Destination: Ecuador

Cuenca etc..

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 | By trondbond | Views [550] | Comments [5]

Hola.. Då har eg komt meg ner ifra fjellet, rettere sagt fra den idylliske byen Cuenca. Der har vi vært fra fredag til idag (søndag). Av vollontørene var følgende personer med: Ragnhild( reiseleder), Gunnhild, Hanna, Silje, Emma, Maria, Ranveig, Simon, ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures

back in Quito

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 | By petkat | Views [607] | Comments [1]

Our trip back to Quito on the local bus went very smoothly. It was good to make the trip in daylight to appreciate the Andes and the construction of a road through them. Our hotel, San Francisco,in the odl part of the city, is really nice and in the ... Read more >

Tags: adventures

A Long Ride Back to Civilization

Wed, 7 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1283]

We have three busses/connections to make today, to get ourselves to Baños, our next destination (no, not bathrooms, the city of Baños!). The challenge of the Quilatola loop is getting there and back, as there are only a couple busses a day, and we're ... Read more >

Tags: On the Road

Trekking into the Crater

Tue, 6 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1315]

We froze last night, despite having 6 wool blankets on our bed and having worn wool long johns, socks, hat and gloves to bed.  It reminds us of Nepal here; beautiful mountain villages, gorgeous farming communities full of rugged, weathered locals working ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures

Around Otavalo

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 | By petkat | Views [805] | Comments [2]

Today we explored the area north around Otavalo using the local bus.It was very easy as they run every 15 mins or so, and are very cheap. We stoppped off at Cotacachi and walked around the museum they have, the cultural centre where you can see the ... Read more >

Tags: adventures

Self-Made Tour Group

Mon, 5 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1311]

I had been corresponding with a guy (Hemal) on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree, a great resource and networking internet site for travelers.  He and his wife are also interested in doing a trek in the Quilotoa Loop.  We decided to try to meet up at the bus station ... Read more >

Tags: People

Heading High into the Andes

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1175]

The next leg of our journey south takes us from Otavalo to the small town of Latacunga, en-route to the Central Highlands. We were hoping for the skies to clear and to catch a glimpse of the snow capped cones of Volcán Cotopaxi (5897M) and Volcán Chimborazo ... Read more >

Tags: On the Road

Gallery: Cotacachi & Ibarra, Ecuador

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 | By koleta | Photo Gallery

OTAVALO

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 | By petkat | Views [818] | Comments [1]

Hola from Otavalo, in the mountains north of Quito. We had a huge day of travelling yesterday, leaving Galapagos on a delayed flight (by 1 hour) and then a further delay in the stopover at Guayaquil, while they changed a tyre on the plane....a little ... Read more >

Tags: adventures

Market Day in Otavalo

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1300]

The Saturday market in Otavalo is one of the biggest handicraft markets in all of South America.  Beautifully dressed indigenous locals stream into this small town early Saturday morning to set up their colorful stalls.  There are a ton of foreigners ... Read more >

Tags: Markets

Pucara, Intag, Ecuador

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 | By koleta | Views [1454] | Comments [4]

So I spent a couple of weeks in a small town (so small I could hardly find it on maps) called Pucara, in a ruggedly mountainous region called Intag. I stayed with the Flores family, Eladio, Consuelo and their 4 sons Cristian, Dennis, Rommel and Carlito.... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Day of the Dead

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [4063]

We intentionally wanted to spend November 2, Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead), in a more rural area where we could experience what this family tradition is all about. We figured we would head to the town cemetery to see the festivities in action.... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Cruises from Puerto Ayora

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 | By petkat | Views [714] | Comments [2]

We have done two day cruises from here and both were great.At first we thought our plan of having a land based stay here was unusual, but we have met many people here doing the same. One local suggested that there were three places to really try and ... Read more >

Tags: adventures

Road to Otavalo

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 | By laurelmarshall | Views [1423]

We make our way with our huge packs through historic old Quito, to the bus terminal.  Again, we approach the station with caution and vigilance, as everything we've read and been told about this bus station is not good.  Bag slashing, strap cutting, ... Read more >

Tags: On the Road

Puerto Ayora

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 | By petkat | Views [501]

We left Isabela on the 6am boat. There was a full load of people making the trip. The sea was calmer than the trip on Wednesday and we made it into Puerto Ayora half an hour early. They was little bird life around on the sea at that early hour. Peter ... Read more >

Tags: adventures