ELEVEN DAYS IN SOUTH AMERICA

Rose & I flew via TAME (pronounced Tah-may) Ecuador’s largest airline. Rose signed us up with the U.S. Embassy in case of emergency. We brought altitude sickness medication for the Andes & motion sickness pills for the Galapagos Islands.

As the plane began descending, the sight of the Andes Mountains rising high above the clouds took our breath away.  Suddenly we knew we weren’t in Florida anymore!  After a 4 hour, 15 min flight, we landed in Quito, Ecuador’s Capitol. We had gained an hour!

It took us 45 minutes to get thru customs.  We worried the Taxi driver sent by the hotel would not wait. Thankfully he was reliable! Like most of the men we encountered, he was an indigenous Indian with a long braid down his back. 

 

Our 2 hour drive thru the Andes was jaw-dropping, filled with breathtaking beauty in every direction! We marveled at the sight of an ice-capped volcano, remarkable because we were right on the equator.

The highways connecting the cities were in better condition than the ones here!  In the villages however, streets were old, narrow cobblestone and often blocked by animals such as horses, cows, goats, or pigs. Drivers are slow and careful, there.

We passed thru the bustling municipality of Otavalo before we reached our destination, Cotacachi, the scenic little town between the 2 extinct volcanoes.

Our sprawling hotel with the all the magnificent views turned out to be an expensive one!  They were not forthcoming with Rose about additional costs. Despite its size, for the first 2 days we were the ONLY guests there. Later, 2 men (also from Florida) in the import/export business checked in.

In town, we discovered lots of dirt cheap, but clean hotels & hostels available.  But unfortunately, none of them advertise on the Internet!

On the plus side, all meals were included and they fed us well!  We made them cut back because we weren’t used to such large meals and we wanted to fit into our clothes! 

The most delicious variety of fruit juices were served and they were pure, no fructose taste!  Also throughout Ecuador was a tasty soup made from potatoes, fried corn, cheese, & avocados.

 

It felt strange after all these decades to be back in a country where there's a big difference between washing water and drinking water.

The hotel staff was just as nice as they could be and went out of their way to make us happy. 

Thru our hotel we were able to get English-speaking guides to take us on sightseeing tours of  Ibarra & Otavalo as well as Cotacachi. We viewed plenty of snow-capped mountains as well as beautiful glacier lakes. We toured a 300 year old colonial mansion with gorgeous floral landscaping and other glorious gardens.  We did lots of climbing as well as walking.

At a red light in Ibarra, a juggler stepped out in front of the cars to give us a performance. After the light changed, he approached car windows for tips.

We saw a few reckless drivers, but no more than here.  Their highways are patrolled with astronomical fines for speeding.

In Otavalo, I consulted with an Immigration Attorney. Expatriating will not be a fast or easy process.  Afterward, Rose & I shopped in the gigantic open market there.  It was a colorful place filled with all manner of interesting and unusual local merchandise, including exotic fruit and aromatic food.

You can haggle prices in the open markets, but not in the stores.  In 9 out of 10 places, prices are unlisted and you must ask.  The purpose for this, (I believe) is to gouge the Gringo! We were constantly warned that there are 2 sets of prices and I need to remember this when looking for a place to rent.

We asked if Gringos are resented.  The guide said, “No, we love all people and enjoy the multi-cultural aspect.”

However, another guide told me, “Do not move anywhere near the Indigenous people, they do NOT like Expats!”  He went on to tell of a housing development under construction, but was forced to shut down after armed natives descended with machetes. -- U.S. retiree trash unwelcome!  Ecuadoran prices have been inflated tremendously because of us.  Within his memory, there was a time one could purchase a decent meal for 2 cents, but no more!

With some trepidation, Rose & I went on a tour of the indigenous villages. The people there were friendly and welcoming to us.  We were even treated to a concert with handmade musical instruments. We watched in fascination as they created various crafts: jewelry, scarves, bags, blankets, & hammocks etc. by hand. -- I had just received the shocking cost of my A.C. repair, so unlike Rose, my purse remained closed!

I made certain to bring plenty of bandages for my new walking shoes. But the Hush Puppies turned out to be a poor choice for Ecuador. They just weren’t suited for cobblestone streets, climbing lava rocks, or jumping on & off boats! -- I ended up paying the price for this.

Early on, a cocky Expat took us on a walking tour over every inch of downtown Cotacachi.  My feet hurt terribly and I couldn’t keep up. But he didn’t care if I was limping like a gimp, he kept pushing us on.  After long painful hours, Rose told him, “Enough!”  We were tired.  We took a cab back to our hotel.  My feet and ankles were now swollen and remained so for the rest of the trip.

Besides inappropriate walking shoes, I didn’t bring enough warm clothes!  I’d read that afternoons were hot.  Well, it got warm for about 2 hours in the late afternoon, the rest of the time it was cold by Florida standards!  I layered my clothes.  Most of my tops were large because I was wearing special underwear with concealed pockets.  We’d been warned that Ecuador was rife with pickpockets!  But we felt much safer than expected.

On the road to Ibarra, I asked where people buy clothes because I saw no Malls or big clothing stores.  “Columbia!” I was told. Our driver said he arranged tours across the border because it wasn’t that far and everything was so much cheaper.  He swore it is safe!

Aug. 7 we left Cotacachi for the long drive back to Quito where we would spend the night. This being a large municipality and the Capitol, it had more amenities than Cotacachi. We arrived early enough to enjoy an expansive tour of the city and surrounding area. Of special note, we saw the Cotopaxi volcano that began erupting just after we returned home.

The following AM, we had a long Taxi drive thru heavy traffic to catch our plane to Guayaquil.

At the airport in Quito, we were charged an extra $20. because of our destination, the Galapagos Islands. Rose & I didn’t have to depart our plane in Guayaquil this time, but many did.  Most of those who boarded for the islands were Gringos like us.

After we landed in Baltra, we had to shell out an extra $100. just to step outside the airport on the Galapagos.

To be continued….