Ecuador was wonderful, the terrain beautiful and the people very friendly. You were very right with the choice to head up to Otavalo. The drive was great, the stops were better. We ended up making some wonderful purchases for our home which Fernando graciously posted for us. All paintings and weavings have been hung and the pottery distributed. (If you have clients going to Quito in the future that would like to look into some of the art of the region, Galleria Latina is an excellent South American artisan shop with a sister shop in the Galapagos!) La Mirage in Otavalo was also quite lovely!
Canodros deserves accolades for it's interest in protecting the environment. Kapawi was extraordinary, even though Jim thought I was trying to kill him drip by perspiration drip! The jungle was wet...there is no other way to describe how you feel after a short time within it's boundary...no big surprise there! The lodge itself was great, the food incredible...actually the chef in Kapawi was better than on the Galapagos Explorer II. Our English speaking guide, Edwin, should be the spokesman for preserving the Amazon. He's knowledgeable, articulate and passionate about the land. The best part, actually of the whole trip surprised us...it was the visit to the Achuar village. Considering the fact that the Achuar people first encountered outsiders in 1970, their comfort with our world is amazing. The elder wanted us to understand his world, wanted to know about us and what we did in our world then asked for our questions. It was quite extraordinary, maybe the highlight for our travels so far.
The Galapagos Islands were what I expected...prehistoric, many islands seemingly untouched and completely fascinating. The ship was very comfortable and friendly. The staff was very good. Most of the guests were great fun, definitely a younger group than you find on many ships. We loved it.
Thank you, Marjanna. Your creativity gave us a trip that we will never forget. If you would like to use us for a reference for Canodros or Toppsa, please do.
Sheila and Jim Schultz
NOV 2006 |
