Ecuador

Best of Ecuador

February 11, 2016 /

We visited Ecuador for 41 days from June 27, 2015. We entered the country through the south, traveling by bus from Chiclayo, Peru into Guayaquil, Ecuador. During our days in this country we made stops in Guayaquil, Santa Cruz, Santa Isabel, and San Cristobal Islands in the Galapagos National Park, Quito, Malchingui, Otavalo, Cuenca, Loja, and Vilcabamba. In total we completed 31.5 hours traveling by bus, 5 hours by airplane, and 7.5 hours by boat. Ecuador is a privileged nation and a treasure on earth, within its small extension, this country has so much biodiversity and beauty to enjoy!

We loved Guayaquil, the most pronounced gulf on the west coast of South America. It is a beautiful city surrounded by rivers, where colonial and modern architecture meets. Regardless of what most people say, we felt safe there and found this city very pleasant and its traffic organized. Guayaquil has green parks and a very special one full of iguanas. šŸ™‚ While in Guayaquil we learned about one of the oldest cultures of indigenous people in the Americas: the Valdivia, who lived in provinces over the Ecuadorian coast and existed for about 2,000 years between 4,000 and 1,800 years B.C.

After Guayaquil we visited the Galapagos Islands for 10 days, which has been, without a doubt, one of the highlights of our world trip! In Galapagos, we felt inspired learning about the Beagle trip of Charles Darwin and Fitz Roy across the world, a journey that took them to South America, including Tierra del Fuego, Chile, and the Galapagos Islands. Darwin finished this trip full of new ideas and returned to England when he was 27 years old, however his Theory of Evolution stayed hidden for years as the idea of a “creation without a God” was unacceptable and highly censored by the Anglican Church. It is thanks to the Theories of Evolution of Charles Darwin and Gergor Mendel, two revolutionary and contemporaneous scientists that did not get a chance to see each otherā€™s work, for what we know today and helped us win the battle between logic and the bible by abundant evidence. We had plenty of amazing experiences while we were at these islands that inspired Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.

From sea level we went into the Andes, Quito welcomed us at 2,800 meters (9,186 feet) of elevation with its colonial architecture, beautiful old town, ancient churches, trees with pink flowers in bloom, and spectacular mountainous surrounding. This gorgeous city that stole our hearts and has become thus far the most beautiful we have seen in South America, was declared by UNESCO as a Cultural Heritage Side in 1978. In Quito, we fell in love with the famous Ecuadorian chocolate made of 100% national cocoa as well as their yummy encebollado, a soup made with albacore fish.

At the National Museum we compared the fine and artistic collection of ceramics and jewelry made by different indigenous groups of Ecuador with the tasteless and depressing religious art brought by the Spanish, we could not stop to wonder how different the Americas would look today without the tragic European colonization. We felt deeply touched during our visit to the House Museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin, his paintings a reflection of the pain suffered by Latin America charged our hearts and eyes with emotions. “If we don’t have the strength to shake everyone else’s hands, if we do not have the tenderness to hold the children of the world in our arms, if we do not have the will to clean the earth of all its armies; this small planet will become a parched black body in space,” Oswaldo Guayasamin.

After Quito we travel to Malchingui, a small town not too far from the capital and stayed at the Rhiannon Community volunteering for 14 days. At this community we had our first experience with bio-construction. While we were there we cooked and ate vegan and vegetarian dishes daily and participated in an eco-friendly life system. While we were at Rhiannon Community, we visited Otavalo on a weekend and enjoyed the colors and traditional embroidery of the biggest outdoor, hand craft market in South America while listening to the locals speaking Quichua to each other. In Cuenca, we enjoyed walking along the rivers that crossed it, admiring the colonial architecture and bridges, learning about the mistakenly named “panama hats” that are actually made in Ecuador, and feeling at peace in the Sierras. Our las stops were Loja and Vilcabamba, nice towns where many foreigners have found a home. All over Ecuador we were amazed by the kindness of the people, especially the indigenous in little towns where they were always willing to help us. At any restaurant we always encountered polite people who acknowledged us by wishing us “buen provecho!” Everywhere we went in Ecuador we appreciated that the great majority of museums were free of charge and feel happy to see locals playing volleyball.

With a socialist government under the leadership of President Rafael Correa, Ecuador has witnessed major social changes like the establishment of free public health care and education system, and the legal civil union between same sex couples. However a portion of Ecuadorians are unhappy about the raise in taxes, the oil exploration in their Amazon jungle, and the lack of environmentally appropriate ideas of the government over the Galapagos Islands. The island residents verbalized to us that they feel worried about Correa’s alliances and millionaire debt with China and they said the president proposed to remove the marine protected areas surrounding the islands, a tragic mistake that would allow fishing boats to exterminate all the life in the coastal areas of this National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Protests against the government were taking place while we were visiting Ecuador, citizens expressed concerned about Correa’s policies and his restrictions towards freedom of speech.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis was also visiting Ecuador which seemed like a great way to cover the political tension and decrease the discomfort in a very faithful society. Many times we did not know how much clarity and knowledge people actually had about the president’s policies. What we saw was a country that stands up significantly from its neighbors regarding its infrastructure, order, and social policies. We also met citizens that supported president Correa’s legislation, many of them said that it was the rich and wealthy people of Ecuador that do not benefit from his policies who antagonized him. They also explained the reason of the protests by Galapagos Island residents is that they were unhappy with Correa’s suggestion of studying the cost of living and earnings of people in these islands, because he wants to make sure their doubled income in comparison with mainland Ecuadorians is fair to their actual expenses.Ā 

All over Ecuador we noticed a strong push for recycling and organic agriculture, a growing conscious for going green which we have not seen in any other country in South America. Even recent laws in Ecuador have made the import of genetically modified products illegal. It was also clear the push towards national industry with advertisement like “Better if made in Ecuador” and a strong customs control in the border crossing. We perceived progress everywhere we went from well-built roads connecting the territory, public transportation and infrastructure, government subsidies on gasoline and gas, free health care and education systems, legal union rights for gay couples, free Wi-Fi in most plazas of the cities and towns we visited, and a faster growth of literacy and education in the lower economic classes.Ā After being in Ecuador and without trying to be blind to the possible mistakes President Rafael Correa may have, we must say Correa’s economic plan shows clear outcomes and it is positively impacting the life of the citizens.

During our entire stay in Ecuador we felt it was a country where we would love to go back and could actually live in. The government, regardless of the critics, has done wonderful things for their people and we honestly felt it is very progressive. We left Loja towards Zumba and then on to La Balsa, the border with Peru, where on the way on an open air 4×4 large passenger truck, we passed adjacent to a beautiful forest bordering the Amazon jungle, the most gorgeous and authentic border crossing in our journey so far. Ecuador we will return one day to you and your people, Ecuador loves life!

Below are other great things we enjoyed about Ecuador:

Food and Drinks

  • Bolon: green plaintains mashed with pork skin

  • Guatica: tripe

  • Sopa de Res: beef soup

  • Estofado de Res: beef in a red sauce

  • Pilsener Beer

  • Caldo de Bola: peanut soup with plantains and meat

  • Encebollado de Albacora: albacore in a red sauce with onions

  • Sudado de Albacora: albacore in a peanut sauce

  • Naranjilla: small orange-like fruit

  • Cazuela de Mariscos: seafood soup with langoustine, fish, and shrimp

  • Mixed Ceviche: fish, octopus, shrimp, and mussels

  • Encocado de Albacora: albacore in coconut sauce

  • Langostino: langoustine

  • Shrimp

  • Octopus

  • Grilled Albacore

  • Seco de Carne: beef in a red sauce

  • Chocolate Expresso

  • Chocolate Tea

  • Canelazo: hot drink with naranjilla, cinnamon, and local liquor

  • Club Beer

  • Encebollado: albacore soup

  • CeviChocho: ceviche made with lupin and other grains

  • Black Clam Ceviche

  • Shrimp Rice

  • Mote con Hornado: boiled corn grain with roasted pork

  • Helado de Paila: pan ice cream

  • Morocho: hot milk corn drink

  • Humita: semi-sweet corn tamale

  • Tamales

  • Chifles: plantain chips

  • Hand-made Tortillas

  • Mote Casado: corn grains with beans

  • Mote Sucio: corn grains with pork rinds

  • Cecina de Cerdo: dried pork

  • Horchata: red cold drink made with various herbs

Favorite Sights and Activities

  • Having a Blast Exploring the Flora and Fauna of the Galapagos Islands Above and Under Water

  • Admiring the Mountainous Setting and Colonial Historic Center of Quito

  • Learning Bio-Construction at the Rhiannon Community

People

  • Paco: from Ecuador, our CouchSurfing host in Guayaquil.

  • Carlos: from Spain, met on the ferry ride to San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos.

  • Hyunjung: from Korea, met on a scuba diving trip in San Cristobal.

  • Ricardo: from the USA/Ecuador, our CouchSurfing host in Quito.

  • Bryan: from the USA/India, originally met in Chile, this was our third time meeting up with him, this time in Quito.

  • Lucio: from the USA/Mexico, Bryan’s friend we met in Quito.

  • Joaquin: from Ecuador, our CouchSurfing host in Cuenca.

  • Chloe and Aleena: from Canada, met while we were CouchSurfing with Juaquin in Cuenca.

  • Elvis: from Cameroon, our CouchSurfing host in Loja.

  • Oswaldo: from Ecuador, Elvis’ roommate in Loja.

  • Robert and Estelita: from the USA and Colombia, met them through CouchSurfing and spent a day with them in Vilcabamba.

  • Zaida: from Colombia, she was also CouchSurfing with Elvis in Loja.

Animals Viewed

  • Land Iguanas

  • Marine Iguanas

  • Giant Tortoises

  • Marine Serpent

  • Crabs

  • Pelicans

  • Dolphins

  • Hammerhead Sharks

  • Galapagos Sharks

  • White Tip Reef Sharks

  • Sea Lions

  • Various Fish

  • Pink Flamingos

  • Blue-footed Boobies

  • Manta Rays

  • Marine Turtles

  • Penguins

  • Sea Horses

  • Various Birds

Common Sayings

  • Chifles = Fried Plantain Chips

  • Muchacho = Brewed Coffee

  • Canguil = Popcorn

  • Menestras = Lentils

  • Sanduches = Sandwiches

  • Chuchaqui = Hangover

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