Or rather: will we survive Ecuador? Will we survive the traffic, the crime, the food, the altitudes?
The Crime in Ecuador
Of course we know that most people all over the world are good people. In South America too, of course. And yet, for the first time, we are taking warnings and reports really seriously and rethinking our routes.
There is the German Federal Foreign Office with specific warnings and recommendations, then we find information in various cycling forums about more or less “dangerous” routes. I read reports on iOverlander and ask members of the Warmshowers community, which is especially for cyclists. All of this gives us a picture of the criminal situation in certain areas and ultimately our gut feeling decides how we should continue travelling. It is unlikely that something will happen to us, that we will be mugged. But not impossible.
The big danger are the criminal groups. Gang wars between drug cartels. It’s nothing political, it’s just stupid young criminals who think they’ll get more recognition this way. They have access to weapons and that makes them really dangerous. Such a shame for a country like Ecuador, which was considered quite safe in South America.
We take a bus for some part
And so we have now decided to do part of the journey by bus. At the border with Peru, we board a bus to Riobamba in Ecuador. The town lies at an altitude of 2,700 metres. And that really gets to us. In addition to the altitude, we both have a cold. As long as we are sitting down, everything is fine apart from a little headache. When we stand up, we feel terribly dizzy. And it doesn’t get any less when we move around. And then there’s also nausea and shortness of breath. We’re pretty tired, sleep badly and are also slowly becoming bad-tempered. And it just doesn’t get any better. We gasp for air when we go up the stairs and the constant coughing doesn’t help either.
After 7 days, however, we’ve had enough and decide to continue cycling. This is the hardest day for me. Even when I realize that we only have 1.5 km left to go to our accommodation, I’m not convinced that I can make it. I simply don’t have enough oxygen and the whole day is going up to over 3600 meters. And we’ll be moving between these altitudes for the next few days. But day by day it slowly gets better.
The altitudes
So we have also survived altitude sickness. We measure the oxygen content in our blood from time to time because we are not used to this kind of physical sign of weakness and are a little worried. But then we realise that we are starting to enjoy Ecuador. The landscapes, the cooler air, the greenery, the smells. Yes, we like Ecuador. We take a break for 1-2 days in some places before travelling on to our next major destination, the capital of Ecuador, Quito.
South America hasn’t really caught us yet. One of the biggest hurdles is certainly the language. But somehow I think it’s okay not to immerse myself so deeply. I’m in my tourist bubble and that feels different, but also good.
Ecuador = Equator
It’s pretty cold at night, even though we’re almost at the equator, so we opt for simple accommodation. The cough is still lingering. We see the peaks of volcanoes covered in snow and we keep dipping into the cloud cover when we exceed certain altitudes. Due to the altitude, the UV radiation is higher, so we protect ourselves even when the sky is overcast and also due to the altitude and the clear air, the colour contrasts are extreme and the camera in the mobile phone can no longer cope with this. This is why, and only why, I switch to black and white shots.
The money used in Ecuador
Ecuador has had the US dollar as its currency since 2000. This makes it reasonably easy for us now. Unfortunately, our cards don’t work at many ATMs, but cash is the payment method of choice in Ecuador. Even in large cities, credit cards often don’t work. One way of getting money when the credit cards don’t work is Western Union. I then pay an amount to myself, which I can then collect at a Western Union station, of which there are plenty in the cities, with my ID. This costs a small fee, but often less (sometimes nothing at all) than at ATMs, which charge a service fee. Even though my bank allows free withdrawals abroad, the banks in many countries on our route charge service fees of between $2 and $8 per withdrawal.
Simply too much fat
The food, especially for Vegetarians
We’re not really happy with the food in Ecuador either. Maybe because it was actually so incredibly delicious in Peru. But it’s also somehow a heavy meal. A little too much and we feel like we should go straight back to sleep to digest it. We’ve got used to eating lots of small meals. That’s how we get through the day, even with a lot of effort. We now eat a lot of fried food such as green plantains and all kinds of corn and always have some kind of cheese or eggs with it.
So we decide to prepare our own breakfast and often just have a coffee on the way, which is somehow almost impossible. But that will become clear to us later. In Ecuador, you always have a coffee with breakfast. Or rather, breakfast always comes with a coffee. Ordering just a coffee is absolutely unusual.
So what kind of food we eat
Tigrillo – scrambled eggs, green plantains, cheese and onions
Mote Pillo – scrambled eggs and maize porridge
Bolón – A ball of green plantains and cheese
Patacones con queso – Deep-fried green plantain “crackers” with cheese
Humitas – Corn wrapper filled with ground corn and cheese, steamed
Patacones – deep-fried slices of green plantains and are served with almost every dish
These dishes feel a little “healthier”
- Chevichocho: Lupini beans are combined with tomatoes, maiz tostado (roasted corn), red onions and coriander and marinated in a citrus fruit mixture. It is normally a vegetarian dish
- Veggie Choclo Mote: Choclo is the Ecuadorian name for maize, or more precisely for an ear of maize. The kernels are large, lumpy and very starchy. They are not very sweet. The ear of corn is either boiled or grilled to cook the kernels and served with slices of fresh, savoury cheese.
As it turns out, vegetarian food was normal for the people who live here in the mountains, in the Andes. Meat only came with the Spanish and is now increasingly influenced by the Americans.
So it is not necessarily so exotic if we ask for a meal without meat, or rather, we should name the individual ingredients that we would like. For example, rice, salad, beans.
It works, if you know how 🙂
The Bananas from Ecuador
As is not difficult to recognize from the dishes, the banana plays a major role. In fact, Ecuador is one of the largest banana exporters.
The Cocoa from Ecuador
And then there’s cocoa. Ecuador is the world’s seventh largest cocoa producer. So it’s no wonder that you can get a cocoa with your breakfast almost anywhere as well as a coffee. With cheese, of course. Cheese doesn’t play such a big role in exports, but it is for people’s own consumption. I’m not sure if there is any dish where cheese doesn’t play a role.
A few facts, important and less important, about Ecuador and in comparison with Germany
| Ecuador | Germany | |
| Area square kilometers | 260,000 | 360,000 |
| Population Million | 18 | 84 |
| CO2 emissions per 1000 inhabitants | 2,000 tonnes | 7,200 tonnes |
| Hospital beds per 1000 inhabitants | 1,39 | 8 |
| Average daytime temperature | 27,9° | 14° |
| Average nighttime temperature | 19,8° | 5,7° |
| Hours of sunshine per day | 3,7 | 4,7 |
| Rainy days per month | 12,3 | 9,8 |
| Christianity | 85,6% | 58,5% |
Ecuador Roses
And perhaps one last thing I had no idea about, Ecuador roses. Ecuador is famous for its rose plantations, which are said to produce the most magnificent and largest roses in the world.
What I always knew: the absurdity of Valentine’s Day and the commercialism associated with it.
“Valentine’s Day has been celebrated as a festival of youth and lovers since the late 14th century, initially in France and England. In England, so-called “Valentine’s couples” were formed, who sent each other small gifts or poems. English emigrants took the Valentine’s custom with them to the United States, and so it was brought to the western part of Germany by US soldiers after the Second World War. In 1950, the first “Valentine’s Ball” was organised in Nuremberg. From then on, the customs of Valentine’s Day spread throughout Germany.”
And a large proportion of the roses needed for this comes from Ecuador.
Why do the best roses in the world come from Ecuador?
The favourable growing conditions in the Andes highlands, which in Ecuador are characterised by a narrow strip of strong equatorial sunshine, are decisive. Warm days alternate with cool nights throughout the year. The seasonal climatic fluctuations are small. Cultivation altitudes of 2800 – 3300 metres above sea level are considerable. The intense sunlight at the equator has a particularly favourable effect on the luminosity of the colours. The difference between day and night temperatures is crucial for the development of large flowers. Nevertheless, greenhouses with heating and lighting, as is common in northern Europe, are not needed in Ecuador. This means that production there is possible without high energy consumption and is therefore much more sustainable.
The largest export countries for roses are Kenya, Colombia and Ecuador. Lufthansa Cargo connects these countries with the Frankfurt hub several times a week. For Valentine’s Day, the normal frequency of connections is increased by special flights to meet the high demand.
No, our roses also come from Ecuador? 6.8 million roses are said to have been imported from Ecuador to Germany in 2023. The things that always turn up when you ask. So keep an eye out when buying roses. By the way, if they come from Holland, that doesn’t mean they were grown there.
Maybe just spend your loved ones a little of your time. That would be much more sustainable.
Until then, just simply love one another 🙂
P.S.: We survive also the road traffic. In fact, the vast majority of car, bus and lorry drivers are very considerate. Thanks for that Ecuador.
Here some more colorful impressions from our start in Ecuador:
