We arrived in Quito, Ecuador’s capital city (and the closest airport to Cotacachi) on Saturday and I have to say…it’s nothing like I expected.
For starters, it’s much larger than I imagined. Ecuador itself, after all, is no larger than the U.S. state of Nebraska. So talk of villages and markets across the country had conjured up in my mind pictures of gravel roads and bicycles…not skyscrapers and street lights as far as I can see from the seventh floor of our hotel.
And while the U.S. news was reporting stories of Quito crime, mass flooding, and war with Colombia, my husband and I spent the day wandering the dry, crime-free streets day dreaming about moving here.
We can see ourselves living in the Mariscal area or just outside of Old Town. Children play in the parks, women walk around selling the most amazing fruits to the families who set up picnics beside the playground. And $8 buys you a lot at the market. That’s what I paid for a traditional Ecuadorian sun hat and a hand-sewn dress for my niece that I’d easily pay $30 for back in the States.
I’d buy property here in a heartbeat if they weren’t moving the airport. Turns out, flights won’t arrive in Quito much longer. The high altitude and lone runway make it tough for most airlines to get in. Flights can only arrive at night, and pilots need special training to land.
The new airport, however, is to be 30 to 60 minutes outside of Quito, where the altitude is much lower and there’s space for a second runway.
Will travelers visit Quito if the airport is no longer there? I’m not so sure.
Cotacachi, where we’re headed next, on the other hand, may benefit greatly from the new airport.
It’s only an hour to an hour-and-a-half away from the new airport and it’s got all the old world charm of Quito without the bad reputation of Quito, Ecuador.
Indigenous families still dress in their native garb and greet you with a smile…the food is mostly organic with fruit juices made from the most delicious fruits (sweet, exotic offerings we don’t get in the States)… and you can’t beat the prices. You can eat well for a couple of bucks just about anywhere in town and you can still buy a two-bedroom apartment for less than $50,000 in Cotacachi, Ecuador.
Plus it’s amazingly photogenic.
I’ve been traveling to Cotacachi for two years now with professional photographer, Rich Wagner. We run photography expeditions there twice a year.
Not only do our attendees love the program, but some love Cotacachi so much they buy apartments there.
Three times our class has been interrupted by a real estate tour for those that don’t want to leave. And twice I watched people sign on the dotted line making the apartment theirs before stepping back on their State-bound plane.
It’s a gorgeous city no doubt. And who’s going to argue with those prices?
Perhaps my husband and I will end up in Cotacachi after all.
Editor’s note: You can sign up for Lori’s next photography expedition in Ecuador this coming February. To check out photos and listen to attendee testimonials from previous trips, visit: http://www.lorisentmeecuador.com/.
