All four seasons in a single day
Quito, Ecuador lies nestled in a mountain valley in the Andes Mountains. Because it lies almost exactly on the equator,
Category: Miscellaneous
$75 sunblock?!!!
Fair warning: the Galápagos is basically Disney for environmentalists. Expect to overpay for everything. Things in Galápagos are not just far more expensive than on the Ecuador mainland, they are even more expensive than most places in the US. Although you can wander around whichever island you are on, if...
My Interview in Expat Magazine
Back in the November issue of Expat Magazine, I was interviewed about my (then-planned) expat journey and the book I wrote to help me decide where to go.
Adventure on the cheap in the Galápagos Islands
My daughter and I landed today in the Galápagos Islands. If you didn’t know, every year I take her on a trip for her birthday. Even though her birthday is in December, this year we had to schedule the trip around other commitments we both had. The Galápagos is certainly...
“How can you afford to travel like that?”
Since even before I officially quit my day job and set out to traipse around the world, I started getting the questions. Once I set out, the queries have only intensified. Especially as my little trip dragged on for months and months. “How can you afford to travel so much?”...
The WEIRDEST rain you’ve ever seen!
I had seen this before but now, caught on HD video, a really strange rain phenomenon.
Teeny tiny lizard
Guayaquil is teeming with lizards. They mostly try very hard to stay away from humans. I have seen lizards of many different sizes. From longer than my leg to shorter than my thumb. This little guy is so tiny he can actually walk around underneath the glass top of this...
Surprising Things that Simply Don’t Exist in South America
Having now traveled extensively through five different South American countries, I’ve started to notice a handful of things that are common in North America but more or less nonexistent in South America. (The reverse is also true but I think most people expect to find exotic foods and such when...
Swimming in the rain
It rains every day in the tropics. At least it does in Ecuador at this time of year. Usually, the rains come at night or in the early morning hours. And it’s that kind of warm, soft rain that makes you want to sit up in bed and just listen....
Bus Station Security
Bus hijackings in remote areas of Perú is apparently a thing. As near as I can tell, it happens once every couple of years. A pretty standard M.O. is for a passenger, who is in league with the hijackers, to phone ahead to his partners when the bus nears a...