Announcements

Click here to read about my upcoming book.

Mar. 26, 2024

During my journeys through South America I have visited 36 towns/cities in Ecuador. In Perú, I visited 48; in Chile, only five; and in Argentina, I visited 16. In Uruguay, I visited five, and in Brazil, three. And in Paraguay I have visited 26. In Colombia I've visited 85. That's 224 towns/cities in South America.

I'm in Barranca, Perú.



Santa Rosa, Ecuador

Jan 16, 2023

santa_rosa_sign.jpg

Santa Rosa, Ecuador: Population: around 85,000. The city didn't really start to grow substantially until the 20th century. The economy is based on shrimp farming, bananas, livestock, agriculture, some mining, and commerce.

Way back when, before the area was called Santa Rosa, there were two or three different groups of people living here, people who had previously been ruled by the Incas. There have been remains of their settlements found in the area of Santa Rosa. The "city" dates back to the mid-1500s but the conquering Spaniards didn't follow the regulations for founding a new city, so there are no founding documents. Some historians say the city was officially founded in 1600, and then a second time in 1617. From July 1941 until February 1942 there was a war, though not declared, between Perú and Ecuador.

Vilcabamba, Ecuador

Jan 13, 2023

vilcabamba_sign.jpg

Vilcabamba, Ecuador: Way back in the Inca years the royalty used this valley as their personal retreat area. It is also called the "valley of longevity" due to its long-living residents. Some say people commonly live to be 100 and more years old in this region. Whatever the reason for this reputation, it most likely comes down to these two facts: they are active, eat healthily, and take care of their elders. And a fairly large number of young people leave Vilcabamba to live in the larger cities. There has been some real research done here to determine if in fact there is any truth to the legend. The results? No. In fact, people here live no longer on average than people anywhere else.

Loja, Ecuador

Jan 11, 2023

loja_sign.jpg

Loja, Ecuador: The full name is "City of the Immaculate Conception of Loja". Loja is known as the Music and Cultural Capital of Ecuador. In the photo album is a photo of the Parque de la Musica. Something in the park that isn't visible in the picture is the inscriptions on the walls of music staves - the inscriptions of deceased famous Ecuadorian composers, singers, and musicians. The population of Loja is around 200,000. In the park called "Parque Colinas del Pucará", at the top of the hill, you can find what appears to be an old castle, but in reality, this place used to be a cable car station. Sometime between 2020 and 2023 it was closed and the cable car and cable were removed. Now you can go up the smaller tower and get a nice view of the valley. There are pics in the photo album. The trailhead starts in Parque Pucará.

Catamayo, Ecuador

Jan 9, 2023

catamayo_sign.jpg

Catamayo, Ecuador: Population: about 30,000. One of the tourist attractions nearby is the Chicaca Tunnel. It is a tunnel dug out of the mountain by the Incas. There is a gravel road to it, through it, and beyond. I did not make it out to the tunnel on this visit to Catamayo, but I will on my next. And, there will definitely be a next because I like this town.

The city dates back to the 16th century but it was in the 19th century when it really started to take off. The main industries are agriculture, the production of tiles and bricks, sugar, and tourism. Catamayo sits in a valley in the Andes Mountains, surrounded by mountains.

Machala, Ecuador

Jan 7, 2023

machala_sign.jpg

Machala, Ecuador: They call it the "Banana capital of the world" because the port here is where the Ecuadoran bananas are shipped out to countries all around the world. This part of Ecuador is basically all banana plantations, right up to the edge of the city. Machala has a population of around 232,000 but the entire metropolitan area is almost a half-million.