This day was to be one of the shorter drives, with a number of sites and activities to check out so after our morning coffee we were on our way...after a wrong turn we got back on track and were headed to our first stop of the day: Dettifoss waterfall... We were told that the road from Asbyrgi to Dettifoss wasn't paved, and after finding the correct turnoff we were surprised to see a paved road...wicked! Cruising along merrily when unfortunately that wonderful stretch of asphalt suddenly ended and sure enough the dirt road began...It was then we were to discover that not only was this a dirt road, but it was full of potholes...couldn't drive more than 20 or 30 meters before having to slow down and negotiate through oftentimes deep water-filled holes, it was ... read more

And now for something completely different...having done most of our traveling in warmer climes, we decided to take a detour and head to a more northern destination this time: Iceland! Seems to be the popular locale right now, and after visiting I can certainly understand why...the plan was to be here for ten days (a couple in Reykjavik, 7 days driving/camping around the Ring Road and a final day at Blue Lagoon) followed by three more in Amsterdam...wicked! Arrived in Reykjavik at the tender hour of 6 am, and after the somewhat obligatory stop at the duty free in the airport (best prices in the country for wine/spirits apparently) we arrived at our hotel an hour later...due to the exorbitant costs of hotel rooms (and frankly everything else) we opted to not book the night we ... read more

With a great introduction to the Galapagos on San Cristobal (and a stopover on Santa Cruz) we arrived at our second destination: Isabela. Largest of the Islands, and also the least populated (of the ones with folks on them at any rate) we approached this stop as a chance to chill out in between sightseeing adventures...decided on spending a bit more as well to be on the beach on a recommendation, and couldn't have worked out better... Arrived late afternoon to Puerto Villamil, and after a short taxi ride into town we settled into our digs for the next few days, Casa Los Delfines...great place, the woman who runs it is really sweet, we had access to a large balcony on the third floor overlooking the beach/ocean and the included breakfasts were delicious... Once settled we ... read more

Arrived in Quito in the wee hours of the morning, mere hours after the largest earthquake in years had shaken the country, in some spots to the foundations...having been about 2 hours out from Quito when the plane received word of the earthquake we were diverted twice, including an unplanned stop in Panama to refuel and wait for further instructions...the info was sorted out and we were given the go-ahead to proceed to Quito, not really sure as to what would be waiting for us when we arrived... Bizarre beginning to say the least, we got up and started gathering more info as to what had happened, what/where the damage was and sadly what the casualties and injuries were...the plan was to be in Quito for two days then head off to the Galapagos Islands for ... read more

After one failed attempt to get to Gunung Mulu National Park and an unplanned evening in Kuching (due to the Haze mentioned in a previous post the pilot couldn't see the runway so we were diverted to Kuching), the weather decided to cooperate and we safely touched down in Mulu, the beginning of our jungle adventure in Borneo... This is one of the stops I couldn't wait to get to, and with a full slate of activities planned over the next 3-4 days it was going to be busy...checked into our hotel, and as the accommodations in the park itself were all booked we decided to rough it at the five star Marriott resort, sweet! Not a big selection of accommodation here, there are some dorm style hostels just outside the park entrance but we figured ... read more