Consulate General of Ecuador

This isn’t about the consulate and I do mention food in this review — at the bottom. This review is notes on Quito (the city) and Ecuador (the country).
Quito is at 2800m (10,000 ft). And, Ecuador is located on the Equator. The sun is very intense (perpendicular rays) but because of the elevation, it never gets too hot — so bring sunscreen. The weather is quite exquisite actually — like spring every day with sun in the morning and then a thunderstorm builds up in the afternoon.
The airport is a typical large city in South America airport — meaning not a lot of amenities. It is also in the center of the city so hotels are not far away.
The Marriott in Quito is a 10 minute taxi ride. It is more or less a resort hotel and likely one of the nicest properties in the city. There are fresh roses put out everywhere daily — they cultivate roses in Ecuador. Fresh roses are everywhere — in the corridors, in the rooms, restaurants, lobby — everywhere.
There are venders set up in the many of the parks on the weekends and every day during the month August. I found amazing deals on blankets and fabrics — knit hippy hats, wool ponchos, alpaca wraps and blankets. For example, a full size alpaca blanket is $ 20US. I bought many things.
Going to La Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world) monument — the line of the equator is worth a trip. There are two versions — the more commercial one and the more local one. The local one is actually on the equator line and there are some incredible live experiments you can do here — for example balance and egg on a nail — hey, I’m very easily amused — it’s totally cool. Especially seeing water swirl down a drain in opposite directions just one meter on either side of the equator — and straight down the drain right on the line! — To cool.
Get a taxi for a day at the Marriott for around $ 100US and you can go wherever you want.
Went to Rumiloma for dinner — a hacienda and restaurant up in the mountains — this was really nice and worth checking out.
Currency is in US dollars.
The Amazon is all around — if you venture into the jungle, you’ll need several vaccinations and a Malaria prophylaxis. I use malarone and have never had any side effects. Yellow fever vaccination is required to enter the country, however I was not even asked about this. The further you get from major cities the more you’ll need some working knowledge of the Spanish Language.
Quito is the entry point for flights to the coast where you can catch a boat and go to the Galapagos Islands (next trip).
Relatively safe country, lovely people and use regular precautions when exploring the world. In tough situations, a smile and little direct eye contact are good starting points.
Oh yeah — food is good. Lots of bananas and other tropical fruit.