tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28234264655347252762024-03-14T09:24:55.875+01:00Quito; Pre- and Post- Xpedition Cruise TourMogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-65794030382026682912014-01-04T14:03:00.003+01:002014-02-12T22:12:51.262+01:00Quito; Celebrity Xpedition Cruise Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhRo59He5_qxQl6r-WMniZxG41p_MkHr1PRbjnsHzRZIkZVyrQIS5XdSRjjwTSbEFlhQnoDdICWFZEMWETIidUIX4ckXhN_6oBdMMGLWO-605720L78AmtTRZ-s-gK-Af0oE80u0A8Ss/s1600/hotel+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhRo59He5_qxQl6r-WMniZxG41p_MkHr1PRbjnsHzRZIkZVyrQIS5XdSRjjwTSbEFlhQnoDdICWFZEMWETIidUIX4ckXhN_6oBdMMGLWO-605720L78AmtTRZ-s-gK-Af0oE80u0A8Ss/s400/hotel+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In November 2013 we did a 7 day Galapagos itineary B cruise. (Now </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Galapagos Inner Loop Itinerary).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We looked at the different options and decided for a Celebrity Xpedition 10 day cruise tour with pre- and post-stay at JW Marriott in Quito and flight included to/from Galapagos. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We did extend the stay in Quito with few days before and after the Xpedition cruise tour.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We arranged our own flights from home to/from Quito.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Read the review of the stay in Quito at the blog below where posts are in reverse order (latest first - still under development). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- and read the full review of the Xpedition Galapagos Cruise at the blog: <a href="http://traveltogalapagos.info/">traveltogalapagos.info</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>JW Marriott</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">JW</span> <span class="hps">Marriott</span> <span class="hps">hotel</span> <span class="hps">is located in</span> <span class="hps">Pradera</span> <span class="hps">area</span> <span class="hps">on Avenue</span> <span class="hps">Rio Amazonas</span>. <span class="hps">Close to shops,</span> <span class="hps">a market with</span> <span class="hps">local crafts</span> <span class="hps">as well as restaurants</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">shopping</span> <span class="hps">centers.</span><br /><span class="hps">The hotel is about</span> <span class="hps">5 km north of</span> <span class="hps">the historic old</span> <span class="hps">part of</span> <span class="hps">Quito.</span><br /><span class="hps">The hotel has</span> <span class="hps">a total of</span> <span class="hps">257</span> <span class="hps">rooms</span> <span class="hps">spread over 11</span> <span class="hps">floors.</span> <span class="hps">It features a heated</span> <span class="hps">pool</span><span class="">, surrounded by</span> <span class="hps">palm trees</span> <span class="hps">and a spa</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">5 restaurants.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">See short video: </span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://youtu.be/73zNy-4oaC4" target="_blank">JW Marriott Hotel, Quito, Ecuador</a></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-84958606450318901672014-01-03T10:01:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:52:22.218+02:00Quito, Ecuador<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NY46v_49hAOmTM-mGBjZhpADSqcsKgt-Ec1cEAzVFggKsH60-ivCeHygB7VotgXeCHRnXm_7UZTX9Y-jxfuKjq2RYzYIBjDW2cjv63fXM93kSxdWD39i22E6K8JBDui1Z2eHPRsYJAk/s1600/quito+by+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NY46v_49hAOmTM-mGBjZhpADSqcsKgt-Ec1cEAzVFggKsH60-ivCeHygB7VotgXeCHRnXm_7UZTX9Y-jxfuKjq2RYzYIBjDW2cjv63fXM93kSxdWD39i22E6K8JBDui1Z2eHPRsYJAk/s1600/quito+by+3.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quito</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Quito er hovedstaden i Ecuador, og i en højde på 2.800 meter over havets overflade i Andesbjergene.">Quito is the capital of Ecuador, and at an altitude of 2,800 meters above sea level in the Andes. </span><span title="Det er den højeste beliggende hovedstad i verden.">This is the highest capital city in the world.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Quito ligger i det nord-centrale Ecuadorved Guayllabamba floden på den østlige skråninger af Pichincha vulkanen, en aktiv stratovulkan i Andesbjergene.">Quito
is located in the north-central Ecuadorved Guayllabamba river on the
eastern slopes of the Pichincha volcano, an active stratovolcano in the
Andes.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Byen har en befolkning på 2 millioner og er ca 60 km lang men kun ca 5 km bred da byen ligger klemt inde mellem de to bjergkæder - de vestlige og de østlige andes bjerge.">The
city has a population of 2 million and is about 60km long but only
about 5 km wide as the city is sandwiched between two mountain ranges -
the Western and the Eastern Andes mountains. </span><span title="På grund af den lange og smalle by mellem stejle bjerge og floden der skærer igennem byen i en dyb kløft er transport forholdende håbløse - da tager ca 2 timer at komme ind og ud af byen.">Because
of the long and narrow city between steep mountains and the river that
cuts through the city in a deep canyon transport metrics of hopeless -
then takes about 2 hours to get in and out of town.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="På grund af den lange og smalle by mellem stejle bjerge og floden der skærer igennem byen i en dyb kløft er transport forholdende håbløse - da tager ca 2 timer at komme ind og ud af byen.">Short video: </span></span></span><a href="http://youtu.be/CzPK8OOBOtI" target="_blank">City Tour Quito, Ecuador </a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="På grund af den lange og smalle by mellem stejle bjerge og floden der skærer igennem byen i en dyb kløft er transport forholdende håbløse - da tager ca 2 timer at komme ind og ud af byen."><br /></span></span></span></span>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en">N<span title="Nærliggende vulkaner">earby volcanoes</span><span title="Fra byen kan ses adskillige vulkanerDen nærmeste vulkan er Pichincha , der rejser sig truende over den vestlige side af byen med ialt 4.794 meter."> </span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Fra byen kan ses adskillige vulkanerDen nærmeste vulkan er Pichincha , der rejser sig truende over den vestlige side af byen med ialt 4.794 meter.">From
the city can be seen several volcanoes. The closest volcano is Pichincha,
which rises looming over the western side of the city with a total of
4,794 meters. </span><span title="Quito er også den eneste hovedstad i verden, at være direkte truet af en aktiv vulkan .">Quito is also the only capital in the world to be directly threatened by an active volcano. </span><span title="Pichincha vulkanen har flere søstervulkaner, blandt dem Rucu Pichincha på 4.700 meter over havets overflade og Jelling Pichincha på 4.794 meter der er en aktiv vulkan">Pichincha
volcano has several sister volcanoes, among them Rucu Pichincha at
4,700 meters above sea level and Guagua Pichincha at 4,794 meters which
is an active volcano. </span><span title="Den største udbrud fandt sted i 1660 , hvor et lag på 25 centimeter af aske dækkede byen.">The largest eruption occurred in 1660 when a layer of 25 centimeters of ash covered the city. </span><span title="Der var tre mindre udbrud i det 19.">There were three minor eruptions in the 19th </span><span title="århundrede.Den seneste udbrud blev registreret den 5.">century. The latest eruption was recorded on 5th </span><span title="oktober 1999, hvor et par pust af røg og en stor mængde aske faldt over på byen .">October 1999 with a few puffs of smoke and a large amount of ash fell over on the town.</span><span title="Øst for Quito ligger vulkanerne Cotopaxi , Sincholagua , Antisana og Cayambe"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Øst for Quito ligger vulkanerne Cotopaxi , Sincholagua , Antisana og Cayambe">East of Quito are the volcanoes Cotopaxi , Sincholagua , Antisana and Cayambe.</span></span></span></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comQuito, Ecuador-0.1806532 -78.467838200000017-0.68876169999999992 -79.113285200000021 0.32745529999999995 -77.822391200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-5653628645113134582013-11-21T14:41:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:53:33.372+02:00Quito - Last day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWua_UDk1Gi6aSgtcU7jCuDI5OmQ9VVpT4Ild6sXovT4qTl-iLHi07qJuVpJhnaPsdFGY34LJmOmUQLRzd7EsCyfbNiBGqwCT4d7VwM7V8JZ65Awi00nOTM2fbXDCgKXP8gKP2mq5znQ/s1600/quito+by+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWua_UDk1Gi6aSgtcU7jCuDI5OmQ9VVpT4Ild6sXovT4qTl-iLHi07qJuVpJhnaPsdFGY34LJmOmUQLRzd7EsCyfbNiBGqwCT4d7VwM7V8JZ65Awi00nOTM2fbXDCgKXP8gKP2mq5znQ/s1600/quito+by+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="hps">Then it was</span> <span class="hps">our last day</span> <span class="hps">in</span> <span class="hps">Quito.</span><br /><span class="hps">We started the day</span> <span class="hps">with</span> <span class="hps">breakfast in the hotel</span> <span class="hps atn">cafe </span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">then we were on</span> <span class="hps">exhibition of paintings</span> <span class="hps">and looked at</span> <span class="hps">pictures of</span> <span class="hps">local artists</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">maybe there is</span> <span class="hps">something to bring</span> <span class="hps">home.</span><br /><span class="hps">Then</span> <span class="hps">we began</span> <span class="hps">to pack up and</span> <span class="hps">found</span> <span class="hps">that</span> <span class="hps">there was room for</span> <span class="hps">a little extra</span>, <span class="hps">so we</span> <span class="hps">went for a walk</span> <span class="hps">into town to</span> <span class="hps">buy</span> <span class="hps">some more</span> <span class="hps">Ecuador</span> <span class="hps">coffee and chocolate.</span> Walked down Juan Leon Mera and <span class="hps">also visited</span> <span class="hps atn">the local</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> La Mariscal Craft Market </span><span class="hps atn" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(</span><span class="" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">picture</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">) </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to buy some</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">local goods and</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">walked around</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the city to</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">get the last</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sentiment</span><span class="" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. See short video: <a href="http://youtu.be/XkXIXGnefNA" target="_blank">Quito, Juan Leon Mera and La Mariscal District</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class=""><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Tilbage på hotellet pakkede vi kufferterne færdigt - vi kæmpede lidt med at få vægten af den store kufferet under 23 kg som er max.">Back
at the hotel we packed suitcases ready - we struggled a bit to get the
weight of the large kufferet less than 23 kg which is maximum </span><span title="vægt.">weight we </span><span title="Det lykkedes, hvorefter vi gik ned i hacienta restauranten og fik en steak og et glas rødvin til aftensmad.">succeeded, and then we went down to the hotel hacienda restaurant and got a steak and a glass of red wine for dinner.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Da vi først skulle afsted sent på aftenen kunne vi blive i vores værelse til kl 20.">When we first had to leave late in the evening we had extended the stay in our room for at late check-out at 8PM.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Da vi først skulle afsted sent på aftenen kunne vi blive i vores værelse til kl 20."><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Kl 20:30 havde vi aftalt at Celebrity kom og kørte os til lufthavnen - der var ikke så meget trafik så vi var der i god tid inden check-ind åbnede.">At
8:30PM we got a pick-up by Celebrity for a transfer to the airport -
there was not as much traffic as we were there well before check-in
opened.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Desværre lavede check-in en fejl på mit boarding kort så vi ikke umiddelbart kunne komme in i loungen med mit SAS guld kort - og finde en United medarbejder der kunne forstå engelsk og ville løse problemet var svært - men det lykkedes at komme ind.">Unfortunately check-in did an error on my boarding pass so we could not immediately come
in the United lounge with my SAS gold card - finding an United employee who
could understand English and would solve the problem was difficult - but
we managed to get into the lounge.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Boarding af flyet skulle start kl 00:20 me ved kl ca 24 blev vi kaldt op da en af vores kufferter var udtaget til ekstra check - så jeg måtte ned til flyet for at åbne kufferten - lidt af en parodi - desuden blev jeg også udtaget">Boarding
the plane was to start at 00:20AM but at midnight we were called when
one of our suitcases were taken to extra security check - so I had to go down to
the plane to open the suitcase for inspection - a bit of a parody - in addition, I was
also taken </span></span><span title="til ekstra check af håndbagage - så jeg må indrømme at de 3 hændelser ikke just hjalp på mit humør - men endelig kl 00:30 var vi på vej med Huston i Texas."><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">extra
check of the carry-on luggage - so I have to admit that the 3 events not exactly
helped on my mood - but finally at 1 AM we were in the air towards Huston
in Texas and 24 hours later we were back in Copenhagen airport via Newark.</span></span></span></span></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comEl Batan, Quito, Ecuador-0.16657703174805913 -78.481227787402418-0.18245553174805912 -78.501397787402411 -0.15069853174805914 -78.461057787402424tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-92004381145916709812013-11-20T14:42:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:54:13.374+02:00Cotopaxi Volcano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoN0lw5I9UOLyHa7Ri378UG7UI4_HLSgsDuksjnAuRyK6XHYBgtbWshtz-Cxi9zfs6srkmk-B5-8Er5SeL6ymlSRijrm_RRphnp0IcpLfsk-XILDcfOfbeztGhfzoumGiOutjCHzRoP30/s1600/cotopaxi+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoN0lw5I9UOLyHa7Ri378UG7UI4_HLSgsDuksjnAuRyK6XHYBgtbWshtz-Cxi9zfs6srkmk-B5-8Er5SeL6ymlSRijrm_RRphnp0IcpLfsk-XILDcfOfbeztGhfzoumGiOutjCHzRoP30/s1600/cotopaxi+1.jpg" height="208" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have bought an individual tour to the Cotopaxi National park through Mallku Expedition - Cotopaxi - the world's highest active volcano. See the short video from <a href="http://youtu.be/uO75ql8syKU" target="_blank">Cotopaxi National Park</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At 8:30AM we were picked up by the guide. Through Quito's throng of traffic, we drove south and turned off the main road and came to Ecuador's most beautiful national park which besides the volcano also includes the surrounding areas. In a village (700 inhabitants) at the foot of the volcano, we were joined by a local guide .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the trip until now the guide told us about both Ecuador, Quito and the volcanoes and their origin. Immediately after we had driven into the national park, the road to a dirt road (lava gravel). We made a stop at a small local cafe where we got a hot tea brewed on coca leaf (containing cocaine?) and added a lot of sugar, which would make it easier for us to stay in the thin oxygen-depleted air here nearly 4000 m above sea level.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We continued through the national park and stopped at a lake formed by meltwater from snow-covered volcano . Here we went around the lake about 2.6 km . We could feel the thin air , but felt no more discomfort than we were a little out of breath.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2FzFm4tHV1bxgpHoRhv0TpTDOXC26T-g1SRT5Qf4sRr7UVdQOZ_tYDV5iRHQwvVWxskd536StYheRqL9L5mjgVXuv2f2F2pIGbLgq1gBDelcEcLSV4LbhZd96vVOBfQlA_PxHk1RtQY/s1600/hacienda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2FzFm4tHV1bxgpHoRhv0TpTDOXC26T-g1SRT5Qf4sRr7UVdQOZ_tYDV5iRHQwvVWxskd536StYheRqL9L5mjgVXuv2f2F2pIGbLgq1gBDelcEcLSV4LbhZd96vVOBfQlA_PxHk1RtQY/s1600/hacienda.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hacienda El Porvenir</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See video from <a href="http://youtu.be/8atKDb71mSc" target="_blank">Hacienda El Porvenir</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then we proceeded by car through the countryside with very sparse vegetation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the slopes of Rumiñahui Volcano, in a truly privileged position, Hacienda El Porvenir is the ideal spot from which to explore Cotopaxi where we stopped for lunch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, a local hot welcome drink with ginger and ' firewater ' and roasted corn, for starters a soup of quinoia and potatoes for the main course grilled pork with potatoes and vegetables, and for dessert a local fruit cooked in a sukkerlagers with cinnamon. A meal quite like eating it in Ecuador.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that we went back to Quito - first on rocky and cobbled roads before we reached the main road. We arrived at the hotel at 3PM - a bit earlier than planned , but it was due to traffic was not particularly heavy today.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3s58oES0B-4Y6KPgWADl-kEnR91ugwWPbJwf3Pgu2MHQAZ0NXWJUYOao8TZSqtL9N6aPDjYqeml-3P-3GPVQ_4hC7qxJCEAqcfq3wnfQCMM2gfZMJvgoQFvxCXs4Am61InUD_ZF4Ph0/s1600/cotopaxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3s58oES0B-4Y6KPgWADl-kEnR91ugwWPbJwf3Pgu2MHQAZ0NXWJUYOao8TZSqtL9N6aPDjYqeml-3P-3GPVQ_4hC7qxJCEAqcfq3wnfQCMM2gfZMJvgoQFvxCXs4Am61InUD_ZF4Ph0/s1600/cotopaxi.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<b>Cotopaxi Volcano</b><br />
Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about 28 km south of Quito. With a height of 5,897 m, it is the second highest mountain in Ecuador and it is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world.<br />
Cotopaxi is one of the few volcanoes covered by snow making it extra dangerous when erupting.<br />
Since 1738, the Cotopaxi erupted more than 50 times, which has resulted in numerous valleys formed by mudslides around the volcano.Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comCotopaxi, Ecuador-0.81396669999999993 -78.928824200000008-1.8300577 -80.2197177 0.20212430000000015 -77.637930700000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-63497653804958697282013-11-19T14:44:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:53:53.809+02:00Otavalo Market and Cotacachi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Efter morgenmad blev vi samlet op af en bus fra Gray Line der skulle køre os på dagens tur.">For Tuesday we have bought a Otavalo Market and Cotacachi tour through Gray Line in Quito.</span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Efter morgenmad blev vi samlet op af en bus fra Gray Line der skulle køre os på dagens tur."><br /></span></span>
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Efter morgenmad blev vi samlet op af en bus fra Gray Line der skulle køre os på dagens tur.">After breakfast we were picked up by a bus from Gray Line that would take us on today's trip. </span><span title="Vi var ialt 15 personer - udover os var der en fra england og 12 fra Argentina.">We were a total of 15 people - besides us there was one from England and 12 from Argentina. </span><span title="Vi gjorde et kort stop i forstaden Calderon hvor de fremstiller traditionelle 'masapan' dukker.">We made a brief stop in the suburbs Calderon where they manufacture traditional 'masapan dolls' (<a href="http://youtu.be/lKGA1yZcGYc" target="_blank">see </a></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://youtu.be/lKGA1yZcGYc" target="_blank">masapan dolls </a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="Vi gjorde et kort stop i forstaden Calderon hvor de fremstiller traditionelle 'masapan' dukker."><a href="http://youtu.be/lKGA1yZcGYc" target="_blank">video</a>). T</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="herefter kørte vi ad de smalle bjergveje nord på mod Otavalo.">hen we drove along the narrow mountain roads north towards Otavalo . </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="Vi kørte gennem områder hvor der produceres roser - mange af de roser vi køber i Danmark er produceret i Ecuador.Et enkelt stop på vejen ved Pablo søen med en smuk udsigt over søen og bjergene med de mange vulkaner - der er ialt 48 vulkaner i Ecuador">We
drove through areas where production of roses - many of the roses we
buy in US and Europe are produced in Ecuador.</span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Vi kørte gennem områder hvor der produceres roser - mange af de roser vi køber i Danmark er produceret i Ecuador.Et enkelt stop på vejen ved Pablo søen med en smuk udsigt over søen og bjergene med de mange vulkaner - der er ialt 48 vulkaner i Ecuador">Et single stop on the road by
Pablo Lake with a beautiful view of the lake and mountains with its many
volcanoes - there are a total of 48 volcanoes in Ecuador</span><span title=".">.</span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="I Otavalo besøgte vi det traditionelle marked med lokalt håndværk og gik en tur rundt i den charmerende by.">In Otavalo, we visited the traditional market selling local crafts and went for a walk around the charming town. </span><span title="Herefter videre til læderbyen Cotacachi hvor vi spiste frokost og gik rundt i byen.">Then on to the leather town of Cotacachi where we ate lunch and walked around the city. </span><span title="Herefter den lange tur tilbage til Quito.">And the a long trip back to Quito. </span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Det var en spændende tur hvor vi fik set landskabet og nogle interessante byer.">It was an exciting trip where we got to see the countryside and some interesting towns. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back at the hotel we got a Manhattan and sushi at the hotel bar.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tqLkOnkCFn6okcZGJprEIujhyphenhyphenlj1gHSjZPFSJ0uDsapEmdPPx61CtMyaqAomfX6syHt9EPBrWc1B7c5wxX8TDaZXJ2CKBLGJ0fuHDOXeazrfQTyn86jNmcJ2QTr7PvHM9ic0bFhhqxE/s1600/otavalo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tqLkOnkCFn6okcZGJprEIujhyphenhyphenlj1gHSjZPFSJ0uDsapEmdPPx61CtMyaqAomfX6syHt9EPBrWc1B7c5wxX8TDaZXJ2CKBLGJ0fuHDOXeazrfQTyn86jNmcJ2QTr7PvHM9ic0bFhhqxE/s1600/otavalo.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Tilbage på hotellet købte vi først morgendagens udflugt inden vi fik en Manhattan og spiste sushi i baren."><br /></span></span>
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Tilbage på hotellet købte vi først morgendagens udflugt inden vi fik en Manhattan og spiste sushi i baren."><b>Otavalo Market</b></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Tilbage på hotellet købte vi først morgendagens udflugt inden vi fik en Manhattan og spiste sushi i baren.">The indigenous Otavaleños are famous for weaving textiles,
usually made of wool (that is sometimes as black as a raven), which are
sold at the market. Although the largest market is on
Saturday, there is a very wide range of wares available throughout the
week in the <i>Plaza de los Ponchos</i>, and the many local shops. The shops sell textiles such as handmade blankets, tablecloths, and much more.</span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Tilbage på hotellet købte vi først morgendagens udflugt inden vi fik en Manhattan og spiste sushi i baren.">See short video: <a href="http://youtu.be/CymHkMLd5k4" target="_blank">Otavalo Market, Ecuador </a></span></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comOtavalo, Ecuador0.2343005 -78.2610672000000140.2025435 -78.301407700000013 0.2660575 -78.220726700000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-5005988813764993602013-11-18T14:40:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:55:42.105+02:00Back in Quito from Galapagos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOqfuJvBNhenAaiisrO9Ri_ZLG77bvmWSki8beeHQ-EvFf9B1sShyzNb0a1iV0TP-GtxbfYP-jI1btiBvvXnwmfduYnuSiaSZhVCKSbr7QcmXlLK618SwShctjCixGZ6qB6E6xLmy5T0/s1600/aerogal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOqfuJvBNhenAaiisrO9Ri_ZLG77bvmWSki8beeHQ-EvFf9B1sShyzNb0a1iV0TP-GtxbfYP-jI1btiBvvXnwmfduYnuSiaSZhVCKSbr7QcmXlLK618SwShctjCixGZ6qB6E6xLmy5T0/s1600/aerogal.jpg" height="262" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last day of the cruise we had to put the suitcases outside the cabin door Saturday evening, and then we didn't see them, until we arrived at the JW Marriott hotel in Quito. They were delivered to our room just after arrival. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had to be out of our cabin at 8AM. Went down to Darwins restaurant for breakfast, and at 9am we got our boarding pass for the Celebrity Charter flight to Quito. At 9Am the pangas were ready to transport us, at our last Galapagos panga trip into the Baltra pier. From the pier we continued by bus the short distance to the airport. Went through security and waited an hour, before for the charter plane departed for Quito. We did have a nice lunch on the 'Celebrity Xpedition' plane on our Balta to Quito flight. See video from<a href="http://youtu.be/gS1IjIIQB14" target="_blank"> Celebrity Xpedition Flight</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At about 3PM we landed in Quito where we went straight to the buses, that brought us to hotel JW Marriott, a trip of approximately 1 hour. In the evening there was a dinner for all Celebrity guests at the Marriott hotel.</span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comQuito, Ecuador-0.1806532 -78.467838200000017-0.68876169999999992 -79.113285200000021 0.32745529999999995 -77.822391200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-13517804948348399252013-11-11T18:02:00.000+01:002014-01-19T13:23:29.551+01:00Celebrity Xpedition - 7 day Galapagos cruise<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkMpkYTZuvk0kT0jfPUpFBX75ds47CYMCfqEILhtijks18tonVyZyogtsezF-efy5i0Jc3rvWL4eO6VeARkmBdqbdZCbZw6Hm4eQ79PJ5fdwiiZRsgZ5e7VsD7mH_9r4CMPHY22XdZk0/s1600/map-19921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkMpkYTZuvk0kT0jfPUpFBX75ds47CYMCfqEILhtijks18tonVyZyogtsezF-efy5i0Jc3rvWL4eO6VeARkmBdqbdZCbZw6Hm4eQ79PJ5fdwiiZRsgZ5e7VsD7mH_9r4CMPHY22XdZk0/s320/map-19921.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">See the blog with the review and videos for our 7 days Galapagos Islands </span>Itinerary B <span style="font-size: small;">Cruise (Now </span>Galapagos Inner Loop Itinerary) <span style="font-size: small;">at the</span> blog: </span><a href="http://traveltogalapagos.info/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">traveltogalapagos.info</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the planning of a Galapagos Cruise get tips and inspiration at </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.galapagosexpedition.info/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">galapagosexpedition.info</span></a></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkna9EmOJWKq7hnqS2HIxmfOrto1XEd-6jdk6fwI57UP1XQJhbRzhrE4HwgK3YoeCd1FQfBMF7z_wvoBTi165KRQNRgIbw3V3wRl-4ZQ4O34JTghwrcwdAB7vfB-eTDL9zAIkXWgxogzM0/s1600/sule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkna9EmOJWKq7hnqS2HIxmfOrto1XEd-6jdk6fwI57UP1XQJhbRzhrE4HwgK3YoeCd1FQfBMF7z_wvoBTi165KRQNRgIbw3V3wRl-4ZQ4O34JTghwrcwdAB7vfB-eTDL9zAIkXWgxogzM0/s320/sule.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Videos from the Xpedition cruise:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- <a class="vm-video-title-content yt-uix-sessionlink" data-sessionlink="ei=PsmdUpCoGMGOsgfB8oC4CA" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpEqqsLR6Po">Galapagos Cruise, November 2013</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- <a class="vm-video-title-content yt-uix-sessionlink" data-sessionlink="ei=PsmdUpCoGMGOsgfB8oC4CA" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32IFur4JWT4">Panga Ride, Wet and Dry Landings</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a class="vm-video-title-content yt-uix-sessionlink" data-sessionlink="ei=PsmdUpCoGMGOsgfB8oC4CA" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcxqKw51vOs">Celebrity Xpedition Tour</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Read the full review of the 7 night Galapagos cruise at <a href="http://traveltogalapagos.info/">traveltogalapagos.info</a></span><br />
<br />Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-44828722515668158442013-11-10T14:58:00.000+01:002014-02-14T18:13:34.482+01:00Travel from Quito to Galapagos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Program for Sunday Morning:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">05:00AM - Breakfast service begins</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">06:30AM - Pick-up of boarding passes for the flight to Baltra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">07:30AM - Transfer to Airport</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span title="Vi var klar kl 07:30 til at tage til Quito lufthavn, men der var et 'uventet' marathon i Quito.">We were ready to go by buses to Quito airport </span></span>at 7:30AM.</span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Vi var klar kl 07:30 til at tage til Quito lufthavn, men der var et 'uventet' marathon i Quito.">But there was an ' unexpected ' marathon in Quito. </span><span title="Meget af byen var spærret af, så busserne kunne ikke komme ind til hotellet - vi blev over en time forsinket.">Much of the city was blocked off, so the buses could not get in to the hotel - we were over an hour late when we arrived at Quito Airport. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="Heldigvis var det et fly chartret specielt til dette cruise, og flyet måtte pænt vente.">Luckily it was a plane chartered specifically for this cruise, and the plane had to wait, and with no luggage to check in (see end of previous post) we</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="Kl 11 ankom vi til lufthavnen og gik straks til det chartrede fly fra Quito til Baltra i Galapagos, en flyvetur på 2 timer."> went straight through security check for the Xpedition charter
flights bound for Baltra in the Galapagos Islands, a flight of 2 hours. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The aircraft was a new Airbus A320 form AeroGal (</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Aerolíneas Galápagos</span>), <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> with 'Celebrity Xpedition' branding and logos on everything, from the bulkheads, plates, beverage cups, table cloths</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0033cc; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The service at the 'Xpedition flight' was extraordinary good. <a href="http://youtu.be/gS1IjIIQB14" target="_blank">See video from the flight</a>.</span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Kl 11 ankom vi til lufthavnen og gik straks til det chartrede fly fra Quito til Baltra i Galapagos, en flyvetur på 2 timer."><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="Efter en kort bustur fra flypladsen til havnen og en panga-gummibåds tur, var vi ombord på Celebrity Xpedition.">We arrived to the airport, went through immigration and after a short bus ride from the airport to the harbor and then a Panga ride (Zodiac rubber raft), we were aboard the Celebrity Xpedition.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span class="" lang="en"><span title="Bagagen blev leveret direkte til kahytten, hvilket gav os mulighed for at udforske Celebrity Xpedition, en 296-fods mega yacht som skal være vores hjem på turen rundt i Galapagos.">The
luggage was delivered directly to our cabin, which gave us the
opportunity to explore the Celebrity Xpedition, a 296-foot mega yacht, which was our home on the 7 night tour around the Galapagos Islands.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span class="" lang="en"><span title="Vi har kahyt 419 på dæk 4 - der er ialt 3 dæk med 46 kahytter.">We did have cabin 419 on deck 4 - there are a total of 3 decks with 46 cabins . </span><span title="Kahytten er ca 15 m2 og vi må undvære balkon på dette krydstogt.">The cabin is about 15 m2 and we have to do without a balcony on this cruise . </span><span title="Med det er også begrænset hvor megen tid vil vil tilbringe i kahytten.">With it's also limited in how much time will want to spend in your cabin .</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="Baltra"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="Baltra">See the short videos:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://youtu.be/gS1IjIIQB14" target="_blank">Celebrity Xpedition Flight from Quito to Baltra</a> and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://youtu.be/4fKevIA5__w" target="_blank">Transfer Baltra Airport to Pier, Galapagos Cruise</a><span class="" lang="en"><span title="Baltra"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="Baltra"><b><br /></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span title="Baltra"><b>Baltra</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span title="Baltra er en lille ø på kun 27 kvadratkilometer.">Baltra is a small island of only 27 square kilometers. </span><span title="Det højeste punkt er på kun 100 meter.">The highest point is only 100 meters. </span><span title="Den er en af de centrale øer i Galapagos og ligger lige nord for Santa Cruz og syd for Mosquera og Nord Seymour.">It
is one of the central islands of the Galapagos and is located just
north of Santa Cruz and south of Mosquera and North Seymour . </span><span title="Under Anden Verdenskrig, tjente Baltra som amerikansk militærbase der beskyttede Panamakanalen mod fjendtlige angreb.">During World War II , served Baltra as a U.S. military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. </span><span title="Nu er Baltra et 'kaktus-strøet' landskaber og hjemsted for regionens største lufthavn.">Now Baltra a ' cactus- strewn ' landscapes and home to the region 's main airport . </span><span title="Tør og flad, er Baltra ideel til militær base og lufthavn, men mangler andre former for attraktioner for besøgende.">Dry and flat, Baltra is ideal for military base and airport , but lacks other kinds of attractions for visitors. </span><span title="Baltra er i øjeblikket ikke inden for grænserne af Galapagos National Park.">Baltra is not currently within the boundaries of the Galapagos National Park.</span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="Baltra er i øjeblikket ikke inden for grænserne af Galapagos National Park."><br /></span></span>
<span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" title="Baltra er i øjeblikket ikke inden for grænserne af Galapagos National Park.">See the review of the cruise at <a href="http://traveltogalapagos.info/">traveltogalapagos.info</a></span></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-63187574687512497262013-11-09T14:40:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:55:20.568+02:00Quito City Tour / Excursion and Dinner Saturday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>This is the Celebrity Xpedition program for the Saturday:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">06:00 AM Breakfast service begins</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">09:30 AM <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Full day Quito and Equatorial Line Monument tour. Lunch included at Sucres' Theatrum Restaurant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">04:30 PM - Return to Hotel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">06:15 PM<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Transfer to Carmine Restaurant for dinner</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">08:30 PM - Back at the Hotel</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At 9:30am it was time for the Xpedition city tour of the old part of Quito along the other participant in our Galapagos tour. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were up at 7am and downstairs for breakfast. See the short video:<a href="http://youtu.be/CzPK8OOBOtI" target="_blank"> City Tour Quito, Ecuador</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quito is an incredibly beautiful city with many ornate church, colonial houses and beautiful monuments, although the city has been devastated by volcanic eruptions and finally a big earthquake in 1987.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our first stop was a magnificent gothic Basílica del Voto Nacional set atop a hill looking over the Spanish colonial town. Standing outside the basilica we could look down over a series of whitewashed colonial buildings. On a distant hill, a massive statue of the Virgin Mary watched over the town.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then we went to the town square. On one side of the square stood the Carondelet Palace, office and house of the Presidents of Ecuador. and to the right the Cathedral Metropolitana de Quito.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The middle of the square was marked by a monument to Ecuador's independence from the Spanish, achieved in 1834.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The highlight of the tour of the old town was a visit to a Jesuit church, Church of La Compañía which has been painstakingly restored with gold leaf, so that all of the interior glimmered like an enchanted hall from a fairytale. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Church and Monastery of St. Franciso where we visited the Courtyard of the Monastery and the church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">- after the city tour we went for lunch with local specialties at Theatrum restaurant located </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">all over its second floor </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the National Theater (Teatro Nacional Sucre).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Theatrum offers an extraordinary menu of the vanguard Mediterranean cuisine, where seafood, fish, meat, birds and ducks combine with fine aromatic herbs and local and imported ingredients.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitad del Mundo</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After lunch we drove 15 km north of the Mitad del Mundo ( center of the world ) - there was a lot of traffic so the 15 km took about 45 minutes. Here there is a 30 m high monument marking the equator. We have crossed the equator several times, but it was the first time we had the opportunity to stand with one leg on the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time. Interesting to visit the place where the earth's form was established in 1739th. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were back at the hotel at 16:30 See the short video: <a href="http://youtu.be/u4W1lcdy4P0" target="_blank">Mitad del Mundo, Quito Ecuador</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Evening Dinner at Carmine Restaurant</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All participating in the Xpedition Galapagos tour were invited to dinner, at an Italian restaurant in the evening. A great dinner despite the relatively large number of guests ( about 100 in total). We were already back at the hotel at 8:30PM and then have our suitcases packed - We had to deliver our checked luggage to the Celebrity Cruises no later than 10PM for inspection.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Checked Luggage for the Galapagos Cruise</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">All of the luggage did undergo a search for food or plant products that could introduce harmful </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.949999809265137px;">organisms </span><span style="background-color: white;">into the Galapagos ecosystem</span> by the ' Galapagos Agricultural Authorities ' - so we did avoid the check in Quito airport or at arrival at Baltra. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The suit cases was collected and was brought directly from the hotel to the plane in the morning and they were delivered directly to our cabin on the Celebrity Xpedition.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">You are permitted only 20 kg (44 lbs) of checked luggage. </span></span></span>I did sense that the weight limit is per family rather than the individual pieces<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">. If so needed you can leave some at you luggage not needed for the cruise at the hotel.</span><br />
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Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comQuito, Ecuador-0.1806532 -78.467838200000017-0.68876169999999992 -79.113285200000021 0.32745529999999995 -77.822391200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-71184579195874670642013-11-08T14:39:00.000+01:002016-01-12T22:22:49.764+01:00Friday in Quito and La Mariscal District<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got breakfast on the terrace by the pool in a beautiful morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just at the front of the Marriott hotel you will find Juan Leon Mera street and the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">La Mariscal District - It,s safe to walk in the district and <span style="background-color: white;">you can walk down either Rio Amazonas or Juan Leon </span><span class="highlight" style="background-color: white;">Mera</span></span><span class="highlight" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><span style="color: #0033cc; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had decided to look into the La Mariscal District and the surrounding streets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See the short video: <a href="http://youtu.be/XkXIXGnefNA" target="_blank">Quito, Juan Leon Mera and La Mariscal District</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrlxv4x8qmo-JxzXaWX2nE1_l1S0AFp2DQHamy6lbhrpDtZhy2FsFHEAsQj2CtcraD5wS8ZHMqc9jFRekWRHSpn_CHKtiPi5MuoHUQbAcdcHMh8N538aSCHEcWW_qox3p8kYlrjyGvtc/s1600/marked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrlxv4x8qmo-JxzXaWX2nE1_l1S0AFp2DQHamy6lbhrpDtZhy2FsFHEAsQj2CtcraD5wS8ZHMqc9jFRekWRHSpn_CHKtiPi5MuoHUQbAcdcHMh8N538aSCHEcWW_qox3p8kYlrjyGvtc/s1600/marked.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We started with walking down Juan Leon Mera from the hotel, here there are some handicraft shops. We went to see the local cacao and coffee products in 'Cacao & cacao' and visited Mercado Artesanal market (picture) with lots of reasonably priced crafts market in Quito Around 100 stalls offer llama rugs, alpaca jumpers, leather goods, Andean dolls and jewelry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This large market is handy for visitors who might not have time to make it to the town of Otavalo. It’s located on Jorge Washington between Reina Victoria and Juan León Mera. It’s a colourful and fun place to shop, with about a hundred stalls protected from the elements selling a huge range of Ecuadorian crafts. It’s open seven days a week, 10 am to aboxut 7 pm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were also in favor of looking at Panama hats originally from Montecristi, Ecuador and continued down Avenue Rio Amazonas and passed by The Presidents Plaza and Plaza Foch, two recently inaugurated plazas with a nice illumination and were normally music shows are organized continuously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the late afternoon we were back at the hotel. At 6PM we went into the restaurant to eat - here we've got fried salmon. After dinner we met with a representative for Celebrity and got a little information about the Xpedition City tour excursion tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday morning transfer to the airport and Baltra in the Galapagos. Finally, a single glass of wine at the bar before bed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The majority of our fellow cruisers did arrive late Friday evening.</span><br />
<br />Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comQuito, Ecuador-0.1806532 -78.467838200000017-0.68876169999999992 -79.113285200000021 0.32745529999999995 -77.822391200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-26594667856693272842013-11-07T14:37:00.000+01:002014-09-18T20:54:37.896+02:00Arrival into Quito and JW Marriott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsS6cURPROXCPJo7E5JaVDDJmix8ClMaBFRVUPqfFe6h6JhfqTQhdft_UbiWgz8K9ZbkxwyCgfmruqODK5DyoF4N_aRJOyD8LBYcXl-Z52A3Ghf5RtIVRUE9xGA62rnMeC9nDBs1aWtY/s1600/copa+air.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsS6cURPROXCPJo7E5JaVDDJmix8ClMaBFRVUPqfFe6h6JhfqTQhdft_UbiWgz8K9ZbkxwyCgfmruqODK5DyoF4N_aRJOyD8LBYcXl-Z52A3Ghf5RtIVRUE9xGA62rnMeC9nDBs1aWtY/s1600/copa+air.jpg" height="219" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">After a good</span> <span class="hps">night's sleep</span> <span class="hps">at Riande Aeropuerto Hotel & Resortwe were</span> <span class="hps">up early</span> <span class="hps">to eat breakfast</span> at the restaurant.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Took the shuttle bus from the hotel, and</span> <span class="hps">then</span> <span class="hps">we were ready to fly</span> </span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">with</span> <span class="hps">Copa</span> <span class="hps atn">Airlines</span>, </span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">the last piece</span> of the trip <span class="hps">to Quito</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">a short flight</span> <span class="hps">of 1 ½</span> <span class="hps">hour</span>s . </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en">I<span class="hps">t was</span> <span class="hps">a really nice</span> <span class="hps">approach</span> <span class="hps">into Quito Airport (UIO)</span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">. Quito</span> <span class="hps">lies</span> <span class="hps">in a valley</span> <span class="hps">in the Andes</span> Mountains <span class="hps">at an altitude of</span> <span class="hps">2,800</span> <span class="hps atn">m. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">See the short video: </span></span></span><a href="http://youtu.be/mNZP7Ec0VWg" target="_blank">Flight CM829 from Panama to Quito </a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">It</span> <span class="hps">was quick</span> <span class="hps">to get</span> <span class="hps">through</span> <span class="hps">immigration</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">customs</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">at</span> <span class="hps">exit we met a</span> <span class="hps">representative</span> <span class="hps">from </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">VIP Link</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">which</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">had arranged for</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">transportation from the airport</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="hps" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to the JW Marriott Quito hotel (picture).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="hps"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVfs2S6apx8Lz7Yz86ddegp8xOzHp-EdFJtapIQEzg9W7-RUrEVve_WRitoZv7K45WUAQHtsJyLxpd4HGF2quL2JaynnFk4eOowqlzv8y4pWViOrAD1vNhOkKtANzDDN8y_2nxc4uMWs/s1600/hotel+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVfs2S6apx8Lz7Yz86ddegp8xOzHp-EdFJtapIQEzg9W7-RUrEVve_WRitoZv7K45WUAQHtsJyLxpd4HGF2quL2JaynnFk4eOowqlzv8y4pWViOrAD1vNhOkKtANzDDN8y_2nxc4uMWs/s1600/hotel+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">If you arrive at the Friday at a Celebrity Xpedition cruise tour, the transfer from Airport to Hotel is included in the arrangement, but if arriving outside that window, you must arrange you own transfer, either by pre-booked taxi or using one of the yelllow caps waiting outside the terminal. </span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Since</span> <span class="hps">Quito</span> <span class="hps">is at </span>high altitude, the air is <span class="hps">very thin,</span> <span class="hps">but we have not</span> <span class="hps">been affected by</span> <span class="hps">the thin air and we did not expierence any troubles with 'high illness'.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8fAgbVAVf8ITTE757NsouTF6i2aBnVC44kWbtW0xNCnBPV1kV1PC91M6I7ZGYLI8gvU9-t9fB-qFY0E7ymsa0Fvy4uYiDSIFvdoa6fG5okQuhRWUwzXRHfRqgWxsE_rqaPcnsTt6hek/s1600/udsigt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8fAgbVAVf8ITTE757NsouTF6i2aBnVC44kWbtW0xNCnBPV1kV1PC91M6I7ZGYLI8gvU9-t9fB-qFY0E7ymsa0Fvy4uYiDSIFvdoa6fG5okQuhRWUwzXRHfRqgWxsE_rqaPcnsTt6hek/s1600/udsigt.jpg" height="195" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><b>JW Marriott Quito</b><br /><span class="hps">After an</span> <span class="hps">hour we were</span> <span class="hps">approaching the </span><span class="hps">JW</span> <span class="hps">Marriott</span> <span class="hps">Quito Hotel. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">We've got</span> <span class="hps">a room on the</span> <span class="hps">7</span> <span class="hps">floor with</span> <span class="hps">sweeping views of</span> <span class="hps">Quito City and</span> <span class="hps">the encircling</span> <span class="hps">mountains (picture).</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="hps"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en">We staid at the hotel during the afternoon and got a nice dinner at one of the three restaurants at the hotel. </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See video: <a href="http://youtu.be/73zNy-4oaC4" target="_blank">JW Marriott Hotel, Quito, Ecuador </a></span><br /><br /><span class="hps"></span></span><br />
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<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><br /><span title="Øst for Quito ligger vulkanerne Cotopaxi , Sincholagua , Antisana og Cayambe"></span></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.comQuito, Ecuador-0.1806532 -78.467838200000017-0.68876169999999992 -79.113285200000021 0.32745529999999995 -77.822391200000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2823426465534725276.post-1810483392925683932013-11-06T14:36:00.000+01:002014-01-19T13:00:49.128+01:00Flight from Copenhagen to Quito<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4IEhKFadv8oUguqYtkxYVPfpooW_0WiJ7xrEDhEME1KpN0y2sGhE9BvgWFkgExNYUTpn-Q9HZon6EileKWXa7RXj1uFN6gM-vC4RaO4ycJcmdPPd-Xtg6bEnN9qn6HqdkT43YpFICOw/s1600/SAS+fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN4IEhKFadv8oUguqYtkxYVPfpooW_0WiJ7xrEDhEME1KpN0y2sGhE9BvgWFkgExNYUTpn-Q9HZon6EileKWXa7RXj1uFN6gM-vC4RaO4ycJcmdPPd-Xtg6bEnN9qn6HqdkT43YpFICOw/s1600/SAS+fly.jpg" height="222" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Finally, we got</span> <span class="hps">off on</span> <span class="hps">our</span> <span class="hps">Galapagos</span> <span class="hps">trip</span>. <span class="hps"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Traveling from Europe to Ecuador is quite a long trip and only few direct flights. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">You must take an international flight to Ecuador, to arrive either at the city of Quito or at the city of Guayaquil. There are non-stop flights from several US cities, like Houston (United), Atlanta (Delta) and Miami (</span><span class="nameHighlight" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">American Airlines)</span><span style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">, as well as from European cities like Amsterdam (KLM) and Madrid (Iberia).</span><br style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">From other cities in US or Europe 1 stop flights are available either via US cities above or via Bogota and Panama City.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It
is recommend to arrive into Quito or Guayaquil at least two days before
the scheduled Galapagos travel dates (especially for cruises) in case
there are flight delays or cancellations.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Being a loyal SAS and Star Alliance customer out option was to fly via Newark and Panama City, with overnight stop in Panama.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">At noon we flew from</span> <span class="hps">Copenhagen</span> <span class="hps">with SAS</span> <span class="hps">SK909</span> (picture) <span class="hps">to Newark, NJ</span>. <span class="hps">A trip</span> <span class="hps">of 8 hours</span> <span class="hps">with arrival</span> <span class="hps">late in the afternoon</span> <span class="hps">local time.</span> <span class="hps">We came</span> <span class="hps">quite quickly</span> <span class="hps">through </span>immigration in Newark, <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">took</span> <span class="hps">our suitcases</span> <span class="hps">as</span> we<span class="hps"> had to</span> <span class="hps">bring</span> them <span class="hps">through customs</span> <span class="hps">in the U.S. They were then</span><span class="hps"></span> <span class="hps">checked in</span> <span class="hps">for</span> <span class="hps">the United flight to Panama</span><span class="">.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">We had 1</span><span class="hps">½ hours</span> <span class="hps">to change</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">we</span> <span class="hps">took the</span> <span class="hps">train</span> <span class="hps">to another</span> <span class="hps">terminal</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">through</span> <span class="hps">security check</span> <span class="hps">-</span> <span class="hps">as usual</span> <span class="hps">organized chaos</span>. <span class="hps">Then</span><span class="hps"></span> <span class="hps">we went straight to</span> <span class="hps">our</span> <span class="hps">United Airlines</span> <span class="hps">flight</span> <span class="hps">that would</span> <span class="hps">take us</span> <span class="hps">to Panama City.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="hps"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM-EJu6iOy6oNWxWsIM4xiEWskJvXl_OjkTWF3Yu2f7mXnUz6p9LhC7E-_kEvdq0fad8dE5lsDlHt1erfCqQ4IoG9yP8Z_7UnYaBu5D3oBctzgqQlQz8fcd63kBrs5TdyyPSXqweUNRI/s1600/hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxM-EJu6iOy6oNWxWsIM4xiEWskJvXl_OjkTWF3Yu2f7mXnUz6p9LhC7E-_kEvdq0fad8dE5lsDlHt1erfCqQ4IoG9yP8Z_7UnYaBu5D3oBctzgqQlQz8fcd63kBrs5TdyyPSXqweUNRI/s1600/hotel.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><b>Panama City</b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">After 5 hours</span> <span class="hps">we landed in</span> <span class="hps">Panama.</span> <span class="hps">We arrived</span> <span class="hps">to</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">tropical</span> <span class="hps">heat</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">Panama</span> <span class="hps">at</span> <span class="hps">10PM -</span> <span class="hps">we</span> <span class="hps">had booked</span> <span class="hps">an airport</span> <span class="hps">hotel, Riande Aeropuerto Hotel & Resort, where</span> <span class="hps">there was a shuttle</span> <span class="hps">bus service from the airport.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">It took some time</span> <span class="hps">to get</span> <span class="hps">through</span> <span class="hps">immigration,</span> <span class="hps">by then</span> <span class="hps">the suitcases</span> <span class="hps">already were</span> <span class="hps">on the belt</span> <span class="hps">- so it was</span> <span class="hps">just to get out of the terminal, </span><span class="hps">find the bus</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">then</span> <span class="hps">a 5 minute drive</span> <span class="hps">to the </span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class=""><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Riande Aeropuerto Hotel</span></span></span></span></span></span>.</span> <span class="hps">A</span> <span class="hps">really nice</span> <span class="hps">hotel</span> with good service (picture).<br /><span class="hps">Before</span> <span class="hps">bedtime</span>, there was <span class="hps">just time for a</span> <span class="hps">glass of wine</span> <span class="hps">at the pool bar.</span></span></span></span> </span></span>Mogens Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791889037730590718noreply@blogger.com