Hostel Life can be Expensive!

Our first experience staying in a hostel has been very positive.........cheap & clean rooms, friendly & helpful staff, free wifi, and a chance to share experiences with other travellers.....and this last item has led to a slight detour to our travels down the west coast. My dear wife, obviously impressed with my research and week 1 plan which has been averaging less than $40 / day all-in (hostel, food, drink, transportation, entertainment), heard about a last-minute, half-price trip to the Galapagos from another lady staying at our hostel and all of a sudden we are getting on a plane tomorrow morning (Sunday). Our trip is 4 days / 3 nights and we visit 5 islands aboard an 8 cabin catamaran (16 passengers plus crew). We had previously considered going there but decided the cost was a little high.......you have to make some sacrifices when you go away for 4 months! Anyway it should be a blast (and Caity, we promise to make our carbon footprint as small as possible). I am hopeful that this catamaran has satellite TV so we can see the Gold Medal hockey game!

Today we took a bus 2 hours north of Quito to Otavalo where they have one of the largest markets in South America. The streets were closed for 6x6 city blocks, along with 2 other large market areas. There were thousands of stalls selling food and traditional handicrafts. Our backpacks are now a little heavier. A few pictures are attached.

NOTE: I just saw the Chile earthquake report on CNN. We are about 3 weeks away from ariving in Chile and we will see some of the devastation first hand in Santiago which is on our list (for the time being). I just googled the Galapagos Islands and there was no significant damage reported from the ensuing tidal waves today so I am presuming our trip is still on.

We will likely be out of internet range for the next several days so do not be alarmed if you do not hear from us.......we are safe and will only be travelling to places that are currently safe.