Category: Ecuador 2017

It is difficult to describe the beauty of the beach we just left at Cerro Brujo on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos archipelago:  the softest white sand and the… Read more »

Every day is a wonder of natural beauty on this tour around the eastern islands of the Galapagos on our luxury ship, La Pinta.  With only 14 passengers on board… Read more »

The Ecuadorean cloud forest is magnificent.   The difference between a cloud forest and the rainforest is that the cloud forest is at a higher altitude (3,00-5,000 feet) and is… Read more »

I have a day to myself in Quito before I join my tour group and I decide to spend it walking around the old part of town.  One of the things… Read more »

It is 6:30 am as my plane rises over the northern hills of Quito heading south toward the old city of Cuenca.   In this country of perpetual 12-hour days,… Read more »

Quito is a world-class city.  And consequently it has major rush hour traffic problems.  It is surrounded by hills and volcanoes and large apartment complexes now climb steeply up most… Read more »

This morning our Black Monster steam locomotive cuts a narrow swath through an idyllic landscape.  We clatter along through rich agricultural land, rectangles and strips of land growing various produce,… Read more »

Our train is passing through a landscape of primeval heavy woods, fed by the waterfalls and constant dripping moisture from the forest canopy absorbing the water coming from the Pacific… Read more »

The excitement of pulling out of a foreign train station, with the station bell ringing and the steam engine puffing/blowing its black smoke song, is like no other.  A train… Read more »

After 14 hours of traveling, my cab ride through the quiet, shuttered streets of downtown Guayaquil at 1 am gave the impression of a clean manageable town.   The largest… Read more »