On August 25th, 2011, we left the east coast of the US and started winding our way through South America. We held off on creating a strict itinerary and developed our journey by word of mouth from other backpackers and based on research from guidebooks and web resources. Our plan was to travel down the Andean spine from Ecuador to Peru, then on to Chile and Argentina.
In the five months since then, we have explored several regions of both Ecuador and Peru. At times we have traveled hard. But we did manage to rest and work for one month in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador and volunteer for three weeks in Cusco, Peru. We traveled for 87 days in Ecuador and 59 in Peru for a total of 146 sleeps away from home.
Children spend Sundays in Ejido Park practicing for their driver's tests.
Travel Itinerary for first 32 Nights in Ecuador
2 Nights in Quito Acclimating to Altitude
August 25- August 26, 2011- Day 1- Day 2- Quito, Ecuador/Lodging- Homestay of Maria Pilar
We flew from Newark, New Jersey into Mariscal Sucre International Airport in the capital city of Quito. Maria Pilar, our homestay hostess met us at the terminal and drove us to her spacious apartment near the city center. After a day of attempting to acclimate to Quito’s high altitude we met a friend from our days at the University at Albany in New York for dinner. Suma and her coworker Jamie were just completing a trip to parts of Ecuador and were passing the travel torch to us before heading back to the US for work. On our way back from dinner Melissa fought her first bout of altitude sickness and could barely breathe or walk.
You can get close to document giant tortoises at rescue centers.
7 Nights on the Galápagos Islands
August 27- September 2, 2011- Day 3- Day 9- Galápagos Islands, Ecuador/Lodging- aboard M/V Evolution of Quasar
When we started planning for our two-year travel adventure, we had to decide whether to begin in South America or return for our third visit to Southeast Asia. However, when Melissa earned a press trip to the Galápagos Islands the decision was made for us. Since the highly coveted and heavily touristed archipelago flies the Ecuadorian flag we figured we would start in Ecuador and make our way south.
We flew from Quito to Guayaquil (the departure point for most flights to the islands) and onto the Galápagos. Living aboard the M/V Evolution and hosted by the superb staff of Quasar, we spent a week criss-crossing the equator as we explored natural landscapes. Guided by Rafael Pesantes we communed with colorful, creative, and often creepy creatures that discovered the Galápagos way before Darwin’s Beagle barked ashore to anchor. Highlights included hiking the wild terrain around indifferent iguanas and swimming with sea lons, sharks, and sea turtles, and following whales.
5 Nights back in Quito
September 3- September 7, 2011- Day 10- Day 14- Quito, Ecuador/Lodging- Homestay with Maria Pilar
Bidding farewell to new friends from the ship we headed back to Maria Pilar’s homestay in the heart of Quito. Being spoiled by luxury was nice but it was time to return to reality as global backpackers writing, recording and wandering on a budget. Articles do not write themselves, so Melissa started posting about our experiences and I reviewed video footage I had collected on the Galápagos.
We tried Ecuadorian and Peruvian ceviche at Manolo's in Quito.
We also found time to sample Ecuadorian and Peruvian ceviche at Manolo’s. On Sundays in Quito the police close some main avenues to four-wheeled traffic and allow families and amigos to ride bicycles and take long strolls without fear of becoming victims to vehicular attacks. Continuing through Ejido Park we saw kids wearing Smurf hats and riding pedal operated mini-cars while games of soccer progressed on makeshift pitches. Heading to Old Quito we witnessed congregations of locals enjoying street performances and admiring statues.
7 Nights near the Famed Markets of Otavalo
September 8- September 14, 2011- Day 15- Day 21- Otavalo and Peguche, Ecuador/Lodging- Riviera Sucre
Puppets and their master rocked classic tunes in Otavalo.
Most people fail to allot enough time to explore Otavalo and the mountainous terrain which surrounds it. Preferring flashy sights like the Saturday market and fascinating bird sanctuary at Parque Condor, most tourists are content to spend a condensed weekend. Since we stayed an entire week, Melissa and I were able to enjoy Otavalo with small mid-week crowds of travelers. We had a huge room offering balcony views of the streets below. The hotel was comfortable and we were able to work punctuated by breaks to explore and eat at Quino’s restaurant with their fantastic menu.
One street performer stood out by manipulating marionettes decorated as skeletons in a rock band. Aided by a radio playing famous songs by groups like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, the man had tiny boned musicians lip sink as they played on a toy guitar and drums. Besides checking local events like the weekly animal market and a heavy metal festival called Yamor Rock, we made it to neighboring towns. The town of Peguche makes for a flat hike and boasts humming looms operated by traditional weavers and a family of musicians.
3 Nights in Quito and a Crazy All-Night Party
September 15- September 17, 2011- Day 22- Day 24- Quito and the Valley of Quito, Ecuador/Lodging- Homestay Maria Pilar
Apparently most roads in Northern Ecuador lead through Quito so we returned for a final homestay with Maria Pilar. We had bags stowed in her apartment and tentative plans to visit the vacation home of a family of lawyers we had met on the Galápagos Islands. When those plans fell through we wound up accompanying our homestay suitemate to a party in the valley of Quito.
Before making it to the house party our friend’s coworkers brought us to a suburban bar district. As our new friends debated club hopping versus karaoke bar, a huge brawl erupted between two groups of young punks. A guy had smacked his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend didn’t like that. The boyfriend and his friends started attacking the smacker and tried to destroy his car. One guy tried to rip the driver’s door off. Another grabbed a barricade, jumped on the hood of the car and tried to shatter the windshield. The driver gunned the car and the guy on the hood jumped off.
After we moved on to the house party, the night got progressively crazier. Good thing we were headed down south the next day.
While rejuvenating our travel muscles Melissa had a Skype job interview in La Casa Verde's dining room.
8 Nights in Baños de Santa Agua Ecuador
September 18- September 25, 2011- Day 25- Day 32- Baños de Santa Agua, Ecuador/Lodging- La Casa Verde
Sometimes you visit a place and within days realize that you want to live there. Baños de Santa Agua Ecuador exemplifies the concept of an ideal locale that is definitely worth a linger. We relaxed and worked with balcony views of a river and dozens of verdant mountains at La Casa Verde Eco Lodge. Our hosts at the hotel gave great recommendations on activities, itineraries, and even helped me soothe an achy knee. Rebecca pointed the way to Xu Jing’s House of Health, where I had my first acupuncture treatment in Baños.
During our eight night stay in Baños we met up with a new friend named Daniel. We had originally met him at our homestay in Quito and learned he was relocating from the US to Baños. Eating and sampling locally brewed beers, we met Daniel at Straydog Brewpub. During dinner Daniel helped convince us to settle in Baños. The next day we began scanning for apartment rentals. Checking with Ecuadorian and foreign-born locals, we identified four diverse options and began viewing potential places to reside for a month.
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