Monthly Archives: March 2012

One of the cool things in Mindo (where I plan to go stay starting in a day or two) is the Butterfly Garden. For five bucks you can go into a big netted room with hundreds of butterflies in it. … Continue reading →

I spent sixteen years working to be an academic. I researched and developed ways to make computing as ubiquitous in schools as it is elsewhere; I taught teachers use computers to teach more effectively. For the first eight years, I … Continue reading →

My last night in Mindo was perfect. It was what I had envisioned when I planned my trip to Mindo. It took three nights to make that happen. I am pretty sure it took me longer than that before I … Continue reading →

Walking around the streets in Cuenca we saw a sign that said “Antiques.” /Sure, we’ll look at some old stuff,/ the collective thought. The sign instructed us to ring the bell three times and wait. Once we were granted entry, … Continue reading →

Cuenca is a city of about half a million people about 250 miles south of Quito. I went with my cousin’s family and two other couples from Quito; we met up with another couple and their infant. It is a … Continue reading →

I once saw Webb Wilder, “The last of the full-grown men,” play at an outdoor venue that was way, way too cold. (Webb is that he has a credo: “Word hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear … Continue reading →

It was time for lunch in Cuenca on Sunday afternoon. One group did reminiscence on one place, but it seemed too fussy and expensive. We thought we would return to the Mexican place we had been to the day before. … Continue reading →

The day before I was to leave for the Galapagos, I packed everything I would need into a little backpack and my travel guitar case, including my little Squeezebox Radio, which I pretty much now refuse to travel without. My … Continue reading →

Once I was aboard ship and in my room, I unpacked, locked my wallet and passport in the little safe, and, when instructed to do so by the intercom, headed to the dining room for lunch. A waiter directed me … Continue reading →

Before my first breakfast on board, I went up to sun deck and played guitar for a while. It was the first time that I lamented not having more nautical songs in my repertoire. I saw some birds that were … Continue reading →

In the afternoon we went on what we were told would be a “difficult” hike. It was purported to be 1.2 kilometers. I was having a hard time believing that the hike could be difficult and only 1.2 kilometers. It … Continue reading →

When we arrived on that morning’s island, there were forty or so sea lions on the beach. Still not tired of these creatures, I got this picture of an oh-so-cute adolescent. I caught this shot of this male and female … Continue reading →

I’ve set my camera up to take pictures out my window. I think I’ll have some better stuff soon, but I just figured out how to get the stills made into a movie.

After lunch and a siesta, it was time to check out another island. One of the cool things about exploring the Galapagos from a ship is that you can do stuff like eat and sleep while the ship is moving … Continue reading →

I am posting this story a few hours before I will be getting through security at the airport in Quito to return to the US. I have been in Ecuador for six weeks, my longest trip outside of the country. … Continue reading →

Previous to this day on my Galapagos cruise, every excursion we had taken was for just a few hours. We always returned to the ship for lunch. This day, however, we were to stay on Santa Cruz Island for the … Continue reading →

On the penultimate day of the cruise I had been lamenting that I had not been really close to a Blue Footed Booby. I had seen some in flight, which might have been good enough if I were a birder, … Continue reading →