Ecuador Pictures!

Happy 2011! I have been meaning to write, post anything...from what I had for breakfast to my thoughts on the state of the union. At any rate, Aunt's PhD graduations, Christmas and New Years plans all got the best of my time. Alas, here I am again. Quite certain that my readers have given up on me...so to whomever may find this accidentally while surfing the interweb...happy new year! Merry Christmas! I finally got my pictures from Ecuador and the Galapagos posted...they are just incredible, in my humble opinion. Enjoy and a proper post will be forthcoming in the next few days, promise!!

Ecuador

It's Been a While!

Hello! I'm not quite sure if anyone will ever actually read this post because I have let so much time elapse since last writing. I did promise to keep this blog going and have been very slack in keeping that promise! At any rate, it is what it is and I have been home now for 30 days + 1. It has been quite an adjustment coming home. For starters, I was contained by customs for several nerve-wracking minutes as I was questioned by two officers as to how I managed to travel for 16 months without a job. My answer, though truthful, was surely less than believable to them because they must have been able to see my chest visibly pounding through my shirt! Also, nothing in the 16 months and countless flights that I took was ever taken out of my bag...that is until I landed in Atlanta, Georgia. What a welcome home...a stolen medicine bag and an interrogation as to why on earth someone could possibly not work for 16 months and actually go out and see the world and live life! ;)

Mom, Callie, Stephanie, James and Ashlee were all at the airport to greet me with neon posters, hugs and smiles. It was great to see so many familiar, loved faces all at once! We high-tailed it to the nearest cheap, hole in the wall Mexican restaurant where we ordered queso blanco and margaritas (at 11 AM!). That welcome, followed shortly by Mexican food, more than made up for the slight unnerving the customs guys put me through in ATL!

The last few weeks have been a blur of activity. First, I unpacked. Much to my pleasant surprise, all of the boxes that I shipped home over the 16 months made it to Mom's house. It was fun opening them to see what all I had decided to discard along the way or that I had picked up en route. In total, I think I bought no less than 30 scarves and an entire chest worth of jewelry....my favorite things to buy when traveling, clearly! I spent several days getting settled back into living in the bedroom of my childhood. It was like Christmas going through all of my clothes and shoes...so many things that I had forgotten I even had!! Looking at all that stuff, though, also made me realize how much I have that I truly don't need. After spending 16 months living out of a backpack with limited clothing and shoe options, it became very easy to decide what to wear...limited options = simple and easy. I feel a big purge coming on of everything that was waiting for me at home.

I caught up with old friends, spent time with family, etc. I tried my hand at surfing again in Cocoa Beach, FL. I drove to NC to visit friends and former co-workers and to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday. Friends from college and I met to watch a Florida game together. Friends from NC hosted a 'welcome back to the States' party for me. Thanksgiving. Grandma taught me how to make her delicious fudge! Needless to say, I have been occupied completely since returning.

Am I going through culture shock? Yes. It first struck me during my layover in Atlanta before landing in Orlando. Have you ever actually paid attention to how unhealthy and unnatural food is in airports in this country?! I was shocked by not only that but by the 30+ people in line for their Starbucks fix. (keep in mind that for the cost of one of those magnum size caffeine drinks, I could eat well in Asia for an entire day!). Also, everyone at home seems so preoccupied with their phones. I stood in the middle of the terminal as the sun was rising, watching and appreciating how wonderful a day it was starting out to be while everyone around me chatted or banged away on their phones, completely ignoring the beautiful sunrise. Finally, I am amazed by how much I have changed as compared to everyone else around me. Life went on here, same thing, different day. It makes me ever so grateful that I did take the time out of my life to go watch those sunrises, to meet those people, to just wake up and see what each day would bring. I miss those moments very much.

As for what's next....that's still a mystery to me as well. Quite honestly, I don't feel that I am in the right frame of mind to make any long-term decisions about what to do, where to go just yet. It's amazing how 16 months away from 'normal life' can alter your perspective on what is important! I really want to be sure that whatever comes next for me, it feels right from all angles. Time will tell. In the mean time, I hope that you and your family are excited for the holiday season! I am looking forward to all those traditional things which make being at home with friends and family so special.

The End of the Beginning...

...I board a plane in 2.5 hours bound for the USA. It is bitter sweet to see the end of this magnificent journey come to an end. I had hoped to write something very sentimental, very poetic to summarize what this trip has meant to me, but I find that it is hard to put into words. Let me just say that I regret not a single second of walking away from my previous life and setting out to the unknown. I am returning a changed person. I am excited about what the future holds and of course to see friends and family again. I also am excited to use a hair dryer (have not since February) and not using a bag which I carry on my back to hold everything that I possess.

Next, I'll be posting pictures from Ecuador. As for the blog, I have really enjoyed writing it, so I am considering continuing it and challenging myself to approach "everyday life" like I have been this trip...seizing each moment, going with the flow and finding opportunities to make an ass of myself and laugh a bit along the way. Thanks to all of you who have continued reading it...your support has meant the world to me. With that, I will finish my last swig of chocolate caliente, throw my bag on my back one last time and board yet another airplane this time destined for Titusville, Florida. Zai jian! Ciao! Namaste! Love, Jamie

Galapagos!

The last five days cruising around the southern islands of the Galapagos rank among the most incredible days I have spent on this trip. I have never been so close to animals in the wild, never been able to observe them for so long in their natural habitat. The landscapes on each island are so diverse, alongside the amazing variety of birds, mammals and plants. The Ecuadorian government and the Charles Darwin Research Station are doing a fantastic job of preserving and protecting such a precious area of our little planet.

There were 10 of us on the boat, all under 35 – 5 Germans, 2 Canadians, 1 Irish, 1 Dutch and me. We all got along fabulously which always makes a trip even more fun. The second afternoon between hiking and snorkeling, as we were making our way to the next stop, I was laying out on the rooftop soaking up some vitamin D when I got pooped on by a frigate bird. Forty two minutes later, I got pooped on by another one. Did you know that frigate bird poop can stain bathing suits? I won the award on the boat for “Most Times Pooped on by a Bird”. Lucky me.

We stopped at one or two islands each day for a hike with our naturalist guide where in broken English with silly sexual colloquialisms about animal mating rituals, he explained the different animals, plants, etc. We saw sea lion cubs nursing, blue-footed boobies doing their mating dance, albatross babies. We watched sea lions surfing and killing its lunch (this consists of whopping fish from side to side on the surface) and iguanas nearly inhale cactus fruit as it fell to the ground. I saw so many different birds that I stopped trying to remember their names…except the boobie one, that one’s easy. Ha ha…


I honestly have fallen in love with sea lions. I could watch them sneeze, roll in the sand, waddle around and make noise all day long and never tire of it. On a beach one afternoon, I was lying on my sarong about 8’ from a colony of sea lions. After about 10 minutes, one scooted over to smell and nudge my beach bag. Ten minutes after that, one came right up and smelled/ kissed my calf. It was incredible!! They just looked at me with their huge brown eyes to make sure I wasn’t going to eat them or to confirm that I wouldn’t be a tasty snack and then went about their business. It is honestly surreal to think about how close I came to them and how the sea lions and I actually made a connection. Of course, I was talking to them like I talk to our dog, Chance…very baby-meets-puppy-kind of squealing girl voice, so maybe that helped the bonding process!

Snorkeling was also incredible. Again we were playing with the sea lions. I saw two white tip reef sharks, one over 5’ which is quite big for reef sharks! I lost count of how many turtles and eagle rays. A school of about 20 eagle rays and a few turtles swam right under me and I had to pinch myself to make sure I was really seeing what I was seeing! Unbelievable!

On the boat back to Santa Cruz Island yesterday, a few dolphins started following us, jumping, twirling. Of course, I got super excited and basically sprinted to the front of the boat, tripping on a part of the boat that was sticking straight up in plain sight, breaking a toe. I can’t believe I almost made it this entire trip without seriously hurting myself after all these falls and trips, but watching the dolphins in the perfect blue water was well worth the pain I now feel ever step!

On a completely unrelated note: I ran into an Aussie couple that I sailed with when we went to see the Komodo dragons in Indonesia back in April! What a wonderful coincidence that we should meet again on the other side of the planet and how incredibly small the world really is!

Hung out at Tortuga Bay this afternoon with iguanas, trying to be sure that my tan is dark enough so that it actually looks like I have been away when I get home! Tonight those of us from the boat got together for some delicious street seafood. The grill master allowed me to flip and blow dry some of the marlin and prawns (in Asia and S. America they use hair dryers when grilling to speed up the process...pretty genius and entertaining!) I decided against doing any more laundry since I am so close to going home now. I’m sure that my neighbors on my flights won’t appreciate it…everything I own definitely has acquired a ‘traveling scent’ after 16 months. Back to Quito tomorrow where I am meeting up with Eva, my dive buddy from last week, for one last night on the town before packing up and heading back to the USA! Ciao from the Galapagos!