Saturday, February 16, 2013

Ecuador Summary

Ecuador provided us with some time to slow down. We felt more comfortable staying in cities longer due to better infrastructure; museums, monuments, exhibits, restaurants, etc. The landscape is extremely varied from warm sandy coastal beaches to fertile lowlands to cloud forests to high altitude mountainous terrain, to jungles. The biodiversity of plants and animals is vast. It is a plant, insect and animal lovers playground.

There is definitely much to see in this country but its is easier to travel due to its smaller size. It only takes 10 to 12 hours to cross the entire country. Its fuel industry is also heavily subsidized making bus fare much cheaper than other countries; about a dollar per hour.

We appreciated Ecuador for the ability to relax and take our time. There were no pushy travel agencies, we could see sights on our own instead of with tours all the time, and day trips were easier to plan and accomplish. We traveled at a relaxed pace and enjoyed things when we wanted to which allowed us to appreciate more of each place we were in. It helped that each place that we stayed had more to be appreciated than a specific sight but rather a diversity in things to do and see.

We also appreciated the food in Ecuador. Instead of rice, potatoes, and a meat there were usually good soups and beans added to the mix which was a welcome change. We were able to buy big lunches for $2 per person. We also found that there was more selection within the country of international food. We found italian, western, german, mexican, thai, and even indian cuisine. Good food selection was a very welcome development in our travels.

All in all Ecuador provided us with an inexpensive, relaxing, and diverse travel experience. We greatly enjoyed our time there and would definitely recommend it to others.

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