More Parks to Visit in Quito

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More Parks to Visit in Quito

March 29th, 2010 | Ecuador - Adventure, Ecuador - Family Friendly, Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Travel Tips, The Best of Ecuador | No Comments »

In addition to Parque La Carolina there are 3 other major parks in Quito. They are: El Ejido, La Alameda and Parque Metropolitano.

El Ejido is located on Av. Patria west of Casa de la Cultura. It is one of the most traditional parks in the city and serves as a showcase for many local artists. A stroll through the park’s sidewalks affords you the opportunity to admire their work, which is set up for sale along the pathway. This park is also a popular place for street entertainers, such as the frozen man, comedians and other traveling theater groups. The shows can be quite entertaining and draw large crowds. You might also enjoy watching a competitive game of ecuavolei, Read more

Visit Parque La Carolina

March 22nd, 2010 | The Best of Ecuador | No Comments »

Escaping the stress of the streets of Quito doesn’t always entail a trip into the mountains. The city is set up with a number of parks that span hundreds of acres of land within city limits.

Parque La Carolina is quite reminiscent of New York’s Central Park. It is located in the center of the city and is a popular place for families and friends to gather on the weekends. The park is home to a myriad of recreational activities; there are soccer fields, paths for walking, jogging and biking, tennis courts, and even a lagoon where you can rent paddelboats and canoes. On the weekends pony rides are also a favorite of the kids.

The Jardín Botánico in La Read more

Quality Travel Agency and Tour Guides for the Amazon

March 13th, 2010 | Ecuador - Gringo Favorite, Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

If you are retired in Ecuador, its more than likely that you do the majority of your exploring the country when friends and family come to visit. Having lived abroad for years, I can tell you I have seen more interesting things when taking trips I have planned for others than when just exploring on my own.

If the family is coming and you want to make their travels around the country extra special, you might think about hiring a travel guide. Sure, playing travel guide can be fun, but having an expert on hand can not only be a protection, it also takes some of the weight off you for how the event goes.

There are plenty of good Read more

Phoning home from Ecuador

March 5th, 2010 | Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Staying connected is no problem when traveling through Ecuador. Most higher end hotel offer hi-speed internet and somewhat reasonable rates when calling internationally. If your hotel doesn’t offer internet you can easily find internet cafes in town where they charge only $1 or $2 for an hour on the computer.

Sometimes, depending on the rates offered at your hotel, the best place to call internationally is actually at an internet café. Most have voice-over IP lines (VoIP) and calls to the States cost generally around $0.10 per minute with calls to Europe costing just a touch more. Usually hotels make you call through an operator, which can cost you $3 or more per minute.

If you want Read more

Find a Great Hostel In Quito

March 1st, 2010 | Ecuador - Places to Stay, Ecuador - Travel Tips | No Comments »

Housitehostels.com is a great way to find awesome deals on hostels in Quito. Booking through their site you get an automatic mark-down on all rates that is applied the moment you pick your room. There are also a number of specials such as “name your price” and request a “free night” that are offered from time to time.

Housite only advertises for its own hostels, so while there are only 3 options for Quito, you can bet that they are good places to stay. Each hostel is geared towards a specific crowd, providing you with the same quality of service, cleanliness and safety, but a variety of atmospheres depending on what kind of trip you are looking for.

Each Read more