Ecuador Dos and Don'ts

Banos is the gate from the Andes to the Ecudorian jungle. Unfortunately it's overcrowded with tourists and lots of adventure agencies can be found here. Nevertheless it's worth visiting! Hike up the local hill and enjoy the view over Banos. The best thing to to is to rent some bikes and ride down to Puyo, which can be found on the Amazon basin! From there just put your bike on the roof of a bus and go back. If you like volcanoes, Tungurahua is an active one in the area, although sometimes too active and therefore Banos has to be evacuated...

We stayed at the Auberge, a swiss-run backpackers. The place was beautiful and had a great view from the showers, however in retrospect we would have probably stayed in the old town. (it was in between old and new) Anyways it didn't have too much personality and had a bit of an older crowd. Plus normally I prefer to support a local run place rather than foreign run. There is a Fair Trade shop/Cafe built into the Cathedral at Plaza San Francisco. Also, wander around, if you are lucky you may run into a live music show like we did. Anyways, Quito was definitly a fave. The New Town has a bit of a dodgy reputation, and is touristy in a bad way.

Quito is a must see. The historic downtown is best seen on Sunday when some streets are blocked for pedestrian use. Look into small restaurants off the main squares for local favorites. Stay for dusk to seethe lights of the cathedral in the main square light. Make sure you visit several of the churches during the day an try to go up to the Virgin of Quito (you will know what I mean when you are there) to get great looks of the city. For food, try Locro. It is a potato-based soup and it is excellent. Put the acommpanying side items (ahi, avacados, etc.) on top and enjoy!

A quaint little city, where it's not uncommon to see people dressed in the traditional Ecuadorian dress. The marketplace is great for people looking to buy something to take home, very cheap- and you can always bargain!

This is a travel tip about Puyo, which is in the Oriente (jungle).  In the town tucked within the jungle and plantations, ask the local taxi drivers to take you to "La Casa Del Arbol" (tree house) and it's one of the oldest and tallest in the region with a wooden tiered treehouse.  It's massive and has about ten stories of man made ladders!  Around the tree is the resort style hotel and houses a baby Ocelot (native leopard unique to Ecuador) which is a gorgeous animal.  They keep him caged as a pet but beautiful to look at!  Very friendly staff and they will want to show you around.  We took a taxi for the day for $20 (you can negotiate prices) and went to the cascades and a local taxi driver took us around to several places in Puyo, Mera and Tena.  The water from the cascades is pure mountain water, good enough to drink straight from the cascade itself.  Pure and unspoilt!!  Amazing!