On The Road This is a work in progress of past adventures, after the trips have come and gone. I travel every 11 weeks for 18 days, and love to give back to the travel community with information that may help others have a great adventure of their own!

Ecuador

ECUADOR | Friday, 19 September 2008 | Views [782]

September–October 2008

Arrived Quito (via Atlanta) at 11pm, and took a taxi ($7) to L'Auberge Inn ($7 per night, single room, bath down the hall). Very quiet, went to bed. This hostel is in-between Old and New Town. Toured colonial Quito the following day. Very nice restoration of the old town. L'Auberge Inn second night.

Caught a bus to Tena early the next morning (around 9am, they leave every hour or so; trip is 4 hours; on average, buses cost $1 per hour). Secured a room ($8 single with bath), and found an expedition company called RiverPeople and booked a Class III-IV rapids trip for the following day ($58). This company is run by an Irish ex-pat family who have lived in Ecuador for the past 15 years. Toured around Tena, and had a nice dinner. Went to bed early as there is not much to do in the evening.

Went white-water rafting today with five others (plus two guides). Spent six amazing hours on the river (Class III and IV). Well worth it, beautiful locations (Rio Jondache and Rio Hollin). Had lunch as part of the trip, which was very tasty. Got together with my rafting group for an exchange of images, and a couple of beers at the RiverPeople's cafe, Sticky Fingers. Overnight Tena.

Next day headed out in the morning for Banos, via Puyo (4 hours). Banos is a very nice little tourist adventure town. Really enjoyed it. Stayed at an annex of a popular hostel Hostal Plantas y Blanco ($7.50 single with bath). They have free Internet, a fireplace, and huge rooms. Toured for a bit, and then hit the thermal baths under the waterfall for a couple of hours in the late afternoon. Checked out some tour operators, and booked a waterfall rappel for the next morning ($25 for 6 very high waterfalls). Had a very nice dinner in the downtown restaurant area. Overnight Banos.

Went rappelling down a series of six waterfalls today (4 hours), which was amazing. Did the trip with one couple, which was nice because we didn't have to wait for a bunch of other people. Had a blast. Found a spa that offered a one-hour full-body massage ($20). Walked for a bit, had a nap, and met the couple from the rappel trip for a great dinner (lomo, which is a beautiful steak), and afterwards we headed for the thermal baths for an evening relaxation. Overnight Banos.

Next morning, left Banos for Riobamba (3 hours). Found Hotel Estacion ($10 single room with bath) which was very nice. Toured central Riobamba for the day, nice enough colonial city. The Devil's Train (which is entirely functional now, $11) )only goes 3 days per week, so it was not going to work out, so I opted for a bus the next morning to Cuenca. The bus runs along the majority of the train line, so that was fine.

Left Riobamba for Cuenca. Cuenca is a nice colonial town with a river. Stayed at the Macondo Hostel, which has a very nice garden in the back, and it is immaculate ($8 single, bath down the hall). Walked around Cuenca for the day. Not overly impressed with the small city, pretty much similar to other colonial cities. Overnight Cuenca.

Headed for Guayaquil the next morning (5 hours). Didn't know what to expect, and the downtown didn't look very cheery, but checked into a standard hotel ($13 single with bath and TV). Started to walk around, and found the waterfront area, which was phenomenal. And a revitalized "favela" hilltop area, which was full of cafes, restaurants and bars, and a great view. Very pleasantly surprised by this city in the end. Nice dinner. Overnight Guayaquil.

Left for Montanita on the coast. A great little hippy town, full of cafes and restaurants with loads of personality. Stayed in Casa Blanca ($8 single with bath, and free breakfast and cocktail). If you don't like loud music at night, stay a little further out of the central area, 10 minutes walk or so). Hit the beach. Had a nap, and a great steak dinner. Very easy to meet and chat with people in the restaurants/cafes here.

Hit the beach the next day, and generally relaxed. Had a great birthday dinner that night, and met a couple of people who I chatted with in a restaurant until 2am! Great time.

Early next morning left for Puerto Lopez at 7am (1.5 hours), arrived in time to book a boat tour to Isla de la Plata (Poorman's Galapagos), find a hotel ($10), and grab a coffee, before we left on the boat at 9:30am. The boat takes one and a half hours to get to the island, where we saw blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, red-throated frigatebirds. And the terrain is similar to the Galapagos Islands. Went snorkelling for 20 minutes. Back to Puerto Lopez, and had a nice steak dinner and wine. I quite enjoyed the feel of Puerto Lopez.

Next morning left for Canoa (4 hours). It was the end of September, and very quiet. Hardly saw anybody there, and a lot of places were closed up. Stayed at a hostel for $6 per night with a view of the beach in the distance. Went to the beach, and ate at a cool American-run place for dinner, and ended up dancing for a bit next door with some other travellers. Overnight in Canoa.

Spent the next day walking the beach, and relaxing. Did a paragliding trip for 30 minutes which was fantastic ($60). Overnight in Canoa. (Overall, I much prefered Montanita to Canoa, but that's just my opinion).

Left Canoa for Quito (8 hours; via Santo Domingo; spectacular scenery). Stayed at L'Auberge Inn again. Went to The Secret Garden's rooftop for dinner as a paying guest, and had a great group dinner up there, with a great view. (Secret Garden is expensive for a single room for a single traveller).

Next day went to La Mitad del Mundo (equator monument) (one hour north of Quito), which was actually interesting. It was like a miniature amusement park of sorts. Overnight Quito.

Next day walked around colonial Quito for a second time, as my flight was to leave at 11pm that evening. Found a great area of cafes, restaurants and bars in La Mariscal, which was a nice surprise. Cafes spilling out into plazas. Fabulous. Nice way to end the trip. Took a cab back to hostel, onto the airport ($3), and flew back to Vancouver via Atlanta and Salt Lake City.