Hi, I arrived home from Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands a few days ago. It was a very arduous trip due to the heat and humidity, but I am pleased with all that I accomplished. I flew from New York to Florida and spent a few days with Bob, Bernadette and the girls. The tour started in Miami, and I flew to Quito, Ecuador. I was met at the airport by our guide, Sopy, and taken to the hotel. The next day I met with 15 other fellow travelers. Quito is the capitol city of Ecuador and is 9,200 ft. above sea level and is 16 miles south of the Equator. The population is about 2 million people. There is an active volcano located near to Quito and it erupted in 2006 spilling enough ash to close the airport. We visited the old city, seeing the National Basilica built in 1873, the town square and government houses. The sanctuary was blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1985. We also visited the Middle of the World where there is a monument constructed to mark the point where the equator crosses through Ecuador. However, GPS has moved the equator line 240 meters north from where it was marked in 1979-1982. We also visited the Pre-Columbian museum, The Casa del Albano, where Sopy worked before becoming a tour guide. So we received an excellent tour. That afternoon we flew to Coca where we boarded a large motorized canoe on the Napo River. This river is about 215 miles long and flows into the Amazon River. It took about 2 hours before we reached our destination at the Yachana Lodge. We were indeed in the jungle. The lodge is used as a school both for medical interns and teachers. These people go out into the jungle and assist the families with hygiene; schooling and the older students learn a service trade such as servers, chambermaids, cooking and other travel services. We visited with a native family and tasted some native foods, such as grubs, fish and fruits. I did try the grubs and they were quite tasty. If you can eat escargot, what is the difference? One day we rode in the canoe to where a native woman was panning for gold, the old fashioned way. Just as the miners did during the gold rush in our west, this woman used a small sluice, a wooden panning pan and counted the times she dug into the river bottom with stones. It is back breaking work, to say the least. Then it was back to Quito for one night and off early the next morning to fly into Baltra on the Galapagos Islands. There were 16 of us in our group, so you know the boat was small. But the food was tasty, beverages available, and we were kept very busy. Each day we were up at 6:30, breakfast at 7:00 and at 8 we boarded an eight passenger pongo or zodiac as we know them. It was a walk (hike) on the islands which are made of volcanic rock. Some of the beaches were regular sand, others red or black sand and some of the landings were wet. There was snorkeling twice a day before we returned to the boat for a meal. Then it was back out at 3:00 and return at 6:00 and dinner at 7. No need to mention that we slept well. We did see many animals, fish and birds. We saw sea turtles, sting rays, small sharks, iguanas, sea lions and blue footed boobies. We did have some birders and they were delighted with the different species that they hadn't seen before. I met a couple and their friend from the Olympia, Washington area. Cliff, Gerry and Anne had traveled with me and three other ladies when we did out South America trip in 2005. When we realized that we had traveled together before, it was a real coincidence. I am glad that I went to the Galapagos, but the heat was more than I could handle. It just took your back bone away. There is no shade to speak of and I am not much of a swimmer, much less a snorkeler. On our flight home from Quito to Miami, we were delayed 15 hours due to mechanical problems. I arrived in Miami at 1:30 AM and was able to avoid the passport control as I have Global Entry. I zipped through customs and Bob had driven down from Jupiter to Miami to pick me up. That is a 4 hour round trip. The next day I flew home from Palm Beach International Airport and Robert met me at the Westchester Airport. As always it is great to be home. Hope all is well with you and your family. Robert and I leave for Florida March 29 for five weeks. The girls are in the play Music Man. So looking forward to seeing it. Drop a line when you have some time. Love, Marilyn