We were back in Quito for our last day in South America. Again, we got up early and were on the bus by 8 AM. Our tour today included a two hour drive through the Ecuadorian countryside to Otavalo and then on to Cotacachi. Our main stop on the way to Otavalo was the Equator! Basically, there is a tourist attraction called La Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world) that is a large, orange monument marking the Equator. The marker sits on a large stone design. Together, the monument and the stones create a large sundial, used to mark [View Full Entry]

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The Galapagos Islands are located about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They are the home to many unique and exotic animals. We could not wait to explore the different islands of the Galapagos! SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND We arrived at the airport in San Cristobal late in the morning. After collecting our things, we had to take a small zodiac boat to get to our cruise ship, the Galapagos Explorer II. We arrived on the ship in the afternoon and right away checked into our room (with a balcony!). We changed into our [View Full Entry]

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Day One: We arrived at the airport in Cusco, Peru at 8 AM (2 hours before our flight). We had to travel back to Lima, then we would go on to Quito, Ecuador. Let's just say our trip to Quito was a bit stressful! --Our flight to Lima was canceled. So, all 33 of us in our group had to take an earlier flight that left at 8:35 AM, which we were not booked on. --7 of us (Bryan and I included) were not issued boarding passes initially for our new flight. That left us wondering if we were in fact [View Full Entry]

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After our trip to Machu Picchu, we had one full day left in Cusco before heading to Ecuador. We woke up around 6 AM for a full day tour of the cities surrounding Cusco. We hopped on the bus and drove up and up into the hills around the city. The views of Cusco below, the snow capped mountains in the distance and the patchwork of green, yellow and brown farms were too beautiful to describe--even the camera could not quite capture the magic of the natural surroundings. It was also neat to see all the animals in the fields--pigs, cows, [View Full Entry]

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Day One: This morning we were up at 4:45 AM, so excited to visit Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. We had to take a 3 hour train ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, the town where Machu Picchu is located. So, after breakfast, our bus left at 6 to take us to the train station. The VistaDome train left at 6:57 AM. Overall, the ride was nice--quiet and incredibly scenic. They even served us a small snack with a yummy chocolate caramel muffin, purple bread (made with purple corn), and oregano bread, which is delicious. We arrived in [View Full Entry]

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Day One: This morning we got up early, got on the bus and drove straight to the airport for our trip to Cusco, where we will spend the next several days. The city of Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and is built in the shape of a puma, an animal worshiped by the Inca. The word Cusco means "navel of the world" in Quechua. Upon arriving at the Cusco airport, we got on our bus and headed right to our hotel, the Novotel. Before even checking in, they had a breakfast buffet waiting for us! My favorites were [View Full Entry]

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Today our adventure in South America began. We arrived in Lima around 4:30 AM, but didn't leave the airport till around 6. After meeting our tour director and our group, we got on the bus and headed to our hotel, the Casa Andina Private Collection in Miraflores. Upon checking into the hotel, we were escorted to a delicious buffet breakfast. There were chocolate pastries, fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, French toast, etc. We had the rest of our morning to relax and refresh ourselves (nap time!) from the eight hour plane ride. At 1 PM, we took at city tour of Lima. [View Full Entry]

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Day One: Shanghai is a city of almost 20 million people! So, on our bus ride into Shanghai from Suzhou, the most striking thing (other than the horrendous traffic) was the hundreds of skyscrapers looming over the city. Because of its lack of space, Shanghai builds upward, so most people live in small apartments high above the city. Our first stop was the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, a very distinctive skyscraper in the Pudong district. The main attraction here is the elevator you can ride to the top of the building and look out over Shanghai. So, we did that first. [View Full Entry]

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Day One: After landing in Shanghai in the afternoon, we took a two hour bus ride to the city of Suzhou. It is considered "the Venice of the Orient" because the city is built along canals and has many beautiful bridges. On the drive to Suzhou, we sat in the front seats of the bus...a very scary place to be! First of all, the traffic in Shanghai is terrible! Also, cars, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians all just dart out in front of our bus without looking or stopping! In fact, at a toll booth, another bus edged his way in front [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Guilin at night. It was surprising to see how many people were out shopping and eating at 10:30 PM. Guilin has a very different feel than Xian. It feels more like a suburb, although there are over a million people living here. The following morning we experienced the main attraction for us in Guilin--a cruise along the Li River. Our ride began around 9 AM and ended in Yangshuo around 2 PM. Guilin is known for its beautiful scenery. (A famous Chinese poet supposedly said, "East or West, Guilin scenery is the best." The mountains (or hills, according [View Full Entry]

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