PICTURES OF THE COUNTRY.

They are great!
Check out more at Flickr.

Ecuador’s Authentic Hotels and Haciendas from North to South

Ecuador is beginning to attract more tourists to regions besides the Amazon, Quito (capital city), and the Galapagos Islands. Travelers are discovering the Andes highlands, Avenue of Volcanoes, coastal areas and southern Ecuador. Many travelers enjoy authentic experiences while staying in historic haciendas and hotels which offer organic foods, cultural inclusion, sustainable ecotourism, volunteer possibilities, and adventures

During my trip, I met gracious and enthusiastic proprietors who were eager to share stories, legends, history, and anecdotes about their hotel or hacienda. As an owner of Kaony Lodge put it, “I love what I do.” I sensed that his remarks were not an exception.

Haciendas are generationally-owned. Its descendants take great pride in keeping their family’s traditions alive. It is their life’s passion to preserve the properties. Their personalities, as well as the staff members, added life and learning to each stay.

Other owners found properties they loved and spent years restoring them. For example, Samari Spa Resort used to be a monastery, and Hotel Café Cultura was once the French Embassy. Each is unique and melded with its community.

Hungarian born, László Károlyl (owner of Hotel Café Cultura) recognized the uniqueness of these authentic accommodations. He chose thirteen from Quito (north) to Vilacabamba (south) and developed criteria for the group, “Exclusive Hotels & Haciendas.” “Exclusive” does not imply elitism in this case at all. Rather, it refers to this group of haciendas and hotels that represent various regions of Ecuador.

Each property is involved with the local community, uses local products, and is representative of Ecuador’s culture. They practice sustainable tourism and ecological practices leading to the “Smart Voyager” Certification.

Established in 2000 by the Ecuadorian NGO Conservation y Desarrollo, along with the Rainforest Alliance, this “Smart Voyager” Certification implements “best practices” in the tourism industry.

Its strict requirements for owners include contributing directly to the local economy and environment, reduction in the ecological impacts of tourism, while providing travelers with the opportunity to help local people and protect wildlife.

László’s “Exclusive Hotels and Haciendas” requirements--along with work towards the “Smart Voyager” certification—serves to assure travelers of a comfortable yet authentic experience which is beneficial to the environment, local people, and wildlife.

Search for more info on accommodation on Transitions Abroad Ecuador.

The Day of the Bueno Entonces Mexican Margarita EXTRaVaganza

After a few big nights I’ve had to do some recuperating to get ready for the Bueno Entonces Mexican Margarita Extravaganza.. you know ... I need sleep every now and then.. When do Buenos-Aireans sleep? On Sunday all day Martin told me. But is that enough for the rest of the week?

All I could muster lately was a visit to Recoleta to see Evita’s grave. Surely a must SEE... She died just so young! Recoleta is pretty cool anyway to wander around with your sunglasses feeling melancholy. The graves are amazing and monumental and if you’ve ever dug into Argentine history or have paid attention to the streetnames you’ll find a lot of big names there. I find out Carlos Gardel is in the other cemetery, must do that one next time.

But onwards.. David (el Productor) and Cori have organised a night with the entire cast and crew of Bueno Entonces. We’re going out for Mexican and LOTS Of Margaritas in Palermo.

Jimena and the other David (this is confusing I know.. but this is the one YOU know if you’ve seen Bueno Entonces) are there and they are awesome. Also the writer and educational brain behind BE, Florencia and Hernan. Have I mentioned Carolina the beautiful Colombiana already? They’re all just amazing and what really shines through in Bueno Entonces that this is a bunch of people clearly having a lot of fun creating something together, is also pretty clear from tonight. After that more going out, and being silly.

Keep reading Vibe's reviews at beadventuresinba.blogspot.com

Ecuador's President Mr. Rafael Correa

Rafael Correa won the run-off vote in presidential elections in November 2006, promising a social revolution to benefit the poor.

He took up his post in January 2007, joining Latin America's club of left-leaning leaders, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales, who have not been shy in their criticism of the US and who have led a South American nationalisation drive.

Mr Correa, an outsider with no political party backing, moved quickly to secure the support of voters in a referendum for a special assembly to rewrite the constitution.

He said the new constitution was designed to hand more power to the poor and reduce the role of the traditional parties, whom he blames for the country's problems. Critics said it was solely aimed at increasing his powers.

Despite resistance from the opposition-led Congress, the revised constitution was approved by 64% of voters in a referendum in September 2008.

The new basic law also allowed Mr Correa to stand for re-election, enabling him to win a second term with a convincing election victory in April 2009.

Mr Correa is against Ecuador entering into a free trade pact with the US, saying it would hurt Ecuador's farmers. Talks on such a deal were frozen with his election.

He also refused to extend the US military's use of the Manta air base on the Pacific coast for drug surveillance flights after the treaty governing its use expired in 2009.

Read more at BBC News.

The General Linguistics Method for Teaching Foreign Languages

Created by linguists, teachers and students from a half-dozen countries, General Linguistics developed Bueno, entonces… to incorporate all the best elements of the software and audiobook language learning methods like Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone that have been around for decades.

We mixed the comprehensive learning material of the audiobook courses with the addictive, fun and universally beloved format of a television show to create the Bueno, entonces… series. Each of the 30classes is 30-40 minutes long, proven as the perfect length for a language course - long enough to cover vocabulary and grammar topics but short enough to keep you interested the whole time. The challenging fast pace and edgy, entertaining style of Bueno, entonces… will keep you coming back for more.

Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous. Bueno, entonces… infuses a witty, engaging storyline into the learning process - and by following along you absorb more Spanish, morequickly than you ever thought possible. By the end of the 5-week, 30-class series, you
will be speaking and understanding native conversational Spanish!

Bueno, entonces… incorporates the following 5 principles to make learning Spanish fun, painless and effective:

1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging With Wit and Charm.

If you are not engaged, you are not going to learn or remember anything. Learning doesn’t have to be boring — remember your favorite teachers? Well, wait until you meet David & Jimena…

2. See The Words On The Screen.

Some people are audio learners, some people are video learners - most people are both, and learn different things in one way or the other. With Bueno, entonces… every word in Spanish is written on the screen so you can see how it is spelled while you hear it being pronounced. Old-fashioned audiobooks only get your half-way there.

3. Color-Coding.

Everything on the screen is color-coded in Spanish and English to help you understand word usage and sentence structure. You’ll start to quickly see and understand which words in Spanish correspond with similar words in English, and how those words are used in a sentence.

Read about this new and quick method of learning Spanish on buenoentonces.com/blog.

Where is my Embassy?

The embassies and consulates listed below will be able to provide detailed information about Ecuador:

Embassy of Ecuador in Canada, 50 O'Connor St., Ottawa, Suite 1311, ON K1P 6L2, Canada; Tel: (613) 563-8206; Fax: 613-235-5776.

Embassy of Ecuador to the United Kingdom, 3 Hans Crescent, London , SW1X 0LS, U.K.; Tel: 020 7584 8084.

Embassies in Ecuador:

United States Embassy in Ecuador, www.usembassy.org.ec. Patria and 12 de Octubre Avenues, Quito, Ecuador; Tel: (593) 2-256-2890; Fax: (593) 2-250-2052.

Canadian Embassy in Ecuador, www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/ecuador/menu-en.asp. Av. 6 de Diciembre 2816 y Paul Rivet, Edificio Josueth González, 4th Floor, P.O. Box 17-11-6512, Quito - Ecuador; Tel: (011 593 2) 2232-114 and 2506-162; Fax: (011 593 2) 2503-108; quito@dfait-maeci.gc.ca.

British Embassy in Ecuador, www.britishembassy.gov.uk. Citiplaza Building, Naciones Unidas Ave. and Republica de El Salvador, 14th Floor, PO Box 17-17-830, Quito; Tel: (593) (2) 2970 800 / 801.

See where your embassy is at Transitions Abroad Ecuador.

EMPLOYMENT IN ECUADOR

Ecuador has seen as explosion in ‘voluntourism’ in recent years, and there is a huge choice of organizations, both in and out of the country, that can set you up with voluntary work. The most popular options are working with children (generally teaching English at a school or helping out at an orphanage) or ecology-based projects such as reforestation, research or bear-tracking. Some offer free accommodation and food in return for your labour, while others charge a small fee (up to $15 per day). If you’re planning to stay for a while (generally a month or longer) the price goes down.

If you are in Quito, go along to the South American Explorers Club, which can give you up-to-date information on organizations that offer volunteer work.

There are also numerous possibilities for working in Ecuador, although this is more difficult to arrange from home. Your best bet is to turn up and see what you can find.

There are vacancies year round for English teachers in Quito (less so in other cities) and most of the teachers had no problems finding a job. The best way is to print off a few copies of your resume/CV and visit a few language schools in person. Chances are you’ll get hired on the spot. Pay ranges from $3 to $7.50 per hour. Schools that teach business English pay the best, but tend to require certification such as CELTA or International TESOL. Some bilingual high schools require native English speakers (with the relevant experience and qualifications) to teach English as well as other subjects. They generally hire in September and the pay is probably the best you will find as a foreign teacher in Ecuador.

Your second best bet is to get a job in the tourism industry, such as travel agency or hotel work. Pay isn’t as good as the top-end English schools but employment often includes accommodation and food so you can live fairly cheaply. For these jobs you need a good level of Spanish.

If you have computer or web skills, it may be worth checking out the notice boards in the Mariscal as there are often vacancies for jobs designing websites or web-support. Again, your chances will be far better if you have a good level of Spanish and English.

More tips on employment, visit Allo' Expat Ecuador.