Dave Ward

We woke up today to sunny skies and a fresh pot of Ecuadorian coffee.  The plan for the day was a drive to Ibarra to go to the larger shopping center to pick up a few needed items, then drive…

After a very long trip via Aero Mexico and an 11 hour layover in Mexico City, we arrived, tired, but very happy to be here. The town has not changed much since our last visit, except for a few improvements…

After a short shopping trip in Ibarra, where we found Ecuadorian wine,  we decided to look for a restaurant that serves a sort of national dish of Ecuador.  There is a small town between Ibarra and Cotacachi called Chaltura.  It…

After a day of rest, we met with our guide friend Marco Vega whom we met while on our first tour of Ecuador.  He was our guide at the Amazon resort Casa Del Suizo, in Ahuano, on the Napo river.…

Our good friend Wilson agreed to meet up with us in Quito today for a walk around in the historic district – A UNESCO world heritage site.  The buildings here are all over 400 years old or so.  There are…

The Otavalo Market is the largest Indigenous market in South America!  Every Saturday, the market square in Otavalo is chock full of indigenous art, crafts, textiles, jewelry, foods and musical instruments brought in by artisans from all over the country.…

On Thursday, February 9, we booked a stay at Termas de Papallacta, a beautiful spa resort located high in the mountains between Quito and the Amazon Basin.  Instead of going over to Quito and then up, we took an alternate route…

Day one of our trip started out very energetically – is that even a word? A short 12 km drive out of Cotacachi took us to a large crater lake formed on the side of Cotacachi Volcano. Cuicocha Laguna is the equivalent…

Cotacachi – a small town in north central Ecuador.  Political centre for the Canton Cotacachi (sort of like a county seat) in the province of Imbabura.  It is a beautiful little town nestled in the valley between two extinct volcanoes…