History, eco-tourism, nature (including the iconic Galápagos Islands), urban scenes in Quito and Guayaquil -- and all a relative bargain!

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Ecuador cited in 'South America's Iconic Vicuñas'

  Visitors to part of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru (where it's the national animal and is even on the country's coat of arms) may come across this quintessential South American mammal, a camelid related to guanacos, llamas, and alpacas (which are descended from vicuñas) The smallest of the camelids, vicuñas stand about three feet tall at the shoulder; weigh between 70 and 150 pounds; and have long necks and legs as well as relatively small heads with long pointed ears.…

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Cuenca, Ecuador's Colonial Charmer

  Sherwood   Up in the Andes mountains south of Ecuador's political capital Quito and east of its largest city and commercial capital Guayaquil, this city named for the the city in Spain that was the hometown of the Spanish viceroy at the time of its founding in 1557 (later than the above two) is so lovely and historic that it’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and in addition to a growing tourism destination has also become a magnet for expatriates, especially from the USA.  …

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Thrills & spills in Tena, Ecuador's adventure capital

Ecuador, a country embedded between tourism powerhouses Colombia and Peru, is sometimes overlooked by the average traveller. But even apart from the inimitable Galápagos and colonial gems like Quito and Cuenca, it's also got some quite cool adventure offerings around the city of Tena, 3 1/2 hours south of Quito. The capital of Napo province is located in the valley of the Misahuallí River, which starts on the eastern slopes of the Andes mountains and is surrounded by lush Amazon rainforest. If…

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How the eco-paradise Galápagos Islands stay eco-friendly

    As concern for our shared global biosphere rises, many are taking it to heart when it comes to travel, as well. Along with booming ecotourism, both providers and consumers in the travel and tourism sector are looking to promote tourism that's "sustainable" - a trendy buzzword, for sure, but one that simply means striving to minimise as much as possible any negative impacts on our increasingly beleaguered environment whilst allowing visitors to enjoy and learn more about it. And today we're…

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  • RE: "You might want to scroll down this page for the article John Lamkin posted on Ecuador real estate. InternationalLiving.com has just named Ecuador the planet's best country for retirees." THANKS ED!
    BTW I got my 'Panama' hat in Mexico. I'll post a link to that story soon.
  • You might want to scroll down this page for the article John Lamkin posted on Ecuador real estate. InternationalLiving.com has just named Ecuador the planet's best country for retirees.
  • Please visit AfricanDiasporaTourism.com, a web journal about culture and heritage tourism in places of the African Diaspora worldwide. Let me know what you think and sign up for the mailing list to stay in the loop. We just did a great personal travel story on Ecudor.
    Thanks,
    Kitty
  • Here's a new article on Cuenca, Ecuador real estate: http://www.luxurylatinamerica.com/realestate/cuenca_ecuador.html
  • re: Panama hats. John, you might want to contact Tom Miller, author of The Panama Hat Trail.
  • Dorothy, the afroEcuadorians are based mostly in Esmeraldas, on the coast in the north of Ecuador, also in the Chota Valley, more towards Ibarra. Many of the country´s best footballers come from the Chota Valley. The afroEcuadorian culture is quite distinct and the food is fantastic. Hope this is useful.
  • Thanks Dorothy! Maybe I'll do the Panama hat story again :) John
  • Story ideas: I would love to read about the black Ecuadoreans, descendants of 18th C slaves imported to work the coastal plantations, but I believe they are centered up north in the Ibarra area. The Quichuas in Ecuador number 2 million, I'm told, and are the best politically organized, compared to Peru and Bolivia. We saw a large demonstration by Quichuas in the main square in front of the cathedral in Cuenca. Has the "Panama" hat story from Cuenca been written up enough already?
  • PS, I'm writing an article on luxury real estate in and around Cuenca. Any leads will be appreciated. Thanks! John
  • Hi All, I will be traveling to Cancun, Riviera Maya and Laguna Bacalar in December-then to Cuenca, Ecuador for a month, then back to the Yucatan Peninsula for awhile. I would appreciate any story ideas, contacts, properties to look at, etc. My email is: john(at)TravelWritingAndPhotography(dot)com Thanks for your help, John
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