Category Archives: Uncategorized

What a change 45 degrees of latitude makes.  We left the short-sleeve weather of Quito to face winter’s frigid blasts here in New England. The return trip was arduous.  Because we had to reschedule our flights, we could not find … Continue reading →

Our last day in Quito was varied and relaxed. At 9 AM, we walked to the Botanical Garden for a tour of the grounds and greenhouses. The orchids and the carnivorous plants were big hits. We were lucky that a … Continue reading →

We arrived back at the IES Abroad offices at 8 PM after a varied 13-hour excursion north of Quito.  Departing at 7 AM, our first stop was an important  archaeological site called Cochasqui.   The Caranqui people built a series of flat-topped … Continue reading →

Where did the time go?  It’s hard to believe today is our sixth day on the Galapagos.  We boarded a bus for the dock in Puerto Villamil at 7 AM, hopped into water taxis to two bigger boats, rode for … Continue reading →

On Thursday, we had a wonderful day on Isabela. After a hearty breakfast, we boarded an open-air bus for a 45-minute ride to the trail head for our hike to Sierra Negra, one of five massive volcanoes on Isabela. After … Continue reading →

We left Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz at 7:30 this morning for a 2.5-hour cruise to Isabela.  The seas were relatively calm and no one experienced any seasickness. The south end of Isabela has a quite different appearance than the … Continue reading →

Today’s activities centered around a cruise to the extremely arid island of Bartholomé, a small island adjacent to Santiago.  We hired two boats to transport us there.  One boat was slower so half of us began our trip at 5 … Continue reading →

We left Quito on yesterday morning arriving at San Cristóbal Airport around noon local time (one hour earlier than EST).   After clearing inspections, we were spirited off to our hotel (Paradiaso Insular) to unpack.  A nice lunch at The Playa … Continue reading →

We convened at the IES Abroad Center at 9 AM for an orientation session.  Dr. Eduardo Ortiz started with a general introduction to the IES Abroad approach to education, namely combining academic rigor with immersion in a new culture.   Gladys … Continue reading →

Our flight from Miami to Quito was right on time.  It took us about an hour to clear customs.  When we exited the terminal, two of the IES Abroad directors met us along with the host families.   Each host family … Continue reading →