VIP Blog

Having been a long time subscriber to National Geographic Traveler Magazine, I look forward with great anticipation to their Annual Destination Survey/Assessment.   

 

Being journalists, or at least trying to pass as such, the writers who compile this list have developed some points of perspective resulting in the application of their Stewardship Index.

 

I don’t agree with their scores on a number of the selected destinations, having completed my own first-hand assessments during prior trips....but they have added some new destinations this year and updated their scoring.

 

All in all, I enjoy their annual review and thought I would put up a link for those of you who might have missed it:

 

 http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/destinations-rated/intro-text

 

There is one caveat I would offer about adventure travel and it goes something along these lines:

 

There is something about discovering or learning early on about the existence of very special destinations…what might be called "the place" to visit and experience...especially those requiring a two week hike or trek or a pack horse supported expeditions just to arrive there.

 

“These places” can be very, very special!

 

Soon though, after a few people have visited “the places,” others hear about the “the place” and want to go, so they can tell their friends they have visited “the place”….but they don’t want to endure the hardships or inconveniences of getting there….so tourism adjustments are instituted.

 

Accommodations (some times rustic and some times quite extraordinary) are constructed, access is improved such as clearly marked trails, bush strips for aircraft are carved, helipads, hard packed roads, followed by four lane hard surface highways suitable for tour busses….all construction sequenced so it is easier to visit “the place.”

 

At last, yes finally at long last, everyone is able to arrive and remain in relative comfort to see and experience “the place,”

 

….but...

 

Oh My, when we all get there….”the place” is not so special, it is too crowded, too much conversation in different languages we have difficulty understanding, too may cameras clicking and video recorders humming and people jabbering or texting on cellular or satellite telephones.

  

Oh My, “this place”….the one that only a few years ago everyone was calling “the place” is too much like home, too much like what we do everyday to earn the money to allow us to travel to “the place”…..why are we here and why have we paid so much of our hard earned money (is the market up or down today…let me check my iPhone or Blackberry) to get to “the place” and discover it offers nothing more than the “the place” we visited last year and really didn’t enjoy!

 

How did this happen?

 

Just an observation..…

 

Ecuador remains one of our favorite countries in South America for both luxury and budget travel.

 

Just arriving by air can be your first taste of adventure:

 

Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO) is one of my least favorite airports in the world....out dated, situated on a plateau, surrounded by some of the tallest peaks in the Andes, and completely besieged by industrial and residential structures…it has never been a fun place to land, at least during our last three arrivals and departures….certainly seems like the runway is just too short and the structures too high for large aircraft to be negotiating. 

Here are two perfect examples of a spiraling corkscrew on a clear day....just think how many barf bags you could fill on an overcast approach or may a very dark night:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjiLGKKwOGk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXSJVHoXy58&feature=fvw 

 

Imagine doing this with low hanging clouds.....while fixating on towering snow covered peaks of several surrounding volcanoes on the initial approach, then transitioning into a downward blind spiral through the clouds...wondering if there really is a runway below and if the pilots are going to come in too short or a go a little too long!

 

Hopefully by our next visit, the new Quito International Airport, which is scheduled to open sometime in 2010 and is situated about 10 miles outside of the city will be operational.  The new airport promises to provide a little less excitement for landings and take off, but the safe arrival percentages are anticipated to escalate dramatically. 

 

For us, Quito is a place for a brief stop, maybe to shower, grab some sleep and then move on to more interesting destinations.  Never seen much there to excite us….how many more cathedrals can I walk through?  

The JW Marriott is our choice for an overnight or two in Quito (everything works, including the plumbing and their sewer system accepts soiled toilet tissue….such is not the case in a couple of the other hotel we have tried:

 

http://www.ecuador.com/health-safety/

 

http://www.exploringecuador.com/ecuador_toilets_drinking_water.htm

 

..if you don’t mind their “once daily” emptying of the little baskets, then there are several historic hotels in Quito you might consider for your visit, but you can do your own Internet search and live with your own decisions.

 

Honestly, don’t break your neck to rush to the Otavalo Market….over the past ten years it’s basically morphed into a commercial flea market for tourists…much like Chicastenango in Guatemala. 

 

If you want to see mercados authentico, then visit theSaquisilí market down by Cotopoxi, which is one of the largest remaining indigenous markets in Ecuador and there several other markets nearby including Pujili, Latacunga and Ambato…smaller, but the real deal. 

 

Best to have a guide along, just to assist with translations (may of the indigenous speak very little Spanish and even less English). 

 

One thing for certain, if you visit any or all of these markets, you will likely become an object of interest and curiosity, since not too many norte americanos visit regularly.

 

Previous trips to Ecuador have included trekking some of the lower altitude trails of the Andes and advancing upward to some of the day hikes along the bases of volcanoes such as Cotopaxi. 

 

We have also spent time in one of the eco camps in the rainforest of the eastern slopes of the Andes…Kapawi Eco-Lodge constructed on one of the major tributaries of the Amazon River and not too far from the Peruvian border.  This is real rainforest living....so request and pay attention to the DVD before you make your final decision to travel here.

   

Ecuador was also our jumping off point for a cruise among the Galapagos Islands off the Pacific coast, which involves a visit to Guayaquil.....too many people (largest city by population in the country).

 

We did spend a week in Cuenca…one of the real treasures of and not so crowded Spanish Colonial cities of the Andes.

 

Should you travels take you deeper into the Andes and the colonial city of Cuenca….plan on visiting our friends (actually catered events for us for years here in South Florida) Chris and Leslie Breen….owner/operators of

Café Eucalyptus. 

 

They have lived there for many years and suffered the trials and tribulations of opening a business in a foreign county.  Thankfully, their most difficult times are behind them and now their café is a favorite of locals and world travelers as well…they are featured in most of the top guide books as the place to refresh yourself when in Cuenca:

 

www.cafeeucalyptus.com/

 

   

Another reason to consider travel to Ecuador is the very favorable currency conversion of the Ecuadorian Sucre with the US Dollar..…approximately 25,000 to 1 at the time I am writing this. 

 

Looking for some interesting places to stay outside of the main cities consider one or all of the following:  Each of them offer unique and typical experiences.

 

Hacienda La Cienega (one of my favorite places in Ecuador)

www.hosterialacienega.com/

 

Hacienda Zuleta

www.zuleta.com/

 

The Inca House

http://incahacienda.com/

 

It would be nice for the Luxury Link Sales Team to find some interesting properties in Ecuador……while the country still offer luxury destinations at relative travel bargain prices!

Revisits are not typically our thing. More like”been there – done that – moving on to see what is next” …..but The Filadelfia Coffee Resort in Antigua, Guatemala was too tempting to pass up for another long holiday weekend.

….well, at least the public demonstration (roughly 30,000 – 40,000 upset because the sitting president allegedly had an opponent “terminated”) in Guatemala City, had occurred a two days prior to our arrival (only a few disgruntled individuals bearing signs were wandering the main avenidas) and we were able to work through the normal congestion around the airport before heading out to Antigua. How about an slight earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale (must have been some shifting of tectonic plates….like who cares…it’s the fact the ground is moving and you’re trying to stand still….and “slight” is the wrong adjective to use with any earthquake).

The road to Antigua from GUA is almost always “rush hour” no matter the hour….buses and truck…cars and scooters….seems like every inch of pavement is taken by someone trying to get some place. For us, the ride is entertaining…always something different.

Asked our driver if he would mind stopping at a bank drive through window so we could handle a quick currency transaction…of course…no problem…and the conversion rates is far more favorable than the airport or the hotel…..now we have some walking around local money.

The air clears and the temperature drops pleasantly as we leave the city, gaining some altitude on the short 45 minute drive to Antigua…no wonder so many local city dwellers head for countryside retreats on weekends.

Soon we are winding our way down familiar cobblestone roads, entering Antigua and working our way through foot traffic and bicycles along the outskirts and toward the guarded calle arbolada de Filadelfia. There are familiar faces, broad smiles and several hugs from the staff upon arrival….as well as the freshly brew café and assorted jugos. Le us show you to your suite.....so many fresh flowers I'm wondering if we're attending a wake...fortunately no deceased in sight?

The next five days past too quickly…mule rides into the mountains - and we are reminded why mules are strong, determined and sometimes stubborn, volcano treks up Picaya…..a long steep trail that may best be attempted early in the AM….worth the effort (you can cheat and ride horses), excellent dining at both upscale (Panza Verde www.panzaverde.com/en/dining.htm) and modest restaurants (Sabe Rico…Thanks for the special vegetarian lunch packed for our Picaya trek….also loved the secluded courtyard dining).

The Filadelfia remains a very peaceful, private retreat – a place to come home to – even if it is your first visit….close enough but not too close to the activity and crowds of Antigua.

Maybe another long weekend next year…..we’ll just have to shop around on LL to see what great return deals pop up!