At Christmas in 2014, Giselle and I gifted ourselves a tour of Ecuador with Gate 1 Travel to be taken in late April of 2015. To us, Ecuador is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries either of us has ever visited. So much so, that we have returned multiple times and plan to make this our retirement home in the not too distant future…..Enjoy the stories and pictures from a country we both fell very much in love with…
Volunteering at Place of Hope (11/11/2021) - This morning I got up early and was picked up by our friend Don to go and help out at the Place of Hope. This is a volunteer organization that helps feed the poorest of the poor in Cotacachi. Each… Read More ...
A Bus Trip to Ibarra (11/8/2021) - We ventured out from Cotacachi today to look for the bank that, according to the CIBC website, we could use to set up an account and direct transfer money from CIBC in Canada to Ecuador without fees. Our lack of… Read More ...
Cotacachi Street Art… (11/7/2021) - Today, Giselle and I went for a long walk around many of the streets in Cotacachi in search of murals and beautifully painted doors. This is a bit of what we found. There was an artist who went around and… Read More ...
A Trip to a Friend’s Finca (Farm) (11/6/2021) - After a delicious breakfast at Subs Station, Cotacachi, we were picked up by our friend Don and headed out towards Otavalo for a drive up the mountainside to friend Jeanine's small farm. The road up to the farm is paved,… Read More ...
Cercado – A visit to an Indigenous Community (11/5/2021) - Way back in December of 2020, a local expat (Urku Deborah May) who is intimately involved with the local Indigenous community, posted a request to help a young boy with getting his first 'Zamorros' - a celebratory pair of chaps -… Read More ...
A trip to the market…. (11/3/2021) - Once we got settled in to our apartment, we needed to go to the market for some groceries. There are two basic grocery stores that we know of here in Cotacachi - TIA Supermarket, and Monica's Supermercado. Both are located… Read More ...
Traffic Jams……. (11/3/2021) - Day one of our trip consisted of our friend and great driver, Guillermo Buitron, picking us up at the Hotel Alpachaca. He arrived precisely at 10:00, as arranged. Guillermo comes with very high recommendations from the locals in Cotacachi. He… Read More ...
Back in Cotacachi!! (11/3/2021) - Well, here we are, back in our favourite little town in paradise! It feels so good to come back, renew old friendships, check out what has changed, what is new, what is gone.... Here is what we had to do… Read More ...
An Afternoon Walk in Cotacachi (8/13/2019) - Well, we just can't get enough of this beautiful little town in north central Ecuador! After a nice lunch at Hornados "Dona Mary" at the market up by the bus depot. ($2.50 each) we headed out on another 'discovery walk',… Read More ...
Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser (8/12/2019) - On Saturday morning we attended a pancake breakfast fundraiser for the Place of Hope soup kitchen in Cotacachi. This project was started by Micky Enright, a local realtor and expat living in Cotacachi. They serve breakfast to the elderly and… Read More ...
Muyu Raymi – Cotacachi Indigenous Seed Festival (8/10/2019) - We were kept awake most of the night from the workers setting up tents and a stage in Matriz Park, then the gardeners cleaning the park with their gas powered blowers. We came out in the morning to a transformed… Read More ...
A Walk Around the Block… (8/10/2019) - Yesterday was one of those vacation days where we did absolutely nothing, except for our usual walk somewhere unspecific. This time we headed eastward out of town towards Ibarra, at least I think it is east. My sense of direction… Read More ...
Dining out in Cotacachi (8/8/2019) - Giselle and I love dining out, and today was no exception. After blogging a bit online and Giselle doing IT support for work early this morning, we headed out after the garbage truck arrived for a walk about town. We… Read More ...
Garbage pickup with a twist! (8/8/2019) - Every morning except Sunday, we are entertained by the musical garbage truck at precisely 8:00am. We can hear it about a block away, as it makes its way down the street, picking up the trash on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,… Read More ...
Otavalo Market – again! (8/7/2019) - Today, after meeting a friend for coffee, we took the bus to Otavalo with our new friend Bo from Texas. The busses here are wonderful. You can get from here to there, and everywhere in between for 35 cents. We… Read More ... Back in Cotacachi! (8/7/2019) - I'm going to try to post more often here and turn this thing back into a blog. Giselle and I are back in Cotacachi, Ecuador for a two week vacation after a very busy spring and summer preparing things for… Read More ...
Esmeraldes and Atacames – the north coast of Ecuador (2/18/2018) - Day two of our trip to the coast saw us travelling down Hwy 15, Ecuador's equivalent to Hwy 101 down the west coast of the US. We crossed a few rivers, passed through many small, very poor communities and eventually… Read More ...
Clammy on the coast….a trip to Las Penas (2/18/2018) - After three weeks living in Cotacachi in the highlands of Ecuador, we decided to take a short trip to the northern coast of this beautiful country. It is about a four hour drive from Cotacachi to our destination - Las… Read More ...
Mojanda Lakes (2/10/2018) - High above the town of Otavalo is a series of three lakes formed inside the calderas of the now extinct volcanoes Mohanda and Fuya Fuya. The elevation is around 12,200 ft at the largest lake, Mohanda. This is a protected… Read More ...
Gruta de la Paz and more from Ecuador… (2/7/2018) - Today was an awesome day! After getting an early start, we headed up into the northern highlands of Ecuador for another day trip, this time to the small village of La Paz, just north of Bolivar and a few miles… Read More ...
Cotacachi “Food Fair” (2/5/2018) - After another 2.5km walkabout, we headed over to the food fair at the mercado to try out some of the dishes. There are about a dozen stalls to choose from ranging in food choices from fish, chicken, pork, and beef.… Read More ...
Lunching out in Cotacachi (2/4/2018) - Giselle and I spent the last couple of days laying low and just taking walking tours around the streets of Cotacachi. What we did notice was the amazing number of Almuerzos or lunch spots. You can get a basic meal… Read More ...
Intag Valley Road Trip (2/1/2018) - Today we went on an adventurous trip up over the shoulder of Cotacachi Volcano and down into the Intag Valley, where a lot of Ecuadorean coffee comes from. The views up top before heading down the other side were fantastic. … Read More ...
Getting Lost in the Country, Ecuadorian Style (1/30/2018) - 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… Read More ...
Back in Cotacachi (1/28/2018) - 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… Read More ...
Cuy! (2/16/2017) - 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… Read More ...
Churches and Cemetaries (2/15/2017) - 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.… Read More ...
Quito- the Old Town (2/13/2017) - 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… Read More ...
Otavalo Market (2/11/2017) - 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.… Read More ...
Papallacta – Hot Springs and Mountains (2/9/2017) - 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… Read More ...
Cuicocha Laguna (2/8/2017) - 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… Read More ...
Cotacachi – Our Little Paradise (2/7/2017) - 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… Read More ...
Snow Day… (2/5/2017) - We woke up this morning to about 8" of fresh, heavy, wet snow. The drive to the airport at 4:15 was uneventful...the subaru loves the snow! We arrived at the airport to what was supposed to be a 25 minute… Read More ...
And so it begins… (2/3/2017) - Here I am, 1 day before heading back to my paradise and it is dumping snow here in Vancouver. My cousin Danny Fisher and his wife Rose are heading down from Terrace as I write this. I will have to… Read More ...
October 8 – Weavers, Orchids, and Llamas (10/18/2015) - Today was a day of exploring the surrounding countryside of Cuenca. Our first destination was the small town of Gualaceo, where we visited a special place where a centuries old art called Ikat is done. It is a form of… Read More ...
October 7 – Churches and Hats! (10/18/2015) - After a fabulous dinner at the Italian restaurant attached to our hotel and a relaxing night in our room, we woke up to the sounds of the city getting ready for a busy day. We took a walking tour of… Read More ...
October 6 – Heading to Cuenca (10/18/2015) - After a wonderful stay in Latacunga at a local B&B, sorry no pictures....we headed south towards Cuenca. The road got twistier as we went, passing through many small communities, each with its own central square and church. Some of the… Read More ...
October 5 – Birds, Canyons, and Volcanos (10/17/2015) - We awoke the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and the aroma of coffee wafting in from the outdoor eating area. There were hummingbirds everywhere! After a simple breakfast with fresh fruits and bread, we loaded up in… Read More ...
October 4 – Canyons, Chocolate and Ziplines! (10/15/2015) - The previous evening Wilson asked us what we wanted to do next. We had heard stories of the "Cloud Forest" and wanted to experience it. Our next adventure was set. We headed out from Cotacachi early in the morning travelling… Read More ... October 3 – Otavalo (10/15/2015) - We arrived in Cotacachi late the night before, after a sumptuous dinner in Ibarra with friends of Wilson. We were checked into a very nice B&B called the Yellow Guest House. The rooms are nice, with private baths, comfy beds and very nice… Read More ...
October 2 – Road Trip to Imbabura Province (10/14/2015) - Wilson picked us up on schedule and we headed out of town - north towards Cotacachi. Once out of Quito, he said he wanted to try out his new truck on some back roads. Who were we to complain, this… Read More ...
October 1 – Back for more Ecuador! (10/13/2015) - We absolutely fell in love with this country on our first trip. I blame it all on Wilson, our faithful tour guide. He did such a wonderful job the first time around, we hired him to be our personal guide… Read More ...
May 2 – A Rose for My Sweetie! (5/2/2015) - Our final day of adventure in Ecuador started out with a visit to a local market in Pelileo. The variety and freshness of the fruits and vegetables was amazing. Everything is grown locally, by hand, completely organic! After a short… Read More ...
May 1 – More Adventures (5/1/2015) - The next day we left the jungle and headed back into the mountains for more adventures. Except for a few very large bugs that Wilson was eager to share, the scenery was awesome. We travelled along the highway and left the… Read More ...
April 30 – Jungle Treks (4/30/2015) - We awoke this morning to the sound of crowing roosters, right outside our cabana! It also rained very heavy during the night, but the sun is out today. During breakfast, we were told about the day's activities - a hike… Read More ...
April 29 – Into The Amazon (4/29/2015) - We woke up today to cloudy skies and cool temperatures. We were served an awesome breakfast with lots of fresh fruits and baked goodies. Then onto the bus we went for a several hour drive, downhill all the way. We dropped from 13,000ft to… Read More ...
April 28 – Acoustically Awesome! (4/28/2015) - This morning we were treated to an awesome breakfast and then loaded onto the bus for a short trip down a rough cobblestone road. We stopped at a small village where there was a trail up to a beautiful waterfall. Just… Read More ...
April 27 – Citizens of the Equator (4/27/2015) - Day one of our guided expedition begins! We headed down to the hotel lobby and into the breakfast area where we were to meet our travel companions and our guide. The food selection was awesome, with fresh fruits, bakery items,… Read More ...
April 26 – Quito on Our Own (4/26/2015) - After a short nap, we eagerly hopped out of bed, threw on some clean clothes and started on our adventure. The view from our room was a nice view of downtown Quito, overlooking a large park. We sauntered down to… Read More ...
April 25 – A very long day indeed! (4/25/2015) - It is early morning on this, day one of our South American adventure. We headed out at 3:00AM so we could drive down to Seattle for our 8:30AM flight to Miami, via Chicago. With a stop for breakfast at Jack in the… Read More ...