Miami

Kelly and I booked a week long trip to Ecuador with Go-Today. Since most flights to Quito were through Miami, we decided to spend a couple nights there on the way. We arrived Saturday afternoon. After visiting the beach, we had some Mojitos, a late dinner, and then just walked around enjoying the South beach area.

The next morning, we booked a on-off bus tour of the city. We got off at Vizcaya, the beautiful home and gardens of James Deering, founder of International Harvester. We went to Coral Gables and visited the Biltmore Hotel and Venetian Pool. The bus didn’t go to the Biltmore so we had quite a long walk to the hotel and returning to the bus route. Later we visited Little Havana and then just walked around town for a while, enjoying the sights. We took the bus back to South Beach then had an early dinner at Puerto Sagura, some wonderful fresh seafood. We packed up later for our flight to Quito the next morning, through Panama.

Quito

We arrived in Quito around 1400 and had pickup for our hotel. We were in a nice neighborhood in old town. We visited the Quito Cathedral and the Basilica del Voto National with its great collection of gargoyles in the shape of local animals, including lizards and turtles, as well as penguins, sea lions, and monkeys. I loved walking around the area and stopped repeatedly for photos, especially of all the huge wooden doors and archways on the buildings. Really beautiful architecture.

We also visited the Casa Museo Maria Augusta Urrutia and the amazing Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus or Church of the Society of Jesus. Built between 1605 and 1765, the facade is very ornate, with “Solomon Columns” framing the main entrance. The inside is covered in gold leaf and absolutely amazing. We just made it before closing on our second day in town. I am very glad I was able to see the interior of the church. No photos were allowed inside, unfortunately, but I purchased some postcards.

We also visited the Avenue Rio Amazonas and Plaza de la Independencia, and later went to El Panecillo, or the Virgin Monument, on the hill overlooking the city.

We had a tour of Otavalo Market one day. We drove north out of Quito through the Andes. We both spent a lot of money at the market. On the way back to town we stopped at the Mitad del Mundo or Middle of the World monument; right on the equator, you can stand on both hemispheres. We also had an excellent Ecuadorian lunch with green plantain empanadas and great spicy salsa.

Galápagos

The next morning we had a flight to Baltra then were transferred to Santa Cruz Island. We had a visit to Charles Darwin Research Station after arrival. It is part of the National Park of the Galápagos. The park protects about 97% of the Galápagos Islands. We met Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise. George was found dead in 2012, sadly. The research station works to protect the ecosystems and many threatened species. There is a breeding area for tortoises.

We spent the rest of the day visiting other areas of Santa Cruz. Driving around the island we stopped at one of the bays and took a short boat trip to visit an inlet. Hiking in this landscape was like visiting an alien world, with lava rocks, strange cacti, turquoise water, and hundreds of land iguanas. We spent the night at Hotel Palmeras.

The next day we went to Isla Floreana; we had a 2 hour boat ride south from Santa Cruz. It is not an island heavily visited by tourists. I absolutely loved it. We saw our first “wild” giant tortoises, visited some old pirate caves and saw gorgeous scenery.

I enjoy seeing and learning about different bird species even if I cannot identify them myself. That is why a great guide is necessary. We saw flamingos, great frigatebirds, great blue herons, Galápagos penguins, blue-footed booby’s, small Darwin ground finches, and mockingbirds.

We had a full day tour of Isabela Island. We visited the Devil’s Crown, saw the Wall of Tears, a “pointless wall blocking nothing from anything” built by prisoners on the old penal colony, and saw lots of wildlife. We saw many marine iguanas. A different species than the land iguanas, the male land iguana can mate with the female marine iguana but not vice versa. On the water we saw sea turtles, dolphins and even a couple small sharks, not sure what species. We had time to take a swim off the boat. A very beautiful day.

During our last day in the Galapagos we visited Tortuga Bay and took a Bahia tour on Santa Cruz. The next day we flew back to the mainland.

Guayaquil

We only had a day and one night in Guayaquil before flying home. It’s a beautiful city. Despite the limited time, I’m very glad we had an opportunity to visit. We had almost a full day after arriving Sunday. The Hotel Palace was downtown making it easy for us to visit the sites. After dropping off our bags, we walked down to Parque Bolivar. It’s also called Iguana Park because there are green iguanas everywhere, all over the grounds and hanging in trees. We visited the church on the main plaza, the Metropolitan Cathedral, then went to the Malecon 2000, the waterfront.

Kelly and I walked the entire length of the waterfront north, stopping to admire the view, take photos, enjoy ice cream. We also saw the Simon Bolivar and San Martin statues and the gardens. Leaving the waterfront we walked through Barrio de las Penas neighborhood then climbed Santa Ana Hill, visiting the chapel and lighthouse. Both were built in 2002 atop a 17th century fort. The hill provides a great view of the city.

Key West

We flew to the US via Panama City again. We picked up a car at the Miami airport and drove to Key West. We had two nights here at the beautiful Southernmost Hotel on the Beach; they upgraded us to a great room with balcony, beach view.

After busy days in the Galapagos, we spent most of our days in their 3 pools or the private beach. We did visit the Shipwreck Museum, Mallory Square, and Truman’s Little White House. We ate a lot of seafood, including some great conch fritters, and, of course, Key Lime Pie. The drive to Key West and back is a joy, too. So beautiful.

Everglades National Park

Driving back to the mainland, we spent a couple days visiting the Everglades National Park. We took an airboat tour, then a couple nature walks with the NPS rangers, we saw lots and lots of alligators, turkey vultures, and much more. We stayed in a hotel close to the airport our final night before flying home.

What a great trip. We both had an excellent time and it was amazing being able to visit the protected Galápagos Islands.

** All photos property of Lisa, not to be copied or reproduced **