By Caitlin
Going to Ecuador was really just a stopover to get from Central America to South America but we allowed about two weeks there. Most people who visit head straight for the Galapagos but we stuck to the middle of the country with beautiful mountainous scenery and small, lively towns. Everything we did in Ecuador was low key. No volcano boarding or climbing mountains or wonders of the world. Nonetheless, we had some of our most authentic and satisfying travel there, while enjoying the natural beauty of the country.
Small Town Charm
Latacunga is not exactly a nice town. Most of it is dirty and polluted. There's not much for a traveler outside of a nice town square and a handful of picturesque parks. Like many other times in our year abroad, we read about and ventured to some dinky museum to find it inexplicably closed. What I really liked about this place were the lovely people at our hostel and a friendly cafe owner that went out of her way to make sure we knew the town was special. She also happened to sell the best chocolate bars we'd had in a long time. Our hostel/motel was run by a family that greeted us warmly at every turn. They insisted on giving us Ecuador bracelets to remember them by on our last morning as we sat at their kitchen table sharing breakfast. Nothing big, but it just made me like the place.
Small Town Charm
Latacunga is not exactly a nice town. Most of it is dirty and polluted. There's not much for a traveler outside of a nice town square and a handful of picturesque parks. Like many other times in our year abroad, we read about and ventured to some dinky museum to find it inexplicably closed. What I really liked about this place were the lovely people at our hostel and a friendly cafe owner that went out of her way to make sure we knew the town was special. She also happened to sell the best chocolate bars we'd had in a long time. Our hostel/motel was run by a family that greeted us warmly at every turn. They insisted on giving us Ecuador bracelets to remember them by on our last morning as we sat at their kitchen table sharing breakfast. Nothing big, but it just made me like the place.
 The Lake and the Dog There are numerous beautiful lakes to hike around in central Ecuador. Our favorites were Quilotoa and Cuicocha Lake. As we started up the hill to hike Cuicocha Lake, the park ranger told us there were no dogs allowed. "He's not ours," we shrugged, as a local stray led us on the path. It was clear he knew the way, and we figured he would turn back at some point, but 1/4 of the way around (and a few biscuits for bribery) and we realized he wasn't going anywhere. Rick Perro became his name and he stuck with us the whole way. When we got tired, he would wait for us. When a menacing pack of 6 mangy dogs (blood stains on some of their snouts) showed up to protect their turf, Rick snarled and took them all on to protect us. We shared our PB/Nutella sandwiches with Rick under a gazebo on the trail so we would all have some energy for the last 2 hours. One of the saddest sights of the trip was Rick Perro galloping full speed to catch up to the back of the truck we hopped in, hoping for one last biscuit or for us to take him home. |    |
 Dancing in the Square Costumes. Children. Dances. An irresistible combination for a traveler. In Quito we stumbled upon an elaborate solstice celebration complete with kids in traditional Quechua costumes doing dances. The lovely folk songs have stuck in our heads since then and we only wished they were Shazaam-able. The grand finale involved one little character, in a mask of el Diablo, encircling the other dancers. The poor kid could barely see out of his mask but he held his own as el Diablo and totally made my day. |  Little El Diablo  |
 Juice at the market Every town in Ecuador has an indoor market, usually consisting of two floors. Municipally owned and operated, the bottom floor is typically fruit, veg, meat, fish and the top floor is little stalls of restaurants and juice sellers. Blessed with a climate that produces tons of fruit, the markets of Ecuador offer enough different juices to allow you to try a different one each day. While some don't sound quite palatable, like alfalfa, most are sweet and refreshing and we found ourselves at the market on many afternoons. Particularly mora (blackberry) juice became our favorite, and it was even better when mixed with coconut. |   Caitlin looking scary |
 Artistic Highlights Beyond the juice and dogs, Ecuador has beautiful colonial architecture and a strange but delightful tradition of lighting up their churches in colorful spotlights at night in even the smallest towns. Art museums were also abundant and while the English was slim, we gleefully discovered one of South America's most renowned artists, Guayasamin, as well as historical peculiarities, like the shrunken heads of the archaeological museum in Cuenca. |  Shrunken head  Caitlin giving the shrunken head a staredown |
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