Part One: A Dream Comes True.... Finally!

I grew up dreaming of far off places and exotic animals. I'm sure it was because the National Geographic magazine came into our home when I was young. I was mesmerized by the exotic animals and scenery that landed into our homes each month. Never could I have believed that someday I would visit some of those exotic places in person. The Galapagos Islands caught my eyes as much, if not more than any of those incredible places. Those giant turtles were amazing. I couldn't believe they were big enough for a person to ride on their backs! The blue footed boobies were almost magical. They might as well have been unicorns.......something imaginary, something only found in fairy tales. They seemed just as far away to me.

I think it wasn't until my parents moved to Ecuador in 1989 that I realized that the Galapagos Islands were a territory of Ecuador. Mom and Dad visited the Galapagos when their Nebraska friends came to Ecuador to see them, and wanted to catch a trip to the Galapagos as long as they were so close. The more I heard Mom and Dad talk of the Galapagos, the stronger my yearning to visit them became.

Well, last year I finally decided that I'd waited and dreamed long enough. I called Dad and said "I want to go to the Galapagos next year, do you want to be my traveling companion?" He said 'Sure, we should definitely do that some day." It was his usual, 'won't-commit-to-anything-too-far-in-advance' reply. But that wasn't good enough. I pushed for a commitment, a definite date. I knew if we didn't set a day right away, we'd procrastinate it forever. So we set a date, cleared our calendars and made our reservations!

This trip was everything I'd hoped and dreamed it would be, and it was even more special because I got to share it with my dad....

Dad hosted a party at our hotel for all the employees that they could contact that would like to get together for a little reunion. It was a great party and lasted much longer than we expected. Everyone was having so much fun, no one wanted to go home! It was a thrill to see how excited everyone was to see dad, and it was great to see Dad so happy.
On our last night in Guayaquil, before our journey home, Dad took me to his favorite restaurant. The owner remembered him and was really excited to see him again. I was amazed at the details she remembered about Dad, and Ken Morrison.

Unbelievably, the taxi driver that took us to the hotel remember dad and remembered that he drove a Cadillac! Amazing! In a city of 3 million people, what are the chances that he'd find a taxi driver that would remember him from TEN years ago! We were flabbergasted! But then, Dad always has had a way of being "memorable"!!


The first photo below was taken in the Guayaquil Airport. When we landed in Guayaquil, on our way to pick up our luggage, we had to go through a line where everyone was scanned by a thermal scanner. They were screening to keep people with H1N1 flu from entering the country.
Here's a few photos of the Guayaquil portion of our trip!

Notice the gloves and mask worn by the people working the thermal scanners at the airport.




This photo shows the results of the thermal scan. Each person was required to pause for a few seconds as they went through immigration.


Finally! I get to order my favorite Ecuadorian dish: Shrimp Ceviche!

I could have spent a week in Guayaquil just dining on all the Ecuadorian foods that I love!!!!

The photo below was taken at the party that dad hosted for all his former employees. He loved seeing them all again, and they we just as happy to see him!



Eduardo illustrates he STILL remembers the "Lafe Maneuver", also known as "how to squeeze the last drop from the bottle"!

The photo below was taken in the taxi in Guayaquil while we were stopped at a traffic light. This man was selling puppies, He brought one close to us to try to convince us to bring one home!

I have always been amazed at Ecuadorian construction. As you can see, bamboo poles supported concrete floors after they were poured until the concrete cured. Makes me feel safe, what about you????? :-)

We were delighted with all the positive changes in Guayaquil. The city was cleaner and there was a noticeable absence of old, beat up cars. Most cars on the streets were new, and in good shape. Ten to fifteen years ago, most of the cars on the road looked as though they'd never make it. The garbage in the streets was gone, and the city didn't seem to have as many people begging. All in all, it felt like Guayaquil was thriving. And it felt good to see the improvements.
Part two of our trip will show our visit to the Galapagos.