¡Hola! Our last stop off in Ecuador was the lovely town of Cuenca.The provincial capital of the south, Cuenca is a fairly grand sort of a place and had several stunning churches sporting lots of marble and colourful domes, a pleasant central plaza and lots of decent looking restaurants, bars and night clubs too.Had we not ended up spending quite so much time in Baños we might have stayed longer than just one night in Cuenca, but in the end we had a real laugh ...

¡Hola! Baños (meaning baths) is one of Ecuador's main tourist towns and is a pleasant getaway for Ecuadorians and foreigners alike.Sitting at the base of a massive active volcano, Volcan Tungurahua (which last erupted nastily in 2006), Baños is not necessarily a sensible place to stay a long time, but certainly an easy place to.There is a laid back vibe about the town and lots of fun activities to do, like hiring a buggy or quad bike, getting pampered in one ...

¡Hola! The Quilotoa Loop is a route connecting a number of tiny rural villages in an area of outstanding natural beauty, West of Latacunga, and incorporates several vast valleys and the breathtaking Laguna Quilotoa: a massive volcanic crater lake.We decided to leave our big rucksacks behind at the hostel in Latacunga and head out with just our daypacks for what was to become a four-day hike around the loop.First we took a bus to the tiny village of Insilivi, st...

¡Hola! They say that people either love or hate Quito, but were not sure what there is to hate about it.Quito is spread out in a long thin strip from North to South filling a valley surrounded by spectacular mountains.The Old Town to the South is full of charming and picturesque colonial squares and streets, with lots of nice hotels, museums and galleries, whereas the New Town to the North has just about everything you could need for travelling all conveniently...

¡Hola! Visiting the Galapagos was an incredible experience that we won't forget any time soon, and definitely the highlight of the trip so far.Thanks to a great recommendation from a guy we met in Panama, plus a little bit of gentle negotiation with the operator, we bagged ourselves a discounted cabin on a luxury eight day cruise around the archipelago - a trip that we would never normally be able to afford.Our boat took us to seven of the islands and each day ...