Ed and I had not been to Ecuador since 1979, right after we completed Stanford Business School. Our “bible” guidebook at the time was The South American Handbook — one hardback book for all of South America.
We traveled with backpacks and a limited budget.
Last year, 44 years later, we returned with online reservations and experienced a step-up in luxury. (We could almost call it “South America with a Sherpa,” but not quite.)
Some Things Stay the Same
In Otavalo, the indigenous market still sells authentic handcrafts and traditional weaving. The green and gold wall hanging echoing Escher from 1979 graces our bedroom wall in Sun Valley. We could have purchased the brown and red one this year, as the design is the same. (Not sure about the price!)
The indigenous women still wear their traditional attire.
Jan could have bought a new “Otavalo hat,” … but she still has this one from 1979. She wore it recently for a Halloween costume when she, Ed and Sydney were detectives!
The indigenous music is still the same, and performers are very versatile.
An infinite variety of ceviche is available.
Tile roofs adorn many buildings. (Ed still takes pictures of them!)
And the churches and plazas are still the hub of city life.
Changes Since 1979
Devil’s Nose
In 1979, we rode “third class” on the roof of the Devil’s Nose steam train in Riobamba. This narrow-gauge railway snaked its way up the Andes with many twists and turns.
We learned that the roof seating was abolished after a low-hanging electrical wire decapitated two Japanese tourists. Rumor has it that they were standing to take photos. Yikes! Luckily, Ed stayed seated in 1979, as shown here. (We purchased this sweater in the Otavalo market, and Jan had a matching one. We were traveling in June and didn’t remember it would be winter in South America, so we wore these sweaters 24/7. And … nice mustache!
Although the Devil’s Nose train is still touted in many guidebooks as a major tourist attraction, the train is now defunct. A road has been built to replace the train for locals, and it was financially non-viable to keep the train running only for tourists. This is quite a loss, as the journey was breathtaking (and touted as one of the scariest in the world). Apparently, you can now visit the area by hiking or mountain biking.
Market Changes
There has been increased regulation for street merchants. In 1979, you could buy a barbecued pig head on the street. (Note paparazzi Ed behind the woman in the hat.)
Now, the veggies are sometimes wrapped in $1 plastic packages, and the markets are covered.
The US Dollar became the currency for Ecuador in January 2000. Although there are benefits, tying their economy to the US limits Ecuador’s flexibility in monetary policy.
In 1979, the market was in the main square in Otavalo, but now it has moved.
Today, the market includes many artisans who make handcrafted items.
Shoeshine boys no longer prowl the streets of Quito like they did in 1979.
Quito was much smaller then. Now, it has expanded to the surrounding hills.
Subway Fever
The new Quito subway opened in late 2023 and is a point of pride for the city. It is even touted as one of the 52 Places to Visit in 2024 by the New York Times! (photo credit: NYT)
Street Art
During our current trip,we noticed an abundance of street art—most of which celebrated local heritage and culture. We don’t remember this from before.
Roses Galore
The Ecuadorian rose industry was tiny in 1979. 35 years ago, there was a huge investment in rose agriculture, and now Ecuador supplies a large percentage of the world’s roses. Between Quito and Otavalo, massive greenhouses dot the landscape.
Compared to roses grown in Holland, Colombia or Africa, roses from Ecuador have larger buds and blooms. They are reported to last longer because they are grown at high altitudes and receive 12 hours of sunlight per day.
Rose farming is very scientific. Roses are picked before 10 a.m. By evening, they’re on cargo planes for Amsterdam, Shanghai, Miami, and Moscow, among other locations. The residents of each country have their preferences—the Russians like longer-stemmed red roses, while the Chinese like bright colors, including blue and purple.
An ingenious “transportation system” moves the roses across the road and above the cars in bunches. This minimizes human handling.
Locals can purchase the “reject” roses at a low price – three dozen for $5.
Panama Hats
Although Panama Hats have been a staple of Ecuadorian commerce since the 1600s, the industry now boasts tours of the factories in Cuenca and worldwide shipping. Panama hats have always been made in Ecuador. They got their name when construction workers building the Panama Canal wore Ecuadorian Hats for sun protection. Teddy Roosevelt made them famous.
The hats are still made using traditional methods. Pricing depends on the quality of the materials and the tightness of the weave.
Workers use a variety of forms to turn the woven hats into various shapes and sizes.
Current Panama hat pricing ranges from $30 to $3,000. (Apparently, J-Lo has one of the most expensive ones!) The factory boasts that it has many celebrities as customers.
We also couldn’t resist becoming customers since we were fascinated by the manufacturing process. We got a custom fitting from the company’s owner, representing the fifth generation of the Ortega family.
Celebrating the Equator
Previously, it was harder to discover where exactly the equator ran near Quito. Now, there is not one but two museums celebrating the Equator. At the Indian Museum, Jan stood with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and one in the Southern Hemisphere.
We even “assumed the position” on either side of the equator.
The tour showed how water swirls as it drains in different directions on each side of the equator, a phenomenon known as the “Coriolis effect.” We learned that French and Spanish explorers mapped the equator for ten years starting in 1736. These cylinders are replicas of some of the equipment used for scientific experiments at that time.
Dealing With Institutions
Ecuador’s infrastructure has evolved greatly over this period. On each of our visits, we had unique experiences with major Ecuadorian institutions.
The Police Station
In 1979, Jan was robbed while traveling on a bus from Otavalo to Quito. (!) The thief took her passport, plane ticket, and money. We reported this to the Police, but Jan could not point out the pickpocketer when she pursued a wall of photos of mustached male thieves at the station. To keep our trip going, we had to navigate the US Embassy, the Brazilian consulate, and the Pan Am ticket bureau to get replacements for all our documents.
This was Jan’s best blouse, which was used for passport pictures and dealing with the embassy.
For the next ten years until 1989, Jan was ‘selected’ to go through the ’blue line’–the line for people whose passports were issued in countries associated with smuggling– at customs when entering the US from any foreign country.
Guest Medical Services
This time, we had the chance to deal with the Ecuadorian health industry. Ed contracted a serious cough, and we asked the hotel for help. They called a doctor … and for the next 24 hours, we had in-hotel medical care, complete with IV therapy, an EKG, a chest x-ray, three different doctors, and a 24-hour nurse.
Fortunately, the IV treatment helped a great deal. Within 24 hours, Ed felt much better, and we were able to enjoy a room service dinner for two and continue our journey.
Luckily, we had travel insurance, and we hope to get full reimbursement for these medical expenses.
A Personal Touch!
And our favorite difference from 1979 was the chance to visit a friend from Business School. Ed’s first-year roommate Peter Gilmore has lived in Guayaquil for many years. He helped us plan our trip and showed us around the city. We enjoyed a lovely crab dinner with Peter and his wife.
44 years have passed since our first visit. We looked a lot younger in 1979, but we are grateful to be still able to travel as “Partners in Adventure.”
So, “hats off!” to Ecuador. Although we were a bit nervous about traveling to the country due to its political unrest, we were delighted with our experience. We are thankful that we still have many of the artifacts we purchased in 1979, including baskets, several figurines, the wall hanging, and, of course, the Otavalo hat!