Reasons to Love Ecuador

The capital, officially named San Francisco de Quito, but often referred to as Quito was a component of the Inca Empire at one time; therefore, it has some of the best-preserved early colonial architecture in South America. UNESCO has determed that Quito has the largest, best-preserved, and least-altered historic center (320 hectares) in Latin America. It is the first of all World Cultural Heritage Sites, receiving the honor in 1978.

Ecuador is divided into four geographical regions: Pacific Coastal Area (Litoral), Andean Highlands (Sierra), Amazon Rain Forest (Oriente) and The Galapagos Islands.

There are 25 000 species of plants present in the country, which represents approximately 10% of all plants known in the world.

The world's smallest orchid (miniscule orchid measuring 2.1mm wide) was discovered in Ecuador.

The number of orchid species is calculated at 4,100.

Roses are quickly becoming one of Ecuador's major exports as well as other flowers such as orchids & bromeliads.

This is home to more than 1,600 species of birds, which is more than twice the number found on any one of any of the entire continents of North America, Europe or Australia.

There are 131 species of hummingbirds here, creating the world's highest diversity of hummingbird species.

Ecuador's insect species number more than a million, including 4,500 species of butterflies.
There are three species of vampire bats found in the world; all exist here.
The Humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) migrate from the Antarctic South Pole to tropical waters off the coast of Ecuador (June to September) to mate and give birth to their calves.

In Ecuador, there was a newly discovered species of gecko, small enough at its full-grown size to rest comfortably on the eraser of a pencil.

Farms surrounding the coastal city of Guayaquil have an output of 60 per cent of the world's high-grade fine cocoa making it the world's capital of the sweet delicacy.

Ecuador exports more bananas than any other country in the world.

Manta, Ecuador claims to be the Tuna Capital of the World.

Quinine, the first drug used to prevent and treat malaria, is obtained from the bark of the cinchona tree that grows in Ecuador.
Panama hats are of Ecuadorian origin - the world's finest Panama hats are handmade in Montecristi, Ecuador

Vilcabamba is called the Valley of Longevity - locals assert that it is not uncommon to see a person reach 100 years of age and it is claimed that many have gotten to 120, even up to 135, which would make it an area with the oldest inhabitants in the world.

Ecuador has many active volcanoes and also has one of the greatest densities of volcanoes in the world; Cotopaxi is the highest active volcano in world.

It is also home to ten mountain peaks over 5000 meters (16,000 feet). Mount Chimborazo at 6,268 meters (20,565 feet)  is the highest mountain in Ecuador. Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but bulges at the Equator, the peak of Chimborazo is also the furthest point from the center of the Earth and the closest to the sun.

Pros and Cons of Ecuador Living  

Pros	Cons
Direct TV
Low utility bills - $30 mo gas, electric, water	Small living space
Rent $450 month including WiFi, phone	Difficult to ship things in
Fresh produce very inexpensive	Butter expensive and difficult to find
	Longer distances to travel outside of S.A.
Cheap public transport 25¢ a ride	Apostilles needed for Visa
Buses are easy, Cuenca getting a tram	Cannot flush toilet paper
Free or very low cost museums	Hot water not always available in sinks
Free cultural events we understand
Lots of gay ex-pats our own ages
Numerous cultural events in English
Numerous volunteer opportunities in English
Locals are friendly
Installing fiber optics cable for WiFi
Can get Netflix here
Country is gorgeous
Cheap buses between cities

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Cuenca - Tidbits of Information

Currently known as the city of artists and writers, its long history dates as far back as the year 8060 BC where there have been discoveries of remnants of the first inhabitants dating to that year. Because of this history, two of my favorite places on our last visit were the Museum of the Aboriginal Cultures and the House of the Ecuadorian Culture. 

Cuenca is a high city, perched 2,350 to 2,550 meters above sea level in various parts. For perspective, Denver, Colorado known as the Mile-High City is 1,609 meters. That is a difference of 941 meters. As such, it sits in the highlands of the Ecuador, surrounded by mountains on all sides. There are passages through on three sides. 

Set in this valley, the temperatures are moderate with a an low of 49.7 F in the winter. Four rivers converge in the city: Tomebamba (named after the Inca culture), Yanuncay, Tarqui and Machangara leading to the Amazon watershed.

The founding of the city was on April 12, 1557 under guidelines set forth by Charles V, the King of Spain at the time. According to the UNESCO site “is a remarkable example of a planned inland Spanish town (entroterra) that bears witness to the interest given to the principles of Renaissance urban planning in the Americas…The urban fabric of the Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca comprises a system of parks, squares, atriums, churches and other public spaces.” This settlement of Cuenca was named for Cuenca, Spain.

From Cuenca to Quito, it is approximately nine hours (55 minutes by air), but Guayaquil is an easy four hours.

Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador.

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This is Gentrification in Progress, Can’t You Tell?

When we first moved to Budapest, there was a huge banner that spanned across the New York Hotel. It said “Opening Soon”. That was in 2001. The hotel did not open until 5 years later. Our Lonely Planet book, which is 3 years out of date states that the Casco Viejo area of Panama City is in the process of being gentrified and should be completed in the near future. That was 2010. 

Casco Viejo, meaning old compound, is where the Spanish moved their city after Henry Morgan destroyed the original city they had developed. According to our ‘host’ it is only a 40 minute walk. That seemed reasonable, so we headed out. The most scenic route was to walk the promenade along the shoreline. This was an exquisite decision; however, it was strange that at low tide, there is no water other than puddles along what should have been the shoreline, let alone any remnants of a beach.

The highlight of this route was not on the waterside, but the landside or causeway. For 2 kilometers, we walked this promenade, which is stunningly beautiful. There the scenery alternated between children’s playgrounds, outdoor fitness machines in perfect condition, lush manicured gardens, and a small meditation park within a park complete with a waterfalls. There are separate walking and bike paths and there are turn offs at various points where you can climb a small hill for a better view or walk around it and sit for a spell. A part of this was reminiscent of Guayaquil in Ecuador, but less commercial. There were no food stands or shopping places here at all, only nature.

Being prime real estate, the high rises directly across the street are 30 or more stories with amazing architecture that is mod, modern, or quirky. Any direction you look in, there is some eye candy to satisfy your cravings and all calorie free. 

As directions go, there were no surprises with those we received. The 40-minute walk, turned out to be an hour and a half before we set our eyes on Casco Viejo. We felt like that old TV commercial where the announcer states “Welcome Pilgrim, your search has ended.” The question was “Was it worth the effort?” Almost immediately, facing you are dilapidated buildings that some would classify as slum-like. More than one building had the doors opened wide due to the heat; they resembled a place for squatters rather than one having been in the process of being upgraded over the last 3 years. Not all was lost, there were stores and cafés, which have seen the almighty dollar, transform them from tattered and tacky to upscale and in vogue. 

We stopped for coffee in one such establishment. A Black couple ran it. I would venture to say they were US African-American transplants. Their perfect English had an eastern tingle in the accent, they perfect bagels, and a book by Virginia Hamilton amongst other books. When the lady found the bathroom was being monopolized by one customer, her perfect English again betrayed her origins as did the way she pronounced ‘occupado’. One espresso latte, one smoothie and a bagel was $14.00, giving Starbucks the opportunity to say how inexpensive they really are in comparison.

According to our guidebook, the cobble streets added to the charm. Brick has since replaced them; nary one cobblestone has survived. In Plaza de la Independencia, we witnessed the local crew putting up the Christmas tree quite similarly to the type of tree we had in CA. This plaza is where Panama declared its independence from Columbia in 1903.

Other sites were the Plaza de Francia commemorating the French role in building the canal. The French lost 22,000 workers from France, Guadeloupe, and Martinique due to malaria and yellow fever. A statue of Cuban physician Carlos Finlay also decorates this plaza. He is the one to discover how mosquitoes transmit yellow fever.

Another attraction of this area is the Panama Viejo ruins, which according to the book, we could explore independently. These were the ruins of old churches and other buildings from historic times, but they are all now guarded with fencing. Not even paying an admission allows entrance. Being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, makes me wonder how prestigious this designation happens to be after all. Yes, there are many charming parts of this section, but they butt up with buildings that are being held up with steel supports from the street. 

One realtor's office window had signs offering flats for sale starting at $450,000. It would seem reasonable to expect the entire area to be gentrified, before suggesting such fees.

 We hunted down this restaurant written about in the book. It is called Café Coca-Cola. Still open for business, it was filled with locals and we discovered the reason. The food was great, but cheap. We both ate lunch and with drinks, the bill came to $10.59. 

Afternoon heat is horrendous, so we decided to take a taxi and test the stories that it will only cost $1-$2. Our first attempt, the driver wanted $12. No fare for you! The second one offered the ride for $5. We accepted and went straight to the travel agency to arrange for a tour for tomorrow. 

We returned to the horrendously expensive grocery store for some supplemental supplies for dinner. We will eat in tonight and watch the birds at the feeder. 

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Let's Do the Hop

The breakfast buffet is open for business from 7:30 to 9:30am. The treat is the coffee machine because it makes espresso drinks. I had multiple cappuccinos with extra shots of espresso added. It is typical British breakfast with the addition of friend tomatoes and baked beans. The wait staff reminded me of the shark in Jaws. They circle around the tables waiting for someone to leave a glass or plate unguarded so they can swoop in to grab it. No dirty knife has a chance with them around.

In the hotel lobby is a tour desk where a lovely British lady who has spent too much time in the sun sells the travel packages. She offers the Hop–on Hop-off bus tours, though there are 3 companies providing similar services. We questioned her about a number of options, but finally booked the Hop-on and off with her as well as a full day Gozo tour. It includes transport there with lunch and transport back making for a ten hour day. The 2 day hopping tours with the free cruise ran us €30 each while the Gozo trip was €55 each for the organized tour.

We started hopping shortly after with the red tour, which comprised the entire south island. To do a full round of the tour would take a full three hours. This was going to take the entire day based on their ending times for the day. We did get off at the stop for the Hypogeum Underground Temple complex (a UNESCO World Heritage site), but you have to pre-book the tour. It has been booked up through August 31st.  We were able to see the Tarxien Temple Ruins, which were created in four different stages that ranged from 3,600 BC to a more modern 2,000. Before we left, our friend Hunter had mentioned that the statue of the “Sleeping Goddess” was found here in Malta. When we were unsuccessfully trying to get into Hypogeum Underground Temple, I spotted a postcard of a woman sleeping. It stated it is named the “Sleeping Lady” which they date back to 2,500 B.C.

Some of the villages have terribly kitschy porcelain stands about 7 feet high where 7 foot statues of saints or other religious figures are standing. These were lining the street across from a church, which would not be so awful if they were not also gaudy.  Every village and city has at least one Catholic Church, but there are 365 in the country. As the commentator stated, there is one for every day of the year. Strangely, though they are abundant, we have not found any open yet.

The next time we left the bus was at a small fishing village where we had lunch along the waterfront. I had tasty focaccia bread with goat cheese and tomato shared with Ron who in turn shared his antipasto. Like so many of the others, the church on the square was closed.

I am not loving Malta. I had anticipated something, but it is missing yet it is causing me a mini crisis trying to identify what it is. Some of the contributing factors I believe are that the cities are small and don’t seem to have an abundance of offerings mixing culture with entertainment. There is extensive traveling involved getting from one city to another city; it could take an hour or more. The public transportation is not even close to being great. Buses run about every 30 minutes, but end by 11pm. When we were on the public bus last night, I was watching young people dressed to party. I could not help but wonder how they would return home, unless they stay out until the next morning to get the start of the new day busses.

Ending the day’s tour, the bus delivered all of us to back to our respective hotel. We went for a swim before the pool closed at 5:30 and took naps in the shade trying to escape more sun. Today’s temperature was reported to be 36 centigrade. HOT!!

Before leaving home, I had found a list of recommended popular budget restaurants. Thinking I would have Internet access, I never printed it out. Now we are sunk. I cannot get it without shelling out €6 for the privilege. I thought that with proper hints, the tourism lady may be able to come up with some idea, but she was clueless. She did recommend a restaurant named Victoria Pub and Dinner at Bugibba Square. She never said she ate there, but she did say it was always filled with people; this was her restaurant rating barometer. Giving us explicit directions, since no one knows the names of any streets here, we headed off.

As we walked to the waterfront in pursuit of Victoria, I realized that a main factoring influence in my disliking the country is the architecture. Actually, one could say the lack thereof, as most of it is undeniably lacking any architectural accruements which would offer a variety. For the most part, buildings are downright boring when they are so repetitiously styled. Those buildings that have any modicum of interest look as if they were designed in the 70s, but have not been refurbished since. Even the buildings pointed out by tour commentary as being significantly Baroque are so barely decorated as to be considered Baroque at all. Then I wondered how these people must feel when they go to cities like Florence that revel in colors and styles, flaunting their décor and then return to the spectrum of beige. This is similar what I disliked about Morocco where every building was pink; here they are all shades of bland beige. They are so mind numbingly unattractive, one risks turning into a sleepwalker after walking three blocks down a street.

As we made our way down the waterfront, we stopped to watch a professional Bocce ball tournament that was in progress. Similar to the Italian version, this has quirks. There are can-like resin blocks that they throw to move the opponent’s ball out of the way. This is decidedly different from the Italian version of bocce that I grew up with. Surrounding the playing court was a regular little stadium filled with spectators.
 
Victoria set a lovely table. I had a set dinner menu with choices. First was a salad with goat cheese, followed by a pork chop with bacon and onion brown gravy. It was surrounded by an abundant assortment of veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, which were cooked perfectly. On the side was French fries and for dessert, the choice I knew Ron would share was cheesecake. Ron had Maltese ravioli, just like Italian, but stuffed with ricotta with a garlic and basil sauce. The square was truly alive with people sitting around the square or eating in restaurants.

When we returned to the hotel, there was karaoke going on in the back pool area. We took seats at a table to listen to some contenders among the 150 others in the audience. The woman singing when we entered was quite enjoyable. The next three acts were not so memorable, making us realize how tired we were. We scooted up to our room.

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Mayans Didn't Have Electricity Either

In order to leave the Rio Dulce, we have to hire a private driver to get to Tikal. Public transport is not existent without major routes, changes of buses, and hoping for connections. Manuel, who we presume is the manager, was able to make the arrangements for us. It will cost us a hefty 140,000 quetzals or 140 Euros, but the drive is 4 hours one way and the driver will return after dropping us off, most likely by himself.

After taking the 9 am boat shuttle from the hotel to town, our driver was waiting for us. He did not speak English and Ron opted for the front seat, so he had some practice refreshing his Spanish. With my nose in a book, I looked up every few pages to assure myself there was nothing spectacular happening with the scenery as we drove. That was until the fourth look out the window; we came across a small herd of about 7 – 9 Brahma cows strolling down the highway completely unattended by any humans. They looked like they were running away from home or the slaughter house, but it were the later, they were too emaciated to make more than a few hamburgers at most.

We arrived in Tikal, a national park and protected UNESCO World Heritage site. For two nights our residence is the Hotel Tikal Inn, one of three hotels within the park situated in the jungle that surrounds the Mayan ruins located in this part of the country. Again, we have a lovely little bungalow, but there is one problem: electricity. None of the lights or electric outlets in our room functioned. When we brought this to the attention of the front desk, we were informed that there is only electricity from 6-9 pm and 6-9 am. Aside from those times, the entire park is dark or as light as nature allows, but not electrified.

Okay, this creates a problem because my little netbook is old, but still reliable, yet it only holds a charge for 2 hours before needing an AC/DC fix. One or the other, but I have no idea which it is. I figured I would whip out my Tigo Internet stick and spend two hours on the Internet, then recharge the battery when electric juice is turned on. Well that turned into problem number 2. They do not get a Tigo signal here in the park, so the USB stick doesn’t work.

The bright side alternative was being advised that there was free WiFi in the lobby; the password is prominently taped to the counter. For everything there is a catch. Although I am happy that I can download my e-mails, there is a but or two following. The first BUT is that the WiFi only works when the electricity is turned on, which brings us back to those limited hours of availability. But 2 is that the WiFi only works in the lobby of the hotel, not on the grounds and certainly not in the rooms. Bummer! What a conundrum!

Adding to this mix, dinner is only served during these hours also, creating a number of agenda items to be covered in a short period of time. Add battery juice to the computer in the room. Run into the lobby to download e-mail and do whatever Internet things need doing, eat dinner, and then run back to the room to charge the battery one the computer on last time before 9 pm. It is going to be interesting.

Dinner is tasty, but only moderately hot. We wonder if they use electric for the cooking and not gas. There is a summer camp feeling having lights out at 9 pm. No one gets to do any reading in bed unless you brought your own book light or flashlight. But hey, we are going on a 4 am tour to see the Mayan ruins at sunrise, so we need to get to bed early anyway.

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