Together with friend, Patty Bacon, Laura and I spent a wonder-filled week of snorkeling and island hopping in the Galápagos aboard the 16-passenger Millennium. The weather in early March was ideal: water you could remain in almost indefinitely without chilling, and air temperature that made you want to jump in. The animals, those both above and below the surface, exceeded expectations. We next spent several days sightseeing in and around Quito , including the craft villages of Otavalo, San Antonio de Iberra, and Cotapachi to the north and the volcanoes to the south, where we ascended to the 15,200 level of Cotopaxi .