We boomer women love to travel whatever the season, don’t we? And when we do, experiential travel ranks high on our list. Adventure travel has its place. But you don’t need to heli-ski down mountain slopes or sign up for the Iditarod to engage with the local culture – unless you want to, of course. Here are […]
Galapagos Islands
W is for Whale-Watching!
If you have ever had the opportunity to spot humpback whales off the tip of a ship’s prow, then you know how thrilling it is to watch these megaton mammals thrust themselves skyward, at times spiraling in an out-of-water ballet. While several theories abound about why whales breach, for those of us watching on the […]
G is for Getaway to the Galápagos Islands
The fragile, moon-like landscape of the Galápagos Islands lures more than 100,000 visitors each year despite the archipelago’s remote location 600 miles off the west coast of mainland Ecuador. Ever since Darwin‘s famed visit aboard the HMS Beagle in 1835, travelers have been enchanted by its history, exotic vegetation and wildlife. In order to protect […]
R.I.P. Lonesome George
I’m feeling a little blue, a little out of sorts today. All because of a 200-pound tortoise, estimated to be between 80 – 100 years old, who passed away in the Galapágos Islands on Sunday. At first glance, you might wonder at the world’s affection for such a slow-moving, plant-chomping, independent-minded creature. But Lonesome George […]
Favorite Travel Photo 0f 2011
For the final travel post in my “Best of 2011” series, I’m sharing my favorite personal travel photo of the past year. A few moments before the shot was taken on the island of Santa Cruz, this giant tortoise had been munching away on a few apples nearby. As it raised its head, the tortoise […]
The Best of 2011: Hotels & Haciendas
Here are my top hotel choices from my travels in 2011 . . . Drumroll, please! 1) Hacienda Cusin – If you’ve been following my blog, then you already know much I loved staying at this luxurious Ecuadorian resort last summer. My only regret is that my visit was so short, only for a night. […]
2011 – Oh, What a Year!
Yours truly with guard outside Palacio de Gobierno in Quito, Ecuador As 2011 comes to an end, I’ll be posting a series of blogs this week, highlighting my travel adventures over the past year. First up: a look at a few new friends I made along the way . . . When you’re traveling solo in […]
Chasing Rainbows
“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” – Lyman Frank Baum Call it the luck o’ the Irish, but I’ve had the good fortune to capture a few beautiful rainbows in photos on my small-ship cruises and travel expeditions. See for yourself . […]
An Evening Whalesong
There’s nothing like the crew’s call of “Whale sighting!” to wrap up our small-ship cruise adventure of the Galapagos Islands. We drop everything and run to two waiting pangas that will carry us into the heart of the action. “Hurry! Hop on!” We waste no time in following the lead of our naturalist guides, Alex and […]
Last Call for Boobies, Frigates & Iguanas
As we near the end of our Galapagos cruise odyssey, we stop at North Seymour Island and Santa Cruz before heading back to San Cristobal. We cross paths with a colorful land iguana and a lovely little lava lizard before discovering the magnificent frigate birds. These large, long-winged, fork-tailed flying creatures aren’t called “magnificent” for nothing. […]