| On my first trip to Ecuador I discovered that the | | | | The second day there, we ate out for breakfast, |
| official currency of is the U.S. Dollar. A nice | | | | lunch and dinner, went to the hotsprings, bought |
| surprize, since I thought I'd have to find a place to | | | | souvenirs, went to a movie, went out drinking and |
| exchange money at midnight in Quito. Not only | | | | dancing - and the entire day, including motel, cost |
| could I use the dollar bills in my pocket, but just | | | | $34! |
| one of them would buy a three-course lunch at a | | | | In fact, the entire trip, including airfare, the fee for |
| clean restaurant. I fell in love with Ecuador | | | | the guide on Chimborazo, and everything else, |
| immediately. I fell in love with my wife Ana a few | | | | cost $1040. That was for four weeks. How I |
| days later. | | | | kept it so cheap is a subject for another article. |
| Quito, Ecuador | | | | More Information on Ecuador |
| I loved Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Centro Del | | | | The mountain towns (Quito, Riobamba, Loja, |
| Mundo, the hostel where I stayed the first few | | | | Cuenca, Otavalo, Ibarra, Ambato, Latacunga) |
| days, cost $4 per night, including breakfast. The | | | | have wonderful climates. Highs are in the 60s to |
| walls had maps and all the information I needed | | | | 70s fahrenheit year-round. Guayaquil and the |
| on them. There were travelers from fourteen | | | | coastal cities can be hot, but the temperature is |
| countries there during my stay. | | | | moderated by the Humboldt Current, which brings |
| I took a tour to the volcano Cotapaxi, and hiked | | | | cool water along the coast of South America. |
| up to the glaciers with three others, from Israel, | | | | If you like beaches, you have many options. In |
| France and England. I danced (Free Rum in the | | | | Salinas, for example, you can sit on a beautiful |
| hostel on Friday nights), wandered the city | | | | Pacific Ocean beach, while vendors bring you |
| streets, and took spanish lessons from a beautiful | | | | everything from beer to ice cream to chair |
| tutor. Ana was not only a great teacher, but soon | | | | rentals an music. For $20 you can rent a jet ski |
| became my tour guide and, eventually, my wife. | | | | and have some fun in the waves. |
| Riobamba, Ecuador | | | | The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador, and |
| Riobamba is another beautiful mountain city. My | | | | tour information is available in all major cities (It's |
| hotel was $3 per night, this time in a private room | | | | cheaper to wait until you're in Ecuador to book a |
| with a TV. The manager had connections, and | | | | tour). |
| information on anything I wanted. He arranged for | | | | Good meals can still be had for under two dollars |
| a guide to take me up Mount Chimborazo, which | | | | in most cities, if you eat where the locals do. |
| at 20,600 feet is the furthest point from the | | | | Hotels in most cities start at around $12 (less for |
| center of the Earth (due to the bulge at the | | | | a bed in a hostel). Cross-country travel by bus is |
| equator). After climbing 4,000 feet of glaciers, I | | | | cheaper and more comfortable than bus travel in |
| made it to the summit. | | | | the U.S. |
| Banos, Ecuador | | | | The people of Ecuador are almost universally |
| Back in Quito, I called Ana, and we made plans to | | | | friendly, and speak one of the clearest, easiest to |
| go to Banos De Santa Agua, a town in central | | | | understand dialects of Spanish (A great place to |
| Ecuador, famous for its hotsprings. The bus was | | | | learn). Ecuador is a safe, democratic republic, with |
| $3, a nice motel with cable T.V. cost $7 per night. | | | | a legal system similar to that of the U.S. |