The pickup truck squealed to a stop in front of me and six suit-clad men scrambled out of the open bed. A tall, thin, mustachioed man held out his hand. “Bienvenidos a Ecuador,” he said. Welcome to Ecuador. Surprised, I looked around and realized I was the only white face on the street; it was … Read more
In 1999, the volcano that towers over the small mountain town of Baños de Agua Santa in central Ecuador again began living up to its name. Seventy-four years after its last eruption, Tungurahua, which means “Throat of Fire” in the indigenous Quichua language, roared to life with a vengeance that required a complete evacuation of … Read more
Still ragged from my bout with altitude sickness in Chugchilan, Ecuador, I dragged my weary bones off the bus and headed directly for my hostel in Baños de Agua Santa. My intention was to climb right into bed and sleep through the afternoon and night but the sight of a spectacular waterfall behind my hostel … Read more
This past weekend I was honored to be interviewed by Sue and Kevin McCarthy for their popular live radio show “Travel Planners.” The subject was Ecuador, and I discussed all four zones of this tiny but surprisingly diverse country: the Galapagos Islands, the coast, the Andes Mountains, and the Amazon jungle. To listen to my … Read more
After a week in 9,350-foot high Quito I was no longer huffing and puffing as I trekked up and down the city’s ubiquitous hills, so I was totally unconcerned about altitude as I headed for the central highlands of Ecuador, home to spectacular volcanoes and some of the best hiking in the country. The dust-caked … Read more
