Ecuador – Long trip

Visited: April 1997

Duration of travelling: 59 days

Capital city: Quito

Population: 17.40 million (2019)

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

• Impressive diversity of the landscape from the coast through the Andes to the jungle.
• Quito – from the Inca capital, to UNESCO’s 1^st World Cultural Heritage City and my home for almost four years.
• Shipwrecked on the way to Isla de la Plata – Galapagos for backpackers
• Colorful indigenous markets of Saquisili and Otavalo.
• Negotiating for a bus ride in Guayaquil.
• Relaxing in a unique sauna treatment in Baños.

Ecuador has a unique position in my life. I got in touch with Ecuador for the first time in 1997 as a part of my American Big Tour in 1996-97, which started in New York and ended in Buenos Aires 15 months later.

Only 3 years later I received a job offer to run a company in the capital Quito. Over the period of the next three and a half years I visited every corner of the country; for business and pleasure.

In 2019, I visited Ecuador with my Panamanian partner, 2 kids and my mum.

In this article I describe my first trip to Ecuador in 1997 (part of American Big Tour): detailed inspection at the border, Quito and La Mitad del Mundo, colorful indigenous markets of Saquisili and Otavalo, shipwrecked on the way to Isla de la Plata, sauna treatment in Baños.

More articles about my Ecuador adventures are available here:

I entered the territory of Ecuador crossing the border overland from Colombia, in the town of Tulcán. I had already gained considerable experience as a backpacker, I was fluent in Spanish, and possessed a deep understanding of Latino culture.

Immigration process was straightforward, since visa was not needed for Slovenian citizens. When the immigration officer was checking the list of countries that required visas only some exotic states were listed (Iraq, Afghanistan and three more).

I experienced a much less friendly reception at the police and customs checkpoint. My presence interrupted a group of four young men on duty while playing cards during the afternoon shift. Of course, they did not allow themselves to be bothered while working. Instead two young apprentices, who apparently had not yet earned all the privileges, were called to duty.

At first, they got over my little backpack and searched it through to the last item. Nothing suspicious was found. When they dismantled my big rucksack completely, I curiously asked them what they were looking for. Again, no answer or comment was received.

It became clear to me a few seconds later. Of course, I am coming from Colombia, the capital of cocaine.

“Well, I guess you won’t scatter all my luggage, so nicely packed in my backpack, because I don’t smoke, let alone carry drugs!” I became somewhat more courageous.

“Are you sure you don’t smoke?” a strong custom agent asked me.

“Of course, not … never!”

After a careful examination of fingers on my hands, the younger custom officer confirmed that there were no signs of cigarette smoke.

“You can go. Welcome to Ecuador!”

Not the most pleasant welcome!

I boarded a rickety bus that took me to the capital Quito – once upon a time one of the two capitals of the great Inca Empire (Cusco was the second). Located at an altitude of 2,850 meters above sea level, the second highest lying capital in the world (after La Paz), Quito was the first city ever to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1978.

Founded in the 16^th century by Spanish conquistadors, the capital of Ecuador boasts the biggest and best-preserved historic center in the Americas.

A sprawling metropolis filled with cultural and historical treasures, surrounded by high mountains, wraps around eastern slopes of Pichincha Volcano.

Ecuador is one of the poorest countries in South America, which is also evident in the prices; I was paying only 3.00 US$ per night in hotels, lunch was available for as little as 2.00 US$ and I even negotiated a haircut for 2.00 US$.

Of course, all this in the old part of Quito where I settled down temporary, since the modern part is significantly more expensive, better organized and planned.

There are so many landmarks in the Old Town, that a few days can be easily spent just wondering around and exploring the history, food and street life.

The Plaza de la Independencia dates back to the 1600s, when the area was selected as a central public space and ultimately surrounded by churches, private homes and municipal buildings. The main highlight is the Monumento a la Independencia, dedicated to the heroes of independence on 10^th August 1809, a date remembered as the first call for independence from Spanish conquerors in all Latin America.

The surroundings squares are flanked by important buildings: to the west the Palacio de Carondelet – the government palace, to the south by the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito, to the north by the Archbishop’s Palace of Quito and to the east by the Municipal Palace of Quito.

The Government Palace presides over the Plaza Grande, offering all of the loftiness and grandiosity as the seat of Government and official residence of the president of the Republic of Ecuador. The white palace, which dominates an entire city block, is topped with a flagpole, from where the gigantic Ecuadorian flag waves around proudly. On either side of the grand entrance ceremonial guards stand attentively.

It took 160 years to complete the most ornate church in Ecuador, which is considered one of the finest examples of Spanish Baroque architecture in South America.

Inside Iglesia de la Compania glitters under the weight of gold leaf décor that covers the altar, while gilded plaster and wooden carvings decorate the rest. Particular symbols of the Sun were a nod to the Inca civilization, encouraging indigenous population to enter the church and accept new religion.

The Catholic basilica Iglesia de San Francisco is the largest architectural complex within the historic centers of all of America. The vast complex includes 13 cloisters, three churches, a plaza, more than 3,500 works of religious art and a library holding thousands of books and historic documents. The basilica is the first site ever inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978. It is the oldest and most significant religious site in Ecuador. The building is considered a jewel of continental architecture for its mixture of different styles combined; it took more than 150 years of construction to complete it.

Calle La Ronda is a historic, narrow street that dates back to when the Incas once walked its paths. During the 20^th century it became a home of poets, musicians and politicians who left their mark on Ecuadorian history. Restaurants, bars, workshops and museums fill up the street from where it is possible to see directly to the splendid Panecillo.

El Panecillo at over 3,000 meters above sea level is my favorite spot in Quito.

The panoramic view from the hill, named after the Spanish bread, spreads far and wide on all sides of the city, where the Old Town stretches towards the modern skyscrapers, Parque Carolina and the stadium on one side, to endless simple buildings mixed with sparse greenery to the southern – poorer part of Quito.

Large Statue of the Virgin Mary with open wings, made of aluminum, adorns the summit.

Composed of seven thousand different pieces, this is the largest representation of aluminum in the world. The work, inaugurated in 1975, is a replica of the 30-centimeter sculpture made in the 18^th century by the Quito sculptor Bernardo de Legarda.

35 kilometers north of the Quito’s Old Town runs the line of 0 degrees latitude – the Equator, marked by a thick red line that separates the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres. A large monument to the Middle of the World with a globe on the top is visited daily by crowds of curious people.

I placed one foot on the left side of the red line and the other on the right side to conquer both hemispheres. How simple!

You can take the elevator to the top of the monument and during descend appreciate various thematic exhibitions of indigenous culture, clothing, descriptions of the various ethnic groups in the beautifully presented ethnographic museum on various floors.

On several occasions, during celebrations or festivities traditional dances are performed by dancers dressed in colorful and picturesque national costumes. Restaurants offer a local specialty cuy – guinea pig, prepared by roasting or frying. Cuy is a small domesticated rodent native to South America, high in protein and low in fat, appreciated as a traditional food in the Andean regions.

The weather around the Equator is very variable; they say you can live 4 seasons in a day in Quito: the sunshine can be extremely strong at this attitude; clouds can cover clear sky in any moment. The rain is strong in rainy season, while hail is not very uncommon in the northern part of Quito.

Alongside Bolivia, Ecuador ranks as the country with the most significant percentage of the original indigenous population, descendants of the famous Incas.

Incas’ descendants still represent approximately 7% of current population, while the big majority (70%) of Ecuadorians are Mestizos of mixed indigenous and European heritage.

Indigenas live mainly in the highlands, where they still make a living by farming and animal husbandry. Due to the low temperatures, sheep, alpacas and llamas are the most common animals, mostly used for wool extraction.

The Quechuas are held to be not only the Ecuador’s most populous indigenous ethnic group, but also the largest indigenous group throughout the Americas. They live very simply; mud-made houses are scattered over the fertile hilly landscape; only a few have already been powered by electricity or connected to water supply.

Life in the Andes is, in fact, an eternal struggle for survival, as with the traditional way of cultivating the land and raising animals, they cannot earn extra money to buy anything more than the basic necessities of life. It is therefore no wonder that many have preferred to move to medium-sized cities, where they earn miserable salaries with mainly heavy physical work.

The Ecuadorian people’s pride in their indigenous heritage can be seen in their continuance of traditional dress codes, adherence to shamanistic practices, and the celebration of folklore and legends in festivals held yearly throughout the country.

With the shift to modern civilization, most indigenas are abandoning their traditional values ​​and also communication in Quichuan language. The Quechua language continues to be spoken throughout the Andes and is even an official language of Peru. However, in Ecuador, the Quechuan language is Quichuan, a related dialect with historical and political significance.

Although children speak Quichuan at home, when they start attending school, all lessons are conducted exclusively in Spanish.

Once a week all the Indians from small settlements gather together at the central markets of the most important villages in any region where they live. Women in traditional, colorful clothing with children strapped to some sort of felt on the shoulders, usually carry most of the burden. Men are dressed in worn-out clothes from everyday lives. After the job is done, many of them find satisfaction in alcohol, replacing home bed with a sidewalk or roadside ditch.

The most famous indigenous market days in Ecuador are: Tuesday in Saquisili and Saturday in Otavalo. In addition to being the largest and most complete markets, they are also the most commercialized, mainly at the expense of countless foreign visitors, who rummage around for souvenirs.

From my perspective, the market in Saquisili was particularly captivating, with a strong emphasis on local products.

Inhabitants of surrounding villages sell all their junk, fruits, vegetables or animals, communicate with each other in the quichua and are dressed in traditional clothes.

The Saturday market in Otavalo has existed since the time of the Incas, but today it has lost most of its original charm. Vegetables and fruits have been replaced by tourist souvenirs, farmers in traditional ponchos are overwhelmed by tourists with cameras, shy indigenous vendors by new entrepreneurs wearing the latest model of fake Ray Ban glasses and a gilded kitschy watch.

Over the centuries, Otavalo became the best place to buy souvenirs or clothing in South America, while the Indians, for whom the market was originally established, were forced to retreat to the outskirts of the main plaza in central town.

I had to postpone the visit to the Galapagos Islands for next occasion as the impact on my limited budget would be too harsh. I opted for a much cheaper alternative, Isla de la Plata. The name – Silver Islands – comes from the legend that Sir Francis Drake hid Spanish treasure somewhere among the rocky cliffs. Recently the islands are also called the Poor Man’s Galapagos – suitable for people with limited resources that cannot afford the Galapagos Islands.

Early in the morning we took a boat form the fishing village of Puerto Lopez in Manabí Province. The old wooden boat was provided by the cheapest tour agency in town. It didn’t fill me with the confidence that we would be calmly navigating the open sea for the next two hours. The sea was calm, passengers a mix group of ages and nationalities were hopeful to spot animals in their natural environment.

Out of nowhere, a spark plug flew through the air over the open sea, and after a short coughing the engine turned off. Our boat transformed into a helpless floating raft as the waves intensified.

I realized that we were in troubles.

“Does anybody have a chocolate?” a young captain asked the passengers after 10 minutes of unsuccessfully repairing the engine.

“Sure, here you have and sweeten up your day!” a young American backpacker offered him a sweet desert.

The captain tried to fasten the spark plug to its original position with the help of aluminum foil, originally used to wrap the chocolate, but the engine only sadly nodded a few times. He continued to pull the cord in hopeless attempts to restart the engine.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

Before the replacement boat arrived an hour later, most passengers experienced the effects of seasickness, panic and mistrust. Those who did not vomit into the sea, while we were tossed by the great waves of the Pacific Ocean, threw up their breakfast later on land.

Consequently, hike around the island turned into an eternal marathon for many. Luckily, I wasn’t among them and enjoyed beautiful view of rocky cliffs, steep paths, beautiful lookouts, gracefully rolling hills and azure sea with strong waves hitting the rocks.

Due to this delay, we had less time to explore the island. I didn’t expect to spot any turtles, iguanas or sea lions, so typical of the Galapagos Islands. However, we located quite a few interesting birds, especially large and clumsy ones, which I was able to approach to just a few steps. Blue-footed boobies and frigate birds are the most memorable ones.

Snorkeling was fun; colorful fishes and some corals were identified in clear waters with great visibility.

On the way back dolphins and flying fishes were following us for quite some time.

Ecuador’s largest city Guayaquil, located on the coastline was not the best place to visit in 1997.

Insecurity, heat, humidity and shortage of interesting landmarks, comparing to the rest of the country, discouraged me from lingering there and exploring the city.

Although I only stopped there for two hours to change buses, Guayaquil bus terminal remained in my memory. After arriving at the bus station my plan was to purchase a bus ticket to Baños. Similar to various commercial scenarios in Ecuador, negotiating the fare for bus transportation was a common procedure.

As soon as I got off the bus, I was surrounded by five representatives of various transport companies who were offering me tickets to the next destination. The official price was 25,000 sucres, but they offered me a special discount of 2,000 sucres without even saying anything. The vendors continued competing with each other, who would provide me more competitive price, better seats or more comfortable conditions on their buses.

I just watched them with interest until they stopped at 13,000 sucres. It was so entertaining observing them, that I offered 10,000 sucres to see what would happen.

They tried to convince me that my offer was ridiculously low and completely unacceptable, but I stayed firm in my decision.

“We are three passengers, my sister and myself are students and my mom came to visit me. We have limited resources and your buses are empty.”

Slowly everyone but an elderly lady left.

“OK gringo, come with me,” she agreed to my offer.

Persistence in bargaining pays off in Latin America.

Nevertheless, in case you manage to negotiate lower price, it is very important to keep your promise and buy the product or service under conditions you agreed on.

The town’s location itself is something special, let alone pleasantly soothing water in a natural spa. Over the past few years, Baños has established itself as a must-visit destination for foreign tourists. However, in 1997, I was not particularly impressed by the evolution of this small village into a tourist hotspot situated at the base of the Tungurahua volcano.

Very little authentic Ecuador is left here; most restaurants offer burgers, pizzas or Chinese delicacies instead of traditional local cuisine. The central market is rather poorly stocked for Ecuadorian standards and availability of locally manufactured products is limited. There are varieties of crafts from balsa and tagua made in surrounding areas and resold at higher prices.

At an altitude of 1,820 meters above sea level, the so-called El Pedacito de Cielo – The Little Piece of Heaven, is located at the entrance to the Amazon jungle; a starting point for trips to the rainforest. I didn’t decide to visit the rainforest in this area, but rather in Bolivia later during the trip, where it is more picturesque and less expensive.

At the time of my first visit in 1997 Baños was just starting to develop a portfolio of activities.

The Basilica, visit to different waterfalls and relaxation in thermal waters, were pretty much the only activities available.

Through the years the offer increased dramatically and during my return in 2003, Baños transformed into a mayor tourist hub, with capacity to host and entertain thousands of tourists on a weekly basis. I participated in a unique canyoning and rafting experience, as well as in a three days horse trekking around neighboring villages with spectacular views over Tungurahua volcano and mountains.

One of the most memorizing experience was a visit to a sauna, where my body was capsuled in a wooden box, while my head was free to permit me breathing of fresh surrounding air.

A unique experience, that differs from regular sauna where the whole body, including head is exposed to high temperatures and breathing is not so pleasant.

I was sat on a bench, the wooden box around my body was closed, leaving only my head outside. A handle that allowed me to regulate the flow of hot, humid air into my private sauna, was within reach of my right hand.

After some time, the owner opened the wooden box, called me out of the pleasant hot cage, opened the tap with cold water and splashed me all over the body. Undaunted, I returned to the warm shelter of my sauna and once again indulged in the hot steam. The procedure was repeated for some times more.