We're off to Guayaquil!

Goodbye Dallas...

Hello, Guayaquil, Ecuador!

October 24, 2016:
Saturday we leave again!  I know, we just got back from a wonderful Seabourn cruise through the Canadian Maritimes and Boston.  Nine or ten months ago, after that one was reserved and paid for, our dear friend Gwenna Brush proposed a very different cruise--this one to South America--and after one or two minutes of misgivings about the back-to-back nature of the two trips--we signed on. We have traveled with Gwenna and Don before, always magical journeys.

Thus, in just  five days we will get aboard another dreaded airplane, fly to Miami and then on to Guayaquil, Ecuador for a few days before boarding the expedition ship Silversea Explorer, with capacity of only 130 passengers, for a fourteen-day cruise down the coast of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. I hope we are fit enough to keep up.   There will be several Zodiak excursions--that's when you maneuver your ancient bones from the ship into a rubber raft and bounce your way to whatever your destination is that you can't get to any other way.  They swear the rafts are very sturdy and safe and their trained Zodiak pilots are there to hoist you in.  We shall see. 

Zodiaks notwithstanding, the itinerary will be astonishing, including wildlife from blue-footed boobies and cormorants to colonies of sea lions; pre-Incan ruins and sites like the famous not-to-be-missed erotic archaeological collection in Callao, Peru; and a special air cruise to view the Nazca Lines, geometric and figural geoglyphs that stretch for miles along the Peruvian coast.  Dating back to 500 B.C., this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a prime example of the mathematical and engineering sophistication of the ancient Peruvians.  I'll tell you more about this archaeological wonder when and if I gain a better understanding of it.

And on a less lofty note, we get to drink Pisco!  Pisco is a type of Peruvian/Chilean brandy that we learned about several years ago because our San Francisco friend Timothy Childs, after discovering pisco on a trip to Peru, literally changed careers to become a leading North American importer and distributor of the stuff.  Timothy's company, Clear Grape, offers the largest selection of pisco in the U.S. including the rare "pisco italia" made with 100% Italia grapes. I can hardly wait to drop this esoteric tidbit on my soon-to-be Peruvian friends.

The scenery will be spectacular, highlighting the colorful towns of South America, rocky and remote islands, and coastal mountains, but, as is typical with us, we are most excited about the food!  Three different chefs with their extensive culinary teams will be cooking aboard the Explorer consecutively and they will provide not only scrumptious menus but workshops and tastings based on the local shellfish, cultural dishes and wines.  A Chilean BBQ, a special ceviche dinner, a workshop on plantains, a chocolate tasting and even a "choco-dinner", the signature meal of one of the chefs, are all teasers in our pre-cruise literature.  

We finish the cruise in Valparaiso where lop-sided colorful buildings crawl up the hillside and the aquamarine of the sea caresses the harbor below.  I've only seen pictures and now we will see the real thing.  

We are very excited about this trip.  I can only hope the internet availability and my stamina will conspire to allow me to bring you along with us.