Quito - Old TownQuito on a Saturday is pretty busy, add to it a political rally in preparation for the national referendum for a new constitution next week and I start wanting to go to the jungle right now. The old town is pretty colourful. Buildings are in all different colours including pink and the white churches and cathedral make an awesome picture against the backdrop of the mountains or the upcoming storm clouds. Streets are narrow and steep and since Quito is kind of a long city inbetween the Andes Mountains, streets to the right and left, both, lead up to the mountains. At the Plaza Grande, the heart of the old town, the political rally takes place and it is impossible to go anywhere. I walk over to the cobblestone Plaza San Francisco and go inside Quito’s oldest church, the Monastery of San Francisco, which is under construction, probably because it is pretty old. Behind the church the view is breathtaking as the Volcán Pichincha reigns majestically above the city.
Right after lunch a thunderstorm catches me by surprise and I do what makes most sense right now, hide in a museum, the Museo del Banco Central, and try to find out how, why and when Ecuador’s currency went from Sucre to the US Dollar. With my limited Spanish but being try-lingual I thought I found out, but Luis, our guide the following day, corrects me a little… Well, I tried… On the way back to the hotel, I get caught in another thunderstorm with hail this time and it is as easy to find a taxi during a Quito thunderstorm as it is to get a cab at 2am on 6th Street in Austin… That’s why I am sitting by the fireplace.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.