An amazing country with so much to see and do, and I only scratched the surface while there. I only stayed in the Andes while the Amazon jungle laid to the east and the coastline and Galapagos laid to the west. Cheap too (aside from the Galapagos). On the downside, crime is definitely a major problem – which hampered my ability to move around as a solo traveller. Between witnessing a street shootout and hearing first hand reports from other travellers getting mugged, the place forced me to be very cautious. I never walked around with any more than $20 cash in my pocket, leaving my wallet, camera, and phone back at my guesthouse most of the time.
I had a few meals at one of Quito’s most recommended restaurants. Oddly, it was located a bit off the beaten path but just a few blocks from my guesthouse. The front door was always kept locked and you had to wave through the window to get them to open up for you. Once inside, they would lock the door behind you. While dining there, I would gaze out the window at a watch dealer across the street who operated out of a small tin shack. A seemingly endless string of young Ecuadorians would stop by to get watches evaluated / bought by the shopkeeper. These clearly were not owned by the kids selling them (one tried his watch on and it remained loose to his elbow. They were obviously acquired through thefts.
Most Ecuadorians I met were very nice and honest, of course, and trying to make a legitimate living, but it was unfortunate that crime was such a problem. I asked my driver on the way to the airport whether he thought the country was getting safer, more dangerous, or staying the same and he said he felt it was staying the same. He had only suffered two incidents in his life, he said, but took a lot of precautions.
Aside from the crime problem, Ecuador was an incredibly beautiful (naturally and architecturally) place that has tons of potential for earning good money from tourists if the place could be made a bit safer.
