Author Archives: Serene

We knew rainy days were coming because our snorkel tour in Tahiti was canceled before we even left Phoenix.  It is the rainy season in French Polynesia.  We would have taken that into account if we were specifically coming here … Continue reading →

Our next big adventure is to experience another item on Randy’s bucket list – snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Before that, we have a few days in Tahiti,  a few days in Auckland, and a two week cruise.  … Continue reading →

Before our final day, we had our final night aboard the Treasure of Galapagos.  Our ten person crew joined us in their dress uniforms so we had a chance to say goodbye and give them a thank you tip. Victor … Continue reading →

North Seymour is a small, but important, island for seabirds and those who are interested in seabirds.  It is the primary destination in the Galapagos for birders. Frigates and blue footed boobies have nesting grounds on the island.  This boobie … Continue reading →

Overnight the captain had motored us towards our next activities on Santiago and Bartolomé Islands.  We generally enjoy sleeping to the movement of a boat so all was well. Our first activity of the day was a lava hike.  We … Continue reading →

We had an early start at the hotel in Quito.  Our bags had to be out by 4:30 to allow for Galapagos bag inspections.  They were looking for anything fresh or with seeds that might invade the Galapagos ecosystem. The … Continue reading →

Our Ecuador guide, William, picked us up at the hotel to begin our Quito adventure.   On the way, he gave us some general information. The US dollar has been the national currency of Ecuador for 24 years.  They do … Continue reading →

The morning of September 24, the day we were to depart the Delfin III, I woke up feeling hungry and went to the lounge for a cookie before breakfast.  During breakfast, I started feeling gastric-intestinal discomfort and headed to the … Continue reading →

We opted to skip the first activity of the day – another jungle walk in the Amazon and stay on the Delfin III for the morning.  We were guaranteed to get hot, muggy and tired in the heat and not … Continue reading →

We had a 5:30 AM alarm 6:30 breakfast and then we were fitted with rubber boots.   Then we embarked on a fifteen minute skiff ride to meet a local shaman. Karola is a Shaman.  She was selected at age … Continue reading →