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Winter Travels: Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru: 12/18/09 – 01/01/10

I am extremely lucky. No, not in the Vegas sense, and I won’t be picking your lottery numbers, but I’m acutely aware of just how fortunate I am that my family have made exploring the world a priority… Travel is an imperative during times (like the present day) when sociopolitical strife and uncertainty reigns amongst the global community: being exposed to cultures outside of your own bubble fosters more understanding between people, and an exchange of ideas is also facilitated. On a less altruistic note, international travel is a fantastic way to enrich one’s mind, body, and soul.

I’ve been around the world in my travels, and have borne witness to some extraordinary things, but I feel that throughout these most recent jaunts of mine, I have crossed off some major sights off of my “Bucket List” and never before have I been so deeply afflicted with the urge to travel even more. What follows is a brief synopsis of these journeys, and perhaps some photos!

Phase 1: Quito Ecuador.

Ecuador was a jumping off point before phase 2, but we didn’t leave without seeing some incredible things! First, a national park outside of Quito, then back to civilization at a marketplace:

Seeing the vibrant colors of the marketplace, as well as the vibrancy of the people going about their daily lives was a captivating sight, and ranks as one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Phase 2: Galapagos Islands.

Please forgive my brevity. I have much to cover, and I want to maximize readability, god knows I have a tendency to ramble…

Anyhow, the boat was large and it did the trick, ferrying us about many of the Galapagos Islands, where we would trek and photograph the inhabitants, who for the most part turned out to be a bunch of boobies.

Stunning wordplay aside, we also saw some mind blowing scenery, and various other wildlife specimens, Chuck D would’ve been proud!

Though I have about 5,000 more photos, my alarmingly focused desire to stay concise compels me to soldier onward:

Phase 3: Cusco: Contemplating the navel of the Earth.

Atahulpa, one of the last Inca kings, welcomed us to Cusco. Nice of him, hey? Cusco was thought by the Inca to be the navel of the earth, and they used it as a bureaucratic and spiritual capitol. They abandoned phase 4 location, Machu Picchu, to attempt to defend this homeland from the Spanish Conquest. Today, it is a city of great cultural importance, and the heritage of the past is celebrated!

Cusco, like Quito, ended up being a gateway… This time, to:

Phase 4: Machu Picchu, the great abandoned Inca city!

There aren’t sufficient words for this experience… Breathtaking. They sure don’t build ‘em like they used to! This really needs to be on your “Bucket List”. How did these people move these massive boulders over miles through steep valley terrain? Amazing.

Another excellent part of this section of the voyage was my extremely serendipitous timing for choosing to read Che Guevara’s Motorcycle Diaries, which ended up synchronizing with my journeys. Can’t wait to see the film now, but I digress… Onward to:

Phase 5: Return to Cusco: For some more ruins, and shopping. Ha.

Phase 6: The last leg of our journey, Lake Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca is the world’s deepest, and highest (in elevation) lake. Situated on the Altiplano between both Andes mountain ranges, it is shared between Peru and Bolivia. We took excursions out on the lake to see a group of people who live on “reed villages” floating on the lake:

and an island where dudes get their wives by being the best knitters! No joke! I took a lot of portraits there:

When all is said and done, my Latin American travels felt… Unfinished. I want to go back, explore more. In the meantime, I will cherish these memories and sights!
If you’d like to see more pictures from my journeys, please follow the links below:

Quito, Ecuador

Galapagos Islands

Machu Picchu

Cusco, Peru

Lake Titicaca

Thanks for joining me today, fellow intrepid world travelers!! Until next time…