I have lived in Quito about a year now, and to be honest, this is the place for me. I like having a bit of action and Quito has Ecuador’s largest concentrate of ex-pats stationed here…The main question for anybody coming to live in Quito is where. Quito proper has two parts worth living in: the new town or central historical. Here follows a little guide that might help you decide between the three places.
Ecuador is a great place to come year round to learn to surf. The beaches of Canoa offer the perfect place to get wet for the first time, stand up and hang ten off your board….But for those getting into the sport, they might find it a bit daunting to go up against the waves. To this end, Betty Surf Camp was started, to give women seeking adventure travel in a safe place.
Guayaquil, if you recall is Ecuador’s commercial hub and home to over 3 million people. It is the southern city and the gateway to Peruvian travel. Most people in the past have quickly made their way through in pursuit of more glamorous destinations in the mountains and the coast. But as more more people are straying on, living and working, there becomes a need for a little guide to places to stay, places to eat and places to drink.
The Ecuador Gringo has teamed up with a few other awesome expats to bring you more travel tips. Here is a guest post from N.H.Rosen:
There are few places in Latin America as atmospheric as Quito’s Centro Histórico. The city’s colonial core is the largest and best-preserved collection of colonial architecture in the New World, and it is still the beating heart of Quito. The neighborhood was declared the first UNESCO World Heritage Site, and after visiting its narrow, hilly streets and regal plazas, you’ll understand why.
Any visit to the Centro Histórico, indeed any visit to Quito, should begin at the Plaza Grande. This is the city’s central square, and it is flanked by the city’s cathedral and presidential Read more
Sitting on the balcony of Montanita’s best hotel I watched as the sky rapidly tranquilized the days harsh glare. Purples and lavas were coalescing and mellowing the evening. The tiny silhouettes of surfers could be seen catching their final waves in the ocean below. Hotel La Barranca
It was one of those rides that makes you shut your eyes and wait for its end, untimely or the other. Greg, Sean and I sped out of Manta’s domestic terminal, all 8 cylinders of Greg’s jacked up 4×4 firing us into tomorrow, northward up the Ruta del Sol. Quick was the keyword for this trip. Flying to Manta took only 30 minutes from Quito a much reduced version of the 10 hour bus ride. And after the accident last months involving an overloaded bus rolling off the side of a cliff, more highly advisable. But now we were on to Bahia and the beach of Canoa. Two spots on the Manabi map on the verge of an explosion Read more
We were all still shaking off our hangovers on Sunday morning as we gathered at Finn’s. Everybody was belly up to the bar and spilling over every square inch to watch England get annihilated by Germany in the world cup. As we piled into Jake’s SUV the mixture of cheers and groans from opposing fans exhaled from the bar as Germany scored the goal-that-should-not-have-been. I was happy to be getting out. The sun was shining, finally. We had a case of wine, a tank of gas, and, what would be the sparsest commodity on a Sunday, motivation.
Gunning it through the cities northern portal, through Cumbaya, the valley just north of Quito, the world spread before us. We drove Read more
If you come to Quito, the place to stay is in the Mariscal. Gringolandia it is, but it is the happening place town. All the good bars, the ethnic varieties of food, the extensive travel agencies and outfitters, etc, not to mention its central location between the airport to the north and the historical city to the south. Calle Calama one block over from calle Fosch(the center of it all) is home to the best restraunts, bookstores and clubs. Pretty much the hub of it all. Villa Cayetano location on Calama puts the guest in the thick of it all with a natural, open ambience, quality rooms, reasonable rates, and plenty of amenities.
Travel in South America can be exciting frustrating all at the same time. There are amazing sites to see here in Ecuador: Galapagos islands, Cuencan colonial colossuses, snow-capped Cotopaxi. But unless you go on organized tours, you’re gonna have to know a little Spanish to get around. And if you plan on settling here in Ecuador, you better know a lot more than a little Spanish to survive the day-to-day living. Even a trip to the market for bread and butter will result in a lot of pointing and frantic hand gestures if you don’t know the most elementary of Spanish. Compared to places like Asia, where education is held in high esteem and, thus, you can always Read more
I have never been much of an active-adventure traveler. I don’t feel the need to wear myself thin everyday having to take in every market stall, temple, mountain and lake to feel that I’ve made the most of my time on this planet and die a happy man without regrets. I am a surfer and have spent many of the last years seeking out waves in place widespread and exotic from Morocco to Mexico, Indonesia to Ipanema, San Diego to Sri Lanka. And when I arrive I usually plunk my bags down for months at a time and only concern myself with the patch 200m in front of my face. I have been accused of sloth, and while Read more
Facebook
Twitter
