• Cuba

    Havana

    August 20, 2015 - By 

    Most tourists fly into Havana, the capital of Cuba. Beyond the stifling summer heat and lively, gritty streets, Havana is simply put…BEAUTIFUL. Tall, historic buildings that serve primarily as small homes line the narrow streets of Havana Vieja. Rotund, topless men and skinny, mid-drift adorning women can be found lingering on the sidewalks in front of their shabby homes at sunset, avoiding the oven-like atmosphere in their living rooms. No Spanish colonial square in South America can compete with Havana Vieja, and the consistent live music is icing on the cake. But despite all its glory, scammers lurk the streets…

  • Cuba

    Cuba – Know Before You Go

    August 19, 2015 - By 

    In late 2014 we toyed with the idea of visiting Cuba during our 5 months of South American travel. Only a couple months later in 2015 when Obama made it public that he wanted to lift the Cuban embargo, we unanimously agreed that we had to go before traveling there became easier and legal. We had to go before it opened its doors to the United States…we had to go before American tourists would change everything. Prepare to be frustrated and fascinated at the same time, they said. Go with an open mind, they said. There is no internet in…

  • Ecuador

    Otavalo

    July 30, 2015 - By 

    We bid farewell to the historic center of Quito on Saturday morning as we headed out for Otavalo at 8am.  It was an easy 40-minute 25¢ trolly ride from Santo Domingo to El Ejido to Terminal Norte.  However, Terminal Norte was insanely packed with locals and tourists queuing up for buses for Otavalo.  Fortunately the long line moved along quickly, we paid $2.50 each for our bus tickets, and we were on our way to Otavalo by 9:30am. Exactly two hours later we arrived to the main bus terminal in a very lively Otavalo.  We didn’t have to walk far…

  • Ecuador

    Quito

    July 26, 2015 - By 

    At 2,850 meters high Quito is the second tallest capital in the world after La Paz.  This long city stretches from north to south, with the primary tourist neighborhoods of Historic Quito (Centro Historico) and La Mariscal situated in the middle of the city.  And when I say stretch, I truly do mean stretch.  To take a bus from the main bus terminal in the south to the main bus terminal in the north could take an upward of 2 hours!  Because Quito has one of the largest and most preserved historic centers in North and South America, I opted to…

  • Ecuador

    Quilotoa

    July 26, 2015 - By 

    The Quilotoa Traverse, a multi-day trekking excursion from village to village in the Ecuadorian Andes, was actually what I looked forward to the most in mainland Ecuador. Typically hikers follow this standard 4-day route from south to north: 1. Arrive to Quilotoa and spend the night. 2. Hike from Quilotoa to Chugchilan. 3. Hike from Chugchilan to Isinlivi. 4. Hike from Isinlivi to Sigchos, then take a bus to Latacunga. Some also tack on the 4-hour hike around the crater of the Quilotoa volcano rim, or the 1 to 2-hour roundtrip hike down to the lagoon.  Or to shorten the…

  • Ecuador

    Baños

    July 22, 2015 - By 

    I didn’t realize that Quito’s international airport was so far from Quito (and a whopping $35 taxi ride into the city!), and because we wanted to go straight to Baños after the Galapagos, we spent the night in Pifo instead of Quito.  The cab ride was $10, and the driver dropped us off at a nice hostel in Pifo at $20/night.  I highly recommend this route for those arriving to Quito airport who immediately want to skip Quito and head south. Early the next morning we took the bus from Pifo to Ambato for about $2 each, and transferred to…

  • Ecuador

    The Galapagos

    July 19, 2015 - By 

    We came to the Galapagos for one primary reason: to experience the wildlife, particularly the blue footed boobies.  They say that you will take many more pictures than you anticipate, and they were right.  Wild animals, galore!  During our transport from the airport to Puerto Ayora, our bus slammed on its breaks for a giant iguana crossing, and when we reached the canal, hundreds of blue footed boobies were diving into the ocean. Within my first 15 minutes of exploring Puerto Ayora I literally stumbled upon a sleeping sea lion, I accidentally scared off a couple camouflaged marine iguanas, a frigate bird…

  • Ecuador

    Galapagos on a Budget

    July 16, 2015 - By 

    We told everyone we weren’t going to the Galapagos since we had already planned one expensive island excursion to Easter Island. However once I arrived to Cuenca, I couldn’t help but keep an eye out for last minute deals for cruises in the Galapagos. It is said that the best way to experience the Galapagos is via cruise, and now that I am writing this after the fact, I couldn’t agree more. Cruise During my first day in Cuenca a sidewalk sign caught my eye, advertising a last minute 4-day/3-night cruise to the Galapagos at the end of July. I had…

  • Ecuador

    Guayaquil

    July 15, 2015 - By 

    On July 4th after celebrating Independence Day in Cuenca with American retirees over hotdogs and hamburgers, we headed out to Ecuador’s largest and most populated city, Guayaquil. Guayaquil is really more of a 1-day stopover for tourists before visiting the main attraction. Like Lima is to Cusco and Machu Picchu, Guayaquil is the gateway to the Galapagos. Fortunately there are just enough attractions within Guayaquil (that are all within walking distance of each other) to keep tourists entertained for the day. The pride of Guayaquil is Malecon 2000, the recently constructed 2.5 km boardwalk along the Guayas River on Simon…

  • Ecuador

    Cuenca

    July 14, 2015 - By 

    About 4 hours by bus north of Vilcabamba is Cuenca, Ecuador’s beautiful colonial city, Ecuador’s third largest city, and our new favorite city in South America. As it is nestled in lush, green valleys and surrounded by rivers, the architecture of Cuenca is not the only gem of the area. To our surprise we quickly discovered that Cuenca has one of the fastest growing retirement communities from the United States. Due to the large number of expats from all over the world, the gastronomy never ceased to please us; from Italian restaurants with fresh homemade pasta, to the fluffiest Belgium…