300 Days of Sunshine

A few tidbits about my post-honeymoon life lately... 1.  Last week was my favorite week in Santa Fe: Restaurant Week!  Santa Fe has an eclectic and exciting culinary scene, with one of the highest numbers of restaurants per capita in the world.  Every year during restaurant week we like to try new restaurants in town.  This year we absolutely loved Arroyo Vino, which offers a clever and creative twist on international food options with locally raised ingredients and specializes in small plates.  We loved everything from the duck liver pate and butternut squash soup to the mushroom risotto and lamb with Israeli cous cous, and the desserts were to die for!  We will definitely come back here again.  (They also have a wine shop with over 600 varieties.)  The next night we experienced another new restaurant in town, Casa Chimayo.  Serving New Mexican food with hot green and red chile, Casa Chimayo was friendly and cozy.  The live music was...

After an adventurous week-and-a-half of our mainland Ecuador tour and exploring the Galapagos Islands, we were ready to relax, sleep in, and have zero commitment to an itinerary.  We spent the last 5 days of our honeymoon relaxing and soaking up the sun at a quaint hotel on the coast.  We did our research for this part of the trip because Ecuador has a lot to offer in terms of coastal cities and beach towns and we wanted to find the perfect place to conclude our vacation.  I discovered Hosteria Farallon Dillon, located in Ballenita, in Frommer's Ecuador Guide, and found it to be absolutely perfect and charming.  The hotel is located atop a hill overlooking the ocean and features adorable maritime accents and decorations throughout the property.  There is a long stairway down to the beach, where guests can enjoy taking siestas in hammocks or walking on the white sand scattered with shells.  Our "honeymoon suite...

Blue footed booby of the Galapagos Islands After our six day guided tour of mainland Ecuador, we boarded the plane to head to the Galapagos Islands!   The Galapagos archipelago consists of 13 large islands, 6 small islands, and more than 40 islets.  First and foremost, leave all expectations of the famous Galapagos Islands by the wayside.  If you picture the Galapagos to be a magical, enchanting, isolated community where tortoises and blue-footed boobies live peacefully and harmoniously, you have to remember that a) thousands of people actually live here permanently and raise their families, b) the islands have become increasingly popular and open to tourism, and c) "everyday" animals (cats, dogs, goats, pigs) have been introduced to the islands and pose a threat to the endemic species.  This means the besides the fascinating animals and plants, there are also restaurants, houses, churches, hospitals, police forces, litter, graffiti, road construction, etc. ...