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The Big Trip Report #21 – Ecuador - Tue, 17 Aug 2004
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We have finally reached the last part of our travels around South America with
3 weeks in Ecuador. It is so named as the equator runs right through it. The
most famous attraction is the Galapagos, which unfortunately we didn't get to
visit. Have to save that for another trip.
We started in Cuenca, a beautiful colonial city in the Andes. Since a recent
financial crisis the official currency has been changed to the US dollar which
has made it easy for us to work out how much things cost but unfortunately seems
to have helped make Ecuador more expensive than the other countries we have
visited down here. However in Cuenca we did find a bar that offered a liter
of caipirinhas for $7, which we certainly couldn't complain about, until the
next morning that is!
We then went back to the coast where it was still cloudy, so rather than lazing
on the beach we went in search of humpback whales. At this time of year, off
the coast near Puerto Lopez, these majestic creatures congregate to breed. We
were treated to an incredible display as they jumped out of the water and slapped
their tails and fins. No one knows why they do this. The best guess is that
it's just for fun. We also tried to go horse riding in the rainforest but when
it turned out that they had no bridles, and Jack's horse reared up and threw
him off within 5 minutes, we decided to give it a miss.
Fortunately our next stop was Baños, true to its name it is full of piping
hot thermal springs, perfect for Jack's sore back. We also visited an eco zoo
and saw all the animals we failed to see in the wild.
After 6 months in South America we felt we couldn't leave without visiting the
Amazon basin. Tena was our jumping off point. We spent several days staying
in a rustic jungle camp near here. We hiked in the jungle guided by locals who
explained to us medicinal uses of many of the plants, panned for gold, swam
in the rivers, and did several exhilarating whitewater rafting trips on the
turbulent rivers.
To recover from all of this activity we spent 2 days relaxing in a lodge in
a cloud forest. It was named The Magic Roundabout after the U.K. children’s
TV series and was covered with references and memorabilia from the show ("Time
for bed!" said Zebedee). A little piece of the U.K. in Ecuador, even shepherd's
pie, a nice change from chicken, chips and rice. Why do they always give us
chips AND rice?
It was then a short ride to Quito, the capital city and our final stop. Yet
another beautiful old colonial city center, with a reputation for crime although
we didn't see any. In fact Quito seemed much quieter than any of the other big
cities we've been to in South America. We traveled about an hour north of the
city to visit La Mitad del Mundo - the equator. Curiously enough the monument
indicating the equator line and the surrounding tourist complex were built in
the wrong place. The true equator is a few hundred meters away. There you can
watch water draining in opposing directions just either side of the line (going
straight down on the line). An egg will balance on its end on the equator line
although we're not sure why.
This was a fitting end to our journey from the southern-most point of this continent
as tomorrow we fly back to New York.
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