Travel Spotting: Spotlight on Ecuador

Ever since the year 2,000 (Remember when we used to call it that?) Ecuador has adopted the US dollar as its official currency. This means that we Americans don’t have to worry about changing our money over, or getting confused about the difference between a quarter and a 2-dollar coin (Canada, I am talking to you).

The equator is one of the first things we learn about in grade school (and probably a pretty good place to get a tan). Ecuador is the only country that allows you to visit the site where the equator was first measured in 1735. They even put up a snazzy museum so you can educate yourself in between drunken tanning sessions.

Unless you have been living under a rock (or a huge tortoise shell), you know what the Galapagos Islands are. You probably know that Charles Darwin studied the species on the Galapagos as part of his life’s work on evolution. Whenever I walk into something like this, I like to look into planned-out guided tours so I make sure to soak up as much of it as I possibly can. Luxury touring companies, like Jacada Travel, offer packages that expose you to all sorts of activities you might not normally get to experience. Their Amazon/Ecuador package immerses you in the Amazon rainforests where you spent time with indigenous tribes, then guides you through an exploration of pre-Incan pyramids and equestrian activities.

Ecuador is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world with 46 different ecosystems. The country also hosts 10% of all the world’s plant species and has 4,500 types of butterflies alone. Besides the Galapagos, you also have a coastline, highlands, and jungles, each with their own climate, plant-life, and animals. Basically its like the Costco of Countries-something for everyone.