After the eye-opening and wonderful experience that we had in Colombia, I thought Ecuador would be a bit of a let down.  In reality, they were just different.  While Colombia was a more cosmopolitan, city sort of country Ecuador is at its best away from civilization and out into the country side.


I have a hard time comparing Ecuador to anything.  Imagine if you squished Colorado, California, and the Amazon together into a small place.  That would be Ecuador.  While we stayed mostly in the Andes for logistical reasons, it is totally possible on a two week vacation to climb a snow covered mountain, hang out in the Amazon with some shirtless indegenous people, and surf in the Pacific Ocean.  And if you're really into nature and you have more money to spend, there is also the Galapagos islands where I hear you can basically stare pinguins in the eye.

Andes, Andes, Andes

If I get to see the Andes for the rest of our trip, I'll be happy.  Sure, it's not what some people consider their idea of a great vacation spot (cold, sometimes windy and snowy), but I just love it.  In many places, there is the paramo, which is basically a large grassy plain above the tree line.  When the wind blows, the grass moves like a vast ocean and you can see the contours of the land.


I also have that stupid impulse to climb things.  When I see mountains or anything high in the distance, I think that I should go climb it.  I don't know if this is some sort of evolutionary reaction to conquer everything around me, or what.  Ecuador has its share of high things to climb and someday, someday I will go back and try to climb one of them.

Food, People, the Rest

Everything else in Quito I could probably just put under the heading of "meh".  The people are certainly friendly, especially if you know Spanish, but they are no Colombians (sorry!).  I can't think of anyone not being nice to us , but then again, I don't remember anyone being exceptionally friendly, either.  The food is, well, it's there.  It exists and is not bad; perfectly edible in fact.  I can't remember anything particularly bad about it, but it's not as if I am going to search out Ecuadorian restaurants in the states.  As far as things outside the Andes, I don't know, I haven't been there, but I've heard wonderful things.  We were too enthralled by the mountains to want to go anywhere else!


Why you should go to Ecuador

It's not going to be a place you go to in order to experience the great food or nightlife, or really anything that you would associate with a city.  In fact, if you go to Ecuador, get the hell out of the cities.  They're not bad, but compared to what the rest of the country has to offer, the cities are nothing.  If you like to be out in nature, be adventurous on a bike or no foot, or just view birds and animals from the confort of your porch, Ecuador abides.  I know a lot of people pick Costa Rica for that sort of thing, but I'm telling you right now: Ecuador is better.  I saw some great things in Costa Rica, but there were too many times in Ecuador that I was just awestruck by the scenery that I was viewing.  In essence, if you think of yourself as an outdoor adventure type person, Ecuador should be on the top of your list.

Ecuador was more than I imagined, and way cooler than I thought it would be.  It's a country with intense ecological and geographical diversity that definitely left me hankering for more. 

You want to hike some extremely tall mountains?  Go to Ecuador.
You want to ride down a river into the Amazon? Go to Ecuador.
You want to experience some up close and personal animal life? (We're talking blue-footed boobies, here.) Go to Ecuador.

In fact, it just might end up being my #1 "Take a Vacation there!" spot, because there's something for everyone, and it's hard to be disappointed.

Ok, Why's it that Great?
Truthfully, anyone that tells you that you should go to Costa Rica because of it's natural beauty, smile, and then consider Ecuador instead.  Now, Costa Rica is beautiful, but Ecuador is like that on steroids.  They have the most hummingbirds per capita, a number of the highest peaks in the world, and really cool indigenous culture to explore.  Ecuador packs more adventure and intense culture than my beloved Costa Rica (I'm sad to admit).

To be honest, I didn't expect so much cool stuff out of Ecuador.  Largely because it is pretty touristed, and so many friends told me what a great place it was, I was afraid they'd talked it up, and I'd be disappointed.  On the contrary, everything great they told me was true.

Culture

A really neat aspect of Ecuador is the indigenous culture.  25% of the population is indigenous and live in mountaineous towns wearing wool, tending to their livestock, and doing things much the way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago.  Two of the most interesting stories I heard in Ecuador were about the lifestyles of the indigenous people, and I'll give you summaries.

Creating an Economic Capital

Anyone that knows anything about Latin America knows that a bit of tension exists between the ancestors of the Spanish conquistadors from the 1500s and the indigenous descendants that were largely wiped out or enslaved.  In modern day generalizations, this translates to left-wing (radical) leaders with constituents desperate for change and right-wing conservative leaders blaming the poor for not trying hard enough.

Quite interesting is the town of Otavalo where the indigenous population has made the city an economic center (from I believe, international exports & local handicrafts).  They're working the capitalistic machine better than their spanish-blood counterparts, and it's a huge sorce of pride.  Indigenous boast about their productivity and family successes.  This inevitably leads to some racism and annimosity between the races, but it's a fantastic swtich to see the indigenous as the mayors in a town and doing quite well for themselves.

Maintaining Law & Order
Up in the remote Andes mountains, in the area surrounding the Quilotoa Lake (tourists know is as the Quilotoa Loop), virtually only indigenous people live nestled in the hills.  A fellow traveler told me a story about a local teenager that stole the backpack of a traveler, and the story takes off in the tale then confirmed by our hostel owner.

There are about 2 policemen that monitor this Quilotoa Loop, a loop of "highway" about 60 miles (100ish km) long.  This is largely because crime is almost non-existant in the area because of the traditions and system that exists in the indigenous culture.  They don't believe in lifestyles of violence or theft, and in turn are caring and trusting people, there sort of place where locked doors aren't necessary.  POverty is wide-spread here, and the growing tourism industry is economically important to many locals.  This boy though, about 15 years old, did steal a travelers backpack, and his neighbors soon turned him in.  When the items were returned to the traveler, they told her that she could press criminal charges, but that would make it very hard for him to get a job in the future.  With that, they assured her that he would not go unpunished. 

What happened next was a sort of tribal meeting where the elders voted about how to punish the boy.  What resulted, was the boy getting a sort of symbolic "whipping" in the town square.  This was not intened to hurt him physically, but to teach him a lesson through publc humiliation and recognition of his behavior.  This rare tale is an interesting observation about the goings-on of village culture, somwhat outside of modern structure.


Looking Forward to Going Back...
We spent our three weeks in Ecuador going through the central bit of the country, through the mountains, and from that I highly recommend Vilcabamba, the Quilotoa Loop, and Otavalo.  We got a great taste of the mountain culture, but in turn missed the delights of the Amazon, coast, and Galapagos Islands, places I really look forward to vising someday.  Many people that visit Ecuador split their time in the Amazon, mountains & Galapagos, and it would truly be a treasure trove of beautiful sights and experiences I'd recommend to all.