On the Globe » Ecuador

More than Galapagos

andrew princz — Wed, 26 May 2010 01:38:40 +0000

The Galapagos Islands. Photo © Metropolitan Touring

Ecuador looks to boost mainland travel destinations

(Quito) Take a walk on the waterfront of the clean, unassuming Ecuadorian port-city of Guayaquil, and you may be surprised to see a collection of modern, high-class tourism infrastructure developments. The futuristic Malecón is a riverside promenade adorned with sculptures, suave restaurants, a conference facility, a museum and even an IMAX theatre. Just the kind of projects that tourism officials look to in making this country’s continental destinations more attractive to foreign visitors.

While the coastal city of Guayaquil may not be imbued with spectacular attributes to attract international tourists to its shores, it is the sheer care taken in developing the city that has put it on the map for conference-goers and international tourists.

The development of this kind of tourism infrastructure points to the seriousness of plans to attract some 1.7 million yearly visitors by the year 2010, almost double current levels.

« Cities like Guayaquil have done something very clever, » says Francisco Doudebés Egüez of the leading Ecuadorian tour operator, Metropolitan Touring. « They have positioned themselves at the doorway of what Ecuador has to offer, as opposed to encouraging tourists to come to Guayaquil for the sake of itself.”

Hard to beat jewel: the Galápagos islands
Many visitors to Ecuador fly to Guayaquil before continuing to other local destinations – be it a short flight to the Galápagos Islands, the Andean capital of Quito, or other exotic continental destinations. Visitors can chose among one of the country’s many volcanoes, colonial haciendas, or the tropical Amazon region.

« Ecuador is a place where you can find many cultures, religions and peoples, » says twenty-year-old Marco Vinicio Chávez-Loor, a student at the Catholic University of Guayaquil, « The coast, the land, the mountains, the orient and the Galapágos Islands, all within a few hours.”

« In one day you can travel to one distinct place, then another day be on a mountainside or the coast.”

Take Cuenca, the country’s third largest city, which also boasts colonial architecture and typical litany of churches, and a heritage of being an intellectual center. Cuenca is also a centre for handicrafts, silversmiths and weavers, and a stones throw from Ecuador’s only extensive Inca ruins, Ingapirca.

Ecuador boasts, however, a hard to beat jewel. The pristine but ecologically fragile Galápagos Islands, indisputably the most illustrious tourism magnet for Ecuador. These idyllic islands 600 miles off of Ecuador’s coast were made famous by English naturalist Charles Darwin. His visit to these islands in 1835 inspired the earth-shattering ‘Origin of the Species’, a publication that altered man’s conception of the origins of life.

And these islands have since become a paradise for tourists, scientists and ecologists alike. Today, the Galápagos Island of San Cristóbal is a place to sleep among sea lions, to walk along pristine beaches, interrupted only by the curious gazes of a multitude of comely marine iguanas and exotic birds.

« Naturally the word Galápagos is what guides people to this country, » said Egüez.

Banking its future tourism potential on Galápagos, however, is indeed a losing proposition and one of the reasons for the country’s inland reach. Simply growth for the Galapagos Islands is physically and ecologically impossible. The island are also at the edge of their carrying capacity, absorbing some 120,000 tourists yearly, a figure that almost trebled in the past five years alone.

And growth has to develop somewhere, if tourism official’s targets are to be reached. But Ecuador is getting there, with consistent increases in tourism numbers on a yearly basis. In 2005, Ecuador attracted 860 thousand tourists of the 18.1 million visitors to the South American continent, up 5.1 percent over the previous year.

Top countries of origin of incoming tourism, according to Ecuador Tourism Ministry figures, were Peru, the United States, Columbia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany.

An integral marketing plan of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism continues to be ambitious, targeting increasing those numbers significantly in the coming years. Targets include attracting 1.1 million incoming tourists this year, and boosting that figure to 1.7 million by 2010. Hence the strategy to encourage travelers to Ecuador to experience the capital Quito, parts of the Amazon rain forest, the highlands, its volcanoes, its culture, its Pacific coastline, its beaches or its gastronomy.

Ecuador, life at its purest
Take a polished advertising campaign dubbed ‘Ecuador – Life at its purest’, published in the US edition of National Geographic Magazine – in collaboration with the rainforest alliance – which sends a message of sustainable tourism, and depicts reasons to visit the diverse regions of Ecuador.

One image of the award-winning campaign depicts an indigenous man with the vast, impressive and expansive Andes mountain-range in the distance inviting tourists to discover the people and cultures of Ecuador, while another shows the pure and beautiful volcanic mountains of the Andes, while another illustrates the lush tropical Amazonian region. All this to show that Ecuador, is more than Galápagos.

Then there is the capital, Quito, situated high in the Andes mountain-range and nestled in between a host of snow-capped volcano’s. Venture to the hill of El Panecillo in Ecuador’s capital Quito, over 2,800 meters above sea level and perched high above the capital with a spectacular view of the expansive city is Pim’s Restaurant, just metres from the 41-meter-tall monument of a Madonna assembled high above the hill.

This vista gives a birds-eye view of this city that since 1978 has been world heritage site. Here you will see architecture that could represent the best of the European heritage, as well as a unique cultural mix of the country’s indigenous roots.

While putting the four corners of the ecologically and culturally diverse Ecuador on the map for international tourists is a challenge, one local contemporary dance choreographer admits that the task is difficult, since this country has long been on the periphery of some of its neighbours.

« The problem is that the great capitals of culture in Latin America are Buenos Aires, Caracas, Bogota, Santiago… and even Lima, » said Kléver Viera, the director the contemporary dance company Grupo El Arrebato.

« Yet at the same time, this has resulted in dance remaining authentic to itself, and created by our culture, and what we are, » he concludes.

Perhaps, discovering the least exploited parts of Ecuador is finding something more pristine, natural and untouched. Being somewhat isolated sometimes has its advantages.

Guayaquil. The walls of this building in central Guayaquil were adorned with reproductions of beautiful artworks. The capital of Guayas province, this city is the largest and most populated of Ecuador. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Guayaquil is the main port of Ecuador, and runs along the Guayas river. The city was named after an indigenous chief, 'Guayas', and his wife, 'Quil'. Both chose to die before surrendering themselves to the Spaniards. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Malecon 2000. At the port of Gayaquil is Malecon 2000, a waterfront promenade where entertainment, culture and natural attractions are to be found. The complex includes museums, monuments, gardens, fountains, a shopping mall and even an IMAX theater. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Guayaquil. The Hemicicio de la Rotonda is a semicircle commemorating the meeting of two Latin American liberators, Simón Bolívar and San Martin, when it was decided that Guayaquil would be annexed to the Gran Colombia. The monument was designed by the Spanish scupltor Jose Antonio Holms and placed in 1937. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Santa Ana Hill, Guayaquil. This photograph was taken at the bottom of Santa Ana hill. After climbing the 444 stairs you reach an area with shops, restaurants bars and galleries. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. The view from the balcony of our hotel on the island of San Crystóbal, the easternmost island of the Galápagos Islands. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. In 1831, 22-year-old naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a five year voyage to chart the coast of South America aboard the 90-food-long vessel, The Beagle. Towards the end of the journey they would spend five weeks at the remote archipelago of the Galápagos, the home of giant tortoises, black lizards and a wide array of finches. Darwin's first port of call was San Crystóbal Island. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Most visitors will be surprised at the dryness of the terrain in Galápagos. In the Pacific dry belt, the land is semi-desert lowland, and a challenge for colonizing plants. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. The living proof that Charles Darwin found in this unique volcanic archipelago inspired his theory of the origin of specias, which shook up the scientific world. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Iguanas of the Galápagos are striking in both their looks and their behavior. They can reach a length of 100 centimeters, and weigh 8 kilograms. They spend much of their time resting on the large groups of rocks on the shores, soaking up the sun, expelling salty residue from their nostrils. They feed on seaweed. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Although there is just one marine iguana species, there are seven subspecies that differ in size and appearance in different locations. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. The vegetation on the higher portions of San Crystóbal is marketly different from its arid lowlands. Here, not far from the largest freshwater lake, El Junco, the flora and fauna enjoys higher levels of rainfall. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. The opening of the Charles Darwin Station is credited with saving both races and individual giant tortoises. Today, 10 of 11 subspecies of the giant tortoise are no longer considered endangered. One subspecies, the geochelone elephantopus abingdoni has only one surviving individual, quipped Lonesome George. When George dies, his subspecies will be extinct. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Galapaguera, San Crystóbal Island. Established by the National Park, the Galapaguera is a man-made breeding program for tortoises and an information center for visitors. There you not only get to see giant land tortoises living in a semi-natural habitat, but also learn about their origin, evolution and threats by introduced animals. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Giant Galápagos Tortoise. The largest and best known of the Galápagos, these are slow-moving herbivores. These animals are able to survive for several months without food and water, but they do drink and even bathe when the opportunity arises. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. The fluctuating environmental conditions of the Islands, plus the increase of human activities and their waste (hooks, propellers, nets, capes, etc.) are factors that affect the groups of animals which inhabit the Galapagos Marine Reserve, including sea lions, penguins, albatross, sea turtles, and others. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Sea lions congregate in groups of females and their pups, with a bull sea lion patrolling the territory that his family group occupies. The territorial family groups fluctuate, and remain intact for a period of about two weeks. The congregate on sandy beaches like this one at Cerro Brujo, on the northern coast of San Crystóbal Island. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. The Galapágos fur seals are seen snoozing on the beaches and rocky shores of San Crystóbal. They feed at night on squid and fish, and they enjoy a thick pelt that protects them against the cool waters. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Estimates of the number of sea lions in Galápagos range from 15,000 to 50,000. Males can weigh as much as 250 pounds. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. It is from these shores that Charles Darwin began to formulate some of the ideas abut evolution that would appear, a quarter century later, in 'The origin of Species', what would become one of the most influential books ever published. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

Quito at night. A view of Ecuador's capital, Quito, the second highest capital city in the world. Courtesy Metropolitan Touring. ECUADOR

El Panecillo Monument. El Panecillo is a hill located in the middle of the city with an altitude of about 9,895 feet (3,016 m) above sea level. The monument to Virgin Mary located on top of El Panecillo is visible from most of the city of Quito. This monument is based on a sculpture made by Bernardo de Legarda in the Spanish Colony time known as 'La Virgen de Quito'. Courtesy Metropolitan Touring. ECUADOR

Walking gently in paradise

andrew princz — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:50:14 +0000

Klever Viera choreographs the Quito-based Grupo El Arrebato. Courtesy photo.

Friendly advice to visitors traveling to Ecuador

(Quito) One word of advice to any visitor to Ecuador: walk gently after visiting paradise. Only then should you cautiously climb to this, the capital Quito, perched high and nestled among mountains, valleys and volcanoes. I say this to bemuse you since the trajectory in my latest voyage took me to the easternmost Galapagos Island of San Cristóbal, true heaven on earth. Where the famed Charles Darwin discovered the keys to life on earth. It was a place to sleep among the sea lions, to watch curious iguanas, massive turtles, and to see large birds diving fast and furious into a pure-blue sea.

Then we flew inland to the capital, Quito, 2,800 metres above sea level. Even after taking deep breaths there was very little oxygen to grasp. Walk slowly, they said, don’t overexert yourself. Regardless of advice to the contrary, on this voyage I was taken yet higher to visit the heights of the snow-capped volcano Cotopaxi, which itself is well upwards of 5,000 metres high. It is one of the worlds highest active volcano’s.

As much as I love watching volcano’s: it was like a knockout punch. While I was not dead I did suspect that I was close to it, such was my dizziness and loss of stamina. Out of breath and seeped of any semblance of energy, I spent the following days in an elegant colonial-style hotel between baths, trying to garner strength … taking yet more baths, then coughing. Between one of these sets of miseries my room phone rang and rang. Who could be calling me here? I ignored the bells as I waded quietly in the steaming-hot water until my skin took the wrinkled form of a soft rotting apple-peel.

As I crawled out of my pond the phone wailed out its cries again. I eventually ceded, and answered. « Signor, » said an anxious voice from the reception, « you have guests waiting to see you! »

Like an awkward sea lion waddling on a beachfront and disturbed from its lazy life, I very slowly made my way through the colonnaded archways towards my mysterious visitors.

He introduced himself as Klever Viera, the director the Grupo El Arrebato. Kléver had intently piercing eyes, a majestic form and a mysterious presence. He could have been the devil himself, or a suave Casanova. There was something very powerful and masculine about him. Next to him was an ever so beautiful, feminine, attractive dancer, Maria Sol Rosero. And there I was, feeble and useless, like a dehydrated apple among an abundance of exotic fruit.

My mind began, at least temporarily, to emerge from my nausea, delving into the subject of new dance in Ecuador. Kléver talked about this with passion and eloquence. « Contemporary dance represents liberty and the unique space of the avant-garde, » he said, « Yet even if it is avant-garde, it is also somewhat occultist, it is intimate, and is now only developing here. »

« It is the art form that is most contested and rebellious in Ecuador, and is little understood little valorized. »

A remote Quito, as beautiful as its colonial architecture is, is not known as one of the great cultural capitals of South America. Located on the continents western corner it remains overshadowed by Buenos Aries, Bogota or even Lima, with larger contemporary companies rarely visiting, he said.

« In a way we can say that we have used this to our advantage since dance in Ecuador remains authentic to our country, » he went on.

El Arrebato is a Quito-based independent dance company performing throughout the country, and are based in the Centre Culturel Mama Cuchara, a part of the Teatro Nacional Sucre. The company performs pieces like « Yo, otro eco », « Ba. ch » and others at local festivals including the Festival Spondylus, Alas de la Danza, the Festival of Manta the Festival de Ambato or the Mujeres en la Danza. They have even performed in unusual spaces, including a burned out theatre in Quito.

« Over the past five or six years there has been many waves of creation in theatre, acrobatics and alternative dance, » said Kléver, « Many new groups have been created and as a result there has been an unprecedented amount of opportunities for the youth to create. »

Kléver and Maria left me a video of an old/new work of the company, and bid me farewell. It was « Vista de Ojos », referring to a game that little kids play, pulling down their pants in front of the world. And so this is what Grupo El Arrebato wish to do, Maria told me, to reveal some of the tough realities of Ecuadorian society. The piece was originally created in 2000, and ‘recycled’, or re-created in 2006.

The work is a fast-paced, contemporary, playful, many-faceted and a window into the world that is Ecuador, a unique choreographic language full of texture, pathos and intensity.

« I am interested in identity, since I come from the mountains, and face my Indian roots, and within this is my search for identity, » said Kléver, « There is also the memory of social manifestations and their roots, urbanism, and references to the underworld, the alternative, the underground and the personalities that inhabit it. »

I bid farewell to my friends, once again retreating into my seclusion. Only now, I was a richer man.

Montreal-based journalist and cultural navigator Andrew Princz is the editor of the travel site ontheglobe.com. He is involved in country awareness and tourism promotion projects globally. He has traveled to almost sixty countries around the globe seeking to communicate the stories of the diverse peoples and cultures that he comes across; from Nigeria to Ecuador; Kazakhstan to India.

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Quito at night. A view of Ecuador's capital, Quito, the second highest capital city in the world. Courtesy Metropolitan Touring. [ECUADOR

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