 |
| Tallest sand dune in Europe |
We returned our rental car in Bordeaux on a very hot day and took the 1 hour train to Arcachon on France’s Atlantic coast. The train was full of young people escaping the heat by heading for the beach. Like our home, it’s much cooler by the ocean in summer.
 |
| Beynac Castle |
After getting the rental car at the train station in Bourdeaux we headed out to the Dordogne region of France (headed east more or less). And headed for the small medieval touristy town of Sarlat la Caneda which at one time was 2 towns (Sarlat and La Caneda). I seriously doubt anyone will know Sarlat la Caneda but, you do know some things about Dordogne and just think of them as "French". So, the food is different throughout the country and Dordogne is foie gras and cassoulet plus walnuts. I suspect you have heard of foie gras and cassoulet is vaguely familiar to me. The other thing to know about the area is there is very old cave art here and several cute old towns to explore. It is also an area where the 100 years war with Britain was fought so lots of chateaus from that time period.
 |
| Our floating home the MC Anahi |
Day 1
We have another early start because we fly to Galapagos and have to get past several security type check points. We are greeted at the airport by a representative of our boat. We thought we had done all the pre paperwork but learn we are missing one - it is all done with QR codes and not working smoothly. Finally we have all the paperwork and our bags approved and sealed so we can go to the boarding gate. None of the 4 of us are sure how long the flight is - memories of 4 hours, but the time and distance don’t seem right. What we were missing was the layover/stop we have in Guayquill. We make it to the Baltra airport get off the plane and get in a line for more paperwork. They first make sure we have the right approvals and then send us to the guy we will pay $200/person in cash for the right to step foot in the Galapagos National Park which is 97% of the Galapagos. Then we head over to get our bags - um problem. Only Linda's bag is here. We have a lot of company. For some unknown reason, a lot of the baggage on our flight was taken off in Guayquill. We have to do paperwork on our phones in Spanish. We find the representative for our boat and explain the problem. He tries to get them to let someone else get our bags - no luck, but then we learn our bags are already on the way. End story we stood around the airport for an hour waiting on our luggage. Getting to Galapagos has not been easy!
 |
| Morning view above the canopy |
We are up early to start our journey to Sacha Lodge deep in the Amazon. It takes a flight on a commercial jet followed by a 50 mile (2 hours) boat ride down the Napo river. We see small barges and boats like ours. This area has oil, which is responsible for a third of the Ecuador economy. We even see a mini cruise boat used as another form of ecotourism.
We are in Quito for just 2 days. Happily, we have booked a tour guide for both days so we can make the most of our short time in Quito. Personally, I have concerns about visiting Quito - it is a very high-altitude city as it is aptly named city in the clouds. I have had a mild case of altitude sickness before at a lower altitude. So I took meds, but truthfully, I never felt quite like myself while there and unfortunately Jeff was fighting a cold the whole time. We did enjoy ourselves just not perfect.
 |
| Jeff and Carol on the Antarctica Peninsula |
 |
Day 1
Elephant Island
This island got its name from the Elephant Seals often found
on its beaches. Some say it is because
when looking down on it from above it looks like an elephant head with a trunk. Either way it is part of the South Shetland
Islands so named because they are on an equal latitude point as the Shetland
Islands off Scotland. We have continued
to follow the steps of Shackleton, and this small island is where they washed up. It is here that Shackleton and 3 others left
the rest of the crew while they went off in search of help. The ones left behind stayed on a beach that
no longer exists, but you can tell where they were because the caves that were
behind them in photos are still there. We
rode the zodiacs around the island. We
saw a statute in honor of the Chilean Sea Captain who rescued the men left
behind. It is pretty and desolate all at
the same time.
