Galapagos 🐢🦀🐟🐠

Mike and Syl sweltering in the back seat of a police cruiser wasn’t the high point of our time in the Galapagos, but that’s another story.

The flight to Galapagos was super smooth — under two hours and no turbs. From the airport we took a bus then a ferry then a taxi to our hostel. Our first cab driver asked if we’d like to go to the giant tortoise ranch in Santa Rosa before going to the inn. Obviously! So we walked through some lava tunnels, then strolled through fields where enormous Galapagos tortoises were casually munching grass, walking... very... slowly..., warming in the sun or cooling in the pond. There were signs posted everywhere telling you to stay 2m away but it’s very tempting to sidle up closer. They are mesmerizing. 

Over the next few days we took tours to see birds — the blue footed boobie of course, Darwin’s finches, and many sea birds— as well as marine iguanas, seals and sea lions. We were able to stop and swim with sharks since they’re not at all aggressive towards humans. We saw a family of maybe ten cuddled in the mangroves. We weren’t in danger, but it’s still creepy. 

Our favorite was swimming with three big sea turtles. We glided above them and dove down to look closer. What a dream. I was proud of our hearty little family, that we could all swim in somewhat choppy waters decent distances. Other travellers sat out a few stops but the Cozzies got their money’s worth. 

Puerto Ayora is the city on Santa Cruz Island (pop. 25,000) and the waterfront has boardwalks with colourful lights at night, lots of people out strolling, overpriced restaurants, fantastic gelato, and many tour companies. Best of all, there are seals sleeping on the dock, sharks and sea turtles swimming nearby, sea turtles too, iguanas skittering by, and tons of birds keeping the town painted white. 

We spent our last day at Tortuga Bay. On one side of the dunes there is a safe swimmable (stunning) beach with soft white sand. Around the bend there is a long stretch of beach with very strong surf. There is also a little lagoon where you can swim with small sharks and marine iguanas . . . their motion is hilarious, tails working and arms jacked in constant push-up position. Those little guys are stockier than you’d think. Bulldog vibes. 

Anyway, it was an unforgettable excursion to the Galapagos. I highly recommended it if you like to see calm animals on their own turf. 

Next destination: Santiago, Chile.

Mainland Ecuador 🇪🇨

In Quito, taxis cost about $0.10 a minute, US dollars, well, cents, but still — so cheap. Drivers use their horns often, ducking into winding streets, passing other cars on either side, rounding corners, giving a heads up to pedestrians. It’s fast and loud, if not furious. The buses blow black smoke through the city. But there’s plenty to see.

The Basilica del Voto Nacional is over two hundred years old and it’s a massive fortress. Its narrow stairwells lead higher and higher to spires that overlook Old Town. The highest point of the Basilica is the Condors’ Tower, accessed by a caged-in steel ladder, technically outside. A woozy climb for us adults. Chloe zipped up in her usual fearless fashion and Sylvie pretended she was 8 (required age) and went for it too.

After that we went to the Botanical Gardens and now we’re all orchid enthusiasts.

The teleferico is a enclosed lift that takes you to the highest peaks in the city. We tried to go our first day but it was a holiday so the line was too long. Luckily for the kids, Vulcano Park was right there and they got to go on some decent rides and play some carni games. Chloe took a couple of shots at a basketball game where you had to sink a b-ball through three hoops and she got it, winning herself a teddy bear. It was a highlight. The next day we took the teleferico way up, looked at the whole city, hiked around, pet some llamas, and rode horses . . . because why not?

Sylvie celebrated her 7th birthday in Otavalo! We stayed in cute cabins overlooking the city. So many dogs — some stray, some cared for, some charming, some in rough shape. It was like the book Go Dogs Go, and at night, the dog party was raucous.

The Otavalo market is the biggest and oldest market in South America and vendors set up and sell beautiful textiles, fresh produce, and all kinds of randomness. You can get some deals (leather purse for $20, a « North Face » jacket for $30, fresh juice for $0.15, 40 limes for a dollar!). The place was chaotic and full of energy. We may have seen 5% of it. Basically we had snacks and got a few bracelets for the girls because I can’t be carrying any more on this trip!

We spent a day at Parque Cóndor where they care for spectacular and mostly endangered birds — eagles, hawks, owls, and of course, condors. There’s an eccentric fellow who has been working there for many years and puts on a show. Very impressive. Speaking of birds, we tried caldo de gallino, which was a tasty soup. It was our first time ever spooning up a foot though. Hello.

The road to Mindo spirals through the mountainous cloud forest. Hard on the neck. Within our first hour in town we did  a chocolate tour at El Chetzal. Yum. Then we went to a butterfly farm, took another teleferico (why do we keep doing this? So scary.), and hiked to a waterfall. Our last day there we took shelter from the hours of rain by spending the day in a covered hot tub pool at a hotel. Great day.

We soaked even more in Papallacta. We spent an evening and a full day in the Balnearios — a beautifully designed complex of pools of all temperatures and sizes, built into the mountain, fed by the springs.

Also, we met Heather and John in Mindo. They have been traveling for five years! Their blog is www.roamingaroundtheworld.com. They have lots of insight and good advice for traveling, even a guide to Halifax, so they’re clearly good folks.


That’s all for now. Off to Galapagos today!

Tulum & Cozumel 🌴🌮🌯🥑🍤

Tulum & Cozumel

Believe the hype. The Tulum beach is beautiful and the water is warm, if choppy. It’s an Instagrammer’s paradise... We were privy to many awkwardly staged photo shoots. The sun was intense, and after hours playing in the waves, and walking around the Mayan ruins, we got burnt, despite our best efforts. Our condo, our first AirBNB experience, was a $10 cab away. The place was perfect. The kids had their own room and there was a huge pool shared with the other tenants. We met the sweetest family from Brooklyn, traveling with their baby and preschooler, both teachers too. We also loved the nearby truck stop with great Mexican food and incredible bands on the weekends (and quirky ones on weekdays). We ate so many tacos and panuchos at La Chiapaneca that I really need a break.

From Tulum we booked a tour to the Dos Ojos cenotes, and went cave swimming for a few hours.  Flippers, masks, snorkels on, we swam through different caves, some with a few fish, some filled with bats, some so dark we needed flashlights. The girls were awesome — strong, brave, and generally up for whatever we plan.

A few days later we bussed to Playa del Carmen, ferried to Cozumel, checked in to a funny little hotel and went on a short snorkel tour. The reefs we saw didn’t seem to be in very good shape but a few schools milled around us, probably because our guide was dropping feed out of his pocket (sketchy?).  When we got lightly stung by tiny jellyfish, we were like OW! And the guide was like, Oh no — no stingers here. Anyway, to make sure our Tripadvisor feedback was positive, we were given margaritas, rum punch, and strawberry pop for the kids.

Back at the hotel, the kids played in the courtyard where there were lush gardens and sixteen (they counted) turtles. They stalked them, petted them, admired them, and yes, washed their hands. We walked around the center of Cozumel that night, enjoying the plaza, the vendors, the outdoor restaurants. Mike had a couple of barley pops, the girls had the best popsicles of their lives — basically mango purée, and I treated myself to an obnoxiously large-pink-slushy daiquiri while enjoying tender acoustic covers of the music of my youth. The seed is planted for my snowbirding retirement years I guess. Haha

Our time in Mexico was awesome and I’m sure we’ll go back someday. Hasta luego.
—K