Hola y bienvenidos otro video, today I'm
going to talk about something that I'm very excited to share with you guys -
about my travels in ecuador, so let's get right into it Ecuador is a little country in South
America with some of the largest levels of biodiversity in the world. Many of you
are probably familiar with the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin studied his theory
of evolution and maybe with the capital, Quito, which
is the second highest capital city in the world it lies at
about 9,350 feet above sea level. Quito is a city
situated high in the Andes mountains, which is why it is surrounded
by dramatic mountain peaks and all throughout the city the streets are
constructed on slopes and hills which make taking taxis and buses very
interesting, and kind of scary. Quito's streets are
lined by both modern apartment buildings and modest concrete plazas and homes
the streets are filled with street art which both distracted
and amazed me during my long walks to the university where I studied
Some must see attractions in Quito are the Basilica del voto nacional
which is a roman catholic church located in the historic center
of Quito, you can't miss out on the lookout of the city from the top of the
Basilica Another site to see is the Church of the
Jesuits because everything inside is adorned with gold. Quito's teleferico, or gondola lift, can take you up into surrounding peaks
in the andes and is great for seeing an amazing aerial view
of the city. Once you get to the top, you can also go on a hike
either by foot or on a horse but make sure to give yourself
a few days to get used to the altitude because the teleferico
will bring you up to about 12,942 feet in elevation
and altitude sickness is no joke there is also an awesome swing
right at a lookout point where you can get some great photos or just feel like
you're flying in the majestic Andes another interesting attraction in Quito
is the museum of Guayasamin which is a museum of artwork by the Ecuadorian
artist Oswaldo Guayasamin, here you can admire
his abstract art and even visit his hillside home which
is filled with artwork that served as his inspiration
among the most fascinating was this display of kamasutra
sculptures. Quito also has great nightlife for example
you can visit La Ronda which is located in the historical district
in La Ronda, you can enjoy live music, dance
and sing in karaoke restaurants. This is where I tried a huge and delicious
empanada you can also see an amazing view of La
Virgen del Panecillo or the Virgin of Quito
lit up at night but don't try to wander too much outside of this area because
it's not very safe at night but Ecuador is a lot more than just those places
Ecuador is comprised of four geographical zones
el oriente, to the east, or what we may know as the amazon jungle
la sierra, in the center, or the andes mountains, la costa, or the coast to the
west, and the Galapagos Islands just off the coast. I was lucky enough to
visit all of Ecuador's geographical regions
besides the Galapagos Islands Luckily it's such a small country that
you can take one bus ride from the mountains and be on the beach the next
morning I mostly traveled using the bus system,
which has its pros and cons, but I got around safely and affordably. I
have spent about six months in total in Ecuador the first time that
I visited Ecuador was in January of 2019 and I studied
abroad in Quito for about three months So this video will be about all of the
places that I visited during my first trip
I was living with a host family in Quito near Ekopark
during the week and taking weekend trips to nearby
cities in the Andes. Towards the end of my study abroad trip,
I was able to visit the coast with my study abroad buddies, and I spent the last
few weeks of my trip in Baños, exploring the secondary rainforest
and I realize that in order to do justice to this beautiful and diverse
country, I will have to make this a multi-part video.
Another great weekend trip that you can take in Ecuador
is a trip to Papallacta. Papallacta is a small village in the Napo province, about
an hour away from Quito, but there is a hot
springs spa and resort located there called Termas
Papallacta. While on our way to the thermal pools resort
we admired the country and mountain landscape. This was an incredible
destination for admiring the surrounding Andes landscape while relaxing in
thermal pools of varying temperatures Another must-see attraction is La Mitad
del Mundo, or the middle of the world, this is a
mini city with a monument dedicated to it's location right on the equatorial
line other attractions within the park
include various museums such as el museo de cacao, or cocoa
museum, el museo de la cerveza artesanal, or a
craft beer museum, a small planetarium, and viviendas
ancestrales, or an ancestral homes exhibition with
recreations of traditional homes from the Amazon, Andes and the coast.
An attraction that you must visit in Ecuador is an open air market called
Otavalo market. In this market local indigenous peoples sell
colorful textiles and handicrafts and fresh fruits,
grains and spices. Not to mention that the drive to the market is beautiful
and there are many restaurants that you can stop at to eat fresh fish
and other delicious foods. We stopped at a restaurant called Puerto Lago, which
was on the shore of a lake with an amazing view of yet another
green mountain peak. One of my favorite cities in Ecuador and where I spent most
of my time during my second trip was a little city called
Baños. This city really impressed me because of its location
and wealth of activities for locals and tourists
Baños is a city located in the Andes and it's well known for its access to many
trails, including some on the active Tungurahua
volcano. It also has the Pastaza river to the east,
and many many waterfalls. La Ruta de las Cascadas,
or the highway of the waterfalls, is a road leading from Baños
to Puyo, and it runs along the Pastaza river canyon
Often people will ride bikes or drive along the street
stopping at each waterfall and admiring the views
Luckily Baños is a city that really caters to tourists
so there are many tourism offices selling affordable trips and renting
gears such as bikes and four-wheel off-road vehicles which
make traveling in the area a lot more convenient. Baños is also a
gateway to the nearby Amazon basin, which makes it the perfect city for
adventurers. From Baños, you can take trips to the Amazon Rainforest,
you can go rafting, kayaking, canyoning, paragliding, hiking, bungee jumping,
and much more. Baños also has great nightlife
and picturesque hotels and hostels for national
and international travelers, and not to mention
tons of thermal pool parks. You can also go
on a swing called El Columpio del fin del Mundo
in La Casa del Arbol, which is a treehouse that lies on top of a mountain
peak that overlooks the city of Baños.
And finally, during the weekend of carnaval, my
friends and I planned a trip to the coast,
and we stayed in two very different coastal cities
in Canoa and in Manta, which lie in the Manabí province of Ecuador Canoa was a small beach
town and we stayed in a beautiful hostel called Selina on the beach,
this is a very chill and relaxed beach city. We took a boat ride around the bay,
witnessed the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen in my life,
danced in small bars on the beach and lounged away
on hammocks during the day. Manta was a different story,
it was a bigger city and due to the fact that we went during carnaval there were
a lot of people which it was a little bit stressful for
us gringuitos, but we made the best of it. The highlight
of Manta was probably the beachfront pool club
where we spent our first day. The sunset was amazing
and we enjoyed a few beers with locals. Either way,
you have to try the fresh ceviche sold on the beach no matter what beach you
visit in Ecuador. One of the most popular beach towns in
Ecuador is Montañita, and for some good reasons, but as I promised before,
my travels in Montañita and the Amazon Rainforest will be included in my next
video about Ecuador So stay tuned for my next video about my
travels in Ecuador, where I will share about my trips to the
jungle and some coastal cities and some other cities in the mountains
And there you have it guys, those were some of the first places that
I was able to visit in Ecuador that left an amazing impression on me,
so much so that I decided to return to Ecuador a few months later.
I learned a lot in Ecuador, not only because I studied there, but because I met incredible people who made my travels there so much more vibrant and
worthwhile Ecuador is a country whose economy
thrives off of its tourism and it's a great place to travel in all
types of environments, not to mention it's pretty damn
affordable, so if you're an adventurer looking to
explore la pachamama or meet a new vibrant culture and people,
Ecuador is the place to go. So if you enjoyed my video, please give it a like
subscribe to my channel and stay tuned for my upcoming travel videos, because
there will be more where this came from. Thanks for watching and see you next time!
