Ecuador

Written By: jeff

Posted On: November 29th, 2013

Quito may be best known for lying on the equator. But, there’s an even more important data point for you to know – it’s altitude. At 9350 feet / 1800 meters above sea level, you will feel how thin the air is. And, as high as that is, you can get even higher. The Pinchincha […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: December 14th, 2012

When I see a butterfly outside in a park or in a garden, I take a passing glance and move on.  But, something happens to me when I visit a butterfly farm. I become mesmerized. I’m like a kid in front of a TV watching cartoons. Can’t. Stop. Staring. When I went to the Amazon while […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: June 25th, 2012

Oh George. You will be missed. I only met you briefly on my career break in the Galapagos in 2007 at your home at the Darwin Center on Santa Cruz Island. I was the one styling with the camera, the sunglasses, the daypack and the new pair of Keen’s. Yeah, I knew you’d remember. You […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: September 19th, 2010

career break, career break travel, career break advice, travel the world, Ecuador travel, the galapagos islands

Today started early to explore Bartolomeo Island.  We were on board the rafts by 6:10AM.   The penguins of Galapagos are early risers to get their fishing done before it gets too hot.  Granted at this time of year, the temperature only rises to about 22-25 degrees C (about 70-78 degrees F), but during the hot […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: September 12th, 2010

career break, career break travel, career break advice, travel the world, Ecuador travel, the galapagos islands

On Thursday, we had an even earlier start to the day since our excursion left at 7:30 instead of our normal 8:00AM.  I awoke early and again sat out on the back of the boat taking in the view of the islands.  The cool breeze coming off the water made for a crisp, fresh morning.  […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: September 5th, 2010

career break, career break travel, career break advice, travel the world, Ecuador travel, the galapagos islands

After an early breakfast, we were on our rafts at 8:00AM to head off to Isla Lobos or Sea Lion Island.  Just like yesterday we walked through dozens, maybe hundreds of sea lions.  We also saw a few more blue-footed boobies and some yellow warblers.  The sun was out and there were few clouds in […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: August 29th, 2010

career break travel adventures in the Galapagos, Ecuador

After a quick breakfast on Sunday, I was off to the airport to catch the short 1.5 hour flight to the Galapagos Islands.  We flew into the airport on the tiny island of Baltra.  I met up with my tour group, collected my stuff and we took a 45 minute shuttle to a dock where […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: August 22nd, 2010

career break travel adventures in Cuenca Ecuador

I returned to Quito on Saturday for one night before heading down south to two remote yet historically significant cities: Cuenca and Loja.  I had a couple of things to do in the city so I spent what was left of Saturday and Sunday running errands. I caught up with Gloria and two of her […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: August 15th, 2010

career break travel blog, career breaks in Ecuador, travel adventures in Amazon Jungle in Ecuador

The day started off on a few dour notes and I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.  This morning’s wake up call at 5:30 came early and not due to the hour.  For some reason, I could not sleep last night.  So, when the knock at the door came, I moved slower […]

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Written By: jeff

Posted On: August 8th, 2010

career break travel blog, career breaks in Ecuador, travel adventures in Amazon Jungle in Ecuador

I woke to the gentle sound of rain falling outside.  I looked at my alarm clock which said it was only 4:30AM.  Wake up time was at 5:30 so I still had an hour to sleep.  The only problem was that nature was calling and I couldn’t bear to get out of bed.  After the […]

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