The ‘stuff’ under the cones is not icecream…it’s meringue…bought by the scoop! And, YES, that is a whole roasted pighanging there Spectacular displays of alpaca textiles…every color imaginable…and SO soft Fried plantain stripsand chips Fresh flowers in the marketplace…aaaah! Rita and I were up and making fresh fruit salad by the time the guys surfaced!  They were up to all hours discussing…possibly…everything they had in common and then some.  After an amazing breakfast, thanks to Rita, we got ready to hit the town.  First, Parque Calderon, then on to do some serious souvenir shopping…alpaca, leather, wall hangings, shoes, etc.Read More

      I can remember that about an hour into the second leg of the drive to Cuenca, Bud said, “You know, I would give a lot for a decent stretch of straight road.”  Well, it was another couple of hours before he saw THAT!  One thing about driving in Ecuador is that you need to be on point every second. There is no regard for single solid, broken or double solid lines on the roads.  If you wanted to pass the car or multiple vehicles in front of you and you thought you had a decent chance ofRead More

    A quintessential street scene Look at all those bananas! Vistas along our drive Hotel courtyard Our hotel Another delightful view Breakfast everywhere always includedbeautifully displayed fresh fruit.  Then,the eggs, ham, potatoes, etc. were served Yummy dinner  We were not sure where on route to Cuenca we were going to stay the night.  After more roads of crazy bumps and rocks and holes and dirt and winding roads, we noticed that we had cell service…YIPPEE!!!  Time to stop and check places to hang out for the night.  Bud found what appeared to be a really nice hotel, so we pluggedRead More

Hotel La Floresta A Banos street The basilica Great view of clothes on the lineand the Andes in the background…typical sight Cool little roadside tents More amazing falls Winding mountain road Fun tunnel Another roadside stand…I loved them!      On the road to Banos, Bud and I stopped to stretch our legs.  While I was buying fruit and water for us and candy for the kids along the way, Bud met an elderly man who played an 8 and 16 string guitar and sang for him.  (Our pics didn’t turn out) Bud came for me so I could shareRead More

  Our cabania…loving that hammock!!! One of many exotic plants… looks like apple peels Chef David and his side kick…and me! There were two of these structures over looking the Rio Napo…wonderful space Bamboo tree One of David’s delectable dishes The restaurant A view spotted by Bud while driving…gorgeous! Where we stopped just to listen Everything grows in Ecuador like they are on steroids!!! Another delicious Ecuadorian meal     In hindsight, this may have been one of my favorite stops!  A jungle town in the depths of the Amazon rainforest!  How extraordinarily gorgeous!    The grounds of the RioRead More

Here I go! View at 9,350′ at night Same view in the morning  It took a couple of days for me before it truly sank in that we were in South America!  The flights were relatively uneventful…just a tad cramped.  We arrived in Quito, the capital, about 11:15 PM on Monday night, grabbed a cab and headed for our only pre-planned overnight accommodations for the next 2 weeks!  Oh, yeah!  The adventure had begun!      Our hotel, Fentenal de Bellevista, at 9,350′ above sea level, offered quite the view even in the fog.  The clear morning sky allowed forRead More

Best suggestion ever!!! Every sunrise is a blessed event! I had my first crawfish…I just don’t get it?! The afternoon of my surgery An authentic Texas long horn Wutchu looking at??? A gorgeous white moth Tres Rios RV Resort is a place I’ll always hold dear to my heart!  It’s a place where strangers became family in a ‘split second’.   I went to the doctor for what I thought was basically some routine tests.  A phone call a few hours later proved me wrong.  The doctor said he was very worried about me and he needed to take careRead More

   Once you get to the parking lot where the McKinney Falls trail head is and walk along a short woodsy path of bald cypress, sycamores and pecan trees you are faced with a huge expanse of rock! The Moon??? The surface is similar to what I imagine that the moon would be like…flat-ish with little craters all over the place! Some were shallow and others deep enough to seriously catch you up if you were not paying attention.  Looking out across this space to the left, there are a great many limestone slabs resting on each other, some flatterRead More

   Rockport is where I met my personal tour guide, Ed!  Of course, I didn’t know he was going to be my personal tour guide at first.  He and I were registering at the campground next to each other and had basically the same camper information response…no pets, no slides and no other people!  It was pretty funny and we both chuckled.     After I got to my site and set up for the week, I went to the clubhouse where the Internet was available and got on my computer.  A little while later Ed showed up and cameRead More