Back in Quito

Kathy and I returned to Quito from the Galapagos Isles on Friday and, regrettably, I have been too busy to faithfully blog. About the Galapagos there is much to say, and you can count on me saying it, but for the moment it will suffice to report that the Galapagos are a truly knock your socks off experience. A definitely awesome, exceed every expectation, jaw dropping trip. Everyone should go there, though not all at once since that would defeat the goal of maintaining an incredibly pristine, pre-human environment, so perhaps you should take numbers.

The first thing about the place that is remarkable is that the animals have no fear of man. But even more remarkable and less commented on is that they also have no fear of woman, and aren’t even slightly fazed by child! You might even say they go too far in the other direction, approaching the point of rudeness. You can’t walk down a path in the islands without worrying about tripping over a sleeping sea lion, little birds have the effrontery to beg water out of your canteen, and what turtles will do in public isn’t fit to descrube in a family blog (though I do have pictures and once I figure out how to post graphics I promise you the money shot). I’m no naturalist, but you don’t have to be to get blown away by the Galapagos.

We spent yesterday touring Quito, which is a delightful city, and we will see more of it tomorrow. Today we head off to a local village to visit the indigenous market (I’m hoping to get a good price on an indigenous) and will see how close we can get to a volcanic crater without falling in. More later.

Your less than faithful correspondent,

Walkabout Dave