We are flying to Quito, Ecador and from there climbing aboard our small ship, Estrella Del Mar, for 7 nights to explore the Galapagos, including the less visited western islands. After what we hope to be an amazing time of hiking and snorkeling and swimming we'll head back to Quito, the capital of Ecuador for some sight seeing. Then we're off to Panama City for 3 days to experience all the wonder of the Panama Canal and the city.

Our flight was delayed leaving Toronto by 35 minutes. We sat on the tarmac waiting for a communication problem to be repaired. (And I thought it was just Vic and I that had communication problems!) I was hoping to get a peek at the Panama Canal (we had a stopover in Panama City) from the air but to wasn't meant to be. The lady in the window seat had the shutter down for pretty much the entire trip and when she did open it my eyes barely had time to adjust to the sunlight before she slammed it closed again. Needless to say, I did not get my overhead view on the way in or on our second leg of the trip to Quito, despite my window seat companion having the shutter up the entire time.

We arrived in Quito at dinnertime and made our way to our hotel. We grabbed a taxi (surprisingly simple) at the airport and arrived at our hotel about 50 minutes later. We were somewhat worried about the altitude (about 9350 feet), but we experienced it in Peru and we are taking altitude sickness pills so we should be okay - except for being a bit out of breath when we exert ourselves too much. We'll just have to take lots of breaks at cafes to rejuvenate as we explore!
But tonight it's early tonight bed. For some reason, sitting on a plane all day really sucks the life right out of you and we have an early tour of the city booked for tomorrow. So we just went to the hotel cafe and had a light meal. Vic had Caldo de Patas, which is a traditional soup made with beef feet and hominy (treated dried maize corn) - an Ecuadorian delicacy! He said it was tasty but there was a lot of mystery bits floating around in it. I called it toe jam soup!

Some of you may be wondering why we chose to go to this area, particularly the Galapagos Islands. Maybe it was the look on your faces when we told you where we were going! :) Quito and Panama City are actually add-ons. The Galápagos are the main reason we came to this part of the world. I read: "The modern-day traveler's rules of thumb: Visit the most fragile places first; stay on the trails; disturb nothing." Well, this is very apropos for the Galapagos arichipelago. It was essentially unknown until Charles Darwins's arrival 150 years ago. But it is, actually, a popular place to visit. In fact, we heard that travel to this area may be severely curtailed in the future. So, there you have it: We didn't want to miss out experiencing this spectacular place. Plus, we figured we'd better go there while we can still hike and swim, in order to enjoy this place to the fullest.

Darwin developed his theory of evolution here, straddling the Equator 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. The wildlife that inhabits this area is flourishing and abundant. Each of the islands is supposed to be individual in it's topography, flora, and fauna and is still home to the highest proportion of established and prevalent species in the world: 400-pound tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and 13 species of finches can be found here; not to mention, sea lions, seals, penguins, flamingos, sea turtles, and all sorts of other types of birds. Are you nay-sayers convinced, yet, that this is a must-see place?

But, I digress. Back to Quito. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, was founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Inca city. It is the highest official capital city in the world and is the capital closest to the equator. The central square of Quito is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the equator; the city itself extends to within about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of zero latitude. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word Ecuador is Spanish for equator. With a population of 2,671,191 according to the last census (2014), Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. It is also the capital of the Pichincha province and the seat of the Metropolitan District of Quito. Quito and Kraków, Poland, were the first Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, in 1978. Despite the 1917 earthquake, the city has the best-preserved, least altered historic centre in Latin America. The monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo, and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía, with their luxurious interiors, are pure examples of the 'Baroque school of Quito', which is a fusion of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art.

Can't wait to see some of these exciting landmarks.

No photos today. It was dark at 6:00 before we got to the hotel. Plus it was pouring.