Shell, Ecuador Travel Blogs

the hike....and the aftermath....
Mar 30, 2008 (110 photos)

Saturday, March 29 It's morning and I'm lounging in a hammock on the upper floor of the hostel, overlooking the canyon that runs through Chugchilan.  Just about every part of my body is a bit sore, especially my legs... and my knees are screaming ...

extraction from the islands....
Mar 21, 2008 (77 photos)

I spend a few days beyond my boat tour in Puerto Ayora, a tiny town on Santa Cruz in the Galapagos.    I want to see what kind of environmental work is going on here and just hang out on the beach a bit after my time on the boat.  But ...

Flying Broccoli
Oct 4, 2004 (1 photos)

So, after our extreme journey to Baños, Bob started some extreme sports of his own, namely projectile vomitting ! We were so glad that we paid the extra to have our own bathroom ! The small things in life are sometimes the most pleasurable ! Bob made his ...

The Centre of the Earth
Sep 22, 2009 (2 photos)

... Unlucky for them, lucky for the neighbors who set up their own exhibition where you are told about such things as the history of Ecuador, how they make a beer from saliva in the amazon (sadly no samples) and then on to the main features of:which way water ...

In my next life, I want to be an Inca
Oct 28, 2008 (19 photos)

... They remind the economically-poor Quechua of the proximity of poverty, the vast chasm between the rich and poor that exists in Ecuador. Indigenous celebrations may splurge on the food, the dancing, and the community spirit, but do not cost a penny. The ...

Jungle Hike
Jan 4, 2008 (23 photos)

In order to beter observe the reserve (2200hectares) we are building a new Cabana at the other end of the forest. The hike there takes about 3 hours. Once we had reached the half built cabana and had had lunch we vaded ...

Devil´s nose tourist trap
Jun 6, 2008 (3 photos)

... a better description. Both of the guidebooks we have describe the trip in glowing terms, one saying it is a highlight of visiting Ecuador. One reads: 'Experience one of the world's great feats of railway engineering from the roof of a train as it descends ...

Day 42 - Quito to Azogues, Ecuador
Nov 6, 2007 (5 photos)

We rented our room for 12 hours which meant we were out on the road at 6am. (At the equator, it's dark at 6 and light at 6).  35kms later, we were out of the major buildings of Quito.  Good thing we didn't leave any later as the traffic was ...

Baños Bound
Sep 2, 2007

Today we headed by bus towards Baños. There we hoped to find lots of other tourists (not been many so far!) and adventurous outdoor activities. We arrived at night and managed to get into a nice hostel called Planta y Blancos. The next day we woke up ...

Saquisili Market and Latacunga
Jul 24, 2008 (26 photos)

I made it to the Saquisili Market and back to Latacunga.  The Market was amazing- there were aisles upon aisles of unfamilar fruits, vegetables, foods, animals and off the wall items. Ì tried a number of new fruits and vegetables- my ...

Jungle tour!
Oct 24, 2008 (51 photos)

OK... I KNOW I have been CRAP at updating lately!!! All I can say is that I am having a gosh darn BALL and haven't had the time!!!  :) So I will try to start updating and at the very least, posting photos of all the gorgeous places I am seeing!& ...

My Amazon Journey...
Oct 28, 2008 (29 photos)

So my original plan was to travel all the way down the Rio Napo until it hit the Rio Amazonas. The Amazon river. I knew that it would take up to a month to get to Iquitos in Peru (the first large town in Peru along the rivers) and I was fully prepared to ...

Galapagos Islands
Oct 12, 2008 (97 photos)

For as long as I can remember the Galapagos Islands have been my number 2 on my list of places to see before I croak... so this was a pretty big deal for me.  I still can not believe that I am here.  This is an amazing moment for me.  ...

Nice Boobies. Canoa, Puerto Lopez, Montanita
Dec 28, 2007 (21 photos)

... was great fun too. We took a bus a few km north and hiked through the dry forest to one of Ecuador's most famous beaches, Los Frailes, in Machalilla National Park. We had a great time there but spent most of  the day at ...

El Centro Historico
Nov 14, 2008

After beginning to get pretty sick of Quito after 3 and a half weeks - I was reintroduced to a new part of Quito yesterday - The Old Town. After visiting it briefly the night I arrived in Quito 3 weeks ago today, I headed back up there yesterday afternoon ...

Pondering the Creatures of the Galapagos
Feb 12, 2005 (5 photos)

Could a group of animals gather themselves together on a raft, or maybe an ark-like craft and make their way 1,000 kilometers to a few islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? How long ago would they have come here? Ten thousand years ago, a million ...

Oh how we adore Ecuador!
Jan 26, 2009 (30 photos)

Lush, green, and friendly We breathe a sigh of relief And tropical air Leaving Peru behind, we crossed into Ecuador and were met at the border by a tree filled with wild monkeys. It was an auspicious beginning in what is ...

I think I´m in the Wild West
Nov 20, 2007 (17 photos)

  

Back in Latacunga to catch my breath
Jul 29, 2008 (75 photos)

Finished the Quilotola Loop yesterday afternoon... and it was OUTSTANDING!  I am spending the day here in boring Latacunga to catch up on a few things including sleep!!!  I am pooped! Tomorrow I will be heading South to Baños- lower altitude here ...

Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands
Jan 31, 2009 (50 photos)

Entry to Quito was less than salubrious.  The airport is right in town and there was a gloomy grey look to the city with a fog descending.  Plenty of child beggars in the airport too.  I'd been warned that it was very dangerous and I'd ...

All aboard
Oct 17, 2005 (3 photos)

After the tranquility of Banos we plunged headfirst into the chaos of Riobamba, some miles southwest. It is a pretty large town but the roads all look like a building site. There was only one reason why we (and probably most other tourists) were there ...

Big choice, but an easy one
Oct 2, 2008

  Well if you were a donator to the Republican campaign  you`ll be wanting something more than a win tomorrow for your $150,000 donation that went towards that frock they threw on that pit-bull called Palin. "Love, the lip stick doesn't really ...

Our Final Morning on the Monseratt
Feb 14, 2005 (1 photos)

The sun appeared over the choppy horizon. It was our final morning as we sailed towards a rocky outcrop in the distance. A cool breeze blew in off the stern. Everyone sat staring, hands wrapped around their hot coffee mugs. We gazed pensively into the ...

Ein bisschen Dschungel
Oct 13, 2006 (1 photos)

... , wenn man eine ewig lange Reise vor sich hat. Die Strecke nach Macas ist ja relativ kurz, aber die Strassen in Ecuador sind eben nicht zu vergleichen mit deutschen Autobahnen und ausserdem musste ich mal eben kurz ueber die Anden und auf der anderen Seite ...

Quilotoa, Chugchilan, Sigchos and Isinlivi
Dec 22, 2007 (24 photos)

... I suppose but at the same fortunate for me, they missed out on the more breathtaking vistas of the region and most beautiful places in Ecuador. Maybe it'll stay just hidden enough to stay that way forever. Hello to all. Next up, coastal time baby!

The same as the Welland but in a volcanoe
Jul 20, 2008 (15 photos)

In search of snow capped peaks I stumbled upon Volcanoe Quiltoa, which has a big lake in it`s crater, but is apperently still active, not sure about that one....but I decided to stay up there at 3500M for the night and took a walk down to the lake, almost ...

Cotopaxi
Dec 18, 2008 (8 photos)

Where do we start?! After getting an altitude taster in Quito we thought we´d take things to another level and visit Park Nacional Cotopaxi! We spent a night in Latacunga to source all the equipment we´d need for the ascent. This proved more difficult than ...

Galapa-Great
Oct 8, 2007 (58 photos)

Wow, wow, wow!!!! What a week we´ve had! Galapagos is everything you can imagine and more! After landing in the little airport we got a bus to a ferry where we were greeted by a friendly sea-lion diving out of the water. What an introduction - we ...

The Amazon Rainforest
Jan 2, 2009 (5 photos)

... , and some fruit, including what Jeremy identified as a grenadilla.  He showed us how to break into the hard outer shell, and eat the tasty, gray, gelatinous little brain inside - which was fortunate, as otherwise we might have thought it had gotten ...

Monkeys, mangroves and mosquitoes Part II
Oct 22, 2008 (13 photos)

... , the corrugated iron roofs, the glassless windows were a harsh reminder of the desperate poverty of Guayaquil, the richest city in Ecuador. And as if we needed a contrast, on the other side of the river sat newly-built hotels, whitewashed Spanish-style ...