Got "in-country" 12/22 without incident, no problems with customs or anything (surprisingly, as three of our checked bags will crammed with "stuff" ordered online from people down here!). A very long day - Got to MSP around 8:30am, landed in Quito (via Atlanta) at 11:45pm. Got settled and to sleep at Sam & Dome's apartment around 2:30am...
12/23 Day 1: Slept in, then went over to the JW Marriott hotel. (From what Sam tells me, this is where the artists & movie stars/bigwigs stay if they're in town - Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, etc.) Dome's mom is the manager of the spa & special events there, and we kinda got the "VIP" treatment. The girls & Johnny got massages, I lounged around by the pool. That evening we went into town to the performing arts hall and watched "Jacchigua". It is a compilation of native dances & music that celebrates old ways of nature, mountains, air, fire, worship, etc.. This was really cool. The costumes and dancing were unreal, and I never thought I'd "rock out" to a guy playing Pan Pipes, but this guy was incredible.
12/24 Day 2: Drove over to the "Teleferico". If we weren't screwed up enough with the 9500ft. altitude, now we ride a cable-tram another 3000ft. up to the base of Pichincha. Man, you find out exactly how out of shape you are when there's NO AIR to breathe!! The views were incredible from up there. Got back to the apartment and took a nap, 'cause Christmas Eve is at Aunt Miryam & Uncle Luis' house, and they take celebrating to a new level. Christmas with the WHOLE family (30+ of us), 9pm arrival, socializing, dinner at 11, then gifts, dancing, music, drinks, etc.. We bugged out at 2am, party went on till 5:30.
12/25 Day 3: Recovery, and our own little (calm) Christmas celebration with just Sammy, Dome, Dome's parents and us. Around 11am we drove about an hour out to a hacienda for lunch, toured the grounds a bit, then back to the apartment to re-pack some stuff for an overnight excursion.
12/26 Day 4: 8am - Pickup by the tour bus for our trip "up north". Enter Oscar and William. William drives the bus, doesn't say much. Oscar is fabulous - he is our guide. About 35, and just a fun-loving great guy. Our tour takes us north through Cayambe, Miralago, Otavalo, Cotacachi, Iberra, Hoja Blanca, and finally Salinas. We stopped in Otavalo for a few hours to tour the open-air market. This thing is HUGE, and covers about a square city block. Hundreds of vendors selling Alpaca wool goods, jewelry, vegetables, spices, name it. Best part is bartering/haggling is expected. Never pay asking price. Sheryl got some beautiful jewelry, Johnny an Alpaca poncho & nic-knacks, but I held out for the next stop. We stopped for lunch at La Mirage, then into Cotocachi. Cotocachi is "leather town". If you want shoes, handbags, jackets, coats, belts, or even a custom saddle, this is where you go. A city street, 3-blocks long, with every store on both sides a leather goods shop. Make it in the back, sell it in the front. Both Sheryl and I got leather jackets that would be at least $500 each in the States for a 1/5th that (helps if you haggle "what if we buy two... CASH?". From Cotocachi we drove to Hacienda Pinsaqui to spend the night. Read about Hacienda Pinsaqui
12/27 Day 5: After breakfast we get on the bus, head over to Iberra and get on the train. This is a narrow gauge that was recently restored (basically for the tourist trade). The scenery is unreal. We just took a short leg of the run, ending in Salinas. William met us there with the bus, and we drove back to Quito.
That about sums up week 1. I'm gonna need a vacation from this vacation, or go back to work to relax.
Yeah... The teleferico/tram ride is a little oogie if you don't like heights, but except for about a 300' section you're only about 30ft off the ground. You're climbing a 45deg slope for a linear mile, but not too high.
More pics soon.
Lost in the 60s said
Dec 29, 2015
The older I get, the less I like heights.
How are your hosts dealing with you being up and rattling around at 4am local...
Jon H said
Dec 29, 2015
John D wrote:
Yeah... The teleferico/tram ride is a little oogie if you don't like heights, but except for about a 300' section you're only about 30ft off the ground. You're climbing a 45deg slope for a linear mile, but not too high. More pics soon.
Not to worry, crashing down in a tram from 30' will likely kill you as dead as from 300', just saying!
Glad you are enjoying the vacation.
John D said
Dec 29, 2015
Yeah, best part is if you survive the drop, you tumble down the mountain for a mile in the little hamster ball!
John D said
Dec 29, 2015
Oh yeah, the water in the toilet swirls CCW.
Lost in the 60s said
Dec 29, 2015
John D wrote:
Oh yeah, the water in the toilet swirls CCW.
I remember that from Jamaica..
I thought it did in some southern states too...I'll try to pay attention on Key West.
John D said
Dec 31, 2015
Update... (2nd go around - trying to do this on a Mac - what a PITA!)
12/28 Day 6: Took a day trip to the Papallacta area. This area is famous for its therapeutic thermal hot springs. Spent the day at Termas Papallacta Spa. It was really neat.
12/29 Day 7/8/9: Packed up and headed south to Banos. This is an area at the confluence of two rivers and about a dozen huge waterfalls. (You ask why they named the town "bathroom"...? Another definition of banos is "basin" or "bowl".) The area is also subject to heavy volcanic activity by Tungurahua. It is also a Catholic religion center, and the 1st Basilica in Ecuador is here. We did zip-lining, waterfall rapelling, and horseback tours. Stayed at the Luna Runtun resort.
12/31 Day 9: Getting ready for the New Year's celebration. New Year is the biggest party in Ecuador. Starts at sundown and goes well into the next day. One custom/tradition is to purchase a paper-mache (sp) doll and burn it at midnight. The doll represents the old year, and all the bad things that occurred. Another custom (strange) is for the younger men to dress in drag... I mean REALLY DRESS IN DRAG, crazy, excessive, outrageous... and stop cars and passersby, do a "bump & grind", and beg for change! (On our way back from Banos there were already several groups of them out, waiting at intersections, even stringing ropes, or building "toll barriers" across the road! The pic is tame, I had to really search for a PG one, most of the stuff is borderline "X".) Tonight's going to be interesting!
Watching with interest, Ecuador is the number one country for US retires to live. So i'm curious how much is a gallon (or liter) of milk, six pack of beer, good steak, gas? Or, whats the general cost of living?
John D said
Jan 1, 2016
Let's see...
- A gallon of gas, 92 oct premium (or super as they call it), is $2.06
- A 900ml. bottle of the local beer "Pilsener" (think Bud or Lite) is $1.00 anywhere.
- Yesterday on the way home from Banos we stopped at a very nice roadside restaurant, and a big lunch for 5, with a few beers was $60.
- 25 "non export grade" roses are $2.00 (yeah, 2 bucks)
- A 500ml bottle of Coke varies between $.65 and $1
We haven't been eating "at home", mostly at resorts, relatives houses, or restaurants in the small towns... So I can't give a number for what an average meal would go for in Quito or Cuenca (gringo retirement central).
Fresh fruit is super abundant, any type, and cheap! There is very prepared food here, everything is from scratch...
I'll ask Sammy about some things.
John D said
Jan 1, 2016
Very little "prepared" food here
OscarZ said
Jan 1, 2016
John - Glad you all are enjoying your trip and having multiple amazing experiences! Thanks for sharing!
Mitch - The change in rotation is a south of the equator phenomenon so you don't need to stare into the bowl in Key West.
Lost in the 60s said
Jan 1, 2016
OscarZ wrote:
Mitch - The change in rotation is a south of the equator phenomenon so you don't need to stare into the bowl in Key West.
I must be thinking of when I went to KY in '73 and the sink knobs were backwards. I was always turning on the wrong temp...
SOMETHING was backwards south of the M/D line...
dashboard said
Jan 1, 2016
So for $5 you could get a burger, fries, and a beer, not bad.
bowtie said
Jan 1, 2016
OK, what's the cost of a home/condo/real estate?
John D said
Jan 3, 2016
Back in the U.S.
In Atlanta waiting to come north.
dashboard said
Jan 3, 2016
Welcome home!
Webmaster said
Jan 4, 2016
In the process of DL'ing a Shload of pics & vids off of various devices.
I can see why Ecuador is one of the prime places that US ExPats retire to... cheap to live/own/buy, and the climate is tolerable. As a country, it needs work with the Gubmint & democratic procedure.
Pics soon.
dashboard said
Jan 4, 2016
It is the number one retirement spot outside of this country for US retires.
John D said
Jan 13, 2016
Still working on sorting/editing/organizing pics & movies... Will get stuff up soon.
John D said
Jan 15, 2016
Just a few... Amazing how silly you can get with digital cameras - between the two phones & the camcorder there were nearly 800 pictures
Sheryl weeded out hers, I weeded out mine, and I'm still converting video off the camera. (Sony records in it's own native format , and to play it back on anything else you have to convert. Takes hours...)
Been a busy few days.
Got "in-country" 12/22 without incident, no problems with customs or anything (surprisingly, as three of our checked bags will crammed with "stuff" ordered online from people down here!). A very long day - Got to MSP around 8:30am, landed in Quito (via Atlanta) at 11:45pm. Got settled and to sleep at Sam & Dome's apartment around 2:30am...
12/23 Day 1: Slept in, then went over to the JW Marriott hotel. (From what Sam tells me, this is where the artists & movie stars/bigwigs stay if they're in town - Elton John, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, etc.) Dome's mom is the manager of the spa & special events there, and we kinda got the "VIP" treatment. The girls & Johnny got massages, I lounged around by the pool. That evening we went into town to the performing arts hall and watched "Jacchigua". It is a compilation of native dances & music that celebrates old ways of nature, mountains, air, fire, worship, etc.. This was really cool. The costumes and dancing were unreal, and I never thought I'd "rock out" to a guy playing Pan Pipes, but this guy was incredible.
12/24 Day 2: Drove over to the "Teleferico". If we weren't screwed up enough with the 9500ft. altitude, now we ride a cable-tram another 3000ft. up to the base of Pichincha. Man, you find out exactly how out of shape you are when there's NO AIR to breathe!! The views were incredible from up there. Got back to the apartment and took a nap, 'cause Christmas Eve is at Aunt Miryam & Uncle Luis' house, and they take celebrating to a new level. Christmas with the WHOLE family (30+ of us), 9pm arrival, socializing, dinner at 11, then gifts, dancing, music, drinks, etc.. We bugged out at 2am, party went on till 5:30.
12/25 Day 3: Recovery, and our own little (calm) Christmas celebration with just Sammy, Dome, Dome's parents and us. Around 11am we drove about an hour out to a hacienda for lunch, toured the grounds a bit, then back to the apartment to re-pack some stuff for an overnight excursion.
12/26 Day 4: 8am - Pickup by the tour bus for our trip "up north". Enter Oscar and William. William drives the bus, doesn't say much. Oscar is fabulous - he is our guide. About 35, and just a fun-loving great guy. Our tour takes us north through Cayambe, Miralago, Otavalo, Cotacachi, Iberra, Hoja Blanca, and finally Salinas. We stopped in Otavalo for a few hours to tour the open-air market. This thing is HUGE, and covers about a square city block. Hundreds of vendors selling Alpaca wool goods, jewelry, vegetables, spices, name it. Best part is bartering/haggling is expected. Never pay asking price. Sheryl got some beautiful jewelry, Johnny an Alpaca poncho & nic-knacks, but I held out for the next stop. We stopped for lunch at La Mirage, then into Cotocachi. Cotocachi is "leather town". If you want shoes, handbags, jackets, coats, belts, or even a custom saddle, this is where you go. A city street, 3-blocks long, with every store on both sides a leather goods shop. Make it in the back, sell it in the front. Both Sheryl and I got leather jackets that would be at least $500 each in the States for a 1/5th that (helps if you haggle "what if we buy two... CASH?". From Cotocachi we drove to Hacienda Pinsaqui to spend the night. Read about Hacienda Pinsaqui
12/27 Day 5: After breakfast we get on the bus, head over to Iberra and get on the train. This is a narrow gauge that was recently restored (basically for the tourist trade). The scenery is unreal. We just took a short leg of the run, ending in Salinas. William met us there with the bus, and we drove back to Quito.
That about sums up week 1. I'm gonna need a vacation from this vacation, or go back to work to relax.
OK, the tram pic made my stomach jump...
Glad you and the family are having a good time !!
More pics soon.
The older I get, the less I like heights.
How are your hosts dealing with you being up and rattling around at 4am local...
Not to worry, crashing down in a tram from 30' will likely kill you as dead as from 300', just saying!
Glad you are enjoying the vacation.
I remember that from Jamaica..
I thought it did in some southern states too...I'll try to pay attention on Key West.
Update...
(2nd go around - trying to do this on a Mac - what a PITA!)
12/28 Day 6: Took a day trip to the Papallacta area. This area is famous for its therapeutic thermal hot springs. Spent the day at Termas Papallacta Spa. It was really neat.
12/29 Day 7/8/9: Packed up and headed south to Banos. This is an area at the confluence of two rivers and about a dozen huge waterfalls. (You ask why they named the town "bathroom"...? Another definition of banos is "basin" or "bowl".) The area is also subject to heavy volcanic activity by Tungurahua. It is also a Catholic religion center, and the 1st Basilica in Ecuador is here. We did zip-lining, waterfall rapelling, and horseback tours. Stayed at the Luna Runtun resort.
12/31 Day 9: Getting ready for the New Year's celebration. New Year is the biggest party in Ecuador. Starts at sundown and goes well into the next day. One custom/tradition is to purchase a paper-mache (sp) doll and burn it at midnight. The doll represents the old year, and all the bad things that occurred. Another custom (strange) is for the younger men to dress in drag... I mean REALLY DRESS IN DRAG, crazy, excessive, outrageous... and stop cars and passersby, do a "bump & grind", and beg for change! (On our way back from Banos there were already several groups of them out, waiting at intersections, even stringing ropes, or building "toll barriers" across the road! The pic is tame, I had to really search for a PG one, most of the stuff is borderline "X".) Tonight's going to be interesting!
- A gallon of gas, 92 oct premium (or super as they call it), is $2.06
- A 900ml. bottle of the local beer "Pilsener" (think Bud or Lite) is $1.00 anywhere.
- Yesterday on the way home from Banos we stopped at a very nice roadside restaurant, and a big lunch for 5, with a few beers was $60.
- 25 "non export grade" roses are $2.00 (yeah, 2 bucks)
- A 500ml bottle of Coke varies between $.65 and $1
We haven't been eating "at home", mostly at resorts, relatives houses, or restaurants in the small towns... So I can't give a number for what an average meal would go for in Quito or Cuenca (gringo retirement central).
Fresh fruit is super abundant, any type, and cheap! There is very prepared food here, everything is from scratch...
I'll ask Sammy about some things.
John - Glad you all are enjoying your trip and having multiple amazing experiences! Thanks for sharing!
Mitch - The change in rotation is a south of the equator phenomenon so you don't need to stare into the bowl in Key West.
I must be thinking of when I went to KY in '73 and the sink knobs were backwards. I was always turning on the wrong temp...
SOMETHING was backwards south of the M/D line...
In Atlanta waiting to come north.
I can see why Ecuador is one of the prime places that US ExPats retire to... cheap to live/own/buy, and the climate is tolerable. As a country, it needs work with the Gubmint & democratic procedure.
Pics soon.
Just a few... Amazing how silly you can get with digital cameras - between the two phones & the camcorder there were nearly 800 pictures
Sheryl weeded out hers, I weeded out mine, and I'm still converting video off the camera. (Sony records in it's own native format
, and to play it back on anything else you have to convert. Takes hours...)
A few more... I'll have a few hundred on my phone for tomorrow.