The end of my adventure in paradise

My big adventure to Galapagos got too big last Tuesday.  I was biking home with a group of bikers when I lost balance went over the retaining wall and down the hill into the brush dislocating my knee and breaking my leg.  Some of the guys picked me up and carried me up to the road.  They put me in the back of the station truck and took me to the hospital.  Luckily the X-Ray machine was working that day and they had film.   They sent my friends from the station to the local pharmacies for the supplies they would need to sedate me and splint the leg.  The hospital does not stock supplies. 

Soon I was sedated and the leg was straightened out and splinted.  I got the only air-conditioned room for 3 days and friends to stay with me 24/7 because the hospital works on the plan that family & friends will provide the bulk of your care. 

I had repatriation insurance that sent a rescue nurse to see me home.   My wonderful friends from Charles Darwin Station arranged all the paperwork on Friday afternoon.  Jay Sacks, the rescue nurse, returned to the hosp on Saturday morning and all was ready.  The Insurance Co had reserved a taxi and the hospital provided their truck for the trip Puerto Ayora on the south side of Santa Cruz island, across the channel, to the airport, on the north side of the Baltra Island. 

I got the entire back seat of the 6 passenger truck to myself and my injured leg.  At the airport I was carried in on a stretcher and we waited in the airport medical area while they fixed the hole in the runway.  Then we road out to the plane and I was carried up the steps.  I had the first row of 3 seats to myself so I could put the leg up and Jay, the nurse, sat across the isle.  We stayed on the plane while we fueled up in Guayaquil then flew on to Quito where we had a 6 hour layover.  I discovered that airports do not have wheelchairs with leg supports.  I wrapped my scarf around the foot and held it up myself while I was moved.  Then we put the chair up against a seat and rested my leg on the seat. 

 On AeroGal airline I had a row of 3 seats and was able to sit side ways and keep the leg level.  When we changed to Delta airline we flew first class.  Lots of service but less space for my leg.  We use the backpack to prop it up between the seats.  The angle was uncomfortable but I got through it. 

In Atlanta we went to the head of the Customs line and rechecked our bags through to Albuquerque.  We again had access to the Delta VIP lounge for the 5 hours before our flight to Albuquerque.   We left Atlanta at 11 AM eastern time and I was at UNM Hospital by 2 PM mountain time.   At first they were going to make an appointment for me to see the Orthopedist on Tuesday for an initial evaluation but then the ER Doc called the Orthopedic resident.  I think he saw a more immediate need so they put me on the standby list for surgery on Monday.  It all went well and I was back in my room by early afternoon.  I now have a plate and about a dozen screws in my left leg.  I’ll probably set off the alarm the next time I fly. 

 

The rest of me is working just fine so the hospital released me Wednesday afternoon. Rich picked me up in his big truck.  The physical therapist and the nurse came down to help me get in. I'd been telling them how high Rich's truck is and they wanted to be sure I got in safely.  I did, but it was probably quite a site to see.  Modesty is not compatible with a broken leg.

 I’m now at my brother, Rich’s, house. I'm wearing a big black brace with lots of Velcro.  There is a hinge at the knee but it's locked so I can't move the left knee.  Even though there is a plate and about a dozen screws in the leg, I'm not to put any weight on it.  The fractured bone will take a couple months to heal properly and they don’t want any micro movement while it does.  

I have a walker and a wheelchair for getting around and the hallway is nice and wide.  I'm not as steady as I'd like on the walker so I'll use the wheelchair whenever Rich is not home. I'm still wearing the sundress I wore for the 2 days of travel to get here because I don't own any skirts but that's going to change.  I thought I'd have to send Rich to the store for me but Rita suggested I shop online and have it delivered.  I think that will work fine.   

Ellen

Southern summer

Fridays in March & April are short day at CDF.  We work from 7:30-3 and they bring in lunch.  I'm told this is just till the weather starts to cool down in April.   Last Friday I had roasted chicken with broccoli & potatoes.  The week before lunch was chicken lasagna.  One Friday is was plantain (banana) mashed together with onion & fish and deep-fried.  It was pretty good. 

We are only a week into April and it seems like the weather is beginning to cool a bit.  We haven’t had rain in quite a while although it is often cloudy & comfortably cool in the morning.  The clouds seem to hang around the highlands much of the day.   I’m told that is typical for June to December weather.  Like any change of seasons, it isn’t going to happen all at once on a specific day.  I anticipate more hot humid days before it settles into the next season.  I’m not sure what to call the seasons here but since Galapagos is in the southern hemisphere by a few miles, I’ll call January to June summer and June to December winter.  

Easter finery

It’s Good Friday and I’m sitting on the deck of the Red Mangrove Inn http://www.redmangrove.com/   The Station is closed today and I miss my and this deck has a nice ocean breeze and a good view of the harbor.  It’s much nicer then my stuffy apartment with a view of the clothesline.  Here, there are iguanas crawling across the deck and sea lions sleeping in the shade.  I can see a frigate with something long in his beak. The fish must be struggling.  He dropped it than swooped around to catch it again.   He is struggling to stay aloft and keep the fish.  There is a small stream the flows down and into the harbor just to the side of this property.  It makes the water there a bit less salty.  The birds seem to like the spot.  I’m watching the pelicans bathing there then sitting on the rocks to preen themselves for Easter weekend.

There are only a few frigates and boobies in the air just now.  It seems to be siesta for almost everything. 

As I was coming down the hill today I passed a hermit crab in a smooth brown snail shell trying to cross the road.  There are quite a few cars and bikes that use that road.  I hope he made it. 

Ceviche sale

Thursday I got an email announcing a charity Ceviche sale this weekend for a local girl with a brain injury.  It’s kind of like a local car wash or bake sale but they sell fresh ceviche instead of cup cakes.  The donation also includes delivery to your house - it's a very small town.  It comes with plantain chips and popcorn.   I know that sounds strange but it’s the usual way ceviche is served here.  - In Ecuador they use popcorn the way Americans use chips.  At restaurants you get a bowl of popcorn on the table instead of chips but you still get salsa to dip it in.   

BTW, the ceviche was very good.  

Baby tortoises

It has been an interesting week.  We’ve had rain several times, which makes it muggy when the sun comes out and brings the mosquitoes.   We’ve also had a couple of power outages.  When it happens the whole island goes dark, not just a neighborhood.  It happened one evening when I was just about ready for bed anyway so I brushed my teeth by flashlight and woke a couple hours later when the lights & TV came back on.  Friday it happened again at about 11 AM.  The library has no windows and the computer I use has no battery back up, so I found my keys and closed up the library.  I walked around the station while I was waiting and found the tortoise nursery.   They collect the eggs on each of the islands and bring them to the station.  They incubate the eggs and keep the babies in the¨nursery¨ to protect them from predators then return them to the wild on their island of origin.  The numbers on their shells tell which island of origin.

Los Greatas

Today a friend and I took a water taxi across the bay to Punta Entrata and walked to Las Griatas.   Griatas are volcanic fissures and these are filled with seawater.  The water is very deep, crystal clear and freezing cold.  It felt great after 45 minutes of hiking and climbing over a blazing hot lava rock path.  The sides are very steep and the kids climb the rocks and jump off the cliffs into the water.   Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera but here’s a web site. http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g297533-d2415993-Reviews-Las_Grietas-Puerto_Ayora_Santa_Cruz_Galapagos_Islands.html

Eagle Ray

I went kayaking in a protected area off the eastern shore of the island.  Just looking for marine life and enjoying the day.  We saw plenty of sea birds and iguanas, several sea turtles and an eagle ray.   The crystal clear water above the white sandy bottom looks turquoise but it turns to cobalt when the bottom becomes the black lave rock.