Galapagos! Days 7 & 8: There's no place like home

Monday, August 2 and Tuesday, August 3, 2010

And so begins the 2 day journey back home. Monday we flew from the Galapagos to Quito, then woke up at 3:00am on Tuesday morning to catch our flight from Quito to Miami, followed by Miami to Chicago and then for me, Chicago to Rochester. Dear travel agent person who booked our flights, I think you may be partially insane because 35 minutes is not enough time in between flights. All day I was worried we would miss our connections. We did make it on time, but only just.

All in all, the trip was simply awesome. I know that I am ridiculously fortunate to have had this experience and I hope there are many more trips and adventures awaiting me down the road. I'm already thinking of the next 20 places I want to visit. It is possible that I have become addicted to travel. Back in the day, I totally would have been an explorer (most of their "discoveries" resulted from simply getting lost, and I have no trouble doing that).

For anyone thinking of visiting the Galapagos, DO IT! Seriously, it's incredible. We chose a land tour and stayed at the Red Mangrove hotels on 3 different islands: Floreana, Isabela and Santa Cruz. Each hotel was unique and charming and I was very pleased with the food and accomodations. Two thumbs up, Red Mangrove. Galapagos cruises are another popular option, but our guides explained that, with the land tours, the money you pay supports the local economy whereas when you pay for a cruise, the money goes to the foreign companies that own the cruise lines. Something to think about.

Good times, good times, but I'm glad to be back home with Jeremy and Lucky. Part of the fun of going away is coming back to share your stories.

Until next time...with love, from Robot.

Lyric of the moment: "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on now. 'Cause there's too many places I've got to see..."