After our flight from the Galapagos to Guayaquil, we traveled four hours by car. The beautiful drive included many sharp curvy mountain roads. Our driver was excellent but others were not so lucky-we passed several accidents. Santa Ana de los Cuartro Rios de Cuenca or “Cuenca” was founded in 1557 Read more…
Day 5 We started our day with a hiked to the Sierra Negra Volcano caldera (crater). The volcano has largest basaltic caldera in the Galapagos and is approximately nine by ten kilometers. It was active as recently as 2005 and we learned there was activity just after we left. In Read more…
The eight days on the Petrel were breathtaking. The motor propelled catamaran was named after a common sea bird. The nine cabins for sixteen passengers were spacious (about 150 square feet) and each had a private balcony and bathroom. Our days followed the general pattern of breakfast, one or two Read more…
We knew the date but had our days off; we thought we had one more day in Quito. However, when we returned from the Murakami event, the hotel mentioned that our car to the airport was arranged for 7:30 am. Generally this would not be a problem, however, the day Read more…
Quito is the highest constitutional capital in the world at 9,350 feet above sea level or the second highest capital after La Paz, Bolivia (the administrative capital). It was the first city to be declared an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978 and was once the political and ceremonial Read more…
Every Monday is the changing of the guards at the Presidential Palace. Independence plaza was closed off to pedestrian traffic. We were not certain if this is typical because there was also a large protests against the current president occurring at the same day. There were protests daily but Read more…
I On our drive to the Middle of the World, we stopped at the Reserva Geobotánica Pululahua for a short hike to view the caldera (crater) of the Pululuhua Volcano. Unlike many volcanoes, there is no cone-shaped mountain but rather several lava domes. It is also the only active crater (in Read more…
We heard the Otavalo Market was a must on Saturday so we arranged a car to drive us about two hours outside the city to the largest outdoor market in South America. Locals know the market at Plaza de los Ponchos and it is open everyday with Saturday being the Read more…
Flying to Quito was another long travel day. We left the treehouse lodge around 7:30 am for an hour an a half boat ride. At the dock, we met a taxi to drive for about two hours to the airport. After two flights we got a taxi to our hotel. Read more…