Since my internet time is seriously restricted (it is ridiculously expensive on board), I'll just say that the whole experience has been amazing. And in addition to the excitement of the islands and the animals, we had a fire in the engine room on Thursday. It was kinda surreal, but they got it under control quickly and no one was hurt. We've been running under one engine since then.........I'm going to up load a few pictures then sign off due to time constraints. [View Full Entry]

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So, today we got to sleep in a bit and had breakfast here at the Hilton - non descript western breakfast buffet. As we were herded on to buses and around the colonial part of the city, I felt like a member of a herd of sheep. We drove by La Basilica (newest church in old Quito, only about one hundred years old.....). As expected, we hit several spots we had already seen: The Plaza Grande, San Francisco Cathedral, El Panecillo, etc. It was basically a 2 -3 minute visit at each spot, and that seemed to satisfy most of the [View Full Entry]

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Well, what a difference a day (and a new posh hotel) makes. Yesterday, I was so exhausted I could barely type. Now that we are safely in the arms of the Hilton family (and soon the Passport to Travel tour group family as well), I feel more relaxed since the before we left. I expect to update yesterday's blog more later, but the internet at the Hilton is not gratis, so I want to get today done first. So, I had a bit of headache this morning so I skipped going to breakfast and took my time dragging around the room [View Full Entry]

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As I ponder the eternal question of all travelers, I wonder how I always mange to get myself into these situations. But really, how could I resist? And most of my purchases were for other people..... Well, obviously, we made it to Otavalo, a daily market in the Imbabura Province where at about 70% of the people are of the Native Imbabura "Indians." And this area is a rare example of the native population managing to do quite well economically. Each village has their own special handy craft and besides selling to tourists they also ship their goods around the world [View Full Entry]

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Once more this weary traveler delays sleep to broadcast her intrepid adventures.......geez I´m exhausted.... I left off just before we went to the ¨New Town¨for some shopping (me? shopping?). And once again I have made some fragile purchases......I knew I should have packed that bubble wrap! After a fairly non descript dinner, we headed back to "Old town" and on the way I saw the greatest sign.....I wish I could have gotten a picture; "Clinica Veterinaria Rottweiler".....seriously, who would take their beloved pet to Rottweiler Veterinary Clinic?? After an hour of mentally cursing myself [View Full Entry]

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Hello, everybody. We made it!! After taking off an hour late (about 45 min of which was sitting in the sweltering heat on the tarmac......), we had a relatively good flight. No bad turbulance, but a kind of mild shimy (sp?) which after a while, you didn´t notice until suddenly it became smooth. Anyway, we landed safely to the teeny weeny Quito airport and had a few tense moments as we didn´t see Sharon´s name on any of the signs (our hotel was arranging pick up). And Sharon didn´t have the number to the hotel. I started to dig through my [View Full Entry]

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and back in Cuzco. Thank goodness. Actually, way too exhausted to blog, but wanted ya´ll to know we´re ok. Should have time to catch up tomorrow during our 14 hour layover in Lima :). [View Full Entry]

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Well, obviously still having photo issues......the pictures are too big and the internet connections to freaking slow.....will keep working at it. We we´ve moved two more towns since I last wrote. We left Aquas Calientes shortly after my last blog, taking the train back to Ollantaytambo. We were expecting about the same trip on the way back, and were somewhat taken aback when just after the drink service, one of the train personnel came out in costume, dancing down the aisle to traditional music, and carrying a small stuffed llama that he silently invited each passenger to pet (Stef could [View Full Entry]

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At last, this blog is finally going to completely catch me up to the time that I am writing this. YEAH! So...Aquas Calientes. I got to have my first real train ride ever, and the views were amazing although somewhat spoiled by the power lines running along the Urubamba river. About 5 kilometers from Aquas Calientes is a hydroelectric station on the river and the power is run back up stream to the Sacred Valley area. We did get a nice surprise on the train as we paid for the cheap ¨backpacker¨train, but we actually got the mid-priced Vistadome train, [View Full Entry]

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At last! The day of our big ride....and I have been queasy off and on all night and into the morning. However, I was determined to make it, and after some pepto and tea, I felt well enough to give my best effort. We got to the resort about 45 min early, relaxed and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the scenery. Once we met Moesis, Stef explained that we were fine with the change in drivers, but that we were not sure what the problem with the payment was. Moesis said he would speak to Senovio and get [View Full Entry]

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