day 3 in playa and day 2 doings

nick says: as soon as we both woke up this morning, we were on the road. As we were on our way to coba, Papa wasn´t paying attention to the road for a couple of minutes and we hit a sleeping policeman(their version of a speed bump) at 40 km/h and went flying. After that he was paying much more attention than he was. Once we arrived at Coba we took a tour up the trail to the big pyrimid lead by our tourguide Hercules. He was very helpful in filling us in on the Myan history. Once we got to the big pyrimid, we climbed it to the top. There was an excellent view and we got plenty of pictures. Once we finally decended, we made our way back down the rocky, dirt path. When we got to our rent-a-car, we had some troubles and Papa will tell you about that. That´s all from me bye.

papa says: okay so i left the lights on after we got out of the car att Coba, but we lucked out as the local amigos came to the rescue and pushed our car into position to be jump started. And, then we got rolling and didn´t want to turn the engine off for a while -- at least till we got to the gRAND cENOTE WHERE WE WENT SNORKLING IN THE CAVE WITH LITTLE FISH. Ooops. then we went and found a quiet beach and azule water and took in the scenry -- papa went for a swim and nick kept his eye on the girls. after that we hit Mega grocery store for our second trip for kitchen food. tonite we ate at a local (real local!) restaurant or open front building that was so hot it felt likew an oven.

yesterday, we went to the beach and explored 5th avenue (like our boardwalk) and picked up our rental car. we also enjoyed a brief downpour. okay, that´s all for now. A lot more has happened but that´s all we can think of.
ciao, adios, etc and much love
nick and papa!

Playa del Carmen -- day 1

Well, we are here after a delayed flight and to our hotel which was overbooked and now we wait in balmy lobby for the management to find other accomodations. The flights were good but a bit bumpy from the storms in the area over the Southeast. we arrived huungry as no meals were served on eithter flight. After apologies the hotel manager told us to go get lunch on him (and a free breakfast every day) while he looks for another room arrangement. I had filet migon which was like tuff goat meat. Nick had fettucini which he couldn't finish. The appetizer of nachos however was great. We are learning the art of patience as we wait, wait, and wait... okay here`s Nick. We are on our way to the hotel now(4:55-play del carmen, 6:55-USA). That´s all for now. Thus ends day one(uno).

Long day

Yesterday we left the Galapagos to fly back to Quito. It was to be a flight of one and a half hours to Guayaquil (sp?) and then 35 mimutes on to Quito. We left at 9 in the morning and arrived after midnight! The flight to Guayaquil was okay but on the flight to Quito bad weather developed and we had to fly further north to an army base where we sat on the plane to see if Quito would clear, but when it didn't we deplaned and waited for luggage and then caught buses back to Quito airport, where we then caught another bus back into town to our hotel -- a 15 hour trip. But, good news at the end, the hotel had dinner waiting at this fashionable hour. Okay, will be home tommorrow after a night flight tonight.

Ciao!

Galapagos comes to a close

Well, today is our last full day on the Galapagos. Tomorrow we fly out to Quito and the next day i head for home. Today we visited the Charles Darwin station which is a preserve and is doing research on the giant tortoises. We got to see a lot of the babies that are being raised there and then the giant tortuga's -- and they really are big. They hiss if you get too close, but i did get to pet the neck of one when the guide looked the other way. For lunch we went to see a local family, a Black family and there are very few of them on the islands, for lunch. The mother made a fish cake for an appetizer and then had lasagna for the main course. It was a very poor family and the house was built by the father and had a corrugated tin roof. Well, after lunch we spotted a guitar in the corner and asked the teenage son if he would play for us. He did and sang too. We then asked the mother and father and pretty soon the family was in a great, happy song about their God. We then did some shopping in this small town on the water.
In the afternoon we went up into the hills where the giant tortoises live. We spotted many and i took a ton of pictures of these gentle giants. This was really something we all had been looking forward to here in the Galapagos -- finally to see the giants of this land. To close our day we went into the earth, down into a lava tube -- which looks like a cave that meanders under the surface. The lava tubes are formed when a volcano releases gas and lava up through cracks in the earth. The lava hardens on the walls and when it is over tubes or caves remain.
Well, folks, that's about all. Tomorrow i leave early in the morning. Thanks for tuning in.
Ciao!!

Saturday in Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Dear friends and family.
fIRST sUZ AND jO IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR FROM HOME AND SOME NEWS AND EVEN THE UNWANTED NEWS ABOUT SNOW AND ICE (WHICH SEEMS TO COME EVERY TIME I LEAVE HOME). Whoops, i just looked up and saw the caps. Sorry! I love hearing about the grandkids: Nick as an usher and Adam in the band and Shea saying hi to Baby Jesus and his mom and dad. Thanks for those touching moments. Suz, be careful in all your driving to work this weekend.
We are staying at the Royal Palm Hotel on one of the mountains of Santa Cruz (about 1400 feet). It is a plush resort which probably eats up half the cost of this tour. I could have done with a Day's Inn to save a few bucks. Our room is really a separate small house with fireplace, hot tub, etc., etc. Really far extravagant compared to the closet we stayed in on our boat, where if both people got out of bed at the same time you'd have no room to stand together in the aisle. Okay, it's nice!!
Today we visit a lava tube (whatever that is and i'll update you later), visit a local family for lunch, go see the giant tortoises, and then pack up tonight for our flight back to Quito tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to coming home at this point.
Hello Nick, Adam, Cameron, Jack, Maggie, Julia, Alyssa, and Shea!!!! Suz, Johnny, Stuart, and Katie I hope you all are doing well. Okay, enuff for now.

Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Dear friends and family,
Well, it has been about four days since the last post and the Galapagos part of the journey is about to end -- after we see the giant tortoises tomorrow. We spent four days on the Tip Top III traveling (by boat, motoring through the night to different islands) the Galapagos which is about 600 miles off mainland Ecuador. I think i have used about four 2-gig memory cards so far -- really way too many pictures but the scenes were really too good to pass up. Yes, i will have to do a bit of editing when i get home so viewers will not be tortured by the amount of pictures.
Okay, to answer a few questions that have come in: Adam, i did get to stand with one foot on either side of the equator in Quito, Ecuador -- one in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere at 0.00.00 degree latitude. (The equator also runs through the Galapagos as well.) Hey, and while we were there, you grandkids might like to know, we visited a replica of an Indian village of the people who live in the jungle and used to be headhunters, and i took a couple pictures of a shrunken head that was on display. It was about the size of a baseball. I even took pictures of the recipe for doing up a head. It is a bit gruesome. And Joan, i am traveling with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) so it is a planned tour, and yes, the Andes are stunning, raw high peaks with broad vistas. I really felt connected with the earth when i was there.
Johnny and Suzanne, it was good to hear from the both of you. I trust you all are busy getting ready for Christmas and your kids are all excited. I'm glad to hear that you all are well and i look forward to seeeing all yopu kids and the grandkids soon!!.
Okay, back to the Galapagos and some favorite things: the stunning turquoise water everywhere; snorkeling the high cliffs of the Devil's Crown (an old volcano that long ago erupted and is sinking back into the sea and all that is left are the jagged cliffs of the round walls surrounded by the sea and with the sea running inside); snorkeling elsewhere with the many fishes and sea lions coming up to check you out; the blue footed boobies who are so unafraid of man (as are all other animals) they nest right on the trails where you walk and you can take pictures right down on top of them; pelicans diving from the high cliffs; the pink of flamingos; the iguanas lying on lava facing the sun as if in silent worship to a reptilian deity; Darwin's finches and mockingbirds that helped him formulate his theories of natural selection and evolution (by the way some mockingbirds came and sat on my hand begging for a drink from my water bottle but my guide said no, no); the Sally light-foot crabs that look like they went to a beauty parlor for all the brightest shades of red, orange, and yellow; the red-eyed oyster catcher who borrowed paint from the sally light-foots to paint a bright red ring around his eyes; the two Galapagos hawks that came and sat on the cliff with me (about two meters away) so i could take their pictures; visiting the cave where the Wittmer's (from Germany) and lived for a while back in the early 1900's till they could build a house (and she was pregnant at the time while living in this sinkhole of a cave) and yes in total, the Galapagos is a very desolate and forbidding place as well as beautiful in a bleak way; the mother sea lion on the beach with her placenta nearby nudging her dead newborn baby in hopes it would stir; the baby albatross nesting near the edge of the cliff waiting for his day to soar off the cliff and live on and above the sea for years to come, his neck feather curls blowing in the wind; and again the beautiful and alluring turquoise waters surrounding everything.
Well, i have just touched on only a few of the scenes of the Galapagos that caught my attention. More will be shared later when i can get some of these pictures (and my earlier ones) edited and put together in an album.This has been a good trip, to travel from Macchu Piccu and the stunning man made (Inca) ruins to the equally stunning natural beauty of the Galapagos -- both very spiritual places.
Love to all!

goodbye for a while

Dear friends and family
tomorrow i leave for the galapagos and will be on a boat for 4 days and withou internet -- can you imagine. after about 4 days we check into a hotel for 2 days. if they have internet, i get on and write a bit. Stay warm back home.
love and blessings.