Final Note

After a day of doing laundry (several loads) and cleaning the house and yard, we've settled back into our routine. We reflect on our trip to Ecuador and have concluded that it was the best vacation ever. We did so many things - especially activities such as hiking up a volcano, white water rafting, and riding the buses on our own - which made this trip memorable. Not to forget the fun times we've shared with our friends in Quito and the Pisco Sours we've drank.

Taking a trip outside our comfort zone, especially to a third-world country, we developed a bond with other travelers who seek adventure and want to discover the world. This world is larger than the four walls of our house, the neighborhood we live in, and even the state we call home. There is so much to see and learn. Please go out and discover the world and share your adventures with us as we will continue to share our experiences with you.

Thank you for reading our blog.

Next trip...Australia April 2008.

Going Home

Day 14:

This morning we woke up at 4 am to catch our flight at 7:30 am. We arrived at the airport at 5:20 am and it was a mad house. We waited 1 1/2 hours in line at the ticket counter because they were still trying to get everyone out which was caused by the delay due to the accident. We saw a few familiar faces from the last time we were at the airport. We chatted about our extended stay and the airplane accident.

Apparently, the airplane was still at the end of the runway. Rumor has it that they might have to take the plane apart to move it because Quito Airport doesn't have the equipment to haul it off the runway. We didn't feel comfortable about taking off on a runway with a damaged airplane sitting at the end of it.

When we boarded the plane we noticed that there were a lot of seats available. We were going to make a fuel stop in Panama City before heading to Houston. This wasn't on the schedule. We later found out that the purpose for of light load and fuel stop was to keep the plane as light as possible in order to clear the airplane at the end of the runway. Nice - the adventure never ends. Luckily, we made it and we were finally on our way home.

Looking out the airplane window we noticed something in the near distance - Cotopaxi. The entire time we were in Ecuador we couldn't see Cotopaxi Volcano because of the fog and low lying clouds. The sight of Cotopaxi was the cherry on the cake as we headed home.

We arrived Portland at 9 pm exhausted and cold. We will do a final recap of our Ecuador adventure in the next couple of days. But, it's official - this was the best vacation ever!

Touring Old Quito (Again)

Day 13:

Today we checked into our hotel room at Los Alpes. It is a really cool place. We highly recommend it.

After dropping our bags at the hotel we toured around Old Quito again. It was the nicest day we've had in Quito and everyone was out in the streets walking and shopping. We prefer Old Quito to New Quito. If your read the travel forums they say that Old Quito is dangerous. We didn't seem to think so. The city is undergoing a revitalization and they are trying to draw more people there. At almost every street corner there is a cop. Their presence makes your feel safe; however, we wouldn't hang out there at night.

We checked out the La Merced Church and Plaza Santa Domingo. The city was hosting a downhill mountain biking tour around the city. Bikers ran a course around the city. They also had a downhill course which included a jump. It was pretty cool. The Ecuadorians really digged it and was cheering as each biker made the jump (some didn't make it and fell).

Later, we met our friends for a third farewell meal at the Magic Bean Coffee House (no Pisco Sours). The restaurant is just like a Portland Coffee House. Especially, when every customer at the restaurant was a tourist.

In the evening we hung out at the La Mariscal area. La Mariscal is located between Old Town and New Town. This is where most of the tourists hang out. There are trendy bars, Internet Cafes, and a ton of hostals. We particularly like La Mariscal because it is a central location to meet and there are a few good restaurants.

We returned to our German Ski Lodge (Los Alpes) in the early evening because we knew we had to get up at 4 am to catch our flight the next day (hopefully).

Cancelled Flight

Day 12:

We woke up early this morning at 4:30 am so we could catch our 7:30 morning flight. We found out on the Internet that all flights were cancelled. What. We went to the airport and sure enough all flights were cancelled leaving Quito. Yesterday afternoon that an Airbus 340 had an accident while landing http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/11/10/3085262.htm Now we are stuck here until Monday. We headed back to the apartment and informed our friends of the news. Well, they had news too. They are leaving Ecuador tomorrow and we needed to find a place to stay.

We walked around town trying to find a hotel to stay at on Sunday evening. Most hotels were booked full because of the cancelled flights. We went on the Internet to look up some good hotels in Quito. One we really like is called Los Alpes. For sure we thought this place was going to be full too. We walked to the hostal and luckily they had room. Los Alpes is very beautiful. Extremely big with a German ski lodge feel. The hostal is very clean and the staff is extremely friendly. We love it. We got a 2 bedroom suite for $60. Score. After confirming our reservations at Los Alpes we headed to MegaMaxi super store.

The MegaMaxi is just like a Fred Meyer. Its huge. We bought a couple bottles of Pisco Liquor and chocolate to bring back home. Yum. There, we could not resist getting two scoops of ice cream from Baskin Robins for only a$1.

In the evening we celebrated our second farewell dinner with our friends at La Boca del Lobo restaurant. This was our second visit to the restaurant because they have great pisco sours. We had a great evening.

Back to Quito

Day 11:

We got up early and was ready to leave Hosteria San Mateo. Like we mentioned, there is a different kind of vibe at San Mateo not like Banos. Not to say we did not enjoy our visit, we just like Banos so much better.

Since we are now like the locals we hailed a bus in the middle of the Pan American Hwy. Imagine stopping a bus to pick you up in the middle of the freeway. Again, we were subjected to the vendors that come onto the buses trying to sell you stuff.

Once we arrived Quito we were on a mission to see everything we wanted to see before we head home. First stop, Museo Guayasamin where a very famous Ecuadorian artist houses his art. Some of you may have seen them. He does those paintings with the big hands. Google it.

Next stop, La Compania Church. This church is covered with gold. It is simply amazing. Plus, they were playing Georgian Chant music, which we thought was live, throughout the church. It wasn't.

Next, El Sagariro Church. This church is under renovation but you can still go inside. It is not as breathtaking as La Compania, but well worth the visit.

We needed a break so we had lunch at Cafe Tianguez at the Inglesia de San Francisco. It was a nice day so we sat outside as we people watched. We could easily spot the tourists in the plaza. We came to the conclusion why some tourists are easy targets for thieves. They stand out like a sore thumb. Here are some of the characteristics of the tourists we saw:

1. Wears shorts. Ecuadorian men do not wear shorts and only a few women do.

2. Wears a backpack on their back. Carrying a shopping bag from the local market to hold your stuff is less outstanding

3. Camera around next or visible around hip. No locals carry a camera.

4. Wears zip off or travel pants. See number 1.

5. Wears expensive clothing, such as North Face jackets, Calvin Klein, etc.

6. Retrieving money in plain view. We kept our money in three different places: small bills in front pants pocket, credit card in shoe, and larger bills in sock.

After lunch it was time to sight see again. We headed to Museo Alberto Mena Caamano. This was a pretty cool museum with wax figures. The prison scene downstairs was really neat.

Next, Museo de la Civdad. Another neat museum with very interesting information and displays of Ecuadorian history.

After a long day of sightseeing we were ready for dinner. We had dinner for the third time at El Pobre Diablo with our friends. This was our farewell dinner as we were flying home the next day.

Saquisili Market & Quilotoa Loop

Day 10:

Thursday is a big market day at Saquisili (similar to Otavalo´s Saturday Market). We planned our trip so we could experience the market and the Indigenous culture at Saquisili. We arranged a tour to the market with the hotel ($53 for two). The tour included an English speaking guide, transportation, and lunch.

We left at 8 am and it took 20 minutes to reach the market. The first place we went to was the animal market – where you can buy live pigs, cows, lambs, and alpacas. The animal market was huge (larger than the animal market at Otavalo). There were so many animals that you felt like you were on a farm. Several dozens of people tugging their “dinner” around with a rope or carrying them under their arms. It was a sight to see (we took lots of pictures). Our favourite was a very large pig. He was so cute that we felt bad that he was “on the market.” Poor Wilbur.

The Saquisili Market is divided into several different markets throughout the town. One area is the fruit and vegetable market. Another area is the craft and trade market. Another area is the bean and grain market. Another area is the animal market. The Saquisili Market is more for the locals than tourists (the Otavalo Market is more for the tourists).

After going to the Otavalo Market we kind of seen everything these markets had to offer. We zipped through the Saquisili Market in two hours and were ready to go. It was now 10 am and we finished sightseeing earlier than planned. Therefore, we wanted to see if we could go to Quilotoa Crater Lake via the Quilotoa Loop. We asked our English speaking guide (who barely said anything) about adding the Quilotoa Loop to our tour and the cost. He said we had to go back to the hotel to get a price.

At the hotel they wanted to charge us for both tours (Saquisili Market and Quilotoa Loop) $122. We said “Can we check out?” They did not want us to leave and brought the price down to $100. Like most things in Ecuador you have to bargain for services or products in order to get the lowest price. At the Saquisili Market we bought a tea kettle and sugar cup set. The vendor originally wanted $15. After bargaining back and forth we settled for $8. That is almost half the price.

We agreed on the $100 for both tours, which is actually a good deal because Quilotoa Crater Lake is approximately 2 hours one-way, with lunch included (which is $20).

We went on the Quilotoa Crater on the southwest route of the Quilotoa Loop. The road is very winding but the patchwork hills of the Andes countryside is beautiful.

We finally arrived at the Quilotoa Crater Lake. We have one word - BEAUTIFUL! Seeing the lake was well worth the drive. The emerald green waters that fill the crater is amazing. The Quilotoa Crater Lake is pretty high at over 11,000 feet. You can feel the altitude when you´re up there.

We hiked down to the waters of the lake which took us 40 minutes. We were still a little sore from our hike up Tungurahua Volcano a few days ago. However, we were not going to hike back up. We arranged for a couple of mules to bring us back up to the top before we descended to the waters.

After spending a few minutes exploring the waters we were ready to head up. Two young Ecuadorians brought our mules down to us - Byron (13 years old) and Blanca (15 years old). We hopped on the mules and headed back up. We asked the two teens how many times a day they make the trek up and down the crater walls and they said on average 3 times a day. What? We barely can make it up one time. Riding the mules was a real treat. It costs $5 each (we would have paid $20) and well worth it.

We headed back to the hotel for a nice dinner as we reflected on our trip thus far. We really loved Banos and it was kind of hard to top that. Staying at San Mateo is a different experience and can be a great get away for a family. We wanted Banos again.

Leaving Banos

Day 9:

We are little sad because we left Banos today. Before we left we had another fantastic breakfast at Posada del Arte. We said goodbye to Jim and Marcia (the hotel owners) and thanked them for their warm hospitality.

We went to Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Agua Santa church, which is in the Banos square, to take pictures and visit the museum upstairs. The museum had a few interesting religious artefacts and dead animals in jars.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat at La Bella Halia. We ordered pizza because pizza is very popular in Banos and we had to try it.

Later we went to the bus terminal to catch a bus to our next hotel – Hosteria San Mateo (10 km north of Latacunga). Our bus ticket cost only $2.50 for an hour and half bus ride. We feel very comfortable taking the bus now. Before our visit we were very hesitant about the buses and the safety concerns we´ve read about. As long as you are vigilant and aware of your surroundings, like in most countries, the buses in Ecuador are by far the best transport you can use and really, really cheap.

Like we mention before the buses will stop for anyone along side the road. We tested that procedure as we had to get off the bus in between two towns. We told the “hooker” that we needed to get off km marker 55 km, which is where our next hotel was located. The bus slowed down a little and we jumped off. How fun! We now feel like the locals.

Upon our arrival at Hosteria San Mateo we were given a warm alcoholic orange drink. It was very good. The Hosteria San Mateo is located near the Pan American Hwy and is secluded from any other forms of life. Therefore, you had to eat at their restaurant or else take a taxi or bus to the next town 10 km south. We ate dinner at the hotel and felt the prices were a little high for Ecuadorian standards, but it was good.

White Water Rafting on the Rio Pastaza River, Banos

Day 8:

We woke up very sore from our hike yesterday. Every muscle in our legs was screaming pain. But, that didn´t stop us from taking another tour with GEOTours. This time it was white water rafting ($40 each) on the Rio Pastaza river. We signed up for a Class IV & V rafting tour. This was pretty adventerous of us since we´ve only been rafting once before a couple of years ago in Oregon.

We drove out to the river which is approximately 45 mins from Banos. After our safety briefing we were ready to hit the water - sorry no pictures of the trip because our camera isn´t water proof. We had a few test runs as 7 of us (3 guides and 4 customers) made our way around the river.

We all got the hang of it pretty fast as our 7-man team charged the Rio Pastaza river. At first, your mind is simply on paddling and staying in the raft. The river was rough as we barrelled through several Class IV waves and a couple Class V waves. It was so much fun!

Originally, we signed up for a half a day tour. However, since we did so well as a team the guides asked us if we want to continue at no extra charge. Further along were several Class V waves which would be challenging but we did so well in the first half of the trip. We took the challenge and hung on for dear life as we streamed down the river.

The river scene is absolutely beautiful. You´d pass several waterfalls and suspended bridges. The best way to describe it is riding the Jungle Tour at Disneyland where everything is man made to perfection for 2 hours. Simply stunning. The white water rafting trip was by far the best activity we´ve done on vacation.

After rafting we went to the hot springs again to soak up our sore muscles. Aaaah!

Later we had dinner with someone we met on the rafting trip at his uncle´s hotel called The Sangay. The hotel is right across the street from the hot springs. The meal was delicious and we´ve made some new friends.

Tungurahua Volcano

Day 7:

We woke up early and headed to Posada del Arte hotel (Casa de la Abuela´s main hotel), which was around the corner for some breakfast (included with the room). This wasn´t your standard continental breakfast but a feast. They have several main entre choices for breakfast served with fresh baked bread (4 different choices), homemade jam, cheese, fresh squeezed juice (8 different choices), and coffee or tea.


After stuffing ourselves on a hearty breakfast we went into town and signed up for a downhill mountain bike tour with GEOTours ($35 each). What they tell you in the office is "part of the downhill mountain biking includes a 3 hr hike up Tungurahua Volcano." Of course we said "COOL!" Little did we know that the hike up to the volcano was more than just your stroll in the park. It was a 90 degree climb starting at the base at 2650 meters to the top at 3820 meters. On the way up you can actually hear the volcano erupting. It sounded like an airplane passing by. It was amazing. Once we reached the top we were exhausted. One of our guides made us lunch as we rested our poor lil´feet and enjoyed the view. While we were up there the volcano erupted a few times spewing ash. It was well worth the climb to see this amazing sight.

It took us 4 hours to reach the refuge camp and only 1 1/2 hours down. We practically ran down in the mud and rain before it started to get dark. We still had our downhill mountain bike ride to do.

Riding the bikes down was fun. We rode on cobble stone roads from the base of the hike to Banos. At the end of the night we were exhausted. We headed to the hot springs for a nice soak. Ahhhhhh...the life!


We ate dinner at a place called Casa Hood. The food was great! We bought an Ecuadorian cookbook to bring home so we can make some of the delicious food we´ve been experiencing.


We really love Banos. The vibe there is very relaxing and the people are very friendly. We can easily see ourselves retiring in Banos, as some Americans do.

Banos, Ecuador

Day 6:

This morning we got up early to catch the bus south to Banos. Before we made our way to the main bus terminal in Quito we picked up another traveler we met on Lonely Planet´s travel forum. We noticed the traveler was going to Banos on the same day we were and after reading about the safety issues while on the bus we thought it would be best to travel together.

Originally, we purchased our tickets ($3.50 each) from a bus company called Banos Express. We thought that "Express" meant a non-stop trip to Banos. Little did we know that there is no such thing as an "Express" bus. It´s just a name and that the buses stop for anyone on the side of the road - the "pimp" and "hooker" routine (see Day 5).

We were put on a different bus, Amazons, because there were only 5 passenger leaving the main terminal. The bus was going to Ambato which is on the way to Banos. The bus quickly filled up after driving a couple miles outside the terminal as we stopped several times to pick up passengers on the side of the road.

When traveling on the buses you will encounter the vendors that hop on at any point to sell you food, chips, candy, ice cream, soda pop, etc.. It´s a non-stop infomercial riding the buses. The bus ride took 4 hours.

The bus ride to Banos was beautiful. You can see the devestation of Tungurahua volcano which erupted, and still is erupting, in August 2006. The best way to describe the beauty of Banos is comparing it to the valleys of Hawaii. Banos is very green with over 60 waterfalls. Simply amazing.

We checked into our hotel, Casa de la Abuela, which was a block away from a very big waterfall. Below the waterfall is one of the town´s hot springs. Ahhhhh. We couldn´t have asked for a better hotel with a view of the falls. The hosts at the hotel, Jim and Marcia, are very friendly and made us feel welcomed. Later that night they had an acoustic band from Argentina called Queixa playing in the main foyer. They were really good. Good enough that we bought their CD. We sipped wine while listening to the duo. WE LOVE BANOS!!!!!

Otavalo Market

Day 5:

Today we went to the world famous Otavalo Market. We took the local bus there (approximately 2 1/2 hrs north of Quito - $2 each way) and that was an experience. First, the bus drivers are dare devils. They drive across double center lines to pass around blind corners, speed, etc.. If you don´t look out the window of the driver´s view you´ll be fine. Second, the driver has a buddy on the bus who solicits people on the bus. The best way to explain it is to imagine the bus driver as the "pimp" and the other guy as his "hooker." It´s pretty funny to watch because the "hooker" is yelling out the destination we´re headed to every man, woman, and child on the street. They will stop for anyone at anytime. There are a few "official" bus stops but they will stop whenever and wherever they can pick up someone. While on the bus you´ll hear the blaring sound of salsa music. What an experience! We´re glad we did it because you can read some horror stories about safety on the local buses.

We arrived Otavalo Market @ 9 am - just in time to see the Animal Market. The animal market is where they sell pigs, cows, guinea pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, etc.. Seeing the animal market was worth risking our lives on the bus. There were several vendors selling guinea pigs (for those who don´t know that Ecuadorians eat guinea pigs). They would shove them in your face as they hold the guinea pigs by the neck. It was a trip to see and experience.

After the animal market we crusied over to the Otavalo market (only a couple blocks away). There are vendors galore. You can buy almost anything. We purchased a tapestry, our "official souvenir," while walking around amoung the sea of tourists.

We survived the bus ride home and had dinner at El Pobre Diablo for the second time (see Day 3 post).

Middle of the World

Day 4:

One of the cool things about Ecuador is that the equator runs through it. We went to Mitad del Mundo, which is a few kilometers north of Quito. We took a taxi for $14.00 one-way and it took approximately 25 minutes.

Pictures of Mitad del Mundo is on every tourist´s camera - we had to do it. If you read the travel books or look up Mitad del Mundo on the internet you will find out that the huge structure is not the "real" middle of the world (the French screwed it up again). However, we did enjoy touring around and ate lunch there (Llapingachos).

Before we arrived in Quito, as we mentioned earlier, we´ve done a lot of research about the country. We knew that Mitad del Mundo wasn´t the "real" one and found out that the real middle of the world was only 200 meters north. After acting like tourists at the "fake" one, we went outside the walls of Mitad del Mundo and went to Museo Intinational ($3). There, they had the water experiment of watching the water drain center (on the equator), then moving the drain only 2 meters away from the equator and the water drained counter clockwise (north), then the same for the south. You can also balance an egg on the head of a nail (Noland tried but wasn´t successful). There were other cool experiments and things to see at the real middle of the world and we would definitely recommend it to all our friends.

New Town Quito

Day 3:

Went to check out the main bus terminal in Quito today so we could purchase our bus ticket to Banos. Our first impression of the bus terminal was not as bad as we thought. Yes, it´s a place we wouldn`t want to hang out at night, but if you know your way around and don´t act like you`re lost you`ll be fine. We found out that you can`t buy a bus ticket no more than one day in advance. We are going to Banos on Sunday so we couldn`t buy our tickets. However, we did familiarize ourselves with the terminal and on Sunday we can go directly to the ticket window and purchase our bus tickets.

After the bus terminal we took the same taxi (he waited for us at the bus terminal) to Teleferiqo. Teleferiqo is a amusement park with a gondola that takes you 13,500 feet above Quito. On our way up, in the gondala, we met an American woman traveling on her own for a couple of days in Quito before she headed to Peru for a nursing job. She was very nice and we exchanged experiences in Equador while we were going up to the top of the Teleferiqo.

Once we got to the top we definitely felt the altitude. We got very light headed as we tour around and took a few pictures. The weather wasn`t in our favor as it was very cloudy. There were a few times where we got a peak of Quito below as the clouds parted for a few moments.

After Teleferiqo we met our friends for lunch. We ate at Mediterraneo Ceviches Mariscos Carnes Pollos. We had a full meal, which included a drink, curry chicken, and soup for only $2. Our meal was very YUMMY! We especially loved the price. We don´t you can get a McDonald´s Happy Meal for that price.

We toured around the New Quito with our friends. We went to a very large mall near their house. Going to the mall is like going to Washington Square Mall. It was kind of a buzz kill for us, but we´re glad to know that there was someplace to go if you needed to go shopping.

We had dinner at one of our favorite places (we claimed it on of our favorites after eating there) called El Pobre Diablo. The food is VERY GOOD! They have filet migon for only $5.99. Another favorite dish was a chicken cordon blue type of meal called Pollo del Pobre for only $6.10. SUPER YUMMY! To top off our great meal we enjoyed our new favorite drink - pisco sour ($3)