Travels In Ecuador And Dollar Extraction

[Alicia karr]

In other words, be like I am here in BsAs and that should keep us cool in Quito? It's not more sketchy?

 

[sesamosinsal]

Quito isn't the same as Buenos Aires. There are areas that are pretty tourist friendly, but I'd say that Quito still gives off a sketchier vibe than Buenos Aires. I lived in a pretty nice area of the city (literally right next to the gated neighborhood where most diplomats live, and just a few blocks from the American school there), and I felt a bit paranoid walking around at night. It was tierra de nadie..

Still, the same precautions that you take here are advisable to take there. I especially remember taxis being considered generally unsafe to take on the street, even though I did this several times and didn't have any problems personally.

 

[mariano-BCN]

I was twice in Ecuador and no problems with ATM's.
About safety: avoid Quito viejo, though it has improved now much since the first time I was there. Be careful also in touristic places like the market in Otovalo. And negotiate every single price, that's common there. Quito nuevo is ok, but it's ugly. Quito on the whole was disappointing, Guayaquil is neither my city, I preferred Cuenca.

I went to a little place called Muisne, on the coast, nearby San Rafael de los Colorados, with only bikes. An adventure to get and stay there. Lovely place.

 

[Alicia karr]

Uh oh, taxis unsafe?! My security blanket in hostile urban environs unsafe?! What are we two unprotected fair skinned blonde babes to do?

 

[PhilipDT]

Hair dye and tanning beds?

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Uh oh, taxis unsafe?! My security blanket in hostile urban environs unsafe?! What are we two unprotected fair skinned blonde babes to do?

Not to worry about the Cabs, just get the Radio Taxis. Should be safe but intuition always prevalent, have the ESP antennae extended!

 

[sesamosinsal]

Not to worry about the Cabs, just get the Radio Taxis. Should be safe but intuition always prevalent, have the ESP antennae extended!

This is what I always did. If you're located in a central area of the city (e.g., Swissotel, the main shopping center, Plaza Foch, etc.), you should be able to phone one without a problem. However, if you live in a residential area, it might be difficult. If they don't have any taxis in your area, they have you call back later. It isn't like it is here, that they send you one regardless. I was also unable to schedule one to pick me up at a certain time.

 

[studiodio]

a girlfriend and I spent 6 weeks in Quito two years ago....we found a great old house in Quito viego that we rented. We had no safety problems, although we did not go out too late at night....took taxis that we hailed on the streets (but turned down some that looked sketchy). i personally felt more comfortable in the old part of town than in the fancy areas because there was always more people around in the old central part...and often in the fancy parts there were few people on the streets. I then traveled by myself via bus to a small fishing town on the coast , again with no problems..we hired a private guide with a car for several side trips that was inexpensive and great.

 

[Risu]

News You Don’t Want to Read About Fukushima

A very well informed friend sent this to me as a FYI. Perhaps you might consider taking some iodine while traveling there and perhaps avoid eating anything from the ocean.
"For all of us who thought we were safer down here in South America, a hemisphere removed from the jet streams blowing radiation directly from Fukushima over the United States, we can now see how false that belief is. From NOAA, we see that La Nina is splitting the jet stream sending radiation increasingly over Hawaii and then on to South America".

 

[sesamosinsal]

Since when are radiation levels measured in cm?