My first trip to South America. Though thoroughly scared of snakes, I WANT to see an Anaconda (from a safe distance preferably). That will be my quest.
Quito - Old Town (Tatjana Kudla)Today is September 15th. Only 4 days to go and I am getting thoroughly excited. I am so in need of a real vacation! I am looking forward to testing out my new little camera and just hope the battery will last...
September 16th. Starting my shopping shortlist: batteries and a flashlight. Don't want to run over this anaconda in the dark - oops. Seriously, everyone keeps warning me about the dangerous species out there. Relax, people! I am Australia trained. Isn't that where a whole lot of the most dangerous animals live?
September 17th. Got my last shot today. Am now ready to travel the world and the jungle. Some people asked me what I was going to eat... weird question. No, I won't eat crawly and squiggly worms or huge spiders (do they also taste like chicken?) nor the piranhas that nibble my feet. I bet there will be good old fashioned burgers, fries and beer. Cheers to that!
September 18th. A conversation this morning:
Friend: "Are you all packed?"
Me: "Already?? Kidding?? I am leaving tommorow... ooohh tomorrow... yeah, no. I'll pack tonight I guess..."
September 19th. 1.10am - all packed. 50 minutes ahead of schedule. :) My flight leaves early afternoon, so enough time for a quick 9 mile run and coffee.
I am leaving the plane armed with 2 hand drawn maps of Quito, a list of Ecuadorian foods I need to try, a list of fruit juices I need to taste, all the sights
I have to see and where to get souvenirs. Miguel, an Ecuadorian living in Houston and sitting next to me on the flight, prepares me fully for my trip. Here is the food list: Tostado, Humitas, Higos con queso, Locro de papa, Fritada, Tortillas de papa (Llapingacho) and fruit juices: Naranjilla and Mora.
I realized my Spanish was too advanced when I heard the pilot say that the temperature in Quito is 12C. And for the few who don’t know, I don’t speak any Spanish. It’s nice being back in a country though where temperature and distance have an instant meaning to me, but 12C? That would have been better disguised in Fahrenheit…
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
6 days ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
DIANNE GRAY
1 week ago
Jane was my AE agent for the 2 months of helping me decide that this will be the most amazing trip we will ever experience in our lifetime and a memorable way to celebrate our 40th!
I was also able to work with Mike from Quark who was also very helpful.
Once I had decided to go ahead with my booking Kevin took over to assist Jane while on vacation.
Kevin was able to tweak the quote even more
and truly sealed the deal! He was patient with receiving my full payment as it took time to “round up that much cash” Were booking a delux balcony and there’s no looking back
I feel confident and very satisfied that I have made the best decision choosing Quark Expeditions and look forward to a top notch experience aboard the Ultramarine.
Both Jane and Kevin are sincere, professional and courteous. They met all of our needs
to ensure my process was stress free.
I’m looking forward to all our daily excursions then enjoying a Sauna and my own cold plunge in the tub! My back up plan
to the “Antarctic Plunge”
I look forward to getting to know and dealing with Mary Rose for all the final details that will make our trip complete. Great company!
