Ecuador

Ecuador - an amazing country. It has everything...islands, coasts, mountains, forests, jungle (the jungle, as it turns out, is pretty wet). Too much to see in 2 weeks, but I tried my best.

Galapagos Islands

I finally got to go to this amazing place, longtime item on my bucket list. Of course, the first thing you go for is the wildlife. I got to see nearly everything I hoped for...Sea Turtles, tortoises, blue footed booby, flamingos, sea lions, marine iguanas, sharks (white and black tipped), and, of course, penguins

Incredible Beauty!

Galapagos islands

The highlight to my time in Ecuador had to be getting out to The Galapagos.

The incredible beauty of protected wilderness was amazing and lived up to all of the hype and my really high expectations.

Turtles on the beach, tortoises in the fields, sharks by the pier, seals everywhere... blue footed boobies, flamingoes...you name it,.

and, the scuba diving just topped it all off!

The Amazon

The West end of the Amazon jungle extends up into eastern Ecuador, and I couldn't resist the chance to get out and do some hiking.

Driving in Ecuador

To be sure, there were times that the road conditions were less than ideal...or sometimes just disappeared! and, occasionally, you will find a bridge that makes you think, "Am I really supposed to cross that?"