Quito took its first step into the realm of foodie tourism by highlighting the city’s most popular dish Fanesca, also extremely popular during Easter week due to its religious connotations (the stew combines twelve ingredients as a representation of Jesus’s twelve apostles).

Like most regional dishes, every restaurant has a different spin on the traditional dish and Quito has selected the twelve best where you can enjoy the infamous fanesca.  The restaurantswere selected based on their use of traditional flavors and ingredients, as well as their ability to offer variations of the dish.  These twelve restaurants are also considered to offer the best cuisine in Quito.

We look forward to hearing from you on how we can customize an itinerary for you combining Ecuador’s culture, landscape AND cuisine!

Kuala Lumpu Skyline

Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, totes the line between ‘Truly Asia’ as termed by the country’s marketing campaign, and a beautifully diverse metropolitan with arguably some of the world’s best cuisine.

The best time to visit Peninsular Malaysia is from June to September during the dry season; however this time of year will also be the warmest.  To escape the heat and the movement of the city embrace the other highlights of the peninsula including the Cameron Highlands and the Taman Negara.

Located at 5,000 feet above sea level the inherent beauty and cool, temperate climate of the Cameron Highlands will offer a welcomed reprieve in the vast rolling hills, rose gardens and tea plantations.

Taman Negara Canopy Walk

Malaysia’s Taman Negara Rainforest is estimated to be one of the oldest in the world at over 130 million years old.  Here the dense vegetation, comprised of ancient trees, massive root system and thriving ferns creates opportunities for adventures including trekking, rafting and unforgettable canopy walks.

For a complete survey of Peninsular Malaysia we suggest a tour of Kuala Lumpur, Taman Negara and Cameron Highlands with Penang, a small island with a population slightly over one million.

Sunbathing

The Galapagos is a year-round destination with opportunities to swim with the sea lions and observe Darwin’s finches almost daily.  December to May is the green season in the Galapagos meaning brief, daily rains but very vibrant terrain.  In contrast, June to November is the dry season where the weather is sunny and dry but the vegetation has dulled in color.  In regards to snorkeling, the waters are calmest from June to December; however the slightly rougher and cooler waters from August to October create more opportunities to sea the underwater wildlife.

When to go is not the only question to ask when planning a trip to the Galapagos; often overlooked a very important question is: what is your ideal way to explore the Galapagos, cruises or hotels?  The answer to this question is directly related to the type of traveler you are, but there are a few key differences to help you decide.

Cruising with Activities

Visiting the Galapagos aboard a cruise ship offers an itinerary that visits more islands, but on a stricter schedule.  The cruise option is also all-inclusive; all meals and tours during your cruise are combined into one nice package.  Another benefit for some types of passengers is the camaraderie of traveling with a group of passengers, as on a cruise ship.

Red Mangrove Inn

In contrast, staying in hotels enables travelers to become better acquainted with one island and its local community.  In general, hotel accommodations offer more time at leisure with the opportunity to choose your excursions and island visits based on your interests.  You can also arrange to “island hop” staying at various hotels throughout the archipelago, exploring the different islands in that manner.  There are several accommodations in the Galapagos including on Santa Cruz, Isabela and Floreana Islands, ranging from 3-star to Deluxe.

Blue-footed Boobie

Regardless of cruise itineraries or hotel accommodations, in both cases snorkeling will be available, and swimming with the sea lions and penguins is an unforgettable experience.  There is no wrong answer when visiting the Galapagos, ask a few questions or your own traveling style and to your Travel Consultant and the Galapagos is a guaranteed unique and memorable experience!

Royal Palm

Side note: I was in the Galapagos in November, 2011 and stayed at the Royal Palm on Santa Cruz; the hotel is absolutely beautiful and definitely a renowned luxury property! I personally prefer hotel accommodations over cruise ships simply because I like the more relaxed schedule.

Namib Dune Gecko – This brightly colored gecko can be found scurrying throughout the dunes of the Namib Desert on webbed feet, perfectly designed to handle the shifting sands.  The gecko’s colorful appearance is due, in part, from its nearly transparent skin making its blood vessels visible on the outside. The little gecko is nocturnal, preferring to stay out of the scorching heat during the daylight hours, and collects water from their diet consisting of crickets, beetles and termites.   Lacking eyelids to protect their large, bulging eyeballs the Dune Gecko keeps their eyes clean by licking with their tongue.

Namaqua Chameleon – Found in western parts of Namibia, the Namaqua is one of the fastest types of Chameleons, using their speed in the morning hours to hunt.  Commonly black, the Namaqua Chameleon will lighten in color as the sun rises and the heat increases to help stay cool; however if threatened or nervous they will quickly turn black again!  The Namaqua’s relentless hunt for insects is also helped by their incredible line of vision; each eye can see 180 degrees independently.

Sidewinder Snake

Sidewinder Snake – This petit endemic snake is only an average of 30 centimeters (almost 12 inches) and takes its name from the way it moves.  Sidewinding is created when the body follows the head jumping forward lifting the body from one position, to the same slightly forward.  This type of movement allows the snake to move along the slippery desert surface, although constantly at an angle, and keep most of its body off the sands to avoid overheating.

Shovel-Snouted Lizard – This endemic lizard roams the Namib Desert during the day, taking refuge in the sand if the sun becomes too overwhelming.  The Shovel-Snouted Lizard dances across the Desert keeping the front two feet in the air and skipping along the sands with the bottom two feet; this peculiar looking move keeps the lizard from receiving too much heat from the desert sands.

Cartwheeling Spider – Endemic to the Namib dune belt this spider is also known as the Dancing White Lady Spider.  Keeping mostly to the dunes this spider is nocturnal and hunts for insects.  Its main predator is the gecko and when threatened the Cartwheeling Spider will curl into a ball and roll down the slope of the dune (at up to 44 rolls per second!) landing at the bottom with four legs up in the air ready to attack any foolish predators.

My personal favorite is the Namib Dune Gecko, what is yours?

Airfare costs are subject to the drill of supply and demand meaning that the prices for flights will rise during holiday seasons and popular travel times (think summer vacation).  If possible, try to plan your trip apart from popular travel weeks; this spring prices are expected to drop after Easter and until Memorial Day; this summer prices are expected to fall in late August after school vacation.

With the uncertainty at the pump and in the sky the safest bet is to plan ahead.  We suggest booking your international flight as much as five months ahead of your departure to ward off any spikes in prices as the flight begins to fill up.

If you aren’t able to book in advance, although we strongly suggest it, keep an eye out for last minute price deals as airlines try to occupy empty seats.  Tracking down all the deals can be time consuming, but don’t stress we have our eye out for you!  Keep watch on Yampu Tours’ Facebook Page for the best, current international airfare deals to our popular destinations!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SUSAN LEFEVER WHO WON OUR SHARE & WIN CONTEST IN FEBRUARY!

Susan was selected out of the many, many entrants who watched one of our 15 Second Escape Trailers featuring the top adventures and sites in Costa Rica.  Her prize includes a flights for two people to Costa Rica, provided by Trip Films, and a full experience one of our amazing tours to Costa Rica! Her itinerary will take her to Manuel Antonio National Park & Beach, Arenal Volcano and more.

Learn about this lucky, “pura vida” bound lady!
Name: Susan LeFever
Age: 57
Occupation: Interior Designer – but I’m currently unemployed.
Current Hometown: Orange, California
Family: Single, no kids
Childhood Dream: To be a dancer or artist
Your favorite travel experience?  Hiking in Portugal, food in Italy, taking a train almost anywhere.
Have you ever been to Costa Rica before? Yes! I visited the beautiful beach town of Santa Teresa
Why did you want to win this trip? Costa Rica is beautiful, and the people are so friendly. I really wanted to go back!
What are you most excited about on this trip? The volcano! I love volcanoes, and try to visit them whenever I can.
What do you think of travel videos? It makes it a lot easier to imagine being in a new place. Pictures are helpful, but the videos really make a difference.
Who will you be traveling with? I don’t know yet. As a single woman, I’m going to have to pick from my friends. The one’s I don’t pick will be jealous.

We are so thrilled to be able to offer this treat for Susan and hope she enjoys her time in Costa Rica, we know she’lll love Arenal!

I don’t know what I was really expecting on my trip to Antarctica but I did think there’d be some ice, wildlife and rough seas. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

Mid-summer it may be but there was plenty of ice. And being mid-summer, most of the critters were out of the water, on land preparing for or tending to the newly hatched young. It was quite a staggering site.

Can’t you just imagine a young chick back-chatting its parent? And, by the look of things, the parent is already caring for a younger chick snuggled up on its feet (protected by the pouch covering the top of its feet).

One gets fed, one misses out …

It was always special to see a young chick poking its head out from underneath a parent.

My first encounter with penguins was on West Point Island (in the Falklands) where we saw rockhopper penguins nesting in the same area with black browed albatross. They didn’t care that we were there, just carried on with their lives as if they were still all alone.

A rockhopper penguin on West Point Island

A black browed albatross with chick sharing its space with rockhopper penguins.

Salisbury Plain provided me with my first mind-blowing encounter with penguins – it seemed like there were millions of them – king penguins and their young – in all stages of development. It seems a bit trite now but I was pretty overwhelmed by the experience and walked around in a daze for the first half hour or so. In fact, I felt a tear or two form as I stood there entranced by the experience.

You’ve just got to enlarge this photo (click on it) to get some sort of an idea about how many king penguins were in this colony. And this is less than a quarter of the population in this area alone.

Our guides did give us an estimation of the number of penguins in the first major colony and I think, from memory, it was a paltry 250,000 pairs. Though my memory is pretty faulty. It seemed like there was a lot more.

I decided that I loved the chinstrap penguins best – they have a charming personality and an inquisitiveness that brought them into close contact with some of the people on our trip.

Chinstrap penguins taking the plunge

You can’t say that you’ve had a bad hair day until you can rival this chap.

They say that we have to keep five metres between us and the penguins – but someone forgot to tell the penguins. It is nothing to be sitting down and have a penguin or two come up to you to start up a conversation. It is really quite wonderful to be amongst wild animals that don’t have a fear of humans. And I enjoyed every moment of our encounters.

A magellenic penguin on Carcass Island in the Falklands.

Macaroni penguins get their name from that dandy who stuck a feather in his cap. This photo is courtesy of Gerda Eilts. I don’t know what I did to my camera but I didn’t get one good photo of a macaroni penguin – and they were the penguins I really wanted to see. We only came across them in Elsehul Bay so I didn’t get another chance to improve my technique.

I just love the dramatic effect in this shot – no, he wasn’t about to become a meal. The elephant seal in the backbround was having a tussle with one of its mates and was totally ignoring this penguin.

Ain’t love grand?

A penguin superhighway – from the rookery to the ocean so they can catch fish for their babes.

This colony is in trouble – they reside in Neko Harbour where a glacier calved. The ice spread all around the shoreline of the harbour. Not only did that stop us from landing, it also stopped the penguins from getting to or returning from the ocean with food for their chicks. They were trying to negotiate their way through the ice looking for a gap in the ice pack. They’d occasionally make it out of the water but then slip and have to start all over again. It was a traumatic situation and colonies have been know to fail because of an event like this. A few penguins were starting to find their way around the edges of the ice pack back onto shore so I can only hope that they found a way.

Our first visit was in the middle of the day – when the sun was at its harshest. This couldn’t drown out the colours though. And it was a stunning visit. So much so that we had to return for another visit on our last day in Buenos Aires.

Our second visit was much earlier in the day – when there were lots of shadows. Sigh! There is no making some people happy. But the lighting makes such a big difference.

Everything about La Boca was colourful.

This gentleman posed so beautifully while I had three attempts at getting the lighting right. I think he was a bit bored by my final attempt.

This was one of those times when I was really pleased I wasn’t any shorter. I had to stand on tippy-toe to reach over the fence for this shot. But she was too gorgeous to miss so I stretched as far as I could.

Him and his girl

But the back streets of La Boca show a totally different side to the area. The tourist area is brightly painted while the residential/business areas aren’t so colourful.

In the harsh economic conditions of the last couple of years, people have taken to collecting items such as cardboard and then selling it on to recyclers. This gentleman is waiting for the recyclers to open so he can sell his latest load.

We’d been warned of the dangers of visiting La Boca before the daily influx of tourists arrived – but we were well protected on our early morning visit.

Wherever we went, one or two police officers seemed to appear by magic. They took good care of us.

We were adopted by this pooch. He growled at anyone he didn’t like the look of.

The people of the area were proud of the achievements of “La Boca Juniors”. We passed their stadium a couple of times while driving around. The murals on the sides of the building were painted in the team colours.

The Devil’s Throat is on the  Argentinian side of the falls. It’s the part of the falls where you have to stand back and admire the sheer strength of the falls – where the water rushes by in a flow that cannot be understood. The water takes on a life of its own and everyone stands aside to admire it.

I took a zodiac ride up to the falls – well, within a safe distance. I got wet, seriously wet. I’d brought a waterproof camera with me so I could still record part of the adventure. When the water was coming down, there was no withstanding its strength.

The view from the walkway that skirts the edge of the falls.

There is no keeping dry – even from the other side of the falls. My lens got covered in water.

I was in a zodiac confronting the water a few minutes after I took this shot.

The view from the zodiac.

This museum can go unnoticed from the outside, but once you pass the big gray metal gates and start going up the ramp, you will be mesmerized by the beauty of its gardens. The delightful and colorful orchids and bougainvillea are always in bloom. Since the Larco Herrera Museum is located in Peru’s capital city, with only few green areas, so it is very refreshing to see such pretty garden.

Once on the top of the ramp, then right and you will find the front desk next to the main patio, here the very hospitable staff will take care of you. If you prefer to take the tour on your own, there is a big LCD TV with an introduction to the museum, Pre-Columbian cultures originated in the Peruvian coast, and relevant information about Rafael Larco Hoyle and the formation of his vast archeological collection. There is also a business center with three high speed computers that are complimentary for guests.

Inside the museum you can appreciate the different styles each ancient culture had, such as colors, shapes, figures, and representations. You will learn what made them unique, but also how, throughout time, all these cultures influenced each other and eventually learned to combine their styles.

The first fact I realized was the division these cultures had between worlds. They recognized three different worlds: the upper world, where the gods live represented by birds; the earthly world, where humans live represented by felines, and the lower world inhabited by the dead and represented by serpents. After learning this, you will understand why most of the pottery is decorated with these representations, and how important these figures were for daily activities.

This museum is one of the few that let visitors take a look into the storage room with more than thirty-five thousand pottery pieces. The most surprising are the sculptures showing the illnesses of the time, such as chicken pox and harelip. Another theme that caught my attention was the fact that these cultures had a quality control and not all of the vessels were approved, so there is a shelf in the storage room with all the faulted pieces that ancient Peruvian discarded for its poor quality.

When the tour is almost over, you will be surprised to go into the other side of the property. There you will find the erotic ceramics collection that Mr. Larco specifically located in a different gallery so underage visitors wouldn’t be able to view. It is a small collection, but the sculptures are so “didactic” that no one in the room could resist laughing or blushing. These cultures considered intercourse as sacred rituals, necessary to maintain order in the world and prevent natural disasters; that is why they were so opened about sexuality, and representing the act in their quotidian art.

Pre-Columbian cultures, as an agricultural society, worshiped the forces of nature. As a sign of gratitude and veneration of the “Pachamama” or Mother Earth, they also practiced human sacrifices (besides sexual rituals). The Sacrifice Ceremony Gallery tells the story of these fascinating rituals through objects, such as half moon shaped knifes or “tumis”, wooden clubs, ceremonial cups, and vessels that illustrate the harshness, yet the splendor of the era.

There is also a restaurant inside the museum, where travellers can delight their palate with delicious Peruvian and International cuisine. Here taste Peru’s exquisite National drink, Pisco Sour. The restaurant has a very nice terrace with garden views, and a friendly staff.

At the end of my tour I had a bonus and got to see and pet a Peruvian dog that was hanging out with his owner around the gardens; all of us congregated to play with him. Peruvian dogs have a really warm body, and they are known for their therapeutic properties.

This was a great experience; there is a lot to understand about the evolution of pre-Hispanic Peruvian culture, and the Larco Museum sums it up very nicely. Mr. Larco left an incredible archaeological heritage for the world to admire and worship.