I have lived in Quito about a year now, and to be honest, this is the place for me. I like having a bit of action and Quito has Ecuador’s largest concentrate of ex-pats stationed here…The main question for anybody coming to live in Quito is where. Quito proper has two parts worth living in: the new town or central historical. Here follows a little guide that might help you decide between the three places.
Calling all ladies—Betty surf and Yoga Camp, Canoa, Ecuador
Ecuador is a great place to come year round to learn to surf. The beaches of Canoa offer the perfect place to get wet for the first time, stand up and hang ten off your board….But for those getting into the sport, they might find it a bit daunting to go up against the waves. To this end, Betty Surf Camp was started, to give women seeking adventure travel in a safe place.
Vagabond Journey Magazine Launches
Vagabond Explorer Magazine challenges you to get outside the rounds of conventional tourism, get into the open air, and look the world directly in the face. Serving as the official magazine of Vagabond Journey Travel, in each issue we strive to give you the best on the ground travel reports, biting vagabonding narratives, tactical and money saving tips, and reviews of the top blogs, books, and gear made for the traveler. Look inside at Vagabond Explorer Magazine
Montanita’s best view and best service—Hotel La Barranca
Sitting on the balcony of Montanita’s best hotel I watched as the sky rapidly tranquilized the days harsh glare. Purples and lavas were coalescing and mellowing the evening. The tiny silhouettes of surfers could be seen catching their final waves in the ocean below. Hotel La Barranca
Why not a bit of Pizza with your Sushi?
Night gathers on Montanita. The glow from restaurants and bars punctuates the growing darkness all around. Energy and activity. Glowing centers of ambiance draw in the bronzed vacationers and locals alike. I’ve been sitting on Por Q No’s corner watching the crowds climb into Montanita’s growing swirl of general shenanigans. Some slow their pace to check out the interior and menu of PQN and enter, others carry on towards the pueblo’s main strip of bars and restaurants. I find myself quite nicely stuck in this little corner, acutely askew from all the throbbing going on down in the strip. Por Q No isn’t the place you go to see and be seen. It’s a place to hang out and chat Read more
Historic Hacienda Stays—Half the fun is getting there
Ever wanted to feel like Butch Cassidy or Sundance riding free over the Andean hills of South America? Well, you don’t have to be a bank robber in exile to do so anymore. The Folks at Ride Andes have it all sorted for you. Just book online, fly down and they take care of the rest. Airport transfers, accommodation, horses—and you won’t have to worry about the cops tracking you down. Ride Andes is one of Ecuador’s most distinguished outfitters for Horse tour holiday adventures. Don’t know how to ride—don’t let that stop you. Ride Andes even gives riding lessons.
Most popular amongst the tours is the Colonial Hacienda tour. Imagine setting off on beautiful grassy tracks taking Read more
Bahia and Canoa: holiday and property just a little off the map
It was one of those rides that makes you shut your eyes and wait for its end, untimely or the other. Greg, Sean and I sped out of Manta’s domestic terminal, all 8 cylinders of Greg’s jacked up 4×4 firing us into tomorrow, northward up the Ruta del Sol. Quick was the keyword for this trip. Flying to Manta took only 30 minutes from Quito a much reduced version of the 10 hour bus ride. And after the accident last months involving an overloaded bus rolling off the side of a cliff, more highly advisable. But now we were on to Bahia and the beach of Canoa. Two spots on the Manabi map on the verge of an explosion Read more
Announcing the 6th annual International Living Event in Quito
Yep, it’s coming up so you better save your bucks and get down here for the 6th annual International Living hosted event taking place in Quito from February 15th to 19th. If you don’t already know international living then you should. It is the web’s most popular and extensive website dedicated to helping potential foreign expats and retirees connect with places and property in Latin America. International living has rated Ecuador as the top spot to retire consistently year after year.
IL bases its reports on two important criteria: value and quality of life. Did you know that you can find a modest house along the coast for between $65,000 and 80,000 dollars? Did you know that Quito Read more
Mark and his bookshop, discernibly disconnected in this wired age
I guess I haven’t been too literate lately, which is why, up until now, I haven’t made it into Mark’s used books store. I’ve been sitting on Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace for a while. A pretty thick read at over 1000 pages, it’s been used more as a yoga prop than as reading material . I think it is for my Iphone that I haven’t bothered with real books. Now you can download onto your widget-phone and carry them conveniently around with you, electronically flipping the pages while listening to mp3s in between replying to your sms’s. But bookstores continue to occupy an important place on our google maps. It’s the same reason why record shops Read more
Come visit the Big Gringo at Bungalow 6
Want to come meet the author of the Ecuador Gringo? Come to Bungalow 6 in the Mariscal. That’s right everybody, I have been working upstairs in the famous Bungalow since I got to Quito 3 months ago. Bungalow is known as the Mariscal’s prime party spot and you can tell by the lines of people waiting to get in outside. Bungalow started becoming a cornerstone of the Mariscal’s party scene about 3 years back when John Ott and Sean Carter, a couple of American expats, took it over and began transforming it into a popular hangout, popular with both Ecuadorians and Foreigners alike. I heard one local Ecuadorian describe its secret as being a sort of melting pot Read more
Facebook
Twitter
Comments