Quito, EcuadorWell, we're not in Kansas (or Arkansas in this case) anymore. After months of endless waiting, we arrive in Ecuador. Fortunately, we arrive a day early and get to explore Quito. This is a fascinating city, with surrounding hills covered with endless small colorful houses. We hire a local driver, Patricio, who drives us to a local Saturday market filled with fresh fruit (some a bit unusual) and vegetables, and even fresh seafood (Check out the clever way to haul the fresh crab around). The people are warm and welcoming, and our kids love it. The streets are narrow, crowded, and seem to disappear in front of you as you go down long steep hills. As we head to our next stop, we come upon a local parade, and have a great time watching the colorful costumes and the local dances. Even more exciting is the bike race that we encounter - these crazy guys run their bikes straight down steep sets of stairs from the top of the mountain to the bottom!
How can we top our morning? Well, we go to the museum at the equator, and learn that the large impressive monument is not actually on the equator. Not too exciting...but, the actual equator experience next door: unbelievable! All of us are shocked at the difference just stepping one foot either north or south of the equator can make! We watch the water drain in different directions, and how muscle strength differs on the equator and off. My daughter balances an egg on the tip of a nail placed directly on the equator, which was amazing! We then learned how there are fish that climb up your private parts if you pee in the river, and how to shrink a human head (if you're into that sort of thing!) Far more educational for my kids than the science class that they are missing!
Working with Mary was a pleasure. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and persistent in getting my clients the best deal.
Susan Hommel
4 weeks ago
Staff on ship (Alya), food, rooms, excursions and naturalist (Alex) were all top notch!
Suzanne
1 month ago
We loved our time aboard the Angel. Beautiful boat and crew. Naturalist Jose Luis was incredible-very knowledgeable and thoughtful. He adapted tours to our group and we all had an amazing trip. Love staying a the quaint hacienda and the recommended activities.
Christine
1 month ago
Amazing assistance! Kevin and his team were so helpful and really gave us great advice. They quickly understood exactly what we were looking for and within a matter of days we had booked our holiday of a lifetime. I would definitely recommend to others.
Kathryn
2 months ago
The pre-planning and execution of the plan was excellent. They were even able to help get glasses returned when a member or our party left them in a hotel.