Reflections on Ecuador

We've been home for nine nights now. I count in terms of nights, as the comfort of my own bed is what I missed most while in Ecuador. With the Internet, especially when we Skyped with the family during the first part of the trip, pre-computer crash, Phillip and I still felt connected to the people we love even though we were on a different continent.

Ecuador met or exceeded our expectations. The people were friendly, as you can tell by the posts that spoke of people we met. And I didn't include stories like the one of the taxi driver in Quito who spent the entire 30 minute trip talking to me in simple Spanish about our families, including his two granddaughters, or of Bene, the accountant from Quito, who was on the tour of the Ingapirca ruins with her mother. Bene's mother spoke no English, but she and Phillip got along fabulously (to use Leslie's word). Or Juan Carlos, the Ecuadorian in Puerto Lopez who collected American commemorative state quarters and studied them to learn USA facts. Juan Carlos knew to say "Howdy" to Texans, and Phillip taught him "Howdy, pardner!" for the Fort Worth greeting.

And the native beauty of the land... the mountains, the waterfalls, the cloud forests, the unspoiled beaches, the flowers, the colorful birds, the vicuna. Spectacular. My pictures don't do it justice.

The food, a common post topic for me, was always delicious, except for bolo (I won't try that again, it's just a ball of yucca dough). Fresh fish on the coast, delicious cerviche, corn kernels in the highlands that are three times bigger than our corn kernels, creamy ice creams and yugosi confections, fruit and more fruit, and yes, cuy.

I knew we would be riding the bus alot, but by the end of the trip, I was dreading yet another bus ride. I attribute that to my planning. I should have limited each long distance bus ride to no more than a 3 hour trip, then the local buses we took around and from Quito during that last week might not have seemed like such a chore.

Phillip and I loved our experiences: the ziplines, his paragliding, the visit to Isla de la Plata to see the blue-footed boobies, so many activities we would not or could not have done here.

Do we recommend Ecuador as a travel destination? Yes. Will we return? Yes. Will we avoid the big cities next time? Yes. They are like big cities here, not so attractive and the only places where we had twinges of paranoia about safety (repeated first-hand stories of slashed backpacks and big city camera thefts will do that). A lot of Spanish colonial architecture, especially in Cuenca, but having seen the cathedrals, we have no desire to return to the cities to see them again. And Guayacil just reminded me of Houston, a large sprawling urban area without the charm of Cuenca or the history of Quito.

Phillip and I are grateful for the opportunity we had to enjoy Ecuador and all that it had to offer. We look forward to a return trip. First, however, we will be on to our next travel destination, Thailand. That will be a totally different trip, as Phillip's brother did all the planning and arranging; we speak no Thai and will be dependent on Phillip's brother and sister-in-law as translators; and unlike Ecuador, I'll be figuring exchange rates for currency (so how many bhat = $1?) We are looking forward to Thailand, a country with unsurpassed natural beauty; friendly people; and fruit, fruit, fruit.