Yes…It’s a long way to New Zealand. Yes…flying Economy sucks a bit. (Not the worst thing I have ever done but when the bucks roll in I’m going business class – at least!). No…I did not sleep most of the way. Ever try to sleep sitting up, smushed between two sweet but also-tired travelers? Bet … More Down Under: Looks Like Paradise to Me
Wow! Time really does fly…and it accelerates just like Mom told me it would as the years go by. I realize that “getting older” and “getting OLD” are two different things, but in either case, time seems to have a faster and faster clock speed as the years go by. This past year had a … More Heading into the 2018 Home Stretch – Looking Back
I am so glad that Andrew and I are now much closer in geographic proximity to many of our loved ones…not all, but many. We will continue to be “digital nomads” of a sort – travel is a shared passion I doubt will ever be quelled in our life together. But I feel so blessed … More Redirecting My Energy
By the time we got to our last stop in Ecuador we agreed we were ready to head home. Not that we didn’t thoroughly enjoy our time in country – we did. We both felt that we’d seen and done so many different things – encountered amazing wildlife in the Galapagos, experienced city life in … More Termas de Papallacta: A Spa Ending to Our Ecuador Adventure
I am so proud and excited that our daughter, Ruthie, and her good buddies (Alex and Elizabeth) have launched a fabulous new travel website this week – called Travelogue. These three amazing and powerful young women have channeled their combined skills into creating a wonderful “one-stop-shop” for anyone wanting to gather first-hand tips on where … More The Travel Bug Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree
While anyone who knows any conversational Spanish knows that when you “gotta go” you ask where the “baños” are. But in Ecuador, Baños is also the name of a city that is now famous for attracting anyone into extreme sports – anything you can do to fly without a plane, zipline over a deep canyon, … More Baños…No, NOT the bathroom!
Our hike up Cotopaxi was challenging, and there was a thrilling sensation of having climbed above the clouds to a height I’d have never imagined possible for us. What I didn’t realize was that the very next day would be as literally and figuratively breathtaking – if not more so. Once again we chose to … More Laguna Quilotoa: Breathtaking in More Ways than One
One of the day trips we took from the pueblo of Isinlivi was to the majestic volcano – Cotopaxi. We were so fortunate to have our driver, Byron, take us to the base of the volcano where we registered and engaged with a guide who knows the park and mountain well. If you ever make … More Cotopaxi: Up the Volcano and Into the Clouds
One of the highlights of our stay in Isinlivi – a teeny, tiny pueblo in the Andes along the Quilotoa Loop (a hiking route that provides days of wandering through incredible green valleys) – was learning how to milk a cow. Andrew and I accompanied Rosarita – a local farmer – to her pasture where her … More How to Milk a Cow…and other pastoral pastimes
I have already written about our wonderful exploration of some of the Galapagos Islands, but that was actually only one “chapter” in our 18-day wanderings through Ecuador. The islands were the precipitating factor in our choosing Ecuador, but we were equally touched by and grateful for the experiences we had in the varied facets of … More Exploring Ecuador: Quito Revisited
Living La Vida Loca 