Peru & Ecuador - Part 9

Friday, December 5th was our last full day at Kuyana Lodge. The options for excursions that morning included a hike through the jungle, which the guide said would be much longer and harder than any we had done so far, or a hike through a cave. In light of the described difficulty, my family opted to do the cave trip.

I have no fascination with caves in general, but once he said that the water would be chest-high in places, my decision was made. Chest-high water on most people equates to being over my head. I also did not relish the thought of slogging through water in knee-high boots, which would immediately be filled at that depth. While I brought water shoes for the Galapagos portion of the trip, the sand had rubbed the tops of my toes raw on the last expedition we did there. All that combined made it easy for me to say that I would remain at the resort. 

As no other guests had arrived at the lodge yet, I again had the place to myself. We had been told that more people were coming that night, and it was obvious from the staff activity that more guests were expected. I took the time to rearrange all my belongings in the suitcase and backpack for the next morning's departure before strolling around the resort snapping photos. Then I parked myself at the pool until my husband and daughter returned. They both agreed that I had made the correct choice in staying behind as the cave hike was dark, cold, and strenuous.

around the resort

The rest of my family returned in time for lunch. We then spent time at the pool. An afternoon rain shower came in, so I entertained myself by taking pictures of the rain drops on the pool water surface.

rain on the pool

For our last dinner there was a marked difference in the dining area. Now that other guests had arrived, there were different place mats, the napkins were folded all fancy, and there were candles on the tables, along with a large leaf with the guest's name on it. Those things actually made us feel pretty insignificant since we didn't have them for the other meals while we were there. Ramona was also brought out of her living quarters for the meal. From other reviews that I have read, I think this is a frequent occurrence while guests are there. She was not previously brought out to dine with us, only to join us on the one hike.

last dinner

Following dinner we returned to our cabin. We had to pack for the next morning's departure and get through one last tepid shower. In the morning we enjoyed one final delicious meal before the prearranged car arrived to pick us up for the three and a half hour drive back to Quito.

last breakfast

sunset out the hotel room window

We elected to stay at a hotel near the airport as we had a fairly early flight out the next morning. Luckily the restaurant for the included breakfast opened at 5:30 so we were able to eat before heading out on the airport shuttle. Everything went smoothly at the airport, and we left on time to Miami, where we would catch the plane for the last leg of our journey. Our daughter was on the same flight to Miami, so it was nice to have some final time with her on the plane and in the American Airlines lounge in Miami.

We all made it home safe and sound. It was an amazing adventure, and one that we will be talking about for years to come. Super big bonus was that none of us got sick, either on the trip or after we got home. That is always a concern with travel, especially in cold and flu season. Now - where to next?

Peru & Ecuador - Part 7

Our first full day at Kuyana Lodge began with breakfast. All meals were included with the pricing at this lodge. All of the food we had was delicious, so compliments to the chef there. The food is locally sourced, and she found unique ways to use what was in season and available.

breakfast

Following breakfast we did a hike onsite to a waterfall. As in the previous night, there was a loose interpretation of a trail, and it was steep and slippery. Keeping us company on the hike was the local monkey, Ramona. She is a rescue animal, as her mother was killed by poachers. Ramona was quite the character, and liked being carried more than walking. The waterfall was very pretty, and though our daughter continued up the hill with the guide to see the upper waterfall, we chose to wait by the lower falls once we heard we would have to pull ourselves up the hill with a rope.

morning hike

After lunch we walked around and explored the grounds a bit. Again, we were the only guests there, so we had the place to ourselves.

around the resort

That evening we took part in a cooking class, presented by our guide. First we went into the jungle to find leaves that would be suitable to cook the fish in. We had a choice of cooking a whole fish or just a filet. Then we learned about cocoa beans and how chocolate is made. First the beans were roasted, then we removed the shells. Next the beans went through a grinder, and finally the cocoa was placed into a pan and cooked. He added a sweetener to make it so the cocoa was not so bitter. Once the fish was done, that became our dinner, and the chocolate sauce was spooned over some fresh fruit for dessert. It was delicious!

cooking class

We went back to the cabin following dinner. And again we had no hot water. This was definitely getting old.

Peru & Ecuador - Part 6

When we first planned this trip to Peru and Ecuador, my husband expressed an interest in going to the Amazon as well. We wanted to find something that would be reasonably accessible considering the fact that we would be coming back to Quito from the Galapagos. HX Expeditions offered an add-on trip, but it consisted of a small plane ride followed by a hike and then a canoe ride to the eco-resort. That sounded like too much effort at the end of an extensive, intensive adventure.

We settled on the Kuyana Lodge, a small family-owned eco-resort located three and a half hours by car from Quito. The lodge has incredibly positive reviews online, includes excursions with your stay, and has an option for an English-speaking guide, which we needed. 

Because we would not be given our flight arrangements until the last day on our ship so would not know our arrival time into Quito, we booked a hotel in the historic district and arranged for a driver to take us to the Kuyana Lodge the next morning. I didn't realize the accommodations we selected would put us in the square where we had visited the Presidential Palace previously. It was fun to view the area again at night, and the hotel was a lovely choice.

Quito at night

What we hadn't anticipated was the fact that Quito Days (a week-long celebration) began the next morning bright and early. We had arranged for our Kuyana driver to pick us up at 10:00 AM. The celebration, with the parade passing right by our hotel, meant that the driver could get nowhere near us. Fortunately the desk clerk called our driver and explained the situation. The bellhop helped us navigate the streets and hills with our luggage until we could find a place for the driver to meet us. As the traffic was so snarled, that ended up being in the middle of the street several blocks away from the hotel. Wow!

Quito in the morning

The drive to the lodge was long, but mostly smooth until the last 45 minutes or so, where we traveled over rocks. The scenery was nice along the way, and gave us an opportunity to see a different part of Ecuador. Upon arrival at Kuyana, we were offered a welcome glass of tea and shown to our cabin. We had opted for the Anaconda Family Cabin, which consisted of two bedrooms and two bathrooms. That is literally all that was inside the cabin. The only area the three of us could gather in was the front porch. 

Kuyana Lodge

After we put the luggage in the cabin it was time for our first activity - a dusk hike in the jungle. We put on knee-high rubber boots, and to say this was a vigorous hike is an understatement. It had rained earlier in the day, so the trail (and I use the word loosely as our guide kept a machete handy to clear areas) was wet, slippery and steep. I think he used this hike as a litmus test to see how we would handle subsequent excursions. 

When we got back it was time for dinner. We were the only guests there, which seemed a little odd. As it ended up, we were the only guests for three of the four nights we stayed there. After a long day of travel and the hike, we were ready for a nice shower to clean up and cool off before going to sleep in the non-air conditioned cabin. Unfortunately there was no hot water, so we made due with a cold shower.

first hike and dinner

Peru & Ecuador - Part 3

Seymour Galapagos Airport

On Thursday (Thanksgiving Day!) we had a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call as our luggage needed to be outside the room by 5:00. We had time for breakfast before boarding our bus to the airport at 6:00. Our flight ended up leaving a little late, then had to stop at Guayaquil Airport for about 45 minutes before heading on to the Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport on Baltra Island.

Our journey to the Western Route of the Galapagos Islands took place upon the Santa Cruz II, a ship owned and operated by our tour group, HX Expeditions. The dock was located a short drive from the airport, and we had to travel by panga (we would know these as zodiacs) from the dock to the ship. It was always required that we wear a life vest when on one of the pangas, and these were different from the life vests in our cabin which were to be used only in case of an emergency.

boarding the Santa Cruz II

Once on board we were able to check out our cabin, and then went to lunch in the ships's only dining room. The Santa Cruz holds 90 passengers, but we had only 83. This included a group of 12 young ladies from a local university. After lunch we had to participate in the mandatory emergency drill.

our stateroom

The afternoon brought us our first hike, which took place on Santa Cruz Island. We were divided in groups of around 12, and our group was the Sea Lions. The pangas brought us from the ship to the island, where we had a dry landing. We saw the interesting landscape of Dragon Hill, located on the north shore of the island. After that we walked inland on a trail that gave us a beautiful view of the bay and the western islands of the archipelago. Out first true glimpse of a Galapagos island felt like a National Geographic moment. The terrain and wildlife were everything we thought and hoped they would be.

Santa Cruz Island

Before dinner we were offered a briefing of the next day's activities, and this was the case each evening on the ship. That night the dinner buffet included turkey for those on board who were missing their Thanksgiving meal back home.

North Myrtle Beach Part 3

The last part of our North Myrtle Beach vacation was just the two of us. We played quite a bit of pickleball, finding the people and level of play to be quite good at Central Park. The four courts are located on an old ice skating rink, which was interesting. It brought back memories of early days in Webster Groves when our outdoor courts were also on the old ice/roller hockey rink. It was a little tight, but doable.

One day we took a drive to Conway, SC as I had read there was a pretty walk along the Waccamaw River there. The drive wasn't too bad until we got near Conway, and then the traffic crawled along. We never did see what the issue was. We did have a nice hike there, and the boardwalk was lovely.

Conway, SC

Probably our favorite part of the whole trip was going to see Brookgreen Gardens. The sculpture park, preserve and low country zoo are located on 9,100 acres. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, and we arrived just as the gates opened at 9:30. The day was pretty hot, which was unfortunate, but we so enjoyed exploring the gardens, seeing all the phenomenal sculptures, and visiting the zoo (which was comprised of animals native to the area who are being rehabilitated). We miss the Missouri Botanical Gardens so much, and these gardens brought a little bit of home back to us.

Brookgreen Gardens

We wrapped up the rest of time in North Myrtle Beach by visiting another preserve, going to the Cherry Grove Pier and taking in one last concert the night before we were heading back to Charlotte. Overall the trip was great, but I would avoid going back there during the summer due to the crowds and the heat.

North Myrtle Beach scenes 

 

Seeing our National Parks

flying to Vegas

Last month we did some domestic traveling. We flew into Las Vegas to meet up with our daughter before heading out on a national parks adventure. Lots of discussion and planning among the three of us took place before we decided that we could visit six of the national parks, primarily in Utah, within our twelve day timetable.

We picked up a rental car and spent the night in Vegas. As none of us are particularly fans of the area, I selected a hotel on the north side of town to give us a head start on our three hour drive to Washington, Utah. Here we spent two nights so that we could visit Zion National Park. 

We hiked the park the first day. It is quite beautiful, but it was incredibly packed with tourists. We did not expect the crowds considering that it was mid-September.

Zion National Park

We drove though the park the next day. They do not warn you that once you do the drive and exit the park, you will be in no man's land with limited cell service. We considered turning around, but the line to reenter the park at this back entrance was easily a couple of miles long. And there was only one attendant at the gate. We ended up about two hours away from our hotel, which was only a 20 minute drive to the main park entrance. We made lemonade out of lemons, however, and found an interesting cave to visit as well as a cool spot to go for a hike.

Kanab, Utah

The next park on our itinerary was Bryce Canyon, which was a couple of hours away from our previous hotel. We did some wonderful hiking in this park. The landscape is very unique from other parks we have been to visit.

Bryce Canyon

The next morning we went back into Bryce to see the sunrise. It was worth getting up early to experience it. We did a small hike before going back to our lodge to pack up for the next leg of the trip. I'll cover Moab in the next post.

sunrise at Bryce

What will we see in 2023?

A new year has begun, and I can't help but wonder what it will bring. We started January 1st with a nice breakfast, followed by a hike in a new (to us) destination. The Anne Springs Close Greenway, located in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is a 2,100 acre natural preserve that opened in 1995. It is more than twice the size of Central Park in New York, and contains lakes, hiking, biking & equestrian trails, educational centers, historical buildings and meadows.

We took a 4 mile hike through the woods, and passed one of the lakes, a creek and a meadow as we meandered through the trees. It was a little muddy from earlier rains, but wasn't too bad. It was great to start 2023 with some outside exercise, and we will definitely come back to explore all the site has to offer. I'd love to see the meadows in the spring, in particular.

Anne Springs Close Greenway

Take a Hike!

 While Covid-19 has kept us pretty close to home, we do try to get out and enjoy nature when we can. Saturday we drove to South Mountains State Park, which is about an hour and a half away from where we live. There is a beautiful waterfall there, and we have hiked the trail to get to it once before. I forgot that it is a pretty arduous hike, despite the fact that the hiking websites describe the trail as "Moderate". I have decided that it must be 20-30 year olds who are rating the trails. What is "Moderate" to them is definitely "Strenuous" to people in their 60s.

Rain on Thursday and Friday meant that the trail was wet and muddy. That was the bad news. But the good news was that the creek was full and flowing, and there was an abundance of water coming down from the falls. The park was quite crowded, which is a bad thing during Covid. The trail is quite narrow at many points, making it very hard to socially distance. While we were masked, I would guess only about 25% of the other hikers had masks on. It is so frustrating!

After the hike, we took the chairs and lunch we had packed and sat along the creek to eat. It was peaceful, and a good way to relax before making the drive back to Mount Holly. But we will definitely avoid going to any of the parks on the weekends again. 

South Mountains State Park

Life Goes On

Thursday was my turn to go to Harris Teeters, the local grocery store. As I mentioned before, we shop for groceries once a week, but only one of us actually makes the trip. We takes turns to minimize the risk. This trip was a big one because I scored not only our preferred loaf of bread for the first time since isolation began last month, but also a bottle of Clorox disinfecting spray. There was still no toilet paper in stock however. We don't need it, but it has become a game to me to see if I can ever find any.

We have been working on small projects around the house. Jim organized his boxes in the garage, installed pull out drawers in the kitchen cabinets, put up gutter guards, etc. I lined shelves with lightweight acrylic sheets to stop things from sliding through the cheap shelving units the builder installed here. I have also continued with my mask making project, worked on taxes and better organized my filing system. Exciting stuff, right?

Last night we sat out back with two other couples to enjoy the beautiful evening. As before we each had our own chairs and drinks, and kept the 6' distance between each couple. It is always nice to hear how other people are coping with the coronavirus mandates, and just to have new conversations.

Today after Jim finished the gutters and I completed three more masks, we decided to get out of here for awhile. We drove to the University of North Carolina-Charlotte campus to walk through their gardens. We had been earlier this year with our hiking club, and have been wanting to go back. One of the things I miss most about St. Louis, after family and friends, is the Missouri Botanical Garden. There just aren't that many gardens around here, so today's outing gave me an opportunity to photograph flowers and trees while getting my exercise.

With the Stay at Home order we are allowed to be outside to exercise, and in fact the campus garden had signs posted about COVID-19. There were to be no more than 3 people in a group, and we were to keep the 6' distance between us and others. I will say, sadly, those things did not happen. It was a beautiful day in the low 70s, so the place was crowded with groups. Children were running around and blocking the narrow paths, so keeping a distance was a challenge. We just ended up going to a part of the garden that was unpopulated so we could work on our photography. It was so good to have a change of scenery!

UNCC botanical garden

We grilled steaks when we got home, and ate on the back patio. Then we sat in our orange chairs to watch the boaters go by. We even had a bluebird stop by, and a blue heron was across the lake. It was a nice ending to a wonderful day.

bluebird and blue heron

That's Just the Nature of Things

My sister and I were finally able to get together for lunch recently. She has been pretty sick for a couple of months, so I was glad that she was feeling well enough to meet. We went to our favorite pizza parlor in Pacific, Missouri as that is close to being a halfway point for us to drive. The pizza was great, as was the company. After we ate I enjoyed taking photographs in the area.

Pacific, Missouri

It has been incredibly beautiful around here, despite the severe storms that have come along with early, high temperatures. We have been getting out whenever we can to enjoy the weather. Shaw Nature Reserve is lovely year round, but spring brings out the daffodils and bluebells, among other things. We took a five mile hike into the back of the reserve, and had the place to ourselves, except for the ten deer that we came upon. Ten! It was amazing, for sure. But the stinkers were running through the woods so I was unable to capture a picture of them.

Shaw Nature Reserve

Saturday I attended the annual Family History Conference put on each spring by the St. Louis Genealogical Society. Their conferences are always great, and I was particularly excited for this year's event. One of the main speakers was Cyndi Ingle, creator of Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet. The site holds a categorized index of more than 335,000 online resources, including my website on researching house history. Not only is she a wealth of knowledge, she is also a wonderful speaker. Also on the program was Jan Alpert, who was offering up tips on using DNA in genealogy. This was of particular interest to me, and not just because I have had my own DNA analysis done. I also had my father-in-law tested, and his results were puzzling to all of us. The ethnicity breakdown for him showed 50% Great Britain, 26% Scandinavia, and 24% Europe West. As I have researched his family back to the early 1800s and found nothing on either side of his family but Germans, the 50% Great Britain makes no sense. For that high of a percentage you would expect that one of his parents was English and that is certainly not the case.

Once I studied the map that you can find when digging deeper into the test results, it sort of began to make sense. Their designation for Great Britain dips way down into parts of France, Belgium, and Germany. As his ancestors are from northwest Germany, I can see where that statistic is coming from. But why in the world do they include that part of the world in their Great Britain designation? It certainly is not the most helpful thing to do.

I spoke with a couple of people who are knowledgeable about DNA at the meeting, and they suggested that I have my father-in-law retested with a different company. I may eventually do that, but I also found out that for $19 I can upload his test results to one of the other testing companies so that I can gain access to their reporting systems. So I will probably start with that and see what happens. I want to have my husband tested as well, since my mother-in-law and one of my sister-in-laws have been tested. It will be fun to compare all of them.

While I was sad to be sitting inside a conference center all day on Saturday as it was a beautiful day, Jim and I got out for a nice walk at Francis Park on Sunday. We have been busy getting ready for an epic adventure, so it was nice to take a break from planning and get outside.

Bob Cassilly's sculptures at Francis Park

Just a Walk in the Park

Laumeier Mansion

We had an unseasonably warm weekend here in St. Louis, so Jim and I took advantage of the weather on Sunday and took Kirby to Laumeier Sculpture Park, a 105-acre open-air museum and park. Located on property that contains a 1917 Tudor mansion once owned by Henry and Matilda Laumeier, the park is most noted for all the interesting and unique sculptures placed throughout the property. But we really enjoy walking the trails that are nestled back in the woods. The gentle hills and valleys are just challenging enough to get your heart rate up without worrying that you'll need CPR when you arrive at the top.

We thought that the park would be very crowded considering the mildness of the day, but perhaps everyone went to the zoo instead. We had the place pretty much to ourselves for most of the visit. That was perfect for us, and Kirby enjoyed all the new smells he gets to check out when we're in the woods. We are blessed to have so many great parks in the area so we can try out different walks.

Triangular Bridge Over Water

Bornibus

Walking Roots

Face of the Earth #3