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Grandpa In Galapagos

Grandpa In Galapagos

Guest Author

Kapil’s dad, Deepak Verma (AKA Grandpa) surprised the kids and joined us on our Galapagos adventure! Enjoy his recount of the special trip.

For videos of Grandpa surprising the kids, see the “Ecuador” Story on Instagram (@franklinstreet_globetrotters or scroll down on the home page of the website) and check out highlights of our time together in Galapagos on the “Galapagos” Story!

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Given the amount of time that I have had the fortune of spending with Zayan (Z), Kenza (Shutti), and Kaysan (Shuttu) in the last several years, I was missing them immensely ever since they left on their world tour in mid-July. It was music to my ears, therefore, when Kapil and Aila invited me to join them in Ecuador and on their boat cruise to the Galapagos Islands. They also worked on setting my trip up as a surprise for Z2K. So, on Monday, October 8, I flew to Quito, landing there about a half hour before midnight.

 

Kapil had sent me the address, with instructions, of where I should take a cab to upon arrival, about a 45 minutes’ drive from the airport. Not knowing more than a couple of words of Spanish, I went through customs with some trepidation around midnight, wondering how the rest of my journey would go. However, as I exited, I found a smiling Kapil waiting for me just outside. Oh, what joy and relief! Landing in totally foreign lands late at night is obviously not my forte.

 

Kapil’s Uber got us to our destination shortly after 1am. As we tip-toed around the apartment getting me settled into a vacant bedroom (more on the “vacant bedroom” story later), I got a long-missed hug from Aila, and then went to sleep for a few hours. Z2K were expected to be up soon after 7am, so I set my alarm for 6am.

 

Just as I finished my morning routine, I happened to come upon a very sleepy Z in the bathroom. As I beat a hasty, but quiet, retreat, I heard a wondering and hesitant “is that you, GrandPa”. In his sleepy state, Z thought he was hallucinating. Nevertheless, he came peering into nooks and corners a few minutes later, and I got a most endearing hug. What a wonderfully radiant smile my oldest grandchild has. The morning could not have begun any better. We decided to wake up Shuttu next.

 

Several years of sleepovers in GrandPa’s bed has ingrained memories in Shuttu that will take quite some time to fade away. It did not take him long to realize, even in his half awake state, that the arm hugging him was familiar and that GrandPa had slipped into his bed. He quietly sobbed into my chest for some time before first inquiring about his buddy Sheru, the Golden Retriever that is waiting in the Bay Area for his return.

 

It was Shutti’s turn next. She awoke with a start as she realized who was whispering in her ear. Aila was able to capture her smile of surprise in a video. What a beautifully expressive grand-daughter we have. She first wanted to know why GrandMa was not there, but finally settled down with the lesser alternative. My morning cup of happiness was full. Z2K then told me that they thought something was suspect the previous evening when they were told by their parents (upon checking in), that it would cost less if the 3rd bedroom in the apartment was not used. What lengths would parents not go to for sneaking GrandPa in late at night!!

 

We spent the next day sightseeing in Quito. The long valley looks like a bowl filled with houses. The bottom of the valley is at almost 10,000 ft. above sea level. We used Ubers and taxis to visit various tourist spots and buildings and had lunch in a plaza close to the presidential palace. The late afternoon was spent in a park paddle-boating and playing ball. Eventually, we landed up in a Mall for coffee, hot chocolate, and some shopping. Take-out pizza for dinner a little later, and we were ready for sleep. Z won the GrandPa’s sleeping partner lottery for that night.

 

Sightseeing in Quito-Take Two-with Grandpa! This time we are the tour guides! // . #grandparentsaregrand #travelingwithparents #ecuador #grandparents #exploreecuador #quito #travelingfamily

75 Likes, 2 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "Sightseeing in Quito-Take Two-with Grandpa! This time we are the tour guides! // ...."


We were scheduled to fly to the Galapagos Islands early on Thursday morning. Kapil decided to take Z and me on a challenging hike to a 15500 ft. peak, Pichincha, on Wednesday. The hike starts at the top of a Gondola ride at about 13000 ft. The trail to the top is about 3 miles long, quite steep, and across rock faces in a few spots. Kapil had done this hike with Aila the previous week. Z2K had also come along part of the way, then stayed back with Aila’s parents who were visiting and riding horses. However, Z is a strong hiker. He has trained and hiked the Grand Canyon with me the last couple of years.

 

We took an Uber to the Gondola after breakfast on Wednesday. Kapil carried some food (munchies, bars, bananas, water). We were dressed in layers as it could get quite cold at the higher elevations. There were a few other hikers on the trail. We chatted with a middle-aged couple from Canada and a group of young ladies from the UK. Z, the youngest hiker at 12, was the universal favorite.

 

It took us just under 3 hours to scale the rocks to the peak. At times the going got tough, but Z took it all in his stride, energetically following Kapil while I brought up the rear. The air was rare, undue exertion had to be avoided, so the going was slow. At one rest point, while catching my breath, I considered giving up and waiting for Kapil and Z to return, but finally decided to continue (my grandson was making the effort after all). While navigating a rock face a little later, I came upon Emma (a very pleasant mid-20s from UK) clinging to the rock face, not able to make headway and crying quietly. A little casual banter helped, with some guidance she started finding her footing on the rock face, and soon we were on the other side in more manageable territory. Not much later, we joined Kapil and Z at the top.

 

In my state of bliss at being with my kids and kiddies, I broke a cardinal rule critical to challenging hikes. I had not paid any attention to the nutrition I would need for this hike, assuming that whatever food Kapil carried would suffice. Within a few minutes of starting the descent, I grew painfully aware of my very empty stomach and rapidly depleting energy level. The rarefied air did not help either. Kapil tried to shore up my energy with some snacks, but what my body needed was solid food, and that too at least an hour earlier.

 

Half-way down to the Gondola, I threw up whatever was inside me. After that, Z carried my backpack while I concentrated on staying upright and keep my legs moving. It seemed to take a long time to get to the Gondola (6 hours roundtrip for the hike). There was food available at the Gondola, but, still feeling nauseous, I could eat or drink very little of the patty and the hot chocolate Kapil got for me. We reached the apartment an hour later, and got some much-needed rest. Fortunately, my energy level got pretty much back to normal after a carbs/protein dinner followed by a good night’s sleep.



Very early the next morning, we left for the Galapagos Islands, and for an experience of a lifetime. Two flights, a ferry boat, and two bus rides later, we reached the dinghy waiting to take us aboard the Sea Star, our home for the next 5 nights. A few minutes later, we were being pulled onto the cruise boat by its crew as the dingy pushed against the landing platform at the back of the boat. Small stairways at the two ends of the platform brought us up to the main deck, and through swinging doors into the living area (imagine an all in one space of a spacious living room, bar, and dining area, with big windows all along the sides looking out on the surrounding ocean). Here, we were introduced to the rest of our fellow guests and the boat’s crew. A briefing by our cruise guide and the boat’s captain followed.

 

We were six of the total complement of 15 guests. There was another family of 4 from Peru (Kenza found a slightly older “girl-friend” for the trip), an elderly couple from LA, 2 young ladies travelling together from Germany, and a single middle aged woman (also from Germany) who had lost her husband a couple of years ago. The boat had a total of 8 cabins, 4 on the main deck behind the living area and 4 on the upper deck, and a leisure deck with two hot tubs above the second deck. Our family was allocated 3 cabins on the upper deck. The spacious cabin I shared with Shuttu had 2 beds, a divan, and a closet. At one end of the cabin, a swing door led into a good-sized bathroom/toilet combo with a shower-stall. All in all, very nice!

 


The next 5 days were a whirlwind of activity, lunches around noon (we had a six person table to ourselves), afternoon activities (either on land or in the water), dinners around 7, book readings in bed before going to sleep around 9, book readings in bed before getting up around 6.30, breakfasts around 7, and morning activities around 8am followed by some quiet time before the next cycle  started again with lunch. The kids, and some of the adults, found time (normally around lunch and dinner) to jump into the hot tub. I did not find the water hot enough, so gave up after trying it once.

 

Normally, the boat got underway to our next island destination after dinner each evening, and also after the morning activity on some days. A couple of these moves took place in cross winds with the boat rolling heavily in the waves, enough to make a few people quite sick. Luckily for us, Aila had planned on a daily dose of sea-sickness medicine for her flock. These tablets were handed out every evening at dinner (and during the day on a couple of occasions) that kept us from getting sick. Still, Kenza got quite affected one morning, enough for her to miss a land-based morning activity.

 

The land-based activities included a hike to a huge volcano crater, play time on a beach, and several walks (sometimes on very rocky terrain) to see water animals (mostly sea-lions and iguanas), and rare birds (blue footed boobies) from close range. The water-based activities were mostly snorkeling and dinghy rides around small rocky islands, again to see water animals and birds. Shuttu and I normally snorkeled together, and saw fishes of various sizes and sea lions swim past us. Turtles were Shuttu’s favorites.

 

The days passed quickly and there were some long faces around the dining table on the last evening. Z and Shuttu took me to the top deck after dinner, as the boat got under way for the last time, and we lay back watching the stars and hugging each other. A few sobs could be heard, distinct from the sounds of the boat’s engine and the waves below. Aila added a bed for Z on the divan in our cabin, and the three of us read books later into the evening, bracing ourselves against the continuous rolling of the boat.

 

I got up a little earlier the next morning to first wake up Z and then Shuttu with their morning readings. This last morning there was a land activity before breakfast. The dinghies took us to a small rocky island for a last sighting of sea lions, blue footed boobies, and frigate birds. We were back on the boat by 7.30 for breakfast. By 8.30, we were ready to leave after a flurry of final packing. The dinghies took us back to land and we took off for the town in buses. Leaving our carry-ons at a snack shop recommended by our guide, we went to the airport to check-in our bags before returning to town to spend some more time together.

 

The KAZ2K plane to Peru left a couple of hours before mine. Byes and hugs had to take place outside security as I was not allowed into the security area this early. It would be another 10 weeks before we get to meet next in Buenos Aires at the end of December. My flights to Quito, and my subsequent flights to San Francisco, were on time and eventless. I arrived back home on Wednesday afternoon to a tumultuous welcome by Sheru. He, however, will need to wait for another 9 months before his kiddies come back home.

 

What a special experience it has been to see my 6-12 years old grand-kids taking this very significant adventure in their stride, waking up at odd hours to catch early morning flights, preparing their bags late in the evenings before going to sleep, thoroughly immersing themselves in the experience, and still finding the energy and time to be themselves! And kudos to Kapil and Aila for their love, kindness, and patience, shepherding their flock along, keeping them healthy, following up on their home schooling, and ensuring that it all comes together.

 

Go forth and be successful, loved ones.

GrandPa/Dad—Deepak Verma

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