After school we did some homework at a local café and then rented bikes to ride out to the Wall of Tears. We walked a large part of this trail yesterday and decided it would be fun to go further (and faster with the bikes). By all accounts, the Wall of Tears is just that, a wall, but the trip itself was full of lovely little stops. It’s one of the few trips you can do on Isabela without a guide.

Along the road, there are amazing little beaches and fantastic volcanic rock formations. One formation was a volcanic tunnel where you can see exactly the way the lava can form – and eventually collapse – into tunnels. We’ve seen these formations all over the island, now we understand how these massive rocks can be such a crazy pile up.

Just outside the town, we spotted a gorgeous sea lion, just hanging out on the beach. He looked beautiful in the late afternoon sunlight and even more graceful as he splashed into the ocean in search of a meal. I still can’t get used to the abundance of animals just hanging around in such close proximity to the human population.

Another of the stops was at a mangrove. There is a fresh water source that was used by the penal colony that constructed the Wall of Tears. There was also a beautiful little beach to access the water. In this mangrove forest are some of the biggest mangroves I’ve ever seen and the biggest black mangrove on the island. It was just like walking into one of the fairy houses Alicia used to construct in the forest.

Just down the road from this was the Camino de las Tortugas (the walk of the tortoises). Conveniently marked with a sign and a tortoise just next to the sign. We spotted at least another dozen in the next 4km as we rode up the hill; it was a real tortoise safari. About ¾ of the way along the path, Alexander’s bike chain broke. Fortunately, this path is frequented with guides and tourists, so it wasn’t long before he was rescued by a group of Argentinian travelers.

We still managed to enjoy the lookout, which offered an amazing view of the island. On the way back, the kids and I stopped at the mangroves for a little swim and got back to town just in time to see the most incredible full moon hovering over Isabela. A fitting way to end the day – and our two weeks on the island.

Wednesday 5th November

Oh what a day! We woke early 6:15 and cranked through breakfast which was a toad-in-the-hole. School was good, tried “don’t worry be happy” song which was the first time I saw the students engaged for more than 60 minutes.

Did a private lesson with Mathilde, which proved fantastic. She really wants to learn, and I am convinced this contributes for longer term. The discussion also gave me interesting background into island life.

We get stunning news from Jorge (person from the volunteering org in Quito). Though we had non-changeable tickets, he has made it possible to change TAME flights to Lima (we made booking error) avoiding huge potential costs.

But it gets better!

We meet a Vietnamese girl who stays next door. She mentions she will be back in Vietnam for their New Year, which is right around the time we will be there (mid February). She studied in the USA, living in North, mid and South California and tells us to reach out once we are in Vietnam.

No really hold on, it gets way better. . .

We have dinner in the highlands (friends via Alicia and the school where Heidi teaches); Yvette picks us up (extremely friendly, chatting all the way up to the highlands).

We are stunned upon arrival. As we drive up to an oasis unseen before on the island. Before us is a restaurant, surrounded by lush gardens and some guest rooms. The restaurant must be good for a seating of 55-60 people, and has a full (inox) professional kitchen. Bert is a retired chef cook.

All the tables are dressed, candles lit; one Central table with 6 settings (glasses, silverware for 3 courses, two types of home made bread rolls on little plates). After a quick scan of the garden and admiration of the view over the landscape we settle at the bar (which is also handmade by Bert) with a glass of excellent white Chilean wine.

Bert cooks and partially joins us at the dinner table as we dive into the fresh vegetables which we so crave. I find myself in heaven. Listening to Yvette, joking with Michelle and hearing Bert’s views. All the MasterCard commercial:  Priceless!

Just after 10pm we leave, meaning Bert drives us down the mountain. We see the first owl on their rooftop, but end up seeing many more on the way down. Like the night-herons we encounter, they are not afraid, and at one moment we come to a complete stop as Bert has to switch his lights on and off several times to convince the birds it might be smart to get off the road.

Overall an unforgettable evening. This one will be hard to beat!

Hello everyone! I have been on Isabela for the past week. You may or may not know that this is a volcanic Island. Do not feel bad if you did not know. I did not know it until the 5th day either. It is composed of 6 different volcanos. 5 are dormant and the last one is dead. It is dead because there is only half of it left. This volcanic island has been created about 700,000 years ago by a volcano. I got to go on to the top of one of the volcanos. It was called the Sierra Negra. Sierra means mountain and Negra stands for black. So in English, you would say ‘mountain black’. This is something really cool. This volcano last erupted in 2006 but there was no damage done. “What! How is that possible?” you may ask. But this volcano, people could watch explode and not get hurt because the lava stayed in the very, very large crater. And by very, very large, I say that because it is the second largest crater in the world. It is 10 kilometers in diameter. That is very long I have to say. There are also a lot of different kinds of volcanos. This one is a shield volcano. This volcano has erupted 12 times since 1800. Not a single scientist is trying to predict next time it will erupt because no damage will be done! There is something really cool. The lava will cool down, but it will not always go very fast. The lava on top will cool off because it is exposed to the cold air. The part in the middle and the bottom will stay warm. So the top part will harden into rock but under it, the hot lava will still flow. This will form a tunnel tube type of thing. The problem is that at some parts it is thinner than others. The animals around will walk over the thin parts and fall in. Sometimes they will not manage to get out. That is why people are finding bones in these tunnels. I loved the experience of going on to this volcano (even if all I could see were clouds and clouds and clouds), it was really cool. You should go on one too if you have not yet -or even if you have- to see if any of this makes sense.

had a long walk (reportedly 16km) to see the Sierra Negra Vulcano. Unfortunately we were in the clouds and could not look further then 200 meters. This means we did NOT get to see this:

We did see however a beautiful lava landscape , but only Leendert and Alexander.   Alicia had pains in her heel so stayed with Heidi behind in the mist….

Internet connection has moved from ‘slow’ to ‘no’. Expect improvement tomorrow. Did have great day snorkelling and swimming amongst turtles, sea lions, rays, and white tipped sharks. Pictures to follow once bandwidth re-established.

the view as I walk on the Main street to have one quick drink. Notice the strategically placed tree. Good indication how one lives here with nature.

brilliant day. Friday at last. Tomorrow a day to recover. Play, sand and no 6am wake up call for a 7am school start…!

Alicia and I are teaching at a municipal school on Isabela. The students are from 1st-9th grade. The campus is lovely with colorful, round bungalows housing each class. A breeze blows constantly through the large windows as the kids study math, history, science, Spanish, English and art.

We are working with 3 classes: 2nd grade, 3rd grade and one mixed (7-9th) grade. The kids are so excited to learn and they are absolutely enamored with Alicia! Her blonde hair and blue eyes attract plenty of attention. Breaks are filled with making friendship bracelets and discussing the A, B, Cs.

Our small whiteboard has also proven useful as we quiz our small groups on letters. Yesterday, they were clamoring to take their turns reading and writing words while we coached. Such a bunch of quick and keen learners!

After school, we try to make some time for studying. It’s not obvious to find the routine yet, but the kids are progressing quickly on math and reading and it’s impossible not to study geology, biology and ecology when you are in a place that throws volcanic rock and sea lions at you with every turn. We take time to hit the beach each day where there are sea lions surfing and pelicans dive-bombing all around the kids. It’s impressive how they all manage to miss crashing into one another.

We now have a lot of friends in town. On every corner seems to be a student from one of the schools. It’s wonderful to hear them calling out (to Leendert and Alicia, of course!), it makes this lovely place feel a little like home. And talking to these delightful people gives us a lot of insight into their lives and their love of this place. Honestly, it’s no wonder that Isabela is repeatedly talked about as a paradise.

Full time, hard work in a totally different way.

We are present at 7am when the students line up at a countdown done through a microphone and a portable speaker. In front of a Maria and Jesus statue the children recite the Lord’s Prayer and get some instructions; next they file off class by class.

I did a repeat of the day before, Mathilde handed over the pens right from the start. Today was a bit more challenging on the one hand as the novelty wore off, on the other hand it became easier as I knew what to expect.

As we walk from school to school, Mathilde asks if I would work with her on her English. I say I would be delighted, and she proposes to do so 1-2 hours a day if that is ok for me. She proposes to get together at her farm in the afternoon. She wants to make sure Heidi and Alicia will also be ready at 14:00.

We get offered a ‘bric’ of school milk and cookies While we wait for class and Leendert plays football with the kids. The next class is great (on tourism on the island). At the end the focus returns on Leendert and his height. Though the kids in the class go up to 18, none is taller than Leendert. Laughs all around, especially when the 16 year old girl comes only to about mid-chest.

We return home, and at exactly 14:00 Mathilde is in front of our door with a car/pick-up truck. Her brother is driving and about 15 min later we find ourselves in the Highlands (a stunning view, see picture tab). Upon arrival we were welcomed by an sweet smell of citrus blossom. We shake Mathilde’s husbands (sweaty) hand. He’d been working hard to get the property looking nice. The house is surrounded by fruit trees; mango, papaya, guanava, lemon, bananas (regular, small and black) and tons of oranges. Soon Leendert and Alicia were also picking oranges.

We visit her neighbor. As it turns out it is actually a very known site: Campo Duro. Today Mr.Wilfredo runs a restaurant/camping ground/tortoise reserve on it, and is a good friend of the family. He lets us freely roam the terrain, and as we step through the oranges on the ground we see at least a dozen tortoise.

The kids take their afternoon dive in the sea, and we have dinner back at home.