What a trip!! I can't believe we saw what we did in such a short time!! I only hope future trips can compare to what we saw here.
2:45 PM
We're on the plane in Guayaquil waiting to depart for Quito. While we're waiting, I'll fill you in on this morning.
We woke up this morning and had breakfast at 6 a.m. Usually, breakfast is at 7, but because we wanted to get to the Tortoise Reserve before our flight, we left an hour earlier than the rest of the group. Our guide this morning was Pato, who was the same person that brought us from the airport to our boat on the first day.
We traveled to the highlands to a farm where we saw six giant tortoises in their natural habitat. It was nice to see these guys in their natural habitat, but they weren't nearly as active as the ones we saw at the Darwin Center. The reserve is actually a farm, and on the farm there were three tortoise shells from giant tortoises that had acutally "gone to the farm." I climbed in one for a photo op and guilted Adam to do the same.
After touring the reserve, we didn't have time to go to the lava tunnels, but we were able to go to Los Gemelos (the twins). These are two giant craters created from the land collapsing around a volcano. Pato led us up to the top of one for a stunning view of the surrounding countryside.
We took in the views, climbed back into the truck that was bringing us to the ferry, and made it to the airport around an hour before our boarding time. Pato brought us over to get our passports stamped with the Galapagos Tortoise stamp and we boarded our plane.
8:35 PM
We're back in our hotel room at the Hotel Eugenia in Quito.
We landed around 4 p.m., waited around for our guide, then headed to the hotel. We checked in and rushed back out to Mercado Artesenal to buy some souvenirs. We ended up picking up a couple of bright, woven handbags, a pasmina scarf, and a couple of cigars for the bachelor party Adam was heading to when we got back.
Once we arrived back at the hotel, we hoofed it about two blocks away to a local restaurant called La Rondo.
The restaurant was adorable. Where we sat it looked like an outdoor square with murals all over the walls. The food was absolutely delicious - Ecuadorian and extremely filling.
After dinner, we decided to take a taxi back after the doorman stated, "La ciudad es muy peligrosa." The ride came to two dollars and, in my opinion, was well worth it for piece of mind.
We settled into our hotel room for the night, exhausted but utterly amazed at the fantastic trip we had just taken.
Tomorrow morning we'll take a flight back from Quito, to Miami, to New York, but I'll save you the boring details and end my journal now.
This trip was one of those 'once in a lifetime' trips; but I'm only 24 so I certainly don't plan on stopping now. In fact, we're planning our next trip already and I hope it's as fantastic as this, so much for once in a lifetime, right?
I spoke with at least a half dozen other travel companies, looking for a Galapagos cruise that fit our schedule and budget. Some companies could manage one or the other, but Erin was the only one who could do both. She found us the perfect cruise, at a fantastic price! And she has been quick and patient with responses to my many questions. So far, Adventure Life has been a fantastic company to work with!
Sandi T
3 weeks ago
Erin was patient, thorough, responsive, knowledgeable.
Karen Bukolt
4 weeks ago
Erin was responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and ran through a few different choices with us. She got us a fabulous price on a trip, and made everything easy to do. And QUICK!!
Tina
1 month ago
From the initial meeting and planning process with our trip planner Jess, through to the finalizing of our itinerary, trip details and questions, I was very impressed with the professionalism, thoroughness, organization and attention to details. I would highly recommend Adventure Life to anyone looking to plan a unique travelling experience, knowing that the expertise and experience provided will result in a seamless trip of a lifetime.
Lynn Farquharson
1 month ago
Excellent suggestions I line with my desires on a Galapagos very last minute cruise.
Swift and professional guidance and assistance in booking the trip. Helped me realising a substantial saving.