Blogs from Quito, North, Ecuador, South America - page 2

This is a trip my traveling buddies and I have talked about for years. I always thought it was too expensive, and I wasn't sure that I'd like being on a boat for days. Covid changed that. When we booked this trip through Overseas Adventure Travel 2 years ago, it was Covid times and prices were way down. That helped and the 'why wait' feeling has been coming on a lot these days. Covid taught us that you never know what's going to happen next so use each day to its fullest and take advantage of each opportunity when it comes along. So, here I am leaving on the Ultimate Galapagos & Ecuador's Amazon Wilds trip tomorrow. Terry, Cheryl, and Naomi are my travel buddies this time. We'll be missing you, Roberta, Sandy, Ruth, Carol, and ... read more

Poet, novelist, and travel writer William Graham holds a BA and MA in English and a MS in Communication from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He lives in Stowe, Vermont. Many of his books are also available on Audible.com. His latest novel is url=https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Noir-Maine-Murder-Mysteries/dp/B08MSLXMN2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=W50AA0CGTCD4&dchild=1&keywords=portland+noir+maine&qid=1609951356&sprefix=portland+noir%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-2Portland Noir, the fourth and final installment in his Maine Murder Mysteries series. It was early: six-thirty in the morning, dawn on the equator in the country of Ecuador. The sun, however, had yet to make a dent in the thick cloud cover in the Ecuadorian cloud forest at the 2,000-acre preserve of the Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, situated at 7,000 feet above sea level and about a two-and-a half-hour rugged drive north o... read more

Looking back at my experience in Ecuador as a whole, one of the things that stands out to me the most is the hospitality we experienced. Obviously the first brush we had with hospitality here was with our host families in Quito. They treated us just like their own children. They took time to ask how we enjoyed our day and we spent a lot of time at meals just learning about each other and just being present together. It will be a long time before I forget how it felt to sit down to dinner with some bread and cheese, laughing and joking. They even offered their house for the future if either Matt or I come back to Ecuador. Their openness and acceptance made it so fun to be a part of Quito for ... read more

The culture is so different here in Ecuador, and although I'm not surprised that there are differences, it is still surprising to see certain differences. The past few days have been very interesting on a relational level, especially between Matt and I and our host family. The main difference here in Ecuador is what they call "Machismo," which is really just the existence of a very patriarchal society. At least in our household, Fernando is to be respected and can basically do what he wants. He spoils the grandchildren, he chooses food that he wants to eat, and has the choice to buy what he wants to. The women are forced to live their lives and account for what he is doing, rather than working together or reaching compromise. In the morning session today (survival Spanish), ... read more

Although Matt and I have only been with our host family for about twelve hours, and about nine of those were spent in bed, I thought I’d share a few impressions I’ve had. Personally, I’ve really enjoyed the interactions that I’ve had with the host thus far. Fernando and Ximena seemed a little awkward at 2:30 AM, but I think that was a poor first interaction because this morning has been much more interesting. At lunch, we had conversation with Fernando about a variety of things and got to try a few new things as well. Ximena was out this morning but came in towards the end of lunch and was very warm and welcoming to us both. I mentioned that we tried a few things at lunch. A few highlights of the morning so far: ... read more