Just a few more plane rides

As with all our voyages, the explorations come to an end and we must return home.
For our journey home from this trip we were once again up at the crack of dawn, no wait... dawn wasn't even close to cracking when we climbed into our waiting taxis at 4AM.  The kids think, Jorge, one of our taxi drivers, actually slept outside our apartment in his cab, so that he would not be late picking us up to take us to the airport.  It's highly possible - he is a smart and kindhearted man.
I think the sun was finally coming up as we boarded our plane and retraced our way to Miami.  Once on US soil we had to retrieve our baggage for customs purposes, just to recheck it again for the next flight(s) - the final leg for us to Newark and the two more for Jasmin, to Philly, and then to Ottawa.
Although the connections were tight, miraculously the flights were uneventful (we managed to sneak passed Hurricane Harvey on its way to Texas) and even more miraculously all the suitcases accompanied us all the way home (Jasmin's too :-D! )

Another fantastic Family Adventure complete with wonderful memories.

Mitad del Mundo

Today we went to the Middle of the World. 
In order to get there, we climbed many, many stairs almost to the base of La Virgen de Quito - a winged wood statue that overlooks Quito from a hilltop.  

Then we took a bus urbano (city bus), for an hour and a half,  for 40¢/pp.
It was a very entertaining bus ride.  Various venders got on and off at the different stops, selling their wares to the riders.  We bought ice cream cones for 25¢/ea. They also sold things like chocolate, oranges, nuts, and even toothbrushes. Just before our stop, a guy got on with a handheld karaoke machine and microphone and sang to us. 

Our final destination was the Mitad del Mundo (the Middle of the World - the Equator!). 

Here we literally stepped back and forth from winter to summer, and straddled the line too, to experience both at the same time. 

The kids balanced an egg on the head of a nail and participated in electromagnetic experiments.  We were even a little lighter on the scale (no diet required ;-) ).

It was a very neat place to be.

Back to Quito

Today we said Goodbye to the Galapagos and headed back to Quito. 

We took a boat to a taxi, to a bus, to a boat, to a bus, to a plane, to a bus, and finally, to a taxi. 

It was nice to see our see taxi driver from last week waiting for us when we arrived in Quito. 

After all those transfers, we were happy to drop off our luggage at our latest apartment, and just walk to dinner.

Sea Kayaking

In the morning we visited the various animal life around Port Ayora. There seemed to be a lot more sea lions lounging around today. 

In the afternoon we went on a guided tour in sea kayaks around Finch Bay.  We left our cameras on dry land, so we have no pictures to share.  However, we saw sting rays, a sea turtle (very cute) and a marine iguana swimming.  

We saw lots of marine birds, including blue footed boobies.  There were a couple perched on a cliff ledge not too far above us, so we got a good look at them.  We also watched some dive for fish. The height and velocity that they make the dive is very intense to see. 

It is amazing that so many of the Galapagacian creatures are not afraid of humans and we can have the opportunity to see them up close, in their natural habitat.

Cerro Mesa

Today the boys came with us to Cerro Mesa (Table Hill). The girls stayed in town to shop for souvenirs. 

From Cerro Mesa, we had breathtaking views of the entire island. 

There is another immense collapse crater there too.  It is 1.2km to the bottom. Here, there was no fog or mist. 

We also went to another beach, but just to see the view and creatures. The water is so clear and such a vivid pastel blue.

Wild Tortoises and Lava Tubes

Today we took two taxis to the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island, our home island. 

We experienced our first SLOW Galapagacian traffic...

In the Highlands, closer to the National Park, the tortoises are wild and roam everywhere.  In some cases, since tortoises eat everything and plow down vegetation in their path, it is difficult for the farmers, so they've welcomed tourists onto their properties (for a fee) to come see the tortoises. They truly are everywhere! (I wonder if tourists would pay to see our deer??? ;-) ).

We also explored some of the amazing volcanic structures created during the formation of the island. We saw two huge collapse craters caused by the cave-in of a giant magma bubbles. These immense calderas were blanketed in mist and fog that seems to constantly shroud the top of the island.

The island is also riddled with lava tubes - tunnels created by lava flows that have drained to leave only the rock casement.  We walked through a smallish one on one of the farms.  Then we trekked the Tunel del Amor - the 2nd largest lava tube in the world. It is 2km long, but only a length of 1km is open for the public.  This natural tunnel is vast enough for a train to pass through.  

It was quite extraordinary.

Tortuga Bay

Today we walked from town to Tortuga Bay. 

The stunning ocean view of ice blue waves crashing on a vast white powder sand beach was well worth the 2.5 km walk through the natural cacti and manzanillo forest (don't worry, there was a paved path).  Mind you, the tumultuous surf was not safe for casual swimming. 

However, if you walk to the end of the beach and turn right at the mounds of marine iguanas, a welcoming calm bay awaits. 

We spent the day relaxing, swimming, and sharing our picnic lunch with Darwin's finches.  

Close to the shore, we saw a giant sting ray, and tiny sharks.  And the kids saw some huge sea turtles (tortugas) while they were kayaking.

It was a great day at the beach.

Bartolome Island

Today we got up early to travel back across the island to take a 2hr (each way) boat tour north to Bartolome Island.

It is an uninhabited volcanic island. The barren, rock landscape seemed more of a desolate moonscape, but as we hiked around we saw a few plants and cacti, tiny lava lizards and some insects. Flying overhead we saw hawks and frigatebirds. We even had our first sighting of Blue Footed Boobies perched on a ledge.

When we went snorkeling in the bay, we saw many colourful fish, crabs and sea creatures.

The highlight of the day, however, were the penguins. There weren't many, but they perched close by on rocks, so we could get some excellent photos and selfies, and swam around in the water with the kids while they snorkeled.

It was a long day, but well worth it to see the unusual landscape and unique Galapagacian creatures.

Darwin Centre

Today we slept in (to 7:30... :-P ).

After breakfast, we took the water taxi to town where we took care of a few errands and explored the shops, working our way to the Darwin Centre.

Along the way we walked passed the Fish Market. There were more animals than humans in line, including a sea lion, many, many pelicans, a crane, and a Marine Iguana.

At the Darwin Centre we saw lots of tortoises - some old and some new (and some old ones making new ones ;-) ). The centre is a research facility used to repopulate the tortoises on the various islands. It was the former home of Lonesome George. It was very interesting and fun to see so many tortoises in one spot.

In the afternoon the kids went swimming at the beach close to our guest house. They saw a sting ray and lots of sea urchins. They also got up close to many marine iguanas while they were climbing on the rocks.

Getting to Galapagos

Our transportation journey began 15 minutes before planned early this morning, when our taxi drivers (we need 2 taxis for the 6 of us) showed up early - not a bad thing.

We went from the taxis to the airport where we were upgraded to First class - also not a bad thing.

Our quick stopover in Quito was ending on a very positive note.

When we landed in the Galapagos airport, we were surprised to learn we had to pay a $100/person (cash) tax, especially after we'd paid a $20/person (cash) tax for the Galapagos at the Quito airport before we left. We grudgingly paid and carried on to the airport bus. The bus took us to the ferry, where they placed everyone's luggage on the roof and shuttled us across a narrow channel. This is where we spotted our first Galapagos wildlife - a marine lizard.

From the ferry, we took another bus that drove us all the way across to the other side of the island (42km). The landscape near the airport was very dry and brown, but when we got to the other side of the island, everything was green and lush. Quite a contrast.

At the bus stop, we were met by our hostess for the next week. We then took the opportunity to take a brief pause in our journey to have some lunch. Afterwards, we climbed on a water taxi for a short boat ride across the small port. From there we followed our hostess along a dirt path until she delivered us to her guest house.

To relax after the long journey, we took a local path to "Las Grietas" (The Crack). The kids were able to swim in this vast crevasse for 5 minutes before they closed it to the public for the night.

At the end of the night we enjoyed Happy Hour at a restaurant over looking the port. Happy to have successfully navigated our way to this remote location.

Peru to Ecuador

Once again we were up early to catch our flight from Cusco to Lima to Quito, Ecuador. Everything went smoothly and no luggage was lost. Yay!

We got into Quito early in the afternoon and explored the area around our hotel.

We had a tour of the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús built by the Jesuits from 1605 to 1765. We learned about the history and art of this incredibly ornate church and took in the stunning panoramic views of the city from the roof top.

After a leisurely dinner we headed back to the hotel. We have another early morning to continue the adventure tomorrow.

Chocolate Making Workshop

Since we felt bad leaving the kids out of learning and participating in a local custom, this morning we all headed back to the Choco Museo for a chocolate workshop.

We learned about the history of chocolate and made our own. We started by roasting the cacao beans, shelling them, and finally grinding them by hand. No product of the process was wasted. We made choco tea from the shells and two types of chocolate drinks from the beans. Then we mixed flavours to create our own unique chocolates. It was interesting and entertaining (not to mention delicious)!

In the afternoon we walked up to Sacsayhuaman ("sexy woman"), but were unable to enter the site. We did see some amazing views of the city though.

On the way back down, we wandered through souvenir shops and craft stores collecting the last momentos of our trip to Peru.

Pisco Sour

Pisco Sour

During the day we wandered around Cusco. We had lunch on a balcony over looking Plaza de Armas and watched the plaza activities.

Afterwards we visited the Choco Museo (we will return there tomorrow) and the San Pedro Market, where we bought some fresh mangoes for tomorrow's breakfast.

In the evening, we left the kids to their own devices (literally) in the apartment, and went on a Cusco Night Tour and Pisco Sour Lesson.  We learned more things about the Peruvian culture and heritage and explored the artisan district of Cusco.

We also met some East Coast Americans now living in Cali. But most importantly, we had a Pisco Sour lesson where we got to make and (of course) drink our own concoctions.

It was a lot of fun!

Machu Pitcchu

One of the High Points of our trip (literally and figuratively) began hours before sunrise at 4am. 
We met our guide at 5am and waited in line for a bus up to Machu Pitcchu, arriving almost 2.5hrs later. The steep and narrow route by bus took 25 minutes. 
For the next 3 hours, our guide shared with us the breath taking and fascinating Machu Pitcchu.
Here I will let the images reveal its awesomeness, which still do not do it justice, but are more than words can describe.

Despite the early start and the long waits, today's experience was beyond expectations.