It’s my most favorite time of the year!! SURPRISE VACATION is here and for those of you who were playing along, we’re going to….
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS! April 2022. Let’s do this.
Before we get into details on itineraries etc… here’s the deal. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday May 26 in the morning at 9am PST. If you’re interested in going, please email me at whatsgabycooking@gmail.com and I will personally intro you to the team booking the boat! They will email to get the ball rolling. Tickets will be first come, first serve!
For those of you who are new here – let’s start at the beginning. Surprise vacation has been a longstanding Dalkin family tradition since we were kids. It started when I was 9, my sister was 6, and my parents would throw us birthday parties. Now that I’ve thrown a party or two, I know how much work they can be, PLUS add in some screaming and crying children, ummmmm NO. So my parents decided to do away with the birthday parties and instead they’d plan a surprise vacation for us each year. My dad and I did a video on IGTV yesterday with the ins and outs of the trip if you want the FULL BACK STORY.
So what’s a surprise vacation you ask?
IT’S A SURPRISE. And it’s basically the highlight of my life. I even like it more than my birthday/birth month which is really saying a lot. I’m obsessed. They plan a vacation for us and we get somewhere in the realm of 8-10 clues each year and we have to figure out where we are going. Some years we’ve figured it out, others we are totally surprised. One thing is always certain…. I’m always wrong.
My sister sometimes figures it out, my husband has been known to do the same… but I’m always, without fail, 100% wrong. I think it’s because I ALWAYS had this burning desire to go on safari in Africa and no matter what clues my parents send over I somehow make them fit into an African safari. BUT… that’s no longer the case seeing as how we just got back from an epic adventure through Africa a few years ago.
ANYWAYS… since we were kids, we’ve been getting everyone involved. My tennis coach, friends of friends, parents, professors, you guys!! I mean, it’s basically a puzzle for anyone I know. AND THIS YEAR WE’RE DOING IT FOR YOU GUYS!
Here’s the deal – this is the first ever What’s Gaby Cooking group trip!! And we’re going with none other than Quasar!
I’ve traveled with Quasar before – you’ll remember them as the incredible tour operator for my families trip to Patagonia a few years ago! They are INCREDIBLE. It’s truly one of the most impeccable tour operating companies I’ve ever traveled with. My parents did Galapagos with them a few years ago and I’ve been dying to go ever since. They offered an entire BOAT for the WGC crew so let’s go on vacation together!
Below you’ll find details on what we’re doing, pricing etc…. and just remember Tickets will go on sale Wednesday May 26 in the morning at 9am PST.
If you’re interested in going and want a detailed itinerary, please email me at whatsgabycooking@gmail.com and I will personally intro you to the team booking the boat! Tickets will be first come, first serve!
Papa Dalkin made us some clues to get in the spirit! You don’t actually have to solve the clues in order to come… but if you’re the first one to PROPERLY solve the clues, my dad will send ya a gift!! (offer has expired and presents have been sent!) Past clues are here for years past! If you want the see the answer for the below clues, we did them all on a live video here: IG Live.
- Dig out some more black bugs // Answer: Cormorants
- These shoes are made for walking in America, but not too sharp “smart” // Answer: Red and Blue Footed Boobies
- “So you say you want a revolution,” or only most of one // Answer: Evolution Ship on Quasar
- CD and much less than a Foots // Answer: Charles Darwin and the Finches
- A minor wrongful act, but almost making noise // Answer: Tortoise
- It gives us another nice anthem, but only the first of the series // Answer: Iguana
- Where a toilet flush makes you laugh // Answer: South of the Equator
- The ___ ___ my heart, where to start this wonderful adventure // Answer: Quito
See some of you in the Galapagos!! xx
Liverpool, England?
I’m definitely getting the mummy vibes and I firmly believe you’re going to Egypt. It’s likely I’m wrong.
I’m thinking England! Like Abby Road and the Beetles! London!!!
Washington, DC?
You’re going to Liverpool, England!
Great Britain?? / london?
Ireland
Clue 1 could be about beetles, and clue 3 references the Beatles too. A Foots is a British term. I say you’re (we’re?) going to England/Great Britain.
Australia
England!
Foots Cray in South East London
Yosemite!
Definitely Liverpool England! Beatles/Abbey Road. Lovely place! I’m guessing you will see London too. Fun!
Hamburg, Germany
I’m thinking England. Liverpool
I think I have the location figured out, I just need to figure out the clues! Someone please collaborate!
#2: I think the answer is Blue Footed Boobies. From shoes made for walking in America, first I was thinking boots (these boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do) which gave me boo, somehow we go from booties to boobies, and then “smart” like blue tooth, and then there is blue suede shoes. So. Blue footed boobies = the trip is to the Galapagos. Maybe this clue is about a nature tour to see the blue footed boobies, or maybe he just knows you’ll see them when you are there!
#3 “so you say you want a revolution” or only most of one. Most of the word revolution is evolution! So evolution = the trip is in the Galapagos. Maybe this clue is about a specific site or museum about Charles Darwin
#5 – so I’m not sure about this one, but a minor wrongful act could be a fault. Ecuador is of course on a fault line, hence the volcanoes. So what does the almost making a sound have to do with the fault lines, could it indicate which one?
#7 is this about the baños natural hot springs?in that case maybe the trip is all around Ecuador. It could also be a bathroom joke that is about where the “pee goes” = Galapagos. I don’t know, this one is shaky for me, any ideas?
#8 “the key to” my heart! Quito! If you’re going to the Galapagos or anywhere in Ecuador, it makes the most sense that you are flying in from Quito. It has an international airport with flights from the US and other countries.
Also, a non-clue is that Gaby said it was a once in a lifetime trip, and any trip in Ecuador, from Galápagos, to the Amazon, could totally be a once in a lifetime trip.
I hope I’m on the right track otherwise this just sounded super wacky.
Wow.
You are a brilliant puzzle solver!
Great Barrier Reef
You need a visa for Australia, but not gallopagos.