South America
Galapagos Days 3 & 4: Cruising Around the lsles
Written By: jeff
Posted On: September 5th, 2010
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 [...]
Photo Essay: Day of Solidarity Parade, Caminata de la Solidaridad, in Bogotá
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 30th, 2010
Every year in August, for the past 30 years, Colombia sets aside a day of solidarity. It is a day of remembrance for all those affected by the civil strife that still afflicts parts of the country. There are big fund raisers to collect money to send to the victims. As part of this day, [...]
Galapagos Days 1 & 2: When Sea Lions Attack
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 29th, 2010
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 [...]
Down to Southern Ecuador
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 22nd, 2010
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 [...]
Deeper Into the Jungle
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 15th, 2010
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 [...]
Photo Essay of a Tragic Morning in Bogota
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 12th, 2010
At 5:30AM, the Bogota offices of Caracol Radio, one of the largest radio companies (and media if you include its TV empire), was hit by a car bomb. For me, it literally hit close to home. I live 11 blocks from the site. It happened 3 blocks from my first apartment in Bogota and 2 blocks [...]
Swimming With Piranas
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 8th, 2010
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 [...]
Welcome to the (Amazon) Jungle
Written By: jeff
Posted On: August 1st, 2010
I met my fellow Amazon travelers before heading out on our afternoon excursion, a hike through the jungle. I dressed in my jeans which were tucked into my knee-high rubber boots. I slathered on the bug juice and grabbed two bottles of water. In addition to our guide, Daniela, we had a local jungle expert, [...]
Back To Ecuador and Out to the Jungle
Written By: jeff
Posted On: July 25th, 2010
I arrived back to Quito late Monday night. It felt good to be back, like it feels when you’ve been away from home for a while and you’re glad to be back to something familiar. While Quito isn’t home, I was glad to be back to my life. It’s a wandering life and Quito is [...]
Adventures on Volcanoes and Other Ecuadorean Highs
Written By: jeff
Posted On: July 18th, 2010
Well, it’s been almost nine weeks total on the road and the end of my three weeks here in Quito. In some ways this stay has been almost as laid back as BA was. In other ways, I’ve done a lot and will be back in a week and a half to conquer the rest [...]
