Ecuador - January

The Black Flag Cafe is the place travelers come to share stories and advice. Moderated by Robert Young Pelton the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places.

Moderator: coldharvest

Ecuador - January

Postby ReptilianKittenEater » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:00 am

I'll be in Ecuador From 30 Dec to 17 Jan. Doing some climbing and hiking and maybe some cycling. I'll be basing myself in Quito mainly and perhaps Riorhamba for a bit. Anyone around down there?
User avatar
ReptilianKittenEater
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 3121
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:18 am
Location: St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby Kurt » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:13 am

ReptilianKittenEater wrote:I'll be in Ecuador From 30 Dec to 17 Jan. Doing some climbing and hiking and maybe some cycling. I'll be basing myself in Quito mainly and perhaps Riorhamba for a bit. Anyone around down there?


Go to Cuenca. Quito is a bit of a shit pit but if you have to stay there it is a good place to meet other travelers and you have to go to La Reina Victoria bar. You get a good pint there and can have a game of darts.

In Cuenca I had good luck at Hotel De Las Americas. Clean place, Good price and the folks there are willing to drive you to places for a reasonable price. Good breakfasts with fresh juice too.

Riobahmba is a place I passed through only because it was on the scariest bus ride I have ever been on to Quito. On the outskirts you see buses in the junkyard that have accordioned due to "plungeing". Reckless bus drivers exist and they do go over the edge.

When I was on my bus ride I looked at the bus and saw it had an Eaton Fuller 10 speed tranmission. One I used when I was a truck driver. When going down a grade in the Andes I was thinking to myself "he should downshift now" ..he never fucking downshifted. The road was gravel. People realised we were in danger and started pounding on the door to the bus driver (the driver area is blocked to prevent hijacking or something). There is nothing quite like a macho driver fishtailing around Andean corners to prove himself. It is even more intense being in a bus filled with screaming people.

I recomend flying if you can.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21997
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby Kurt » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:16 am

Oh, and in Quito, get a room with a window. The hostel I stayed in did not have a window and I woke up one morning out of oxygen in my room. I had a private room but the dorm room occupants and myself all had to run outside to breathe. I can take all kinds of shittiness in hotels if I have to but I cannot stand a room without oxygen.

Pay more money if you have to. Do not get a room without a window.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21997
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby rickshaw92 » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:36 am

A fun town, dodgy as you like.

Image

Image
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
User avatar
rickshaw92
Pikey Bastard
 
Posts: 9165
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:28 am
Location: Airport Inn trailer park

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby ReptilianKittenEater » Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:38 am

I was in Ecuador 8 years ago and Quito did have a sometimes dodgy feel to it, but not as bad as its reputation was. Some say its gotten dodgier the last couple of years and I will be happy to report back if this is fact or fiction. I'll probably be there for a few days on and off. I don't think I'll have time to get down to Cuenca but I've heard good things about that place.

I'll probably stay a couple of days at Posada de Maple in Quito, it was cheap yet nice when I was there before, but there are some windowless rooms if I can remember. Oxygen is an occasional concern until you get used to the altitude, as are rides on endless descents on crappy busses. I can remember descending into Ambato from Quito and the bus kept on powering out and cruising, probably losing the power brakes.
User avatar
ReptilianKittenEater
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 3121
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:18 am
Location: St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby ReptilianKittenEater » Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:39 am

Nice pics by the way Mr. Shaw, it is a nice place when the sun shines.
User avatar
ReptilianKittenEater
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 3121
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:18 am
Location: St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby friendlyskies » Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:13 pm

I second Cuenca. Great weather, great food, great vibe, ruins, awesome. One of the best hotels I've ever stayed at (circa 2006, though), right in the market, you kind of don't realize it's there. Lots of Ecuadorians stay, cheap, clean, big rooms, airy, and if you want anything at all - coffee, guinea pig on a stick, fruit, whatever - it's right there. Kickass town, too.

I thought Quito was overrated and boring, but it might have been the company. Nice architecture, though. Don't go to that fucking tourist trap on the equator. I love tourist traps, but what a letdown. Go to Guyaquil..... Lonely Planet had given it a really bad recommendation, so of course I had to go. It was AWESOME. I got to shake hands with a presidential candidate, she looked like a hot Ann Coulter, met a bunch of cool people from Quito down there to party, and got drunk off my ass on their awesome boardwalk/party thing, AND my hotel room came with crack and a crack pipe! And half a joint! I always look around my rooms just in case someone left a little present, and boy, did they ever. I gave the crack to some backpackers, who helped me find more weed, and we all just had a blast.

The BEST place I went in Ecuador (once again, probably because of the company) was on an Amazon tour from Tena. Tena is small and boring, but pretty cool, you can go whitewater rafting, they've got a nice park, it's cheap. But the main thing is scoring an Amazon boat tour. Anyway, they were retardedly expensive, like $100/day, and it was just me. So I went around to all the different tour operators, and finally one hooked me up with this group of like 20 French tourists for a five day tour, $27/day since there were so many people. It was FUCKING AMAZINGLY AWESOME. Since none of the French people could speak much Spanish or English (except for their translator, who was kind of standoffish) I mostly hung out with the crew. They gave me some kind of hallucinogenic tea, they took me swimming with fucking piranhas, (they were all, "Hey, is it your time of the month? No? Let's go swimming then!) we went hiking and stayed in these bitchin el cheapo jungle lodges.... you could see the nice lodges, we were in the shitholes, but the shit holes are better, especially when you're with French people because they can take anything without whining like a fucking German. It was rad.

OK..... I guess that's more than my 2¢. HAVE FUN.
"4 cylinder Camaro=communism" El Presidente

"You can smoke salmon but it's not quite the same as smoking heroin." nanuq
User avatar
friendlyskies
Vata Loca
 
Posts: 7459
Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:36 pm
Location: Atlantis

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby nowonmai » Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:44 am

ReptilianKittenEater wrote:I'll be in Ecuador From 30 Dec to 17 Jan. Doing some climbing and hiking and maybe some cycling. I'll be basing myself in Quito mainly and perhaps Riorhamba for a bit. Anyone around down there?


Aren't 2.5M Ecuadorians enough company for you?
User avatar
nowonmai
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 11542
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2005 8:52 pm

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby coldharvest » Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:32 am

nowonmai wrote:
ReptilianKittenEater wrote:I'll be in Ecuador From 30 Dec to 17 Jan. Doing some climbing and hiking and maybe some cycling. I'll be basing myself in Quito mainly and perhaps Riorhamba for a bit. Anyone around down there?


Aren't 2.5M Ecuadorians enough company for you?

not when he can choose one of us
I know the law. And I have spent my entire life in its flagrant disregard.
User avatar
coldharvest
Abdul Rahman
 
Posts: 25677
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:36 am
Location: Island of Misfit Toys

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby ReptilianKittenEater » Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:31 pm

So true Cold and NW.

Thx for the adivse FS, I have to stay at altitude for a climb so I'll miss the Amazon and the coast. I did briefly get down to the Amazon last time I was there and saw the Amazon in Peru(lots of great evil critters). Quito is kinda dodgy and its a place that does really grow on you. In contrast La Paz, Bolivia doesn't have as much great architecutre or sights but it grows on you after a while.
User avatar
ReptilianKittenEater
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 3121
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:18 am
Location: St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby marie-angelique » Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:28 am

excellent climbing destination - what are you going to climb?

i had a ball in quito - mostly just drinking and dancing post-climb with a friend who worked there.

a friend dragged me to the home/gallery of Guayasamin. if you are into art and stuff it is worth a trip.
"Give me control of your TV and I could have you sticking bullets in the backs of peoples heads within a month." nowonmai

"anything you say sounds dirty to me."
User avatar
marie-angelique
Coonass
 
Posts: 5986
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2005 12:24 am
Location: over the rainbow

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby ReptilianKittenEater » Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:36 am

Hi m-a, Definitely I will climb Cotopaxi. I tried it 8 years ago but thee was an avalanche risk due to heavy snow, and none of the guides would go up.

I might do Chimborazo, but the latest I have heard is the climbing conditions are not good due to the eruption of Tunguruhua. I will also do a couple of other peaks to acclimitize.

I may check out the artsy destination you mentioned. tx
User avatar
ReptilianKittenEater
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 3121
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 3:18 am
Location: St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby Kurt » Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:38 am

ReptilianKittenEater wrote:
I might do Chimborazo


*snicker*
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21997
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby coldharvest » Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:10 am

Kurt wrote:
ReptilianKittenEater wrote:
I might do Chimborazo


*snicker*

damn, beat me to it
I know the law. And I have spent my entire life in its flagrant disregard.
User avatar
coldharvest
Abdul Rahman
 
Posts: 25677
Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 2:36 am
Location: Island of Misfit Toys

Re: Ecuador - January

Postby Kurt » Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:27 am

coldharvest wrote:
Kurt wrote:
ReptilianKittenEater wrote:
I might do Chimborazo


*snicker*

damn, beat me to it


The fact his handle is that of a mountain leaves much room for these sort of comments.

We should focus on this more.
User avatar
Kurt
In Manus Manus
 
Posts: 21997
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:29 am
Location: New York City

Next

Return to Black Flag Cafe

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot] and 18 guests