Stop the damn rocking already!

This is now day 2 off the boat and I still feel like I am on the stormy seas.

This is also the first time I am updating the blog, so oops... it is not quite the 'keep in touch' vehicle I envisioned it being.

cNevertheless... Quito was interesting, but not really a city I feel any need to return to.

The Galapagos were fantastic, beautiful, amazing, and not at all what I expected. Each island was diverse from all the others... some looked like nuclear winter had occurred, others looked like something out of a Super Mario Brothers video game.

I will have to regale everyone with tales of sea lions, blue footed boobies, flirtatious crew (unfortunately we did not WANT them to be flirtatious), snorkeling with sharks and rays, delicious food, etc, at a later time.

Suffice it to say, it was incredible, even though 6 of the 8 got virus sick (not me... yet), 7 of the 8 (including me) got sea sick, and the boat seriously rocked 45degrees each direction continously for 4 hours on the way to port the last day. I STILL feel like I am on the boat, which makes everything you do on land a little bit more interesting. I would highly recommend the trip to anyone... but not on our particular boat.

We have had somewhat bad luck with regards to flights... Jen, Lauren and I met up with the rest of the crew in the airport in Costa Rica, and then proceeded to sit on the plane for 3 hours because of a technical problem. We arrived at the Quito airport for our 8am flight to the Galapagos only to find they had changed our booking to the 930 flight. We arrived at the Galapagos airport for a 1230 flight to Quito, only to be stranded for 6 hours because of the volcanic eruptions. The airline, to their credit, did the fastest turnaround ever and got us off the island as the sun was setting (a necessity since the runway has no lights...)

We arrived in Lima last night and it is a different world. Everything in the city is barred, and it is a little disconcerting. Our hotel is in the upscale district, and we had a nice lunch at this great mall cut into the cliffs overlooking the ocean. This afternoon we viewed Lima from the secure position of a bus tour. We did get to walk through some squares, and visited a museum in this huge church that also had catacombs that were very freaky (and not only because I felt like they were on a radically rocking boat).

Tonight we met up with the rest of our travelling companions and tomorrow at 430am we leave for the airport to fly to Cusco to begin our Incan journey. We probably won´t have internet there either, so updates and photos will have to wait for my ´layover´ at home on the 27-28th before I head for Asia. There at least I know I can upload photos, will have high speed internet, and can find all the keys on the keyboard.

But, before I sign off... the highlight of the trip so far: Jason was pulled aside in Quito airport on our way out of the country to have his stomach x'rayed because they thought he might be smuggling drugs!