Known popularly as Angel Falls, these falls are called Kerepakupai-Merú by the Pemon.

(Canaima) While Adamaka Charafukaikuse Endayuritupo, or Henry Campos, knows that he is Venezuelan; he prefers to refer to himself as Canaiman. That’s because for Campos this where his people’s history is etched in the dramatic landscapes of the area that today consist of Canaima National Park. These jungles are the setting of the tales and legends of his people who for centuries have called this ancient landscape home.

Campos enthusiastically tells the tales of how the Pemon people are said to have reached these jungles, the home of the immense ancient rock formations, or tepuis, and the highest waterfalls in the world. The falls, known as Angel Falls, flow from the vertical cliffs of Auyantepui mountain.

“For the Pemon people it is all here,” says Campos, “We have the beach, the river, our people. My grandfather told me that this is lost paradise; it is the land of our gods, the rivers, the mountains the animals and insects. I always thank the gods that I was born in Canaima.”

Mythical Mount Roraima
Long referred to as the Lost World, the nearby Mount Roraima and its grand tapui boasts four hundred meter tall cliffs that formed the setting of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic 1912 novel The Lost World.

Among some of the world’s most ancient rock formations, I flew over some of the one hundred tepui that rise above these vast tracks of land in what is a series of elevated plateau that pierce the clouds with their sheer sandstone cliffs. The tepui drop vertically leaving fields precious stones, strangely shaped rocks, unique flora and ancient fauna.

An Amerindian of the Pemon tribe, Campos learned to speak English shares his innate knowledge of these landscapes of South Eastern Venezuela with visitors to some of the twelve guest houses and area resorts.

Arriving in Canaima is landing on an airstrip that until very recently received only small aircraft, leaving it hard to access. Local carrier Conviasa recently launched commercial flights to this remote area, and the site of the aircraft parked on the side of the airstrip dwarfs the small stand-like structure that greets tourists. There is no airport here but a small stall where arts and crafts are pitched to tourists.

Vehicles then shift guests to and from the local resorts and campgrounds a short distance away on narrow dusty roads.

Traditional longboats take guests on day trips to the waterfalls surrounding the resort.

The Canaima Lagoon
Venetur Campamento Canaima overlooks the Canaima lagoon with a view of a series of plunging waterfalls that flow into the waters, with an imposing tepui in the distance. Tea colored waters, sandy beaches and three palm trees literally emerge from the waters as if to emphasize the otherworldly nature of the setting. Traditional longboats ferry guests to and from the seven waterfalls that fill the lagoon.

Jetting off from the resort in a longboat, Campos leads the way to a day of trekking. He explains the origins of the Pemon, an amalgamation of a series of tribes known for having been fierce warriors. As we head out to the lagoon and approach the falls Campos receives a phone call on his cellular phone, and the view is a striking contrast of his tribal tales and the trappings of contemporary life.

We walk through the jungles and Campos points out caves, flora, lizards and even a striking small black and yellow colored frog that is a mystery to even to biologists. They are thought to have originated from ancient times and survived on the unique flatlands of the surrounding plateaus.

Sapo Falls
We pass El Hacha Falls and Sapo Falls, which we climb and follow a rocky path that leads literally behind the falling waters. About every three months I like to live a really magical moment – one where I can stand in front of nature, or experience a profound moment of cultural sharing. Standing in front of these falls, and later exchanging with Campos about the Pemon was one such moment. We showered under the warm falling waters, taking in spectacular views and appreciated the moment.

That evening after a few glasses of whisky, Campos recounts the legend of his tribe’s arrival in Canaima centuries ago. The Homeric journey began, he says, in the northern Caribbean when the son of a shaman predicted a terrible war against the ‘other side’. It was a war that could not be won. Perhaps it was a foreshadowing of the Spanish invasion of the Americas, but this was a tale that the community could hardly believe.

The shaman, however, predicted that there was a land somewhere in the clouds where they could live well and sent his son with a magical potion to give him strength in the journey to discover the unknown earthly paradise. The tale eventually leads to the land around Canaima, to Auyantepui and Kerepakupai-Merú – known today popularly as Angel Falls – whose waters literally fall from the clouds.

The mythical Angel Falls
The last top on our journey was a short flight to these mythical falls and its rugged flat-topped tepui, a landscape that was until recently named after Jimmy Angel. He was American aviator who in the 1930s was first believed to have been the first outsider to see these highest of waterfalls in the world.

A small plane in the distance reveals the immense dimensions of the landscape of Canaima National Park.

Angel Falls are approached either by boat or in our case a small aircraft. In our case, four passengers were crammed into the small plane. Its climb revealed the baby-green terrain, meandering rivers and jutting tapui.

A handful of waterfalls flowed from the cliffs, but it was not until I saw another small aircraft approach in the distance that the sheer proportions of the landscape became clear. We swooped several times as my fellow passengers became dizzy and somewhat nauseous, but there they were – Angel falls flowing from the clouds. Our pilot even claimed to have moved the clouds over during his thee passes of the falls, giving us a better view.

The top of plateau pierced the cloud-cover and the waters of Kerepakupai-Merú flowed ferociously. The backdrop was no less inspiring as it must have been in the eyes of the Pemon generations before. And the minuscule size of the small aircraft approaching the falls just emphasized the sheer vastness of the jungles of Canaima.

Portrait of a girl, Cartagena. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

In Colombia, the rhythms of dance are part of the cultural fabric

(Bogota) Wander the streets of a sweltering Cartagena, a fortress of a city by the sea on the northern coast of Colombia and you will be taken in by its colourful facades, flower-laden wooden balconies and airy rooftop patios. The fiery sun bounces off of the freshly painted houses adorned in bright reds, yellows and even blues. The echo of your voice can be heard in the narrow streets where an atmosphere is so intimate that the roads give the impression of being alleyways.

If you look a little closer at the Colombians, you might also notice that they never stop to dance. They dance their feverishly paced salsa every night, and even he motions of their thighs and breasts seemed more like natural gyrations. Then the speed of their salsa becomes acrobatic. Even in the streets during their everyday lives the shifty walks of the Colombians appear almost choreographed as one suave step leads into another keeping a kind of natural beat.

The coffee triangle
But this journey lead me to crisscross the country from the cool capital to the famed ‘coffee triangle’. My next stop was in Bogota, high in Andes mountains, a sprawling city said to be close to the legendary El Dorado, the ’gilded one’. This fabled kingdom of gold was said to have its origins when a South American tribal leader covered himself in gold dust only to dive into the waters of a pristine mountain-lake, creating a golden empire, the location of which is still said to be somewhere in this area.

Plaza de Bolivar at sundown. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

In Bogota you can see real gold in the form of the creations of pre-Hispanic society which are housed in the capital’s Gold Museum. A pair of circular earrings from the Narino Valley – dating back to 600-1700 AD –were once worn at dances and ritual ceremonies many centuries ago.

From a dinner at the peak of Cerro de Monserrate at 3,160 meters with a breathtaking view of the sprawling capital, to the Botero museum with its collection of Fernando Botero’s amusingly rotund caricature-like figures, Bogota is a regional Mecca of unique art and architecture enveloped by mountain peaks.

Classical architecture of Bogota
The central Plaza de Bolivar at sundown you have the feeling of being in a view by the 18^th century Italian painter Canaletto. As far as the eye could see the classical architecture constructions baked in the rays of the five o’clock sun as birds whisked back and forth in the frame.

But as day became night, again it was the dance and passion of Colombians that came to life. On one evening we ventured out to Andres Carne de Res, the famous restaurant and dance hall as known for its sumptuous steaks as it is for its carnival-like atmosphere. Forty minutes from the capital, this is where the fast dance and the slow-kiss meet.

Cocktails are served in strange coconut-like mugs, and the décor is pasted together with a wide array of strange local objects from bottle caps to traditional Colombian hats. Bands of musicians wander throughout the place playing to tables all while competing with the music that everybody else is dancing to. As the night progresses the dance floor becomes packed and the salsa, electric. They danced between the tables and wherever a person could fit.

Basically, the scene developed into a sort of utter chaos. Dance-obsessed Colombians kissed the night away as they drank their mojitos and moved to their salsa, merengue and cumbia beats.

View of Bogota from Cerro de Monserrate. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

But if you utter the word Colombia to most people in the world they will think of the Arabica produced here. This is coffee country that was ironically made famous by the fictional character known the world over as Juan Valdez.

The Parque Nacional del Café
We move to the lush coffee region not far from Armenia and the village of Montenegro at the Parque Nacional del Café, something of a Disneyland of the coffee bean. This is one of Colombia’s largest parks where you witness the processes of coffee production, from the nursery, planting, collecting and the processing of the beans.

This is where they present the Show del Café, or the story of coffee, as interpreted through dance and narrative. Young Colombians tell the story of coffee rich in traditional costumes, spears, coffee bags and the story of Juan Valdez with a painted backdrop of the Andes Mountain range in the background.

“We are a kind of tropical people, living in the movement,” Carmen Dora Ossa, a singer of the traditional Colombian musical ensemble told me, „The people of this territory carry the music in their blood.”

Related article: Valle de Cocora, seeontheglobe.com

Estella's family. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

A journey to Amazonia, Rio de Janeiro

(Manaus) The waves were imposing enough to know that before us was a vast ocean – on the shores of Rio de Janeiro. I didn’t have to look around for palm trees, exotic fruit or curious animals, although there was plenty of all three, to know I had arrived in a beautiful Brazilian landscape. Strangely, however, was a peculiar odor that emanated in this paradise and would recur on several occasions during my few days in Rio.

There was nothing gallant about Rio, glitzy or even elegant. But I did get the feeling of a misplaced elegance. It must have been the architecture from the golden age of Rio that made me imagine a silver-screen movie star strolling suavely down the Copacabana, ordering a cocktail with eyes fixed on her. Nice fantasy, but in this Rio, time seemed to have stood still since its glory days.

Rio is idyllic, however, in all of its natural beauty, from the many beaches that indent its coastline in Arpoador, Ipanema and Copacabana, or large mountain peaks that pierce the landscape such as the Corcovado or Sugarloaf mountains. Rio is also host to the largest urban forest in the world, the Tijuca Forest. But most famously, it is home to Brazilian music like the choro, the samba and bossa nova.

Post carnaval blues
As the trip progressed, I began to suspect the reason for the foul odor. I had traveled thousands of kilometers to catch the hangover from Rio’s famed Carnaval. I’m glad to have missed the world’s biggest party in early March. I am not good in crowds. I felt, however, like I had just missed a party, or more accurately, having arrived the morning after a Dionysian orgy. In Rio, Carnaval is taken seriously.

Interestingly, the traditional Carnaval had its origins in the city’s slums, places the average tourist sees only from the windows of a bus, as I did. Unfortunately, some 30-50 million of Brazil’s inhabitants live on less than one dollar a day.

The trip to Brazil from Budapest took a full day, and jet lag kept me in the hotel for the first two nights. I almost missed out on the third night, but lucky for me, I awoke at 2 a.m. and wandered out on the Copacabana.

I wandered into an expansive, disco-type bar. Music blared and a Samba beat pulsated as I listened to a song about a beautiful girl from Ipanema. Although the suave young woman I met that night was not from Ipanema, I bought her a cocktail and shared a few words. Her fate was less fanciful than the girl in the song. This woman came from an outlying village and said she was trying to raise money to travel to the US to be an au pair. Our conversation was abruptly ended when she said she was working had to go in search of a client that night. I doubted she would become an au pair.

The samba continued and I made my way to the beach as the waves hummed and caressed the shores. That natural beauty, however, was somehow cheapened for me here.

The next day a small train wound its way up a mountain, taking me and others on my tour up to Rio’s famous statue of the redeeming Christ. It was like visiting heaven, and from there I could see Ipanema. I spent a few minutes in awe looking down at the world, which at that moment was as beautiful as it would ever be. A monkey cried from the trees, I grabbed a beer, read a newspaper and was content.

Lush Amazonia
The following day, thousands of kilometers from Rio, I was on the banks of the Negro River, a chocolate-colored tributary of the famous Amazon. In this even more humid and hot environment, wild parrots gathered every morning near our lodges – where monkeys, spiders and snakes were all part of the environment.

Rain and sun intermittently came and went on a moment’s notice, with a torrential rain being replaced by warm sun, all within the space of an hour. Along the Negro, I saw monkeys, fished for piranha and bathed in a natural lake where the water was tainted brown.

My group stayed in small lodges that were interspersed amid a maze of small winding paths that jotted through the lush, tropical rain forest. It was like an outdoor museum, and machete-laden Indian guides took us through the forest explaining in great detail how their people lived, hunted and survived in this natural environment. Survive they did, until the Europeans arrived. It was not so long ago that these people were slaughtered by the « discoverers » of their land.

The Indian encampment
I felt quite uncomfortable when we tour arrived in an « Indian encampment. » The men greeted us and played wind instruments. They were half-dressed and their faces were painted. Today they showed the « white man » how they lived. Our guide said there are only 200,000 surviving native Indians here, of an original 4 million. Half of those still living continue to live their traditional lifestyle, while the others live in Amazonia’s capital, Manaus or in other cities.

When our tour group arrived at the encampment, 40 cameras began clicking. I noticed that the faces of the Indian family, especially the children, grew somber – as if they were well familiar how to pose in these situations. They seemed more like trophies than humans.

« Sometimes its good, because you help them, because that way they don’t move downtown, » said one of our guides, Jose Orivaldo Neres de Oliveira, or « Saro, » which means « from the ground.”

« It is a little bit degrading, and in a way you invade their privacy, but it’s better than to be poor and not have a chance to find a job on the streets, » Saro said.

Here I communicated with 14-year-old Estella. Embarrassed about the situation, I gave her my camera and let her take pictures of us. At first she was shy and unwilling, but without speaking, we communicated until she took a picture or two. She suddenly ran into the kind of tent and came out with a nut filled with red paint. In a few quick motions and without warning, she painted my face as she smiled faintly.

Saro explained to me that Estella had painted « handsome man » on my face. She then let me take a picture of her family.

Saro said Estella’s family moved from northern Brazil when the construction of a gold mine on their native land forced them to leave. Now on the Negro River, not far from Manaus, they live on a small piece of land. In Brazil, he said, it takes 10 years before the land defacto becomes yours. In a bitter irony, they now show the tourists how the Indians once lived.

My eight-day tour of Brazil emphasized the natural beauty of this country of 170 million – a country that seems caught between the past and the future. After tasting the exotic, the beautiful and even the raunchy, Brazil left its impression on me of a nation being molded into an uncertain future. It is most certainly a land of contrasts.

Nestled in the high Peruvian Andes, Machu Picchu was 'rediscovered' in 1911 by Hiram Bingham III. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

Almost a century of myths surround the Inca settlement of Machu Picchu

(Cusco) The early morning mist dissipates in the landscape of palm trees and lush green forests framed by inhospitable snow-capped mountains. This journey taken by innumerable tourists every day is the very same route that explorer Hiram Bingham took in late 1911. Today we revel in a plush train – followed by a comfortable bus ride and a walk among llamas.

« It would be a dull story full of repetition and superlatives were I to try to describe the countless terraces, the towering cliffs and the constantly changing panorama, » wrote Bingham of the voyage in his book Lost City of the Incas.

After the train arrives at the village, tourists board small busses to begin the final ascent. A winding dirt road climbs higher to a panorama of dramatic cliffs and mountains until a breathtaking view appears. A series of stone buildings and terraces on the very top of the mountain becomes clear.

« With the jungle in the foreground and the glaciers in the lofty background, » reads Bingham’s words of almost a century ago, « Even the so-called road got monotonous – although it ran recklessly up and down the rock stairways sometimes cut out of the side of the precipice… We made slow progress, but we lived in wonderland. »

It takes a wild stretch of the imagination to conceive how any human being could go to such great lengths as the Inca to build an estate here. Yet nestled high in the Peruvian Andes at some 2,500 meters above sea-level amidst forbidding mountains and quite literally right within the clouds is Machu Picchu, the mysterious settlement left by the one-time rulers of much of South America, the Inca Empire.

Today Machu Picchu is defacto an impressive ghost town. For almost a century it has puzzled and intrigued scholar and layman alike, having been the subject of myth, half-truths, fictions and tall tales as storytellers manufacture competing versions of just what once existed here.

It has even been the flag bearer of spiritual movements, from the hippies onwards, in which guides walk unsuspecting tourists around the site feeding them with most unlikely stories.

The spiritual movements
« They have put together a series of elements, some of which are taken from modern Andean religious beliefs, but some from North American or native Indian beliefs, » says Richard Burger, a Yale University professor and eminent Machu Picchu scholar, « Some are probably also taken from Celtic – and who knows, maybe Tibetan beliefs. »

As people have become interested in spiritual elements, Machu Picchu guides have become shamans or native priests, Burger says, who have produced all sorts of stories that they know people will get excited about. Yet Burger laments that most of these tales have very little to do with Machu Picchu. The guides tell stories of mystical energies or even perform rites and rituals.

« The guides in my mind are like Catskill comedians. They go out in front of a tough crowd and see how the tourists react to the stories they tell. Depending on the kind of reaction, that’ll probably be commensurate with the tip that they get – or at least the number of people who stay the whole tour and don’t wander off. »

Even Walt Disney tells its own version of the Inca tale in the animated film The Emperors New Clothes. While Disney’s story of the emperor Cusco being magically transformed into a llama is decidedly fictitious, in its own way that other worldly story contributes to the mythical status of the master craftsmen and warriors of the Inca.

The site at Machu Picchu is comprised of a series of pathways, open spaces and dwellings. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

Walt Disney’s animated movie The Emperors New Groove, like Stephen Spielberg’s blockbuster Indiana Jones series or even Mel Gibson’s graphic depictions of ancient Mayan civilization in Apocalypto have contributed popular culture’s turning ancient civilizations into its own icons. Machu Picchu is no different.

« It is very clear that Machu Picchu was built for the Inca Pachacuti who was an extraordinary ruler. He was a combination of a mystical and very political person, » says Jorge A. Flores Ochoa, anthropologist at the National University of Cusco, « He chose a very special place like Machu Picchu because it is more wonderful than any other thing. »

« He changed the Inca religion in a very short period of time, fifty years, and was very proud of the magnificence of the Incas. The state was very strong and controlled almost everything. In this sense the Incas had very strong and good engineering. Their stonework was very good too. »

The final capitulation of the Inca
Evidence suggests that construction of the site of Machu Picchu started at about 1450, and it is thought to have been abandoned some 80 years later. The Spanish would go on to conquer Peru in 1532, with the final capitulation of the Inca in 1572.

You only have to walk into the airport of Peru’s capital, Lima, and you quickly recognize the stature that Machu Picchu has earned here. On billboards for credit card companies to real estate firms the mystique of Machu Picchu has become a prized association of greatness in a country that remains scarred by the Spanish conquest of these lands.

« The Incas were a society made for war, » says Rodolfo Florez Usseglio of Hidden Treasure Peru, a cultural entrepreneur from Cusco who makes a living collecting the stories of this country’s cultural past, « They conquered many different areas, from South of Chile, Argentina to Panama. They were great in the science of war and were even a society that had great communication »

« The society was a great one – among of the best in the world. When the Spaniards came here they caused a great shock. One that we have not yet overcome. »

In Peru, where the poverty can be palpable, the legacy of Machu Picchu and the powerful world that the Inca created are a reminder that this nation was once a world power to be reckoned with.

Modern awareness of Machu Picchu begins with the larger than life figure of the American explorer Hiram Bingham III, who has been credited with rediscovering the site in 1911, and literally putting the settlement on the map in the eyes of the world.

The Lost City of the Incas
Bingham published his findings in National Geographic Magazine and wrote the popular Lost City of the Incas, a story that travelled the world; albeit plagued by what was later found to be myths and suppositions, such as the belief that Machu Picchu was a city at all. Burger, who has revisited Bingham’s findings, concluded that it was a royal estate.

« I think that Bingham got it wrong, » says Burger, « One of the problems that he wasn’t able to get over was that he was trained exclusively as a historian. So it was very hard for him to really see archaeological evidence as a strong foundation for inference. »

« The way he thought as a historian was that there was a very comprehensive understanding available from the chronicles and that if he could just fit what he found – these physical remains – into that framework, he would be ok. The irony, if there is one, is that he found the site that is the hardest to do that with. He found a site that wasn’t mentioned, a site that was not of very much interest to the Spanish. »

Bingham described the site as having been a center inhabited by priests who worshiped the sun with a select group of proverbial virgins of the sun. The site was also said by Bingham to have been the birthplace of the Inca. It has been found over the years, however, that there is nothing to support any of these theories.

A dispute over the Machu Picchu collection
The most significant controversy about Machu Picchu is the escalating battle for the relics that Bingham collected during his first expedition. The explorer carted off the items for study at Yale’s Peabody Museum in a contentious deal that the Peruvian government today claims would have had the swift return of the items after study. It’s been almost one hundred years, however, and Peru wants them back.

Historian Hiram Bingham III, who rediscovered Machu Picchu, at his expedition camp in 1912. Yale Peabody Museum File

Despite an agreement between Yale University and the Peruvian government of Alan Garcia in 2007, the debate was aggravated earlier this year when it was revealed that the number of objects housed at Yale – originally thought to be in the neighborhood of 3,000 – is now said to be well over 40,000.

The way some Peruvians see it, Hiram Bingham was just another chapter in the country’s colonial past whereby parts of their history and culture were carted off, rewritten, and scripted for somebody else’s gain, and fame.

« The problem is not Bingham, the problem is really the attitude of the University of Yale about the collection of Machu Picchu, » says archaeologist Luis Lumbreras, himself the former head of the Instituto National de Cultura, who is intimately familiar with the case, « The problem is the attitude in relation to my country, to my laws in Peru and about the permission that made it possible to export the collection. »

While having in principal agreed to the return of a good portion of the Machu Picchu collections, Lumbreras takes exception to conditions imposed by Yale regarding the construction of a museum to house the objects before seeing their return. Yale is calling the shots, Lumbreras feels, and he doesn’t like it.

« Ninety years later the attitude of Yale is well, but… ‘we will return the collection if you have a museum under the conditions that I ask’, the great Yale. It is certainly impossible. »

Yale’s Professor Burger retorts, however, that the restrictive policy regarding the export of the Machu Picchu collections were only in effect in his later expeditions – when the explorer did not enjoy the same levels of support from the Peruvian government. The understanding for the earlier collections, Burger contends, was that the objects were taken to the United States, ‘in perpetuity’.

Entry & Arrival
Most tourists taking the trek to Machu Picchu will arrive in Lima, followed by a one hour and a quarter flight to Cusco, what was the true centre of the Inca empire. Here you will likely be greeted by locals with coca-leaf tea that is said to alleviate the effects of altitude sickness. Cusco and its churches and museums make up a beautiful city that has a unique architectural and historical heritage that is well worth seeing. While Machu Picchu is the jewel in the crown, there are numerous sites in the Sacred Valley. There is a light and sound show at the archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, and the bulky Sucsayhuaman Fortress.

Information on travel to Peru can be obtained through PromPerú, the country’s national tourism board, Calle Uno Oeste N°50 – Urb. Córpac – Lima 27, Peru. [51] 1 2243131, http://www.promperu.gob.pe

iperu offers traveller information and assistance 24 hours a day. They may be reached at +51 1 5748000 or by email at iperu@promperu.gob.pe

Young Peruvian girl in traditional dress greets tourists at Cusco Airport. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

The fast-moving Urubamba River lines the route to Machu Picchu. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

From the end of the train station to the actual site of Machu Picchu one is taken on a meandering upward sloping road. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

Perurail offers various services that shuttle travelers towards the one-time Inca settlement of Machu Picchu. The Backpacker train service leaves from Ollantaytambo, and takes on hour to get to Machu Picchu. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

From the end of the train station to the actual site of Machu Picchu one is taken on a meandering upward sloping road. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

The site at Machu Picchu is nestled in the high Andes Mountains, as close to the sun as the Inca could settle. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

Llama roam about freely at the site of Machu Picchu. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

Andrew Princz of ontheglobe.com at Machu Picchu taping a segment of his radio documentary later aired on the CBC Radio program Dispatches. Photo © 2008, ontheglobe.com PERU

Hiram Bingham III is credited as being the re-discoverer of Machu Picchu. He made many suppositions that were later proved to be false, including the myth that the site was the home for ‘virgins of the sun’. As it turns out, the site was a royal estate. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

The Inca were known for their superb stone craftsmanship. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

The site at Machu Picchu is comprised of a series of pathways, open spaces and dwellings. Photo © 2008, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com PERU

Period photograph of the treacherous road to Machu Picchu taken by Hiram Bingham III in the early part of the last century. Yale Peabody Museum File

Hiram Bingham III brought fame to the site of Machu Picchu almost a century ago. Yale Peabody Museum File

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. A multitude of small crabs emerged and dissapeared as the waves hit the shores. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com ECUADOR

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Galápagos sea lions are encountered throughout the archipelago both at sea and on land. 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

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.

* Text by Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com, Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved

« ]

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. A multitude of small crabs emerged and dissapeared as the waves hit the shores. Photo © 2006, Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com [ECUADOR

« ]

San Crystóbal Island, Galápagos. Galápagos sea lions are encountered throughout the archipelago both at sea and on land. 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