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AMA about Ecuador if you ever plan to come visit ;)

• samschooler 9y ago
  What do you think are some things tourists and backpackers miss about Ecuador when they visit (whether it be tips, misconceptions, or spots to visit)?
  • bikamonki 9y ago
    We do not tip. By law, a 10% is added to hotel and retaurant bills, which is then split among all employees. However, tips from tourists are common so go ahead and do it if the service was worth it. Backpackers will miss cheap food and rooms found while touring our neighbours. A booming decade has increased purchasing power for most ecuadoreans, naturally, that's made everything more expensive to buy, in particular restaurants and hotels. For instance, I just booked Airbnb in Prague for less of what I paid (per nite) for a room in Puerto López (awesome beach town) during our past holiday. A couple of weeks ago on a road trip to Riobamba I paid $10 for a fritada (a local dish made of fried pork and sides) and a glass of fruit juice. I still remember paying $3-$4 for the same meal not many years ago! Tickets for local flights are super expensive. Booking a flight from the capital Quito to any other city will cost from $150 to $300 round trip. On the bright side, we have good roads and plenty of bus routes. As far as places to visit, thing to do, let me put it this way: the place is so diverse and so small, that on a week-long trip you can do a lot of stuff except snow skiing.