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 […]
Galapagos Islands
Foraging Fun with Jennifer Hahn
Author. Poet. Teacher. Naturalist. Forager. Jennifer Hahn packs an impressive resume after more than 25 years as a wildlife adventurer whose travels span hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Northern California to Canada and kayaking solo from Ketchikan, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington where she now resides. Along the way she’s also led tours throughout the […]
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 […]
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. […]
Land of the Iguanas
Can you spot the marine iguanas in this photo? With the night of choppy seas behind us, our morning dawns bright on the youngest of the Galapagos Islands, Fernandina. For me, this is the most other-worldly island of all . . . From our dry landing at Punta Espinosa (Espinosa Point), we set off on […]
Snorkeling with Sea Lions in the Galapagos
Snorkeling in translucent, turquoise seas ranks high on the bucket list of many travelers to the Galapagos Islands. Imagine swimming among sea lions, sea turtles and penguins – maybe even hammerheads – in their natural habitat, an underwater playground! This morning it’s time for our first snorkeling adventure in Española’s Gardner Bay. We don our wet suits […]