Hi there,
We wanted to go to Ecuador after Colombia since it is right next door, but at that time it was still closed to tourism due to covid restrictions.
Initially we thought of making a base in Manta because I had an acquaintance from Venezuela who lived there and had told us wonderful things about that city; then I began to explore on Google, and it seemed horrible to me since the buildings were almost in the water and it was clear that you could not even walk on the beach.
Also, I contacted several lodgings in the area and the prices started from $1500 per month. Although they charged high prices, they did not have the flexibility to set up work areas or to improve the equipment in the kitchen. So, we discarded Manta.
We decided to make the base in Quito since we knew from experience that it was going to be the best possible place and we found the accommodation that you already saw in one of the past posts.
Since I had an acquaintance on IG who lived in Quito, it occurred to me to ask him about the city in terms of cleanliness of the streets, crime, noise, etc. The first thing the guy did was ask me if I knew Bogotá and my answer was that I hoped that Quito wasn’t the same because Bogotá was disgusting. There he began to say (without being asked) that the Venezuelans had destroyed their country and that they had to ask “those people” for a visa. I blocked him directly, but I was left with the fear that Ecuador was like Colombia.
Given my concern, Diego told me that being between Peru and Colombia, it was not going to be an island, that it would most likely be the same.
Fortunately, it had nothing to do with it. Ecuador was the best overall experience of our tour of Latin America.
Today I am going to tell you the good and bad things that we found.
The bad
- Expensive
It was the most expensive destination on our tour of Latin America. Although there were some things that were cheap like certain fruits and popular lunches on weekdays. In general, everything was expensive.
The cheapest body lotion was almost $5, the Sensodyne toothpaste I use costs $8 (twice as much as in Europe), the entrance fee to the Galapagos National Park is $110, the soy drink was between $3 and $4 (at Lidl in Spain costs less than $1), I bought some fasciitis insoles that weren’t even custom made at $85.
Let’s not even talk about clothes, sports shoes like Nike or Adidas cost $150 in the outlets. Edward was crazy when I told him the prices at which I bought my clothes on sale in Europe.
- Pollution
Although the air felt less polluted than in Colombia and Peru, in the main streets you breathe a lot of smoke, and you can see how the cars leave the black cloud.
If you walked down a street with no traffic, you could breathe great, but on the busier streets it was horrible and even more so if buses passed by.
They explained to us that the vehicles give off a lot of smoke due to the poor quality of the fuel since they add additives such as sulfur, to dilute it. The agencies that must verify the quality of the fuel before its distribution are corrupt.
- “Private property”
I told you in the last post about the situation that we found in Mindo where a guy had appropriated the mountain and monopolized its use.
Edward told us that the same thing happens in Baños, and that people make tourist attractions such as “the hands of God” and they charge you the entrance fee. Therefore, we decided not to visit it.
There is no one to monitor these attractions and each “owner” is damaging the ecosystem more and more.
- Delinquency
We did not feel unsafe at any time, and we found Quito to be a relatively safe city. Logically we are always very careful because anywhere, even in Europe, you can be robbed.
The good thing is that the locals always warn you about crime. For example, they recommend that you go and return to Panecillo with the same taxi, so you don’t have to walk around.
A taxi driver told us that before, at most, they stole your cell phone if you were not careful, but now they robbed with a gun. He said that crime in Ecuador had come from Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela.
They told us not to even think about going to Guayaquil because the hired killers (drug cartels) were terrible and that in that city and in Manta they put a curfew to curb crime.
We saw more homelessness than in Peru, but much less than in Colombia. (Although it is not worth the comparison with the horror that is Colombia).
- Animal abuse
In Ecuador there is a lack of awareness about animal abuse and the intervention of the State.
The number of abandoned dogs you see everywhere is overwhelming and it is also evident that they suffer abuse because they approach terrified when you give them food. In the Quilotoa Lagoon one of the dogs cried when I tried to pet her and fled in terror.
Nor do I tell you about the conditions in which the animals that are exploited for tourism and livestock are.
The Good
- People
Ecuadorians are as friendly and polite as you can imagine. Also, I thought they were always happy.
Customer service was wonderful. Imagine the difference compared to Spain where almost everyone is rude and bitter.
Diego, accustomed to rude children in Spain, was amazed at the education and impeccable behavior of Vero’s son, the one who managed our accommodation.
(I compare with Spain because it is where I lived for several years after Venezuela).
They also told us not to go taking photos of people because in some areas they were more closed. Anyway, it is something that we do not do out of respect.
Now I tell you about Edward so that you fall in love with him. In addition to being a cheerful, fun, and optimistic, he was such a good person. As on the first excursion we shared our vegan snacks with him, from then on, he always brought us food without charging us anything. In fact, the day we went to the Corazón volcano, he did not want to charge us the $100 for the excursion because it had been “an outing with friends”. We even felt bad, we had never found anything like it.
To us this man was the closest thing to an angel we had ever seen.
Since I’ve known Diego, I’ve never seen his lifelong friends even invite him for a coffee. I haven’t had the experience of being invited to something in Valencia either, and I got tired of inviting a lot of people.
The month we spent in Quito we felt very lucky to have met such good people.
- Nature and green areas
In Quito we had what we most lacked in Playa del Carmen, Colombia, and Peru: nature and green areas.
We had several large parks near our accommodation where you could breathe fresh air and play sports or go hiking. This is other of the things that we loved about Quito, and it gave us the quality of life that we had been missing since November 2021.
- Mountaineering
Although I had never considered doing mountaineering or high mountains, in Quito we loved it and we considered buying the right equipment for mountaineering.
Edward and Luis taught us about equipment and clothes; from now on, our trekking shoes will only have vibrant soles.
After climbing spectacular mountains and volcanoes and getting used to being out of breath, the places we hiked in Valencia became insignificant.
If you love nature and the mountains, Quito is a must-see destination.
- Food quality
Although in Quito there was not the immense variety of fruit and vegetables that there was in Peru, the food was of good quality, and we also found vegan products.
There was great corn like in Peru and coconuts everywhere.
There was a wonderful vegan restaurant 5 minutes from our apartment that always had good offers and affordable prices.
Identidad Natural
https://www.facebook.com/identidadnaturalrestaurante/
- Infrastructure
Quito’s airport was much better and cleaner than any airport in Spain and any we had seen since November 2021.
The roads were new and impeccable. Sidewalks were wide and clean.
In addition, the historic center is very well preserved.
- Noise
Quito is a bit noisy because of the car alarms that can go off at some point.
But I must clarify that this is not even remotely comparable to the noise hell of Playa del Carmen, Colombia, and Peru. In fact, since November 2021 we have not slept well and in Quito, we have gained quality of life in that aspect as well.
I also wanted to tell you something that Edward told us when we were talking about tips since we don’t like to tip; we prefer that they charge us more for the service and that’s it.
Edward told us that it was the gringos who had damaged tourism in Latin America by giving money for everything; that’s why in many places people even charged for taking a picture.
In short, the stay in Quito was the best of our tour of Latin America; it is the only destination we will return to. We were very lucky to find a good accommodation, to have an attentive hostess, to have the help and friendship of Edward and the patience of Luis, the kindness and education of the Ecuadorians, a wonderful vegan restaurant…
Thank you for everything “monster”, we already miss you.
Luis, thank you for guiding us and for that saintly patience.
Thanks to you both we had one of the most beautiful experiences that was reaching the summit at Ruco Pichincha (and returning alive).