Aureliano, yea, like I said I even noticed your thread before I posted this help request. I was thinking about PMing you sometime soon but I'm glad you popped up here. That's what I was afraid of regarding Quito. It just screams tourist trap (regarding goods I mean, the locale looks pretty impressive). Any comments on what I might expect elsewhere in country? Like I said, Monticristi is not on our agenda and I'm only one of 3 people in the group so I can't really dictate that we detour there for the hats. Here's a rough look at our 'plans' at the moment. I'd consider them pretty much set unless odd circumstances intervene...
Quito - for a short time but mostly as a hub for other destinations, we'll do Mitad del Mundo for sure.
Nanegal - my buddy's Peace Corps assignment town, he'll show us around here
Santa Lucia - the cloud forest preserve near Mindo/Nanegal, he's got things taken care of there already
Mindo - ziplining, perhaps whitewater, some hiking, etc.
Otvallo - I had to pressure a bit here since I'm excited about the market and our current thoughts only include about 3 hours here
Cayambe - mainly just a stopover
Tena - we'll be here for a few days doing hikes, whitewater, and (what I'm most excited about) caving in the Cavernas de Jumandy and the Mondayacu/Cotundo area (hopefully)
Banos - bike ride to waterfalls, thermal baths, recuperate for a day or two here
Riobamba - crash and go out with some other PC staff here perhaps, mostly a pit-stop
Quito - fly out for USA
Looks like a fun trip!
This is what I can tell you about "my" people. American = money, so mind your wallet both financially and literally speaking specially if you jump in a local bus. This applies to everywhere.
Ecuadorians are nice and warm and will treat you with respect. The country is gorgeous and you get a lot for your money since our economy, though sucking in here, is way better in comparison. Dress casual and leave jewelry in the usa. The food is great but stay away from tap water. Stick to bottle or boil your own specially in Tena and Nanegal.
Otavalo is amazing and the market is great! the textiles there are great. If you can get to Cotacachi, only a half hour to 45 min past Otavalo, you'll find a heaven for leather goods.
Make sure you stop in Cayambe for coffee with "Biscochos" (a type of savory baked pastry...so good) with dulce de leche and queso de hoja (white, mozzarella type wrapped in a leave)
Honestly, go to Homero Ortega for hats. I wish I'd purchased two instead of one. They are great! If you have any questions you can PM me.
A-
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