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Quito is a rather pretty city, with lots of hills to wander. At nearly 3k meters above sea level, we were missing our oxygen! Wonder what Machu Picchu will feel like? We met a cheerful and very capable traveller named Eugenia and toured around Old Town together.

At the top of a large hill (El Panecillo) is a huge statue called "La Virgen de Quito." She is based on Revelations 12: "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head."

Corina and I take in panoramic views of the city from the top of El Panecillo

The Monastery de San Francisco, the oldest church in Ecuador dating from the 1500's.

These friendly monks were happy to have their picture taken.

There are many beautiful churches in Old Town, and we visited most of them. Unfortunately, there are no Inca ruins in Quito: the original city was destroyed by the Inca general Ruminahue rather than having it fall into Spanish hands.

An old woman makes her living selling candles outside a church.

Candles burning near the altar.

The altar at La Compana de Jesus. Supposedly 7 tons of gold were used to gild the walls, ceiling and altar.

An attractive blue church. Identity unknown.

A man dozes in the shade of a tree outside.

We climbed to the top of a hill to get a look at the immense Church of La Basillca.

An imposing building indeed! Despite its gothic appearance, construction began in 1926 and continues to this day.

Beautiful stained glass abounded.

The lofty sanctuary.

We arrived 2 minutes before closing, but were allowed in for a quick view of the ground floor. After sneaking halfway to the top of the bell towers, we encountered a guide who was closing up. He generously led us on an an after-hours run to the top. Here we are on a catwalk above the sanctuary...

..and making our way to the top of the tower. Believe it or not, our guide even let me climb out on a 3 foot wide unprotected ledge for a photo. Sadly, the shot didn't come out, and I wasn't about to linger out there!

Eugenia, Corina and I on top of the spire at the end of a terrific day exploring.

The next day we headed north toward Otavalo, for a stay in the 400 year old Hacienda Cusin. It's a charming place, and we enjoyed a huge room with a fireplace.

Some of the spacious gardens.

A view towards "El Monastario" - not a real one, but a hotel/conference center next door. The literature describes a monastery as "the computer of the Middle Ages...a meeting-ground for great minds and a place of inspiration for fervent creativity." Maybe so, but wasn't there something about God in there?

Day's end on the streets of San Pablo del Lago, near the hacienda.

A woman and her bovine charges.

Quien es mas macho?

The sun sets on this pleasant, sleepy town.

The next day, we rise early to hit the famous Otavalo Saturday market. Here are women in the unique local attire, with embroidered blouses and masses of gold beads.

A pensive woman waits for customers.

A fully loaded fruit truck. Perhaps the most unusual is a tangy tomato-like fruit that substitutes for orange juice. Goes great with another local specialty: the guinea pig sandwich!

On our way out of town, we happened across a beautiful (and emotional!) wedding.

That afternoon, we rode horses up into the hills. It was beautiful, but one does pay a price for infrequent riding. Ouch!

And with that, it's time for our heroes to hit the road and head back to Quito for their next adventure. Stay tuned!

A view of Yosemite Falls and the valley. To see and hear the water going over the top, click here!

Sammy is excited to have a dip in the Merced River!

Enjoying their holiday!

Corina and I decided to tackle Yosemite Falls one day. Looks beautiful from here, but it was a long, hot hike to the top!

We finally get there!

The view from the top...

Forget that Sammy - we found a shortcut!

Last day in Yosemite - what a wonderful place!

April 22. To get to Torres, we flew from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, had a car drive us 3 hours to the Chilean border, where we met our guide who drove us the rest of the way. After many hours of driving across flat, windy terrain (las Pampas), the site of the mountains rising up is quite breathtaking!

The first two nights, we camped near a riverbed. Temperatures of -5c, however, quickly drove us indoors for the remainder of the trip! Happily, the refugios all offer clean, comfortable (and warm!) accommodations.

The view out our tent door: Almirante Nieto in the foreground; las Torres (the Towers) behind and to the right.

The first day we hiked up to las Torres. This was a pretty strenuous climb, despite our extensive training regimen (consisting of one day hike in Marin). However, the weather was amazing and the views well worth it!

Along the trail...

The fall colors were amazing!

The last part of the hike was a long scrabble over big rocks.

The reward: The Towers in full glory!

Corina on the trail the next day. She's smiling after unloading half her pack contents!

A view towards the Campos de Hielo Sur (or Southern Ice Field), the largest body of ice outside the poles.

The land gives the impression of having been recently lifted up and laid on its side.

Cuernos del Paine, simply stunning in the afternoon light. These are composed of two types of rock (lighter granite below, black shale peaks above) which give them a distinctive (and hornlike) appearance.

Glacier del Francais, which you arrive at by leaving your pack at Campo Italiano, then heading up the valley towards Camapiento Brittanico. Quite an international soup!

The Refugio Paine Grande, our home at the end of day 3. This was quite new, and a subject of some controversy as it is much bigger than the others along the route. Still, can't argue with the setting!

The last leg of the "W" brings you to Glacier Gray, a spectacular sight. In the summer, you can hike out onto it, but at this time of year we had to content ourselves with looking.

A view towards the Glacier

One of the greatest pleasures in traveling is the people you meet. Here are Ivana and Kevin from Modesto who taught us the finer points of dominos (you mean there's more to it than knocking them over?)

And here we are having Pizza on our last day in El Calafate, along with Marcus, Kate, Pedro and Carey. Great company!

Farewell to a magical place!