Farewell to South America

Wow. Can three months on the road really go that fast? Tomorrow we fly to New Zealand. (Fun fact: We'll cross the international date line, so we leave on Wednesday and arrive on Friday.)

South America has been a delight at every turn. Totally exceeded our expectations. The cities, in particular, were a huge pleasant surprise. We had expected that the big cities would be places we tolerated on our way to more distant adventures. Instead, from the moment we touched down in Cartagena, we have had a great time exploring: Medellin, Bogota, La Paz, Santiago, and now Quito. (Okay, Lima was a little lacking in charm.)

One of the things that makes these cities so enjoyable is the public space: parks and plazas. In that spirit, here is my homage to South America, beginning with Quito.

The plazas are home to much of the great architecture 

But for all the history, these outdoor places are also spots that are constantly alive with activity: families, couples, school groups, old people, young people. 

If you wait long enough, something interesting will happen: a parade, a protest, live music. (And if nothing happens, eat street food.)

So adios Ecuador. Hello Auckland.

The Galapagos underwater (Trigger warning: Big sharks!!)

Jacques Cousteau would be proud of the Wheelan Family Snorkelers.

We saw big things.

And small things.

Scary things.

And blue things.

We saw seahorses . . .

And we saw . . . holy sh@#! SHARK!! SHARK!!

Imagine that you are swimming along in shallow water when you see this cute sea turtle. Then you look more carefully at the bottom. There are sharks down there. Lots of sharks. See how many you can count.

One of them swam beneath me so close that I thought his dorsal fin was going to hit me in the chest.

We survived. Better than that, actually. It was a glorious way to spend Thanksgiving.

We saw this guy on the way back. Not really "underwater" but still in the spirit of the day.

So I got out of the hammock to take a walk . . .

And then back to the hammock.

Galapagos: Above ground

We've made it to Isabela  Island, one of the more remote islands in the Galapagos. My brother Pete and his family have joined us. CJ and his cousins both look and act like brothers.

As with the Amazon, the wildlife is everywhere, reminding us that we are the visitors. These seals were lounging on the ferry pier.

This guy greeted us at the end of the gang plank.

And then we just began to explore . . .

The highlight of the day was this standoff between two male iguanas fighting for territory. For anyone old enough to remember Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom," this was it. I could just imagine Jim and Marlin Perkins narrating over my shoulder.