Leaving Peru and entering into our next country, Ecuador.
We are staying with Dani and her family. During our time in the UK we got to meet Dani and she stayed with us for a period of time. Now we are being blessed and have been welcomed into their home and family. They are a great family and are making our time here eventful. Here is a picture of them.
Ecuador is only half the size of France, it contains the snow-capped Andes, the Pacific coast and expanses of Amazon jungle. It is rapidly earning a reputation for being one of the most popular new destinations in South America. Ecuador has largely avoided the bitter extremes of poverty that afflict other Andean countries such as Bolivia and Peru. Ecuadorians include descendants of the Spanish conquistadores and original pre-Columbian inhabitants, many of whom still speak Quichua and maintain traditions from Inca times and before. Ecuador is straddled across the Andes on the most westerly point of South America. The Andean mountain divides the country into three distinct regions: the coastal plain, the mountains or Sierra and the jungle or Oriente. The fourth region is the Galapagos Islands but this is somewhere we won’t be setting foot on due to the costs it would entail.
So here are some of our stories from Ecuador.
Bea and I were on either side of the equator line at La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle 
of the World). So there are monuments which mark the Equator across South America, South-East Asia and Africa but supposedly none are more accessible than the one here in Ecuador, north of Quito. Here was the first expedition by a French scientist who made the measurements of the Equator.
The monument isn’t the most spectacular but it does the job. It measures 30 metres high topped by a huge metal globe of the earth so lacking any aesthetic appeal. The Equator line stretches 38,600km around the world but is of course invisible. At this site they have made the line visible with a 4 inch painted line to allow tourists to jump either side of the equator and perform other stunts.
Next adventure was to the jungle “The Oriente” of Ecuador. The country has three distinct regions and we ventured from the Sierra into the jungle. It was a three day two night tour with the family. Along the way we got to try some traditional ice-cream which is famous within these areas. Our first stop took us to our first town called Banos. There was a zoo which had many varieties of animals scattered around such as puma’s, bears, condo, parrots, monkeys etc…
In the evening we had the opportunity to see how maraca’s (rumba shakers) are made. Our adrenaline rush was met when we crossed high above a cascading river in a dodgy basket on a pulley system. That was enough to fill our adrenaline needs as we don’t need no bunjie jump or sky dives etc. The next day we drove further into the jungle and passed an active volcano which had erupted and destroyed much of the surrounding area. Once we arrived at our destination we were able to relax for the following day’s adventure into the jungle. We took a boat down the river and visited a small village in the jungle which consisted of two families. Here we got to see their many traps for catching animals and also hear about how they use much of the flora to their advantage for medicinal and other practicalities. There was also a museum where more animals were kept and the many varieties of trees and for what purpose they had to fight against many infections and diseases. We left the jungle and drove back towards Quito.
We stayed a night in Quito which was an experience. It is a very interesting city with some very interesting people. We strolled through the old colonial streets of La Ronda at night where we enjoyed some traditional foods and tasted the local dishes.
The old town of Quito is comprised of churches, convents and white-washed houses with red tile roofs have not changed much physically since colonial times. Through the narrow cobblestone streets are small doors on either side which lie massive mansions behind where some of the richest residents once lived. Now it is divided up into smaller homes for the poor. A night time walk is definitely not advisable and even to have five locals with us there was still an element of danger. Don’t worry we didn’t re-enact the Buenos Aires scene and instead got taxi’s back to our apartment for the night. The next morning we took the opportunity to take in the city sights. We saw the Plaza and Monastery of San Francisco, the Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande), La Compañía de Jesús and the Museo de Arte Colonial. With its narrow streets, restored colonial architecture and lively plazas, Quito’s Centro Histórico (aka the old town) is a marvel to wander. Built centuries ago by indigenous artisans and laborers, Quito’s churches, convents, chapels and monasteries are cast in legend and steeped in history. It’s a bustling area, full of yelling street vendors, ambling pedestrians, tooting taxis, belching buses and whistle-blowing policemen trying to direct traffic.
Well that is a little update of our time here in Ecuador so far. We head to the coast of Ecuador tomorrow to enjoy the hot weather, sandy beaches and warm water… got to be better than the weather in Europe at the moment. We will try and update again soon with more pictures. Lots of love to all family and friends. As always we would love to hear from you.
this blog – I am sorry for the delay as we have been putting together a new blog www.ebsheehy.com. Click on the link and go straight there to get all the updates and what we are now up to! Make sure to read the “About” page as this will answer most of your questions. Of course, we welcome your unanswered questions and even more so we would love to hear from you.
Our Journey around the World 