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Hi Jessica,
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you but we've had continuous house guests since we got back from our trip. That's what happens when you live in Miami and people from up north need a break from the cold.

I had wanted to write to you as soon as we got back to tell you that we had a wonderful trip. We loved everything about it. You did a great job arranging it all for us. Everything went like clockwork and everyone was so nice - the guides, driver, crew and staff. Thank you so very much for all the time and effort you put into making this vacation truly memorable. When we're ready to go to Machu Pichu, we'll contact you. I understand from Louise (not sure if I have her name right - the woman who took us to the airport with our driver (I already forgot his name, but that is not unusual for me); I think she's the manager of your agency) that you partner with another agency in Peru to arrange that trip. I'll also highly recommend you to anyone who wants to make any similar trips.

Hope your holidays were good and you enjoyed your stay in Norway. Happy 2007 to you, too.

Regards,
Lynn
February 18th, 2006  

Fernanda,
Thank you so much. Everything was excellent and went smoothly. Xavier did a great job of being on time and was a comforting face to see when he picked us up and speaks great English. Ivan should be commended; he speaks fluent English and was knowledgeable, informative, and a joy to be with on our excursions. It was as if he was a long lost friend. I would highly recommend his services to anyone we know. Thank you again. We had an excellent vacation because of the well planned trip that you put together. We will recommend Columbus Travel and you to any prospective friends that are considering Ecuador as a vacation.
Jacob Aicholtz
Food Technologist
Savory Applications
January 19th, 2006

Hello again, just writing you to provide some feedback on the trip and services:
1. I was 100% happy with the services provided by you and Columbus Travel. I appreciated that emails were responded to quickly. Also in Guayaquil, I believe his named was William - very friendly, and was helpful in ways you normally wouldn't expect, such as looking into the status of our connecting flights and giving us that information as we got back from Galapagos. Hampton Inn was very nice and the service good as well.
2. Again, nothing but good things to say about the Galapagos Explorer II, and of the islands. I have travelled to a fair number of places, and Galapagos ranks at the top. I very much appreciated that you arranged for the diving for us - this seemed to be a service that some of the other agents (mostly non-ecaudor based) either didn't know about or wouldn't organize. On the trip there were only 4 people who went scuba diving, all because we were the only ones who had it pre-booked. There were others who wanted to go as well, but without pre-booking, they were not allowed as the boat demanded many different forms that people did not bring. Hope this helps, and I will be sure to recommend you to my friends. Once they see my pictures, i'm sure they will try to make a visit :)
Nick 
January 18th, 2006

Hi,
Well... we are back in cold Boston after a really wonderful trip. Everything went smoothly and we had a terrific vacation. Thanks so much for all of your help. I will definitely recommend you to any friends who are planning trips to the Galapagos or Ecuador.
Take care,
Dawn
It was great to meet you! 
January 12th, 2006

Hello Ivonne
Just wanted to say thank you for coordinating the trip. I had a great time and hope to come back in the next few years to see the other islands (since I was on the short 5 day trip). Thank you also for making the hotel reservations and everything went very smoothly.
Best wishes for the New Year.
Ran 
January 8th, 2006

Dear Marie Elena,
We are back home now after a wonderful family vacation. I want to thank you again for your help in organizing our adventure. Tierra del Volcan was a wonderful spot and we could easily have spent another day there. On the other hand we also enjoyed El Trapiche and Banos very much. We did horseback riding in both areas. Elizabeth from El Trapiche was charming and helpful. Our experience on Floreana was also positive. We liked the ship and felt very positively toward the captain and crew. I would recommend that people do the full week cruise, if possible, since the first and last days are very abbreviated. We love Ecuador and the Galapagos and will recommend them and your services to our friends. Gracias,
Vicky 
January 8th, 2006

Hi Margarita,
I am behind in everything so I cannot give you a long message. We loved visiting Ecuador. I loved both the Galapagos portion and the Mindo portion the best. I would recommend you to anyone I know going to Ecuador. Thankyou for helping us plan our trip. Say hello to Byran. He was super nice and very informative on Ecuador.
Best regards,
Bonnie Rubel
January 5th, 2006

We are back and had a wonderful time, Margarita! Thanks so much for all your help.
Rick Spradling
January 5th, 2006

Hi Jessica:
Ecuador was great! We had so much fun!
Thank you for everything!
- Amy Jones West Hollywood, CA Travel on Sulidae yacht the 19th October 2006

Dear Maria:
Wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.
We would like to thank you again for arranging such a great trip for us. Everything was really perfect. We will remember this holiday for a long time and hope to return to Ecuador soon.
Fondly
Behnaz and Mehrdad Jalali 
December, 2006

Dear Margarita, Thank you for organising a fantastic holiday for us. We really enjoyed it and the your company's efforts were absolutely excellent. Ivan was also perfect and his knowledge of the country and people meant that we saw much more than we would have with a conventual tour. Please thank him for us And finally thank you for your kind thought with the bottle of champange!!
If you have any questionnaire you would like us to complete, please send one Ecuardor is an amazing country and we have no hesitation in recommending a holiday there - with Columbus Travel of course.
David & Sandra Saer 
December, 2006

Hi,
I'm back from my holidays. I had a brilliant time and the Galapagos Islands were fantastic. Ecuador is wonderful country with such friendly people. Thank you so much for all your help in getting us there. If any of my friends are thinking of going to the Islands I will certainly recommend you to them. Please feel free to forward this email on to your Manager so that he/she knows what a great job you do. Kindest regards and thanks again, Marcus. 
December, 2006

Hi Elena,
Had just the best holiday in the Galapagos. Diving at Darwin and Wolf, 3 times with a 50 foot whale shark, with a 1000 school of Hammerheads, incredible!!!!! white tips and Galapagos sharks as well as Eagle and Manta Rays.etc...... and the cruise on the Isabella afterwards was a fantastic rest ( too much food) and visiting the islands on land was great. Also managed to fit in hiking in Quito and Cotapaxi. Wish I had gone to the rain forest too and a bit more hiking BUT I will be back. Thanks for all your help.
Best wishes Ian Cook
Photographer 
December, 2006

Hi Margarita I want to tell you how much we appreciated the great service we had from you and your company when we were in Ecuador. All of our plans went perfectly. Your drivers and guides were prompt and courteous and knowledgeable and the hotel, the excursions and the Eclipse were outstanding. I always worry when I arrange things on the internet but we were exceptionally pleased with your service and your arrangements for us. We loved every part of our trip and I will recommend you and your company without reservation Gail Rutenberg 
December, 2006

Buenos días Elena ¡¡
Sólo comentarte que todo ha salido bien, tal y como esperábamos, y que ya estamos de regreso en nuestro pais. Agradeceros vuestra profesionalidad. Os guardamos en nuestra lista de contactos, por si hubiera otra ocasión.
Gracias y hasta siempre.¡¡¡
Guillermo. 
November, 2006

Hello Fernanda,
We have returned from a most enjoyable trip. Thank you very much for your contributions to its success. We love Quito and the Hotel Patio Andaluz. The driver who met us at the airport was very nice and the guide for our last day in Quito, Mauricio, was perfect. The Galapagos portion of the trip went without any problems. The size of the cruise ship was just right for us, and the islands were great. The very best thing about Ecuador was the people. Very warm and friendly. We received smiles wherever we went. We will be back.
Thanks again for your help. 
November, 2006

Dear Margarita, Thank you very much for your help in arranging our vacation. Also, It's been a pleasure to meet you. We had a great time in Ecuador. Our friends wedding was beautiful. It was an outside wedding and the weather was just perfect. The whole day of Friday, 10/20/06 we went for the tour around the city of Quito. On Friday night we were picked up at the Marriott by the Chivas bus. They have a band playing music on top of the bus, traditional liquor drinks and tour around Quito, then we had dinner at the groom mother's house outside of Quito. Our Galapagos cruise was fantastic. We met a lot of good people during our cruise and became friends with them. Our tour guide to Otivalo, Ivan is very kind, friendly and funny. He really made us feel at home and show us around different places. He is very knowledgeable about the history of your country. I will highly recommend him to anyone who might need his services. I am very furtunate to meet people like you and Ivan. Please, give our regards to him and tell him that we enjoyed our tour and shopping. I also tried your specialty food (deep fry genuea pig). It was very delicious! I hope you can come to visit us here in America soon. Always, Gloria Edna C. Brown 
October, 2006

Dear Fernanda,
Our cruise on the Athala was really wonderful... We started working very hard from the following day we came back to Italy, but we will always remember our fantastic days in Ecuador. And this is thanks to you, to Xavier, Jimmy, but also the wonderful
crew of the Athala, Pedro, Orlando, Gabriel, Darwin, José, and all then others who are REALLY all fantastic people. Please, thank them all for us when you have a chance, and thank you again to you, Fernanda, for your excellent service and kindness! With our best regards
Paolo and Cristina 
September, 2006

Dear Fernanda - the four of us wanted to send you a quick thank you from Puerto Ayora -we are having such a wonderful time in the galapagos and now that we are here we realise that your planning and advice has been invaluable - everything has been marvelous, the Angelito was so fantastic, Hotel Maineo is very very nice and thank you for any assistance you were required to provide in getting our lost luggage to us! Muchas Gracios from all of us!! Ruth Johnson 
August, 2006

Buenos Noches Seniorita Margarita Just got back from our trip to Ecuador and Peru.
I'm always nervous sending $$$ to people in another country that I met on a website - but our trip was fantastic.
Everything went very smoothly. Galapagos and Quito are amazing places. The Legend was a great boat, with a great crew. We were also impressed with the Quito guide you organised (Ivan) who seemed amazingly versed and knowlegable in everything Ecuadorian! Muchos Gracias
Phil 
July, 2006

Dear Elena- We just wanted to extend our thanks for the good job you did in setting up our cruise to the Galapagos and also for the fast, complete job you did in finding a way for us to experience the Cotopaxi Volcano and the wonderful train trip through the Devil's Nose with Byron.
We also wanted to say that we thought Byron was excellent, friendly, thoughtful, always attentive to our needs and that he even got us a seat up with the engineer during the train trip through the best part of the trip. Not to mention that he even fixed my husband's broken glasses!
Please convey to your superiors that you and Byron did an outstanding job for us while we were in Ecuador. And please foward this to Byron as well.
Thanks again and Good Luck! We would certainly recommend you to anyone who may be interested in a trip like our's. Sincerely,
Andrea & Nathan Carb 
March, 2006

Dear Maria Elena,
We have just returned home today (we stopped for a week in Bonaire on the way back). we had an unforgettable holiday in Ecuador - your country is so beautiful and diverse. We loved it very much. Thank you for all your help organizing our trip - you were very efficient!. Also, our guide Ivan Vizcaino was excellent, helpful and very knowledgeable.
best wishes, Marina 
March, 2006

Hi Fernanda,
We just got back yesterday from Quito. Thank you very much for all you help and your co-workers when we forgot the boys snorkel suits. We had a wonderful trip!! The crew of the Fragata Yacht were very nice and Ivan the guide was very informative and friendly. Again, thank you very much !! Amparo Clarkson
New York Stock Exchange
Corporate Audit / RQR
March, 2006

I am writing to say how very much we enjoyed our holiday in Ecuador and the Galapagos - we really had a wonderful time, enjoyed every moment, made new friends, felt completely relaxed, and were stunned by the beauty and peace of the islands and their inhabitants.
It was everything we could have hoped for and the best possible way to celebrate our anniversary.
We will always have wonderful memories of this time.
In addition, the Hotel Mercure could not have been more comfortable and charming, Xavier was always right on time, and we thoroughly enjoyed our day in Otavalo with Byron. We recommended Columbus Travel to many of our friends
Thank you again for all your excellent, professional assistance.
Kind regards, Rob and Maureen Sladen
Cruise on Eclipse Jan 14-21, 2006 

I want to take a minute to extend to you and all your colleagues at Columbus Travel our deepest thanks for the marvelous planning and execution of our holiday in Equador and to the Galapagos from September 6th to September 20th 2005. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Quito and re boarded for our departure, you provided total attention to our needs. In fact you even anticipated our wishes.  Our guide throughout the Equadorian part of the trip, Maurico Baus, was an outstanding tour director. He took us to what we wanted to see and to some attractions that we would never have seen were it not for his total knowledge of the country.  He is a completely knowledgeably, sensitive tour guide whom we totally enjoyed. We really appreciated his care and guidance.We thank you for your personally phoning us during our visit, just to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and to ask if we needed anything.We are very pleased to recommend Columbus Travel, you, Mauricio and your colleagues to anyone who wants to enjoy the marvels of Equador. We were impressed with the beauty  and culture of the country and the people. You and Maurico made it all come alive for us.

Please use our names as recommendations for future clients of Columbus Travel. We expect that many of our friends, who we have been pleased to share our wonderful holiday experience to Equador, will want to use Columbus Travel. We hope they do and will encourage them to do so. Next year, we are thinking about visiting Chile and Argentina. Perhaps just Santiago, Valpraiso, the Argentine lake country, Buenos Aires and environs. Do you arrange any tours in this area or can you recommend a travel or tour agency for a trip like this? We would appreciate your comments.Again our complete thanks for all your wonderful efforts on our behalf. You made a visit to Equador a truly memorable one-perhaps one of the best holidays we have ever enjoyed.
Sincerely
Doug Higgins
November 2005

Now that we are safe in the Quito airport lounge, I would like to thank and congratulate you for all your advice and support for our trip to Ecuador!
From the very first planning steps until the final help with our luggage today, you and your company have done an excellent job and have made sure, that we have spend a great time in your wonderful country.We will surely contact Columbus Travel if we plan to come to Ecuador again - in fact we have given your contact already to another German couple in Santiago who plan to go to Galapagos.Thanks again and best wishes for the future!
Guenther and Roswitha Rodemeyer
July 2005

The trip was superb. Seeing and learning about the animals of the Galapagos was a once in a lifetime experience. Janet and I loved it.  The memory of seeing a small Sea Lion swimming "figure-eights" in front of my face while we snorkeled will always make me smile.
The upgrade was FANTASTIC! It was wonderful to have a window rather than a porthole.  I did research the cabins...we were scheduled for #12 which is 2 decks down and closer to the engines.  So it is noisier than cabin #23, where you upgraded us. Thank you so much. The lady in #12 was Marianna Suarez, an employee of some other travel agency.The crew of the Eclipse...they are the Best! They were professional and courteous. I had some discussions with the Captain about his ship.  He was most gracious.The guides were very knowledgeable.  It became a bit of a game to see if there was a question they could not answer.  We never won that game. Their names were Klaus, Elizabeth, Patricio (Patos), and Lenin.The Grand Hotel Guayaquil was very nice, with very professional employees. The food was excellent.  We usually had the buffet.Jorge Lombeida (I hope I spelled that correctly) is a perfect gentleman and extremely knowledgeable about the history of Ecuador and Guayaquil.  He took John, Janet and I on a tour on the Friday before we flew to Galapagos.In closing, we are honored to have worked with you to create this holiday.
Best Regards, Roger and Janet

Just got back from the Nemo tour of the Galapagos and just wanted to say thanks for all of your help. Everything went very smoothly indeed and was truly fantastic!
Normally at least one thing goes wrong on this kind of tour, but I am pleased to say it was flawless. Thanks again for you help and I will recommend you to any people interested in the Galapagos.
Kind Regards, Martin and Sarah

Thank you so so much for your time in putting our trip together for us.  We had a wonderful time in Galapagos Islands and the Encantada crew was wonderful.
Ron,Sinah, and I really appreciate your time.  The scenery and scuba diving was FANTASTIC!Further, when we arrived in Ecuador, your representative (forgot her name) was absolutely wonderful.  We enjoyed the entire trip.Thanks so much, Lisa, USA

We all had a super time in Quito and Ecuador.  Everything worked like clockwork. Thanks for providing us with an on schedule program!
Overall feelings were the best.  The grandkids were very excited to get back to school and express their good feelings - and brag about their shark encounter on the first swim.The adults were amazed by the surroundings visited and have found it hard to describe their experiences to others.  It is an unbelievable region and you should be very proud to offer the opportunities to your customers.The experiences will remain as great memories for all the years of their lives.
Regards, Bob and Barbara

I just got back from Ecuador last night. I wanted you to know that Angie was a really wonderful guide.  We really enjoyed spending the week with her and I was very impressed with how attentive she was.
First of all she is a very sweet and pleasant person to be around. Also, she was always on time and very flexible with respect to our requests. For example, if we wanted to start early she would say that would be great or if we were ready to go home she would take us right away.  She really went out of her way to make our trip pleasant and we really appreciated all of her help. She really looked out of for us.   It was obvious that Angie could find the solution to any request or problem.   You couldn’t ask for a better guide and your company should feel lucky to have her as a part of your staff.Also, the biking company we worked with was also wonderful and I would recommend Fernando as a cycling guide for any of your clients. He was terrific.
One suggestion: I really didn’t like staying at the haciendas. They were cold and the service was not very good. I would suggest you explain this to future clients so that they know to choose some of the newer hotels instead.
Thanks for all of you help in planning my trip.I hope you have a wonderful 2005.
-Leslie

I want to use this opportunity, even if it comes late, to thank your team for supporting us in preparing and making our trip to Ecuador and Galapagos a wonderful experience!Everything really was excellent arranged, all recommended places turned out to be more than worth to visit, including hotels and lodges. The Alta was wonderful, as the week in Galapagos was. All local transports, really everything was perfect! Congratulation for your company and your team, including Angie, who supported us in everything.You can have a look to the photographs for Angie, if you like anything for your website, I will be happy to provide it to you. All pictures (in total 3,500!) were taken in digital, so if you are looking for anything specific, I can look into my data, wether something is available from our trip. We visited La Selva, Equator Monument, Otavalo, Cotopaxi, Riobamba (train drive), Cuenca and finally one week on the "Alta"... So, either by CDR, or by email, if you require something...Thanks again and best regards, especially to Angie, Luisa and Elena.
-Thomas Nordhoff, Germany

As we leave Ecuador, I want to tell you that the Galapagos experience, and the time in Guayaquil, have been all that I might have hoped.
-Sincerely, Dorothy Drummond

Thank you for the arrangements for our wondrous trip to the Galapagos Islands!
We will never forget this experience. The bottle of wine was a nice touch and the guide you provided for our city tour (Maurizio) was great - very well-informed and interesting. Quito is really a lovely city especially the old town. I have recommended you to all my friends.
-All best wishes, Peter & Emma Ward

Our trip to the Galapagos was FABOLOUS!
We can highly recommend the Eden, and Columbus Travel! In fact, we HAVE highly recommended your travel agency on the South American Explorers Club Web site in a trip report. It is available to members only to access it, but we told everyone to use Columbus Travel Agency to book for the Galapagos!
-Jill Kaiser & Josh Newcom

I just want to say thanks for everything working out that well. I have admit that I was a little unsure about looking for a trip in the Internet, so I’m glad that everything was fine. I had a wonderful week on Galapagos and if someone will ask about an address where to book a Galapagos trip, I’ll mention Columbus Travel!
-Matthias Goepfert (Germany)

We would like to express, once again, our thanks to you.
Bellavista and Galapagos were both fantastic. Bellavista was a bit rainy but is a fabulous place to stay, with friendly staff and incredible fod. Galapagos was superb. All the different animals, and the weather was great. Floreana is a good boat, with an extremely friendly staff and guide. The cook was even better than in Bellavista, here even made dishes at our request(Ceviche among others). It was a great ending to a great holiday. Today we are going home so we don' t have the chance to come and see you on another day. Thanks again!
-Loe van Erp & Heleen van Boven (Holland)

I traveled to Ecuador with my two finicky children (13 & 17) for adventure.
I discovered columbus Travel on the internet and booked trips both to the Galapagos and the jungle with them. Their service was great and exceeded my wildest expectations! Their advice was clear, the trip arrangements were very dependable and travel was on time. In addition, service was friendly and the food was great. So were the prices! I would highly recommend this outfit.
-Patric Sorensen, USA

I would like you to know that we had the most wonderful time in Ecuador
thanks to your good planning and advice. It was a trip that was beyond our dreams! Everything went well - the cruise in the Galapagos, the Hotel Quito was just perfect for us and La Selva was just magical. Our guides in the Galapagos and at La Selva were extremely knowledgeable and fun to be with. We all have memories we will always treasure. I especially want to thank you for all the care you took to insure our transport to and from the airport. Someone was always there when we needed them! Thanks again for all you have done, we will certainly strongly recommend you to any of our friends who head in your direction and will use your services the next time we plan to be in Ecuador!!
- Howard Chezar, USA