Ecuador

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Let's Galapa-go to Ecuador. I don't know, I'm out of funny titles, ok??

The flights to Ecuador were a little unpleasant, again due to the staggering persistence of American airlines in breaking all standing stupidity records. For starters, the woman at the check-in desk reckoned we wouldn't get into Ecuador without an ongoing flight. At no point during booking was this mentioned, besides which it is only the US that is block-headed enough to actually enforce that rule. Despite her advice, she gave us our 3 boarding passes, New Orleans to Miami, Miami to Guayaquil, and Guayaquil to Quito. She said, very clearly, that our bags were checked through to Quito, and we would collect them there. We went ahead with the flights without booking an onward; we intended to leave Ecuador over land, and hang the consequences. So, worried about not getting on our flights, we set off, and of course got through fine. Our bags, on the other hand...yep, again the useless bastards put us in different places. This time, though, as we spent a night in Guayaquil - exiting the airport to stay in a nearby hotel - apparently we should have taken the bags through customs there. Contrary to what the clucking hen told us in the airport in New Orleans. Sigh. We had to go to the airport the next day to collect the bag; fortunately, LAN airlines are not useless, and brought the bag in for free on another flight.



With all the stress and hassle, we didn't really venture out on our first day; on the second, we were waiting for our bags, and just went down our street for a Chinese (had no idea Chinese immigration to South America was so extensive, historically). We were also adjusting to the altitude; Quito, at 2,800m, is the second highest capital in the world (after La Paz, 4,200m). Nothing serious, mild headaches and panting while climbing stairs, etc. One other factor prevented us from straying too far: Quito was, by a wide margin, the place where I saw/heard the most warnings about pickpockets, muggings, etc. Every wall in the hostel had security tips; the wikitravel website, usually pretty even-handed, was very cautionary, and Quitonians themselves frequently told us to watch ourselves while out and about. In retrospect, I have to say that I found Quito no more dangerous than several other major cities I've been in. If you flash your camera about and hold it loosely, you're asking for it to be grabbed, but as for violent muggings? Not unless you go to the wrong part of town, and it's a very green traveller than can't spot those - or at least ask about them.



Moreover, I was puzzled as to why the problem was so great. Ecuador is more developed than you may think, and people on the streets appear to be drunks rather than destitute. I asked one of the Ecuadorian staff in a travel company we used. She said that in Ecuador, there are jobs, but some people are lazy and don't want to work. So, some of them come into the city to steal, from tourists and others. That comes from a local, though I'm not sure if that is a fact, or just a political line. The whole time we were in Ecuador, I heard one girl saying she had her bag grabbed after taking her camera out. On the other hand, we witnessed the police stealing in the street too, pulling up and jumping from a pickup truck (in uniform, and with police markings on the truck) and grabbing a box from the side of the street - don't know what it was, crate of beer or box of fruit, maybe. The cops are not well liked in Ecuador; in 2010 they went on strike and set up barricades after the president, Rafael Correa Dorado, slashed police bonuses. The government named it a coup attempt, and the army broke it up bloodlessly, but the police are still bitter - and still corrupt. The metropolitan police and tourist police can be trusted, but if a national cop asks for your passport, hand him a photocopy and pay no fines without witnesses and receipts. Again, that is no worse than in other countries (Russia, for example), and we had a lovely time in Quito and never felt in danger.



Quito is a beautiful place, spread out over a number of peaks and valleys in the highlands of Ecuador. It is located along the equator, so it's sunny, but cool enough due to the altitude. Despite the traffic and ancient busses, the air is clear and crisp. The site has been occupied since pre-Inca times; they evacuated when the Spanish approached, only to be captured, enslaved and brought back to build the Spanish city. The Inca burned their village before leaving, so there are no Inca ruins, but some of the original Spanish buildings remain. These, and later colonial or republican construction, give Quito's old town an historic look, and a large, impressive feel. The imposing basilica is visible from almost anywhere, with its huge, twin clock towers. Interestingly, inside many of the Spanish style buildings, local practices have persisted; for example, some of the old houses have entrances cobbled with a mix of stone and horse or donkey vertebrae, to ward off evil spirits.



On our third day, well rested and in fresh clothing again, we went on a tour to the equator...well, should say centre of the equator, as it is a 25km zone. In 1975, manual measurements were used to determine the centre of the equator. At that site, a tower and monument were constructed. You may still visit the tower, but it has been shown to be 200m away from the equator. Modern military GPS (civilian GPS is scrambled, so can't be more accurate than to about 30m - presumably, as GPS is a US technology, this scrambling is meant to hamper its use by terrorists) has been used to determine latitude 0 at the Intinan museum. 0 degrees, 0 minutes, 0 seconds is displayed on a unit permanently stationed there. The museum is really great, and the guides seem to know their subject very well. There are displays on the tribes that still live near to quito, including a typical house built by one of the larger groups. There is a section on head shrinking, which was carried out by a local tribe - though not on unwary adventurers. It was more so done to powerful chiefs to remember and honour them. These days, the tribe performs shrinking only on animals, mostly sloths. At latitude 0, marked by a line, you can pose for pictures beside sundials which only work on one side, depending on the season. Their time is accurate, while your watch is wrong: sundials don't use leap years.



Also at the equator, you perform several "experiments". 1 metre north of the line, water drains in one direction, draining in the opposite direction 1 metre to the south - and straight down on the line. Away from the line, people cannot pull your thumb and finger apart from an "ok" sign; over the line, you can't stop them. Of course, it's all sleight of hand and suggestion. Read about the Coriolis effect and the ideomotor effect to see why. One more activity was balancing an egg, supposedly easier at the equator than anywhere else. If you can do it, you get a certificate naming you an eggmaster. It seems to me though, if it's EASIER at the equator, you would surely be an eggprentice. It's all kind of tongue in cheek, and a bit of fun, and Intinan is well worth the cheap entry ($3).



We were also brought to see a huge volcanic crater, in which hundreds of people live. The volcano is active again, so sooner or later...the people refuse to leave though, as their parents and their parents parents lived there. It was impossible to see the true explanse of the crater due to fog, but it was clearly immense, and the few houses we could see were very far below. On the way back, we stopped for a local sweet: crushed ice, flavoured solely with fruit juice. Equatorial fruits like guanabana need no added sugar. This treat was once prepared with ice hauled from the mountains on donkey-back.



The next day in Quito was beautiful, sunny and clear. It was a perfect day to take the free walking tour operated by CarpeDM, the travel company that ran from our hostel (Secret Garden). Our guide was Consuelo, whose English was a lot better than she thought. We walked up to the Basilica, one of the largest churches in South America. It is a beautiful and unusual structure, but so vast that I wonder how many schools and hospitals people might have built in its place. One of the most interesting features was was the pairs of stone figures along the lower roof. They are carvings of Galapagos creatures projecting from the wall, including iguana, boobies (yes, they are birds) and tortoises. From the basilica, we walked down Venezuela St. to see some old dwellings; these featured the vertebrae paths. Inside, they were somewhat similar to Moroccan riads, having several levels and an open centre courtyard with a fountain. We passed through the main square, in front of the presidential palace. Heavily patrolled by police, this is otherwise a lovely area, with gigantic palm trees and nice gardens and benches. The old buildings around the square are pretty special too, including the presidential palace and an original Spanish colonial church. We headed on to see an old Jesuit university for the priesthood, where wealthy Spanish were educated in theology and philosophy. It is currently a library - open to all. The building is beautiful, and looks clean and new, having been restored after a fire. The view from the roof is great, and the inner courtyard is another tranquil, green space. They have a collection of antique printing machines, in mint condition. That was pretty much the end of the tour; around the corner, poor Consuelo began to feel faint and nearly collapsed. She got a cab home, and we all went for lunch before walking back towards the hostel.



Áine and I extended the tour by returning to the basilica and climbing the towers. The towers are huge, and climbing them is brown-pants time. For one tower, you climb up welded iron steps on the outside of it. Long, long drop below. Inside the clock tower on the other side should be easier, but a quick, stomach-churning glance out the window reminds you that you are very high up...in a very old tower...in an earthquake zone. On the plus side, the pictures that weren't shaky came out very well.



In the morning, we went to the presidential palace for the free tour, but it was closed (we later learned it was for a state visit from Ahmedinajad, president of Iran). At a bit of a loose end, we went to walk along Calle La Ronda, a very touristy street lined with private security, guarding cafés, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. When we came along, it was almost totally closed. It can be hard to predict what will be open when you head out in South America. It's more than just siesta; some days a restaurant we liked just wouldn't open, but one next to it would, and it in turn hadn't been open the day before. I don't know if they had some kind of agreement to share days, but we saw it everywhere. We went to visit the Museo Ciudad, which was opened in the old hospital. The hospital was built by the Spanish, and at first only Spanish patients were allowed. It was run through the years by a variety of Catholic orders, and had a large church and bell tower built on the side. The hospital was in use until 1974 (open almost 400 years), and had one of the best X-Ray units in South America in the 50's. The main exhibitions are about the history of the area, divided by century, from the 16th to the 19th. The information was all in Spanish, but we figured out some of it, and much of what was on display was artistic anyway. The diaramas were excellent, showing street scenes, etc., and highlighting the number of African slaves brought to South America by the Spanish.



We had a "Menu" in one of the restaurants set up in the former archbishop's palace, around the corner from the presidential palace. A menu, or menu del dia, is usually a set drink, starter soup and main course, for ridiculously small money. Some places give a small desert, too. We payed $4 each; I had steak. In the afternoon, we packed up our stuff, and paid a visit to the ATM. We were getting ready to go to the Galapagos!



We flew to the Galapagos on Friday 13th, but it could hardly have been a luckier day: Many people are not lucky enough to ever visit the islands. It was a big decision to go, as it required a significant chunk of my remaining budget. Truly though, it was something that just had to be done. It retrospect, it would have been stupid not to go. It was incredible. We flew to Baltra airport, the larger of two in the islands (the other, on San Cristobel, isn't really used for tourists). We were picked up at the airport by the tour company, and brought to the boarding area for transfer to the boat. As we were waiting, a sea lion waddled up and planted himself on one of the benches a few feet away! Good start. There were 15 of us on the Golondrina, a nice, backpacker level boat (backpacker level means $600 - $1000; cruises can run as high as $7,000 for an up-market 6 nights). The other passengers were young and very international, a good group. The boat was great - many backpacker boats don't do hot water, free tea/coffee, air conditioning, etc. They also had full snorkel gear for hire, and the boat was spotless. The food was pretty good, and in great quantity; every time you had a couple of hours free, snacks were put out. Tour companies charter the boats, so your guide is not necessarily associated with the boat. In our case, the guide, Victor, knew the crew. A pity he wasn't half as good as them. He had pretty bad English, and despite the fact that all Galapagos guides are described as "Naturalists" (actually, "naturist", but a little interpretation...), his only qualification was clearly a training course he had long forgotten.



Despite this, nothing could take away from how incredible the Galapagos are. They speak for themselves. It is incredible to see how abundant nature is when man doesn't interfere. The place was teeming with life, nowhere more so than in the water. The snorkelling was like a kaleidoscope, with so many fish in wonderful colours and shapes. From the black, volcanic sands on the beaches and the savage, harsh lansdcape of jagged lava rocks, to the lush, green areas, the landscape is different from anywhere I have ever seen. The shapes left by the lava flows can be seen clearly, where the lava simply cooled and solidified. It is sharp to the touch; very easy to pick up scraps and cuts. It is brittle, frequently breaking beneath your feet. In other places, the landscape is completely different. Lush, green valleys and hills; arid desert; rocky highlands. The Galapagos contain a huge variety of biospheres, sometimes all on one island.



On the (geologically) newer islands, very little green beyond the occasional cactus has taken hold. These are the most alien landscapes of all. And, appropriate to such a weird place, you find some odd forms of life. Being so unique, the Galapagos has placed evolutionary pressures upon the species that ended up there (often by floating on driftwood, in the case of land animals) very different from those elsewhere. An estimated 60% of Galapagos species are not found anywhere else. Some of them are not so different to the casual observer; the Galapagos hawk looks pretty much like a hawk. Others are very odd, like marine iguanas. The Galapagos are the only place you will find these swimming lizards. Their appearance is bizarre, with patchy, dry looking skin, faces that appear to smile, mohawk style barbs all down their back and eyes that look oddly human, with their whites. The males also have an odd dominance behaviour, rhythmically nodding their heads at each other. Their movement is ponderous, when they bother to move at all. The exception is when they get into a flight, tearing and dashing at each other. Little real harm is done by their contests, but very often cuts are opened around the lips and head.



The land iguana look similar, though their yellow-red colour is very different from the mossy green-grey of marine iguanas. They also have longer faces, which don't look smiley, and their nostrils are in a lower position (marine iguana need to get their nostrils above water to breath). The other major species we came across included: flightless cormorants (lost the ability to fly, but they dice so well they don't need to), night heron (infra-red vision for hunting in the dark) blue footed and red footed boobies, flycatchers, oystercatchers, finches, pelicans, flamingos, frigate birds (who were our constant companions and entertainment on the boat), sally lightfoot crabs, ghost crabs, sea lions, penguins and tiny lava lizards. In the ocean, we were just inundated with tropical species, too numerous to list. We saw a remora, eagle ray, tons of sting and marbles rays, white tipped reef shark, galapagos grey shark, yellow-fin tuna, more sea lions and penguins, clownfish, triggerfish, Mexican hogfish, pacific boxfish (my favourite of the medium fish) and, best of all, lots of sea turtles! The turtles were just cruising along, grazing the reef, and were totally unconcerned about us gawking. The eagle ray was another aquatic highlight; it is very unusual, with a bulging head, and some think it is therefore smarter and more curious than other rays. It swam around us in circles for several minutes, as we tried to keep our faces towards it.



We visited Isla Santiago, Isla Isabela, Isla Fernandina and Isla Santa Cruz. The highlights were Chinese Hat, James Bay, Punta Espinoza, Punta Moreno, Urbina Bay and James' Bay. Landing in each place was different, either dry, onto a small platform, or wet, jumping into the sea and trudging up; sometimes it was golden sand, sometimes black volcanic beaches. We finished the tour in Puerto Ayora, at the Charles Darwin centre. This centre is dedicated to breeding and preserving endangered species in the island. For a long time before they were protected, whalers, navy and fishermen took freely from the islands. The best part of the centre was the giant tortoises, which live in the highlands (we didn't get up to the highlands). We also visited Lonesome George, the last of his species of tortoise. He has been placed in a pen with two females of a similar species, but so far they have failed to produce offpring. There are, however, tons of baby tortoises, marked with numbers. Despite tall tales of 300 year old tortoises, we don't know for sure how long they live; when these ones die, we'll have a better idea.



The only down points of the trip were when I popped an ear - dived to deep and couldn't equalise, kind of hurt - and the whole guide experience. He was interminably slow, stopping for ages in a single location to take hundreds of photos of one thing; you'd swear it was his first time on the islands. He was also pretty rude to some of the girls in the group. His English was abyssmal. Worst of all...he was a creationist. Unbelievable. But he still believes it. In the place where the theory of evolution was honed, a place where the evidence for evolution is more concentrated, plain and right in your face than anywhere else...a creationist guide. What a twit.



I suppose you could call it another lowpoint, but a very important one: the realisation of the true impact we have on natural populations. By a combination of pollution, over hunting and habitat destruction, we have seriously depleted animal numbers. When you're standing in the Galapagos, you realise how it might be if we had more areas like this. European species might be less attractive to look at, and so the protect-the-cute-ones factor is missing, but they are no less important. Do me (and everyone) a favour, and sign, donate or support anything that comes your way about protecting species in the wild. The animals in the Galapagos have mostly got no fear of humans - Áine had a magical moment when a flycatcher landed on her finger, just curious to have a look. There is a reason that the animals we are more accustomed to tend to flee on sight.



We returned to Quito on the 17th. It seemed livlier than before, with more of the inexplicable opening of restaurants than usual. We were late back, so we crashed out for the evening. The next day, we got in the presidential palace visit. The palace is pretty much as you might expect: lavish. It is beautiful inside, with two courtyard gardens. The building used to be two large colonial homes, hence the double garden. There was a mosaic in three friezes, depicting three eras of Ecuador: pre-Spanish, colonialism and post-independence. Inside, you'll find the finest of everything: French chandeliers, hand carved Panamanian chairs, modern electronics and a multitude of gifts from other nations. The president - Rafael Dorado - has had many of the gifts labelled with their face value. In another room, circled with portraits of former presidents, Dorado's sash of office is in a glass case; it is sewn with gold and silver threads, and cost $12,000. Dorado decreed that it would be perpetual due to the cost, used by every subsequent president. It seems he is going to great lengths to appear honest, and given his public support, it appears to be working.



The next day, we departed for Cuenca. As with most travel in South America, it wasn't exactly straightforward. We had booked a cab to the Flota Imbabura (a private Ecuador bus company) office, arriving at 5am. There was supposed to be a bus at 05:30. The cab was unmarked, so I was a little wary, but we got there ok. We left our sandwiches in the bloody cab though, and nice ones they would have been. Some people at the station then told us the bus wasn't running, but having experience of touts in other countries, I was inclined to think that they were trying to drum up business for another company. Unfortunately, they were telling the truth. We had to take another taxi to the big bus terminal outide of town. He tried to charge us double; when we went to get out, suddenly his price became reasonable. He wasn't happy about it though, and drove, shall we say, swiftly. Again, having not been kidnapped or robbed, we arrived safely at the terminal terrestre. There was a Flota Imbabura station there too, with a 06:30 departure. We bought our ticket, and went to await the bus. Around 06:50, the guy who sold us the ticket ran out to us and told us THAT bus wasn't running. We were bundled onto a small bus run by another company, and finally got underway at 07:00. They said this bus was "directo" to Cuenca. What that means in Ecuador is that it doesn't visit other major cities, but will stop at the entrance to and exit from every single tiny village on the way, to extract a few more cents from people taking shorter journeys. The worst offenders in this practice are referred to as "lechero" busses. This was definitely a lechero.



Though it doubles the journey time, lecheros can be interesting. Salesmen pay the driver and conductor to be allowed on to press their wares. We had a few such individuals, with the remarkeable ability to not stop talking for 45 minutes. One guy was a real greasy, slimy character, selling magnetic jewellery to cure all ailments. Snake oil merchant. What is particularly nasty is that some of the jewellery is designed for children, and they are selling it in a region with raised infant mortality. Sure enough, plenty of hands shot up to buy the crap - all hands belonging to the rural people on the bus, city dwellers being a little better educated. Another guy came on selling bags of sweets, similar to Haribo bags. How he managed to pull a 30 minute spiel out of that, I'll never know. On these busses, it's best not to pay too much attention to the stops and starts and hawkers - it just raises your ire, and there's nothing to be done about it. We were able to enjoy the scenery along the way, dipping and raising through the mountains by as much as 1000m, the scenery reminiscent of Nepal. We pulled into Cuenca in the late afternoon and took a cab - honestly priced! - to our hostel, Villa del Rosario. Dolores gave us a warm welcome, entirely in Spanish, so some of it was wasted effort. The Villa was lovely, with a little courtyard inside where a hummingbird liked to flit around. The room was spacious and clean, though the bed - as is typical in South America - was a little small and soft. We headed out briefly for dinner, though both of us had developed blinding headaches, perhaps because of the early start and long journey.



After 12 hours sleep, we went to have a look around Cuenca. In the old town, it gives all the appearance of being in a small or medium sized village, with plazas and dozens of old churches, and a sleepy, relaxed kind of feel (except the main street, Calle Larga, which was always buzzing with traffic). It was attractive, and the combination of sun and cool, mountain breeze was really pleasant. Further, it is a safe place. No fear of walking around here, though obviously you still shouldn't flash a huge wad of notes or provoke theft by your own stupidity. The centre of town is a world heritage site, with an old and new cathedral and original government buildings still in use today. The old cathedral looks to be in better shape than the new one, a testament to builders of the time. The square is beautiful, shady and green, with plenty of benches and a fountain to cool yourself by.



We waited around for the tourist bus, a fairly new concept in Cuenca tourism. It is a double decker, open-top, and it costs $5 per person for a 2 hour ride around. It started by going into the new town, shattering the illusion that Cuenca is small. Spread out over a large valley and the hills either side of it, Cuenca's new town is large and tightly packed with housing. Near the old town, around the bridges (3 rivers meet in the valley to form the Cuenca river), it is still quite nice, but we didn't venture too far down that way. The bus passed by some of the oldest buildings in town, mostly churches, before ascending the hill opposite from the old town and stopping for 20 minutes. Low hanging signs and power lines were quite a hazard. The view was pretty spectacular, taking in most of the city and the old town skyline - again, mostly church steeples and towers. From up on the hill, you can see how bright Cuenca is. All the buildings are painted in light colours, and there are quite a few greens and parks dotted around.



There are a few things to do around Cuenca, if you have the time and inclination. Never mind the money - it's pretty cheap. There are hot springs 8km away at Banos. There is a national park a little further out, and if you bring your own sleeping bag you can stay in their shelters for a nominal fee, walking the trails by day. We opted to go to Ingapirca, Incan ruins about 80km from Cuenca. It was a cheap bus ride, but again a lechero, and ran along steep switchbacks, so it took 2.5 hours to cover the 80km. On arrival, the English peaking guides were all mid-tour, so we walked the ruins ourselves and discovered English information boards. The oldest ruins belong to the Canar people, who favoured round structures; their granaries and some houses were preserved when the Inca conquered the village. Newer Inca ruins are distinguished by rectilinear lines. The Inca also installed aquaducts; unlike the raised Roman aquaduct, Incan variants were lined ditches that ran along their roads. They served to irrigate the terraced fields favoured by Incan farmers. The Canar were kept as slave labour after being defeated, and some evidence exists to indicate that Inca women were given administration over the workers. Parts of the ruins have been reconstructed, to give an idea of how the area might have looked. The biggest reconstruction is the Temple of the Sun, the place of worship for the Inca. The building is rectangular, built atop an ellipse, and features alcoves for idols. The view from the ruin is fantastic, down steep valley hillsides to verdant river flood plain. It is also a very rocky area; if you have time, you can take a longer trek around to see rocks carved by the inca to look like faces, a tortoise, etc.



We had one more night in Cuenca, the night of the 22nd. This was the second anniversary of the day I met Áine, and we went out for a fancy dinner to celebrate. The place was lovely, again with the courtyard and lush garden motif, and the food was delicious, if a little more pricey than our usual options (still much, much cheaper than home). The only problem was the young staff. They were polite and helpful enough, but elected to play the worst electronic dance music shit I've ever heard. A total mismatch for the scenery, and for their customers - we were the youngest there, most other diners being of the grey disposition. We asked them to change it, and got lamenting latin love songs instead. Marginally better.



In the morning, we departed early to make our border run to Peru. At the station, we met 6 others all making the same journey, and we kind of unofficially teamed up, watching each others bags and sharing information. In the end, it wasn't such a bad crossing. We had been warned online that theft was rife and the stations were dangerous; once more, I must say I think these warnings are written by people who haven't done much travelling, and get freaked out very easily. The crossing was more annoying than anything else. The journey to the border at Huaquillas was 5 hours, and the bus was nearly full so very little stopping along the way. Often, drivers will ignore ticket bookings and sell seats while waiting to depart; we had to kick some people out of our seats. If this happens to you - the tickets ALWAYS get preference. We disembarked at the border, and got our exit stamp from Ecuadorian authorities. We then had to wait for a Peruvian bus company to collect us. The CIFA bus showed up nearly 2 hours later. We got on, and headed to Peruvian passport control. It is a bit of a drive through what can not really be described as no man's land. The fact that there are many men in no man's land is the rub...there is an entire town straddling the 10km border gap. We queued a long time at the border post and got our entry stamps. Back on the bus, and into Peru...kind of. We stopped again not 30 minutes down the road, and police dogs sniffed the bags while we waited on board. The police started collecting passports, but for some reason passed us by. Glad for that - hate handing my passport to anyone who will take it out of my sight. Sniffing of bags completed, we got underway...kind of. About 10 minutes later, we stopped at yet another post to have our carry-on bags searched, very half-heartedly. I could have probably smuggled a baby, half a dozen guns and a kilo of narcotics through that post, had I been so inclined. FINALLY...we got underway properly, and arrived late in the evening in Piura, our first Peruvian stop.



Ecuador is a wonderful place to travel. My only regret is having let some of the warnings get to me. Travelling in the first world again in Australia, NZ and America brought me well into the comfort zone. Everyone spoke my language, transport was easy, theft was only a threat from thieves, rather than from bus staff or police. I was quite wary, and might have enjoyed it more had I remembered my lessons from other places a little better. That said, I had no shortage of smiles in Ecuador. The country is simply beautiful, from the highlands down to the coast, not to mention the Amazon, which we missed. Quito and Cuenca are pleasant places to just hang out, with good coffee, sunshine and the cool breezes. There is an open feeling to the whole place; you never feel enclosed or trapped in the cities, as a huge vista is never far away in these hilly places. The air is usually fresh, and there is a wealth of culture and history to explore. Ecuador is a little better off than some if its neighbours, so museums and historic places tend to be well maintained. And you could probably fill several months with the different activities, a broad spectrum of them available thanks to the varying regions. If I went again, I think I would visit the Amazon region and the volcano areas, like Cotapaxi. Time and budget didn't allow it on this trip.



And, of course, aside from all of that, there is the Galapagos. This unique area is really something special, a fact you are reminded of every time you turn your head and see something new. That trip was one of the highlights of my entire journey. If you EVER come to South America, please, please, please visit the island. Oh, and PLEASE do it in a conscientious way - stick to the trail, don't touch anything, don't feed anything. This is something everyone should see in their lifetime, if at all possible, and it will have a lasting impact on me.

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