“The Delights of Ecuador”

By Anne Zcook on November 25, 2013

On our recent trip to Ecuador we used EQ Touring to organize our trip.
we have no hesitation recommending this wonderful tour agency for organizing and creating such a memorable adventure. From owner Jorge and his office-manager Isabel, to our wonderful guides Paul and Cynthia, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience and introduction to Ecuador.
From the warm welcome we received at all the historic Haciendas where we stayed overnight to the deeply prescient artwork and and beauty of artist Oswaldo Guayasamin’s Museum (Chapel of Man) and home (now open for visitors), Ecuador is a study in contrasts.

But the delight was in the details: the locro with cheese and avocado for lunch at Zuleta, the salty crunch of a mouthful of catso, the mouth-watering cevichocho (with lupine, celery, onions, cilantro, tomatoes and chicken) bought from a street vendor, the perfectly fitted Inca walls at San Agustin de Callo, the sheets of gold on every wall of the Companie (Jesuit?) church (is it gold leaf, or gold paint?), the wind in the at 15,230 feet below Cotopaxi base camp, the hot coca tea in the snack shop, the Runa tea at La Casona that cured my headache, the views of Cayumbe rising above green fields on a late sunny afternoon, bags of avocados for $1, the astonishing roses in every hotel vase, the comfortingly worn and musty feel of the books in the library at Hacienda Cusin, and last – but not least — the thrice-daily opportunity to say bien provecho as another wonderful meal was served.

Also unforgettable: the frosty glass of “mora” available at every meal. As was the bag of bizcocho we snacked on along the way. And thanks to Jorge for creating an itinerary to which we would love to have added another week; to Isabel for the paperwork and legwork, plus phone checks on our progress; and to Paul (who has a photographic memory and can answer even the most esoteric question), Cynthia, who can drive while remember historic facts and who showed us the new and old wonders of Quito, a capital city on the move.