My dad finally received his birthday card today! I mailed it almost a month ago - February 5th - so I was so excited when my mom called me to tell me he had received the card. Photos to come after I go home this weekend.
My brother doesn't know that I mailed him a postcard from the Galápagos on the last day of our trip (Saturday, February 13th), and as of yet he hasn't said anything about it, so I doubt he has received it. I'm not 100% certain that I got his address correct, since I was doing it from memory, but we'll see!
A word of advice: always take your address book on vacation with you - sending mail is one of the most fun things to do. Everyone loves getting mail from foreign countries, so your trip gets to live on long after you return.
Tell me, what's the longest it's ever taken you to send/receive mail? From what countries have you received mail?
Showing posts with label galapagos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label galapagos. Show all posts
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Exploring Quito - Basílica del Voto Nacional
sábado, el 6 de febrero, 2010 (really getting into the Spanish spirit now)
Last night the Feds (Joe & Caroline) got in around 11:30pm, right after I had just awoken from my post-dinner nap. I headed up to their room to see them and only to find out that 5 of the 9 people on the Atlanta flight had missed the connection as they were coming from Lexington. Poor Jim, Donna, Liz and the Hannas! Davis, Allison Cornish and Jeannie and Tom Guskey all arrived around 12:30am and we greeted them in the lobby. Davis and I stayed up talking for a while, only to pay the price for it today.
When our 7:30am alarm went off today, neither D nor I were up for it. Although, it only took us through breakfast (¡dame el café!) to realize the excitement of the day ahead. After the continental breakfast in our hotel, Daniel, our guide from Adventure Life, met us for a day of fun touring. Not only was he super cute and nice, he was an awesome guide who spoke great English (it was a little too good for my liking, because I had to coax him to speak to me in Spanish).
Right away, Daniel and our driver Carlos took us to one of the largest churches in Quito, Basílica del Voto Nacional, where we first saw the tombs. These above-ground graves are what Ecuadorians use as cemeteries, placing their loved ones inside stone boxes that they take care of and decorate periodically. My toes were definitely tingling as we climbed up - and even more when we descended - but the view atop the tower made it all worthwhile.
Leaving the tombs, we ascended the towers of the Basílica (the only Gothic church in Quito) and walked across a wooden bridge that was positioned high above the nave of the church. Not for the faint of heart, the boys (Tom and Coach Fed) stayed behind while we strong women headed up three ladders to the Tower of the Condor - the highest point in the north part of Quito.
There was a little gift shop in the church inside one of the other towers, where Davis and I picked up some souvenir necklaces - for only $6! We're wearing them in the photos above, and I'm sure you'll see them the rest of the week, since neither one of us brought any jewelry with us.
What churches from around the world have you visited? Ever climbed to the top of a scary tower? Tell me below!
Last night the Feds (Joe & Caroline) got in around 11:30pm, right after I had just awoken from my post-dinner nap. I headed up to their room to see them and only to find out that 5 of the 9 people on the Atlanta flight had missed the connection as they were coming from Lexington. Poor Jim, Donna, Liz and the Hannas! Davis, Allison Cornish and Jeannie and Tom Guskey all arrived around 12:30am and we greeted them in the lobby. Davis and I stayed up talking for a while, only to pay the price for it today.
When our 7:30am alarm went off today, neither D nor I were up for it. Although, it only took us through breakfast (¡dame el café!) to realize the excitement of the day ahead. After the continental breakfast in our hotel, Daniel, our guide from Adventure Life, met us for a day of fun touring. Not only was he super cute and nice, he was an awesome guide who spoke great English (it was a little too good for my liking, because I had to coax him to speak to me in Spanish).
Right away, Daniel and our driver Carlos took us to one of the largest churches in Quito, Basílica del Voto Nacional, where we first saw the tombs. These above-ground graves are what Ecuadorians use as cemeteries, placing their loved ones inside stone boxes that they take care of and decorate periodically. My toes were definitely tingling as we climbed up - and even more when we descended - but the view atop the tower made it all worthwhile.
Leaving the tombs, we ascended the towers of the Basílica (the only Gothic church in Quito) and walked across a wooden bridge that was positioned high above the nave of the church. Not for the faint of heart, the boys (Tom and Coach Fed) stayed behind while we strong women headed up three ladders to the Tower of the Condor - the highest point in the north part of Quito.
The condor is the national bird of Ecuador, but he's not a pretty bird. There were gargoyles all over this church, but not scary ones (aside from the condor); rather, these gargoyles are animals endemic to the area - tortoises, birds, etc. - all animals we would soon see in the Galápagos.
There was a little gift shop in the church inside one of the other towers, where Davis and I picked up some souvenir necklaces - for only $6! We're wearing them in the photos above, and I'm sure you'll see them the rest of the week, since neither one of us brought any jewelry with us.
What churches from around the world have you visited? Ever climbed to the top of a scary tower? Tell me below!
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Trip of a Lifetime
My best friend Davis asked me early last summer if I would ever be interested in going to the Galápagos on a trip with her extended family. She warned me that this would be a "big girl trip," and that no sponsorships would be provided, so we would each have to finance our own trips. I told her that I would be crazy not to accept, but to please not tell me how much it would cost, for fear that the cost alone would cause me to object. When I went to Westport, NY for vacation with her family (her mom's family has been going there for 50 years), her uncle Jim asked me about the trip and I immediately committed.
I couldn't believe it! I had just committed to a crazy expensive trip, but one that I knew would be the trip of a lifetime. We will be traipsing across Ecuador in early February 2010 and I will tell you all about it here. Hope you enjoy the journey!
Has anyone else been to the Galápagos? What islands did you visit? Where did you fly into in Ecuador? Tell me all about it!
I couldn't believe it! I had just committed to a crazy expensive trip, but one that I knew would be the trip of a lifetime. We will be traipsing across Ecuador in early February 2010 and I will tell you all about it here. Hope you enjoy the journey!
Has anyone else been to the Galápagos? What islands did you visit? Where did you fly into in Ecuador? Tell me all about it!
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