South America

South America on a Budget
We break down our trip through South America – the costs, how we saved money, what we liked, loved, and hated.

Galapagos Complete Cost Breakdown
Cruise vs Land-based

The Galapagos Islands – truly a once in a life time experience

land iguana in the galapagos
After living in Ecuador for about a year and a half, we finally booked that trip to probably the best place in Ecuador, and one of our bucket list locations, THE GALAPAGOS!

We spent a total of 6 nights – half on the mainland and half on a cruise ship.

There’s a lot of argument online about what’s better: a cruise, which costs a lot more, or the cheaper land-based stays. I recorded every penny and in this article I’ll breakdown the costs of a Galapagos trip, both the cruise and the land-based island hopping versions.

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Pululahua: The Only Farming Community Inside of a Collapsed Volcano

The Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve is a one of a kind place – literally. It’s the only volcanic crater in the world that has farming in it. It’s one of two volcano craters with a town inside of it. We packed our bags and took the short drive from Quito to stay overnight in a collapsed volcano.

view into pululahua
The view from the edge of Pululahua crater.

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Unique Snacks of Ecuador

Fine! I’ll eat a bunch of snacks for you. Jeez. You’re so demanding.

I’m showing you the favorite snacks of Ecuadorians, and my personal favourite snacks in Ecuador. Some are salty, some sweet, and one is very unique. It’s a super food from the Amazon rain forest.

How am I suppose to see terrible special effects in this article? Good point! Watch this instead right here!

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Cheese in Ecuador

A long long time ago, some Spanish dudes put a bunch of cattle on a ship and brought them over to South America.

Fast-forward to now and Ecuador’s dairy industry is selling 1/4 billion dollars of dairy products in a year.

Cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt, and more.

Ecuador produces 5.2 million liters of milk a day, and a lot of that is used for cheese.

cheese in ecuador
Queso fresco (fresh cheese) in Ecuador

According to a study done by Pulso Ecuador, 84% of Ecuadorian households regularly consume cheese.

But what kind of cheese? How are they eating it? Why are expats so down the cheese here? Is it cause most of them are knob heads?

That’s what we’re going to find out right now!!!!

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Quito, its awesomeness, and all its superlatives

Why Quito is a Must-Visit City of the World

swing at the edge of the world
Edge of the world swing on Pichincha Volcano

Quito, Ecuador’s capital, and the city that I’m thrilled to call home.

It’s not only a cool place to hang out, it’s also a really fascinating and unique place.

*I’ve bolded all the superlatives for you!

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The Cons, The Negatives, and What Sucks About Living in Ecuador

Ecuador is awesome. There are so many reasons to pack your bags and head to Ecuador right now. Seriously! Get your wheelie bag, start throwing stuff into it, wash your butt and head out the door!

No wait!

While I’ve outlined all the reasons to move to Ecuador in one of my past posts. Today, I want to trash talk the country. That’s right Ecuador, you’re not so hot. You’ve got problems and I’m here to point them out like you were on a red carpet and I was an aging plastic surgery addict.

In all seriousness, I love living in Ecuador, but maybe it’s not for you. Are you easily annoyed? Do you have a fear of volcanoes? This is my attempt at covering my ass so I don’t get angry e-mails telling me I ruined someone’s life.

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Retire in Ecuador? I think it’s a good idea!

I’ve been living in Ecuador for over a year now. My significant other and I have lived in North American, Europe, and Asia – we’ve traveled to over 30 countries – and I think it’s safe to say that Ecuador, right now, is probably the place that we have considered retiring in the most.

The beauty, the culture, and the benefits all play a major role in this decision.

I’m going to break it all down and tell you why Ecuador is an amazing option when it comes to retiring.

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ECUADOR
Market vs Grocery Store Cost Comparison

I did a bit of an experiment.

I’m always surprised about how much I can get for a dollar in Ecuador. Fruits and vegetables are cheap and plentiful, especially in the market.

So I headed to the market armed with ten $1 coins. My goal: buy a dollars-worth of 10 different items, and then head to the grocery store and see what those exact items would cost there.

Is it actually cheaper to shop in the market? Even for a gringo that can’t negotiate? What’s the difference in price? Let’s find out.

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How To Play Cuarenta – Ecuador’s Favorite Card Game

An Easy to Learn 2 Player Card Game

VIDEO: How to Play Cuarenta – Ecuador’s Favorite Card Game

It’s common to visit a park in Ecuador, especially in the Sierra region, and see a group of older men crowded around two people playing cards. These two old-timers are probably playing Cuarenta, the most popular card game in Ecuador.

Cuarenta means 40 in Spanish. The game is called this because it only uses 40 cards, and the first to 40 wins the game.

It’s a really fun game to play. If you and a partner are traveling to Ecuador, why not learn the rules so Cuarenta can keep you entertained as you travel the beautiful country of Ecuador.

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Eat Ecuador – EMPANADAS! – Ecuadorian style

Read about this series here: the Eat Ecuador Food Series

Traditional Ecuadorian Empanadas and What Sets them Apart from other Empanadas

All over Central and South America you’ll find empanadas – a stuffed starch filled with various ingredients that makes a great snack or meal. The name comes from the Spanish word ’empanar’, which means “enbreaded”. They were brought to the Americas by the Spanish, but each country has their own take on them.

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