In May, Kelly and I took an amazing two and a half week trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in South America.  We spent a little time in the capital city of Quito, but otherwise we were off enjoying the jungle lodge in the cloud forest of Mindo, exploring the Galapagos on a small … Continue reading →

This entry is part 15 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsAfter a long day and a half of travel that took us through the markets of Otavalo, back through the beautiful mountains to Quito, through long lines and paperwork at the airport, and then to Atlanta and Dayton, Kelly and I … Continue reading →

This entry is part 14 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsWe might have mentioned that Banos is located at the base of a volcano, Tungurahua (which means "throat of fire" in the local tongue). Well, literally at the moment we were pulling out of town this morning, that volcano erupted. As … Continue reading →

This entry is part 13 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsThe spoiling of ourselves continues.  After our "perfect day" we decided it was time to challenge ourselves a bit, so we'd signed up for a whitewater rafting tour on the nearby river Pastaza.  We were a little nervous about it (okay, … Continue reading →

This entry is part 12 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsIn our last post, we were obviously a little travel weary, thus the declarations of permanent residence in Banos, Ecuador.  The travel weariness has worn off, but we're still ready to declare Banos a prime destination for other reasons: it's truly … Continue reading →

This entry is part 11 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsWe are currently at the foot of an active volcano in Banos, a small town deep in the Andes that is part Santa Fe, part Boulder, and part San Luis Obispo, with an Ecuadorian twist. We're so glad to be here … Continue reading →

This entry is part 10 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsHi there! We're back at our "usual" hotel in Quito, preparing for our final week in Ecuador. It's pretty wonderful to be back on land after eight days on a boat - more about that in a moment. Our time in … Continue reading →

This entry is part 9 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsHaving finished our time on the motorized yacht Eric, our home for the last week, we're just laying around with the local sea lions at the beautiful waterfront park on San Cristobal Island. Our flight back to Quito departs shortly. More … Continue reading →

This entry is part 8 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsChris and Kelly with a giant Galapagos Tortoise:

This entry is part 7 of 15 in the series Ecuador and the Galapagos IslandsOkay, we're back in Quito for the night, let's try this blog post again. On Thursday morning we met up with Guillermo Valencia a local driver/guide recommended by our hotel.  He did a great job of narrating the landscape of Quito … Continue reading →