Two Years and Counting Around the World
an adventure
Share- Friday, October 1, 2010
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We left Seattle on October 1, 2010 after 2 years of planning and selling everything we owned. We absolutely loved our 4 years living in this amazing city and made wonderful friends that we miss terribly. However, our dream was to travel which means saying goodbye. -
- Saturday, October 2, 2010
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Our dear friends, Jim & Mimi, offered to let us stay here in their home at Casa Mojanda, just above Otavalo. The house is located at over 2,800 meters & was a great way to acclimatize to our time in the Alps. This was the perfect way to begin our trip and we ended up spending 7 weeks leaning Spanish and hiking around the area. -
- Monday, November 22, 2010
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We spent a night in Quito on our way south to Baños. We explored a bit of the city and knew we would return to see more of the area. -
- Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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We ended up falling in love with the city and owners of the guest house (Magic Stone) so we extended our stay from 4 days to 2 weeks. In that time we relaxed a bit, did several hikes and explored a variety of outdoor activities, including the famous bike ride to the 17 waterfalls.
While there the owner of our guest house took us for a great experience overnight in the high-Andean jungle. We hiked 12km into a remote national park and slept to the sound of wildlife and a rushing river. -
- Wednesday, December 8, 2010
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We spent Betsy's 40th birthday in this remote part of Ecuador which sits a short distance from Quilotoa Lake. We spent each day hiking and then the evenings having great family style dinners with the other guests. In our short 4 days we made some great friends and a host of new stories. -
- Sunday, December 12, 2010
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After our timing up in the mountains we spent a few days enjoying this peaceful city. We wandered around the street and stayed in a wonderful guesthouse, thanks to the recommendation of 2 new friends we met in Chugchilan. - Thursday, December 16, 2010
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Ipiales, Columbia (10:00 am)
After our time exploring a bit more of Ecuador we decided rather spontaneously to head north and spend a few months in Colombia. We jumped on a bus and headed north and spent an afternoon exploring the wonderful Santuario de las Lajas. The church is simply stunning at is spans a valley and makes for dramatic views and pictures. -
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Pasto, Colombia (8:00 pm)
Tragically, we entered Colombia during their worst floods in 100 years. As a result, what was supposed to be a brief 2 night stay in turned into a 9 day epic attempt to get north to see more of the country. The main roads north we're all washed out and completely closed and our 3 attempts to leave via a plane were thwarted by bad weather.
In the end we decided that the travel gods had other intentions for us so we turned around and headed back south to explore more of Ecuador and on to Peru. -
- Saturday, December 25, 2010
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Christmas morning we woke up in Quito, in the scariest hotel we'd ever experienced. It greatest assest was convenience to the bus station, as well as an opportunity to catch a disease while sleeping.
Since we had limited time remaining on our visa we spent only 1 night here on our way down to Cuena. It was a quiet city but with great views of the volcano from the opposite side than we saw in Baños. -
- Sunday, December 26, 2010
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- Tuesday, December 28, 2010
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- Monday, January 3, 2011
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Peru Border Crossing (2:00 pm)
Take a bus from Vilcabamba (4 hours) & then a camuneta to this border crossing. This will be much faster to visit many key architectural and historical sites in northern Peru.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1593970 -
- Tuesday, January 4, 2011
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Spend a few days here as a base to visit many major sites, including Kuélap which is apparently only rivaled by Machu Picchu in terms of scale and beauty. - Monday, January 10, 2011
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- Thursday, January 13, 2011
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Given the 15 hours to get to Cajamarca, and listening to the advice of locals and travelers we decided to head to Chiclayo instead. This will allow us to see the Sipan Museum (which is supposed to be amazing) and many of the ruins around the area.
Things to do:
Sipan Museum
Explore the mercado de bujos - Saturday, January 15, 2011
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- Thursday, January 20, 2011
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Planning to spend over a week enjoying this lodge 45 minutes outside of Yungay, Peru. This was recommended to us by a couple we met on the Gran Vilaya Trek and promises to offer beauty and amazing hikes to glaciers and through the mountains. -
- Thursday, January 27, 2011
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- Sunday, February 20, 2011
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Spent 2 nights with the wonderful couple, Luis & Simone, behind the website Traveling Bastards. They were amazing hosts and showed us as much of the city as one can see in a day. While 1 day was far too short, they convinced us we must come back to stay for several weeks to take in all BA has to offer. -
- Tuesday, February 22, 2011
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Ushuaia, Agentina (11:00 am)
Launching point for our Antarctic adventure on Feb 23, 2011. We ended up spending over 2 weeks here between our time before the cruise as well as waiting for the opportunity to board the repositioning cruise on March 20th. During our time we hiked up into the mountains with friends we met during our Antarctic cruise. - Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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- Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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- Sunday, March 20, 2011
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One of the greatest experiences we've had was to join the crew of the MS Expedition (thanks to G Adventures) on their repositioning cruise from Antarctica to England. We were the only passengers so we were able to get to know the crew in a way where we felt more like family at the end of our 5 1/2 weeks together. During our cruise we learned about details of life on board, spent a couple hours each day on the bridge, laid on the deck and watched the blanket of stars, and eat more than anyone should. In addition, while in Cape Verde, Warren joined the crew for 4 days to paint the ship.
Overall, this is a highlight of our lives. -
- Monday, April 11, 2011
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During our cruise north from Antarctica to England we stopped here for 4 days to take on fuel as well as paint the entire ship. The process was interesting to watch as the crew paints the ship while still in the water, making the process interesting as they must judge the tides and the roll of the ship in dock. Warren even joined in on the action helping with the painting and driving a zodiac for awhile.
To end our time, Warren got his first haircut on board a ship. Clearly he enjoyed it. -
- Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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- Sunday, May 1, 2011
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Spent time with Sam, who we met on our trip to Antarctica. Went for several country walks and enjoyed visiting Windsor nearby. - Saturday, May 7, 2011
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Stayed with our wonderful friends Chris & Hillary Newbegin, who we met on the Antarctica trip. They were wonderful hosts and we were able to explore York, Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as the National Coal Mining Museum with them. -
- Friday, May 13, 2011
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Spent the weekend here in Shakespear's home and burial city. It is a beautiful, quiet city along the river. We spent our time walking along the river, meeting with members of the local bowling club, and exploring a pub or 2. -
- Sunday, May 15, 2011
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Returned to our friend's place for another week to relax and get ready for our month in Scotland. - Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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We rented an apartment for 5 weeks here and we still hated leaving when our time was up. We loved Scotland - the people, the beer, and the history. Edinburgh is a city steeped in experiences and we made some great friends during our time. We also took a few day trips out to Glasgow, St. Andrew's Golf course, and to visit our friend in Falkirk. -
- Sunday, June 19, 2011
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- Tuesday, June 28, 2011
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- Friday, July 1, 2011
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- Friday, July 15, 2011
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Beautiful hike in this northern part of Yorkshire, England. We spent a great afternoon climbing waterfalls, hiking across stone, and watching falcons circle the area. A truly stunning place to spend a day outside. -
- Sunday, July 17, 2011
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- Saturday, July 23, 2011
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- Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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- Tuesday, August 30, 2011
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- Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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