ECUADOR

Basically, rent a car, take a bus, or fly into the Loja airport (actually located 45 minutes away in Catamayo) and use a combination thereof. While the bus is by far the most economical method and provides for some drive by site seeing as well, it can take a while. If the rent-a-car is not in the equation, then a fair estimate for bus fare was described to us as “about $1 per hour,” and it seemed to prove a reasonably accurate observation. For example, from the Quito airport to the north terminal of Rio Coca, the fare ran $2 and took close to 2 hours. From Otavalo to Cotacachi the fare was 25 cents and took approximately 20 minutes. Running a little short on time this trip, we made a last minute decision to fly from Guayaquil to Loja on Ecuador’s airline Tame. Something to note here: airfares are of course a bit less on the company’s web-site than if purchased at the counter, however the complete-the-purchase section of their site does not function. We were trying to complete our reservations and each time we submitted the card info for payment we received a message stating it could not be processed. Attempting with two different cards and then checking with card services, it was discovered no attempts to charge were made. We looked up a local office for Tame only a few blocks away and stopped in the following morning – the day of our desired flight. The rep at the counter agreed they were advertised cheaper on the site, and apologetically confirmed that their site did not work and tickets could not currently be purchased on-line. In any event, for same day one-way tickets from Guayaquil to Loja we paid $47 + $11.69 taxes =$58.69 each. The 50 minute flight from Guayaquil lands in the valley just outside of Catamayo. No buses and only 3 taxis in site, without the appearance of much bargaining leverage, the cost of the taxi for the 45 minute ride to Loja was $20.  A more economical option may have been to take the taxi to bus terminal in Catamayo, and then connect to the terminal in Loja for continuing on to the small town of Vilcabamba. Per the directions our host had offered, we went ahead and took the taxi from the airport to Taxi de Ruta, a company located at Once de Mayo (11 of May -name of street) in Loja. While a singly hired taxi from Loja to Vilcabamba would run $15, a taxi from Taxi de Ruta is only $1.75 – the only difference being that you wait until there are a total of 3-4 people to fill the cab and share the ride. They run pretty regularly and we did not have to wait at all. We simply got out of one taxi and into another and continued on to Vilcabamba, another 45 minute ride winding through beautiful green mountain countryside with others to converse with. During our stay in Vilcabamba with our wonderful Couchsurfing host we made a day trip to Loja. $1.75 each via a Taxi de Ruta cab from Vilcabamba back to Once de Mayo in Loja, which is located only a few short blocks from the downtown market and plazas. The bus ride back was 40 or 50 cents each. Buses and taxis both arrive at the same location in Vilcabamba, which is only a two block walk in to the parque central -village center. Leaving Vilcabamba via the Loja airport in Catamayo, while there is another road as well, the suggested route is simply back through Loja. The $1.75 shared ride with Taxi de Ruta is one option back to their station in Loja, where you could then take another for about $1-$1.50 to the Loja bus terminal, go to the Catamayo bus terminal and then taxi it to the airport. However if tight on time this might not work as you may have to wait for enough people to fill the cab – and coordinate the bus schedule. A regular taxi from Vilcabamba to Loja (not shared) we were told is $15. The most economical option would be the bus from Vilcabamba to Loja, then bus from Loja to Catamayo (Since we did not visit the bus terminal in Catamayo, I am not sure if there is a bus directly to the tiny airport. Would seem there should be, but no buses were seen at the airport on either visit, and others arrived by taxi, van, or personal transportation). A number of taxis can be found around the central park in Vilcabamba that advertise airport service on the side of their vehicle, and everyone seems to have a favorite driver they can recommend and call. A taxi from Vilcabamba direct to the airport is a 1.5 hour ride and $35. One somewhat helpful site for checking bus, air, and limited train schedules and locations throughout Ecuador is www.ecuadorschedules.com. However the site does not show (at the time of this post) any bus routes to the Loja airport itself. Always advisable of course if traveling by bus is, upon arrival at a terminal, since you are there, to check the departing schedules and routes so you know the options and what to expect when returning for your departure.  

From the bus terminal in Otavalo, the charming little village of Cotacachi, famous for its leather goods is a 25 cent bus ride, 20 minute bus ride. From the bus terminal in Cotacachi, to the right of the station, we walked directly to the corner passing the bus station services building to your left, and down the street full of leather shops on both sides. At one point, not far, we reached a location with outdoor vendors as well. We only spent a few hours in Cotacachi – on a Saturday -so missed the Sunday produce market. We found the leather goods to be inexpensive in most cases, but certainly not all – and more expensive than we may have guessed for some items. A seemingly quiet town, we noticed a few other tourists visiting and shopping, and expats willing to help out with directions and advice.

About 1.5 to 2 hours by bus from the Carcelen bus terminal in Quito, a little past the lake with the volcano backdrop is the town of Otavalo. Famous for its weekend market that fills several city streets, Otavalo is full of color. There are some markets running each day, however the weekend market is the one Otavalo is known for, primarily hosted by the indigenous people of Ecuador. Loaded with handcrafts of all sorts from alpaca blankets and sweaters to jewelry made of the tagua nut and native woods, to paintings and clothing, the streets are full and colorful with the aroma of various street foods wafting through the air. Name brand and copies of name brand clothing and shoes are abundant as well, but who wants to visit a famous market in Ecuador for brand items? Walk the entire market and negotiate a bit on prices before purchasing. Then make the rounds again in the late afternoon. The bargaining is friendly and non-aggressive, and bargains are to be had on pretty much anything. Only a 25 cent bus ride, less than a half hour away, is Cotacachi, a small village known for it’s leather goods. We walked the Otavalo market in the morning, took the bus to Cotacachi and did a little shopping, then returned to start filling our bags. Some of the interesting items found include jewelry made of dried orange peels and the seeds from the large tagua fruit, as well as hand crafted instruments and clothing. The town central of Otavalo itself is clean and colorful, with the churches and waterfalls lit up at night with accents of blue, green, and purple, with decorated street lamps. The old style street lamps are adorned with stained glass designs. Plenty of bread and pastry shops fill the air with sweet scents. Although not Ecuatoriano,  there is a pretty good Mexican restaurant on Avenida Piedrahita by the name of Chimichangas (Simon Bolivar y Vicente Piedrahita), colorful with interesting art on the walls, where two dinners, a desert and cocktail or beer will run a total of about $11-$15. A number of hostels and a few hotels are within 2-6 blocks or less of the central plaza. We spent two nights at Hotel Chasqui, with a rooftop kitchen and balcony overlooking the valley, and only a few short blocks of town central (click here on Otavalo Lodging for more on the hotel).

Our easy 1.5 hour flight from Panama City, Panama to the new Quito airport turned into 4.5 hours, making the would be short trip from Florida to Ecuador not so short. Fog rolled in quickly between the mountains surrounding the new airport, and the pilot had to pull up and circle a few times before moving on to Guayaquil and landing to re-fuel and wait out the weather. The new airport is quite a distance from downtown Quito and the Centro Historico area. About an hour ride by taxi with no traffic at 2 am, not sure I would recommend trying to navigate the public bus system on this one. A taxi however runs about $30, and we found this to be the going rate amongst hostels that once provided free airport pickup, however no longer due to the distance. Not sure how valid the source, but we were told that recommendations had been made not to build the airport in the new location because of frequent fog, but the project moved forward. Whatever the case, delays are apparently common already, so have plan B ready accordingly. We were pleasantly surprised: the taxi driver sent by the hostel waited the entire 3 hour delay for us! (He received a generous tip). It was 4 am when we laid our heads to rest at the Colonial House Hostal, and the roosters were already starting to crow. The room was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the roosters were quickly tuned out. We woke up around 9 and opened the window to the fresh, crisp morning air, to a view out the window of the angel on the hill. Time to put on the shoes and hit the streets in search of a local cafe serving comidas tipicas (typical food -local food) with real coffee (not instant), and do some people watching. We found one on Calle Guayaquil. A freshly made jugo natural of sandia (watermelon), filtered coffee, and a baseball sized bolon (breaded green plantain and cheese mixture) and a pastry set us back a whopping $2.50 with tax and tip. All good and we were off to the hostel to meet our hosts from Children International for a wonderful day.