Yosemite National Park

March 2010
Was this the best time to visit Yosemite?
1. The snow was just beginning to melt and the spring falls were just starting
2. There was still some snow in higher altitudes which made the hikes a lot of fun
3. It was not hot and dry
4. It was not the fish market that it is during summer

The Drive Down:
It's about 130 miles from San Jose and would normally take about 3.5 hours. It took us 5. These are the reasons why:


1. We left on a Friday afternoon when ALL of the bay area was heading out
2. We left at 3:30 in the afternoon and yet, could not avoid peak-hours.
3. We took I-680 which has no carpool lane!

But i guess there is a certain joy in travelling with a group that masks these inconveniences. ( i can boldly make that statement since I wasn't the one driving). But i do remember keeping Sara motivated by giving him short term goals - Like getting past the truck that was 1/2 a mile away in the neighboring lane, or getting past that tailgating girl in the BMW that looked like a pooch.
I also remember wondering why the windmills weren't turning. Were they "turned off" or was there "no wind"? Maintenance time, i think.

Where we Stayed:
Curry Village
Curry Village is among the "Most fun" places to stay in Yosemite. ( Only to be topped by the Pines Campgrounds and the Housekeeping Camps). Of course, if you are not the "camping" type, then you'll have to shell out a couple of $100 to stay in one for the "4-star lodges" (ugh!)

Heated Canvas Tents:
We have a reservation in April - and that's for a non-heated tent. In March temperatures can significantly dip at night. it's good to get a heated tent, when you know there's a reason why they haven't opened up the campgrounds yet. The Tents had a metal frame, canvas walls and a heater. ( There was no other electrical outlet) There are usually between 2,3 and 4 beds inside. No food was to be stored inside, unless you have a compelling reason to attract bears and raccoons, or if you want to be expelled from Yosemite. No Cooking in Curry Village for the same reason. But Fret Not - they have decent dining facilities. A Coffee Corner ( open in the mornings) and a Pizza Patio ( open at night). It's the same staff you'll keep seeing. Of course, the options are much more exhaustive in Summer. The restroom facilities are excellent ( the only "campsite" where they provide toilet seat covers!) and the showers are good too.

What is wonderful about curry village is it's location. From the parking lot, you have views of Half Dome and the Yosemite Falls. It's bang in the middle of the Valley and minutes away from any of the hikes and vistas. It's only during winter, that it becomes inconvenient since most of the activities then are up in the hills.

The Shuttle System:
The Shuttle system is like a loop. the Map would look like an '8' and operates only one-way. That is a little bit of a pain since you will have to go through the whole loop to get to the stop right behind you. At times it's easier to just hike it down. I preferred the system in Zion National Park, were the shuttles operated both ways and getting around was much more efficient. In Yosemite, you can actually take your car up to most of the trail heads ( they should stop allowing that and just make the shuttles 2-way!)

The Visitor Center:

A trip here is mandatory for the following reasons:

1. Find out which hikes are open for the season and which ones aren't

2. Find out Sunrise & Sunset time

3. Get the national Park Passport stamped

4. Visit the Ansel Adams gallery. ( He's the guy that made Yosemite Famous through his lens) 

5. Visit the museum that shows how Yosemite Valley was formed ( during the ice age, by a glacier - is the short answer. They show it well) - Going through this is significant, in my opinion. It makes you appreciate the place much more. 

Hikes in Yosemite:

1. Lower Yosemite Falls

Saturday Morning. The trail head is close to the visitor center. Shuttle stop #6. it's a 1-mile round trip. The hike is super short, super flat and super easy. It's basically not a hike at all, and consequently the most crowded spot. The flow was reasonably good, but there was no "spray". I would have to return in about 40 days for that. There was a kid with us and he really enjoyed this hike. For him, there were sticks to collect, streams and bridges to cross. It was nice. I have attached a picture of myself in front of the falls purely because it is hilarious ( Spot the couple watching me - I was either looking inane or I am celebrity-material) 

2. Mirror Lake

The lake is called "Mirror Lake" for fairly obvious reasons. the reflection of the park in the water is supposed to be spectacular and are standard "Yosemite postcard pics". I could imagine the place looking spectacular. I just had to imagine a significant amount of water in the lake. I could catch some glimpses. But the truth is - it was disappointing. It's a 2-mile round trip and is easy. There is a shuttle stop called "mirror lake" which takes you right to the trail head.

This is how the reflections are supposed to look:

3. Vernal Falls Footbridge

By this time, we were done with lunch ( Sandwich from Degnan's Deli , in the Village. Have the Caprese, and not the Veggie). This is was one of those instances where our trail head "Happy Isles" shuttle stop #16 , was just 1 stop behind. It made sense to Hike back the 1 mile instead of waiting for the shuttle and then going through the whole loop. ( 20 mins at least). This trail was fun - there was really no clear path and parts of it were blocked off by fallen trees that we had to climb over. A little later in the year i would have been wary of the non-hibernating-hyperactive-black-bears. Now it was all Hakuna Matata. 

Vernal Fall footbridge: 1.6 miles/2.6 km round-trip; 1.5 hours with 400 feet/122 m elevation gain

Here are some of the sights form the footbridge:

View of Nevada Falls

Vernal Fall: 3 miles/4.8 km round-trip; 3 hours with 1,000 feet/366 m elevation gain (via Mist Trail)

"Mist Trail" was closed. We had to go via the "John Muir Trail Diverge". It was snowy, steep and slippery. 

Right at the end, we got spectacular panoramas and a gorgeous view of Nevada Falls. This was a certainly a case where the journey was way more enjoyable than the destination.

After this, it was a hike back down to the top of Vernal falls. We didn't do this last leg, because we only had one evening here and didn't want to miss the Sunset at Tunnel View.

4. Sunset at Tunnel View

On our drive down, we made a quick stop at a spot which was so picturesque it swept us all off our feet. It was the view from a spot along the Merced river, with the Bridalveil falls right ahead of us.

Sunset was not until 7:30pm and were were there at 6:30. We had a whole hour to kill. This spot is beautiful It is a snapshot of the best Yosemite has to offer.

- A view of El Capitan to the far left: The most "climbed" rock. it is a 3000ft rock that is absolutely vertical.

- Half Done at a distance in the middle. One of Yosemites most recognizable sights and one of the best hikes (closed this season)

- Bridalveil waterfall to the right ( It is by no means the "best" waterfall. But a symbol of one of Yosemite's many famous waterfalls)

We just patiently watched the colors change along with a bunch of other patient people. 

It was quite funny to hear all the cameras go "click, click" , when there was a momentary patch of orange over the canyon walls near Bridalveil falls. 

On our way back we had to stop at the Imposing El-Capitan. I cannot wait to come back here in summer and watch specks of human on it.

The Park at night:

The sky was incredibly clear. We could seen the moon quite well. We really want to come back here on a full moon night and go on one of the guided hikes they offer on these special nights.

5. Upper Yosemite Falls

It's strenuous and difficult. It is one of Yosemite s historic trails ( built in the 1800s) and takes you to the top of Americas tallest waterfall. There are dozens and dozens of switchbacks all the way up to "Columbia Rock" where you have amazing panoramas of the valley. 

There is another set of gravely and steep switch back ( can get quite slippery) to "oh my gosh" point. It is not "marked", but you will know when you get there. 

We went two miles up to "Oh My Gosh" point and back. - It was an elevation gain of over 1000ft. The waterfalls were really interesting to see from here. For the first time i was seeing a water crash directly onto ice. 

 This was the most satisfying and enjoyable hike of the Trip.

Bye Bye Yosemite:

After lunch at a campground on our way out. we started driving out. It was dark when we drove in and we didn't get a chance to see how beautiful the drive was. Burnt trees and snow on top & a very green and blooming valley below.

Denise's Farmers Market:

We stopped at a Farmers Market on our way out. Picked up 3lb of organic oranges for $1 and some strawberries. Denise was so sweet, she let us use her picnic tables to make chai. the best part , we bought oranges for $1 and her husband said " we appreciate your business" ! ( No, he wasn't sarcastic!) 

More of Yosemite:

Need to come back in summer to climb the Half Dome

Need to come back a little later in spring to see the wildflowers and the waterfalls at their best.

Need to stay in the Housekeeping Camp!

Quito in 2 days

Quito:

The Capital City of Ecuador. The first “city” in the world, which was declared a world heritage site. At nearly 3000ft, it is also the highest capital cities in the world.

The People:

Friday, Feb 27th 2010
Reaching Quito:

We landed in Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre at 3:45 PM, from the Galapagos Islands  on a Friday. The landing was immensely beautiful. The city sits in a valley between towering Andean peaks. It’s very green and very scenic.

Where we Stayed:
Hostal Isla Isabela. Its minutes away from the airport and a convenient place to park, if you have only one night in Quito. In retrospect, I wish we stayed in some place in the heart of New Town ( La Mariscal) . It’s not too far from the airport and is where all the action is. On the upside, we got great breakfast!

Getting Around:

In general, getting around is very easy. The city is a long strip ( Like Bombay) and is more N-S ( 22 miles) than is E-W (3 miles). There are some arterial roads ( like Av. amazonas) that run across. There are trams , buses and cabs. The best way to get around : The cab. Gas is $1.5 per gallon. A ride all the way down to Old Town from the airport ( 10-12 miles) doesn’t cost more than $5.

Itinerary:

Most of the citys attractions are in 2 areas: Old Town and New Town.

We had a day and a half in Quito, and in my opinion we did even better than what Frommers recommended in that time.

Friday Evening:

-        Teleferiqo

-        Evening in La Mariscal ( New town)

Saturday Morning:

-        Tour of Old Town

Saturday Afternoon:

-        La Mariscal Artisan Market

-        Trip to El Mundo ( The Equator)

Saturday Evening:

-        La Mariscal again

Telerifiqo:

Getting there - It's best to just take a cab. It costs under $5. There are cable cars that transport you right up to the side of Volcan Pichincha (4050m). The climb of 1000m takes all of 8 minutes! It’s steep and exciting. 

At the top , there are magnificient views of the city and the surrounding snow-capped Andean peaks. We stayed on till past sunset to capture some of the most spectacular views we had of Quito, will the snow capped peaks, rolling clouds and city lights all in one shot.

We had a quick snack ( empanadas and Fritos) up there. There is an oxygen bar as well – for those who have difficulty at that altitude. It was a wonderful was to start our Quito experience. The city was already starting to feel special.

For getting back from teleferico, we had to wait for a shuttle that toom us downhill and then hail a cab. This wait was long, but fun.

La Mariscal:

La Mariscal is in new town. Just minutes down from Teliferico. This is where you will find a dense concentration of clubs, bars , restaurants, backpacker hotels etc. This is also commonly refered to “Gringolandia” , since it’s very popular with tourists. We went right known to “Plaza Foch”. The place was alive and bustling. All the yuppies were out having a good time there was a lot of light, music and life! We spent the rest of the evening ( till past midnight) at “Coffee Tree” – an open air lounge at the heart of Plaza Foch to soak in the spirit and sounds of Quito.

The food was fantastic. Asparagus crepes, aioli and vegetable sphagetti ( they sweetly tossed in a whole bunch of shredded veggies just for us) and a giant choclolate cake. It was hearty and satisfying.

Another interesting experience was below-the-line marketing for consumer goods like cigarettes and hair gel. We had super attractive women in costumes, handing out samples, that men were gladly accepting . It was fun to watch. It took me back to my FMCG days that I miss every once in a while. 

Saturday , Feb 28th 2010

Old Town( El Centro Historico)

Old town lies to the south of downtown Quito. This part of town is preserved in the Colonial area during which it came into existence. In fact, walking through the narrow streets, often takes you back to the 1500s. Here are Quitos classic churches, theaters, monastries and spectacular Plazas. It has survived , almost unchanged, over the centuries – Earning the city its unique distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage City. 

Iglesia de San Francisco:

It was the first church built in Quito. Archaeologists say, it was built by the Spanish over an Inca temple – the reason for the church being much higher than the other churches in its vicinity. 

The stairs were designed to be nice and wide , so that as you approach – you need to watch your feet to watch where you’re going – a way to force visitors to bow their heads in respect. 

It is an important Baroque church ( Domes and Arches). The ceilings have a beautiful Moorish design. In the entry way, there are images of the sun – a way to lure the indigenous people to the Christion religion. ( since the Sun was a very important Inca symbol). In fact, even the angels are in the shape of the Sun and have distinct Indegenous characteristics.

The Altar has 3 sculptures: The Baptism of Jesus, Almighty Jesus and the middle one – the most important sculptures in Ecuador – The Virgin of Quito.

This church closes at noon and doesn’t open until 3pm. You will often find women from Otovalo in the vicinity trying to sell textiles!

La Compania de Jesus:

This is in the block right next to Iglesias de San Francisco and right acoss from the Central Bank of Ecuador ( this reminded me of those beautiful colonial structures that the banks in Kolkata are housed in).

La Compania is one of the great Baroque masterpieces in South America. The carvings are super detailed.

One of the interesting features in it’s façade are the columns – symbolic of the doctrine that life’s journey starts below (earth) but climbs up to the top (heaven) by adopting the path of the church. Here again, there are distinctive “sun” symbols, which I just explained while covering Iglesias de San Francisco and the interiors were Moorish ( geometric patterns).

Casa Museo Maria Augusta Urrutia:

Well, this is just a house. To show how the Spanish lived. We spent 15 mins trying to find it and finally decided not to go in. There were better sights to spend time on. But with more time, it might have been an interesting visit

La Plaza De La Independencia

This was the main square of Quito in the 16th century. The Plaza is bustling and still is one of the most important spots in Quito. It is flanked by the Government Palace , the city Hall, the Arch Bishops Palace and the Cathedral on four sides. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

El Panecillo:

Our nest destination was to the hill ( that looks like a bread roll – Panecillo) that hosts a huge statue of the winged virgin. It’s around 150ft high and is the same one that’s on display on the main altar of Iglesias de San Francisco. It can be seen very clearly from anywhere in Old 

Town. 

The significance of this hill dates back to Inca Times. It was known as the “Shungoloma” then – (Hill of the heart). It was a place to worship the Sun. The Spanish constructed a fortress here in the 1800s to control what was going on down below ( it is pretty clear why they chose this spot, as it gives the most magnificient 360 degree view of the city)

Being right on the equator at noon, it was interesting for us to see no shadow being cast!

You can climb up the statue to soak in the view from even higher. There is a great coffee shop PIMS. It's a great place to grab a quick drink after a hectic morning! 

Other sights we quickly drove past:

There was a multitude of churches, museums and other monuments all along our walk. There was traffic in some parts, there were people sitting on the road playing music in others. 

Plaza de Santo Domingo, Plaza Del Teatro etc. are all place we zipped past in our drive either into or out of Old Town. We also saw a baby dressed as batman!

La Basilica Del Voto Nacional:

You cannot miss this. This towers over all the other structures in its vicinity and in Old Town. In fact, it is located right at the point when the city transition to "New Town". You can see it clearly in the El Panecillo panorama. This structure is modeled on Paris’s Notre-Dame. 

There is brilliant stained glass on the inside, and high columns. The Gothic impressions are all stark and well preserved.

It is famous for it’s mystical gargoyles in the form of local ecuadorian icons – Pumas, Monkeys, Penguins, Tortoises and condors that guard the church. 

Lunch at Govindas:

Isckon in South America. We found them in Peru, We found them in Argentina. And here they were in Quito as well.

Gallo, the cab guy:

We hailed a cab to get here and the cabbie was a guy called “Gallo”. We enjoyed him so much that we contracted him for the rest of the day. It was around 2:00 when he dropped us there and was to pick us up again at 4:00 to take us to the equator.

La Mariscal Artisan Market:

What can I say. The place is famous for its local handicrafts. If there is no time to fit in a 1-day trip to Otovalo, this is the next best thing. Their textile is unique and is a must-buy. I picked up some stoles, purses, handbags and T-shirts. Loved it. I picked most of my stuff from a stall manned by an enterprising 10 year old who spoke excellent English ( which clearly, was rare to come by here)

Journey to the Equator:

Gallo was back at 4:00 to quickly take us down the Pan-American higway north of town towards Otovalo. In about an hour, close to km 55 we saw Ciudad La Mitad del Mundo – A concrete Globe monument on top of a Yellow line, which allegedly was the equator – Latitude 0-0-0. I say “allegedly” and I say “was”, because the calculation made in 1736 was 600ft off! 

The actual equator is a little further down the road and to the left, in “Quitsato Mitad Del Mundo Monument”. Here there is a small science center and markings of the actual equator.

Some Nuggets of Info!

Dinner at La Mariscal 

We spent the evening in La Mariscal again. Trying out more new places and letting the fatigue set in. We saw an Indian restaurant and finally ate in “The Magic Bean” – which I do not recommend at all.  

We strolled around a bit, trying to mentally photograph as much as possible, knowing this was the end of our fabulous Ecuadorian vacation.