Blogs from Ecuador, South America - page 624

A couple of days ago I went on a trip to Mitad Del Mundo ("Middle of the World") which is on the Equator, just north of Quito. It´s a bit of a tourist trap (with corny photo opportunities as you can see) but I had an entertaining afternoon there with some of the other people from the Spanish school. The precise location of the line of the Equator has been measured with GPS and they´ve set up a few experiments that prove it. We watched water going down a plug hole of a sink anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere, clockwise in the southern hemisphere and straight down on the Equator. I balanced an egg on the head of a nail on the Equator - apparently the only place where it´s easy to do that. Last night ... read more

Lift off baby! Cruising 32 thousand feet in our upper atmosphere, all I could think about was getting to the nearest travel agency upon arrival. I was hungry to see what kind of adventures I could get myself into. I also couldn’t help thinking about sinking my teeth into the filet of salmon that I was just served in First Class. Yeah, that's right...First Class. I was randomly selected by the computer to be bumped up, meaning fat, fluffy seats, a gourmet lunch, moist towels, and royal treatment (life's good). I must say that I sure stuck out among the high class, dressed in my backpacker garb, unshaven scruff, and an unshowered funky aroma that I believe originated from me. The flight was short, but sweet. Seconds after crossing the equator into the Southern Hemisphere, we ... read more

The trip to Cotopaxi was cancelled, but I did manage to get out to Otavalo on Saturday, a two hour journey from Quito. Matt, Kira and myself were not on our best form having been out late on Friday in the New Town drinking beers and Margaritas, but we soon felt better when we got out of the city and into some amazing mountainous landscapes. Danny, our driver and guide pointed out numerous mountains, volcanos and lakes, each one as spectacular as the last. We stopped near Imbabura, a volcano that reaches a height of over 4500 metres and overlooks Lago San Pedro. After watching a display of indigenous music and dancing we set off again for Otavalo. The outdoor market there is absolutely huge and there is a vast array of weavings, hammocks, rugs, clothes, ... read more

The Galapagos Islands are a true wonder... they are really spectacular! I have spent the past week sailing around the islands, swimming with seal lions, penguins, turtles, iguanas, sharks. They are all really friendly and come right up to you. I had a few special moments with a penguin.. who was looking at me with the same fasination I was looking at him! . The sea lions would swim to me as if they were coming right for me, then gracefully swim above or below me! On land it was really special too.. we saw blue footed boobies and masked boobies! The blue footed boobies do look as if someone has painted them! I saw flamingos, albatross and frigets.. loads and loads of birds. Got treated to a few mating sessions too! The flamingos were the ... read more

The text is with the Peru entry. I seperated the pictures to make for 2 shorter entries.... read more