Monday, August 7, 2017

Ecuador Adventures By Disney Trip Report...Special Blog!!!

Welcome to Travel Time Travel's glimpse into the exciting world of Adventures By Disney!  This trip report is on the ABD Ecuador, and is a fun read that will help you explore the VIP experience ABD offers.  For more details on this itinerary or one of many others, contact your favorite Travel Time agent today!


Day 1: Bienvenidos!

We had arrived at the JW Marriott Quito a few days prior (we love to have some time on our own in a new city before our Adventure begins!), so we had a nice note left on our desk in the room from our guide letting us know when we could meet him down at the Adventure Desk to check in and say hi.  Imagine our excitement when we saw it signed by Robby, our ABD guide from last year’s ABD trip to Ecuador

We met up with Robby and said our hellos and hugs, we talked room arrangements a bit so that Robby could handle anything that needed to be sorted.  Since we’re a family of 3, sometimes that looks like connecting rooms on boats.  Our Travel Agent had sent us an email letting us know we had connecting rooms for our Anakonda boat stay in the Amazon Basin, so we just asked Robby to check on that and see if that was the case.  Bonus of having amazing guides?  They handle all those little details!


Since we had the day to relax, we decided to hit the pool since Reese was itching to swim!  One thing we learned on our previous Ecuador visit, and especially in Quito at 9,000ft elevation, is that the sun is intense.  No joke.  We put on the hefty sunscreen and grabbed some chairs poolside while Reese practiced his cannonballs.  I think we lasted about 45 minutes before we had to come in…and even then my face was sunburned!  You just can’t underestimate the strength of the rays at high elevation on the equator!

The rest of our day we just spent relaxing.  We strolled down to Burger King, about a block away, to grab a bite of dinner.  It’s a running joke with our travel friends that we have to be bad tourists and stop at BK or McDonalds at least once a trip.

The rest of our group wasn’t set to arrive until late in the evening so we didn’t get a chance to meet them yet.  Off to bed and ready for our Welcome Breakfast the next morning.  Excited to see who we’ll be traveling with the next two weeks!

Day 2: Vamos al Anakonda

            We met in a private dining room for our Welcome Breakfast with a delicious full buffet and egg station!  It’s always fun to get to know the families at the beginning of the trip, and then look back at the end and remember that first meeting.  This trip, we were a small group of 8, which I almost prefer on these nature/outdoors focused trips because it’s easier to move around.   We were joined by a sweet couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, and another family with a 10 year old daughter.  Since our group was small, we had just one guide this time which wasn’t anything new for us.  We all enjoyed breakfast together, getting to know each other and share our excitement!

            Robby told us that ABD had arranged for the JW Marriott to hold any luggage we didn’t want to bring to the Anakonda with us, since we would be returning to the hotel after our boat stay, and  those who didn’t want to take everything were able to lighten their load!  Of course, we just took it all with the exception of a bag with some dirty clothes.

            After breakfast, we had a bit of time to freshen up, and then it was time to hop on the private motor coach and head to the airport for our flight to the city of Coca!  The JW Marriott Quito is about an hour away from the  Quito airport, and we made the trip back and forth a number of times during the trip.  It never failed that I got an upset stomach.  There’s traffic and bumpy roads…so be prepared if you are prone to motion sickness.  I just sat in the front seats and closed my eyes.  That’s my go-to solution and it usually works fine.

            One of the perks of travel with ABD is that they handle your luggage any time you’re transferring hotels.  Our luggage had been picked up from our room at the Marriott, and once we were at the Quito airport, it was unloaded off the motorcoach for us.  We all headed in and waited a few minutes while Robby handled getting all the boarding passes for us.  It’s times like this that I really appreciate ABD for making our family trips easy-peasy!  There’s no arranging and juggling that we have to do.  ABD takes care of everything!

            After Robby passed out the boarding passes, we went through security and then headed to the VIP Lounge, courtesy of ABD.  There’s free WiFi, yummy snacks and lots of free drinks (coffees, teas, milk, juices, bottled sodas and waters).   We always grab some extra sodas and waters for our carryon bag, and the fried plantain chips are always a favorite.  This time they had some little hot dogs that the boys loved and the finger sandwiches hit the spot for me! 

            After our flight to Coca, we transferred onto a private coach, and then made our way to the dock.  The only way to reach the waiting Anakonda?  A motorized canoe ride, of course!  We had about 2 hours of beautiful motor canoe riding ahead of us, and the Anakonda staff on the canoe was ready with ponchos once the rain started.  Well, hello rain forest!  The ride was beautiful and before long our lovely home for the next 4 nights came into view.





            We were welcomed onboard, had some cool drinks, and got situated in our rooms.  We ended up not choosing connecting rooms since they were in the back of the boat near the generators (very loud!).  Since the boat wasn’t full, we were able to grab the empty room across the hall to store our luggage.  So we had our bed, and Reese had a twin fold out, together in one room,  and then all of our stuff to get ready was across the hall.  Worked perfectly and allowed us some extra space to spread out!

            The Anakonda set off, and everyone had a chance to explore the boat, relax, and take in the surroundings.  After a casual dinner in the dining room, we all headed out for our first jungle hike…in the dark!  The Anakonda carries rubber boots for all, so we got sized for boots and suited up in raincoats & lifejackets.  Robby had some extra flashlights for those who needed them (hello, Williams family!).  We hopped into the motorized canoe that would be our regular transport over the next few days and scooted off in the dark to our “drop off” point in the jungle.  How these men navigated in the near-dark and even knew where to unload us was beyond me, but I knew they had grown up in the jungle and on these waters and knew everything like the back of their hand.

            Our hike was led by Juanito, our local village guide, along with some of the other guides that accompanied us along the way from the Anakonda.  For nature lovers, this was an epic experience!  The guides were quick to spot all sorts of things hiding in the night…frogs, millipedes, spiders, owls, monkeys, grasshoppers, kinkajous, walking sticks, moths...things I had only seen on TV.  I remember standing there, sweaty and muddy in the middle of the jungle at night, thinking that we are REALLY HERE in the actual Amazon Basin!  This wasn’t the zoo, or Animal Kingdom….this was the real deal.  Gave up a silent Thank You for the blessing of family travel!

           
Day 3: Forest of Life

            When we woke up, we found that we had stopped moving and had tied up to the edge of the river.  I could tell there was a house of some kind nearby because I saw chickens, but the jungle is dense and it felt like we were in the middle of Jurassic Park

      We ate a yummy breakfast of eggs cooked to order, really yummy fruits, Reese’s favorite Ecuadorian chocolate cereal, and some breads with jam.  After we were all full, we headed back to the room to load up the backpack with raincoats (a must!), our mosquito bands (NO MORE SQUITOES Mosquito Repellent Bracelet), bottles of water (there’s a filtered filling station on the boat), and a few snacks because I can’t travel without food on hand. Ha!  Everyone met down on the first deck, put on our rubber boots and lifejackets and hopped into the motor canoe. 

            The plan for this morning was to take an open-top motor canoe ride to a jungle lodge. Along the way, our local village guide Juanito took the time to explain and share so many things that one only knows from growing up there!  We got to see monkeys, bats, so many birds…Juanito even found some pods growing on the river bank that are a favorite food of the monkeys.  It was our first experience (of many!) where Juanito’s vast knowledge made for a really cool moment….he just plucked the pods off the stem, opened them up, showed us the fruit-covered seeds inside, and taught us how to eat them!  Never thought I’d be eating what seemed like random jungle food, but we trusted Juanito and he never led us wrong when he offered things to try.

            You pulled a white fruit out of the pod, sucked the fruit off of the bean-sized seed, and then spit the seed into the water!

            We made our way to the bank of the lodge and took a little walk up to the beautiful outdoor gathering “room”.   More than a room though…there were hammocks, couches, coffee tables, dining tables, drink and snack stations, restrooms.  It really was a multipurpose gathering space!  The lodge has a number of rustic cabins people can also stay.  Our visit, however, was just for the day and as soon as we took off our rubber boots and put on our hiking shoes, we were off on our first daytime jungle hike!


            One of the most memorable parts of this whole trip, for me, was having Juanito as our local village guide.  He grew up in the jungle, with health care by shamans;  his father was a legitimate head hunter;  his wife’s village still has no electricity except for the one generator they recently brought in so they could have light…it’s still a 40 minute walk through the jungle to get there.  To have someone just for our little group that has such authentic, true knowledge of a life completely foreign to me meant so much. 


            As we hiked the jungle, everywhere we looked we saw things you’d only see in books or on shows as a kid.  Giant kapok trees.  Prehistoric looking millipedes.  Bullet ants!  Juanito showed us how to eat Lemon Ants (they tasted just like a lemon!) and chew on leaves from a cinnamon tree (tasted exactly like a cinnamon candy!).  He stopped and made rope from palm tree fronds, showed us how he makes a basket from palm leaves while he’s out gathering.  Spotted owls hidden in the tree tops that I still have no idea how he saw them!  Needless to say, I was in awe the whole time.




            We made our way back to the lodge for a delicious lunch with local fare.  A couple that was staying at the lodge had caught a huge piranha earlier in the day and they shared it with our group.  Everyone took a little bit and I was surprised how tasty it was!  Guide Robby even went back to the kitchen and brought back the jaw and teeth for me after I had mentioned I wished I had kept it.  That Disney Magic never stops…and now I have a perfect souvenir of our day at the lodge!

            We wrapped up lunch, hung out in the hammocks, checked out the monkeys in the trees, took one more bathroom break, and hopped back onto the motor canoes.  Robby and Juanito had a little surprise for us because we stopped along the way and got to fish for piranha ourselves with some little primitive fishing “sticks”!  We had some success after a while and I was the closest I’ve ever been to a piranha!  Way cool!



            After dinner, Robby offered a kids movie night but Reese was pretty worn out so he decided to pass.  They played Pirates of the Caribbean up in the comfy lounge so our friends got a chance to lay out on the couches and enjoy the movie!

DAY 4: BIRD’S EYE VIEW

            This morning’s agenda included another yummy breakfast and motor canoe ride (rainboots and lifejackets ready!) to a local village run by women.  The village of Sani Isla holds a school, market, cooking “hut”, soccer field, and lots of space for growing food.  It’s also a beautiful jungle village used to show visitors how they live off the jungle. 

            We were greeted by some precious women and children, then given a quick tour of the school buildings.  It’s always touching to meet local children and it gives such perspective to see how simple their classrooms are, and how eager they are to learn.  We passed by an algebra class, and I believe another class doing spelling. 

            We were led by a local village woman, who along with Juanito, walked us around the grounds to explore all the ways local villagers live and eat from the jungle.  We watched this powerful little woman chop down a small palm tree and pull out fresh palm heart for us all to try (AMAZING).  We pulled up yucca, cut off the edible parts for later, and Reese replanted the yucca stem that would become a new yucca plant in time.  We ate raw white cocoa “fruit” straight from the pods.  We learned SO much about living off of the land!

            We made our way back around to the series of huts which housed the market overflowing with handmade goods, and also held the kitchen  (which was essentially a large raised firebox over which they grilled and roasted anything they could find).  Juanito shared some “chicha” with us, which is a fermented yucca drink, and we all shared the bowl as we sipped.  We sipped our chicha and shopped for a bit…I bought a bracelet made from palm fibers and a tiny little pottery bowl as a ring holder.  The prices were so fair, and you could find a special handmade memento anywhere from $2 and up.  

            We made our way to the kitchen and boy..was there a surprise in store for us!  Juanito explained all of the different foods the ladies were preparing for us to snack on, and then he called up one of the kiddos from our group to open a special mystery item wrapped in a banana leaf.  Something interesting?  You bet!  She opened the leaf and inside was the biggest, fattest, most yellow live grub I have ever seen…about the size of a half-hotdog!  We looked around, and sure enough, Janito asked who was going to eat it.  Live.  Just like the villagers do! 

            Giggles and looking around…and Jeff finally spoke up and said he would if Janito split it with him.  Never thought we’d be going halvsies on grubs in the Amazon…but WOOHOO ABD!  Juanito took the first bite, and Jeff threw back the other (drippy) half.  I can eat pretty much anything cooked, but the live aspect I just could not do.  So major, super sized props to my hubby for jumping in and giving it a try!  He did say he probably wouldn’t eat them live again.  Can’t say I blame him!

            After we saw the goodies being prepared, we were led back to another part of the huts with a beautiful spread of food!  Everyone took a seat on the floor, got our banana leaf “plate”, and dug into some of the most amazing, fresh, local food I’ve ever eaten.  Catfish and palm hearts, plantains, yucca, roasted grubs (which were DELICIOUS), a peppery dip, with more chicha and a type of tea to pass and drink.  It’s these moments I am most thankful that Reese gets to experience.  Something so far removed from anything we do in our daily lives, a completely foreign way to obtain and prepare food...there is such value in these experiences!

            After our amazing meal, we had the chance to play soccer with the local school children on their full-sized soccer field.  They may be in the middle of the jungle, but soccer is still king and they had a full field and covered bleachers!  Reese and Jeff decided to sit the game out (it had started raining), but a few of us got in the middle of the rain and mud and tried our best to keep up with these kids who were nothing short of amazing.  Guide Robby had brought along a new soccer ball, and after the game we gifted it to the kids and said our goodbyes.

            After lunch and a bit of time to freshen up after the rain and mud, we met back down on Deck 1 to don our rubber boots (freshly washed by the Anakonda staff..thank you!) and lifejackets for a motor canoe ride to another jungle path.  I don’t think I ever got over my amazement at the knowledge these Anakonda folks had of the river and locations.  Everything along the bank looks the same to me!

            The afternoon’s plans were to hike through the jungle a bit to the river, take a canoe ride (paddled by the guides so we could just sit back and take everything in!), unload and then another hike further into the jungle to find the Canopy Tower Walk.  Wasn’t sure what to expect, as I’m afraid of heights, but you only live this life once so let’s go!

            The hikes were fun, hot, and muddy…welcome to the Amazon!  Ha!  The canoe ride was excellent because there truly is SO much to see along the way.  I felt like I was in a totally different world most of the day.  After the second hike to reach the Tower Walk, we came up on a giant kapok tree…with 200ft of spiraling steps to climb up to reach the top.  Holy moly!  We all did it though, and were rewarded at the top with amazing views from the top of the rainforest.  And glasses of champagne (and sodas).  I kid you not.  Adventures by Disney arranged for some of the Anakonda staff to trek through the jungle ahead of us (remember….hike, canoe ride, another hike) carrying a cooler with chilled champagne and sodas.  Talk about spoiled and counting my blessings for opportunities to toast my family at the top of the kapok tree! 

            After plenty of time on the platform, viewing beautiful toucans, miniature orchids, and everything inbetween, we made our way back down the steps, through the jungle, back on the canoes, paddled back down the river, hiked through more jungle, and made it back to the motor canoe *just* before darkness fell!  I was kind of wondering if we were going to be finishing our jungle trek in the dark because the light quickly went away, but we made it without having to pull out any flashlights. 

            This was probably one of our most muddy days, but the experiences were like no other!

 

DAY 8: JUNGLE CRUISE

            We met extra early this morning so we could head to the parrot clay licks.  We got to catch a glimpse of one of the most unique parrot habitats in the world!  In the early mornings, hundreds of vividly-colored parrots from varying species meet at the riverbanks and the clay wall to congregate and ear the exposed clay.  It’s said that many of the seeds and nuts found in the rainforest have toxins in them and the parrots come to these clay licks to neutralize those toxins.

            Janito and  Robby shared their powerful binoculars with those who needed them, and we were able to see a number of different parrot species come and go as they at the clay.  It’s always fascinating to see parrots flying over head, because my whole life I’ve just seen parrots with their wings clipped that can’t fly away.  So majestic to experience flocks of parrots in the wild!

            After heading back, eating breakfast, and having a bit to refresh, we met together for a jungle trek to another popular parrot gathering spot in the jungle.  As we hiked, Juanito continued to show us so many unique plants, insects, spiders, mushrooms, etc just as he had done on every hike.  His knowledge of everything in the jungle still amazes me. We were extra-fortunate to come across a huge group of wolly monkeys WAY high up in the trees.  They didn’t seem to appreciate our group passing underneath, and as we made our way through they began making lots of noise, moving tree to tree, and the males were even shaking branches way up high to let us know who was boss!  When Juanito and Abel (another Anakonda guide) noticed the monkeys starting to pee from above as a sign of territory marking, we made our way down the path and said goodbye to the monkeys!


            Since we’re in the wild and things are just unpredictable, our trek to the bird viewing spot turned out to be a dud.  No birds showed up, with the exception of a lone dove that made a quick appearance.  This was the one spot where the mosquitos were SO heavy and after about 20 minutes of sitting and waiting for the birds to come, Jeff had covered himself in all of the mosquito bands I brought along.  I have to admit I wasn’t sad to leave that spot and made our way back.  Sitting and waiting for birds was not the most exciting part of my day…but we had to give it a shot!

            After a lunch back on the boat, we headed out for our afternoon/evening adventure at the Limoncocha Biological Reserve.  The group (carefully) piled into a canoe with a trolling motor, and we set off into the beautiful waters of the lake.  Slowly motoring along the banks, we were able to view so many birds (my favorite being the Stinky Turkey).  After a quick snack break in the boat, and as the sun began to set, we headed back around the other side of the lake to search for cayman coming out for the night.  Our guides have amazing eyes and we were able to see all sizes of caymans, from small babies to very large adults who you would not want to meet in a smaller boat at night!


            Sometimes you’ve got to be a little flexible and patient while you wait for transportation, especially in places like the jungle, so while we waited for the motor coach to pick us up at the end of our lake adventure, Abel managed to find a tarantula and caught it so we could get a closer look at it. 

            After the bus ride we picked up our motor canoe and headed back to the Anakonda to spend our last night in the jungle!

 

DAY 6: KEY TO QUITO     

            This morning we ate breakfast and put our bags out so that Tinkerbell could pick them up and transport them to the Coca airport while we took one last motor canoe ride.  The rain became quite heavy, so they rolled down the clear vinyl walls of the canoe, passed out ponchos again, and we made our way to the debarkation spot.  It took a bit longer because of the rain, so instead of a walking tour of Coca, we had a quick driving tour, which was fine because it was still raining so we weren’t walking around getting wet!  Once again, ABD makes airline travel so easy.  Robby secured our boarding passes and we all boarded the plane and back to the JW Marriott Quito! 

            The traffic luck was in our favor and everything ran smoothly, from flight times to that hour-long trip back to the Marriott from the airport.  That was a good thing because we had a cooking class at Zazu and nobody wanted to be late for that!

            Zazu was closed this evening so that we had the entire restauraunt to ourselves.  We had a beautiful champagne toast to celebrate the evening, and everyone headed into the kitchen for what turned out to be the most excellent cooking class ever!  We each manned one of the prep stations, but I will be forever thankful to Romerio.  This fine young man spent nearly the entire time with Reese, teaching him proper knife skills.  You see, Reese’s life goal is to open a pizza shop with Dad, and he has been interested in cooking for quite some time.  The experience of being in a real restauraunt kitchen, working along side a real chef, made such an impact on this budding chef.  Something we will never, ever forget.

 

            We all prepared a giant bowl of ceviche , then sat down for a hearty, delicious meal filled with foods everyone loved!  The sommelier and Jeff really connected and he brought out a very special bottle of wine to share, an experience I know Jeff will forever hold dear. 




DAY 7: EL MERCARDO

            We woke up ready for a day to explore Quito!  With a local expert guide, we went on a tour of this ancient capital.  Quito is a beautiful colonial center packed with architectural treasures!  We explored a number of beautiful churches, listened to history bits and stories from our guide, and loved strolling the streets of Quito.  Some in our group bought some beautiful scarves from the ladies around the churches….I kind of regret not getting some to bring home as gifts!



            We happened to be in Quito on the day of the Changing of the Guards, so Robby made sure we had a good viewing spot for the pageantry.  Horses, a marching band, soldiers, huge crowd of people, a few protestors, speakers…it was quite the event!  Robby passed out the Ecuadorian national anthem words so we could follow along as they sang.  I love it when these little surprises pop up during our trips.  Getting to watch the change was a neat, local experience!

            We finished our walking tour and headed over to Hotel Plaza Grande for lunch.  We hopped into the little exclusive elevator to head up to the ballroom which was decked out in a beautiful banquet table set with flowers and snacks!  Roasted corn (my absolute favorite Ecuadorian nosh!), fried root vegetables and plantains, popcorn…all kinds of fabulous things to nibble while we relaxed and unwound to enjoy lunch!

            Adventures by Disney always likes to throw in little magic touches, and I won’t spoil any surprises, but dessert was a fun theatrical presentation with a cultural tie in!  Education AND a tasty dessert?  Can you beat that?!

            Stuffed with good food, we headed back out into Quito to continue our walking tour.  This would be our Afternoon Of Chocolate Tour.  OK, that’s my name for it and it was exceptional!  We met up with another historical character who led us to various chocolate shops.  Some places were for tasting, some were for learning, some were for buying!  We found dark chocolate with roasted corn (think Corn Nuts type things) and sad to say, we’ve already eaten through the 4 bars we bought.  Will I ever learn to buy more local treats when we find something we love?  That last bite of the chocolate bar once we were home made me sad. Ha!



            We hopped on the motor coach and headed to the Mercardo Artesanal for some shopping.  One of our goals was to find a gift for the White Elephant gift exchange later in the trip!  Robby handed each person $5, and we had to find a secret gift that we would exchange.  We practiced our bargaining skills, and each found THE gift that was perfect for the exchange.  I was also happy to be back at the market because the previous year I found a little wool llama key chain and managed to lose it just before we left for this trip.  You’d better believe I bought 3 llamas to bring home as well as one for the gift swap.  They’re my favorite market item in the world!

            The motor coach took us back to the hotel after our shopping, and the rest of the evening was on our own.  I’m glad ABD builds in these times to decompress, rest, or explore the city…whatever pace your family goes!  We usually take these times to just grab an easy dinner and relax.

DAY 8: TORTOISE RACE  

            Time to hit the Galapagos!  Since ABD arranged for the Marriott Quito to hold any luggage we didn’t want to take with us to the Galapagos (we would be returning to Quito one more time), we spent a little time shuffling things in our suitcases.  We pared down to just 2 suitcases and left another suitcase and a few bags of dirty clothes behind to stay.  After a filling breakfast we headed to the Quito airport once again (remember that hour long ride?) and relaxed in the VIP lounge while we waited for our Galapagos flight.

            It’s always surreal to me when we touch down and walk into the Galapagos airport.  It’s such an iconic place to be and I pinch myself every time we arrive!

            ABD set us up in the VIP Arrivals Lounge (thank you!) while Robby handled all of our incoming legal things.  I’m not even sure what they were but I appreciate ABD taking care of all if it for us while we relaxed and had refreshing drinks and tasty snacks!

            We headed to the Finch Bay Hotel, checked into our rooms, and headed out for an amazing lunch and hike at the Galapagos Tortoise Reserve.  Santo, our Galapagos naturalist, led the hike and showed us lots of tortoises throughout the reserve.  He even brought some passion fruit so we could watch them eat…that was Reese’s favorite thing! 




            After our hike we went up to the open air “dining hall” for our lunch.  Cold drinks, tasty food, and a beautiful surrounding watching tortoises stroll the grounds made for such a fun lunch! 

            We had a chance to unwind and enjoy the resort for the evening and had dinner at the resort on our own.  Reese spent some time in the hammock on the balcony, we strolled the property, took warm showers…just had a really nice, slow evening together!




DAY 9: DARWIN DISCOVERS

            We were really excited about our boat trip to Santa Fe Island today….but our family nearly backed out because overnight, Jeff came down with a stomach bug.  We were touch-and-go all morning and Reese and I were fully ready to chill at the resort for the day and take care of Jeff, but he insisted he felt good enough to go and so we packed our bags (snorkel gear, sunscreen, dry clothes, extra shoes) and all boarded the yacht for the 2 hour ride to Santa Fe Island.

            I don’t do well on small boats on waves, so I loaded up on Dramamine and made sure to pack our Sea Bands in case either of the boys needed them.  The boat was beautiful but Jeff quickly felt sick again (I later found out he really didn’t feel like going at ALL but didn’t want Reese and I to miss out on the day).  The water was fairly choppy, so we got Jeff settled laying down on the floor with towels and some clothes as a pillow, but it wasn’t long before Reese was “feeding the fish” overboard himself, along with about half of the other people on the boat.  It was a hard ride out to Santa Fe Island but once we made it, it was ALL worth it!

            Reese and I  hopped on a zodiac and landed on the beach full of sea lions!  Adults and pups were lounging in the sun, “talking” to each other, playing in the water, and just being adorable.  Reese recorded videos and I snapped pics and generally just walked around in awe that I was standing there with so many sea lions just doing their thing.  What an amazing experience! 







            The rest of the group took off for a hike, but since Jeff wasn’t feeling well and had stayed back on the boat, Reese and I decided to take the zodiac back and check up on him.  One of the best parts about ABD trips is that they work really hard to accommodate your wishes, so they made sure we had a way back to the boat when we were ready and didn’t have to wait or hike! 

            We found Jeff asleep on the top level couches, being watched over by one of our other sweet trip friends who didn’t wish to hike either.  There’s something extra special about the relationships formed on these ABD trips, and we all end up looking out for each other.  It made me feel so good knowing she was there with Jeff since she didn’t want to get off the boat. 

            Once everyone got back from their hike and back onto the yacht, we sat down for a fresh prepared lunch and filled our bellies with all kinds of good things!  After lunch everyone who needed them got fitted for masks and fins and we boarded the zodiac to head over to the snorkel spot!  Jeff still wasn’t feeling well so he thought it best just to stay behind and chill on the boat.

            Santo, our local naturalist, hopped in the water with us and we spent the afternoon snorkeling in shallow water with sea lions!  Whose life is this?!  Reese and I were so excited to be right in the middle of tall the action, with sea lions coming right up to you, checking out your bubbles, playing with your flippers, and following you as you swam fast. 

            Santo led us to a little deeper water searching for turtles and sure enough…he found some!  They weren’t playful like the sea lions but being in the water with them just hanging out was pretty special.  Since safety is top priority with Disney, we always had a zodiac right next to us in case anyone needed out of the water.  By the time it was time to leave, we had all swam quite a way from where we started, but the zodiac was right there to pick us all up and take us back to the yacht!

            The 2 hour ride back to Finch Bay was much easier….I just laid down on the couch and went to sleep! It was a beautiful ride back though, and I am forever thankful that Jeff fibbed and told me he felt up to going because our Santa Fe Island visit and snorkel was something I will never forget.


           
DAY 10: SEA THE GALAPAGOS

            This morning we had an optional hike, or we could catch a boat ride and meet up with the hikers at Tortuga Bay Beach. We always prefer a beautiful ride along the coast, so we opted to ride the boat.  Since the tide was out, we couldn’t do a wet landing at Tortuga Bay Beach so we pulled up to a little volcanic rock overhang, walked off the front of the boat, and took a little hike down to the beach. 

            Tortuga Bay Beach is one that locals flock to, and it’s full of short trees perfect for catching some shade in the intense sun.  The bay is very shallow for a long, long way out so Reese took his snorkel mask and headed out to see what he could find.  He must have walked 300 yards before his belly got wet!  Reese swam and we hung around the beach while we waited for the hikers to meet up with us.  Once everyone was back together, the staff that was with us opened the cooler they had brought…it was full of fresh fruit skewers and cold water!  Talk about a refreshing treat! 



            Santo and Robby showed us a small path that led to a tide pool and we spent the rest of our beach morning there wading with baby sharks, blow fish, damsel fish, pipe fish, and schools of other varities of tiny fish.  I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the close, safe encounters with wildlife we have in the Galapagos.  Standing in a tide pool with a *shark* swimming next to your child, and not freaking out, is a skill I never thought I would possess!  But I trust the Galapagos naturalists, and our ABD guides, to keep us safe and not put us into a dangerous situation so if they say getting in the tide pool with the shark is not dangerous, I go with it.  Of course, nature is unpredictable but they know better than I do about what is safe and what’s not!



            After lunch back at Finch Bay we headed into town to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about plants and animals that live in the Galapagos.  It’s a great resource for seeing and learning all sorts of things, and they’ve done a great job with many displays.  It felt like a cross between a zoo and a nature preserve.  You could easily do a self-guided tour, but I appreciated having Santo with us to explain everything and answer questions.



            Tinkerbell came by with some magic and treated everyone to ice creams at the snack shop, so we finished our visit with some relaxing views of rainbows and critters! 

            Before dinner, we all met in the lounge room to hold our White Elephant gift exchange with the gifts we had picked in Quito!  It’s always such a fun to see what everyone picked out, especially the kids, and see who ends up with which gifts.  Some of our favorite quirky souveniers have come from our ABD White Elephant exchanges. 


            After some good laughs, we all grabbed a table together for our final dinner at the Finch Bay Hotel.  There was a little hiccup with the steaks being undercooked, but ABD is quick to fix any issues so they were all brought back out just right! 

DAY 11: VIAJE FANTASTICO
            Our luggage was picked up and we were off to the Galapagos airport, ready to head back to Quito one last time.  By the time we departed, arrived, and took that hour long ride back to the Quito Marriott, it was nearly dinner time so everyone headed to their rooms to clean up.  All of our luggage that had been left behind at the hotel had been delivered so we spent a little extra time sorting things and packing a little since we were leaving the next morning.

            We headed up to the Presidential Suite for our final dinner and were spoiled with a giant buffet of deliciousness!  Live music, performers, speeches, and a few magic surprises all topped off the night with perfect memories. 

 

Written by Heather Williams

Contact: Angie Jo, jo@traveltimetravel.com

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