Abbott Family Travels

Quito Again! After a full day of rest, relaxation, and catching up on a whole lot of laundry, the boys and I were ready to get out and about! This is our last week in Quito (we leave next week on Tuesday), so we are trying to hit any places left on our itinerary.  One place we have passed a hundred times, but had not yet visited was the Vivarium . It is located just a five minute walk from our apartment building. This small museum featured 40 different species of reptiles and amphibians from all around Ecuador. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures inside, but we really enjoyed all of the exhibits. Rick's favorite were the different species of pit vipers and David's favorite were the yellow spotted turtles. Many of the animals here were rescued from animal traffickers and we learned a lot about how to keep animals safe and wild! We walked away with a few souveniers to help support their mission! After we returned home, we picked up Richar...

 Galapagos! We departed Quito last Friday, June 23rd for the next leg of our adventure: The Galapagos Islands. We did a quick trip and returned today Monday, June 26th, but we were able to pack in a lot of fun along the way! What made this trip extra special was that our friends, Leigh and Brock, were able to join us on this trip. Leigh and I have been friends since our days at SMU and our study abroad in Spain, so meeting up with her and Brock here in Ecuador was so much fun! Quito Leigh and Brock did not arrive in Quito until late in the afternoon the Thursday before we left. That didn't leave a lot of time for touring so we opted for a leisurely walk through Carolina Park and an early dinner at De la Llama . This restaurant had incredible Ecuadorian food. We loved the limonada de coco  (coconut lemonade), traditional green plantain and cheese empanadas, and the shrimp ceviche.  For dessert we indulged in chocolate lava cake and crème brulee, everything was delicious! I...