Category Archives: Ecuador

Otavalo

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

We bid farewell to the historic center of Quito on Saturday morning as we headed out for Otavalo at 8am.  It was an easy 40-minute 25¢ trolly ride from Santo Domingo to El Ejido to Terminal Norte.  However, Terminal Norte … Continue reading →

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Quito

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

At 2,850 meters high Quito is the second tallest capital in the world after La Paz.  This long city stretches from north to south, with the primary tourist neighborhoods of Historic Quito (Centro Historico) and La Mariscal situated in the middle … Continue reading →

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Quilotoa

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

The Quilotoa Traverse, a multi-day trekking excursion from village to village in the Ecuadorian Andes, was actually what I looked forward to the most in mainland Ecuador. Typically hikers follow this standard 4-day route from south to north: 1. Arrive … Continue reading →

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Baños

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

I didn’t realize that Quito’s international airport was so far from Quito (and a whopping $35 taxi ride into the city!), and because we wanted to go straight to Baños after the Galapagos, we spent the night in Pifo instead … Continue reading →

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The Galapagos

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

We came to the Galapagos for one primary reason: to experience the wildlife, particularly the blue footed boobies.  They say that you will take many more pictures than you anticipate, and they were right.  Wild animals, galore!  During our transport … Continue reading →

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Galapagos on a Budget

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

We told everyone we weren’t going to the Galapagos since we had already planned one expensive island excursion to Easter Island. However once I arrived to Cuenca, I couldn’t help but keep an eye out for last minute deals for … Continue reading →

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Guayaquil

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

On July 4th after celebrating Independence Day in Cuenca with American retirees over hotdogs and hamburgers, we headed out to Ecuador’s largest and most populated city, Guayaquil. Guayaquil is really more of a 1-day stopover for tourists before visiting the … Continue reading →

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Cuenca

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

About 4 hours by bus north of Vilcabamba is Cuenca, Ecuador’s beautiful colonial city, Ecuador’s third largest city, and our new favorite city in South America. As it is nestled in lush, green valleys and surrounded by rivers, the architecture … Continue reading →

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Hitchhiking for Beer and Fireworks

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Jean Nguyen

Little did we know that our adventure to Vilcabamba, Ecuador would begin right in Maria, the little village nearest to the ruins of Kuelap.  We returned to Maria after our morning exploration of Kuelap at 1:15pm, which we believed would be ample time for … Continue reading →

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