Galapagos Day 1: Las Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz Island

We left Colorado very early on February 4th to catch a 3 and a half hour flight from Denver to Miami. I was perfectly calm on that flight- no worries, no anxiety, just enjoying the trip. Out of the entire trip, this flight- strangely, the first one- was the "best" one for me, in terms of anxiety and comfort. I really do think that the fear of flying online classes helped me a lot.

We had some very lackluster Mexican food in the Miami airport, but we were too excited about our trip to care much about terrible airport food :) The flight from Miami to Guayaquil was about 5 hours, and I did well up until the last half hour. Suddenly, I wanted OFF THIS PLANE. I feel the need to assure you all that I deal with my anxieties very well, so don't worry, I wasn't crying and pacing the aisles or anything. I just turned to Bobby and said "I want off this plane" haha. All in all it was an uneventful flight, although the movie "Life as We Know It" was awful. Sorry Katherine, you just don't do it for me. We met up with Bobby's mom and dad (Bonnie and Bob) and his sister and brother-in-law (Denise and Chad) very late that night at our hotel, shared a welcome drink (virgin pina colada for me) and then collapsed into bed.

The next morning we were up early to eat breakfast and head to the airport to catch our plane to the Galapagos islands. The weather was really nice- in most of the pictures it looks overcast, but trust me, that is precisely why it was nice. Without that kind cloud cover, it would have been sweltering.

The airport looked like it was brand new, and everyone was so nice and helpful. This is where I go ahead and let the cat out of the bag- by the end of the trip, American airlines weren't looking too great in comparison. I've never had better service, better food, or been more comfortable on planes than I have in South America.

Surprise- we're in first class. We didn't know until we got on the plane (a brand new Airbus 320, the oldest plane we flew on the entire trip was an Airbus 319). I'd never flown first class, and let me say that it helps a lot with my flight anxiety.

Having this much room, in a supercomfy chair that feels like a recliner, with a huge flat screen right in front of me, PLUS a window seat offered plenty of distractions. The flight was short- an hour and a half- so that probably helped as well.

The islands were beautiful from the air. The fact that I was calm enough to be taking pictures out of the window is huge.

The Baltra airport is very small, and it's open air. The runway is right in the middle of exactly nowhere, and you get off the plane via stairs that are wheeled up to it. Then you walk across the runway into the covered area where they process you for arrival and entrance into the Galapagos Islands- they are officially designated a National Park of Ecuador. Then you filter through to the other side to wait for a bus to take you to your ship. These shirts were on display at the vendors shops  and I thought they were clever.

Touristin' it up in front of the sign. Right after this was taken we hopped on a 3 minute bus ride and boarded our ship,the Eclipse. I didn't get a full picture of it, but the previous link has several.

The ship is a small cruise ship, but it's unlike any cruise ship I've ever been on. It holds 48 passengers, but on this particular trip we were lucky- there were only 24 people on board. The rooms were gorgeous, with the most comfortable bed I've ever  slept on.

All of them have sea views, and as we would later find out they were serviced 3 times a day. We couldn't keep these rooms messy if we tried. At this point in the trip I'm thinking "we're really, finally, truly here" followed by "now I want a nap" followed by "no, wait, I want to eat delicious food".

They served us said delicious food, went over safety drills and such, and then it was time to head off for our first excursion.

The islands don't have big ports where the ship can dock. For every excursion we were in a panga (motorboat) that took us from the ship to the island. Some of our landings were wet, like this one, where you just jump out into about 3 feet of water and wade to shore. Some were dry, where they rev the engine to push the panga up onto rocks and you scramble out. On every excursion during the trip, we were the only people on the island.

Las Bachas beach and Bobby, upon landing. We went on a hike around the island with our guide, Martin. Ecuadorian law requires that anyone visiting the Galapagos islands have a guide- 16 people max per guide. Our ship, however, has a 12 people max per guide policy, which allowed everyone to be able to ask questions and hear answers, and it didn't feel like a crowded tour group. The following pictures were taken as we hiked around the island.

After the hike we had a swim- and check out that rainbow. The weather was really great- enough cloud cover to protect us from the sun, but it wasn't rainy or cold. The water was so clear, and there were all sorts of fish swimming all around us.

I love this picture of Bobby's parents!

Sun setting, right before we got back on the panga to head to the ship for dinner.

I hate going out in public with my hair wet, so after a shower I twisted it all up. This takes about 5 or 10 minutes tops, but the crew leader, Maria loved it so I taught her how to do it.

This is us right before dinner in the lobby/reception area. This is where we would all meet up for excursions, and where they would have snacks waiting for us in the afternoon when we came in from the islands. The trip started off great, and it would end up just getting better. I swear I could live on the Eclipse for the rest of my life- if only they would let me! Between the food, the great people we met, the awesome crew, and the atmosphere that felt more like a really nice hotel instead of a cramped cruise ship room, we were all looking forward to spending the next 5 days on board.

23 and Me- Results

I know I should be posting pictures from our vacation, but I got my 23 and Me results in yesterday and I wanted to share how the end of the process works, since I've already written about getting the test as a gift and the process of sending off my DNA to be analyzed. All together it took about 6 weeks to get my results back. They e-mail you with a notification that your profile is ready, and then you go to their website and log-in with a user name and password.

The website is very user friendly, and your results are laid out in your profile. There is an extensive menu that runs down the left side of the screen, with various categories- My Health, My Ancestry, Sharing and Community, and 23 and We. Each of those categories has subcategories. For example, underneath "My Health", are sub categories for disease risk, carrier status, drug response, traits, and health labs. I found the "My Health" sub-categories to be the most interesting, because, of course, they were the most pertinent to my personal health. When you clicked on "disease risk" the screen populates with a full page of information. The first section lists the diseases for which you have an increased risk, the second section is populated with the diseases for which you have an average risk, the third section is populated with the diseases for which you have a lower than average risk. In this sub-category, my Parkinson's risk was locked. I had to unlock it to see the results, since that is deemed a sensitive and potentially worrisome thing to find out, and they give people the option of choosing to know or not. I have average risk, all good there! And as someone who has had a mole removed which came back abnormal, I also was happy to see that I have a substantially decreased risk for melanoma than the average population. That plus avoiding the sun since I was 15 plus my love affair with sunscreen bodes well, abnormal moles be damned. I had another mole removed just yesterday at the derm's office, and instead of worrying like a crazy person, that little category on 23 and Me is making me feel a lot better.

The "carrier status" sub category of "My Health" gave you info on what genes you are carrying for certain diseases. In this sub category there was also a locked section that I had to choose to unlock- this told me whether or not I carried the BRCA mutation, which is responsible for an increased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. I chose to unlock it, and I don't carry the mutation (from my "disease risk" section I found out I have a much lower risk of breast cancer than average as well, so I wasn't expecting to have the mutation). It's fascinating to me to look through the "drug response" section and see how they can predict how I will react to drugs, just based on my genes. They include caffeine in this section, and I learned I was a slow metabolizer (meaning caffeine affects me strongly) which doesn't surprise me since it makes me crazy jittery. The "traits" section got as specific as talking about the way my taste buds work, and that my hair is curly, and my eyes are green. The "My Health" category alone would have been worth the profiling, just due to all the fascinating info you get from the sub categories.

But then you get the fun of digging through the "My Ancestry" category, which was also neat. I'm 100% European ancestry, overwhelmingly Northern European. They have various maps to show the ancestral progression of your ancestors, and how different genes are linked into different groups. This was interesting to me because I read the fabulous book, "The 7 Daughters of Eve" and it was rad to see the science behind our human gene groups.

I know I said I wouldn't share anything negative, but honestly my genes overall are pretty good. There is even a profile for longevity, and apparently I have a higher than average chance of living to be 100. In fact, there was only one area where I had a higher than average risk of disease, but it was substantially higher. My risk of getting DVT (deep vein thrombosis) is more than 3 times the average risk. In addition to that, under "drug response" it specifically said that I was substantially more likely to have DVT as a result of taking birth control. Back to the disease risk section, that section also mentioned that my 3X greater risk for getting DVT was even greater if I took birth control pills. I was surprised to read that, but it was very helpful information. Lately I've been going back and forth on whether I should take BC for my acne or take another medication, and I mentioned to Bobby that I wished there was a way for me to objectively evaluate which would be better for me to do, healthwise. As a result of this screening, I'm much more likely to take another medication over the BC pills (which I haven't been on for a few months anyway).

One other helpful tool on the website is that every single disease, drug, and carrier gene listed is a hyperlink, which takes you to a full page of information about the disease, and how lifestyle changes can lower risk. And, at the bottom of every page, they are sure to stress that genes are not destiny- you could have a carrier gene and never get the disease, you could get a disease with zero risk factors, etc. So much is in your own hands when it comes to your personal health, and I really like how 23 and Me stresses that. The other categories give you the ability to compare genes with other people (only if they invite you and you accept, or vice versa, random people do NOT have access to your info!) and Bobby and I had fun comparing our profiles. The "23 and We" section is basically a ton of quizzes that you take, which, combined with your genetic profile, helps researchers compile huge databases of lifestyle factors in conjunction with genetic risk. Overall I'm very happy to have my profile done, and I would recommend it if you're a science geek like myself. The full screening frequently goes on sale for a fraction of the normal price, so if you want to get it done you might want to check in periodically and wait for the inevitable sale.

Feel free to ask any questions if you want more info!

Two Years

This is a necklace of dried carnations. Bobby and I each received one on our first date, two years ago today, at Kalachandji's, a fabulous vegetarian restaurant with a beautiful Krishna temple adjoining. We ate our food out in the courtyard, and afterward we padded, barefoot, around the temple. Two Krishna devotees- one Jewish, one Catholic, neither feeling any strife between their respective religions and Lord Krishna- pushed threaded needles through fresh pink and red carnations, making our necklaces for us while they talked about divine consciousness and supreme love. We wore the carnations out of the temple, and kept them on at the coffee shop where we ended the night. Our second date wouldn't happen until almost a month and a half later, and after that we would date one another while dating other people for almost 6 months before making things official and exclusive. But that first date started it all, even though, admittedly, I wasn't sure on the first date that there would be an "all" between us.

We didn't have a love at first sight kind of first date, but I'm glad things worked out the way they did between us. After months of dating and friendship I was sure of the kind of person he was before we began a serious relationship. When I moved up to Colorado last May, I saw that string of carnations hanging in our closet. Mine had been crushed in an interim move to my little downtown efficiency, but Bobby's was still in perfect condition, and we both see it every day in our shared closet. We're not traditionally romantic- Valentine's Day is about as important to us as any random day of the year, and our beginnings are quirky and a bit odd to say the least- but in little things like this our sentimentality comes out.

Today was a quiet Sunday, spent eating a late breakfast and checking out the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Museum of Art downtown. Later tonight is a veggie sushi feast at our favorite place, Mt. Fuji. Altogether a very good day :)

Home Again, Home Again, Ziggity Zag

We rolled into our little mountain town last night around 9:30, and were promptly asleep by 10. We had breakfast in Lima, then a 5 and a half hour flight to Miami, lunch there, and then a 4 hour flight to Denver, followed by an hour on the shuttle. I always (I know you're not supposed to use that word, but truly, it's ALWAYS) clean my house from top to bottom before I leave on a trip, including putting fresh clean sheets on the bed, and I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to arrive home after almost two weeks, after a long day in various airports, to a sparkling apartment and fresh clean sheets to sleep on. Heaven.

We took thousands of pictures, and I have lots to update on, but today will be devoted to laundry, unpacking, grocery shopping, and sorting through said photos. I hope to have some trip updates coming in the next few days!

Mid-Trip Update

After a flight from the Galapagos open air airport to mainland Ecuador, and then another flight to Lima, Peru, I am typing this from our hotel. I am so tired I can hardly see straight, so this will be quick- also the keyboard is completely different and I can not find the apostrophe in my addled state. Everything about the Galapagos was amazing- from the islands to the weather to the insane cruise ship we traveled on to the people we traveled with. I had never been snorkeling and I did so with sea lions and sea turtles- incredible. The cruise ship was built to accomodate 48 passengers, but we only had 24 which made for a great experience. Every day we hiked at least once, usually twice, in addition to kayaking and snorkeling. I think I have gotten spoiled, since a typical day would be a great breakfast, followed by a hike, a snack waiting for us at the boat, and then back out to snorkel and come back to a nap before lunch, followed by the afternoon activity, a shower, and more delicious food and a sunset. Heaven on earth, I tell you.

Tomorrow morning we take a flight to Cusco, where we spend the day. Then it is 3 days with Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, another day in Cusco, and then we come home. As to the flights, we have had 5 so far- 3 to get to the Galapagos, 2 to get to Peru- and I did very well on 3 out of 5. One of those 3 was a random first class flight though, and everything seems more peaceful when you have lots of room and lots of distractions, haha. The two flights where I fell apart where both the last flights of each day, and I was tired, hungry, and ready to be on solid ground. But altogether, I am pretty proud of how I am handling it. I am definitely so much better than I used to be, and better is the goal since perfect is unattainable, right? Right.

For now, bed. Tomorrow is the start of the second part of our trip, and if it is even half as good as the Galapagos experience it will be fantastic. Oh, and I have far too many pictures that I will burden everyone with when I get back home.

Change of Plans, Change of Clothes

When we were planning on visiting Egypt and Jordan, I was planning on packing long dresses and loose pants, long sleeved, loose shirts, and a few scarves to cover my head. Now that we're going somewhere tropical involving a lot of water, the packing is going to go a bit differently. Bobby needs swim trunks, I need some board shorts, and we're trying to scramble to get them before we leave tomorrow morning. I'm not the biggest fan of shopping in general, but swim suits are such a hassle to get anyway. Ideally I'd get board shorts and a rash guard- the t-shirt swim top you see fair people or surfers wearing- but so far, in snowy, cold Colorado in February, those are understandably not easy to come by. The last time I ventured into the land of summer clothes was back in 2009, looking for board shorts and swim tops...

I tried board shorts on over shorts (I despise dressing rooms). I also despise shorts- other than that plaid pair, I never wear them and don't own any.
And when I couldn't find a swim top, I gave up, tried on stupid hats, and acted like a fool for my friend's boyfriend, who was newly in America for the first time and was accompanying me on this ill fated trip.

I guess I'm trying to say, I'm not good at this. We're hitting up Kohl's tonight since Bobby has been going to the hot tub all summer in gym shorts, and fingers crossed I can find some sort of swimming outfit conducive to being active and snorkeling/swimming/hiking around islands.

Re-Defining Rape

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape Victim Abortion Funding
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I find satire to be one of the best ways to point out absurdities.

Copious amounts of text on the internet and in print have been used to criticize H.R. 3., The "No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act", so I won't rehash all of that here. All I've been saying, this entire time, is that the very fact that any elected official in this country would say out loud or write on paper the absurd "distinction" between "forcible rape" and "non-forcible rape" makes me so incensed I can hardly see straight. After a huge outpouring of criticism, they are changing the language, but the fact that they even went there in the first place is unbelievable and makes me seriously concerned as to the lack of understanding they have related to sexual assault. *Trigger warning for the next rant*

INHERENT IN THE WORD RAPE IS FORCE.

How hard is that to understand? You don't have to say "forcible rape". That's repetitive and ignorant, quite frankly. Rape, in and of itself, is a force of a sexual act on another human being against their will. There is no need to say "forcible rape". Rape, in and of itself, is plenty violating enough on its own. It doesn't need to involve a broken face, or dislocated shoulders, or bloody lips or creeping strangers breaking into the house to be about FORCE. And I could truly, really, honestly care less about why they are trying to do this. If they are truly, really, honestly doing this out of respect for life due to their objection to abortion, then they need to find another way to do this that doesn't involve dis-respecting women** by telling them that rapes only count if the violence is horrific enough on top of the inherent violation of rape.

The bottom line is that it is a slap in the face to rape victims to say that their rape doesn't count unless it was accompanied by an arbitrarily decided sufficient amount of additional physical violence. Rape is a violation and a crime regardless. Women do not need to be violently beaten and broken, in addition to being raped, for it to "count"- a lack of consent equals rape, period. I realize the sponsors of this bill are trying to hedge and say it is just in relation to taxpayer funded abortions, and as I said they have changed the bit about "forcible rape", but the language that they have been using speaks volumes about their general ideas about rape, violence against women, and helping rape victims, and it points out a glaring lack of understanding and compassion in all of those areas.

There are 173 sponsors of the bill- 9 Democrats, and 164 Republicans. You can find more information about it at OpenCongress.org. You can get information there on what representatives are sponsoring the bill, and if you would like you can write to your representative.

**Men are raped too, but as the bill is tied directly to tax payers funding abortions in cases of rape or incest I'm not addressing male victims of rape in this instance.