Sierra Negra is a huge active volcano on Isabela Island, Galapagos.

I loved the hike. I really like walking and this was a good opportunity. But just one thing: it is a six hour walk.

That’s right: 3 hours up, 3 hours down. But wow, was it worth it!

Once we conquered the walk, we got to see the huge caldera. Wow, was that a sight! It was humongous!!

The naturalist guide said that the caldera was about 10 kilometers by 7 kilometers. I could see where the last eruption was… there was fresh black lava flows. COOL!!!!!!

If you ever hike sierra negra here’s a tip: keep going to el chico volcano. We saw so much more! We saw a lot of small, well relatively small, craters along the way. It was so neat, some had plants lining them, others were covered in sulfur. We also saw some collapsed lava tunnels, and felt heat coming from a lava tube.

We also saw some very pretty lava rocks. They looked like rainbows. They had gases in them from the volcano, I didn’t find any like them anywhere else on the island.

All in all, I loved hiking the volcano! Have you ever hiked a volcano, or done something out of this world? Please share it in the comments!

Happy travels to all!!

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I love this picture for two main reasons:

1. It is a reflection of something beautiful. 
2. Because seeing that water makes me want to get in. The photo really captures you!

You can see my breakfast, moms coffee, a palm tree, the beautiful water, and even me taking the picture!

A special thanks to my Mom for posing

I took this at the California Lighthouse in Aruba. Here is the picture of the view:

I wish I could jump in that water!

So, as you can see, trying new things is fun, and sometimes it works!

What do you think? Do you like my sunglasses picture? I will be doing more, but with mirrored sunglasses… EVEN BETTER!!!

Find out about somthing else super cool that I did in Aruba: The Butterfly Farm.

Thanks for reading and Happy Travels!

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We land on Baltra Island at 12 noon and we should be at the Lodge on Santa Cruz around 1pm.

Because my parents  run the blog for Red Mangrove (I help), they will be getting lots of photos and videos of the islands, the excursions and the animals. And on April 6th they are going to do a draw for the Baby Giants Contest. This is named for the baby giant tortoises that are on the Islands this time of year.

This will be my third time going to the Galapagos!!!

Lots of Galapagos Posts

While I’m there them, I’ll be taking photos for the Galapagos for Kids Series that I write for Red Mangrove.

Because we are traveling with Red Mangrove Lodges we’ll be staying at their luxurious lodges on three different islands. Check out their site here: Red Mangrove Blog. I am super exited!

Galapagos is like the ultimate place to go!! Check out my past posts on Galapagos.

I think that animals are my favorite part of the Galapagos. I love how comfortable they are around people.

Happy travels!

The post I’m Traveling to the Galapagos! appeared first on CultureSponge.

I liked standing up on them, although I hardly ever did. Dad wouldn’t let me because it was kind of dangerous. They were really bouncy!

You know how a bus isn’t allowed to stop unless you’re at a bus stop? Not here! Sometimes the driver will stop when you are not at a bus stop. And sometimes he wouldn’t stop if you are at a stop! I find that funny, they sometimes do the opposite.

Ready, Set, RACE!

At times, bus drivers race with each other  No, not to see who can pick up the most passengers the fastest. To see who can finish the route first. Its very neat to watch, but kind of annoying if your trying to get a bus .

6 Tips for Taking the Bus

1. Always wear your purse (or backpack) in front on the buses.
2. Keep your zippers zipped, so no one can take a dipping.
3. Get off the bus quickly, once I waited and had to jump off a moving bus! So hold you parents (or your child’s) hand and get off quick.
4. Sit on the outside of a row, that way you can get up easily.
5. If you are standing up, keep your knees slightly bent and hold on. You can keep you balance better that way.
6. Be careful were you are stepping. Once I almost stepped on a bag with live guinea pigs in it!

Buses can get pretty crowded so be careful and do what you can not to get pick-pocketed. It has never happened to us, but is not uncommon. Check out more Ecuador travel tips.

I hope you enjoyed my buses post!

Happy Travels!

The post Cool Things About Buses in Ecuador + 6 Tips appeared first on CultureSponge.

It is basically an onion soup. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Go back! Did she say onion soup?? That’s right! Onion soup.

It is very meaty!

But wait. Its not as gross as it sounds, actually, it is too-good-to-be-true . It has fish and yuca (a kind of potato-thing), it also comes with plantain chips and choclo (crispy corn).

Oh, one more thing… cover it in lemon!

Sounding like a pretty weird treat? Well here it is common and a favorite of my mom and me.

I got mine in the Mall Del Rio, but you can get it in almost any traditional food restaurant.

A double serving of Encebollado

I hope that you will try this too. Remember: It is much better than it sounds !

Happy treats and travels!

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Butterfly on fresh fruit

At the Butterfly Farm in Aruba, a lot of the butterflies were eating fruit. It was really neat to see them siting on banana, orange and other fruit.

One time, I picked up a piece of banana with a butterfly on it and he just stayed there! It was really cool.

Of course, I put it down. And washed my hands. The banana was really slimy.

I love how you can see the vibrant blue on the wings. And the fact that the fruit was on a piece of wood really makes it cool. The bright green grass gives the photo a nice touch. I also like that the wood was on the bench.

Something key to getting good photos is including some background.

Want to see more about butterflies? Check out the Butterfly Farm post.

Happy travels!

The post Photo of the Month: Butterflies on Fruit? appeared first on CultureSponge.

great ecuador treat hot chocolate

We were at the Mall del Rio in Cuenca and we decided to go for hot chocolate at La Español Cafe.

I saw on the menu: Hot Chocolate With Mozzarella Cheese.

“That’s weird…” I thought. “Why would hot chocolate come with mozzarella cheese on the side ?”

I thought it sounded interesting so I bought it. You can’t imagine the surprise I got!

When it came, I didn’t see any mozzarella cheese. I was starting to wonder where it was. I always eat my hot chocolate with a spoon because its so hot. Well, guess what came up with the spoon…

Hot Chocolate With Mozzarella Cheese

Chocolate and Cheese

“Oh” I said, “there’s the mozzarella cheese!”

That’s right! It was in the hot chocolate. I was sooo surprised!  I never knew that existed. But it was really good. Very gooey and stretchy. And being a lover of cheese, I loved it!

I always like trying new things, but I never thought that this would be something I would try!

Hot Chocolate with drippy Mozzarella Cheese

Well, I hope you will try this too. Check out my other favorite Ecuador Treats: Salchipapas and Plantain Chips.

Happy travels, and treats!

The post Great Ecuador Treat: Hot Chocolate… with Mozzarella Cheese?! appeared first on CultureSponge.

But first, you wonder what you will say to people trying to help you. Everyone speaks Spanish, a language you are not familiar with.

So what will you say?

Here are a few simple phrases you need to know when you arrive at the airport.

Arriving at a Spanish airport? Here are the phrases you’ll need…

9 Spanish Expressions for the Airport

1. Donde está el baño? [Where is the bathroom] That is pretty important.  We all want to know how to say that! It wouldn’t be very nice to be stranded at an airport and not be able to ask where the bathroom is.

2. Cuando sale el vuelo a ____? [When does flight to ____ leave?] That is also important! You would be in quite a pickle if you didn’t know when your flight left. All you have to fill in is the name of the place your going.

3. Quiero pedir ____.  [I want to order___.] This is for when you want to order food at one of the little fast food booths  You can’t go very long without a snack, at least I can’t!

4. Gracias [Thank you] You could use it after you order something. Then the employee might say “De nada“ which means “your welcome”.

5.  Puerta numero ____ [Gate number____.] You will hear this on the loudspeakers at the airport. The numbers one to ten are : uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.

Arriving in a Spanish Country

6.  Disculpe [Excuse me.] This is very important for asking someone something and not sounding like a rude gringo.

7. Puede Ayudarme? [Can you help me?] This is also important!

8. Donde puedo recojer mis maletas? [Where can I pick up my baggage?]

9. Que hora es? [What time is it?]

Well, I hope that will help you some. I will be doing these Spanish phrases every month. You can print them off and keep them in your pocket. I hope they help! Sometimes a couple of travel tips can make a good trip great!

Happy travels!

P.S. – What phrases would you add to the list? Please add them in the comments below!

The post 9 Spanish Phrases to Know When… You Arrive At The Airport appeared first on CultureSponge.

The lambs are so white. They stand out really nice against their mothers. The green grass is a really nice touch.

The best time for photos is when the sun is bright, but not to bright. If the sun is too bright, the picture will be washed out.

Baby lambs in Cuenca

Interested in more of my animal posts?

Thanks for reading, and Happy photography!

The post Photo of the Month: Adorable Lambs appeared first on CultureSponge.

Monkey Faced Orchid in Cuenca, Ecuador

Yellow and white orchid

At the Orchidarium, they have 350 species of orchids. The man said that the best times to go was in May and December, that was when more were in bloom. They have 2 different climate zones; 2 rooms for the ones that need a humid climate, and outside for the ones that need a cold climate. All the orchids are native to Ecuador

My grandparents are visiting here for six weeks and I asked my grandmother to tell me what she thought of it:

I had read a lot about it before we came, so I really wanted to see it. So I’m really happy that we were able to go. I really liked the big variety of the orchids and their beauty.  I also really liked the monkey-face orchids. And my husband loved that they were all from Ecuador. And he also liked that they had 2 different climate zones. All together, we really liked it!

Finding the Cuenca Orchidarium

You would think that they would make a place as nice as this easy to find. Think again. It is actually very hard to find. There isn’t even a sign at the main gate.

It is on Av. Víctor Manuel Albornoz, Quinta de Balzay. Next to an archery field. Once you go past the main gate, then you will see a sign off to the left that says Orquideario Cesemin. You keep going down the road. Then you see 2 buildings. Take the first one that says Orquideario. And voila!

This is the post my mom wrote about going there: The Cuenca Orchidarium: Orchids in Ecuador (Video)

Being There, Loving It

When I stepped in to the room, it smelled so good! It was such a sweet smell, it made me feel good inside. That has never happened to me before.

There were some flowers that were as big as my head. And others that were smaller than my pinkie. They were all so colorful, and had such a variation of shapes and sizes, that it blew me away! This is one of my favorite places – right up there with the butterfly farm in Aruba.

I would recommend this to people who love to explore and travel. It was a very nice experience.

Thanks for reading and happy travels!

The post My Favorite Orchids in Ecuador: The Cuenca Orchidarium appeared first on CultureSponge.