We took a day trip to Otavalo, a small town known for its textiles and surrounded by Imbabura, Cotacachi, and Mojando volcanoes. Saturday is known for the Mercado Artesana and we stopped there for a couple of hours to do some shopping. Afterwards, we took a relatively short yet windy road to Laguna Cuicocha, a 2 mile wide caldera and crater lake at the foot of Cotacachi Volcano. We are truly enjoying all the natural wonders of Ecuador!
On October 11th, Ecuador played Uruguay for an important World Cup Qualifier game. With afternoon storms rolling in, I managed to take these pics from our hotel rooftop as the crowds rolled in. It was pretty loud. Congrats to Ecuador as they beat Uruguay 1-0
Suzan found a fantastic Italian restaurant called L'Arcadia that not only has delicious items on their menu but also makes and individually sells their own fresh pasta. She also found some tasty parmesan and little tomatoes which turned into a delicious dinner. Bit by bit we are finding little jewels in this city.
Yesterday Julia and I took our first road trip. Without any maps, we navigated to Cumbaya and found a quiet park free of crowds and organ grinders. It was a quick adventure, just long enough to enjoy some pizza and beautiful scenery, then we returned to Quito to hit the supermarket. We managed to get out of the city and return to run errands in a fraction of the time than it would have taken in Mexico City. Really liking this little town high in the Andes! Looking forward to future escapes from the city.
We arrived in Quito, Ecuador late Tuesday night. Kitties did well in the flight and seem to have adjusted well to the hotel. The altitude is apparent and we are drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated but all in all feeling better after each day. Many thanks to Suzan for scouting all available properties, we've found an available condo that we like very much and submitted the paperwork Friday. Hopefully the Embassy will move swiftly and we can move in within a month...hopefully. Hoping to explore a little more of the city within the next couple of days.
Over the last few days, movers picked up our unaccompanied air baggage, our cars, and our recently purchased -- and never tried out -- furniture. Stressful, yes, but thanks to my lovely wife for keeping things organized and on time and to the great service from Anytime Movers, things went pretty darn smoothly. And now to test Xanax on our kitties to see if we can drug the shit out of them for Tuesday's flight.
Met up with the boxing crew for a sunday bbq -- the same boxing crew that was there when Julia and I first met at Sport and Health! It was great catching up and finally meeting the crew's very cute new additions. To view the entire album click here.
We purchased a new used 2010 Honda CR-V and decided to take her out on a little road trip to Thomas, West Virginia. Roughly an hour in, we veered somewhat off route to hit one of our favorite sandwich shops, Forlano's Market in Plains, VA where they have a delicious BLT sandwich. It's really a bacon sandwich. With satisfied bellies, we took the scenic route to Thomas, a drive filled with beautiful views of the West Virginia farmlands and mountains to include Seneca Rocks. We just love spending weekends in Thomas - we saw a great band,The Spring Standards, at the Purple Fiddle, hiked Douglas Falls, swam in a local swimming hole along the Dry Fork river, and more importantly spent time catching up with John, Julia's brother. All in all it was a great trip one where we could enjoy one of America's beautiful outdoors before heading to Quito.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75SJiRcOmbs
Nothing says summer like a BBQ at Mike and Arlene's, plenty of good food, wine, and friends. Below are some pictures from that day. To view the entire album click here.
We took a spontaneous trip to the Shenandoah thanks to an invite from our good friend from Mexico City, Ben. We spent a day hiking, tubing, and chillin' at Flaquis Farm, (aka "Green Meadow Farm"), complete with bonfire by the river and s'mores. Loved spending time in beautiful Virginia and were grateful for the opportunity to make new friends. To view the entire album click here.
Yesterday Romeo and I headed to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge to photograph some of the Valley's birds. According to Romeo, we saw a Grosbeak, Thrasher, Titmouse, Killdeer, Kiskadee, and Cardinal. I, on the other hand, had no freaking clue but I was able to make out a rabbit and a Javelina! We were so close to the Mexican border that AT&T sent me a text message welcoming me abroad and to dial +1 when calling to the states. To view the entire album click here
Julia and I spent a long weekend at South Padre Island with my family. The current at the beach was strong but the waves were fun for boogie boarding. The days many activities included a day trip to South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center where we saw a lovely Crocodile (or Aligator) feast on a raccoon, a Saturday with the Brownsville family, and a drive to the dunes to photograph the landscape and beautiful sunset. Links to our videos: Sal Boogie boardingJulia and Sal boogie boardingCubanos en las olasCrocodile feasting on a raccoon
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After two years of great memories, great friends, and great times, our tour in Mexico has come to an end. We said good-bye to our boxing instructor Changa and other boxing amigos at a great last class. Our Mexi-friends treated us to a delicious despedida barbecue at the Moose, complete with grilled fruit sangria and empanadas, and came to say good-bye during happy hour at the St. Regis. Our little family--including Ceniza and Compay--crossed the border to spend home leave in Texas, where we've spoken more Spanish and eaten more tortillas than when we were in Mexico. We're already missing the Mexi-crew dearly but enjoying a summer packed with family time before the next adventure. Click here to view the entire album.
Congratulations, Michelle, on completing your masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Texas Austin School of Architecture. We had a great time celebrating your accomplishment last weekend in Austin. One thing is for sure, we are going to have to get used to the heat and humidity when we travel to Texas and DC this summer. To view the entire album click here.
As our tour in Mexico is coming to an end, we took one final trip with the Mexi-crew to Baja California Sur. A world of contrasts, BCS is beautiful and we were lucky to share it with great friends whom we will miss immensely. The Casa Blanca was our beautiful home at Punta Pescadero, and from there we took a day trip to La Paz and then Isla Espiritu Santo for snorkeling with sea lions and kayaking. Our adventurous fisher-friends took a day trip fishing in the Sea of Cortez. While it was our last trip in Mexico during our tour, it is certainly not our last trip to BCS. To view the entire album click here.
Click here to view our video from Isla Espiritu Santo.
And finally, click here for our Kayaking video in Isla Espiritu Santo
I had been wanting to go to Paso De Cortes ever since hearing about it in a documentary. It is a mountain pass between Popocatépetl and IxtaccÃhuatl volcanoes, roughly 11,000 feet above sea level, and the path through which Herman Cortes and his army marched to Mexico City. Julia and I with some friends headed to Parque Nacional Izta-Popo for a hike, picnic, and of course to take some photos. Roughly 2 hours from Mexico City, we arrived at Paso De Cortez and the entrance to the park. The view of Popocatépetl spewing smoke, as it is still active, was amazing. After entering the park, we drove north on a dirt road to La Joya where we parked and began hiking at roughly 11,857 feet. Once we reached 13,235, we decided to turn back to give our lungs a break. The park provided a great escape from the city life. To view the entire album click here.
Julia, Suzan, and I took a trip to San Crisotbal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. We stayed at Parador Margarita, a charming inn not far from the Zocalo. The service and breakfast were fantastic. Our first stop was Sumidero Canyon which was simply amazing. For me it was the sharp rise of the ocean floor as the river cuts through the mountains exposing the extremely slanted layers of limestone that was most impressionable. The air unfortunately was a little hazy due to the farmers burning their fields. The next couple of days were spent exploring San Cristobal and its markets where locals sell their handmade stuffed animals. We found a some great restaurants especially Comida Thai. How we craved Thai food! On the last day we drove to Chamula de Chiapa, an indigenous village in the mountains. To view the entire album click here.
I finally got a chance to see Suzan's beautiful place in San Miguel during the Easter weekend. The views are amazing! To view the entire album click here.
The last time Julia and I visited Riviera Maya was back in 2006 and my has it changed. This time we stayed at Maykoba and while it was set back from the beach, the room was private and our balcony oversaw what to us appeared like a jungle. We saw all sorts of birds and heard the clean wind blowing through the trees. A much needed break from the city life. Seven years ago we visited Akumal and we were literally the only ones there and after snorkeling we had lunch at a tiny fish shack. This time, however, there were a lot of tourists and a plethora of restaurants unfortunately priced for the tourist. We snorkeled and saw plenty of fish and were able to swim with the turtles again. This was my first time filming underwater with my GoPro so the video is not perfect by any means. We also re visited Dos Ojos Cenote and again it was a bit more packed with tourists. The cenote was still fantastic and I would highly recommend visiting any of the cenotes in the Yucatan.
Below are some links to our videos. Akumal - A compilation of esnorkeling videosDos Ojos Cenote - Julia and I esnorkeling basically...Dos Ojos Cenote - Another video of Julia and I snorkelingDos Ojos Cenote - Snorkeling above scuba divers
To view our album click here.
I've purchased yet another lens, Canon's EF 35mm f/1.4 USM, and have been looking for ways to share my pictures. Creating a blog may be a little too much so I've decided to post random pictures of everyday life to my Flickr account. For whatever reason Instagram has made it a pain in the ass to share pictures from Flickr or my computer. Until I figure out a way an easy way to share to Instagram, I'll continue to use Flickr. I've made my Flickr photo stream public. Hope you enjoy!