Photo Album: The Natural (And Manmade) Beauty of Ecuador

Travel

In 2009 Janice traveled to Ecuador to volunteer at an orphanage. 

map Ecuador
Ecuador

We covered her arrival in part one. The wild kids were in the 2nd article. Part three below gathers all the Ecuadorian beauty Janice captured during her weeks there.

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Early on, we went bike riding around Itchimbia Hill in the capital Quito. We could see the Old City from here!

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So beautiful, but I felt out of shape due to the high altitude–you know, like your heart is gonna burst.

Cathedral in the Ciudad Vieja:

In this part of Quito, Centro Historico, architecture is influenced by Spain, 16th century. Here, you can find the famous street Siete Cruces, so-called because there are seven churches and seven crosses that correspond with each church.
In this part of Quito, Centro Historico, architecture is influenced by Spain, 16th century. Here, you can find the famous street Siete Cruces, so-called because there are seven churches and seven crosses that correspond with each church.

Another cathedral–this time in the city Latacunga, Ecuador:

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Cathedral in Latacunga at Night
Cathedral in Latacunga at night

The road as we sat on the back of a camioneta (small truck):

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The mountains from Quilotoa, a dormant volcano:

The Mountains from Quilotoa

Laguna Quilotoa:

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Climbing around the lake:

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One time we made it all the way to the coast:

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The Pacific

Street in Cotacachi, Ecuador:

I like the asthetics of this town; you can see the Basilica and architecture of the buildings.
I like the aesthetics of this town; you can see the Basilica and architecture of the buildings.

The Laguna Quicocha, another old volcano lake just outside Ibarra, Ecuador:

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From the path around the laguna, you can see Ibarra!
From the path around the laguna, you can see Ibarra!

The beautiful town of Baños from our hostel. It’s called Baños because of the mineral hot springs nearby.

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Back in Quito…La Boca del Lobo!

Super cool place, with glass chandeliers and vivid colors inside; definitely for the upper class to dine and chat.
Super cool place, with glass chandeliers and vivid colors inside; definitely for the upper class to dine and chat.

Teleférico:

This is in an increasingly popular attraction in Quito! You can climb into a cable car, and ride up to 4050 meters above sea level to see the city of Quito from the mountain Pichincha!
This is in an increasingly popular attraction in Quito. You can climb into a cable car and ride up to 4050 meters above sea level to see the city from the mountain Pichincha!

Ecuador has it all.

From mountains, cities, lakes, green pastures…

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…and snow-capped Cotopaxi:

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Ecuador, the middle of the world:)

From The Top of the Structure Mitad del Mundo
From atop the structure at the landmark Mitad del Mundo (“middle of the world”)

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Janice is a speech pathologist living in Minneapolis. For any questions for Janice or to share about your travels, please comment below. 

And if you’d like to share your story on The Periphery, please email me at Brandon@ThePeriphery.com. We’d love to hear all about your adventure.

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