Saturday, October 11, 2008

Help


IMG_1890
Originally uploaded by Courtney Knits

Crazy Lady



IMG_1895
Originally uploaded by Courtney Knits
I thought I had finally escaped this woman's clutches! I was kidnapped, shoved into and envelope and now I am running scared.
She drinks like a sailor and always has these massive, sharp objects.
if you read this post please help me.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Happy Birthday Courtney

Happy Birthday, honey!! Treat yourself to something special.

My favorite movie ever

After the seminar, it was time to relax in the Hotel Quito and watch my favorite movie of all time.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Near death experience


I had the worst scare of my life when this creepy jungle creature snuck up on me and bit my head. Luckily my hair product deterred it just long enough to allow my escape.

cooking class



Michelle Fried, an Ecuadorian cookbook author taught the group to prepare a few tradition dishes. Doesn't she know that starch is fattening?

Shopping the mercados



My discerning eye was invaluable during our group foray to market.

Street scene

Nice to see the streets so well patrolled. Promotes a girl's creativity.

Back to Quito



Quito has it's share of really old cathedrals. Some of them are quite impressive.

Tiputini and the Amazon rainforest



Here I am boating on the Tiputini River and hanging out in the Amazon rainforest. My photographer certainly did not do this site justice.

Termas de Papallacta

Here I am taking a dip in the hotsprings

Paramo and the polyleptis forest

After the Galapagos it was back to the Andes, this time to a site near the Paramo with some phenomenal natural hotsprings. We visited polyleptis forest, a very endangered ecotype, where I discovered this disgusting plant producing its own mucus.

Galapagos






We spent a week in the Galapagos. Amazing wildlife! And lots of lava.

Taxi ride to Hotel Quito

The taxi driver was courteous and helpful. I got to practice my Spanish.
Here I am in the Hotel Quito, still radiant after many hours of travel.

I arrive in Quito

The view of the Andes was spectacular as we made our descent into Quito.