I went to the Galapagos Islands this evening.
Ok, sort of.
The Appalachian Mountain Club has these really cool International Dinners and Travelog evenings where you get a dinner from the culture you are learning about and then it's followed by a slideshow and discussion about the area. The food was amazing - there was a salad with some kind of cilantro dressing, odd mix of vegetables some of which I didn't recognize and delicious lamb in an apricot sauce. According to the gal across the table who'd been to Ecuador, some of it wasn't very authentic, but she was enjoying it as well. I had a really great convo with her - she had spent several months hiking in South and Central America and was considering going into the Peace Corps. That's one of the best parts of the evening is that it attracts a lot of unusual, interesting people and engenders some very engrossing conversations.
The eye candy wasn't bad either. ;)
I decided I wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands sometime for real...I loved the variety of birds (they ARE the Galapagos Islands, home of Darwinian Theory, DUH) but seeing how close they were able to get to all these different species, as well as sea lions, iguanas, etc. And the beautiful, isolated white sand beaches...it just looks like something I really, really need to do sometime in my lifetime.
I am completely stuffed now, and given the uniqueness of the food I just ate, I imagine I'm going to have some really strange dreams tonight. :P
The Appalachian Mountain Club has these really cool International Dinners and Travelog evenings where you get a dinner from the culture you are learning about and then it's followed by a slideshow and discussion about the area. The food was amazing - there was a salad with some kind of cilantro dressing, odd mix of vegetables some of which I didn't recognize and delicious lamb in an apricot sauce. According to the gal across the table who'd been to Ecuador, some of it wasn't very authentic, but she was enjoying it as well. I had a really great convo with her - she had spent several months hiking in South and Central America and was considering going into the Peace Corps. That's one of the best parts of the evening is that it attracts a lot of unusual, interesting people and engenders some very engrossing conversations.
The eye candy wasn't bad either. ;)
I decided I wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands sometime for real...I loved the variety of birds (they ARE the Galapagos Islands, home of Darwinian Theory, DUH) but seeing how close they were able to get to all these different species, as well as sea lions, iguanas, etc. And the beautiful, isolated white sand beaches...it just looks like something I really, really need to do sometime in my lifetime.
I am completely stuffed now, and given the uniqueness of the food I just ate, I imagine I'm going to have some really strange dreams tonight. :P