Day 01 - Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - Flight to Miami, Florida and to Quito, Ecuador The weather held for us this morning! Instead of the predicted 3 inches of snow, we woke up to a light fog and 21 degree temperature. A very early alarm got us up at 4 AM. By 5:00 we had finished our last minute baggage check, fed the cats, and we were on our way to Denver International ...
Read Day 1!
Day 02 – Thursday, December 4, 2008 - Quito City Tour--Home-Hosted Lunch--Visit Inti Nan Museum, Middle of the World Monument & Folklore Olga Fisch Our alarm went off at 6:15 – we had slept well and enjoyed our buffet breakfast. Antonio gathered our group at 7:45 for an overview of our upcoming travel plans. We had a chance to introduce ourselves and get to know our group of fellow ...
Read Day 2!
Day 03 - Friday, December 5, 2008 - Sinamune Foundation Concert--Fly to Coca--Cruise to Yarina Amazon Lodge--Nighttime Walk We woke up to gray skies but no rain this morning. It was 57 º and 73% humidity, a good day to travel. After putting our luggage out by the door at 6:45 we had our breakfast and then checked out of the hotel. We met our group in the lobby at 7:15 and helped ...
Read Day 3!
Day 04 - Saturday, December 6, 2008 - Optional Morning Bird Watching- Quichua Community School Visit--- Quichua Family Visit--Guided Afternoon and Nocturnal Hike Even with the rain falling on our thatched roof and the thunder rumbling along the river bank, we slept well. Several times during the night we woke up to lightning but the skies cleared so we could see the stars over the ...
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Day 05 - Sunday, December 7, 2008 Visit Local Healer-- Canoe Ride on Manduro River--Optional Piranha Fishing--Witness Traditional Healing Ceremony--Cooking It was our third day in the jungle and several people in our group seemed to be dragging a little this morning. I checked the weather with my trusty Kestrel 3000 and found the temperature to be 76 and 98% humidity. There were ...
Read Day 5!
Day 06 - Monday, December 8, 2008 - Transfer by Canoe to Coca--Fly to Quito--Optional Tour: Archaeology & Traditions Waking up to the sounds of the jungle reminded us of the simple life we have experienced during the past three days. Living with limited water and electricity and the clean but humid air was actually refreshing. We enjoyed our breakfast and then thanked the staff ...
Read Day 6!
Day 07 - Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - Fly to Baltra Island in the Galápagos--Embark on Galápagos Cruise Neither of us could get to sleep last night. For me it might have been the excitement of flying to the Galapagos in the morning and perhaps for Gennie it was the anxiety of the close proximity of all of the birds! Winnie told us that it was probably due to the extreme change ...
Read Day 7!
Day 08 - Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - Galápagos Cruise to Española The Tip Top III left Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz at about midnight and we sailed over some very rough seas to the Island of Española. Finally we entered the protection of the bay at 6:00 AM and the seas calmed. The alarm went off at 6:30 and we looked out to gray skies and a light mist or garua. ...
Read Day 8!
Day 09 - Thursday, December 11, 2008 - Galápagos Cruise The captain and crew navigated our yacht to the Island of Floreana during the night and was it ever a roller coaster ride. There were times that we had to hang on to the bed so we would not be thrown out! When I went out to check the weather it was 72º, the humidity was 83%, and there was a 9 mph breeze to keep us all cool. ...
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Day 10 - Friday, December 12, 2008 - Fly to Quito--Transfer to Hotel--Farewell Dinner The morning started early because we left the ship today. Breakfast was at 6:30 and by 7:00 we were hiking on Las Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz. Although it was still early in the day, the sky was cloudless and the sun was hot reflecting on the white sandy beach. Danny told us more about the two ...
Read Day 10!
Day 11-1 - Saturday, December 13, 2008 - Transfer from Quito to Riobamba along Avenue of the Volcanoes--Discover Indian Markets Our laundry was ready this morning so we could finish packing for our road trip today. We had breakfast and then met our surviving dozen colleagues at 8:30. Edwin packed our small bags on the 16 passenger mini bus. There were several empty seats leaving ...
Read Day 11!
Day 12-2 – Sunday, December 14, 2008 - Ride Devil’s Nose Train--Overland to Cuenca We slept well in our country hacienda at 11,000 feet. Our wake up call came at 4:30. The stars were still bright in the sky as we got on the bus at 5:30 am. The view of Chimborazo Volcano, Ecuador’s highest mountain at 20,565 feet above sea level, was incredible as the full moon illuminated the ...
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Day 13-3 - Monday, December 15, 2008 - Visit Andean Villages (San Joaquin, Gualaceo, & Chordeleg) We had lots of time this morning so our alarm did not go off until 7:15. We had breakfast with Al & Winnie. I had the best scrambled eggs with cheese I have ever tasted. Gennie had hot chocolate and our waiter Marco said it was made with genuine Ecuadorian chocolate, vanilla, and a ...
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Day 14-4 - Monday, December 16, 2008 - Tour Cuenca--Fly to Quito Today was a travel day, meaning our luggage had to be out at 8:00 am. We had a light breakfast and then went out to see more of Cuenca. Cuenca is Ecuador's cultural capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The skies were cloudy with 66º and 61% humidity. Most of the locals were wearing warm coats or shawls. We ...
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Day 15-5 - Tuesday, December 17, 2007 - Flight to Miami, Florida and then Denver, Colorado Our alarm went off at 5:15 and we had also asked for a “just in case” wake up call that came two minutes later. Last night we finished packing so we were ready to go in no time. We were up and showered and went down to breakfast at 6:00. The OAT group was bright and cheery at 6:30 when we ...
Read Day 15!