We hope everyone enjoyed following our blog and viewing the numerous pictures we shared from our Ecuadorian adventure. As we transition back to our normal lives and eagerly await our next adventure (Iceland in September!) we are trimming down our blog. The blog posts will remain but the pictures and videos will be removed. We…

Today we begin our 27 hour marathon journey home. To get from the wilds of the Amazon back to the Pacific Northwest requires us to take a canoe ride to the Napo River followed by a two hour boat back to Coca, all so we can take four plane flights. If only we could find…

Our morning started bright and early again with a walk through the jungle to our first adventure of the day. Sacha Lodge is famous for its canopy walk which allows visitors to stroll across two suspension bridges high above the jungle floor. The site is composed of three towers and two connecting suspension bridges. The…

Today was another early morning (departing from the lodge at 6:30 AM). In tropical rainforests the animals are most active (and visible) in the morning – sunrise to 9:30/10:00 AM, and the later afternoon/evening – 4:30 PM to sunset. We took a peaceful canoe ride through the morning fog and twisting jungle canals. Along the…

This morning we caught an early 30 minute flight to Coca, a town farther inland in Ecuador. From the airport we ferried 2 hours down the Napo River deeper into the Amazon, took a 15 minute walk and a 20 minute hand canoe ride to arrive at the ecolodge we are staying at – Sacha…

Our short last day in the Galapagos began with an early morning peaceful zodiac ride to explore Lobos Island off the coast of San Cristobal Island. We spent our final hour on the water joined by young sea lions playfully circling and jumping around the zodiacs. On the island we saw a variety of frigate…

As our vessel prepared to transit during the night to our next stop, the exterior lights were dimmed in order to allow the feeding frenzy to dissipate. We said goodbye to the Galapagos sharks and the flying fish as we headed eastward into the dark open waters surrounding the islands for another night of rough…

Today, as with every other day, we maintained our morning routine of breakfast at 7:00. Following breakfast, we loaded onto the Zodiacs for a split sea safari/kayaking adventure. This was our first excursion on the ocean kayaks. Given the limited quantity of kayaks we broke into two groups so that one half could be with our…

After a much calmer night time transit we awoke to the sight of Chinese Hat Island (so named here in the islands because it very closely resembles the shape of traditional bamboo hats). Our guide also jokingly called it Pizza Hut Island – you be the judge as to which is more accurate! In the…

After a bumpy evening transiting between locations we were greeted with the calm aqua blue waters of Porto Villamil. Porto Villamil is the largest town on Isla Isabella (only about 3,000 people live on the island so the human footprint is minimal). 97% of all of the Galapagos Islands are permanently preserved and human development…

Today we explored the southwest side of Isabela Island, the largest island in the Galapagos. After breakfast we had our first wet landing (where we walked onto the beach directly from the zodiac) at Urbina Bay. We took a walk into the forest of the island and saw our first land iguanas and giant tortoises,…

Our first full day in the Galapagos started promptly at 7:00 AM with breakfast. The food continues to impress as this morning the chef made each person omelets to order (plus there was a beautiful array of fruits and sides). After breakfast we were treated to a beautiful view from our deck of Punta Vincente…

Neither of us slept much last night as we were worried our alarm clocks would fail to wake us up by 4:00 AM and cause us to miss our flight to the Galapagos. Fortunately, our alarms did not let us down and we made it to the lobby in time for the tour-provided airport transportation…

Today we explored Quito – the second highest capital city in the world (only La Paz has a higher elevation). Jay successfully ordered a coffee and breakfast this morning entirely in Spanish and we spent the early morning exploring the streets near our hotel. Monday is traditionally a slow day here but on our walk…

Hello from South America! After a minor delay with our first flight we had an incredibly smooth trip to Quito with a layover in Miami. For our second flight we had seats in business class so we had a great meal on our way to the Southern Hemisphere. Upon exiting the plane in Quito we…

As we sit in the airport waiting to board our first flight we are looking forward to sharing this great adventure with all of you.