South America, Travel

Huacachina and Paracas

We spent seven days in Lima. There is plenty to keep you busy in Lima. We just scratched the surface, but we also wanted to get out and explore other areas of Peru. We hired Ignacio, who took us on tours of Lima, as a tour guide to take us on the next part of our adventure to Huacachina and…

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South America, Travel

Gastronomy in Lima

Lima is a culinary delight. Food was a highlight during our seven days in Lima. We spent one of our days in Lima on a food tour of Miraflores with our guide, Ignacio. Our food tour started by exploring Mercado Nº 1 de Surquillo. It is a large local market in the northern part of Miraflores. We tried fresh juice…

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South America, Travel

Vaccines, Tattoos, and the Beach

We explored a lot of Lima in the seven days we were there. We also were able to take care of some logistical items needed for our travels. Before we left for South America, we looked into getting the yellow fever vaccine. We decided against it because the Bolivia border was closed at the time, and we did not need…

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Flying and COVID, South America, Travel

Lima, Peru

After three months in Ecuador, we packed up our belongings and headed to Peru. The flight from Guayaquil to Lima is under two hours. We flew on a Monday, and the airports were empty. We got through immigration in Peru in less than 5 minutes. At the time we traveled, we did not need COVID tests. Peru required either a…

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South America, Travel

Galapagos Living

We chose to stay in Galapagos for one month because the cost of an Airbnb is the same price for two weeks or one month. The one-month discount on Airbnb can be significant. Island living is not easy for us. The food is expensive, and the grocery options are limited. We paid $19.95 for a large JIF peanut butter. You…

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South America, Travel

Isabella Island

In the last part of our 10-day tour, we spent three days on Isabella Island. Isabella is the largest island in the Galapagos. It is a young island made up of 6 volcanoes. Wolf volcano, in the north part of the island, recently erupted. We woke up in Santa Cruz at 5:30 am to be at the dock by 6:30…

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South America, Travel

San Cristobal Island

Our 4-day cruise ended in San Cristobal. We disembarked at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in the morning. We had the entire day to explore the town on our own. There are a lot of restaurants and souvenir shops. In the afternoon, we went to the Interpretation Center to hike. The center has information about the Galápagos Islands and preservation initiatives. Behind…

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South America, Travel

Cruising Galapagos

We booked an Airbnb in Santa Cruz for one month because it cost the same as booking two weeks. We didn’t plan to spend the whole month in Santa Cruz. There are 12 other islands.  We spent one of our first days visiting tour shops looking for the best way to see other islands. We booked a four-day cruise with…

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Flying and COVID, South America, Travel

Getting to Galapagos

It was bittersweet saying goodbye to our new friends and San Jose. That month on the beach was like summer camp. Amazingly, we bonded with all the families that attended for the month. We will be looking to recreate that dynamic again during our travels.  Our friend Johny helped coordinate a bus to Guayaquil for four families. We enjoyed hanging…

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South America, Travel

Adventure in Ecuador

While we spent a lot of time at our hosteria in San Jose playing on the beach, surfing and learning Spanish, we did get out and have some amazing adventures. The most memorable activity was parapenting. Parapenting is a cross between hang-gliding and parachuting. We all got the opportunity to fly like birds. Pablo at Parapenting Adventure and his crew…

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