After 7 years of a home free existence traveling the globe and walking many pilgrimages, these restless feet have found a home. Why not in Muxia not far from the 0 Mile Marker of The Camino de Santiago. Our intention is to create “Global Pilgrim House” where we will adorn the walls with clusters of …
A video of our last sunset in The Galapagos. Motoring north on the eastside of Santa Cruz Island, as the sun set over the sea, 4 frigatebirds soared alongside us. And if you look closely a crescent moon is in sight at times in the upper right corner. Video Link
Last morning on The Galapagos. A beautiful sunrise viewed from top of our boat, San Jacinto. Then a walk on Seymour Island with scores of birds including blue footed Boobies and mating Frigate Birds with the males exhibiting their desires via their blown up red sacks. And of course just before boarding our Zodiac for …
After a hearty breakfast we canoed 2 hours down river to Puente Bolivar to visit the village and experience a bit of jungle life. First a yucca bread making experience. Everything was done by hand, including; We pulled some yucca from the garden. Removed the outer shell with our hands. 2. Grated the yucca. 3. …
The Amazon Jungle; Preparing and cooking yucca bread Read More »
Baños has plenty of waterfalls so I rented a bike for the day and set off east down the road. The bike rental place gave me a map with 5 main waterfalls. So pedaling away I came to an unpaved gravel road with a sign for Ulba Waterfall. Not even on my tour map but …
Walking in the mountains above Baños. Returning to town we visited the hot springs. Alternating between the hot, very hot, and cold pools. Perfect after a long walk. Just like Japan. Then a visit to the market for fresh smoothies. First a spinach, carrot, avocado for rejuvenation. Second, a mango, banana, avocado just because it’s …
Departed for the crater walk at 8:30. This was a fairly tough walk as there were almost no flat spots on the circular trail following the ridge around the Lake. Even some scrambling in parts. Fortunately the hardest part was early walking counter clockwise as we ascended up to the peak of the crater at …
We departed the Black Sheep Inn about 8 and descended a few hundred meters down to the Rio Sigue. We had two options before reaching the river and took what we thought was the shorter path but found out later we had taken the “extreme” route to Quilotoa. 1,000 meter / 3,300 feet rise to …
Quilotoa Loop Trek-Chugchilan to Quilotoa Crater Read More »
Well after 4 days at Llullu Llama it is time to move on so we headed down from the mountains to the Rio Toachi. The trail was quite muddy after the heavy rains last night. At the river we followed it a couple of kilometers to an old bridge which was a big log …
These long stays don’t happen too often on our long walks. But it’s a bit of paradise here and why not stay a few days. Llulu Lama is one of the finest Eco-Lodge experiences I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying. There are numerous mountain day walks. Breakfast and dinner are included and excellent as well …
Quilotoa Loop Trek Days 2-5; Stuck in Isinlivi at Llullu (baby) Llama Inn Read More »
January, 2022. We departed Hostel Cafe Tiana in Latacunga in time to catch the 8AM bus to Sighos. About 2 hours later, in Sighos, we started the walk 11K walk, 600 meter ascent to Isinlivi. Sighos seemed like a nice small town nestled in the mountains surrounded by lush green hills and valleys. The main …
On our first full day in Colombia we scheduled a tour with Bogota Bike Tours. One of the highlights of this highly recommended tour and wonderful introduction to Bogota and Colombia, was a stop at a local fruit market. Our tour guide, Mike, an ex-journalist from the USA, explained that there are over 400 varieties …
Columbia 2015 to Spain 2021 My French friends from Normandie are sailing to the Mediterranean for the summer. Our paths happened to merge in the coastal village of Muxia at the end of The Camino de Santiago as I was completing a pilgrimage. I first met Jean-Charles and Marie when we walked The Ciudad de …
IT’S A SMALL WORLD-Columbia to Camino de Santiago Read More »
Arriving on Santa Cruz Island, I made my way via shuttle to Puerta Ayora where I arranged a 12 day Galapagos cruise. Not being able to choose between a motor cruiser or a sailboat, I selected both. A 6 day cruise to the north on a motor cruiser followed by a 6 day catamaran tour. …
The Salkantay Route to Machu Picchu seems too short at 5 days so I chose to walk the 5 day Choquequirao walk as part of this Inca Trail trail trek. After a few hour shuttle bus, along with 2 companions from Uruguay, we began the trek following a ridge and then descending steeply into a …
i was having dinner at La Serrana Hostel after doing one of the most spectacular day hikes ever, Valle de Corcora in Salento, Columbia. I sat down to dinner and happened to pick a seat next to Yukon Mike from Dawson City, Canada. Mike is a 40 year old gold prospector looking to open a …
It has been 4 months since my last day on La Compestela de Santiago or known simply as The Camino, finishing 51 days of walking in Valencia, Portugal just across the border from Tui, Spain. The Camino is a living spirit and it remains in my soul. I miss the nature, the rhythm of the …