Dordogne

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.

Galapagos

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!

Amazon basin Ecuador

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.  

Quito and the Cloud Forrest of Ecuador

 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.

Antartica Peninsula with lots and lots of Whales

Jeff and Carol on the Antarctica Peninsula

A day that started early and frustrating would end fantastically.

South Shetland Islands

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.

South Georgia Islands

white penguin - not albino since some color

 Day 1

First Stop-Grytviken

It is a former whaling settlement.  It was in existence from 1902 to 1966.  It was the first of six and the last of the whaling settlements in South Georgia.  Before it was a whaling settlement, it was used by individuals for seal hunting and processing.  The seal hunters left their huge pots behind (think witches' cauldron) and in Swedish Grytviken means pot bay.  Now it is a historical site and an area full of fur seals with some penguins too.  There is a choice for a hike, so Linda and I send the men on that and take the chance to explore the old settlement.