We started in Quito, Ecuador, then flew to the Galapagos islands for a six-day cruise, then flew to Lima, Peru for a day, then Machu Picchu and Cusco.
Ed and Joe at the Equator
Latitude 0-0-0.
Quito, Ecuador. A beautiful city.
Plaza Grande de la Independencia in Quito.
Quito is home to almost 3 million people.
Because of frequent earthquakes, there are very few tall buildings and the city is spread out.
Aboard the Eclipse in the Galapagos Islands.
Here we are on our first hike. The trees look dead but they are not. This is fall in the Galapagos, and there has been very little rain. The trees are white because they are covered with lichens, which provide a natural sunscreen, protecting the trees from the harsh sun.
A Galapagos iguana.
Papa stands by while mama incubates the eggs. They will switch off periodically so they can both feed.
A blue-footed booby protecting her eggs.
2016: South America
A short (10 minute) video showing some of the wildlife we encountered in the Galapagos Islands and Peru.
A male blue-footed booby posturing to attract females.
Another pair of blue-footed boobies nesting.
The male frigatebirds expand their red throat pouch to attract females.
The swallow-tailed gull has a distinctive red band around their eyes.
Joe and Ed under a canopy of prickly pear cactus. When the cactus is undisturbed for 40 years, it grows a thick trunk!
Sea lions frolicking around the rocks.
The sea lions were curious and would often swim up to us. On this occasion we had to carefully step over a sea lion who decided to sun himself where we disembarked.
View of Isla San Cristobal from our ship.
Red-footed booby chick and mom.
Blue-footed booby chick and mom.
The landscape on many of the islands is rocky and mountainous.
