Waking up in Ecuador


Please note: This page will automatically load with all 9 posts on one long page - but you can also read each entry individually by clicking on the archives at left. Just click on the dates as they appear (in reverse order) in the archive list at left to read them sequentially, i.e. June 9th, then June 8th, then June 7th, etc. -Cindy


After spending a couple of months in Ecuador in early 2009, many people have asked me to tell them about what I found there. "Is it all you thought it would be?" " Is it as beautiful as the travel pictures?" "Is it a third world disaster?" "Is it as cheap as people say?" etc.

I can only speak to the one part of Ecuador that I know, but I hope you find this helpful in some way or another - and even more I hope you can go someday and experience it for yourself.

I spent my time in Cotacachi in the province of Imbabura. Located in the Andes at about 8000 feet in elevation, north and east of Quito and approximately 2 hours by car, Cotacachi itself is a small town of approximately 5,000 people; this does not include the outlying indigenous villages, however, that use Cotacachi on a daily basis, thus making it seem a lot bigger at times. Roughly 10 kilometers from town is a monument that marks the equator, so I guess you could say quite literally that with the latitude as well as elevation, the scenery and the people, I was on top of the world.

The posts are written in the order in which they happened s
o please try to read through them in the order they are listed in the column at left if you want them to make sense. You can click on any picture to see a larger version.

The last post includes some links if you would like to know more.

Love, Cindy