One of the most magnificent places I have been is the Galapagos Islands.  Six hundred miles west of the coast of Ecuador, these islands hold treasures of nature seen nowhere else.

The feelings of peace and serenity wash over me seeing this beautiful landscape.

The vegetation is unusual and very special.

I think the lava gulls were enjoying the scenery as well.

Imagine the feeling of calmness in this setting.

Every island, of course, needs someone in authority.

Our walks on the island are always guided by licensed naturalists, trained by the government of Ecuador.  They tell us interesting facts about the flora and fauna and make the tour very enjoyable.

And we are left with images like this.

The post Moments of beauty to last a lifetime appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Then I remember: I love traveling. I long to see China again. And mostly, I love seeing my travelers being amazed, sometimes astounded, by the sights I show them. For two weeks, my husband and I work harder than one can imagine, day and night, but for two weeks, we are able to provide one incredible experience after another for our people- the sights, the entertainment, the experience of being with a group of people who are there to see and to enjoy something totally new.

So as I prepare, I also remind myself that in under two weeks, a wonderful adventure begins!

Two of our travelers enjoying the Great Wall of China

The post Getting ready for China appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Girl with her pet, in Cusco, Peru

Details of the itinerary and the cost are on this page….

The post Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and Peru appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Sea lions on a break

We also were greeted by marine iguanas

Marine iguanas

But most surprising was the blue footed booby welcoming committee. About every 10 feet, there was a couple of blue footed boobies standing along the trail. It was as if someone had placed them at their posts. Here they are:

Blue footed booby welcoming committee

Another couple

And another

The big treat, though, was to see the albatrosses. In June, they were everywhere. In January, there had been only one or two sighted. So here is one, up close and personal:

An Albatross

Even closer

Of course, once again we saw the Nazca boobies, really beautiful white birds.

Nazca boobies

Unfortunately, our visit to the Galapagos had to come to an end, but next is a glimpse at Lima, Peru!

The post Galapagos Islands, Part 12 of the Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru Tour appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Great Blue Heron

This bird has to be one of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen. And, like the other Galapagos birds and creatures, he was not frightened by the humans and held still for a good number of pictures.

Cactus trees

Lava Lizard

Another amazing critter!

Nazca or Masked Booby

The Nazca Boobies are very beautiful and what is even more exquisite is a very young Nazca Booby. They are fluffy and white. Here’s a mother and her baby.

Nazca Booby and baby

Flamingo

In certain light, it seems as if the endemic flamingos glow. They do not. They get their beautiful color from the sea animals that they eat.

A cooperative Blue Footed Booby

And yes, that is really the way they look. They tell me that it really attracts the girls (girl boobies, that is) which is a good thing.

What you can’t possibly imagine is how completely amazing this place is and how right the world seems with this beautiful life just living and thriving in a tranquil landscape.

And once again,

The Land Iguana smiles in approval

The post Galapagos Islands, Part 11 of the Ecuador, Galapagos, & Peru Tour appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Swallow Tailed Gull

I was very excited about the prospect of seeing blue-footed boobies. Even having seen a number, they still fascinate me. This is a picture of the first one we saw. He/she didn’t feel like cooperating with us, but at least didn’t fly away.

Uncooperative blue-footed booby

We saw this very beautiful bird.

Yellow Warbler (Canario Maria)

A frigate bird

Frigates are completely black as they fly through the sky. They look almost the way you would expect ominous black birds to look, except watching them fly was just beautiful. However, when they want to impress each other ( and particularly the female of the species) they can puff out a sac that is bright red (and actually, quite impressive.) Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good pictures, but you can see some magnificent pictures of magnificent frigates here.

I tried to identify the next bird with my handy-dandy identification guide. Unfortunately, the birds in my pictures are never in the same position as they are in the guide, and so I am just guessing that this incredibly gorgeous bird is a Royal Albatross.

Royal Albatross (?)

A land iguana

These guys always smile. I know that they must just be the happiest characters.

And no island trip is complete if one doesn’t have a chance to see sea lions. This time it was a nursing mother and her nursling.

Sea lion baby snack time

The post Galapagos Islands, Part 10 of the Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru Tour appeared first on Travel Kosher.

Bachas Beach

In the background you can see our ship, but otherwise, it was only we and nature. Bachas Beach got its name from a mispronunciation of the word “barges” as during World War II, US ships docked there in an effort to protect the Panama Canal.

As we walked onto the beach, I was overwhelmed with the peace and the natural beauty of the place, but looking further, it became clear to me that the island was full of life. Do you see it?

Life on the Island?

If you look carefully at the two pictures, you may be able to see some very small red/orange objects. They are Sally Lightfoot crabs. These crabs are strikingly beautiful. And they are everywhere. The entire rocky coastline is alive and moving!

A Sally Lightfoot Crab

Taking a walk

Up close

Here I was, on the fifth day of creation. I couldn’t believe it. The crabs did not shy away from the camera, nor did the Lava Gulls, who posed for pictures.

Lava Gulls

The Galapagos Islands are all about seeing and listening, and not so much about speech. In fact, one of the things I loved the most were the long silences when no one was speaking and when I was alone in this magnificent natural environment.

Lava Gull

We saw some other creatures too. Here are two of them:

Greater Flamingos

At first they were shy, but once they noticed that we were silent, they stopped hiding.

Our Flamingo Friends

And who was there to say goodbye once our magnificent visit came to an end?

Sea Lion

More fabulous creatures to come….

The post The Galapagos Islands, Part 9 of the Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Peru Tour appeared first on Travel Kosher.

We have arrived!

Our visit there was fascinating as we saw species of plants and animals that we had never seen before. One of the animals we came to know and love was the land iguana, a reptile so clever that it has learned how to eat cactus pads and get not only fluids from them in the dry season, but food value from them as well. Land iguanas vary from island to island in the Galapagos. They can grow to be as much as three to five feet long! Here is a land iguana eating a cactus pad.

Land iguana at lunch

The major concentration at the Darwin station is the giant land tortoises. They too vary from Island to island with different shapes of shells and other remarkable differences. At the Darwin Station, scientists are concerned with preserving all of the existing species. There is, unfortunately one tortoise who is partnerless… Lonesome George is the last known existing tortoise of his kind. He was identified on Pinta Island and was brought to the breeding station in 1972. Since then he has waited in vain for a female Pinta Island tortoise. You can read more about him here.

We enjoyed seeing these enormous tortoises. Unlike what was permitted in the Galapagos Islands years ago, people are not allowed to ride on the tortoises. In fact, we are not permitted to touch them. The government of Ecuador takes very seriously the importance of preserving these islands and their air, land, and sea inhabitants– But we can take pictures!

Wow!

My husband and his new pet

and here’s something I thought I would never see:

Up close and personal!

When our tour of the station was over, we were satisfied and happy. We got back to the boat for a delicious kosher dinner and a restful night’s sleep, lulled by the gentle waves of the Pacific. What a wonderful day!!

The post The Galapagos Islands, Part 8 of the Ecuador, Galapagos, Peru Tour appeared first on Travel Kosher.