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ECUADORLINE |
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ECUADORLINE |
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2005 |
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Dear friends of Ecuador, In this new issue, you will be acquainted with the current life of the wonderful Galapagos Islands by getting to know a new fishing technique, which has brought about a conflict between human subsistence and environment protection. Then, you will travel along the coastline where an enormous variety of delicious dishes is waiting for you! Besides, you will discover an archaeological hidden treasure in the Highlands. Look forward to find all the interesting information we have prepared in this issue. We hope you enjoy your reading!
Political pressure on the Galapagos's marine reserve for the legalization of the "palangre"
All Ecuadorians are aware of the importance of the Galapagos Islands, the environmental laboratory that inspired Charles Darwin to develop his famous evolution theory. Now it is time to define priorities on the Islands.
The "black gold" - Part 3 of our series about the foreign trade products of Ecuador
European Union reaffirms its proposal to apply a tax of Euro 230 to imported bananas
In Ecuador, at present 160,000 hectares of land, mainly at the coast, are banana crops and more than one million of Ecuadorians work directly or indirectly in the exportation sector. If the EU tax is imposed, many small farms will be forced to dismiss most of their workers or even close their business. For a country like Ecuador, a tax like this would almost eradicate the prosperous oil sector that has become the engine of productivity for many Ecuadorians. The presidents of all countries involved have composed a declaration asking the EU to reconsider the amount of the tax.
New at ecuadorline: Hacienda Leito - a quiet paradise
Hacienda Leito is a historic place where in ancient times a Jesuits ranch laid on. Now, completely renovated, it possesses a touch of elegance and tradition. It is discretely located in the Patate River Valley, in the Tungurahua Province just three hours away from Quito, right in the Llanganates National Park. Its mixed architecture has no comparison and its exquisite cuisine offers to all visitors delicious dishes made up of vegetables and fruits of its own organic garden. Hacienda Leito has at your disposal a wide variety of activities like horse riding, walks around the Hacienda, rafting, hiking trails, tours to Puyo or/and Baños, biking tour to the Devil's Cauldron Waterfall, and many other options. All these activities were thought to fulfill the expectations of those who are looking for a quite stay, a romantic experience or an adventure.
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Get to know more about Tropic
Ecological Adventures and the interesting destinations all around
Ecuador. If you have any questions do
not hesitate to contact us.
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Spend
your Easter vacations in Ecuador+++ The Hilton Colon Guayaquil has prepared a special Easter offer for you to enjoy the unique environment of the main port of Ecuador. The rate of your accommodation includes access to gym, SPA facilities and pool area that guaranty a good time. +++ The Maquipucuna Lodge, amidst marvellous nature in the cloud forest, has designed a special package for adventurers, where you will have excursions to admire the world's greatest biodiversity. +++
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We are pleased to help you with your reservation
and to give you further information for your trip. Please
contact us.
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+++
This year, Hacienda Cusin has prepared a special package for lovers,
which includes exquisite food, an entertaining activity program and many
surprises. To know more, check our special
Honeymoon Package. +++ Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, situated
less than 2 hours away from Quito, distinguishes itself by its unique
biodiversity. Now, you can profit from the special
packages that our partner has prepared for all the year long. +++
Hotel Oro Verde Guayaquil may be the ideal place to spend your
stay in one of the most beautiful and largest cities in Ecuador. Check
the specials
Oro Verde to know more about the offer presented by this hotel. +++
If you feel like having one of the most exciting adventures in the Rainforest,
then come to Kapawi Ecolodge and Reserve and profit from its special
package, which includes accommodation, meals and guided visits. +++
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We are pleased to help you with your reservation
and to give you further information for your trip. Please
contact us.
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 FROM
THE REGIONS |
The main attraction of Ecuador is not only its magnificent landscape but as well its appetizing food, especially that made of the products from its coast. Manabí, Esmeraldas and El Oro, some of the provinces that have the most beautiful and exotic beaches of Ecuador, offer to all their visitors the opportunity to try an enormous variety of delicious dishes.
Esmeraldas
not only offers a spectacular view of the ocean, but also appetizing
dishes like the "ensumaco". The "ensumaco" is considered
an aphrodisiac dish, made of shrimps, fish, lobster, crabs, scallops,
and oysters. All these exotic ingredients are daily caught on the coasts
of Esmeraldas. In the capital of this province the "tapao"
(kind of fish), the "encocado" (made of plantain) and shrimps
are very popular; all of these seafood products are prepared with coconut.
In Muisne, a southern beach, the main specialties are the roasted scallops
in "cebiche" (made up of lemon and onion) and steam fish,
called "chame".
In Manabí, you will find a great variety of "cebiches" as well. Another delicious plate is the "biche", that is a fabulous soup made of corn, fish, shrimp, beans, and other nutritious ingredients that will energize your body.
The province El Oro is situated on the frontier with Peru, and here you can find several exquisite dishes like the "meloso", which is made of cooked rice, scallop juice and onions, and decorated with fried bananas.
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Do not hesitate to try any of these delicious
dishes when you come to Ecuador, so then you could feel the true
flavors of the sea. Our
partner hotels at the coast are awaiting you,
just contact us for details.
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Not
far from the colonial city of Cuenca and the Inca ruins of Ingapirca
can be found the less-known cult-site of Paredones, embedded in the
breath-taking landscape of the Páramo. A hike to that ruins promises
pure nature: birds singing, water of hidden springs dabbling, quiet
lagoons and the amazing beauty of the highlands. The starting point
for the hike to the ruins is the Culebrillas lagoon, situated on an
elevated plain and once a sacred site of the Canari indigenous people
used for ritual ceremonies. You'll reach the site of Paredones, located
nearly 4000 metres above sea level, via the Inca Trail.
Unfortunately, few traditional houses are conserved, as the Spaniards destroyed the site at that time. Nevertheless, some stonewalls can be seen on the 3 hectares of the site, split by an alley. Concerning the purpose of the site, opinions differ. According to an investigation in 1989, Paredones was an administrative and accommodation centre for travellers. For the region's inhabitants, Paredones was most of all a religious place to render reverence to the holy lagoon and to accommodate the ones who were in charge of the existent treasure of the Incas.
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If you are interested in this trip, do
not hesitate to contact us, we will be pleased to submit detailed
proposals. Our partner hotels in Cuenca,
Mansión Alcázar and Hotel
Crespo, the ideal starting point for Paredones, are pleased
to welcome you.
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| TRAVEL
NOTES |
Friday.
At 8am in Quito, we were starting our 30-minutes trip with a small airplane
eastwards, towards the rain forest in order to embark a canoe for the
5-hour-trip on the Napo River to Yuturi Lodge. The more we got into
the jungle, the fewer huts we saw at the riverbanks. After visiting
the "Island of Monkeys" we proceeded on the Yuturi River -
and I will never forget the sight: I had the impression of paradise
opening in front of me! Labyrinthine trees, coloured butterflies, light
and shadow playing between the plants … and suddenly - in the middle
of all this beauty - a footbridge and our lodge. A dream coming true!
Saturday.
Our day started at 6am with a bird-observation tour in the canoe. Do
birds really have to get up that early? But a few minutes later I knew
that my rising with the sun was worth it: parrots flew over our heads
and we saw a lot of impressive birds. 
But
suddenly our guide indicated to us that we were approaching a giant
crocodile - about 3 meters large and very authoritative. Personally,
I liked the river dolphins more, which we saw jumping in the water a
few minutes later. And not to forget all the stunning nature around
us, I am really in lack of words to describe it.
After breakfast, during a hike, our guide showed us a lot of medical
plants, traces of animals and some survival techniques. In the afternoon,
we tried to catch piranhas, but with no noteworthy success. Luckily
the kitchen crew had taken precautions and served us a delicious meal.
Sunday.
Unfortunately we had to leave our paradise right in the morning as we
were heading to Yarina Lodge, only one hour away from civilisation,
in order to be able to catch our flight the next day in the early morning
hours. We had lunch in the canoe, and in Yarina, we hiked to a bird
observation tower - with a perfect view obviously liked by mosquitoes
as well. But we enjoyed the view nevertheless. After dinner we went
for a small reservation belonging to Yarina. Thousands of glow-worms
greeted us at the lagoon and transformed the water into a sky of stars
- a breathtaking sight! During paddling on the lagoon, suddenly something
nudged me in the back: a tapir! I did not know before that tapirs could
swim, let alone are philanthropic! This one obviously liked strokes
and followed us all the way: A fortunate end of three wonderful days
that I will always remember as an unforgettable experience.
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| Please send your travel reports and further e-mails to info@ecuadorline.com. Many thanks! |
| DID
YOU KNOW...? |
… that a mysterious event of death in the 1930s on the Galápagos remains unsolved until today?
… that the Indians in the Amazon Rainforest do not know bacteria, but in a case of illness they speak of " a silver snake in the belly"?
... that since 2003, there is an official commemoration day for punctuality?
| ABOUT
US |
ecuadorline
is a tourist information service about Ecuador. Many tourist enterprises
support and finance our promotion and information job. Our main objective
is to benefit the sponsor companies as well as the country itself.
Our services:
- Callcenter in Germany and delivery of information material free of charge
- Route planning for individual travellers: info@ecuadorline.com
- Help with reservations
- Information about hotels, lodges, haciendas, and cruises through Galápagos
Islands
- Suggestions for trips in Ecuador and useful links on our
web site.
- Organisation of press trips
- Photo archives
Your suggestions to improve our Newsletter are welcomed. We also thank
you for your comments about our web page.
Please visit also our information services for Peru www.peruline.com
and Bolivia www.bolivialine.com.
With kind regards from Quito,
Ana Lucía Vallejo
ecuadorline
At
present, fishing in the Galapagos Archipelago is under strict control
concerning species, quantity und fishing techniques. During the last years,
there has been an enormous pressure on the Galapagos's Marine Reserve
to legalize new fishing practices on the Islands. Rogelio Guaycha, president
of the Island's fishing association, says that the development of the
"palangre" - a new and advanced fishing technique consisting
of a long leash clutching several fishing hooks adjusted to it - would
allow the community to benefit from the income that will come up from
this activity. It would also reduce the fishing impact on the Island's
coast and make smaller fishers more competitive. 
Studies
carried out by the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Station
state that the use of this "high-capacity fishing implement"
may cause important impacts, damaging some sea species and dragging everything
in its path, including sharks, sea lions and birds. 
Ecuador's
export product No. 1 is petroleum. Its discovery in the 1970s, in the
Amazon Rainforest (east of the Andes), provoked an economic boom and made
Ecuador become the second largest petroleum exporting country in South
America. Already in 1991 there was a borehole at the coast and, long before
that, petroleum must be known by the indigenous people, as ancient chronics
tell of a black liquid coming out of the ground and being used for medical
purposes.
The
output nowadays is a hundred times higher than before, and the "black
gold" represents 50% of Ecuador's total export volume, despite an
economic breakdown in the middle of the 1980s due to the decline of the
petroleum price and a heavy earthquake. Numerous private oil companies
have gotten the consent from the government to pump oil, and a net of
pumping licences is covering the Amazon Rainforest from the provinces
of Sucumbios in the North to Francisco de Orellana and Napo down to Pastaza.
However, here as well it can be applied the saying "All that glistens
is not gold". The oil resources are located in one of the world richest
areas in species, and the impact of the oil activity is highly visible.
Primary rainforest is deforested, eco-systems are going to be destroyed
and the people, mainly indigenous people, are suffering from the dominating
oil-policy. More and more communities decide to protest, e.g. the Sarayacu
(see also Newsletter March, 2005). International organizations as well
are pleading that this unique region no longer will have to suffer from
the exploitation of the petroleum resources.
Latin
America exports 3 million tons of bananas to the European Union, which
consumes 4.1 million a year. During 2004, Ecuador exported 799.642 tons,
the largest quantity worldwide. In the last years, the Ecuadorian economy
profited from fiscal advantages the importing EU countries are allowing
- among others fixed in the Agreement of Doha (1997). From January 2006,
the EU intends to impose on all Latin American countries a tax of 230
Euro per ton of banana. This high tariff aims at protecting the ex-European
colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, which are not able
to compete with the selling-conditions of the Latin American countries.
The
landscape of the Patate Valley creates a charming ambiance that will make
you feel like being at the colonial times, when the Inca's treasure was
continuously looked for. If you are looking for an idyllic place full
of tradition in the middle of the nature, come and visit Hacienda Leito.