Otavalo is a must on a Saturday. The street stalls and the main market are a special sight and its one of Ecuadors top attractions and the biggest market in Latin America. For many years indigenas from all the surrounding villages bring their crafts and produce from the hills for a fun packed day of bartering. You can find anything from food to weaving products, musical instruments, ceramics, clothing, carvings and souvenirs. It was a very successful days shopping and I managed to pick up a jade statue, a great indigenas picture and other bits and pieces. The bartering is good fun to watch. Fortunately I was with Quito locals so got good prices rather than Gringo prices-hurrah!! On the streets you can get amazing local food as well which is really cheap however they tried ... read more

The return from Atacames to Quito was a long and uncomfortable 6 hour bus journey with techno music pumping out the whole way however luckily I had my trusty I-Pod and managed to get some sleep. There is something about bus journey´s in Ecuador they seem to go on for ever...... I checked back into the Cayman hotel where I´d stayed before way back in June on my first arrival in Quito. Fortunately there were still quite a few sights I hadn´t seen and I was looking forward to getting back to familiar surroundings and checking out some new places. After a visit to South Quito where I was the only gringo wondering around which was fun we went to the El Panecillo which was amazing and had beautiful views over Quito during the day and ... read more

After having seen the Galapagos Islands I thought there wouldn´t be anything else in Ecuador that would amaze me as much however Latacunga and the trip to Laguna Quilotoa was certainly on a par in its own way and one of the best experiences in Ecuador. Latacunga is a lovely little town with cobbled streets and fab HRB´s. The cathedral lights up a brilliant blue at night and the place has a very cheerful feel about it. The trip to Laguna Quilotoa ( booked with Volcan tours) via stops at Pujili ( for the market) and Zumbahua was one of the best day trips of the RTW tour. The lake itself is stunning but the highlight was stopping at Zumbahua village on the way back where a local wedding was in progress. The wedding involved 3 ... read more

During Puerto Lopez I decided to tag along with a friend from the Galapagos tour who was doing some heavy duty travelling around South Ecuador ( thanks Claire for the trip and your excellent spanish speaking skills mine were very poor but you´ll be pleased to know are getting better now!!!!). Cuenca was next on the list. From the Puerto Lopez hostal we got the the strangest moto taxi I´ve ever seen then a bus to Guayaquil and then hopped in a taxi to the airport for a 30 minute flight in a tiny propelllor plan (8-9 hours in a bus here is too much!!!). It was the most diverse travel day so far...... Cuenca is beautiful colonial city and from the view of the plane you can tell its an affluent city. The city centre ... read more

After the Galapagos trip we returned to Quito for two nights out on the town sampling some quality red wine, Tapas, traditional ecuadorian food and cocktails. I decided to book a tour to Cotopaxi National parkwith Gullivers travels after a couple of recommendations. Cotopaxi (5897m) is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. Its last eruption was in 190. The land around it has tundra like vegetation, wild horses roaming around and the air is very thin at 3500m ! After an early 7.00am start it took around two hours to get to the National park where the guide recommended we purchase some gloves and hats as it gets really cold up at the refuge. The bus then took us to the Museo Mariscal Sucre where there are lots of maps of the park ... read more