51. ECUADOR

Ecuadoooor!

A lot of talking and chitchat happened before I entered Ecuador from Peru via the department of Tumbes. Ecuador was all over the news, even in Europe: Hijacked live TV broadcasts by armed gang members, prisons out of control all over the country, an increase in gang criminality and the end of the world was close (as always). Peruvians told me to never travel to Ecuador and all other travelers I met in Peru canceled their Ecuador plans for the purpose of security. That entire situation reminded me so much about traveling during COVID times or visiting countries & regions such as Bangladesh, Mindanao, Palestine or Sabah. All of them had one thing in common: I had an amazing time, so obviously I was ready for Ecuador too.

A few days before my planned arrival in Ecuador my Peruvian CS host told me that I would need a criminal record of my home embassy and a certified translation of it. Obviously, I did not have enough time to manage that and therefore I arranged a contact in the Ecuadorian government who put my name on an invitation list of the Ministry of Tourism in Quito. Sounds great in theory but when I arrived at the border in the middle of the night they have never heard about that kind of list and after a 45 min long discussion we went from "Lo siento señor, no puede entrar sin los documentos" to "Bien, podemos darte una visa de tránsito de 10 días." to finally "here are you 90 days and let us in peace".

Cuenca was my first stop in Ecuador and has been one of the most pleasant cities in South America. Located at 2,500 m and with a size of around 500,000 people it has a perfect size with a very pleasant sunny climate. Everywhere you look around in Cuenca, there are blooming trees, colorful buildings, grass, flowers and rushing waters. It's indeed a small urban paradise and a great place to settle if you consider living in South America. Do you see the contrast with all the warnings I got from people around me, media and embassies?

I have stayed in the city for 6 nights, 2 in a (totally empty) hostel, 2 with a Nigerian English teacher & 2 with a Russian expat and it has been a crazy and mostly awesome time.

Baños has been my second stop in Ecuador, the small town in the Andean highlands is famous for its hot springs, outdoor activities around and stunning landscapes. The best way to explore all of that was to rent a bicycle, mark a few pins on the map and start cycling. There were so many beautiful views of mountains & a volcano, waterfalls and valleys with charming villages.

My next initial plan was to travel to Latacunga, start a 4-day hike to Laguna Quilotoa and then do the Cotopaxi volcano hike. I made it to Latacunga but caught a pretty bad flu there and was out of activities for around 4 or 5 days. I even started the hike one day but returned the same way after 3 hours since I felt really sick.

I canceled those plans (in the hope of doing them on my next Ecuador visit) and continued to the capital city of the country: Quito.

The capital of Ecuador is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America, with its foundation dating back to around 980 AD. Quito's Old City is the largest in the Americas and was one of the first UNESCO sites, recognized as the largest and most intact colonial city center remaining in the Americas. Wandering around is really pleasant but the combination of very high altitude and steep hills push you to your limits :D

I stayed with my wonderful host Edwin and met his cool friend Anton, a fun German guy whom I became friends with pretty fast.

Otavalo has been my last stop in the country. The city in the very north of Ecuador is world-famous for its indigenous population, handicraft markets and Andean folklore music. I remember that I met an Ecuadorian guy selling bracelets in Manhattan, New York City 7 months ago and that he told me that he is from Otavalo where he used to sell his crafts on the famous Plaza de Ponchos and now I was there by myself.

The Otavalos are considered the economically most successful indigenous group in Latin America and you can see a lot of huge pick-up trucks and nice houses around.
The last person I met in Ecuador was Grace from Cotacachi, a Spanish & English teacher who showed me her language school and taught me a lot about Ecuador.

My 3 weeks in Ecuador have been really interesting, the landscapes with plenty of waterfalls, volcanos and Andean mountains beautiful and its people have been nothing else than super kind, respectful and warm. If I did not have some special upcoming plans in Colombia, I would have stayed a few more weeks in the area around Otavalo and visited the coast too. Another time for sure, hasta luego Ecuador!

3 Highlights:

- Centro histórico of Quito and walking along the equator line

- cycling around Baños during the day and enjoying its hot springs in the evening

- beautiful and super liveable Cuenca

Visited places in Ecuador (the one on the coast not :D)

Border between Peru and Ecuador at 2 am

Buenos dias, Cuenca!

Centro historico de Cuenca

Plaza de las Flores

Cooking Nigerian Gizdodo

Two tasty pleasures of Ecuador: Chocolate & coffee

A street vendor in Cuenca

Using the tourist bus as a public transportation option in Cuenca with Oleg

Night view on Cuenca

Sushi night & watching Scarface with Oleg

Arriving in Baños

50 km cycling trip out of Baños

2 options: Cycling through the long tunnels illegally or getting attacked by possessive dogs on the alternative part

Quite a way to transport stuff, reminded me of Northern Luzon in the Philippines

Pailón del Diablo Cascada

Heading back by collecitvo

Mystical Baños

Termas Antiguas de la Virgen

All 8 pools had different levels of temperature

Ended up many many hours there

Dinner afterwards

Encebollado, my favorite dish in Ecuador and one of my favorite soups ever (Top 5 with Laksa, Mercimek, Tom Yum and Ajiaco)

The dusty town of Latacunga

Both beds are taken. Down: A drunk super annoying & rude French guy, Up: The most pleasant roommate ever

My first time with popcorn as a side dish :D, bananas find their way in some form to every single plate in Ecuador

Arriving in Quito, the oldest continuously inhabited city in South America

Basílica del Voto Nacional

Hill of El Panecillo in the background, I wanted to hike up there, was half way and people warned me not to continue by showing me gun signs with their hands