7 Nights on the Beagle

We ended up being happy with our splurge on a expedition cruise of the islands, as well as with our choice of boat.  The Beagle is a beautiful 105 foot sailing schooner built in England in the 1970’s with teak decks and wood accents everywhere.  We were told by our naturalist guide that it is currently for sale for 3 million dollars.  We had two cabins, 1 a bit larger than the other but both very well appointed and comfortable.  The shower was even good, which is something we are already appreciating.  Much like when I hit the airport hallway, when we climbed on board I felt instantly happy.  Just sitting on deck felt decadent – to me at least.  The rest of the family took some wooing, especially since the kids were still fighting a combination of sea sickness and the side effects of the sea sickness remedies we tried.  (I used the patch and never felt sick to my stomach).

We were kept pretty busy the whole week, and it was without a doubt the world’s best science lesson.  Most days there were three activities.  In the morning we would dingy over to the island we had navigated to while we slept, and hike among the amazing resident birds and mammals.  The most remarkable thing about the Galapagos is that the animals have absolutely no fear of humans.  This means that many of the photos you see I took without using any zoom.  Then there is the fact that most of the species of birds and animals don’t exist anywhere else in the world.  After our hike we would return to the boat for lunch.  After lunch we would snorkel, often in deep water around a free-standing rock formation. There was lots and lots to see each and every time - turtles, sharks, eels, sting rays.  The best however was undoubtedly the sea lions.  They loved to play with us.  They would even grab our fins and tug on them – they reminded us of aqua golden receivers!  In the afternoon we would motor (or sail when lucky) to another spot to do a wet beach landing and tour another part of the island.  Back at the boat we would have cocktail hour, dinner and then fall exhausted into our bunks.  We were usually awoken however sometime past midnight when the big swells rolled us around in our bunks.  A couple of nights Mark and Wilder played poker with some of our fellow passengers.  It won’t surprise anyone that knows Wilder that he cleaned house!

Though being on a boat for a whole week felt a little difficult sometimes, overall it was a great experience and an excellent start to our RTW.  Next stop Quito.

Guyaquil, Isla Santa Cruz and Isla Isabela

Guayquil, Isla Santa Cruz and Isla Isabela

Our flight connected though Atlanta and arrived in Guayaquil all without a hitch.  We had concerns about catching a taxi at midnight to our pre-reserved hostal as there had been a lot of media reports about tourists being assaulted and robbed in them.  We thought we looked a lot like fresh meat. In any case the taxi driver must not have thought so because everything went ok and we arrived at our destination unmolested.  Those first two nights were the only reservations we had made for our time in Ecuador.  I found the place highly recommended online, and we ended up being very happy with our clean and cute room with a private bath, a great location, an ocean view and a loft with two beds for the kids.  All this set us back about $100 a night.  As food in Ecuador is very cheap, we had no trouble staying way under budget and averaged about $150 per day.

My plan after those first days in Guayaquil was to get air tickets to Baltra, the main airport in the Galapagos, and try to get a bargain on a last minute cruise boat from there.  For those of you that don’t know, cruises in the Galapagos are outrageously expensive.  Most boats carry only 16 people and the cheapest (somewhat scary) boats post rates of over $2500 per person for 7 nights.  Lonely Planet recommended the last minute option but cautioned it might not work in high season (August) and when you have a group larger than 2 people.  In any case we didn’t end up finding out whether or not it would have worked for us as we discovered that without having purchased the air tickets in advance there were none available for almost 2 weeks.  Turns out that the boats and the airlines work together such that the only way we could get airline tickets last minute in high season was to book a cruise.  Working though an agent on the island that was also recommended online (Jenny at Moonlight) we were able to book a 7 night cruise on a first class boat called the Beagle, which was set to depart on Aug 9.  Buying them a week ahead scored us a rate of $1250 each which was barely more than 1/3 of the published price.  This was still outside our budget, but we decided a Galapagos cruise was one of our top priorities for our trip.  We had previously agreed to make this type of decision according to the following priorities:

1-  Education

2-  Family time/bonding

3-  Service.

We couldn’t really think of a better science education than the cruise in question.  Once we decided and booked the cruise, they released air tickets, and in this way we were able to get a flight to the islands and spend 5 days there prior to boarding our cruise.

As mentioned previously our first accommodation was very nice; unfortunately our first night on Santa Cruz was pretty much the opposite.  I hadn’t booked ahead, and our budget combined with high season found us in a pretty seedy place for a grand total of $50 for two rooms. Mark and the kids thought they were “fine” but I wasn’t very happy.

  So I got busy online again.  Turns out we ended up with two good choices for the next few nights.  Jenny at Moonrise graciously offered us her personal vacation home with an ocean view for a nominal charge (basically just to pay the maid).  Who ever heard of a travel agent doing that?  She indicated though that the Tsunami had caused some damage, there were a few mice (my friends are laughing here) and no hot water.  At the same time I found a house on Flip Key with a very responsive homeowner that offered us a three bedroom house for less than ½ of what it normally rents for.  Sold!  We spent the next three nights enjoying her very high end, US standard house while exploring the island at our leisure.  It came with a washer/dryer, free wifi and a very large selection of dvds and set us back a mere $85 per night.  Since it rained a lot those first days the kids made us watch an entire season of Criminal Minds.  This was not of course terribly educational, but I figure it did meet the family bonding criteria.  In the end we had trouble tearing ourselves away from this lovely house.

What we left for was a 2 day (actually 1 day/2 night) tour of Isla Isabela.  Our cruise wasn’t scheduled to go to Isabela and we were hoping to see penguins there.  In hind site it was far too much to try to fit into less than 48 hours.  We learned we are best avoiding tours in the future, even when they are possibly cheaper than doing it independently, as being in charge of our own schedule and where/when we spend money we’ve discovered is very important to us.  On the bright side, it turned out to be a stellar start to my “Around the World Fitness Plan” as the first scheduled activity was a volcano hike that was advertised as 6 miles round trip, but turned out to be in excess of 11, half of it up hill.  I made it, but barely.  Then after 5 ½ hours of hiking, instead of resting we had 10 minutes to change before heading off to a snorkeling session and a 1 hour nature walk.   

                                                                                                            The food was of the tour variety, which was disappointing to us because up until that point we had been finding very inexpensive tasty food with lots of choices.  The biggest bright side however ended up being two families that we met on our tour.  One was from England (hello Carol, Troy and Evan) and one from Seattle (hi to Bruce, Lynette, Tinnly and Trevor).  They were all fun and it was great to get to talk to someone besides each other.  In a really freaky coincidence, it turns out that Lynette is a professor at Seattle Pacific University and is leading students in studies about the effect of world travel on individuals.   She graciously agreed that I might contact her after our trip to pick her brain about my own dissertation.  This was super exciting to me.  The kids were just happy to have other kids to socialize with.  Mark and I enjoyed other grown up company as well.

The worst part about the Isla Isabela trip though was neither the hike nor the tour food.  The worst part was the “speed boat” you had to take to get there and back.  I was picturing something not unlike the Catalina Express.  This was not remotely close.  Our boat held 22 passengers packed very tightly in an indoor/outdoor space with two oversized outboard engines on the back.  The 2 ½ hour trip there and back was enough to make us want to swear off boats for the rest of the trip.  It was cold outside, hot inside and crazy bouncy and wavy everywhere.  Wilder and Peyton were both sick, and on the way home in particular I was so afraid for our safety (big swells that often made us air born and a constant spray of water that left us chilled to the bone) that I resorted to singing hymns to myself for the duration.

Now that we survived the trip and are back in Punta Ayora, none of us is too keen to board another boat.  I have read lots though about what a nice boat the Beagle is and also that the cruise boats travel slower and are therefore less sea sickness inducing.  I have high hopes then that the Beagle will redeem our impression of boats as a safe and comfortable mode of transportation.

BLAST OFF!

As I lay in bed the night before our August 1 morning departure, I was having trouble remembering why I thought this whole idea was a good one.  I think all of us were.  An especially teary-eyed (or actual sobbing in the case of the teen girls) bon voyage party thrown by our best friends really took a toll on us.  The bottom line, I came to understand, is that our comfort zone had a very firm grasp on us.  In the end leaving felt like tearing ourselves away from everything we knew and cared about.  Luckily though at that point there was no turning back.  Equally good was the fact that, for me at least, that feeling only lasted until the next morning when we cleared security at LAX.  As we started down the long hallway to the gate, I found myself smiling and I developed a spring in my step.  I remembered then that I love traveling, that it is a fabulous adventure and a top-notch education all rolled into one.  I felt ready to go.

FAQs 1 and 2

1.  How can you afford to do this?

Well my first answer to this is that we plan for our 9 months of travel to cost less than it does for us to live in Los Angeles for that same time period.  We have rented out our house and guest house which (mostly) covers the mortgage and related expenses.  We are saving all the money we normally spend on private school, sports, lessons and the LA lifestyle (eating out, trips to Costco etc).  We even got rid of expenses like car insurance and registration.  As for income, we are blessed to have some that comes in even if we are gone - Mark from past real estate deals and myself from a family business.  Also our prospects for making anything additional should we stay home are not great.  The real estate market is dead and the prospects for the coming year are not improved.  We also borrowed from our 401ks.

As to expenses, our main flights cost just over $6000 per person.  There were other up front expenses like insurance, gear and shots.  Our daily budget is $250 per day, which must include lodging, food, entertainment and travel within major destinations (bus, trains etc).  This is of course making me exceedingly nervous.  It will certainly be a new experience for us to keep track of every penny.  There are plenty of other families out there however currently doing it and getting by on less.   I will have to get back to you about how it works out for us.

2.  What are you taking with you?

Well that would be "not enough" according to Mark, and "way too much" according to me.  We will each take a back pack that we can in theory carry.  My pack and Peyton's weigh in at about 15 pounds loaded and will hopefully meet carry on requirements.  Mark's and Wilder's are larger with wheels and will have to be checked.  The guys also have detachable day packs which will serve as their carry-ons and carry all of our electronics.  Each of us has 4 pairs of underwear and socks (yes Ted - JUST 4 PAIRS!).  They are however fancy expensive "travel" underwear which are guaranteed to be easy dry and low stink :)  We have 3 outfits each for hot weather and 2 for cold plus a bathing suit, a fleece and a rain coat.  Peyton and I each have 1 casual black dress and a scarf/wrap.  We also each will take a pair of hiking shoes and the requisite ugly pair of travel sandals.

As mentioned previously we have a ridiculous amount of prescription and OTC drugs - really this seems to me the biggest difference up front from traveling in my youth.  We are prepared for headaches, diarrhea, sea sickness, problems sleeping and allergy and asthma attacks.  This is in addition to the regular meds that are supposed to keep Mark and I from having a heart attack or stroke.  Still on top of that is the large amount of doxycycline we must take to keep us from catching malaria.  Everything is supposed to be in its original packaging which is terribly bulky.

But what takes up the vast majority of allotted space is actually technology and the cords and chargers that support it.  We are addicted, well Mark and Wilder are anyway.  Mostly I chalk this situation up to putting Mark, the techno junky, in charge of technology and security.  One especially extraneous gadget is designed to chart our whereabouts via GPS every 10 minutes and email it to our parents.  Mark wanted to "chip" the kids like they do pets, but apparently GPS isn't reliable enough yet to see through skin, so we will have to keep track of the kids the old fashioned way - by not letting them out of our sight.

We have less than 24 hours before we depart and are going to have to make some difficult decisions about what to leave out as everything currently does not fit!

Our next post will be from the road - first stop Ecuador!

2 Weeks

As I write this I'm sitting in the bedroom that Mark grew up in, our temporary home these last couple of weeks prior to our departure.  His parents have been great to take us in.  We are quite the explosion of people and stuff, as we are still carting around everything we need for all of our varied activities this last month.  We've just returned from a wonderful week with our friends in Carlsbad (thank you Watsons!) and a short girl trip to Oxnard.  Wilder is now the proud owner of a spanking new drivers license which, sadly for him, he is unable to use as we won't be obtaining insurance coverage until we return.  The activities still in front of us include: a week long visit to my parents and family in Phoenix, Peyton's 15th birthday party, church camp for the kids and endless last minute details to manage before our trip.

My biggest concern currently is that we have yet to find a tenant for our guest house.  This is income we need to make the house payment, and going without really isn't an option.  Second I'm having difficulty getting our health insurance to cover our medications for the time we will be gone.  Mark and I, being older than your typical world travelers, have medications we need to take daily.  Aetna is not terribly sympathetic to our situation and refuses to cover the 9 months needed up front.  The current plan then is to take the first 3 months with us, have my parents bring us the second 3 months when they join us in Europe in October and probably have the last three months shipped to us somewhere.  It isn't ideal, but it's better than paying out of pocket for all 9 months up front.  We are also still working out final details of access to our funds overseas (Charles Schwab account - no ATM fees ever), what specific technology to take with us (netbook, ipad, unlocked iphone), and how we can best manage our communication both locally as we travel as well as staying in touch with those at home (appointments to skype set up via email and of course facebook and this blog).

Another major concern is school for the kids.  They have been taking American History online this summer, both to meet this requirement as well as to try out the system in preparation for completing courses while we travel.  Wilder has found this style of instruction works really well for him.  He is moving quickly through the curriculum and doing really well in the course - Peyton not so much.  This is especially interesting as it is basically the opposite of how they function in a traditional classroom.

Finally, we are spending these last two weeks saying goodbye.  We said goodbye first to our house and pets, and now we are moving on to our friends and family.  9 months isn't forever, but it sure seems like a long time right now.  Making sure we spend quality time with those we care about is a top priority.  We are each amazed at the outpouring of love from those we share our lives with.  The parties and parting gifts are as heart warming as they are heart wrenching.  Through the process we have come to believe that we will truly be missed!

The sensation we are experiencing at this pre-departure point is akin to sitting in a roller coaster car as it pulls you steadily up the incline just prior to pulling you screaming into the abyss.  You aren't entirely sure you want to be on the ride, but there is no turning back.

5 Weeks and Counting!

Finally, we have a signed lease, plane tickets, insurance and backpacks purchased, and are now possessed of the blessed certainty that, barring any disasters, on August 1 we are departing!  Our renters actually move into our house July 1, so we have just one week left to pack up all of our personal items and move out, thereby becoming itinerant nuisances to our friends and family for the month of July.  This will enable the kids to finish a summer school class and attend their beloved church camp.  It will also hopefully help us save up a little bumper for our tight budget.

Now that I'm not so focused on trying to make sure we are actually getting to go, I've noticed myself dwelling on things I know I will really miss.  So as a bit of an ode to both the people and things I love, I've decided to catalogue them here.  And no, they are not listed in order of importance :)

1.  My cowboy boots (what do you mean I can't take them?)

2.  My besties! (This is going to be a really tough one)

3.  Our shower (it NEVER runs out of hot water)

4.  My double wide (lounge chair, not mobile home)

5.  Our kitchen (granted I don't cook in it much, but it's lovely to hang out in)

6.  All of our pets (1 dog and 3 cats) but especially my personal familiar and certifiably crazy cat, Peso

7.  Our family (both sides) - no picture - too many of them!

8.  Halloween - guaranteed best party of the year

9.  High school football games!

(picture to follow)

10.  Our church (complete with the world's best acappella song leader - Willie Norwood)

I don't have much time however to moon about who and what I will miss.  The list of things still to do is very loooooooong.  And really, if I can't live without a few creature comforts then I don't deserve to go! Still, it has been decades since I've traveled in such a low budget (read low comfort) style.  I hope I'm not too old and spoiled to appreciate it.  Wilder, citing times when I've pouted when the weather was bad camping or the view from a hotel room didn't suit me, expresses concern that I may not be up to the inevitable discomforts and sacrifices of our journey.  I tell him the passion I have to make this trip happen, to see the world together as a family and to learn and grow together in the process, will get me through.  I only hope I'm right.

FINALLY! TICKETS ARE PURCHASED!

Map of Flights

After four months of destination and flight research, I swear it feels like I just gave birth.

We purchased 4 One World 5 Continent Explorer tickets for the major flight segments of our trip.  The link above shows the flights on a map.  If you scroll down it also spells out the destinations.

We depart August 1 and will return approximately May 1 of 2012.  We will supplement the big flights with some cheap ones (like Madrid to Morocco)  as well as Eurail passes in Europe.  We also booked a low cost cruise out of Athens and into Rome with stops in both Israel and Egypt.

We now have the basic skeleton of our 9 months.  The rest we will have to fill in as we go!