Category: Tropics

🎼 Say Goodbye to Ecuador 🎶 (apologies to Billy Joel) 🎵

On my very last night in Quito, all my new friends at the hostel where I’d been staying for more than two weeks threw me a going away dinner. The next day

Wandering around In the Land of Cumbaya

There is a suburb of Quito, Ecuador called Cumbaya. (Pronounced exactly like the campfire song.) If you had found out about this, and it was only

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Ecuador is the Spanish word meaning “equator”. As a way of differentiating the country from the actual equator, Ecuadorans refer to the equator as

When Life Hands You Lemons, Set Up A Mobile Lemonade Stand

Wandering around Quito, we smelled something amazing. It was citrus and the smell wafted for about half a block in all directions. It was a mobile lemonade vendor. (Or should I say limeade vendor since limes are vastly more popular and common in Ecuador than lemons. In fact, lemons almost don’t...

Views no matter which direction you look

I’ve mentioned before that Quito, Ecuador lies in a mountain valley deep in the Andes Mountains. The city is surrounded on all four sides by mountains. In fact, it’s only a little over four miles wide at its widest point and about 20 miles long at its longest. In terms...

This would NEVER be allowed in the US!

One of Quito, Ecuador’s biggest attractions, both literally and figuratively, is the massive Basilica del Voto Nacional (“Basilica of the National Vow”). The towers are a full

All four seasons in a single day

Quito, Ecuador lies nestled in a mountain valley in the Andes Mountains. Because it lies almost exactly on the equator,

Brand new pair of hiking boots, $1.00

After the theft of my backpacks and, along with them, my second pair of shoes, I have been wearing the same hiking boots basically every day. They were never premium quality boots to begin with so the wear and tear was beginning to take its toll. After only a month...

The London Eye… in Ecuador!

Many people are familiar with the London Eye. That giant Ferris wheel that allows tourists a bird’s eye view over the city of London. Well, there is a similar wheel in 

Because, you know, why have just one waterfront when you can have two?

The city of Guayaquil, Ecuador is wedged between a bay and a navigable river. On one side lies a malécon (boardwalk) that is wonderful to explore during the daytime. On the other side of the city