York, this was actually very eerie. Especially since I had been dropped off quite a few blocks from my hotel and still needed to walk a good 10-15 minutes on my own.

Pickup pileup
Eleven deep in a pickup pileup

I still felt uneasy since no one was on the streets, but I saw several police cars patrolling the area so I assumed the threat was over. Just to make sure, I popped into the police station to double check. They didn’t speak any English but I was able to convey a simple “thumbs up/thumbs down” gesture hopefully without offending anyone, and got a thumbs up in response.

There had been another tourist speaking with the policemen as well, but as soon as I approached I asked him if he spoke English to which he said “yes.” Then I asked if he knew if it was okay to leave and he didn’t answer, he just looked at me. So I said thanks and turned around to walk to the hotel.

Only problem was, this weird guy who was built like he could kill somebody with his bare hands was now following me on a deserted street. I knew I had to go down a couple of poorly lit side streets to get to the hotel, and even then there was no guarantee it’d be unlocked and I’d be able to get in. So I tried to ditch him by crossing the street—twice. He followed me across both times. He then caught up with me and I stopped and looked at him and asked him where he was going and if he needed help. Again he didn’t respond, he just looked at the ground and started walking with me. Completely freaked out, I started looking for a shop or something to go into but nothing was open. So I walked faster. He let out a huge sigh and then threw his backpack on the ground, and I was convinced he was pulling out something to kill me with. Just then I spotted three caucasian girls wandering around the docks so I quickly walked towards them. I could hear the guy pick up his pack again and continue following me. When I approached the girls I said “please, do you speak English?” to which they all cheerfully said yes.

“Can I please walk with you for a minute because this guy has been following me for blocks and it’s freaking me out.”

They all looked at him as he approached me and stopped about a foot away from me. We all turned to him and I said “do you need help, are you lost?” and he said something none of us understood, though it may have been Italian. We all kind of huddled together and told him we were leaving and waved goodbye, so he finally let out a huge sigh and walked onward. I don’t know if he was just a scared solo traveler or what, but the fact that he was following me and not responding to anything was definitely not cool.

The girls walked me to my hotel and I thanked them profusely. I’d arrived just before 2AM and completely wired yet exhausted from the night’s events. I came in my room and sat down on the bed and started texting my mom now that I was on WiFi. My body finally went through a series of emotions, and I began shaking for a good twenty seconds while trying to text. I started Googling things on my painfully slow internet connection, piecing together the story and seeing if there were any risks of aftershocks, but it seemed unlikely.

Needless to say I couldn’t sleep for a few hours. I packed a “get the fuck out” bag in case the sirens blared again in the night I would at least have my passport and some cash. I Googled what to do in a tsunami and earthquake situation, and I finally started to relax.

This has made me realize that I haven’t been in too many scary situations in my life. I’m so grateful that nothing serious happened and everything turned out to be okay though, obviously. It was really just the ignorant naivety and the initial phase of not knowing what the hell was going on and where to go that was utterly terrifying. I think the next time I travel somewhere I’ll just make sure I know the threat of natural disasters and what to do should one happen. But fingers crossed I never have to deal with that again.

And by the way, after only sleeping two hours last night I didn’t go diving today. The Galapagos Islands are known for strong currents anyway and I’d heard they’d be even stronger today so I just wasn’t comfortable swimming with sharks for the first time on a day like today. Lame.

Categories
Europe Italy Tours Unesco World Heritage Sites

Pompeii in Pictures

I won’t give you a history lesson because I’m pretty sure everyone knows what happened to Pompeii in 79 AD. And if you don’t, well you can look at just about any other site and find out. More importantly, maybe you should dig yourself out from whatever rock or volcanic ash you’ve been living under (see what I did there?)

While in Italy I went on an 8-person day trip to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii through Viator. After leaving Rome, we drove for a few hours before the unmistakable silhouette of Mount Vesuvius  began to peak above the horizon.

It was awesome. And it was kind of like love at first sight. I wanted to go straight there and climb to the top, then base jump right down into the crater. Fuck the Amalfi Coast. Who needs gorgeous cliffside scenery when you’ve got vengeful volcanoes of destruction to explore?

But Pompeii was the last stop on our trip so we kept driving (as a little piece of my heart broke), finally making our way to the cliff-hugging roads of the Amalfi Coast. The next few hours—spent exploring the painfully rocky Spiaggia Grande barefoot, doing shots of limoncello with two women who were probably as old as Italy itself, and coming back to the van late thanks to a poorly marked underground bathroom, causing me to lose my picture-taking window seat to a woman who couldn’t log off Facebook long enough to appreciate the view—is a totally different story in itself. But I was more than ready to leave the overcrowded coast behind and go wander around the ruins.

That winding cliffside road out of Amalfi was clearly built for tiny compact European cars. Hell, our eight-seater van was almost too big to comfortably zig and zag without riding the brakes, so I really don’t know what those truck drivers were thinking when they decided to take the coastal route with their eighteen wheelers. Every 50 feet or so we’d have to stop and wait for some unseen vehicle to make its way around the bend before proceeding. This was never a quick task, each stop took about 20 minutes while people put their cars in park and walked up to double check for oncoming traffic. This put us in Pompeii almost two hours later than expected.

When we finally got there our tour guide was kind of a huge jerk. Since we were late I understand he wanted us to see as much as possible still, but the constant rushing was really aggravating and left us with no time to explore or even take a decent photo. At first I was following his commands, running around snapping pictures ferociously and trying to absorb every bit of information he rattled off like an auctioneer. But then I just stopped listening and kept trying to take pictures.

The ruins were absolutely amazing, and so well preserved that it’s hard to believe they were constructed SO long ago, and were once covered in nine feet of volcanic ash.

Streets of Pompeii

Pompeii

Pompeii

Like seriously, how is it possible some of these pillars are still standing? Also, how much better would this shot have been if Vesuvius would’ve exploded with awesomely hot glowing lava right then and there?

Pompeii

Pompeii

Pompeii

 

Different areas seemed to have suffered varying degrees of damage, kind of like the path of a tornado. One of the most fascinating things I saw was inside some of the buildings like this bathhouse below. On the frescoes you can actually see the line of deterioration caused by the surge of volcanic ash that rushed in and destroyed all that it touched.

 

Inside Pompeii

Pompeii Fresco

Fresco

 

Another slightly unnerving sight that we’ve all seen in our middle school text books were the plaster casts of bodies in the position that they died in when the pyroclastic flow wiped out Pompeii. When archaeologists uncovered these empty cavities underneath the ash, they filled them with plaster before lifting them out, basically leaving an exact impression of that person at their moment of death. We only got to see two, but I’ve heard that some are so well preserved and detailed you can actually make out the wrinkles in their clothing and see the fur on a dog.

 

 

Every day the Romans would flood the streets to clean them, using stepping stones to create a crossway so they wouldn’t get their feet wet. Plus they were spaced perfectly for carriages to pass through. I don’t know why I found this so interesting, but I did. And I suddenly wished all streets in New York had these.

 

Streets of Pompeii

 

On the last stop of the tour our guide warned women and children who might be offended not to go in, so naturally I found myself paying attention to this jerkwad again. We were headed for the brothels. And how did we know that? Because of the stone penis on the ground pointing in the direction of their “red light district.”

 

Pompeii Penis

There were a series of rooms (with the most uncomfortable looking beds) reserved strictly for adult fun. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had been in these rooms when they died, and if so, where were their plaster casts?

Pompeii Brothel

There were paintings on the wall illustrating the different sex acts someone could walk in and order up. You know, kind of like a Baskin-Robbins. But with sex.

Sex Positions at Pompeii

And here’s my pervy prostitute “come hither” look. I’m pretty sure I would’ve made a killing back in the day with my creeper glare.

Me as a hooker in Pompeii  

SHOULD YOU VISIT POMPEII?

Yes! We only spent two hours at Pompeii, and while our tour was extremely rushed, it was a good way to see the highlights and learn a bit about the places we were looking at. I think a long tour with a very small group would be perfect. If I did it again I’d definitely spend at least an entire day wandering Pompeii on my own, picking up overheard information from all of the tour groups rushing around. Then I’d hike up to the top of Mount Vesuvius the next day.

I’ve heard that Italy is struggling to keep up with the preservation of the site, but I can only hope they find the funding to do so. Pompeii was a great experience and totally surreal, and I’d definitely visit again if I had the chance. I’d say it was actually my favorite part of Italy that I’ve visited. Plus admission is very reasonable (about 11 Euros, or $15 USD) and definitely worth every bit of it.

Categories
Europe Living Abroad Unesco World Heritage Sites

That Time I Was Mildly Underwhelmed by Stonehenge

When my mom and aunt flew over to London we took a day trip out to Newbury to see where my aunt had lived when she met and married my uncle. Of course, once I looked at a map and realized that Newbury was only about a 45 minute drive from Stonehenge, I immediately volunteered my aunt as our personal chauffeur/tour guide.

We spent the morning touring the English countryside from the warmth of a car, and had the most incredibly delicious Sunday roast at The Star Inn.

Sunday Roast
Perfectly moist meat, veggies and potatoes. And yummy Yorkshire pudding, that completely redefined the word “pudding.”

 

The Star Inn
The Star Inn in Kingsclere

 

There wasn’t much to see during the drive. The skies were grey and the windshield wipers moved across the glass the entire time. But there in the middle of the rolling fields of meandering sheep and more than 200 mysterious burial mounds, the stones arose from Salisbury Plain. They looked smaller than I’d expected, arranged in a circle that seemed tiny compared to the massive space of openness surrounding them. But the sheer fact that their construction began in 3100 BC, 300 years before the Egyptian pyramids were built was astounding.

Stones on one side, sheep on the other

 

We parked the car and hesitantly made our way to pay £8 at the entrance. It was cold, windy, and we were going in at the same time as about 200 French students. Not exactly the best circumstances for a leisurely sightseeing stroll.

Stonehenge

Screen shot 2013-03-26 at 11.27.42 PM

Since the actual stones were roped off in the 1970’s to prevent damage and erosion, tons of people (including myself) have complained about the inability to go into the circle of rocks and see it up close. If you just show up like we did, the closest you’re able to get is right at the entrance where you’re still at least 30 feet away, if not more. Then you can walk in a circle well beyond the ditch that surrounds it, while the exaggerated loop around the far side takes you even further from the stones. If you plan on taking pictures, you’d better pack a decent zoom lens.

Stonehenge
This shot gives you a pretty realistic idea of how far back the rope keeps you from the stones.
Stonehenge
This was the closest we were able to get, right at the entrance.

Screen shot 2013-03-26 at 11.26.12 PM

Screen shot 2013-03-26 at 11.26.35 PM

Between the frigid, nonstop wind and the fact that we were constantly moving so that we didn’t find ourselves hopelessly absorbed into the mass of students, it was nearly impossible to truly appreciate everything around us. Of course visiting Stonehenge left me bewildered with the usual questions like “how did they transport such large stones from as far as 240 miles away?” “How were they lifted upright using such primitive tools?” “Why was it built?” “If I jump over the rope and run towards the stones at full speed, how many good pictures can I realistically snap before security escorts me out?” “Can I lick the stones? Just one?”

But I also found myself curious about the restoration efforts, and how they’ve altered the way the giant stones were first discovered and originally intended. They’ve been lifted, straightened, and put into cement since then, which always leaves me curious on where they draw the line between preserving and reconstructing.

Stonehenge
An illustration of what they believe Stonehenge looked like back in the day.

Just over a mile from the stones, English Heritage is working on building a £27 million centre that will not only teach visitors more about Stonehenge, but allow them to digitally go inside the site as well. They say it’s meant to “give people a sense of what it is like to stand in the middle of Stonehenge because most people just won’t be able to do that.” Seems weird to me. Travel all that way to Stonehenge just to explore it in a virtual reality type experience? I think you’re better off planning in advance to go into the circle.

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SHOULD YOU VISIT?

Obviously if you’re a thrill-seeker Stonehenge isn’t the most enthralling experience unless you plan to jump on a random sheep and ride it through the stones like an obstacle course.

Sure it’s a bit underwhelming, but it’s still Stonehenge. And for that reason alone it’s worth it. I’d imagine with a little planning you could spend an awesome sunrise or sunset inside the stones and it’d be an unforgettable experience. Add a few pit stops along the way to check out some nearby towns or even Avebury and it’d really make for an awesome day. But if you can help it, don’t go during the “coldest winter in 50 years” like we did.

Mamabear and I bundled up at Stonehenge
Mamabear and I bundled up