All-Access: Ecuador

Philly Woman Treated To Trip Of Lifetime

(CBS)  On Friday, The Early Show weatherman and features reporter Dave Price told a Philadelphia native and single mom who works two jobs, Michele Graeff, she was going with him to -- Ecuador!

And not just on any trip -- but on a special, "All-Access" whirlwind weekend.

Not bad for a woman who'd never had a real vacation in her life, or left the United States, let alone been south of the equator.

On Wednesday, Dave treated Early Show viewers to a full report on their trip (video).

They flew from Philly to Miami, then to Ecuador's capital city, Quito.

Their 72 hours on the ground helped Michele fulfill a lifelong dream.

Home to the Andes mountains, the Galapagos islands and the Amazon jungle, it's hard to believe a country as geographically diverse as Ecuador is only the size of Colorado, Dave observed.

Stop No. 1 on Michele's getaway -- the lush Amazon jungle.

"It's another world, it's literally another world," Michelle remarked as they a native paddled them around in a kayak. "It's like Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs."

Michele's been kayaking for years, but only dreamed of navigating exotic waters.

She got excited when she spotted -- a monkey.

Then, it was on to the Napo Wildlife Center, where Michele and Dave saw an Amazon village healer, who blessed the rest of their trip.

When Dave asked Michele what she hoped to get out of the blessing, she got emotional and responded, "A change of life experience. There's more out there for me to do than what I'm doing now."

From the Amazon, only thirty minutes in the air brought Michele and Dave to another whole new world -- the Andes region of Ecuador.

Behind them was the Cotopaxi volcano, the highest active volcano in the world.

Then, they headed for the Hacienda San Agustin de Callo, which was built around Incan ruins. Now, it's a hotel, where Michele and Dave wrapped up their day in the Andes.

From the mountains, it was on to the Galapagos islands, some 600 hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador, and paradise for anyone who loves nature and wildlife.\

There, Michele and Dave got up close and personal with what looked like large, round rocks but turned out to be tortoises. "The rocks move here!" Michele exclaimed.

"My boys are not going to believe this -- I'm actually within petting distance of a Galapagos tortoise," she said.

For many, the draw of the Galapagos isn't on the surface, but under it, Dave said. Snorkelers from every corner of the earth go there to see hundreds of species of fish, some unique to those islands.

Then, a last surprise for Michele -- she and Dave paddled in -- a glass-bottomed kayak!

"I'd only ever heard of them," she told Dave. "I'd never seen them. It's like a dream."

“Did you know that only 3 of the 13 islands in the Galapagos are inhabited? There are just a few hotels on the islands, and most visitors stay on boats offshore. Check out where Dave and the gang stayed during their trip: www.royalpalmsgalapagos.com”

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Some interesting tidbits about Ecuador:

Only three of the 13 Galapagos islands are inhabited. There are only a few hotels on the islands, and most visitors stay on boats offshore. Check out where Dave and the gang stayed during their trip, the Royal Palm Hotel, Galapagos.

Quito, the capital, has an elevation of more than over 9,000 feet -- making it the second highest capital in the world. Only a three-hour flight from Miami, Dave and Michele stayed right across from the royal palace, at the Hotel Plaza Grande.

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Dave said The Early Show has lots of people to thank for the incredible journey.

First and foremost, the Ecuador Tourism Promotion Fund for arranging the tour. Also, tour operator Surtrek, which made everything run smoothly.

As always, American Airlines handled the bulk of the air transport.

And Medjet, whose travel protection and evacuation services gave everyone peace of mind during the weekend adventure.

[daganet]

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