Chicago 07 - Photos of the Trip

Chicago 2007

Chicago 07 - Happy Birthday and everything else

Today is Matthias' birthday!!! After a quick breakfast celebration we were off and running.

First we checked out the Field Museum. We walked through the exhibit on Africa, learned about man-eating lions in Asia, and then checked out Sue the dinosaur. It was amazing how many stuffed animals there were at the museum...some of which were babies. Most of the animals were killed in the 1920s and 1930s but it was still shocking to see pandas, baby snow leopards, many animals that are endangered species.

After that we took a long bus ride along the Magnificent Mile to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was cold so we didn't stay long but we said hello to the wolves, some lions, and apes.

Our next stop was to the Hancock Observatory. Unfortunately the view was somewhat limited due to the weather, but it made for some interesting photos of the Sears Tower.

Matthias was determined to see everything so we stopped by Millenium Park to take some photos at the Bee and watch the zamboni run at the ice rink. Then we headed back to the Christkindlmarket to grab a quick snack and buy a few German Christmas ornaments.

Then we were off to the airport to head home.

Chicago 07 - Science and Stars

Today our first stop with the City Pass was to the Museum of Science and Industry. The museum was massive and had several impressive displays including a section of history and technology devoted to U-Boats, a film about Mummies, a Christmas display where Christmas trees were decorated to represent the holiday traditions of countries from around the world, a huge train display with a miniature Chicago, and a special exhibit on Star Wars. The Star Wars exhibit included many models used during filming, costumes warn by the actors in the movies, and several hands-on activities about robots. After that we headed to the Planetarium where we checked out a 3-D film on Mars. We took a quick "ride" into the first generation of a planetarium that involved a giant metal ball with holes poked through it to illustrate the night sky. After that we headed toward the traditional planetarium view of the night sky with a guided show about constellations as seen over Chicago.

After warming up a little at the hostel we headed outside of the city a little bit to a German restaurant for dinner.

Chicago 07 - Flight into the Cold

We safely avoided bad weather today by being on an early flight from Baltimore to Chicago. All went smoothly and we were quickly out of Midway Airport and onto the train headed toward downtown Chicago. We arrived at the hostel and dropped off our bags. We grabbed a quick lunch at Panera just across the street and then hopped on a bus on our $12 CTA Visitor Pass. We decided to buy a City Pass which got us a deal on 5 local attractions in Chicago.

Our first stop was to the Aquarium, which was huge and amazing. We ended up spending several more hours there than we thought we would. We managed to catch a few fish feedings and saw the dolphin show. The sea dragons, penguins, and Beluga whales (including a baby) were very cool.

After that we checked into the hostel which was very nice. We were in a 4 bedroom room with it's own bathroom. There were a few lounges and a huge kitchen and dining area at the hostel.

We were then off to the real reason for the Chicago trip...the Christkindlmarket. There were many German vendors at the market with lots of ornaments, food, and local wares to sell. They had a fun train display set up that was getting burried in snow (as were we). We grabbed our souvenier boot mugs filled with hot spiced wine (Gluhwein) and tried to stay warm while looking for some good chocolate and some German Christmas tree ornaments. After an hour or so we felt cold enough for the day and headed back to the hostel to warm up.

Boy did we warm up! The hostel was like an oven. Our room was hot like crazy and felt like things had cooled off by the time I checked the thermostat which said the room was 76!! It was not a good night for sleeping!

NYC 07 - Photos

Here are some photo highlights of the trip:

NYC2007

NYC 07 - By sea and by land

Today we took the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island so that we could get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and a view of downtown Manhattan. It was a quick trip and a little cold but enjoyable. After that we had lunch at Planet Hollywood and then headed back to Maryland.

NYC 07 - Naps and Lights

This morning we woke up and headed to Canal Street to check out the vendors. The street was crammed with people selling watches, jewelry, purses, and electronics and everyone milling around to buy them. It was crazy. There were people everywhere and not a lot of room to walk. After several blocks, with no real intention of buying anything, we called it quits.

We then ended up in Times Square and grabbed a bite to eat at a local diner that wasn't the best and then headed back to the hostel. The plan was to make a quick stop and then head to the Brooklyn Zoo but between Matthias' cold and my sore tooth we ended up taking a long nap.

That evening we headed out and stopped at Columbus Circle where a Christmas market was up and running. We checked out the items for sale there and bought a few over priced snacks. Then we headed to Rockefeller Center again and over to Macy's to check out the holiday window display and music. After a bite to eat there we went to Bryant Park where another Christmas market was set up. We considered going ice skating but the line was at least a mile long so we opted for a movie instead.

NYC 07 - Peter Pan and Lions

Early this morning Matthias and I headed to the metro down to Union Station and then took an early morning brisk walk to the bus station to catch the bus to New York City. The trip seemed short since we slept part of the way. We arrived at the bus terminal and quickly realized we were hungry so we headed towards Times Square and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Applebees. Then we were off to the subway and the hostel to drop off our luggage before the explorations began!

After a locking up our gear at the hostel we headed to the Central Park Zoo. We enjoyed the sea lion demonstration and then watched the keepers feed the penguins. We saw polar bears rolling around in the mud and checked out some birds (indoors). We then headed back to the hostel to official check in. We were assigned a co-ed room that actually had 12 beds in it and appeared to be full. The hostel was big and pretty nice. There were several common rooms with tv's and places to just hang out, a small deli and store, an internet area, and a newly remodeled kitchen.

Around 4 we went to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and head to "The Top of the Rock." When we got up there it started to snow. So while the view was limited, it was also very pretty. After that we headed back to the hostel to change for the Lion King. We grabbed dinner in Times Square at O'Charlie's which ended up not having a line and being fairly quick. We sat in the balcony for Lion King but had a great view. Several of the cast members came into the balcony for part of the show and we enjoyed it.

After a full day we were off to the hostel for a good night's sleep!

Galapagos - Click on a Pic

Just click on a picture for even more great photos!

To read about the journey in order, click on the links to the right starting with Booked and then follow Day 1 through Day 10.

Galapagos - Day 10 - Caleta Tortuga and Goodbyes

Caleta Tortuga

We got up at 5:30 on our last day and were in the pangas at 6 for a hour one tour. We saw tons of blue-footed boobies in a feeding frenzy!!! There was dive after dive after dive eating fish. Afterwards they sat on rocks near the mangrove with their stomachs full. It was blue feet everywhere!

Boobies!

After that we had breakfast and sailed to Baltra for the airport.

Adios Galapagos!

Back in Quito

We arrived safe and sound in Quito (no longer in room 9-1-1). After a quick break we were off to shop! Kyra got an alpaca sweater and I got more ceramics. We then went to the Coffee Tree for some drinks and dessert. After a short while it got cold and two Ecuadorians joined us to be closer to the heater. They were Armando and Rafael. We saw with them and spoke broken English and broken Spanish for 3 hours and had a great time. Then it was off to bed for an early flight home.

Adios Ecuador!!

Heading Home

Galapagos - Day 9 - Santiago and Bartolome

Crossing the Equator
Late last night we crossed the equator. First around dinner time. We had a toast with the captain and watched the navigation go to all 0s. Then we crossed again around 2 a.m. I set my watch but was so tired I didn't wake Kyra. It was a very rough night - very wavy and I slept very little. The boat sounded like it would break in two!

Equator Crossing

Santiago Island
We got to Santiago Island and had a wet landing. The rock was beautiful with striations of lava. There were some buildings left over from when the island was inhabited. We walked a long a wooded area and saw some introduced ani and some fly catchers. We got to another beach and saw fur sea lions hiding among some rocks. There were a lot of birds there too and some iguana along the water. After that we went snorkeling. The bull was curious about us so the 5 of us snorkeling stuck together and he left us alone. The current was also fairly strong so it was a pretty good swim. We played with the sea lions a lot here.

Santiago Island

Bartolome Island
After lunch I took a wonderful 2 hour nap. We arrived around 2:45 to Bartolome and climbed 350 steps to the top of a volcano for a lovely view. There wasn't much wildlife there, but the view was great. We could see several of the islands we had already visited. We then headed back to the boat to change into our snorkel gear and headed to the beach. We swam along the rocks and played for quite awhile with a very playful sea lion. We also saw some fish and 2 sea turtles.

Bartolome

Snorkeling Today

Snorkeling

After dinner, when were anchored at Caleta Tortuga I watched a sea lion position himself next to the boat and eat a ton of fish swimming by. The lights from the boat were attracting the fish and helping him...he was having quite the feast!

Galapagos - Day 8 - Isabela and Fernandina

Today was a busy day! This morning we went to Urvina Bay. With all of our gear, we had a wet landing on a small beach. We went for a decent hike. First, we hiked along the coast that at high tide is under water. There were many finches in the bushes and birds along the water in the black lava rocks. We saw a lot of cool shells and bones from animals. We also saw a small octopus in a tide pool. We headed into an uplift that happened recently when the volcano erupted and the lava flow was underwater and pushed the seabed up. You could see lots of coral, including the brain. We then saw yellow land iguanas. They were very cool and actually golden in color. After the hike - which was very warm - we all took a dip in the water to cool off. The water was murky so we didn't really snorkel.

Urvina Bay

After that the boat moved to Fernandina Island. We had a 'wet-dry' landing. We saw everything on this island! A lot of land iguana, whale bones, a snake, cormorants, sea lions, galapagos hawks, lava lizards, crabs, an octopus, galapagos dove, lava birds, pelicans, and more!!! We saw hawks fighting the cormorants and eating something, an octopus who tried several times to catch a crab but didn't, a small iguana or lava lizard eating a small crab. It was great!

Fernandina

Around 4:30 we headed back to the boat on a very bumpy panga ride. A lot of people got wet. Ian decided to take advantage of the situation and splashed even more water on Robert, who then yelled that the water was running down his back. It was hilarious. After that we were off into the sunset, to the equator, and saw a whale spout. We never saw it surface but did see it blow water at least 10 times.

Sunset on the Equator

Galapagos - Day 7 - Isabella Island

Today we are on Isabela. We were up and off the boat by 6:30 today. We went on the island at Punta Moreno which is a lava field. It was an amazing black landscape, some laval rock that was smooth, some rippled, some broken up, some like gravel. The laval was oxidizing in some places which made the rocks yellow and red and pink. Some of the cracks in the laval looked bottomless, which was a little bit scary. There were some plants and cactus growing and some pools of water. In the pools were some flamingos and frigate birds. In the last pool of water near the edge of the island were some white-tipped sharks waiting for high tide so that they could leave.

Isabela Lava Field

After a late breakfast we decided not to snorkel and went on a panga ride around the edge of the island. We saw flightless cormorants, large iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and pelicans. We also saw a sea turtle and some sea lions swimming. Just after we finished lunch we saw dolphins. They slowed down the boat and circled the dolphins several times. The dolphins jumped near the bow of the boat and swam alongside. It was awesome!

Isabela Panga Ride

After a siesta we took the pangas into a mangrove at Elizabeth Bay and watched the sea turtles for like 2 hours. There were different types and they were very cool. Some hid or slept among the mangrove roots, others swam along and occasionally popped their head up to catch their breath. After that we went over to two rocks to see penguins!! They were soooo cool.

Sea Turtles and Penguins

Galapagos - Animals of the Galapagos

Reptiles
22 species
20 endemic
3 species of snakes
11 Tortoises
7 species of Lizards
6 species of gecos

Mammals
2 rates
2 bats
2 galapagos sea lions
2 galapagos fur sea lion

Sea Birds
5 endemic
19 species

Shorebirds

Land Birds
29 endemic
13 Darwin Finches

50 species of spiders

2 species of scorpions (endemic)

1,600 species of insects; 5,000 introduced

Galapagos - Day 6 - Floreana Island

Today we're at Floreana Island. We went over to a bay of water inland to see flamingos. There weren't many there but the ones who were were pretty. From above you could see their trails of mud in the shallow water, which was really cool. We went to a white beach to try to see sharks, rays, and sea turtles but didn't see any in the water. It was also the place where sea turtles lay their eggs, but the wrong time of the year for it. There were a bunch of Sally Lightfoot crabs there too.

Floreana

Snorkeling

After going back to the beach we went snorkeling. It was great! The water was cold, but not at cold as the day before. Immediately we saw sea turtles. They were so graceful and you could swim really close to them. We saw a lot of fish - the king angelfish, a bright orange fish, a porcupine fish, and we played with some sea lions. We also saw some blue-footed boobies along the cliff.

Snorkeling Gear

After lunch we went to Post Office Bay to drop off postcards and take one to send. We got back on the yacht a half-hour later to set sail to Isabella Island. The crew set up the sails for the first time (to gain 2 knots with the motor). It was beautiful but the boat pitched hard to the right with the sails up. So far so that the deck frequently got wet and you felt like you'd fall overboard. A lot of people weren't feeling well and by 7:30 all but 5 of us were in bed. By 8:30 everyone was in their cabin. Around 8 I started not feeling well and headed off to bed. Around 1 a.m. we dropped anchor at Isabella.

Post Office Bay

Setting Sail

History of Floreana Island

Feb 28 1535 Fray Thomas/Berlonga - 1st person to report the islands
1570 Pirates
1684 1st map
1793 Post Office set up by Capt James Colnett of B.R.N.
(Patrick Watkins also lived on the island for about 5 years)
Feb 12 1832 Settlement of Floreana by General Villamil
Dec 27 1840 Charles Darwin
1926 Norwegians arrive
1929 Dr Friedrich Ritter and Dora Strauch arrive (Germans)
1932 Wittmer Family arrives
1934 self-proclaimed Baroness Von Wagner arrives (Lorenz, Philipson, and Equadorian man)

There was a lot of scuffle between the Germans...a lot of people poisoned, shipwrecked on other islands, or missing the Highlands of the island.

Galapagos - Day 5 - Española Island

A Beach of Sea Lions

It was an extremely bumpy night, as we had been warned. I rolled with the waves until 2 a.m., getting very little sleep. I kept waking myself up thinking I was falling out of bed. After breakfast we were onto the beach at Española to share with the sea lions. We spent two hours takin pictures and watching the sea lions sleep and play. We had to be careful of the bulls but even they were fairly docile.

Sea Lions of Espanola

Snorkeling

After that we grabbed a quick snack and donned wet suits for an hour and a half snorkeling adventure. We saw a conch, starfish, a stingray, sea cucumber, anomonea, lots of fish, and two playful sea lions. The water was VERY cold but Kyra and I made it for the full swim. Graciela made a list of the fish of the Galapagos for us, 23 percent of the fish are endemic to the area. We saw the following fish on our first snorkeling adventure: King angelfish, panamic sergeant major, cardinal fish, moorish idol, hieroglyphic hawk fish, flag cabrilla, large banded blenny, pacific creolefish, yellow tailed surgeonfish, and streamer hogfish. After snorkeling we headed off to lunch and we spotted two humpback whales!

Snorkeling on Espanola

Birds Everywhere

After lunch we all took a siesta as the boat moved to another part of the island. We spent nearly 3 hours walking around checking out very colorful marine iguana, sea lions (of course), blue-footed boobies (~4 of them), nazca boobies, albatros, mocking birds, galapagos doves, galapagos hawks, and white birds with long tails. As we arrived the male (bull) sea lion was very unhappy with us and barked liked crazy. We went around 2 females and saw our first marine iguanas from this island. They were big and black and red. They were all over the place. They also spit sometimes - to get rid of the salt they extracted from the water. We also saw very young sea lions, maybe 3 weeks old. Further in the island we saw blue-footed boobies on a nest, but they were 2 of just a handful that we saw, which was unexpected. We did get to see a ton of nazca (masked) boobies. They were very cool and you could be very close to them. We also saw the waved albatross - one had a baby and the others were communicating quite loudly. We saw birds with beautiful long tails that I had an impossible time taking pictures of, a galapagos hawk, and galapagos doves.

Birds of Espanola

Galapagos - Day 4 - Santa Cruz Island

Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Research Center

This morning we woke up in Puerto Ayora surrounded by 50 other yachts in the harbor. I had set my watch wrong, so Kyra and I were awake and ready to go by 6:10. Breakfast was at 7 and a little after 7;30 we headed to town via panga. We then walked ~ 1 mile to the Charles Darwin Research Center. We watched a short video and then were off to see the tortoises. We saw the babies of the different species of the different islands being bred and then went into the pens of adults and got up close and personal. We saw a variety of adults and even came across the Espanola Tortuga they located at the San Diego Zoo - his name is Diego. He was the lazy American lying flat and not doing much. We also saw Lonesome George in his pen with one one of his two girlfriends, who he apparently isn't interested in. After that we had free time in town and then headed back to the yacht for lunch. We were all starving from all of the walking.

Puerto Ayora and Charles Darwin Research Center

The Highlands

At 2:00 we headed back to the island but this time to the Highlands to see tortoises in the wild. They were terrific! There were also egrets (white) that were beautiful. We also got to see a Vermillion Flycathcer. We also walked into a lava tube and tried to find a barn owl but it wasn't home. After some lemongrass tea and some fresh grapefruit we had free time in town again and then back to the yacht for dinner.

The Highlands of Santa Cruz

Galapagos - Day 3 - Galapagos South Plaza Island

We ate a quick breakfast at the hotel this morning and took the hotel shuttle to the airport. After a delay we finally got on the plane. It was quite an adventure figuring out when and how to board when all of announcements were in Spanish. First we flew to Guayquil on the coast of Ecuador. Right before we took off they opened all of the overhead bins and sprayed the carryons for bugs so that we don't infest the Galapagos. It did not smell pleasant. After that we were off. It turns out that the two women sitting behind us were on our yacht AND the sister of the owner of the Cachalote was behind us too. So we got to hear a lot about the ship before we even got there. We flew over the ocean with no land in sight until we were just about to land.

Entry to the Galapagos was fairly easy - they gave us an entry card, took $100, and did a quick search of our bags. After that we found Graciela, our tour guide. We then boarded a bus for a 15-minute ride to port. We took a panga ride out to our boat and got our cabin assignments. I have never been in a smaller room! There's two small shelves, a bunk, and room enough for the door to open and us to step inside. The bathroom is also small but similar to the size on cruise ships. After we quickly settled in we had lunch of delicious snapper, some weird salad, beans, and rice. Then we were off for a 2-hour journey to South Plaza Island. We sat outside through some fairly cold weather and tried to spot animals. There weren't that many to be seen but I'm sure I saw a stingray jump into the air and we definitely saw frigate birds and sea lions. As we got closer to the island you could hear the sea lions. We took a panga over to the island and were welcomede by lots of sea lions and a very vocal bull. There were also sally lightfoot crabs on the beach. We saw a land iguana. He was sitting on a rock under a prickly-pair cactus. We took a hike around the island - it was a very small island and took just over an hour to walk, stop and learn, and take photos. We got to see lots of birds flying along the steep cliff - including a swallow-tail gull with a res-rim around the eyes, a brown Pelican that took two huge dives into the water, and petrals flying by. We also saw a yellow wobbler among the succulent plants which were red from little water. We also saw the black marine iguanas hiding in their dens. The sea lions were everywhere and we saw old and young, injured, and babies feeding. Some sea lions were on our path. When we returned to the pangas we had a hard time getting to the panga because a female DID NOT want to move. After a good 5 minutes we finally got her out of the way enough to go around her and get on a panga.

Once back on the boat we settled in for a welcome toast where we met the crew and had dinner. For dinner we had red cabbage, potatos with garlic, chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower. After that we were off on a rough ride to Santa Cruz and after about 15 minutes of rough seas decided to call it a night!

Las Plazas

Galapagos - Day 2 - Quito, Ecuador

I woke up before 6 and tried to sleep until around 7. I slept pretty well - other than occasionally waking up gasping for air. I woke up with a slight headache that was quickly fixed with advil. Kyra and I headed to the complimentary breakfast. It was really good, though the sausages looked like pink fingers and there was a broccoli dish that neither of us touched. We tried the watermelon juice that had to literally be squeezed watermelon - it had very little taste - adding sugar helped a little bit. I had my first empanada too.

Centro Historico and Iglesia de Campana de Jesus

On the way out of the hotel we saw a very deck out police officer who looked like he was on a SWAT team, we think he might have been a motorcycle cop. Kyra and I walked to the trolley to head to Centro Historico. For a fairly long ride we paid 25 cents. We got to the historic area, got some good information from the Information booth, and were off to explore. Our first stop was at the Iglesia de Compana de Jesus. For $2 each we got a guided tour in English (with only 2 of us in the tour group) of the most ornate and beautiful chuch I've ever seen in my life. There was gold everywhere, paintings, statues, and wood carvings. There were no less than 10 sanctuaries. Despite all of the beautiful architecture, the thing Kyra and I were most fascinated with were the confessionals. They were "boxes" with the priest sitting in a chair with a curtain across his face and kneelers on either side of him - where everyone can see you. Down the center aisle the art was decided to the old testament, with portraits of people like Daniel. The side altars were of Mary (and her parents!), St Ignatius, etc. There was a pulpit to the side with good acoustics because of a beel over the chair. The alter was large with a crypt of the first saint of Ecuador. The saints who founded the orders of the priesthood had statues on the wall behind the altar. In the ceiling were portraits of archbishops and saints. The sacristy was fairly large as well. The back of the church had a large 2nd door meant to keep noise from the street down as well as a spiral staircase to the loft with the organ (that is too loud to play) as well as a painted staircase to keep things symmetrical. The entire design of the church is symmetric. This site has some pictures of the church: http://www.sjweb.info/world/lacompania/backstory.cfm

Centro Historico

Emapanda Search

After the church tour we wandered around to other areas, including San Francisco Plaza, taking pictures, and then headed off to find the hidden empanada place. Kyra had seen "Samantha Brown: Passport to Latin America" feature on Quito on the Travel Channel. They recommended an empanada place that 'doesn't really have a name'. Locals knows it by the street address - 762 Calle de La Ronda (officially, Calle Morales OE1-134 y Guayaquil). So we went searching for Calle de La Ronda. The street was under construction but looked very cute. Lots of history and lots of artists there. We found the hole in the wall by the address OE1-134, but it was also under construction! So, we headed back to town, took a break at Santo Domingo plaza and got some great local ice cream from a street vendor (it was more like flavored ice, but delicious). We grabbed lunch at a great courtyard restaurant and got some empanadas. Kyra got a "wind" empanada (Emapanada del Viento) and I got a empanada de mocho (made with white corn). Both were very good and we made it through ordering without English. I even asked what Mocho was - maize blanco. :)

Empanada Search

La Mitad Del Mundo

After that we headed off to La Mitad Del Mundo (the middle of the world). We caught the blue bus and went on a wild ride across town! It was like paying 25 cents for a 45 minute roller coaster ride. We were flung all over the place on the bus, surrounded by at least 30 school kids headed home. We got to the transfer station and thanks to two very helpful Ecuadorians we got in the right line, knew how much the bus cost, and which bus to get on. Even when La Mitad Del Mundo autobus arrived they told us not to get on - once becauuse it wasn't actually the right bus and once because we'd have to stand. Oh yeah, they only spoke Spanish! Thank you high school Spanish! The bus ride was another 1 hour adventure in a more rural part of town. It wasn't clear to us how we'd know when to get off but we stuck it out and got dropped off right at the monument. Kyra and I stood in both hemispheres at the same time and took lots of pictures. I ended up buying an awesome hat and getting a free passport stamp. The only bad part was a trip to the bathroom that charged 10 cents (dimes only) for toilet paper. grrrr. After we had enough of the Middle of the World we wandered back to the buss stop where the bus drivers jumped off the bus and flagged the "gringas" down to get on his bus, so we hurridely hopped on. Then we played the "where are we going" and 'when do we get off" game most of the way back to town since we were on a different bus line than when we came in. We also were worried we would have to jump off of the bus. The bus stops in Quito are really "rolling stops" to let people on and off. It was crazy! We ended up figuring out where we were on the map and only had to walk about 10 blocks to the hotel, and we didn't have to really jump off of a moving bus since so many other people were also getting off at the same place.

La Mitad del Mundo

La Boca del Lobo

After a quick stop at the hotel we headed out to do some quick shopping. I found awesome stuff at Coosas. We then went to dinner at La Boca del Lobo, also recommended in the Samantha Brown show. The restaurant was very cool. We had an amazing cheese and bread appetizer and I had an absolutely delicious Frenzo Pollo, which was chicken with cream cheese wrapped in bacon, and a good chocolate milkshake with nutmeg.

We were off to bed for a 9:30 flight.

La Boca del Lobo

Galapagos - Day 1 - Departure Day

At 7:30 Matthias and I headed off to pick up Kyra and then to DCA. The flight to Miami was pretty full, but on time. Miami airport was very weird - narrow hallways and corridors between terminals like a maze. The people on the flight to Quito were mixed - young and old, American tourists, business people, and Ecuadorians. We got our first real taste of Spanish in the Miami airport and decided that we better study on the plane to Quito. We mostly flew over the Carribean. We saw some islands immediately after take off (Cuba probably) and then no land again until we saw the Andes.

Vamos a Quito

Quito is huge and surrounded by the mountains. Immigration and customs in Ecuador were easy. We jumped into the first taxi we saw and were off to the hotel. Driving was insane - cars everywhere, honking constantly, buses full with people. The hotel was very nice. There's a casino in the hotel too. Small, but nice. The altitude isn't awful but you can definitely feel it. We made sure to drink a lot of water. I did lots of yawning today too. We're on the 9th floor of the hotel. The elevators are very small. Kyra couldn't figure out how to hold the doors open when we were taking our luggage up (ABRIR!!!) and we almost lost the porter because of it. In a weird twist we're in room 9-1-1.

After we wandered around the hotel a little we got information about places to go. We headed for "La Foch" around 9 p.m. We ended up at a place called "El Mariachi Taco Factory" that had free internet and food. Kyra got a crepe; I got the smallest quesadillas I've ever seen, but the perfect snack size. Afterwards we wandered around Foch some more - lots of restaurants, cafes, internet cafes, hostels, bars, and some handicraft shops. After the quick meal and a walk around the area we headed back to the hotel. The first thing back to the hotel I did was manage to break the toilet. The handle just fell off, I swear! So Kyra called the front desk and they said that "the man" would be on his way. He was and all was good.

Galapagos - Packing List

We've been told there isn't a whole lot of room on the yacht so I went out an bought myself a rolling duffel bag so it'll store in the room easier. I'm pretty set on clothes. That part is easy to pack ....shorts, t-shirts, and swim suits. Then there's everything else - water bottle, sunscreen, aloe, imodium, Dramamine, camera, underwater camera, passport, Spanish-English dictionary for Quito, snorkeling gear, etc. etc. etc. I have a list...hopefully tomorrow's packing will go smoothly.

I plan to have a lot of fun but am worrier, we all know. Altitude sickness in Quito, Spanish language to get around, sea sickness on the yacht, a multitude of animals that can bite me...hopefully I make it out alive (and with good pictures)!! :)

Galapagos - Booked!

Kyra and I are booked for our tour of the Galapagos.

We'll arrive in Quito, Ecuador on September 16th in the evening. The hotel we're at looks pretty nice. http://www.mercure.com/mercure/fichehotel/gb/mer/5111/fiche_hotel.shtml

We'll spend a day in Quito and hopefully go to the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) and stand on the equator.

by euzkadi

Then we're off on an early morning flight to the islands, where we'll catch up with our 16-tourists plus 5 crew yacht, the Cacholote...

We'll spend 8 days touring the islands:

Itinerary:
Wednesday to Wednesday

Wednesday	Baltra / Plazas
Thursday	Santa Cruz: Charles Darwin Research Station / Highlands
Friday	Espanola: Gardner Bay & Punta Suarez
Saturday	Floreana: Punta Cormorant & Post Office Bay
Sunday	Isabela: Punta Moreno & Elizabeth Bay
Monday	Isabela - Urbina Bay & Fernandina - Punta Espinos
Tuesday	Puerto Egas / Bartolome
Wednesday	Santa Cruz: Caleta Tortuga Negra & Baltra

We'll see sea lions, penguins, sharks, dolphins, a whale if we're lucky, blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, sea lizards, giant land lizards, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and much more!

I CAN'T WAIT!!