Ginny and Duncans Big Adventure

It's hard to write a diary on a boat which is rocking on the ocean... queasiness might get the better of me, but I'll give it a go... After an early flight and great inefficiencies in Quito airport (getting our Galapagos permits) we arrived in San Cristobel, in the Galapagos Islands, around 10am.  Meeting our guide, Franklin, and fellow shipmates, we headed straight to the marina and our boat, the Eden.  A little long in the tooth, she had seen better days but was spacious and for 9 guests and 6 crew, home for the next week. Franklin wasted no time in giving us our tour and safety briefing and the boat got underway while Walter, our chef, served up a delicious lunch. Within an hour or so we moored up for our first island walk. The boat's tender took us to the shore - which was littered with sea lions!  Not minding us at all, Franklin had to shoo them off the concrete jetty. Literally dozens of them: males, females and loads of cubs.  Huge red and bright blue c...

We were driven back to Quito from Hacienda Alegria after breakfast and some fond farewells with Gabriel, Paty, Veronique, Janet and of course the horses.  Our hotel was very central so we dropped our bags and headed into the city.  Back at our favourite coffee shop, we booked hotels for later in our stay and then wandered towards the Cathedral, through the narrow, congested streets.  Traffic in Quito is terrible and the old town seems to be in the permanent state of gridlock. The cathedral, built in 1926 is an enormous structure with layers of intricate stained glass windows running the entire length of the nave, each side flanked by individual alters to various saints.  Charlotte lit a candle for our travels and we hid inside for a while longer to avoid the heavy rain.  Wandering back to the old town, we stopped to do some shopping, checked into our rather groovy hotel and then back out to La Rhonda.  La Rhonda is a street by the original city wall, whic...

Cotopaxi We were picked up at 7am, to be driven out of Quito to the Hacienda Alegria, where we would meet our fellow riders and start our 4 day horse trek.  Hacienda Alegria is a working farm with 70 horses, owned and run by the welcoming Gabriel Espinosa and his wife, Paty.  Gabriel guides multi-day treks through the Central Highlands of Ecuador.  He has lived here for over 60 years and knows the country, and horses, like the back of his suntanned hands. Me and my Prince At the hacienda, we were kitted out with chaps and hats, met Janet and Veronique, two US and French friends who met on a riding holiday 10 years ago, and were served a lovely breakfast in this old, grand hacienda.  Then we were bundled into a car with Guido, our other horse-hand or 'chagra' (the Ecuadorian equivalent of a gaucho).  An hour later we pulled over in a field and met our steeds; 6 of them with 2 spare.  Mine was a sweet white gelding called Princip, or Prince.  W...