Ecuador was an amazing country. The sun always rises at 6 AM and sets at 6 PM. Their only seasons are wet and dry. Fortunately this was the dry season and we only experienced rain one morning.

My good friend Pam Schultz from Marshfield, Wisconsin joined me on this trip. I’m not totally sure she realized what she was getting herself into, but it was an awesome trip.

We enjoyed a variety of landscapes and altitudes from the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin to over 19,000′ elevation at Cotopaxi National Park.

Dates: June 19-28, 2013
Tour Operator: Gate 1 Travel

Trip Itinerary

Basilica of Quito

Virgin del Panecillo

Quito

Basilica of Quito

Basilica of Quito

Basilica of Quito

Grand Plaza in Quito

San Agustin Monastery

Quito

San Augustin Monastery, Quito

Monastery de San Francisco, Quito

Monastery de San Francisco, Quito

El Pahuma waterfall

The Colors of Ecuador

Toucan

Hummingbird

Shoe-shine Day

Cathedral of Quito

Hanging out, Grand Plaza in Quito

The Shoelace Store

Monastery de San Francisco, Quito

Monastery de San Francisco, Quito

Dried larva…for your health

“Live” larva…for your health

Cathedral of Quito

Cuy (Guinea Pig) restaurant

Cuy – Tastes like chicken??? Yum!!!!

Mom and Daughter

Visit to the pan flute workshop

Passion fruit flower

Peguche waterfall

Shhh. Quiet in the bathroom

Otavalo Market

Otavalo Market

Otavalo Market

Hammocks, Otavalo Market

Mural in Cotacachi

Happy Trashcans

Cloud Forest

Stop the bus…there’s a llama

Cutie with her dog

he luggage boat for our stay in the Ecuadorian Amazon basin

Blow gun lessons at the indigenous village…I was first…nailed it!

Our target

Wash day in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Who’s that doggy under the porch?

Napo River, Ecuadorian Amazon

asa del Suizo, our Amazon lodge on the Napo River…roughing it!

Napo River, Ecuadorian Amazon

Our “buses” in the Amazon

Ecuadorian Amazon

The Colors of Ecuador

Visit to a butterfly farm

Visit to a butterfly farm

Visit to a butterfly farm

Visit to a butterfly farm

Visit to a butterfly farm

Even the gas station potty stops had great views

Government subsidies (US dollar and gallons) – Wow!

El Pailon del Diablo (The Devil’s Cauldron) waterfall

My friend Pam Schultz who joined me on this adventure. You aren’t in Wisconsin anymore!

Waterfall near Baños

Cable car over the canyon for great waterfall views

Mural in Baños

Taffy store in Baños

Couldn’t resist photographing this crazy mannequin

Salcedo Market

Salcedo Market – No plain old white eggs here

Salcedo Market

Last pig head…big seller at the market

Salcedo Market

Salcedo Market

Salcedo Market

I’m not totally sure the Green Bay Packers authorized this cap

I don’t think this rabbit from the market will be a family pet. Hasenpfeffer stew?

Visit to a rose plantation

Lunch at a local artisans house

Cotopaxi Volcano

Cotopaxi National Park

Cotopaxi Volcano