We've been home for about a week and a half now, and I can't count how many times we've been asked "So, how was it?" It seems a perfectly logical question to ask someone who you haven't seen in half a year, and yet how do you go about summing up an experience like this? It was fun, difficult, educational, frustrating, eye-opening, beautiful, relaxing, energizing, the trip of a lifetime, and more than words could ever explain. We feel incredibly blessed to have...

Before arriving in the Amazon, I imagined this part of our trip would be very similar to our safari in Tanzania with lots of amazing animal sightings and incredible photo opportunities. In reality, the two destinations couldn't be more different. First of all, there is a HUGE difference between a driving safari and hiking through a rain forest. (Go ahead, you can say it… "duh!") While the terrain is fairly level, this is still some of the most strenuous h...

Ecuador has just about everything an outdoorsy person could dream of! We've spent the last week and a half or so exploring all that this beautiful country has to offer. Here's a brief laundry list of what we've been up to: · Visited Parque Condor - a great rehabilitation center for large birds like condors, eagles, and owls. · Climbed Mt. Pasochoa - measuring in at 13,775ft, it might be the closest I ever get to hiking a "14er." · Hiked to an unnamed waterf...

Say the name "Quito" and most people picture dirty city streets filled with poverty and crime. I'm happy to report that for the most part, Quito is actually a lovely town. We've spent our few days here exploring the great colonial architecture and sampling the delicious Ecuadorian fare (think warm savory soups and flakey cheesy empanadas!). One of the architectural highlights was the Basílica del Voto Nacional. I've sometimes felt torn about visiting churc...

The next leg of our exciting saga has begun and we've now officially set foot on six continents! Getting to Ecuador was both fun and tiring. We left L.A. at 11:00 p.m. and arrived in Miami four hours later, just in time for sunrise. We might have squeezed in a maximum of 2 hours of questionable quality sleep. Still, we were jazzed about having a 13 hour layover which allowed us to rent a car to see Miami for the day. Jeff lived there for 5 months during his ...