London - Day 3

I tossed and turned all night then woke up at 6:20am. I'm beat. I've enjoyed my weekend and it feels like a getaway but I'm tired.

This morning we ate breakfast in the hotel (The Zetter -- highly recommend it) and it was delicious. Afterwards, we took the Tube to the Tate Modern and poked around in the galleries of the permanent collection. It made for a very leisurely morning.

We went to the Menier Chocolate Factory for a 3:30p performance of "Aspects of Love." Once she realized that the running time was almost three hours (2:40) Michele proposed that we sleep in shifts. Honestly, I was afraid I'd fall asleep during the first act but I made it through. We both did. The show had a few catchy tunes. I liked the return to "Love Changes Everything" throughout the show. I think the leads, Michael Arden and Katherine Kingsley, have very bright futures ahead of them.

I love Stephen Sondheim but I'm weak for Andrew Lloyd Webber. Sondheim is more sophisticated and mysterious but ALW is a rock star with a deep sensitive side. I feel like I'm part of a high school love triangle. Oh, how they toy with me.

Tomorrow we return to the States. I've enjoyed London and will definitely be back.

HIGHLIGHT: I enjoyed walking through the Tate and discussing the art with Michele. At some point I needed caffeine so we went to the cafe and sat on the patio about the Thames and chitchatted about the internets.

London Invader

London - Day 2

I woke up at 6:40am this morning. I'm cursed. I slept three hours the night before last and because I can't help but wake up at 7am local time where ever I am in the world I woke up at sunrise this morning.

We had a lovely breakfast of fried eggs and grilled tomatoes at a place we can see from our window called The Modern Pantry. Afterwards, we headed to the Tower of London. Because the subway was all messed up we took a taxi back to the hotel. The cabs here are so cute, roomy and old fashioned.

Today was our big theater day. We had a matinee of "The Mousetrap" and an evening performance of "Passion."

According to their Web site, "The Mousetrap" has been running for 58 years. I don't have a strong sense of smell but I swear the scent of moth balls and grandma's house wafted through the antiquarian theater as the curtain rose. Everything about the experience made me feel like Agatha Christie might very well have approved the staging. I can't recall ever seeing a mystery on stage but I was transfixed and intent on solving the case myself. I was amused during the interval as everyone in the audience discussed their suspicions. The only person within earshot who got it right was Michele!

Between shows we had a quick Mexican dinner then headed to the Donmar Warehouse for "Passion." Our seats cost 13 pounds and were row C in the balcony. Theater here is so cheap! The staging was economical and worked well in this space but would have to be reworked for a Broadway theater. As for the show... I love Stephen Sondheim but this show is dark. I know I'm talking about the man who gave us "Sweeney Todd" but this story is messed up and left me bewildered and empty. I like a musical that plants a song in your head be it about cannibalism ("A Little Priest"), murder ("Cellblock Tango") or love ("Seasons of Love"). Although there were classic Sondheim motifs in this show, not one note stuck with me. I am glad I saw it and I was thrilled to go to the Donmar but I'm ready for the next show.

HIGHLIGHT: Today, two New Yorkers spent the day conquering mass transit in a foreign city. I was telling Michele that I'm always impressed by NYC tourists who live in cities that don't have public transportation but muster the courage to take the subway. Well, today we were forced to forego the Tube and take the bus and I felt accomplished. We woke up this morning to find all the local/nearby train stations completely closed. I'm not talking about a specific line, it was several stations entirely! We decided to venture onto the London bus system to get to the theater. I was very proud of us for figuring it all out. My main obstacle was the fact that it is easy to catch a bus going the wrong direction since the traffic flow is opposite of the US.

London's Calling!

Arrived in London this morning.

Our overnight flight was delayed two hours due to a crazy storm that ripped through NYC 45 minutes before we boarded. The flight was so bumpy I was convinced we followed the storm across the Atlantic. Needless to say, neither one of us got any sleep.

Our first show in London was "Merry Wives of Windsor" at The Globe. The benches in The Globe are wooden and you can "hire" cushions. I was thinking The Globe was an exact replica of Shakespeare's theater but Michele was convinced there was a roof. In fact, she remembered seeing pictures. Based of that, I wore a skirt. Thankfully I could "hire" a blanket as well. The Globe is well done. The building, stage and seating make one feel like they are getting an Elizabethan experience. In the courtyard, they were selling moderately priced food. There was even a stand that had a giant wok-like looking piece of cookware that was filled with caponata that looked liked it had been made on the spot. I started the night with a hot chocolate and got a can of Pimm's Lemonade at the "interval."

As for the play...it was delightful. High comedy! During the interval, I recast the show for a Shakespeare in the Park run with Julie White as one of the leads and Richard Jenkins as Master Ford/Brook.

I was very impressed with the UK concept of the PlayBill. First of all, they call it a program and secondly, it is not free, you have to buy it. More interestingly, it is filled with dramaturgy instead of advertisements.

Thus far, I think the theater experience here is going to be very different than Broadway.

On a side note, it is refreshing to travel in an English speaking country.

Tomorrow we have a double-bill of "Mousetrap" and "Passions." Maybe I'll have time to take a peak inside the Tate.

HIGHLIGHT: The play was a blast and crossing the Millennium Footbridge to get there and back was gorgeous but my highlight was walking back to the hotel (The Zetter -- highly recommended for anyone planning a trip to London) with Michele. As we zig-zagged through the streets, making our way to the Underground, the act of crossing the street felt progressively more and more harrowing. Why? They drive on the wrong side of the road here so we are CONSTANTLY looking the wrong way. We came to a crossing that cleverly had the following words painted on the corner in foot-tall lettering "LOOK LEFT." Honestly, the sign made me feel like I could get through the weekend without injury. We both acknowledged how clever it was of the kind administrators of the city to warn mindless tourists, stepped to the corner then looked RIGHT. Despite the obvious danger in our blatant disregard for the sign we just discussed, we burst into laughter, looked the way we were just instructed to look and vowed to make it habit to always look both ways before stepping off the curb.

Galapagos Discoveries (or things I saw)

* Yellow Warblers

* Frigate Birds

* FINCHES (quite possibly all 13 Darwin´s)

* Lava LIzard

* Sea LIons

* Blue Footed Boobies

* Nazca Boobies

* Lava Gulls

* Red Billed Tropicbird

* Noddy Terns

* Mangroves (Red, Black, White and Button)

* Lava Heron

* Pacific Green Turtle

* Land Iguana

* Pink Geckos

* Sea Urchins

* Galapagos Shark

* Whitetip Sharks

* Pink Flamingos

* Tortises (Saddleback and Dome)

* Galapagos Penguins

* Spotted Eagle Rays

* Pelicans

* Sanderlings

* Common Stilt

* Vermillion Flycatcher

* Galapagos Hawk

* Red Frigate

* Albatros

* Mockingbirds

* Galapagos Flycatcher

* Pelicans (some nesting with newborns!)

* Wild Goats (yes, there are wild packs of goats on the islands)

* Land Iguana

"Galapagos: A Novel" by Kurt Vonnegut

A woman I work with recommended I read ¨Galapaagos¨ when I mentioned that I was going to the Galapagos for vacation. I downloaded the book to my Kindle and started reading it on the airplane as I headed to Ecuador. When I met up with my traveling companions, two of the seven were reading the same book. We would discuss the book as we trekked around the islands -- our own roving book circle. The book was weird but I did enjoy reading about the Galapagos as I was in the Galapagos. Yesterday, as I waited in Baltra for the plane, the main characters were on a boat hoping to get to Baltra. Their vision of Baltra was starkly different than the reality I stared out upon as I thought about the dreamy hope of the book. I also really enjoyed the setup and history of the Galapagos that Vonnegut educated his reader with. He recounted various tales about the hell of the Galapagos and how it was uninhabitable. He also attributed traits of different endemic species to the various characters (Wait was a frigate, the Captain and the ladies stranded with him were a sea lion colony).

Would I recommend the book to everyone? No, but if someone I knew was headed to the Galapagos, I would suggest they pick it up.

Day 11 - Return to Quito

The trip is starting to feel like it is coming to an end.

I´m glad we started our journey in San Cristobal then went to Isabela before coming to Santa Cruz. In San Cristobal the seal lions make you keenly aware that things are going to different than they are on the mainland. The sea lions lounge where they want and people go about their business without disrupting them. It made me feel like I was enterning a strange paradise where the animals are fearless and docile. In Isabela, the marine iguanas replaced the sea lions in popularity but were equally as bold. Santa Cruz has a lot of pelicans but they are not nearly as friendly and the town is definitely the big city of the islands. There are stop lights, grocery stores and I bet they even have cable television.

We stayed at the Angermeyer Hotel and it was my favorite place we stayed during the whole journey. The hotel is on ¨the other side¨as the locals say and you have to take a water taxi to town. The taxi costs $.60/pp during the day and $1/pp at night and the trip takes just a couple of minutes.

This morning we had to wake up early in order to go to the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) before heading to the airport on Baltra. We raced through the CDRS and didn´t really spend quality time there but we did see Lonesome George (I don´t know if it his name or the fact that he´s over 100 years old but he looked like a very sad, very old tortise) and a land iguana.

The route to the airport was pretty exhausting (a water taxi to a bus to a ferry to a bus to the airport) and then when we finally arrived at the airport we had to wait for our flight for close to three hours. Baltra is an island that used to have a military base on it. Now there are just abandoned buildings and the single runway airport. Our bags were checked one final time to make sure we weren´t transporting seeds or animals (they check your bags everytime you arrive and depart an island). We did not arrive in Quito until 5:30p.

We had dinner with a guide who was supposed to take us on a tour of the city but we were all too tired and opted for a quick driving tour and an early bedtime.

Tomorrow, we all head home. I´m the last to leave. I wanted a day in Quito so I could visit the churches and tour the city but it is sad to see everyone leave.

HIGHLIGHT: Seeing the giant land iguana was pretty cool. The iguana was three, maybe foor feet long and it was different shades of brown and yellow. Its skin was amazing. It looked like it was a child wearing an iguana suit that was a little baggy around the elbows and shoulders.

Day 10 - Santa Cruz Island

Today was a rough travel day. We basically took a speed boat from Isabela Island to Santa Cruz. It was a choppy two-hour ride that left several of us rattled. The waves were huge and the boat just pounded them.

Once we recouperated we took a bus to the highlands and hiked through a coffee plantation that borders a national park and has wild tortises. I was surprised by how agile and long-necked the tortises can be.

After lunch we went kayaking around Divine Bay and Punta Estrada. While on the water we say marine tortises, spotted eagle rays, blue footed boobies, magnificnet frigates, sea lions and my favorite sighting of the day - - nesting pelicans with their hatchlings. Up close, pelicans are HUGE and their babies are larger than most other birds.

HIGHLIGHT: On the boat ride over we passed an island that was dotted with male frigates with their red plumes fully inflated. It was a sight I didn´t expect to see so it was a real treat.

Day 9

Today is our last day on Isabela Island. 

As a whole, today was my favorite day on this trip so far.

We started the day snorkelling and ended the day with a bike ride.

While snorkelling I saw so many beautiful fish, stalked a sting ray and played with a sea lion.

After lunch we went on a hearty bike ride up to the Wall of Tears (a wall they used to make prisoners build and tear down then start the process all over again). On the way home we stopped at several vistas and just soaked in the scenery.

HIGHLIGHT: Swimming with the sea lion was pretty amazing.

Day 8

Today we hiked in the highlands of Isabela Island and around Chico Volcano. It was amazing to traverse the different climates and landscapes. The hike was more rewarding than our first volcanic hike in that this crater was visibly forged by lava flow and remains uninhabitable - - a stark contrast to the placid crater lake.  I found today's barren vistas to be other worldly.

HIGHLIGHT: Seeing the Vermillion Flycatcher. It looked like a scarlet masked robber.

Day 7 - Isabela Island

Today we had to wake up early so we could catch a 7am flight from San Cristobal to Isabela. I was shocked to find Isabela more volcanic and even less inhabitable than San Cristobal. The sea lions of San Cristobal have been replaced by iguanas. 

Our hotel has breath taking views and we maybe 50 feet from the ocean.

Before lunch we hiked though the wetlands to a tortoise sanctuary. On the way we saw two flamingos. It was so jarring to see them in the wild. Isabela island is more black San Cristobal (which was very brown) so the flamingos popped out of the scenery.

After lunch we went on a short hike around a lava flow and snorkelling in the bay.

The day ended sitting in front of a priceless ocean view, drinking nice wine and discussing the socio-economic situation of the islands with the hotel manager.

HIGHLIGHT: After the lava hike we headed back to our boat but could not board because a sea lion was napping on the gangplank. Our guide tried to shoo it like a dog but it would not budge. Finally, the boat pulled up alongside the dock and the sea lion got annoyed and jumped into the water. It was an amusing encounter.

Day 6

Today we went sea kayaking around Darwin Bay and just beyond.  We met up with two boats (one to tow our kayaks back and one to take us onward) and went to a little cove for some snorkelling. There we saw a green marine turtle and a bunch of colorful fish. The boats then took us to Leon Dormido where we swam/snorkelled through a thin channel. I about jumped out of my skin when one of my travel companions screamed, "Shark!" 
He was right and much to the shock of our guide it wasn't the common whitetip shark (the locals call it the vegetarian shark) but rather the slightly more territorial Galapagos Shark. It was about the size of me and I wanted OUT of the channel. It was thrilling but I'd rather it didn't happen again.

HIGHLIGHT: Seeing the elegant Tropicbird fly between the tuffs of Leon Dormido.

Day 5 - Isla San Cristobal

We arrived at San Cristobal Island this morning. The airport is an abandoned military base and the runway felt short. My first impression of the Galapagos was "desert." It is a volcanic island and honestly, I can't imagine why anyone would want to live here. That being said, there are fascinating things about the Islands but all the early first impressions about the Islands by Darwin and Melville are true. I was definitely expecting something more lush but I'm certainly not disappointed about the trip.

There are sea lions everywhere and I'm not talking about decorations I am talking about giant sea lions. They are on park benches, lounging on the sidewalk, stretched out across stairs leading to the bay -- everywhere. It is adorable.

Today we hiked around the San Cristobal Interpretation Center. The trail was manmade and absolutely lovely. I felt like I was on the yellow brick road headed to Oz.

HIGHLIGHT: Seeing Darwin Bay. I couldn't help but be awe struck when thinking about the fact that this is where Charles Darwin stepped off the HMS Beagle and forever changed the way we view existence.

My comb, an aside

The title of this entry makes me think I should write a poem about my comb.

I couple of years ago I was on a trip and realized that I´d forgotten my brush at home. I went to a pharmacy to buy a new one and decided to get something lighter and smaller so I bought a comb. The only comb they had was made of hard plastic that seemed a little brittle but I bought it anyway. At some point during my travels, the comb broke in half. Filled with environmental guilt, I kept the larger half and tossed the rest instead of just replacing the comb.

Well, today, two of the six prongs of my half comb fell out leaving me with a wide-tooted four-prong comb. Unfortunately, this had to happen when I´m in the most remote of locations. There is no way I can get a replacement now.

Between the brackish water and my lame excuse for a comb I may very well return with dreadlocks.

My Group

Before coming on this trip I knew two things about my group:

  1. I was the fifth person from NYC to sign up for the trip

  2. There were only seven people going on the trip (excluding the guide)

 

Turns out there are actually eight people in our group.  None of us was more surprised to learn of the new member than his roommate who woke up in the middle of the night to discover him sleeping in the other bed in the room.

 

Our group is made up of two doctors, two finance people, a guy who designs micro chips, a physicist, a natural food chef\instructor and me.  The two finance people are from NYC and they are a couple (she just found out that she is pregnant the day before the trip).  One doctor (the internist) is married to the chef and although they currently live in NYC they are moving out of state next year for his job.  The other doctor (the family doctor) is from Boston and is my roommate. The physicist is from DC and his roomate is the electrical engineer who is from Atlanta (and they are the only two people on our trip who have every taking a group trip before).

 

 

Needlessto say, our conversation is diverse.

Day 4 - - Happy Birthday to Me

Wokeup this morning to a cold a rainy day. When faced with the choice between going on a hike or getting a spa treatment I chose the latter. On the way to the spa I saw a giant humming bird. It was easily twice the size of any humming bird I´¨ve ever seen in the US. It was irredescent emerald green in coloring and dining on the necter of a passion fruit flower. At the spa I decided on an hour long hot stone massage. It cost me $34 US. Happy birthday to me!

The pregnant lady decided to stay back as well and the two of us went to the spa together. Honestly, I think most of the group was on the fence but Pablo is such a salesman that the other six went on the hike. After our spa treatments the pregnant lady and I had tea and chatted a bit. On the way back to our rooms we noticed the hikers in a hot tub so I decided to join them.

We had lunch at the resort before heading back to Quito. At the end of the meal they surprised me with a cake. As soon as I blew out my candle (thankfully they didn´t light 39 other ones) an Air Supply song came on. I joke that it was a perfect birthday -- cake AND my favorite band.

The drive to Quito was quick as was our goodbye to Pablo. He gave me his phone number and email in case we decide to go to a ¨football¨ match on Saturday before we all head back.

The Mercure Hotel has become our base camp. I´m living out of one bag and storing things in the other one. Now that we are done with the cool weather of the highlands it is time to pack warm weather clothes for the Galapagos. We found out when we arrived that the weight restrictions have changed and are only allowed one carry on and one 20lb back (not a 30lb bag as originally told). At least I can load up my carry-on with my heavy gear

Day 3 - Termas Papallacta

I´m exhausted.

We had breakfast at the Hacienda and the headed out to our hike.

Our hike was around the crater of a volcano and it was tough. I couldn´t get a full breath whenever we ascended. Thankfully, descending was fine. I´m not quite convinced my altitude sickness medicine helped me at all on this trip. It was amazing how much air I could take in once we were off the volcano.

At the end of our hike, Romaro, our driver, met us with a gourmet picnic lunch. I love having everything planned for me. I just do what I´m told when I´m told and I don´t have anything to worry about.

After the hike, we drove three and a half hours to our hotel for the night. It is a thermal bath resort. Honestly, they couldn´t have picked a more perfect place! The thermal pools are just outside our bungalo and they are amazing. Im going to schedule a massage for tomorrow as an extra birthday treat.

HIGHLIGHT: When we were at the highest point of our hike, Pablo gave us a traditional candy. I was wrapped in dried banana peel and was just a little bigger than a thumb print in length and about 2cm thick. It was gummy and a deep watermellon color. I shared mine with an Indigenous boy who was hiking with another group. He had to be about seven. We let me take a photo of him so I decided to share (STRESS on ¨share¨-- this was not a bribe). There was also a moment at the hascienda that stands out -- during breakfast the waitress had to shoo a peacock out of the dining room.

Day 2

This morning the group finally met. There are eight of us. Five are from New York. Our guide is Pablo, he´s smokin´hot.  He´s only our guide for the the hiking part of our trip. Our real guide, Feilipe, hurt his knee in a horse riding accident and will join the group when we head to the Galapagos.

We left the hotel at around 9am and headed to our final pit stop for the night, the Hacienda Pinsaqui. Along the way we stopped at the actual equator. It was strange to stand with my one foot in the nothern hemisphere and my left foot in the souther. I was surprised to learn there that ¨north¨actuall means ¨left¨and not UP as we traditionally think.  We continued on to the Otavalo Market and to a little house in a ghetto where a native woman made us a pilla (or hand flute).  Lunch was at an amazing Hacienda in the middle of I dont know where. I bravely ordered tree tomato juice. Acording to Pablo, the tree tomato is not related to the tomato but rather the potato Some people don´t believe him but I choose to think that Pablo would never lie to us. For dessert at dinner I even had tree tomato sorbet. 

We´ve switched the daytime itinerary for days two and three so there was no hiking today but tomorrow we hike around a volcano. Pablo says there will be lots of orchids.  I can´t wait.

HIGHLIGHT:  I really enjoyed all the history of the country that Pablo shared with the group as we drove through the countryside.

Day 1 - Quito

I severely under estimated how much Spanish I actually know. I applaud the locals for just plowing onward at a rapid clip, ignoring my struggle. Ordering lunch was like a scene from Candid Camera.  I asked for the "platos vegetarianos" and the waiter asked me to make decisions. I just shook my head no. A neighbor tapped me and rattled off something in Spanish as he pointed to a woman eating soup. When the waiter returned the neighbor ordered soup for me. It was cute. My meal came with a warm glass that looked like watered down milk and tasted like oatmeal. After an obviously disapproving look on my part, the neighbor again chimed in and some how realized he wanted me to pour the ... "simple honey" into my oatmeal drink. It made it better but I only drank half.

I visited a lot of churches. Walked a lot. Got beaten up by the sun. The sun here is hot. My nephew always teases me about complaining "great ball of fire in the sky being hot" but in Ecuador, the sun is HOT. I was mostly OK when moving but the moment I stopped I felt like a vampire being struck by a sun ray.  In  a cab I thought something was biting my foot but when I looked down I realized it was just the sun. 

Tomorrow morning I meet my group and set out on an adventure.

HIGHLIGHT: Hmmm, tough one. I would have to say La Compania. It was a very unassuming church from the outside but when you walked in EVERYTHING except the floor and pews is gold. I felt like I was inside a Faberge egg. If I was allowed to take photos you'd see that instead of my lunch. 

First Impressions

  Quito is huge!
  I wasn't expecting it to be all spread out. From the air, the first thing I noticed is that there are few straight street/roads. The street lights also stood out, they have an orange tint instead of the bright white of the States. It gave a warm glow to the city. I am curious to see the city in the daylight.
  A woman I worked with set me up with a driver, Felix (rhymes with "relics"). Felix is a jovial guy who speaks about as much English as I do Spanish. We worked it out though and I got to my hotel.
The hotel is super nice. I wish my apartment was half as nice. The layout makes great use of the space.

Today's Highlight: Felix, without a doubt.

On the Border in Atlanta

My last meal.
Delta kindly offers a light snack on my five-plus hour flight to Quito so I decided to get something before boarding. I'm curious what my vegetarian options will be while I'm traveling.

After a nerve wracking flight from NYC to ATL I asked Delta about upgrading. Because I have an "L" fare, it is not an option. They would rather turn down money based on ticket-class rather than sell empty seats. What's up with that?

Trip overview lifted directly from guide's itinerary

DAY 1

Arrive in Quito

DAY 2

We head immediately north of Quito to the highlands and the emerald Laguna Cuicocha (10,638'). Winding up to the lake, we drive through incredible Andean cloud forest scenery glimpsing views of nearby snowcapped mountains. We dedicate the afternoon to hiking and exploring this fascinating crater lake region. The flowers are superb and so is the birding. You may see such Andean birds as caracaras, buzzard eagles, humming birds, ducks, hawks and the occasional condor. This evening we retire to a lovely historic hacienda. Originally built in the 1700s and 1800s, haciendas today are modernized but maintain their warm character and authenticity.

DAY 3

Today we explore one of the most famous Ecuadorian Indian markets in Otavalo. Then it's off to the Papallacta Hot Springs resort which involves crossing a 13,000' pass that offers stupendous Andean scenery. Relax in the thermal baths (some of the best in all of Ecuador) before dining on delicious local cuisine.

DAY 4

We continue with a hike in a very scenic reserve, part of the larger United Nations Biosphere Reserve. The environment here is endemic highland paramo (moorlands) with patches of cloud forest. We return to the hot springs resort for lunch and our last opportunity to soak in the therapeutic sulfate and alkaline rich waters of the spa. In the late afternoon we return to Quito where we have an optional city tour through Latin America's largest colonial center.

DAY 5

It's off to the Galapagos Islands this morning!

DAY 6

Today is all about being on the water! After breakfast we slip into our ocean kayaks and spend the morning paddling along the coast, past Playa Carola, and on to Darwin Bay, the site of the first landing of the HMS Beagle. The route is home to colonies of sea lions, marine turtles, blue-footed boobies, and frigate birds. Once we reach Playa Ochoa, we continue on to nearby Isla Lobos on the lookout for marine iguanas and sea lions. This is a fantastic snorkelling site where we are nearly guaranteed to enjoy one of the best sea lion encounters in the entire archipelago

DAY 7

After an early breakfast, we take a flight from San Cristobal to Isabela Island, the largest Island in the archipelago. Isabela was formed by six volcanoes — Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf. Five of these volcanoes remain active, making this island one of the most volcanically active places on earth.After lunch, we head to Las Tintoreras, a set of small islets within Isabela bay, to walk through the otherworldly landscape of lava rocks. The islets are filled with wildlife — marine iguanas, blue footed boobies, whitetip reef sharks, marine turtles, penguins, and much more. The rest of the afternoon is to enjoy the lovely white sand beaches in the port town of Puerto Villamil.

DAY 8

Today it's off to the highlands! We hike over rugged terrain to the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano, the 2nd largest intact caldera in the world after the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. From this vantage point, you have fantastic views of the six by five mile wide lava-filled caldera as well as the other volcanoes beyond and the surrounding coastline. We can continue on foot to Chico Volcano. With its puffing fumaroles and striking lava formations, it offers an out-of-this-world environment and good examples of the dramatic geological events that have forged the Galapagos Islands over millennia. In the afternoon, we return to Puerto Villamil.

DAY 9

After breakfast, we prepare our gear for a mountain bike ride to El Muro de las Lágrimas  Wall of Tears. We ride along the coast with spectacular views as we pedal through mangroves and salty lagoons that are home to the mangrove finch, endemic to Isabela. We can also spot American oyster catchers, herons, flamingos, and many other shore birds. We reach the Wall of Tears, a historic site that dates back between 1946 and 1959 when Isabela was a penal colony. The wall was built by prisoners using huge blocks of lava for no other reason than to keep the prisoners busy from the madness of isolation. On our way back we ride by and explore Isabela's gorgeous white sand beaches. In the afternoon, we can take the opportunity to walk through mangrove forest to Concha y Perla bay, whose clear waters are perfect for snorkeling.

DAY 10

After an early breakfast, we transfer (flight or fast boat depending on oceanic conditions) from Isabela to Santa Cruz Island. Once there we head to El Chato Reserve in the upper part of Santa Cruz Island – the natural habitat of the Santa Cruz tortoise, the largest in the Galápagos. The most recognized symbol of the Galapagos, the tortoise weights over 500 lbs and may have a shell measuring almost five feet! While we seek out these lumbering giants, we'll also come across pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, finches, and frigate birds bathing in freshwater lakes. We enjoy lunch at a traditional highland hacienda, where we also explore lava caves featuring incredible volcanic tunnel formations, and on a clear day we can see Media Luna, an old collapsed crater on top of Santa Cruz Island. After lunch, we slip into our kayak and paddle around Divine Bay and Punta Estrada, traveling through multiple lava channels of calm, turquoise waters. Within the channels, white tipped sharks and rays patrol beneath the waves, while colonies of blue footed-boobies, tropic birds, herons and marine iguanas perch along the jagged cliffs. In the evening, we are free to explore the nightlife in Puerto Ayora, the Galapagos' most populous town.

DAY 11

After one last breakfast on sleepy Isabela Island, we travel to Baltra Island by plane or fast boat depending on weather conditions. Once on Baltra Island, we bid farewell to the Galapagos and board our flight back to Quito.

DAY 12

Final day in Quito.

30 lbs

Only one thing left to do -- pack. The tricky part is I'm restricted to one 30-pound bag when I fly from Quito to Galapagos. It wouldn't be an issue if I didn't need to tote binoculars, my big camera, a daypack and a guidebook in addition to the essentials.

The BIG 4-Oh

That's right, I'm turning 40 this year.

Having given up parties for travel after celebrating my 33rd birthday with an appendectomy, I had a lot of trouble deciding where to go for my 40th. Lisbon and St. Petersburg are on the top of my travel list but I wanted to do something adventuresome. Since I was a child, I've been fascinated with Kilimanjaro but I recognized I'm just not fit enough for such a trek (maybe when I turn 50?). I toyed briefly with the Incan Trail but my BP depression got the best of me. I feel like we are destroying the world and ruining the ocean so I decided to go to the Galapagos Islands before they are closed down. I want to see the sea turtles and Blue-Footed Boobies. I want to swim with sea lions in unpolluted water.

Provided I have web access, I'll update as I travel. (Didn't work so well in France. Will South America be better?)