After shaking off yesterday’s airport anxiety, I eased into the morning with a colorful platter of tropical fruits. The papaya didn’t quite win me over, but everything else was a burst of flavor that felt like the perfect “welcome to Costa Rica.” A few messages in the group chat later, I linked up with someContinue reading “07JAN2022 – DAY 2: THE MEETUP”
Tag Archives: Contiki
06JAN2022 – DAY 1: THE AIRPORT ANXIETY
Travel days rarely go according to plan, but this one took the cake. After a flight cancellation delayed my departure from Quito, I found myself stranded in the airport well past midnight—groggy, frustrated, and desperate for sleep. The wooden benches near the entrance weren’t exactly five-star accommodations, but they’d do. As I laid down, IContinue reading “06JAN2022 – DAY 1: THE AIRPORT ANXIETY”
03JAN2022 – DAY 15: THE SNAZZY HAT
The day started with an early rise and no concrete plans as the soft glow of the morning slipped through the hotel curtains. I made my way down to the lobby restaurant, greeted by the comforting aroma of fresh pastries and syrup. Breakfast was a feast — three buttery croissants, a bowl of Frosted FlakesContinue reading “03JAN2022 – DAY 15: THE SNAZZY HAT”
02JAN2022 – DAY 14: THE SLOW DAY
My day started early—much earlier than planned. I woke up at 4:00am, likely due to having the earliest night of the trip yesterday. Knowing I had a long journey ahead, I decided to go back to sleep until just after 7:00am. Once I was up for good, I took my time cleaning up, packing myContinue reading “02JAN2022 – DAY 14: THE SLOW DAY”
01JAN2022 – DAY 13: THE NEW YEAR’S GOODBYE
New Year’s excitement kept me up for longer than I’d expected so I only got 3hrs of sleep. Morning rolled around and I got up just after 6:00am to take in one final sunrise view from the Galapagos before the inevitable farewell. The streets were pretty empty but you could tell a massive celebration tookContinue reading “01JAN2022 – DAY 13: THE NEW YEAR’S GOODBYE”
31DEC2021 – DAY 12: THE SNORKELING
After one of the longest nights sleep I’ve had on this trip so far (approx 7.5hrs), I woke up feeling sore but refreshed. Today we were heading out to the famous Kicker Rock for some deep sea snorkeling! Prior to departing for our last big adventure activity in the Galapagos, we stopped by the diveContinue reading “31DEC2021 – DAY 12: THE SNORKELING”
30DEC2021 – DAY 11: THE FALL FROM GRACE
Even after all of last nights late night shenanigans, I still managed to wake up at 5:45am for another early morning walk around the town before grabbing breakfast. It wasn’t long before we headed over to another research station to learn more about the tortoises and aquatic life among the islands. With more turtles, lizardsContinue reading “30DEC2021 – DAY 11: THE FALL FROM GRACE”
29DEC2021 – DAY 10: THE WILD SIDE
Woke up early feeling refreshed but my feet were still bright red and extremely sore, so I decided to go explore the town to take my mind off of the pain. I left for a walk around 6AM and walked past several interesting wall murals on various nearby buildings depicting the local wildlife. As IContinue reading “29DEC2021 – DAY 10: THE WILD SIDE”
28DEC2021 – DAY 9: THE ANIMALS
After spending the night on the rooftop of Hotel Iguana, I headed back up to check out the view at dawn. I ran into Brian and we took photos against the backdrop of the town before heading over to the breakfast area to fill up for the day ahead! From the hotel, we walked overContinue reading “28DEC2021 – DAY 9: THE ANIMALS”
27DEC2021 – DAY 8: THE TRANSFER (GO GO GALAPAGOS)
Another bright and early day had us up and out of the hotel by 6:30am. As the bags were loaded under the bus, the excitement of a new adventure washed over us as we slowly woke up. On the way to the Quito airport, we picked up 8 new friends: Melissa, Gina, Cathryn, Jordan, Meredith,Continue reading “27DEC2021 – DAY 8: THE TRANSFER (GO GO GALAPAGOS)”
No Regrets: The Only Way To Live 