Our plans, decisions, and adventures
Quito is a long and narrow city, flowing like a river down the valley and splashing up the mountains that surround it. The TelefériQo, a tourist attraction built in 2005, is a wonderful way to get up high and view the city and surroundings. Quito's altitude is 9,350 feet (the highest official capital city in the world). The... Continue Reading →
Last weekend we took a bus tour to Mindo, a village in the rainforest northwest of Quito. We met for breakfast at a cafe a short walk from where we are staying. The bus was there on time, but the restaurant wasn't open and we got on our way an hour later than planned. The scenery... Continue Reading →
We are staying in El Centro Norte, Quito's modern downtown. South of us is a completely different version of Quito--it's historical downtown called El Centro Histórico. A UNESCO world heritage site, Quito's old town is narrow hilly streets lined with pastel coloured buildings, and plazas bordered with churches, palaces, museums and theatres. A few days... Continue Reading →
Like most computer-savy, cost-conscious travelers in our demographic we typically hit our favorite online travel sites (Expedia, Red Tag, Google Flights, etc.) or airline sites for travel deals and to make our own travel arrangements. I have learned about a better way--what others refer to as flight hacking--for finding deals and booking flights. Using some... Continue Reading →
After a 2-hour conversation in Spanish about our past travels (my tutor's questions) and all things Quito (my questions), I was ready to tackle the market. Mercedes, mi profesora, assured me that eating almuerzo (lunch) in the market was quite safe health-wise as the market was controlled by the municipality. As well, you can see your... Continue Reading →
Ken is off to Spanish school this morning. He looks so cute in his new school clothes with his notebook and pencil tucked under his arm. He will be attending Cristobal Colon Spanish School, which is just a 15-minute walk from our apartment, for the next two weeks, four hours a day, from 9:00am to... Continue Reading →
The primary goal of our posts is to update family and friends on our whereabouts. However, we have gained so much knowledge reading fellow nomad and long-term traveller blogs that we will include a few details that might seem inconsequential to some readers, but which we hope will provide practical information to those on a similar path. To receive notifications... Continue Reading →
My Committed! post provided only our starting point (Quito, Ecuador) and no further travel details. Not surprisingly, many have assumed that we are moving to Ecuador, which is not the case. Our plan, and I use that word loosely, is to be nomadic, in other words, to stay somewhere until we decide it's time to move on (within the constraints of tourist visas,... Continue Reading →
No longer is Life Phase Next just a dream. This week I clicked the button that committed us to our first target location—Quito, Ecuador, arriving on September 6, 2016. We had been hoping to use some British Airways Avios points that had been building up since our big trip to Africa a few years back, but thought... Continue Reading →
What we know after a week in Placencia, Belize We had done our homework by searching the Internet and reading as much as we could about where to grocery shop in Placencia. We knew that we could pick up inexpensive produce at several markets, but to look for Greg's truck by the soccer field almost... Continue Reading →
I'm not very good at small talk, and getting to know new people is a challenge for me. I can manage, but I always feel a bit awkward. (Luckily, Ken is completely the opposite and can strike up an easy conversation with just about anybody.) I realize that becoming nomadic, or even semi-nomadic, will necessitate... Continue Reading →
Just left: South America and Antarctica
Now: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Up next: Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Life: Phase Next 