So we decided to empty our bank accounts on a five day cruise around the Galapagos islands after much deliberation. We flew from Quito to Santa Cruz via Guayaquil and arrived at the airport which more resembled a garden shed. We were taken straight to our "cruise liner" which was more like a glammed up trawler boat. For the first night the boat was permanently listing at such an angle that we had to hold on to the sides of our beds at night and James' s...

The hostel that we stayed at in Quito has an eco freindly sister hostel called the secret garden which we stayed at for three nights. It is probably the most isolated place we have ever been to, the was no electricity and we had to rely on candles at night and there is a wood burner in each of the rooms. The hostel had an amazing view of the Cotopaxi volcano, which is the highest active volcano in the world and is 20 years overdue for an eruption! On the first da...