Isabela Beach…
Sea lions.
A Galapagos tortoise
Tintorera sharks in Ecuador
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It never ceases to amaze me…
…when I meet foreigners in Ecuador who come for a week or two, and don’t even visit the highlight of Ecuador… the Galapagos Islands.
Where else can you walk along the edge of the ocean and see enormous manta rays and sharks swim right next to you in the transparent water below.
Or turtles the size of cars, and lava tunnels on Santa Cruz Island.
Or scuba with whale sharks and hammerheads off Floreana.
Or see thousands of types of endemic birds, including the world’s smallest penguin, on Baltra.
But many say it’s too expensive, or too far (actually it’s part of Ecuador and only an hour flight from Guayaquil).
The key is you have to know how to see it, the way local Ecuadorians do it.
Most foreigners buy 5 or 7 day cruises over the net, often costing around $2-10,000 depending on the class of the yacht.
But there’s a much cheaper way to see the Galapagos.
Don’t make ANY reservations on the net.
Fly to Santa Cruz, the main island, from Guayaquil for around $350 round trip (seniors get a discounted rate).
Then upon arrival go to the port of the town of Puerto Ayora and walk around and look for one of the several simple, budget hotels, like the one I stayed at, the New Elizabeth Hotel which charges $25 per person per night. For longer stays you can negotiate a bit cheaper or even find a local willing to rent you a room in their home for $10-15 a night (look for “alquiler” signs and ask around).
Once accommodated, go to the port once again to one of the MANY mom and pops travel agencies where you can buy day tours starting from around $60-$80 per day per person right from the source with lunch included.
In other words, use Santa Cruz as your base staying in one of the cheap hotels in the port, and take day trips to the other islands.
Isabela is a must for the wildlife and Bartolome for landscapes like you’ve never seen before.
There are also cool things to do on Santa Cruz, like rent a bike and all day it from Puerto Ayora to the secluded, gorgeous beach of El Garrapatero, be sure to try the fresh breads and sweets in the bakeries in the small towns along the way! Tortuga Bay is the most impressive beach on Santa Cruz.
You could also make Isabela your base if you’d like to get even further off the beaten path on truly picturesque, white sand, turquiose water beaches (the only ones like that in Ecuador).
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“Damn….. she….. is…. fine, got to go say hello.” I thought as I walked over to her as she waited a cab in Quito.
“Hey, excuse me, can you tell me where Mall El Jardin is?” I asked in my broken Spanish with a heavy gringo accent.
“Sure it’s two blocks down and one to the right,” she said.
“Wow, sounds complicated.” I said as I pulled out my mini city map for added effect.
“And if I get lost? I’m gonna call ya.” I said smiling lightly.
“OK,” she said smiling.
“OK, I gotta run, write down your number here on the map just in case”. As I turned my body away.
3 days later, I called and told her I was lost again.
It’s FUN to be single in Ecuador.
Ecuador has some very underratedly beautiful women (and men), Then again, I’ve been told I have low standards.
And for such a small place you’ll be surprised at how much interracial dating is going on, you’ll notice how different the people look from one region to the next.
Esmeraldas has folks of African descent, Cuenca folks often have very light skin and hair. Guayaquil folks look totally different from the ones in Manta and Quito. And both the women and men have their nuances.
Now, I’ve lived in other latin countries like the DR, Colombia, and Mexico but Ecuador is special in that although Ecuador is very latin, it has adopted the clubbing and “loose” dating culture of the US (except in the small towns of course).
And while those other countries along with Cuba, Brazil and the Philippines are admittingly better for “flings and sleeping around” if you’re looking for that special someone to have a relationship with Ecuador is the place.
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How would I go about starting a love life or finding a special someone in Ecuador?
Why waste time surfing the net, if your under 40 I’d hit the meat markets (singles clubs) where men and women go in groups of friends generally looking to meet new people like my fav, Bungaloo Bar, in the Mariscal of Quito.
If you’re over 40 I’d simply get active socially making friends, taking courses, working and the love life will come.
Another great idea for those not interested in going out is to hit the internet. My personal fav is LatinAmericanCupid.com but you’ll find many more Colombian women on there than Ecuadorian. What’s worked for me also is surfing the groups of Facebook that have a lot of members from the city where I’m located.
You can then hand pick who you’d like to meet and send them a short private message saying you’re new to Ecuador and would like to make new friends.
It’s a numbers game on the net but I’ve found net dating great. If you are into net dating, then you must learn more about elixir of eros.
Only one out of three are complete wierdos who will lock you in their basement and feed you to their army of cats.
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Few new arrivals to Ecuador realize you can now pay your water, electricity and other bills online through many Ecuadorian banks.
For instance, Banco Pichincha offers the service “e-Key” for it’s customers which allows them to pay online with security and ease once logged in to their account online.
Beats waiting in line.
