Ecuador - Quito and Galapagos Islands

Some of the best advice I think I’ve received was from my friend and former coworker, Annie. Always try to speak in bullet points; most people could careless what you have to say after a few minutes. That’s a loose and PG-rated version of that quote, but it has stuck with me for awhile.

Now, I can’t promise this post or future posts will only take a few minutes to read. It's a bit unrealistic when trying to write about a location let alone an entire country. What I plan on doing, however, is to lay out the article in bullet like fashion. For this post and future posts, I'll have eight different sections summarizing our trip to Ecuador based on the following:

• Nature & Scenery

• People

• Food

• Safety

• Highlights

• Lowlights

• Strange & Weird

• Recommendations

This way the article can be sort of a la carte for you depending on your interests. Don't like something. Skip it. I won't be offended. Enjoy!

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Nature & Scenery

Wildlife is within an arm’s reach in Galapagos. Even though you are supposed to be 2 meters away, sea lions and sea turtles have no hesitation coming within inches of your floating lifeless body. A few videos on my GoPro below might help illustrate just remember there is no zoom so objects are much closer than they may appear. Quito was picturesque as we landed at the airport (also really nice). The city is nestled in the middle of mountains in a valley. The old town of Quito was also very nice to see with amazing churches that go for a few blocks.

I freaked out at the end as this sea lion turned around looking at me and started swimming my way.

I tried floating with the current as I watched all these sea turtles graze.

Sorry for the video being so shaky, but I was trying to move out of the way as this stubborn sea lion wanted his spot on the walkway.

People

The people are really friendly in Galapagos and Quito. Most folks take the time to understand you or help you out. In Quito, I spent a whole Uber ride talking with the driver via Google Translate (life saver!). Another time, we stood at an Airbnb where our host had their mom make us a traditional Ecuadorian meal in their kitchen. We had a filling chicken soup and ended the meal with bread babies called "guagua" and a purple jam-y drink called “calada morada” in celebration of Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead). All very delicious! Just as my Uber ride, communication was a bit difficult. She didn’t speak great English and we spoke even worse Spanish, but we all sat at the kitchen table trying to understand each other as painful and awkward it was to talk. I feel the important part is that we didn’t give up and just kept trying. Hoping that this mindset will do us well for the rest of South America.

Although not people of Ecuador, I’d still like to mention my Intrepid friends. For those who are unfamiliar, Intrepid is a great place to book organized travel (I’ll give a proper post on Intrepid itself) where you are put into a group with other people. I was hesitant on the idea at first, but I met some really great people on my trip to Galapagos. A young couple from Switzerland (can’t wait for our Yodeling Rap album, Jonas!), a few folks from Australia, Ireland, and England. It really felt like an extended family in some ways and Lexi and I plan on meeting up with them either on this trip or the next.

Food

Wow, talk about value! One grande cerveza (that’s a large beer, gringo) for 630ml or 21 ounces goes for about $1.75 in the store and ~$3 in a restaurant. They also have something called “Menu.” In a nutshell, it’s a set price (roughly $8-$10) for an appetizer (soup), entree (4 options), and dessert. Not to mention, every meal came with some type of juice. Typically, you are eating some type of fish with rice, beans, salad, and potato. The food was really good. Does it make it to my top 10 of all time favorite food? Hmm, probably not, but it was still really good and I recommend. On a splurge night, I got a whole lobster for $15 bucks. Not too shabby.

Safety

I never felt uncomfortable in Galapagos. The tour guide even mentioned how safe it was as she lived there her whole life. Island life typically gives you a safer, small town vibe.

Admittedly, I was nervous on my first day in Quito. We heard that there were a lot of pickpocket-ers before arriving. I kept my hands in my pockets the whole time, but really, I think as long as you keep your wits about you and have a lock on your backpack (felt great having this) you should be fine. Lexi and I both had a great time in Quito so don't be discouraged because you hear there is some type of crime. Look, we both are from Chicago. People not from Chicago think that we carry a gun every day dodging bullets. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Like any major city, you need to know where to go and where not to go. As well, just make sure you conscious of your surroundings. We did run into a traveler who had her smartphone, cards, and money stolen from her backpack at a restaurant. It sucks, but she even admitted that if she had the bag between her legs vs on the back of her chair the issue may have been avoided.

Highlights

Kicker Rock in San Cristobal snorkeling with Galapagos sharks and hammerheads. The Galapagos overall were a highlight, but the snorkeling we did at Kicker Rock was nothing like I've done before. Off the coast of San Cristobal stands this massive rock formation and crystal clear water. In addition, you can also see the sea lion that I swam with for about 10 minutes in the video above under Nature & Scenery.

Lexi was a bit nervous going into the ocean and was ready to get back on the boat, but our guides did a great job curbing her concerns. She really was happy to stick it out as it turned out to be one of the most beautiful snorkels we have ever done. Could go to this spot every day!

Middle of the World. We were in the middle of the equator watching how water flows in different directions depending on where you are in the hemisphere. It flows straight down on the equator line. We also balanced an egg on a nail with the help of gravitational pulls - we even have certificates verifying our expertise in egg balancing. Pretty cool experiments you get to play with, but don’t be fooled, all of these parlor tricks can only be found at the “real” Middle of the World. That’s right. There are actually two different Middle of the World locations. Leave it to the French to screw it up only to be later corrected by Americans. The fake one has a beautiful monument built inside a Six Flags like amusement park. The other, and much cooler, down a graveled driveway and into preserved native village. Granted, the US found this out some years later with the help of GPS so maybe you give some kudos to the French for being close. I’m not. ‘Merica!

Look! I'm at this amazing, but fake middle of the world

The real middle of the world!

Value. The dollar stretches far in Ecuador. In addition, there is no need to exchange currency as everything is in USD. As I mentioned before, we could get a beer, dinner, and dessert for about $15-$20 for the two of us.

Lowlights

Roosters. Seriously, I could have killed about 30 roosters on Isabela Island. Never have I wanted to own a gun so bad. 2 AM wake up calls 3 days running. Such little assholes.

Hamburgers. I know. I know. Why would you eat a hamburger with so many better options? Fish, shrimp, rice, and beans are terrific, yet having it almost every meal just gets, well, boring. Also, we wanted a bit of "home" food while away and this place we went to was highly recommended. My recommendation is simply don’t do it! The meat was something like a mix of turkey and beef over cooked. So what you got was something that resembled beef, yet more rubbery. Maybe we are spoiled in the Midwest, but what I had was not a real burger.

Showers. Take them fast and quick. Hot water is hard to come by in Galapagos. One hostel we stayed in had some type of jerry-rigged wires running into the shower head. So not only did we have 2-3 minutes of warm water, we also thought we were going to get electrocuted in the process. Not all places were like this as we definitely had some really nice hostels, but collectively, hot water was a luxury.

Strange and Weird

Do not throw toilet paper in the toilet! All toilet paper needs to be put in a wastebasket. I’m still having a hard time getting used to this. I’m all for helping out the environment, but there are just somethings that go too far for me...this is one of them.

Roosters (again). One thing I found a bit interesting is that the sound we make in the States for a rooster is different in other countries. The UK and US say, as you may have already guessed, COCK-A-DODDLE-DOO. Ecuadorians and also the Swiss say KHEE-KID-EE-KEE. I feel like that should be on Snapple bottle somewhere. Snapple if you are reading, I love random facts and I'm looking for a job when I get back.

Walking. Are we in always in a rush or are they just slow? We found that when we were walking significantly faster than people in Ecuador. It was mildly irritating how slow people walked. Maybe we just live in a faster-paced lifestyle.

Coffee. Call me a snob. I don’t care. But I can not do instant coffee. It tastes like burnt popcorn in water. Airbnb and hostels do not put precedent in serving you quality coffee. You really need to go out to a cafe for that. Which would be fine, but some cafes didn’t open until 10 AM. Maybe it’s my business mentality, but you have a place crawling with tourist. Open your doors, sell coffee, and make that money. I have an addiction that needs to be served!

Coins. It was nice not to have to exchange money and use USD. Yet, Ecuadorians love their coins. I’d use a $20 on a $2 coffee and get $18 back in all Sacajawea's and 50 cent coins. I don’t love carry change in my pocket, but was just one of those strange things to get used to.

Recommendations

Galapagos. MUST GO. I get why this place is on a lot of people’s bucket list. It really is an extraordinary place. Highly recommend using Intrepid to go for your first time.

Quito. Eh, it’s OK, but you’re fine passing by. We didn’t get to do some really cool options just outside Quito such as the Cloud Forest or Cotopaxi so maybe my recommendation isn’t fair. Just thought the city was OK, but probably not somewhere where I'd really want to go back to.