Sealion on Española Island with our boat in the back
The first night of our cruise was the longest sail for the trip. Half our boat had been on the boat already for half a week and they had said it had been calm until then. The boat sails back to Santa Cruz and half the boat leaves and a new half group comes on. I'm not sure why but it was interesting to meet more people and say bye bye to the more irritating ones... I won't name names but I will say 1 refused to wear a bra and the other got hair extensions for her trip the Galapagos. WTF?
Anyhoo, when I mentioned that we all were ill at some point on the trip I want to be crystal clear that it had nothing to do with the food. It was the ocean. There was considerable motion the week we were on. I understand there were some storms off the coast of Chile that we were being affected by. And boy oh boy were we ever. The first sail was delayed because of a meeting our guide had to attend so we did not set sail until after midnight. We were moving until after breakfast the next day. Since we were trying to keep to a schedule, we were hauling ass. I could not even keep down toast.
Once we landed on lovely Española and touched our feet down, I felt much better. I was famished by lunch. Tutu had prepared a Noodle dish in the Ecuadorian/Chinese style. Chinese food is very popular in Ecuador as they are in Peru. However, in Peru, there is a notable Chinese population whereas in Ecuador, I really did not note much if any of an Asian minority not even in the restaurants. They, restaurants are called "Chifas". The food has adapted to local ingredients and tastes as often happens like say Carribean Chinese food is different still. The most popular dishes are Chaulafan which is basically Stir Fried Rices. The other is Tallarines or Noodles. They usually use pasta noodles. Then there is a mix of both on a plate as well!
Lunch was Tallarines con Camarones (Shrimp Noodle Stirfry) with Asparagus and Salad. The Shrimp were abundant, large and delicious. The Asparagus was fresh and well cooked. It was much much much better than the Chifa I went to in Quito.
For dessert, we had Strawberries, which are called Fruitillas not Fresas in Ecuador, with whipped cream. I was starving by then so this was heaven.
Española was beautiful and it's most famous resident is the Albatross. It has an enormous wingspan and is known to stay at sea for years on end and return to Española to nest. The landings were hilarious. Because of their large beak and wings, it's legs do not really help much in landing. It would basically plop down quite clumsily. To court another Albatross, they would duel with their beaks which looked like arguing. It was adorable.
Albatross on a nest on Española Island
Dinner for me was stuffed double cooked Eggplant, Green Bean Salad, Garlic Roasted potatos and Slaw. The slaw for me was way to creamy but others just lapped it up. I like the vinagrey type but that's just a matter of preference. I thought my eggplant was the main but Tutu prepared a piece of fish for me as well. The eggplant was wonderful and I did not necessarily need the fish but I did need my strength after all the hiking and snorkelling. The Potatoes were YUMMO!
It was straight to bed after a bit of tea and chat. Everyone was still a bit scarred from the night before's sail so we wanted to be asleep before we moved again. It was much shorter this time so it was all good.
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