Hola Todos! I´ve been in Ecuador for about three weeks now and just wanted to make some recommendations, etc. We started in Quito, where we stayed in Chicago Hostal. It was a great value, the breakfast on the terrace was great, and so were the owners. The coolest thing we saw there was the Basillica, you can go up various levels, walk the length of the ceiling just below the roof, and climb up to the top of one of the towers. There are great views of the city from up there. We also spent a couple of days at El Taxo, a hostel in the Mariscal. It was ok. The bathroom we had kind of sucked, and the kitchen was dirty, but the family was really really nice and helpful. We spent a couple of days in Mindo, north of Ecuador. I would definitely recommend it as an excape from Quito. We also went on a amazon tour with Dracaena, based in la Mariscal in Quito. They were GREAT. We went on a five day, four night tour in the Cuyaben Fauna Reserve. They have both a naturalist guide and a native quichua guide, and all of the people at the camp and boat drivers are natives, whereas a lot of companies bring people from the cities to do that sort of thing. The guides were amazing, so was the food, and the activities were fun. We were in a group of 10 and were alone at the lodge until the last night, when a group of over 20 showed up, so I think that would have changed the mood a lot. I´m not sure how often it is that there are that many people though. On the way to Lago Agro, where the tour started, we stopped at Papallacta and went to the thermal baths. Tons of fun. Lago Agrio is very chaotic and not so safe, so we stayed the night in Cascales, at the Paraiso Dorado, just outside of town on the left side of the road. It is a little family run place with a fish pond. We fished and then the made us an amazing meal for 2 bucks. Breakfast was HUGE and only cost 1. On the way back from Lago Agrio we spent the night at the Hosteria Reventador, in Chaco. It is right next to the entrance to San Rafael Falls, the tallest in Ecuador. They have a restaurant, a huge pool, hot water, etc. I would definitely recommend the falls and staying at either of those places, especially as an alternative to Lago Agrio. Now we´re in Tena and just did a day of rafting with River People. They were also very good, we had a ton of fun. If anyone has question or wants to check out my blog its mayalatinoamerica.blogspot.com Happy Travels/planning!
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