Mitad Del Mundo monument near Quito, the "Equator"... turns out (according to modern GPS) they actually missed the mark by 300 meters... the old Native American marker was closer to the actual middle of the world
Quito at dusk
Quito shoeshiner
Quito condor
Quito old lady
Quito La Virgen
Quito church with Mestizo-faced angels
Quito church glazed with real gold
Plaza Grande, Quito, from the Government Palace, where the dictators live... their version of the White House.
Botanical garden, Quito
Guyasamin- great artist...at his amazing Capilla del Hombre
Our gracious host family, the Proanos, in Quito
from San Francisco Plaza, Quito
Quito
View point over Quito on a rare sunny day.
Julia's great-uncle's Rose farm, Tambo Mulalo
Perfectly shaped Kotopaxi Volcano
More rugged Illinesas mounain
Hectic mix of livestock and people at the Sasquisili market
Pig heads for sale in Sasquili
Straw huts on the desolate road to Quilotoa
A four-eared Llama
Llamas on the way to Quilotoa
Classic Andes view on the way to Quillotoa, with Llamas on the side of the road
Girl in Quillotoa
Quilotoa
Crater lake of Laguna Quillotoa
Lagoona Quillotoa
On the shores of Laguna Quillotoa
Hot springs at Banos, while also being sprayed with cold water... such pleasure!
One of the dozens of waterfalls on the descent from Banos to Puyo
Julia terrified of what she just signed up for
Bungee jumping (sorta) off a bridge over raging river water near Banos. Instead of bouncing, you swing back and forth... if you jump far enough.
Whitewater (more like brownwater) river rafting on the Pastaza River between Banos and Puyo
Jungle suspension bridge on the way to an indigenous village
Watch out, I've got a spear
Playing pictionary in the mud with indigenous Amazon children
Leaf-cutter ants
A meeting of two leaf cutter ants
Tarzan with knee-high rubber "Wellington" boots
Tarazan
skinny dipping at the "Hola Vida" waterfall ("Hello Life")
Jungle model
Swinging from a live vine, tarazan style
Loved those monkeys
Friendly monkeys
Into the teeth of the jungle
Friendly parrot
Canoeing on one of the tributaries of the Amazon
Our accommodations in the jungle... near Pomona, Ecuador.
Jungle lipstick
Jungle decomposer worm, dug out of a rotten branch with a machete. Looks exactly like the worms from Lion King in the interlude from Hakuna Matata: Timon: This looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub... Pumba: slimy yet satisfying... Timon: Tastes like chicken!
Buttressed roots in the secondary rainforest
Typical Amazon dish-- fish wrapped in Jungle leaves
Trail ascending above Banos
Flying above Banos, Ecuador
Rainbow in the valley on the way from Baños
Cotopaxi on a good day
Chimborazo... Ecuador's tallest, and closest point on earth to the sun, due to the Ecuatorial bulge.
Chimborazo at dusk
Riobamba... a regular town surrounded by sublime mountains
On the roof of the train
Devil's nose train ride
Devil's nose rail switchbacks
Old train track
Roasted guinea pig
Cuenca
Common fence protection
Welcome bridge in Loja
Low-light of my trip... a windowless room in a hostel all alone.
My dreary hostel room in Loja
Loja Sunday morning parade
Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba volleyball
The Loja conservatory of Music
Art in Loja
Shoeshiners... a common sight in town squares
Damaged road on the way to Peru
Near Macara on the exit from Peru
Macara... look at those brown things
Those brown things are all some sort of cockroaches
Welcome to Ecuador
Galapagos... Red crabs on black rocks... turquoise water, blue sky, white sand.....
Red crabs
Flamingo... spends all day under the murky water looking for shrimp and algea
Getting acquainted with an iguana
Frigates accompanying our boat... at very close proximity
Yellow land iguana
I think this was Santa Fe Island
Old Male Iguana
Jumping off the boat.... Captain yelled at me
Cacti, evolved a tall trunk to escape the hungry iguanas who munch on its leaves
Marine iguana
Blue footed boobie doing a mating dance
Blue footed boobie
The chef's nightly fruit arrangement
Red footed boobie
Masked boobie
Also known as the White Boobie, what Darwin called the whitest white he's ever seen
Iguanas hangin by the beach
This one kept sneezing it was hilarious
Blow hole, Espanola Island
Albatrosses flirting. They stay with their mates for life
Friendly sea lions
Wish you could have been there
Sparring with a sea lion
The post office at Floreana Island. You leave letters for others to pick up... in use since the days of the Buccaneers.
Sea urchin washed ashore
Poor turtes... mobbed by tourist paparazzi
A 100 year old giant turtle
It aint easy being a turtle, I tell ya
Lonesome George, the last of his species, who refuses to procreate. They think he might be gay.
Giant turtle in the highlands surrounded by our group and the guide.
Hiding inside a real turtle shell
Mural of Darwin in Puerto Arroya
Luminescent sunset over Puerto Arroyo
Black sand beach
Pinaccle Rock
Pinnacle Rock
Our ship, the Daphne
Posing of the edge of the boat
Then fell into the water
Just kiding. With Daniel my Israeli cabin mate
Nasty fish for dinner. Sometimes I am so glad I keep Kosher.
Boobie in his ¨nest¨ which consists of a circle of shit.
Male Frigate birds trying to impress the females with their nests and throats.
Hungry birds feeding on the placenta of a sea lion, just born
Dinner on the boat
The island of Florestan fading in the horizon
Watching the daily sunset
Our group and guide
Owl
Map with our path and the ocean currents
Rainbow on the last evening
Our crew
Mr. Hola, the happy sailor
Mr. Hola, sad to see us leave
Laundry hanging to dry
