Ecuador – General info

Form of government:
Presidential Republic, independent from Spain since 1822. President: Lucio Gutiérrez.

State name:
República del Ecuador.

State flag:
Yellow/blue/red with a national coat of arms in the middle, consisting of sun, condor, chimborazo, Río Guayas and steamship.

State borders:
To the north with Colombia, to the south and east with Perú, to the west the Pacific Ocean.

State area:
About 272,000 sq km (including the Galápagos Islands / 8,010 sq km), which are divided into 21 provinces.

State language:
Officially Spanish, in the highlands also Quechua (almost 2 million people), in Amazonia as well as in the northern coastal area still isolated tribal languages (especially Shuar in the southern Oriente).

Currency:
US Dollar. US notes and coins are in circulation, as well as Ecuadorian coins (1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents).

Population:
The total population is almost 13 million inhabitants.

The capital is Quito (1.8 million inhabitants), the largest city is Guayaquil (2.8 million inhabitants, overseas port and industrial center).

Other important cities are Machala (450,000 inhabitants, banana port), Manta (400,000 inhabitants, fishing port and automotive industry), Cuenca (350,000 inhabitants, cultural and tourist stronghold). Other cities over 100,000 inhabitants are Durán (opposite side of the Guayaquil river), Portoviejo (Manabí / coast), Santo Domingo (inner coast), Ambato (central highlands), Esmeraldas (northern coast), Loja (southern highlands), Babahoyo (inner coast), Quevedo (inner coast), Milagro (inner coast), Daule (inner coast), Chone (Manabí / coast), Riobamba (central highlands), Ibarra (northern highlands).

About 60% of Ecuadorians live in these metropolitan areas! The rest is distributed among small towns, villages and hamlets, with a third of the total population employed in agriculture.
Average population density:
46 inhabitants per sq km. Growth rate: 2.2% per year, with about 40% of the population under 15 years old!

Life expectancy:
For men 67 years, for women 72 years. Illiteracy rate: 10 % (large urban-rural divide).

Gross national product:
About $1,200 per capita.

Inflation rate:
Annual average over 50% (1988-92).

Unemployment rate:
10-15% (underemployment rate about 30%). Working population: 30% university graduates, 18% lower secondary school leavers, 50% with no or very short school leaving certificates. The minimum wage required by law is around $150 per month!

Healthcare:
Avg. 12 doctors and 20 hospital beds per 10,000 inhabitants.

Racial distribution:
30 % Indians (mainly living in the highlands and Amazonia), 50 % mestizos and cholos, 8 % blacks, mulattoes and zambos, 10 % whites, Asians and Arabs (including 5,000 Germans, 3,000 Swiss and 20,000 Koreans). Despite religious freedom (since 1904), 93% of the population is exclusively Roman Catholic!

Social structure:
Almost 2% of all Ecuadorians belong to a rich white upper class. Another 10% can be described as wealthy or at least wealthy. Together, these family minorities have over two-thirds of the total national income!

The middle class share has decreased noticeably in recent years and now represents just 25%. More than 60% of the population can be described as poor, of which a good third vegetates practically below the subsistence level!

Provinces in the Andean Highlands (sierra):
Azuay (8,100 sq km, 650,000 inhabitants, capital Cuenca), Bolívar (4,000 sq km, 200,000 inhabitants, capital Guaranda), Cañar (3,100 sq km, 200,000 inhabitants, cap. Azogues), Carchi (3,600 sq km, 240,000 inhabitants, cap. Tulcán), Cotopaxi 6,000 sq km, 350,000 inhabitants, cap. Latacunga), Chimborazo (6,600 sq km, 480,000 inhabitants, cap. Riobamba), Imbabura (4,600 sq km, 350,000 inhabitants, cap. Ibarra), Loja (11,000 sq km, 500,000 inhabitants, cap. Loja), Pichincha (13,000 sq km, 2.5 million inhabitants, cap. Quito), Tungurahua (3,340 sq km, 450,000 inhabitants, cap. Ambato).

On the coast (costa):
El Oro (5,850 sq km, pop. 700,000 inhabitants, cap. Machala), Esmeraldas (15,200 sq km, 450,000 inhabitants, cap. Esmeraldas), Guayas (20,500 sq km, 3.6 million inhabitants, cap. Guayaquil), Los Ríos (7,200 sq km, pop. 750,000 inhabitants, cap. Babahoyo), Manabí (19,000 sq km, 1.6 million inhabitants, cap. Portoviejo).

In Amazonia (oriente):
Morona Santiago (25,700 sq km, 100,000 inhabitants, cap. Macas), Napo (34,000 sq km, 150,000 inhabitants, cap. Tena), Pastaza (30,000 sq km, 100,000 inhabitants, cap. Puyo), Sucumbios (18,300 sq km, 120,000 inhabitants, cap. Lago Agrio), Zamora Chinchipe (23,000 sq km, 100,000 inhabitants, cap. Zamora).

Galápagos Island Region:
8,010 sq km, 30,000 inhabitants, cap. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno).

Highest elevations:
Chimborazo 6,310m, Cotopaxi 5,897m, Cayambe 5,790m, Antizana 5,704m, El Altar 5,320m, Illiniza Sur 5,260m, Sangay 5,230m, Illiniza Norte 5,126m, Carihuayrazo 5,020m, Tungurahua 5,016m, Cotacachi, 4,944m, Sincholagua 4,900m, Quilindaña 4,878m, Guagua Pichincha 4,794m, Corazón 4,788m, Chiles 4,768m, Rumiñahui 4,712m, Rucu Pichincha 4,698m, Sara Urcu 4,676m, Imbabura 4,609m.

Largest river systems:
Towards the Pacific, the Río Guayas (confluence of the Babahoyo and Daule, largest water catchment system on the American Pacific coast), Río Esmeraldas, Río Cayapas / Santiago, Río Mataje, Río Chone, Río Jubones. Towards the Amazon the Río San Miguel / Putumayo, Río Aguarico, Río Napo, Río Cononaco / Curaray, Río Pastaza, Río Santiago (confluence of Zamora, Paute and Upano).

Transport, Communication & Utilities:
40,000 km of road network. 965 km of railway lines. 2 international airports in Quito and Guayaquil. 1 telephone per 20 inhabitants, 1 television per 12 inhabitants, 1 radio per 3 inhabitants.

Estimated hydroelectric power potential 100,000 megawatts, used electricity potential over 2,000 megawatts (mainly due to the von Paute and Agoyan dams), with nationwide power outages lasting up to 10 hours in the absence of rainfall being the order of the day. Almost 600 km of trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline, from the Oriente over the Andes to the refinery in Esmeraldas (coast).

In principle, the equatorial country of Ecuador can be visited all year round. Every season has its certain advantages, at least for pronounced nature lovers.

In the months from July to September, as well as December to January, the country is visited by most foreign tourists. Since Ecuador belongs to the inner tropical belt, the prevailing temperatures mainly correspond to the different altitudes with a pronounced microclimate.

While it can be quite cold in the highlands and snowstorms sweep over the Páramo peaks, the port city of Guayaquil lies under an almost unbearable tropical-humid heat dome and only a room with air conditioning provides refreshing refreshment.

On the Santa Elena peninsula, which is pushed forward to the Pacific, however, the cold Humboldt Current also plays an important role. Otherwise, there are no notable temperature fluctuations over the course of a year, so there are no seasons like in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The rainy season in Galapagos, on the coast and in the highlands runs from late January to early May.

In the hot and humid Amazon lowlands, the months of June, July and August are usually the wettest, even if the actual rainy season begins in February. Floods and landslides are often the result.

However, there is a high degree of humidity throughout the year. By the way, sudden, heavy tropical rain showers are not uncommon even during the “dry season”. The annual average precipitation values here are the highest in the country. Some of them are 5000 mm.

In the highlands, it is usually most beautiful from mid-June to early September, when the equatorial sun often shines all day long.

However, a temporary “Indian summer” (veranillo), sometime between October and January, sometimes brings the sunniest hours in the afternoon.

The veranillo is usually interrupted around November, when torrential rain and hail showers are tantamount to a premature “onset of winter”. Between the end of January and the end of May, it rains the most.

“Scottish” weather conditions often affect the mood in April and almost make you forget that you are in tropical South America. In order to make the slightly confusing climate of the highlands a little more understandable, there is a general rule of thumb in the capital: spring in the morning hours, summer at noon, autumn and rain in the afternoon, as well as balmy winter nights up to five degrees. At altitudes above 4,000 metres, there may even be snowfall.

On the coast, in the rainy months from the end of January to the beginning of May, a rise in temperatures and a sudden increase in mosquitoes and other pests can be expected.

In the northern, humid and hot coastal area around Esmeraldas, this usually means nightly rainfall and strong sunlight in the late morning. The summer months from June to December are much drier, but the sky is often cloudier in the morning.

In the southern, dry-hot coastal area, the months of July, August and September can be relatively cool. A light jacket is then usually necessary. In Salinas, the otherwise dry and hot temperatures can sometimes drop to a whopping 12 degrees, especially at this time of year. December and January usually bring sunnier days and long-lasting tans.

Ecuador can boast almost 25,000 different plants and trees. Almost 10,000 species and subspecies are native to Amazonia, another 10,000 to the Andean region, and over 5,000 to the coast. About 20% of the total flora is endemic. In order to better understand the multifaceted spectrum of Ecuadorian flora and fauna, it is first necessary to follow the thermal stages mentioned above. Only in this way can the observer get a coherent picture of the complicated interactions between climate, temperature and humidity, their associated biological habitats, and their diverse species population.
Primeval forests
In the evergreen tropical rainforests of the Amazon lowlands, as well as its hilly peripheral zones, the evergreen tropical mountain jungles of the eastern Cordillera foothills, heavy periods of precipitation ensure a relatively balanced flora and fauna.

The flat rainforest consists mostly of nutrient-poor, washed-out solid earth, constantly swampy pantanos, or temporally flooded deciduous and palm forests, which are crossed by brown-colored rivers and quiet lagoons. In the mountain primeval forests at the foot of the Andes Cordillera, the frequency of precipitation is even higher than in the lowlands. Here, the dammed Amazon clouds rain down on the slopes. The biodiversity is even higher in these hilly areas.

Only 1% of the sunlight can penetrate the dense treetops, where a large part of the jungle animals are hidden. Below this carpet of leaves of jungle cathedrals up to 60m high, herbs, shrubs, bushes and tree ferns struggle for the sparse light. The fight for sun, water and nutrients for photosynthesis usually takes place at altitude! Strangler figs wrap around the thickest trunks until they suffocate, die, and thus make room for new life. Lianas hang down from the treetops. Bromeliads sit completely detached from the ground on the thickest branches.

Rainwater collects in their pineapple-like calyxes, which in turn is used by insects and frogs as miniature ponds for further development. The latter are often haunted by equally well-camouflaged tree snakes.

Just 100 years ago, the entire coastal region was also covered by dense primeval forests, which have now almost completely disappeared with the advance of large-scale plantation cultivation (first cocoa, then bananas). Only in the northern province of Esmeraldas are there still contiguous hot and humid jungle areas.

The tidal, saltwater-bound mangrove forests in the shore area between the sea and the hinterland have also been wiped out in the last 25 years. Over 80% of the manglares have now fallen victim to the camaroneras (shrimp farms).

The south of the coastal province of Manabí is still largely covered with savannah-like dry primeval forests, which turn into green, impenetrable thickets in the rainy season from May to November. During the dry season, the trees and shrubs gradually shed all their leaves, giving the appearance of a thornbush steppe. The only tree visible from afar that protrudes from this low bush and cactus forest is the up to 50m high, bottle-necked ceibo (kapok tree).

The evergreen subtropical cloud forest, which is located on both the western and eastern Andes Cordillera at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,500 m, occupies a special position. As the name suggests, the cloud forest is characterized by low-lying, constantly rising and descending cloud masses as well as an increased temperature gradient.

Only a few patches of intact highland primeval forests can still be found today at average altitudes between 3,000 and 4,000 m. The proud remainder had to make way for agricultural land in the course of centuries of deforestation history. One of the few remaining primeval forest zones is, for example, the Pasochoa Reserve near Quito.

The plant growth in the high mountains is considered unique in tropical America, not least because of the prevailing strong temperature fluctuations (up to 30 degrees). The Andean flora has evolved over the last 60 million years, and is characterized mainly by smaller, thicker leaves that can easily withstand frosty nights, sharp winds, and intense solar radiation. Typical highland trees are the fast-growing, fragrant eucalyptus, cedars, cypresses, and now rare, deformed-looking, dark red-stemmed quinua trees as well as the pine trees reforested everywhere in the Cotopaxi National Park.

In pre-Inca times, the present-day territory of Ecuador comprised several small, largely independent tribal areas between the empires of the Chimu in the south and the Chibcha in the north.

In the 15th century, the Incas overran the entire area up to the Pasto area and established the capital of Quito as the northern capital of their empire. From here, the last Inca emperor Atahualpa gained power in a short civil war against his brother Huáscar.

In the course of the Conquista, Sebastian de Benalcazar, a captain of Francisco Pizarro, conquered the territories between today’s Peru and the Chibcha Empire and founded today’s capital San Francisco de Quito in 1534. From here, the expedition of Gonzalo Pizarro discovered the Amazon in 1546, which is why Ecuador has repeatedly claimed access to this river in vain.

As a forerunner of today’s Ecuador, the Real Audiencia de Quito existed throughout the colonial period, which was counted alternately and often with indeterminate status and even less definite borders to the Viceroyalty of Perú or the Vicechy of New Granada (‘Colombia’).

In 1802, Alexander von Humboldt traveled and explored the area and climbed Pichincha and the slopes of Chimborazo.

The end of colonial rule came when Marshal Antonio José de Sucre, a lieutenant of Simón Bolívar, defeated the Spanish in 1822 at the Battle of Pichincha near Quito and drove them out of the country.

On May 24, 1822, the territory of present-day Ecuador became independent from Spain as the southern part of Gran Colombia (now Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Panama)

The Republic of Ecuador was created in 1830 by the disintegration of Gran Colombia. The name goes back to the Franco-Spanish expedition (with the participation of Charles-Marie de La Condamine, Pierre Bouguer, Louis Godin, as well as Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa), which had measured the exact position of the equator for the first time in the 18th century. The first president of the Republic of Ecuador was General Juan Jose Flores.

In 1832, Ecuador occupied and annexed the Galápagos Islands, which were more or less uninhabited and ownerless and are located about 1000 km off the coast of the country. Three years later, in 1835, Charles Darwin visited the famous archipelago as part of the British expedition of the Beagle and gained knowledge there that later led him to the development of the theory of evolution.

The entire further history of the country was characterized by the sharp contrasts between liberals and conservatives, large landowners and the indigenous landless population, mestizos and Indians, the backward provinces and the cities, the highlands and the coast, as well as the competition between the capital Quito and the largest port city Guayaquil. These contrasts caused a political development that has been more or less chaotic to this day, which was repeatedly characterized by coups and counter-coups, short civil war episodes and regional particularism in quick succession. At times, up to three ‘presidents’ ‘ruled’ in Ecuador at the same time, the last time in 1997.

In the last third of the 19th century, President García Moreno established a rigid Catholic dictatorship, which was replaced at the end of the 19th century by the liberal-revolutionary rule of civil war general Eloy Alfaro. In the 20th century, military dictatorships and civilian governments alternated rapidly. On average, the respective government was overthrown by a military coup or civil coup d’état about every year and a half, which earned Ecuador the reputation of the classic banana republic.

In the second half of the 20th century, the conservative Velasco Ibarra, who had been president a total of five times since the 1940s and was finally overthrown in 1972 by the coup of General Rodríguez Lara, played a more important role in connection with the discovery of larger oil reserves in the Amazon lowlands. Ecuador joined OPEC. The successors of this initially relatively stable self-proclaimed revolutionary military dictatorship were later replaced by the freely elected social-democratic-oriented President Jaime Roldós Aguilera, who himself died in a mysterious plane crash in 1981. The later presidency of his corrupt heir Abdalá Bucaram also ended in fiasco in 1997, when the president had to flee the country for Panama after a conservative coup d’état, completely discredited.

A new constellation arose when left-wing military officers in a rare coalition with Indian groups staged another coup in 2000 and overthrew President Jamil Mahuad Witt. The old antagonism between liberal and conservative forces is still reflected today in the power struggle between the urban elites and the new social movements of the Indian population, whose representative is the former coup leader of 2000 and current president Lucio Gutiérrez.

Foreign powers have also repeatedly taken advantage of the country’s notorious political instability, not least because known or suspected oil deposits lured in the largely undeveloped jungle areas in the east of the country. In 1904, Ecuador lost large parts of its nominal territory in the north and east to its neighbors Peru and Colombia, although it had never really controlled these territories.

In 1941, the Peruvian army invaded southern Ecuador, burned down the city of Santa Rosa, occupied the important banana port of Machala and threatened Guayaquil. As a result, Ecuador had to cede half of its remaining territory to Peru in the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro in 1942, whereby again largely territories were affected, especially in the east and southeast of the Amazon, in which an Ecuadorian administration had de facto never existed since the colonial era.

The last border war with Peru over the area of the Cordillera del Condor on the Río Cenepa was sparked in 1995 by disputes over the interpretation of this treaty and was only officially ended in 1999 by a border and peace treaty, which is now referred to as ‘final’.

From 1995 onwards, the Americans carried out the covert operation “Safe Border” here to secure oil production facilities and pipelines against the effects of the border skirmishes.

Recently, Ecuador has been threatened with involvement in the Colombian civil war through no fault of its own, as the rebels of the FARC repeatedly cross the northern border of the country in order to misuse the impassable areas south of the Putumayo as a resting place. Furthermore, in 2000 the USA built a naval base on the Pacific coast in Manta in order to destroy Colombian coca fields from the air and fight the guerrillas.

Ecuador is part of the Andean Community, founded in 1969, which has established a free trade area between the member states since 1995.

Ecuadorian cuisine, comida criolla or comida nacional, is a relatively young gastronomy. If this is hardly of any significance in the international cusine, there must be no doubt about its independence.

In addition to the regionally different staple foods, whose simple main dishes are often made up of traditional peasant recipes, the ekuad. gastronomy, European, especially Spanish and North American influences play a decisive role.

By the Spanish conquistadors, Indian foods such as guinea pigs and llamas were largely replaced by other meat carriers such as pigs and cattle. For example, the guinea pig (cuy), which has become expensive today, is still preferably eaten in rural areas of the highlands, while the almost extinct ekuad. Nowadays, llama is only used for wool production. The population has recently increased sharply again due to imports from Chile and Perú.

On the other hand, the life of the coastal inhabitants has been determined almost exclusively by the abundance of fish since time immemorial. A tender, juicy steak is therefore still a rarity in most towns and small towns, except in large cities.

Ecuador is a third world country! Central European hygiene requirements can therefore not always be met.

Ecuador is a decidedly “soup country”. Perhaps nowhere in the world is so much soup (sopa) consumed as in the cool Ecuadorian highlands. The list ranges from the popular chicken broth (caldo de gallina), hearty fish soups (sopa de pescado), vegetable soups (sopa de verduras), a kind of “black pudding stew” (yaguarlocro), tasty potato and cottage cheese soups with avocado fruit (locro de queso), to caldo de patas (in its most traditional form: potato soup with pork knuckle, boiled cassava root, boiled corn, milk, onions, garlic and possibly peanuts or culandro (coriander), an extremely strong herbal spice. A protein-rich sopa marinera (seafood soup) is one of the more exquisite culinary delights, especially in the coastal area.

Another popular soup dish is called sancocho. It consists mainly of beef or pork, cooked cassava root, plantains and peas. Originally from the coast, the dish is now also widespread in the highlands.

If you are lucky enough to be invited by Ecuadorians to one of these last two culinary specialties, you should not miss it. Homemade, these simply prepared national dishes usually taste much more delicious than in any restaurant.

The “cebiche”, which originates from the Pacific Ocean, is simply the Ecuadorian national dish in the down-to-earth sense. The raw seafood cocktail of white fish, crabs, mussels or lobsters, marinated in vinegar, oil, lemon and orange juice, usually dressed with tomato slices, onion rings and herbs, is of course only a small but fine figurehead of independent culinary art.

Ají is a hot sauce made from red chili peppers, which is served separately in almost every restaurant and is prepared differently depending on regional conditions or personal tastes. The degree of spiciness ranges from mild to devilishly burning spice. The purpose of the matter is not only to cheer up the taste buds, but also to clean up the patient’s stomach, free of amoeba.

The most common Ecuadorian main and side dishes include:

Churrasco usually means a generous portion of white-peeled rice, under a more or less large piece of meat with two fried eggs on top, a few greasy fries, fried onion rings, and a little vegetable salad.

Apanado is a Wiener Schnitzel with French fries, rice and vegetable salad.

Lomo a la Plancha is a flattened piece of beef fillet with French fries or mashed potatoes, served with a little vegetables.

Seco de Chivo, a kind of spicy goat meat goulash with dry rice.

Seco de Pollo (also seco de gallina), boiled chicken with dry rice and a sliced avocado fruit.

Menestra (con carne y patacones), grilled piece of meat with lentils, rice and small, mashed roast banana pancakes.

Locro is one of the most authentic ekuad. National dish. It is a soup made from potatoes and cheese.

The red spots on the soup come from the spice achiote, which is often added. Locros can be enriched with meat, eggs, pumpkin and also cabbage.

Guatita, stew of offal, usually with a peanut sauce, boiled potatoes and an avocado fruit.

Fritada, in a deep pan, sometimes almost a metre in diameter, pieces of pork are braised in their own juice. There is usually a corn side dish (e.g. mote).

Hornado, baked, sweetly spiced pork (also skin), served with mashed potatoes or llapingachos (small cheese-filled potato pancakes), usually with a little salad.

Pescado frito (fried fish), camarones al ajíllo or camarones apanado (shrimp in garlic sauce, or breaded shrimps), calamari (a type of squid), and cangrejo (crab), are now among the most common dishes throughout the country.

Viche, thick fish soup with pieces of plantain. A popular snack not only on the coast!

Humitas, sweet corn and egg dough pickled in a banana leaf. Additional ingredients, such as ground peanuts or grated cheese, are usually regional.

Quimbolitos are sweet corn pockets with raisins, often rounded off with a dash of sugar cane schnapps.

Empanadas are a type of pie in the shape of dumplings with filling and baked in lard. There are different varieties, depending on the filling: e.g. meat (de carne), banana (de verde), or cheese empanadas (de queso).

Tapao, also a very typical dish from the green province of Esmeraldas, consists mainly of boiled fish and plantains.

Breakfast is called desayuno in Spanish, and usually consists of coffee (café), rolls (pan), margarine (margarina), jam (mermelada) or a piece of white cheese (queso), as well as fried eggs (huevos fritos), scrambled eggs (huevos revueltos), or two almost hard eggs in a cup (huevos a la copa).

A mostly two-course lunch menu served in almost all popular restaurants is called almuerzo in Ecuador. It consists of a usually tasty soup (sopa), el segundo (the second course) of rice with e.g. chicken and a halved plantain, or a tiny piece of meat with a few lentils. There is also a juice, or a colada, a whipped mixed drink made of “Köllnflakes” and cornmeal! But the 1 to 2 dollar meals are not always filling.

A complete dinner, like a two-course lunch, is called a merienda. The evening meal from the menu (a la carta) of a restaurant or at home is called cena.

Food stalls and snack stands:

The puestos de comida, which are widespread on all roads of the country, are an inexpensive alternative for restaurants for many locals. A wide variety of dishes are prepared at these snack stands. However, since hygiene does not meet European standards, it is not advisable to consume the meals there. It is preferable to spend a few thousand sucres more in a clean restaurant than to spend the rest of your vacation days with stomach colic, or even catch hepatitis.

Drinks:
Mineral water (agua mineral) is available with carbon dioxide (con gas) and non-carbonated (sin gas), and is now offered everywhere. With the many brands in plastic and glass bottles, attention should be paid to the sealing on the bottle cap. Even with these products, “counterfeits”, i.e. unfair refills, have crept in.

Freshly squeezed juices (jugos) are offered with more or less water, or with milk, depending on the case.

Pipas Heladas (“Ice Pipes”) are giant ice-cold coconuts filled with delicious juice, with a long straw inside!

Alcohol is also a widespread disease in Ecuador with all its devastating effects on family life, traffic and the economy. At the end of 1996, this even led to the then President Abdalá Bucaram Ortiz passing a new law regarding unrestricted consumption. Recently, alcohol may no longer be officially served on Sundays. Even though this is different in the countryside, and some restaurants in the big cities serve cerveza (beer) on Sundays and public holidays, the ban is largely observed, especially in the metropolitan areas. Even during the week, a curfew is announced in the entertainment districts. All bars, discos and nightclubs have to close at 2 a.m. from Monday to Saturday, at least officially.

The most consumed alcoholic drink is, in addition to the “burning” punta (a homemade sugar cane liquor in mainly rural areas), the cerveza (beer), which is available everywhere. At the national level, there are two local brands: the pale Pilsener, and the slightly more beery club. A chilled Nevada, which is almost only available in the south of Ecuador in practical liter bottles, probably corresponds most closely to European. Brewing standards.

Good wine (vino), especially red wine from Chile, but also from Argentina, California or Spain, is not only available in the large supermarket chains. Many better-stocked retail stores sometimes have a few quite usable brands.

At village festivals in the Andean highlands (fiestas del pueblo), and district festivals in the south of Quito, canelazo, a spicy hot sugar cane liquor, is sometimes served cheaply in small drinking cups. Caution is advised when handling the devil’s stuff before all the metal sheets fly away!

Ecuador has numerous hotels, so that accommodation is available in almost every town.

Hotel (hotel), Hostal (small hotel), Hostería (country inn), Residencial (guest house), Pension (pension), Posada (accommodation in the style of “Bed & Breakfast”), Albergue (hostel), Parador (rest stop), or Cabañas (holiday cabins and holiday cottages of all price classes), are the name of the numerous, very different types of sleeping accommodations in Ecuador. An aparthotel has more spacious rooms or many more suites to offer than a conventional hotel.

In the Andean highlands there are still many colonial and historic manors from the 18th and 19th centuries, some of which have been converted into stately hacienda hotels (hosterías) or luxuriously furnished ranchos. Some of these haciendas used to have thousands of hectares of land, which over time was divided among the heirs of the large landowner as well as the Indian communities in the surrounding area.

By the way, a motel is always a neon-lit hourly hotel with a parking lot, and a high wall around it, usually located in the outskirts and on the arterial roads of larger towns.

From the windowless “one-and-a-quarter-dollar abode” infested with cockroaches and bugs, to the noblest posh hotel with panoramic views, the country offers a colorful spectrum of accommodation options.

Most hotels have double and multi-bed rooms. Single rooms, on the other hand, are rarer. Especially during the high season (June to September in the highlands, or Christmas to April on the coast), this usually means paying almost the same price for single travellers as for a double room.

Reservations can be advantageous in high season. Especially in August (highlands, Galápagos) and around New Year’s Eve (coast, Galápagos), renowned hotels and holiday villages are often fully booked. In addition, in many tourist resorts on the coast, double to triple prices are charged for overnight stays in the high season. Even on certain holidays and local celebrations, the existing number of beds in a city can be suddenly utilised.

In most upscale hotels, and in many mid-range hotels, 20% impuestos (VAT and service taxes) must be added to the overnight price.