The Adventures of a Barefoot Nomad

Change of Plans....

2009-09-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

Looks like I will be headed home 3 weeks earlier than expected.. My house has a contract and it seems as though I will have about 3 weeks to pack up and say goodbye to my beloved lil house... Have so many photos and stories to share but I am unable to post as I am hitting a new city each day as I wrap up my trip... Will try to post more before I leave but no promises... sorry there are no pics... Much Love Me ;)

Back home in Vilcabamba

2009-08-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I was greeted with the warmest of welcomes when I returned to Madre Tierra's. Everyone was suprised to see me again and so happy that I have come back. The sun is still not shinging but I am happier than ever. I have walked alone this time without a guide as I know my way and am at peace with all that surrounds me. I walked thru the river, climbed a mountain, slid down the mountain, lolol slept on the hammock and have watched the stars every nite.

I went the other nite to a friends house up in the mountains along the rio, where there was a small party. I had an amazing time!!! As we went to collect wood for the fire there was an amazing rainbow that glowed, I did not have my camera at the time, so I ran with the wood in my arms down the hill to grab it to come back and take a photo... It was not as vibrant as when I first saw it, but there is a photo here for you to see its beauty.

We had a huge campfire and I played the drums beside the fire (mind you, I have never played the bongo before and I played it like It was always a part of me) as others played different instruments, such as flutes, whistles and a bunch of others that I have no idea what they are called but together we made the most beautiful music!! I watched two meteors zip along the sky and it must have lasted for a good 3 minutes!! never in my life had I seen anything like it!!! I made a prayer for all my friends,family and even for those who I do not know at that very moment. Life is beautiful, and it is what you make of it. The Universe is always open to your requests, always.

I have so many wonderful stories to share with my family and friends when I return home and look so very forward to writing several books on this beautiful country of Ecuador.

I will be headed to Cuenca once again to meet with bridal shops and hopefully open up my photography business here as well so I can live the best of both worlds. After Cuenca I will go back to Olon and then the door is open to where the wind will take me. There is so much I have not seen but I am happy knowing that if I live here part time that I will have all the time in the world to see them.

Here are a few pics from this adventure, enjoy!!

Camping on Baltra Beach

2009-08-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today is my final day visiting the Enchanted islands of the Galapagos. I managed to meet Juan the very last week here and will never forget my time spent with this amazing person. We camped, laughed, danced till all hours of the nite, held hands, walked for miles, shared stories from our lives and cried.

Without Juan I would never have seen all the amazing places I visited in the last week. he is a native to the Galapagos, not to mention 8 years younger but in this case age did not matter. His knowledge of the islands is amazing and I visited places that not many tourists would go to. We were on a secluded beach in the middle of no mans land and at 10 at nite he suggested we go diving for lobster, I suggested (with my fear of nite diving) I stay on land and keep the fire going... that was daunting enough, but not so much as nite diving for lobster with white tip sharks buzzing around.... We ate 5 lobsters that he caught and cooked them on my fire stove I was so very proud of. In the morning we snorkeled and I swam with sea turtles, white tipped sharks and tons of colorful fishies along the reef. I will have a friend for life with him.

Today I headed out on my own to say goodbye to my beloved Island, Santa Cruz. I cried when I left 9 months ago and I cried today thinking of all the friends and memories I have made.

I have just been invited to a concert with my friend Elke the artist, her daughter is in a band and they have a concert tonight. So I will hopefully get some more last minute amazing photos ;)

Tomorrow I am headed back to Vilcabamba and from there I will go back to the coast to see some places I missed before.

I will be back to the Galapagos one day soon, hopefully in March when the trees are in bloom and the sun is always shining.

Enjoy the photos!!! And never forget to live life to the fullest!!

Bartolome, Kids and Franklin Angermeyer

2009-08-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Bartolome is one of the most photographed places in the Galapagos Islands, I could not wait to get my shot!! It was once a bombing ground for the United States when in 1942 they were premitted to build a large air base in Baltra and the soldiers used the island for bombing practice, nice huh? To this day bombs are sittting at the bottom of the ocean... anyway....

Bartolome and the Pinnacle rock were a must see for me and I was thrilled when the grey skies parted to give me the rich hues of blues... The water is so crystal clear that from the top of the island you can see sea lions below the surface of the water. It is home to blue footed boobies, lava lizards, sea turtles, penguins, sea lions, sharks and a variety of fishies :) I may be missing a few animals but it is full of life.

We took off on a boat much bigger than the one that took me to Isabela, thank goodness! It was a 3 hour ride that I truly enjoyed.

Today I was able to go to the childrens school and took some great pics of the kids painting and playing. My friend Elke, who is an artist, teaches at the school and invited me to come along. There is something fascinating about watching children paint, the faces they make and the paintings they create are one of a kind.

Later in the day I was invited to go sailing with the very famous Franklin Angermeyer. His parents were one of the very first settlers in the Galapagos back in the day. He wanted a photo of his sailboat boat while at sea so I suggested I hop on the dingy while the boat was sailing to get the photos.. With my heart in my throat I jumped from a speeding sailboat to a running dingy and made it without falling into the drink!!! More action filled stories to come!!! Mom, you do not have to tell Mama-Nini about the jumping from boat to boat part :) Love ya!!!

The Barefoot Nomad on the way to bartolome sitting on the rail of the Poseidon...

Bartolome and the famous Pinnacle Rock

The long walk to get there, one of them....

Finger Painting

The shot after jumping from the sailboat to the dinghy

Isabela, Galapagos

2009-08-04T07:43:00.001-07:00

Isabela, Isabela, Isabela... it is a song written by the very famous Napo and I had the honor of watching him and his very talented son Lucas play one nite at Beto's Bar.

The island of Isabela is quite different than Santa Cruz, it's streets are filled with sand and the light posts are made from driftwood. It truly is a beautiful island yet something haunted me while I was there for the past week and I could not put my finger on it till I arrived back in Santa Cruz. I spoke with Sarah Darling the painter who is quite spiritual and sensitive to energy as well. The morning I was leaving Isabela I truly could not wait to leave... There was a Frenchman there who I have become friends with and when I told him this he looked at me strangely and said he could spend another month there... gasp.... So anyway, I spoke with Sarah and told her how I felt and she explained to me that the Island of Isabela was once a prison, for the very worst criminals and that the guards were brutal towards the prisoners. They were made to carry tons and tons of lava rock each day in the blistering sun to make what is now called the Wall of Tears... and now many of the descendants of there criminals live on the island... ahhhhhh she said to me... you are quite perceptive with the energy that surrounds you... I feel that my senses have only gotten stronger since my trip has begun.

I would go back to Isabela but only for a short while. I was not able to climb the volcano due to the weather, but I do not think I would stay for a week again....

Here are some photos of the island and some of its people. I rented a bike one day to tour the island and met a beautiful lady named Corrina. She is the English teacher at the high school and she asked me to come and teach her students English for a couple of days. I was delighted as I want to give back... I read to them in English while they followed along, lolol.. not quite... so when Corinna walked away to go to a seminar I told the kids to close the books and we were going to have some conversation together... I had them all laughing with the things I wanted them to repeat in English.. It was a wonderful day and I love nothing more than to see smiles on peoples faces!!

I also had the pleasure of meeting a beautiful 18 year old lady named Alexandra. We are 20 years apart yet on the same journey to explore and live life... She is a savvy kid at the mear age of 18 and would like to model one day, so I was delighted to take some photos of her to help her out. She was amazed at the photos I took of her and she said she had nothing like this in her portfolio, so I was happy to help her reach her goals.

Finally on my last day there I took a very cool moped ride down a very very very bumpy road and saw some amazing things... The ride had me making silent prayers as he slipped on the lava rocks a few times and we almost killed by cows who were freaked out my the moped... I have a video of the cows running for their lives... We were on our way to the three volcano's... once we got there my flip flop managed to break so I traversed the volcano's with bare feet :) And it was truly lovely, as the floor was covered in ferns so it was soft on my feet, I could actually feel the warm hot spots from the Volcano beneath my feet and felt so connect to the earth and all of my surroundings.... ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I love this life!!! Once we got to the first volcano I used a cable to descend to the bottom, it was a bit scary, but the air was so crisp and fresh and I felt so very alive!!!

OK, on to the photos.... Enjoy!!!

My guest in my room for the evening....

And finally the beautiful Alexandra... If you want to see more photos of her go to my blog at www.stephaniesokol.blogspot.com

Isabela Island Galapagos

2009-07-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

I left Santa Cruz two days ago to venture over to the Island of Isabela. The boat ride was a mixture of adrenaline rushing thru my body along with tons of sea water pouring on it... I sat next to a lady who told me she goes from island to island 2 times a week for the past 10 years and this ride was one of the worst she had experienced. We had seas that were about 10-12 feet at times, one guy who puked along the way and 13 others who were a little greenish grey in color. I chose to sit at the end of the boat... I was the only one soaked from head to toe for our 2 hour ride, our 2 hour ride ;) Gilligan's for ya!! But I was also the only one with a smile on my face and the wind and water in my hair.

Yesterday, I took a 4 hour walk along the beach and there were, sea lions, land turtles, marine iguanas, various birds and crabs afoot.

The streets of Isabela are primarily composed of sand and old boats pepper peoples yards here and there to really give it wonderful beach vibe.

I would share photos with you but it would take all year to post them so I can only share my words with you for now.

Isabela is not as populated as Santa Cruz but it is also suffering from tourism, cars and politics..... Last nite when a lady found out I was a photographer she wanted me to photograph the dead animals... As an amimal lover I found this disturbing yet the fact is, eyes need to be opened. I want for Quinn, my nephew to visit these islands one day and I want for him to see it the way I have seen it and not desolated and abandoned.

The issue is the cars... The drivers are careless and are killing off the wildlife. Why not make bikes the mandatory form of getting around, the island is so very small?? The construction is another issue and the mounds of litter hidden being houses is a problem as well.

I took a bike ride today to get the full effect. Last nite I met several people who have lived here for many years and have seen the drastic changes but they blame the political figures for not making a change. I tried to explain to them that if they are not careful that in 10 years the Galapagos will not be what it is today... Once the animals disappear from the over fishing, pollution and carelessness of the natives it will be just a volcanic island that had a beautiful but sad history.

When I returned from my bike ride I spoke to a lady who maintains the bikes and she asked me to come and speak to her students tomorrow at the college... I am quite nervous as I do not fare well in front of crowds but I want to get the word out that change will start with them. Not to wait for things to be put in motion my the PTB but by initiating it themselves and to start caring for this very precious land. Why not start a pick up trash day??? Everyone knows each other here, so make it a fun day have a BBQ, give prizes to the most trash collected and make this Island the pristine place it used to be.....

Mr Darwin would be sad to see how his beloved islands have evolved, to be sure...

Aside from the issues I am taking amazing photos of the people of the islands and am quite proud of my work., I hope that I will be able to make a book that truly shows the beauty of Ecuador as well as the nature of the people and the diversity of the land.

Last nite at Beto's Bar they had an amazing duo of father and sun who played the blues... I will get his name as he is quite famous... the nite was beautiful and many frineds were made... also met some amazing people from the US and one up and coming 18 year old named Alex who I will be doing a photo shoot with soon!!

On my way to have dinner ;) A hug and kiss to all my friends and family!!!

Los Gemelos and The Lava Tunnels

2009-07-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

For the past few days I have walked to be what seems miles and miles, how I will miss walking to new and diverse destinations when I return home. Los Gemelos and the Lava tunnels are located in the highlands of the Galapagos on the Island of Santa Cruz. I hired a guide to venture out with me and he explained that Los Gemelos was created when a volcano erupted and once the lava settled it dropped hundreds of feet beneath the earth. If you were not aware of the creation of the Galapagos it is all created by volcanos and the land is the result of the lava. Most of these volcanos are sleeping or dormant at this point but one did arupt a few months ago in the island of Fednaninda.

So we traversed the island seeking cool pics which I will upload a little later and show you here. The internet is dreadfully slow and I find so many better things to do than sit and wait for pages to upload....

Yesterday i ventured back out to Tortuga Bay since the skies had finally cleared up and the sun felt amazing on my skin. So amazing that I did not notice the wave that swept over me, my camera gear and my cell phone.... Thank goodness Canon make a quasi waterproof camera!! My cell phone on the other hand had to be chased my be as the ocean wanted to take it away!!! Can you believe they fixed it for $15 ??? In the states they would have said, here are the new ones we can offer you to purchase.....

Did i mention, I LOVE ECUADOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My family will have to find a way to visit me once I find a way to move here. I think I would be quite content living in the states half a year and living in paradise the other half....

Here are a few pics of the Tortoise farm and the huge turtles that reside here. And a couple of other photos as well.

Tomorrow I will go to Finch's bay and take a water taxi to get there. Sounds neato!!

Galapagos, a small walk to Tortuga Bay

2009-07-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Today I headed to Tortuga bay, it was truly a beautiful day and I only wish for just a little less rain... I will be headed back when the sky clears as it is truly a magical spot. Here are just a few photos from todays venture out.
I am going to OM out while the photos take a year and a day to upload..... Ommmmmmmmm

I heart Ecuador ;)

Lava Lizard Chillin

One if my favs!!!

Hummmmm maybe this one is....

Love love love the grey skies against the very aqua blue water~~~

My totally amazing diggs

And finally a view of my room!!

Galapagos Day two....

2009-07-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting that I am learning ever so quickly that the things that you plan for are not half as good as the things you never intended to do. I was supposed to be in the Galapagos for my entire stay while in Ecuador but little by little my plans changed and I thank God for those little changes. As I have mentioned before I am so very fortunate in meeting the beautiful people who have been a very big part of my sojourn.

Yesterday was my first day back in the Galapagos and so much has changed since my last visit. It is no longer the quaint town with animals of all sorts crawling the streets yet has become a city with buses and noise and tons and tons of people. I can not wait to be on a boat away from all the movement. My first nite was a bit depressing as my room had a lovely view of a cement wall , a faint smell of pee and the sounds were not the barks of sea lions but honking horns and such.... I was ready to get on a plane to go back to the quaint villages that I had stayed in. I phoned a friend in Ecuador who suggested that I look for a three story yellow home and ask if I could stay there for the week... and so I went looking for the home. Once she opened the door I knew everything was going to be OK. The energy that surrounded me was warm and welcoming, I will take pics to show you where I will be staying for a while.

I have learned that energy can be a beautiful and quite ugly as well and can be easily stirred in either direction. I sat alone today eating lunch when a man came and sat next to me. We ended up talking for a bit and then he took me to his gallery where he presented me with a stunning pair of silver iguana earrings and a beautiful Batik scarf hand painted in my favorite colors. He told me that he wanted to give this to me because I changed his day, he is an artist like me and we shared a beautiful day in a very short amount of time. I will take photos of him and his gallery and he will be part of my book.

So remember one thing, try not to plan your life, leave doors open for beautiful moments to happen and I believe you may be pleasantly surprised.

All the images below were taken with a little point and shoot, tomorrow I will bring out the biggie and I look forward to taking and sharing some beautiful images.

OK, so i am a bit impatient as many know and i just cant wait for all the pics to upload, promise to get more pics up soooooooooooooooon!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Waterfall Vilcabamba... sorry its sideways......

2009-07-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

If you use the bottom square on the video you can see the vid in full screen!!

Cuenca and beyond....

2009-07-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

That is correct, I changed my plans a bit and endended up taking a car ride with some new friends to the beautiful town of Cuenca!! I am enamored with Ecuador and how the towns are so different from each other in comparison. I am actually in Guayaquil now but for the past two days I was in Cuenca. As we drove thru Vilcabamba the vistas were breathtaking, it was a rainy day so the clouds hung low, and when I say low they are so low that we drove straight thru them. It created such a beautiful atmosphere, we listened to some very Zen music and the ambiance was complete. We told stories, sung, danced and laughed in the car. As we zipped by there were horses and cows, native village people in colorful clothes hanging corn and clothes from their homes, roosters,donkies and dogs running wild!!! The air was so very very fresh and crisp. Ahhhhhhhhhh Ecuador!!!!

So, once we arrived in Cuenca, Cynthia (my new sister from Maui) and I took off for some interesting shopping. I bought a beautiful pair of boots and a lavander poncho along with some gifts for my loved ones at home... And she purchased some beautiful hand made crafts for hers. along the way there were many things to choose from to eat, the real thing that I could identify was the grilled rooster feet... I have lost about 7 lbs, lolol. But the food really is amazing as we went to have an Italian dinner that nite with Cynthia, Juan his Tio Maurico and Michael. We had the most delicious wine from Argentina and the yummiest Gnocchi since my visit to Italy. The conversation was as beautiful as the people who surrounded me. Maurico and I walked home and the others went by car. As we strolled the streets of Cuenca we entered a magnificent church and I cried as I was so taken by its beauty and the energy within... What a beautiful nite, indeed!!!

The streets of Cuenca are not like those of Quito or Guayaquil... The streets and buildings remind me of Italy, old and historic. Vibrant colors and vibrant people set the scene. I have many beautiful photos to post and will attempt to do that today.

I should be headed to the Galapagos on Sunday.... Stay tuned!! I am going to the boardwalk in Guayaquil now to take some more photos of this incredible adventure.

Chicken Feet.....

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Fresh Strawberries!!!! The sweetest ever!!

Inside the Historic Inca Hotel In Cuenca, this is where I stayed one nite...

Me in the Cajas National Reserve, tons of beautiful pics from there, more to come...

Cajas National Reserve

Clouds descending...

Vilcabamba and the Jocotoco Reserve

2009-07-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

I was up and ready by 6am with one cup of cold coffee in my system... The day was beautiful if not a little chilly. Ernesto, my guide, and I hopped on a bus and headed for Tapichalaca.. I may be off on the spelling on that one... The journey is a 2 hour one in which we had to stop for about 40 minutes while they cleared a landslide... ahhhhhhhhhhhh la vida loca!!!! Once the landslide was cleared away we were on our way.. oopps not yet, one more landslide to clear up... I was told that many had to wait about 4 hours so we were lucky to have only waited 40 minutes.. La valor es la pena.. I am told this means its worth the value, and so it was. The park was located in a cloud forest which inhabits well over several hundred varieties of birds... Everything was moist and fresh, I managed to slide down the mountain a bit and caught it on video so I have to post that one!!!! We stopped and had a backpack lunch of hot coffee and a cheese sandwich.

Once we were finished with our 4 hour hike we waited for the bus and waited and waited... Finally we started walking, up the mountain to catch a bus along the way. My thighs are offically flab free!!! Whoot whoot!

Yesterday way a chill out day to recoop from the hike. I went with Juan Deigo and his crazy uncle Maurico to the waterfalls. Along the way we saw people training roosters for a cock fight, of course this did not sit well with me but there have been many times I simply must close my eyes as they are not accustomed to seeing such things.

The waterfall was amazing and seriously cold. They held my hands so I would not slide down the river and I dunked my body in the water!! It is the water that comes from the snowcapped mountains and must be about 55/60 degrees, not sure how my toes did not fall off. I laid on the hot rocks to warm up and finally went in for a second round of torture, loving every minute of it!!! Afterwards we had a crazy car ride home, macho men.... ay yai yi!!!!!

Today I will go on my final hike with the most wonderful Ernesto and then tomorrow I will head back to Guyaquil and pack for the GALAPAGOS!!!!!!!!!!

xoxoxoxooxoxoxox , me

VILCABAMBA Day 2

2009-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Vilcabamba after an amazing 10 hour drive by 2 buses. It is more amazing than I could have possibly imagined. The views are beautiful and I cant wait to put the photos up- the one photo I did not take was the one of the spider the size of my hand staring me down in the shower. Needless to say I RAN OUT soaking wet and went to get someone to take care of the matter. When he came to get the spider he explained to me that is was actually small in size.... Today I hired a guide to take me hiking, once again the views of the mountains are dramatic and the climate is perfect!! I will write more tomorrow. I miss and wish you all were here!!!!

Olon Ecuador and the beach house...

2009-07-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

The bus ride was not half as horrible as I had imagined. I had a scene from Romancing the Stone in my head where she is on the bus clutching her bag and stepping on squeeling pigs... not so, I am so very happy to report!! Today however I will be headed to Loja on an 8 hour bus ride, this should be interesting!! Vilcamba is also known as the the Valley Of Longevity, it has the most populated area of the oldest living people in Ecuador. It also has a large number of Expats living there as well. (that was for my sister )

Back to Olon, the beach house was a beautiful two story home that had a direct view of the ocean. I kept the windows open at nite and fell asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing against the sea floor. I made new friends that I will have for life. I climbed a mountain, lost my footing and slid down it as well , I have lovely war wounds on my knees, but perserverd and made it to the top. Once there I had amazing views of the town of Olon and the ocean that went on forever. I have eaten more fish in two days than I had consumed in a year at home!! Delicious and the most delicate of filets, for a whopping $4 for a complete dinner!!
I watched wild horses roam the beach and fishermen catch their fresh catch of the day. I listened to my neighbor play his guitar, watched surfers catch the waves and chilled with the setting sun.

Sorry for any spelling errors, spell checkie no workie here!!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh la Vida Loca!!! More to come :) And tons of photos as well!!

Day Two... On my way to Olon

2009-07-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Last nite was very special. Chelito, the lady I am staying with had planned a girls nite out. She invited her 3 best girlfriends and they took me sightseeing along the harbor of Guayaquil. Mind you these ladies had 20 years on me and were a hoot to hang with!! The city streets are cobblestone and every corner had a different feel. There was a band playing music and people were dancing in the street. We then went up to one of the ladies homes where she had 360 degree views of the city. The sun had just set and the sky was filled with lavander, orange and different hues of blue. It was a memorable nite!! In a couple of hours I will be headed to Olon. I will take a bus that is a 4 hour long ride... This should be exciting!!! xoxoxooxoxox

Day One... Guayaquil

2009-07-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah I finally have arrived!! 8 months of planing has finally paid off. I arrived safe and sound and was greeted with a sign that read "Stephanie Sokol, Welcome to Guayaquil" I feel very much at home and love every sight and smell I have taken in. The taxi drivers are crazier than the ones at home, by far... Nuff said.. I will be staying here for another day and then I am off to Olon and then from there I will be in Loja. Olon is a beautiful surfside town and I have been invited to stay at a beach house there. I cant wait!! I have only taken a couple of photos so far and I will upload them soon and post them when possible. Much much more exciting news to come...

The Beauty of Ecuador

2009-06-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

Exactly 7 whole days before I leave!!

2009-06-24T04:38:00.001-07:00

The past three months have been a bit crazy and I can not wait till my feet hit the beautiful land of Ecuador once again. Today was the first day I said "see you soon" and my throat became a bit verklempt. Every morning I go to this amazing little coffee shope and chat with the girls about life and the quirks that go with it... Today Beth came to the car and we gave hugs goodbye. It meant a lot to me. So today the tears begin.

This will be my second time away from all my friends and family for such an extended period of time. The first was when I was 16 and went to High School in Israel. Now it is a bit different as my life is filled with responsibilities...... ahhhhhhhhhhh responsibilities! LOL. So much to take care of... the house, cats, bills, editing, clients, last minute shoots and a list that was as long as my leg.... WHOA!

I wanted to say thank you to all the wonderful support I have received and all the love that surrounds me. I truly am blessed.

Here are a few pics from my last trip to the Galapagos. Please feel free to leave me comments and say hello when I am 600 miles off of the coast of Ecuador!!