South Africa, Zambia Coming Soon.

MIA

Sorry, I have been on quite the hiatus from the NEST and from this blog. Life has been hectic, mostly in a good way.

I have plenty of updates to share...Stay Tuned!

Quebec, Canada

Decided to forego my usually long-winded, anecdote-heavy, detailed play-by-play review that I provide along most of my travel pictures in exchange for a new method: How about we let the pictures tell the story?

Decided against chronology and order too. What a rebel I am! ha! Instead I am going to provide you the basics of our amazingly wonderful little road-trip to Montreal and Quebec City in a few, succint sentences with my suggestions on why these cities are worth a visit:

• Go to Montreal, it is an amazing, multi-cultured city with a delicious fusion of old and new architecture, cuisine and people.
  



• Go to Quebec City, with just a few hours driving North from New York you'll think you have crossed into a quaint European village near Provence, France and forget your in Canada.



• Go to such places with good friends, like ours, it will make the whole experience that much more memorable.



• It's the perfect holiday for a holiday weekend like Presiden'ts Day, or for an extended stay.

Here are a few pictures of our adventures, taken with my new Nikon D60 that I am still learning to use....




















































































Hope you enjoy. Please let me know if you have any questions! Till our next adventure...

Travel Itch - Nicaragua 2008.

The husband and I became afflicted with travel itch as soon as we realized it had been almost six months since our last Amazing Race Adventure through the Andes of Ecuador and Peru!


Caution: Travel Itch bouts are known to cause expensive, often contagious symptoms identified below:

• obsessive internet searches on travel destinations, packages and airfare deals



• booking of said hotels and airfare tickets, usually with a no return policy



• taking multiple vacation days off work



• dealing with inconvenient packing, airport security processes and uncomfortable plane rides just to get to said destination



• the inability to want to leave said destinations as vacation life can become quite addictive



• the desire to do it all again as soon as your plane lands home! (you wanderlusters know exactly what I'm talking about:)

Disclaimer: There really is no ointment for the itch - aside from giving in to your travel fantasies that is;)

Our travel itch was further fueled by the recent anniversary of our 3rd blessed year of marriage, and we became giddy with anticipation once we finalized our trip to the romantic destination of Nicaragua ! We rather enjoy our travel itch bouts, especially since they occur often. HA!

So let me tell you a little about our 6 day (including travel to and from) escapade to the Land of the Nicas. I will preface this account by mentioning that what I found most appealing about this country was its raw beauty. Its untouched, virgin landscapes. Its awe-inspiring volcanoes and that impressive Lake Nicaragua, which is the life source for so many beings, especially the natives themselves.


After a rather exhaustive red-eye flight departing JFK to Panama City and then a one-hour connect flight from Panama to Managua on COPA [which btw, we got for a steal at only $300 r/t], we were more than happy to arrive at our luxuriously stunning hotel - The Pelican Resort in San Juan del Sur.


This place went above and beyond my expectations, the husband really outdid himself when he booked it. [Yes folks, my hubby has become the only travel fiend, he's left me in the dust... but I digress] I had seen it on the website and read the favorable reviews but it took stepping into our hacienda style casita and looking out from the deck on that impressive view to be convinced. I was also surprised at the layout, the hotel was built around a naturally existing rainforest slope with a majestic panorama of the Pacific ocean...



The rooms were spectacular and if I could, I would transport that Turkish-bath inspired shower dome and double sink vanity with me on the plane! We also loved the three infinity pools, even if it took a 20+ minute walk uphill on stairs to get to them. All the stairs surrounding the resort were more than enough exercise to supplement the place not having a gym; it’s the price you pay for a view like the one we had. Albeit the Husband is thinking of writing them to suggest they install an escalator for the next time we visit. He said hiking Machu Picchu was more than enough stair climbing to last us a lifetime. HA!

After literally lounging by the pool for hours on end (it's quite the laborious task I tell ya;), we decided it was time to explore more of this rustic and tropical wonderland.

Therefore, one random morning we rose early in the AM and took an air-conditioned taxi (it was all about the comfort for the hubby on this trip, - he said he had had more than his fill of "roughing it" in our last trip:) to the port of San Jorge from where we took a one-hour ferry to the famed and exotic - Isla de Ometepe.


Aside from our humble abode at the Pelican, Ometepe was by far my favorite spot out of all the places we visited in Nica. With it's two iconic and prominent volcanoes- Concepcion and Maderas, also known as Volcan de Fuego y Volcan de Agua - and it's never-ending green pastures, effervescent rivers and quiet, good-natured people it was impossible not to get smitten. Picture Gilligan's island but instead of six stranded soles, there are 40,000 inhabitants. Instead of a little island off the coast of some random part of the ocean, this one is smack in the middle of the impressive Lake Nicaragua. Instead of lounging about all day trying to figure out how to get off the island, those that come to Ometepe wish to never leave. Tourism here, as in most of the country, is still in its infancy and things are almost twenty years "behind the time." The cushy commodities of our modern society are virtually non-existent and any type of advanced technology (as in broadband and high-speed) are still considered a luxury, but this is precisely why I found it so intriguing. So organic. So fertile. So green. So pure. So inviting...

Which is the perfect descriptive for this incredible naturally formed blue lagoon made from the subterranean volcanic waters of Maderas called Ojo de Agua. Inviting...

The island was also dotted by the most colorful and genuinely textural flora and fauna:



Not to mention some interesting artifacts and mischievous locals who have the ritual of diving off the ferry before it departs for the mainland...


We are definitely contemplating a return to this idyllic little isle, very soon we hope. (Did I mention that in addition to all the beauty it offers - this island, and the country of Nicaragua as a whole for that matter - is incredibly affordable to the American tourist? Imagine that, a place where our dollar still has some value!;)

We also made sure to visit the colonial and colorful town of Granada where we took a tour by boat around the private little islands that can be purchased to build your dream home on. We had interesting encounters with those of a "hairier" nature, and topped off the afternoon with a visit to the Masaya Artisan Market for some Nicaraguan artifacts of our own...

Overall we fell in-love with the country, and in-like with the culture. The Nicas are extremely polite and friendly enough, albeit definitely not as gregarious or as fun-loving (read: sociable) as other Latin cultures we've encountered, but after living in the D.R some years, perhaps I am biased:)

Enough of my long-windedness, let's get to what you really came here for - the pictures!

Disclaimer: There are quite a few to scroll through and you may need to click on a few to get the full picture as blogger cuts off the dimensions.



























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Till the next time the proverbial travel itch creeps up and bites us... ;)

Vaya Pues (as they say in Nica)

The Nicety of Nicaragua.

We have returned from our whirlwind escapade to the land of Volcanoes - better known as-Nicaragua. Untouched, raw beauty!


Here are a few teaser pictures for your enjoyment. I promise to add a detailed, daily synopsis soon...

Ruta del Sol, Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

The last leg of our trip involved getting from the Highland Mountainous regions of Quito, to the famed Ruta del Sol Coastal region of Manabi and the incredible Eco-paradise that is Machallila State Park.



We hired Marcos, a personal tour escort to take us. It turned out to be one heck of a road-trip.

Marcos took us to our final destination without batting an eye. That man is beyond impressive; he must be made of steel. He drove straight through the entire 13 hours without even taking a 20 minute nap. Highly recommend him to anyone planning an adventurous trip to Quito and in a need of a great transport/guide package. (Anyone with interest can leave me a comment or page me for details.)

After an adventure-filled road-trip, all we wanted to do when we arrived to the Puerto Lopez was to relax..... And that is precisely what we did. This place went above and beyond our expectations. I want you to just for a minute close your eyes and envision the perfect Eco-Paradise of a Resort nestled on a cliff, surrounded by cozy, colorful, personalized bungalows with the most Spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean and a Hotel staff dedicated to your individual needs and catering to your every beck and call (and when I mean "your" I mean ONLY you and yours) and here comes the best part, only paying less than $50 US dollars a night for all this! Have you pictured it? Good, then you have arrived at the Mantaraya Lodge in Manabi Province, Ecuador.


Can you believe our excitement when we realize that the entire 15-room resort was all to ourselves? Highly recommend this place, if you really want to "get away from it all" - this is the place to go. Literally.


Our stay in Puerto Lopez/Machallila National Park was divine. The next couple of days consisted of many exciting, and relaxing activities including whale-watching, snorkeling, diving, hiking, and just plain old lounging-by-the-pool.

Perfection.
Divine Perfection.

The perfect ending, to a perfectly wonderful trip.

Some pictures for your enjoyment:










































And this is the aftermath (which doesn't include the leather goods we bought at Cotacahi or the Alpaca scarves and mittens I bought in Cusco, those still needed to be unpacked:) The Husband said I could start my own South American Market, lol, I think he may be right;o

Quito, Otavalo, Highlands of Ecuador

As soon could we get a bird's eye view of the Ecuadorian capital as we descend slowly onto the runway, I could tell I was going to really like it here. First of all, the city is outlined by big, bold and beautiful jade green and cobalt blue mountains capped by the fluffiest white clouds that surround the city's heart that juts out from the center - like a belly button. Tall, gleaming sky-scrapers and modern condominiums are contrasted by the old colonial town center and colorful barrios almost seem to accessorize the mountainside...this is Quito at first glance.


The feel of the city is just as pleasant as the landscape, if not more. As soon as we arrive we meet the man that will become not only our savvy chauffer, but our companion and life-saver for the next 72 hours - Marcos. He takes us to our B&B that is smack in the middle of the Colonial part of town, a big tourist-draw, and very charming. The hotel is surrounded by a plethora of eateries offering excellent Ecuadorian fare at dirt-cheap prices (the $1.80-$2 arroz con menstra y carne's are everywhere) because as much as we loved Peruvian food, the prices were pretty steep when compared to Ecuador. We noticed that Ecuador was considerably cheaper in everything: COL, food, lodging, transport, and even fuel prices! (probably becuase they have their own fuel reserves;)



In Quito we made sure to do the obligatory tourists stops like Mitad Del Mundo and do the obligatory straddle of both the North and South hemispheres as well as enjoy more of Quito's night-life. Part of our group went to see a real live football game at the famous Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa with Quito's star team known as Liga that happened to make it all the way to the finals and beat Brazi. We were told that despite the freezing cold, screaming fans, and utter chaos that is expected in a true South American football game, it was truly a spectacular event. The other part of our group opted to attend a different type of cultural experience by visiting the town plaza for free performance of the Ballet Folklorico Ecuatoriano which displayed a dance and attire indigenous to each Province in Ecuador. Both events turned out to be culturally enriching, as did being able to turn in relatively early that night for the long day ahead of us.

The next day we left Quito to explore the Highlands of the Andes and all it has to offer. Wow! Who would have known that just a few hours from Quito you find yourself in a whole other world of wonder. Our faithful taxi driver Marcos, took us to so many fabulous places, but I'll let the pictures tell the story:



We started our day with a visit to the stunning Imbabura volcano and San Pablo Lake. The Andes here are different from those in Peru, much greener, and conducive for agriculture. And the scenery is breath-taking, to say the least.


We then took a leisurely boat-ride across the famed San Pablo Lake and visited the Posh Puerto Lago Hosteria (a gorgeous place to keep in mind for future anniversaries;)

Not before trying on our own Otavalo-Indian inspired ensemble of course;)



We then head to the famous Otavalo Street Market (the largest in all of South America) for some amazing artisan finds and color therapy galore.


Afterward we drive up to the outstanding Cascadas de Peguche y bosque for some incredible scenery and a dip in the ice-cold waterfall waters. This place is beyond beautiful and we were about the only crazy tourists that got wet that day, everyone else was daunted by the cold. Miedosos!



Finally, we end the day with a drive up to the famous Cotacachi (aka Leather Ville, or what we called it:) town in the mountains that is known for its incredible leather goods and fresh, organic meats. Not only did we have a delicious dinner, but got a great post-dinner workout perusing the shops for some cool leather treats we will don come the cold NY nights, at those prices it would of been ludicrous not to. After heading back to Quito for some drinks and desserts we get some shut eye in preparation for the next day where we will head up to the famous Banos de Papallacta.



This place is straight out of the storybooks. Natural Hot-springs of steaming water nestled in between dripping cloud forests and rivers. Once your there you get so relaxed, you think twice about leaving. We spend most of the afternoon here frolicking in the different thermal baths and then shocking our body temperature by stepping into the artic-cold river water that runs right through the complex. We end the evening with a delicious dinner of Ecuadorian delicacies like Sopa de Locrio and Caldo de Patas de Res .

More pictures of this gorgeous region of Ecuador. (Disclaimer- there are a ton of pics!)
























































Remember Marcos, our faithful and brave chauffer mentioned above? Well after Papallacta he will remain with us for the next 14 hours or so as we embark in the craziest mission of them all - crossing the Andes into the Ecuadorian Coast and arriving at La Ruta Del Sol y Puerto Lopez.

Stay tuned for our final destination as we complete our Amazing South American Adventure.