
Today, the last day of October, I’m showing you my last picture from Ecuador. How did you like my travel impressions from a diverse land of chocolate?
I didn’t mention one food-product yesterday… it’s a chocolate or cacao.
Ecuador claims that it produces a special kind of cacao, and used to be the largest fine or flavored cacao producer in the world.
Check the “visit.ecuador” website for all “sweet” details.
Fortunately, I didn’t forget about chocolate while being in Ecuador and bought a very, very dark Ecuadorian chocolate. 🙂
Ecuador is a diverse country, based on climate zones, nature, people, and also its cuisine. My “food-memories” include plantains, avocados and soups. I’m not sure does it sound good, but you can be sure to find in Ecuador variety of delicious dishes. 🙂
Travellers are usually happy to hear that the US dollar is the official currency in Ecuador.
It’s convenient, because you can easily exchange US dollars almost everywhere; but you may be also a bit disappointed to not have any Ecuadorian money for your own small travel-money collection. (I was) 😉
While visiting amazing mountains in Ecuador, please don’t forget about mountain sickness (altitude sickness).
I’ve already mentioned it a few times on my blog, but maybe it’s never too much. 😉
Acute mountain sickness may happen to anyone. Don’t try to show off how fit you are, just take it easy, move slowly, drink lots of water and observe your body. Immediately inform someone if you have a headache, stomachache, fatigue, etc.
Just remember about the altitude sickness and do everything to prevent it and observe your body to catch the first symptoms!
A characteristic snow cone – the Cotopaxi volcano is located quite nearby Quito, so it’s a popular place for travelers. Of course, not everyone climb to the top, but a short hike in the area is also a great experience.
Cotopaxi is one of the world’s highest active volcanoes, 5,897 m,
and the second highest mountain in Ecuador.
Apparently, Alexander von Humboldt, the German geographer, said, the Cotopaxi is the most beautiful huge mountain in the Andes.
The Andes or Andean Mountains are the longest continental mountain range in the world. They are located in South American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
In Ecuador, you can enjoy the Andes just outside Quito, what’s very convenient for tourists.
You can also take a hike to or around the caldera Quilotoa.
Depending what you choose, it may take a few days or just 1 day.
The total distance is not so big, but the elevation, up to 3900 m, may be quite demanding. So don’t forget about the altitude sickness and be aware of first sings of it.
When I was there, there were only a few people hiking, but other seasons are more crowded.
When I started traveling, I hardy ever was taking pictures of people. I was always more interested by nature or architecture. At some point, I change my mind and realized that local people are actually an important part of a culture in a given country. I like to observe what kind of clothes they wear, especially traditional clothes. Unfortunately, younger generations often don’t want to wear traditional clothes any more; that makes sense, but it’s also a bit sad.
After visiting variety of countries/territories, I realised that cleaning shoes on the streets is still popular in some of them. I’ve never seen it in Europe, so at first, I was surprised; but later it became more normal to me, so I stopped taking pictures of this. 😉