Trip from Cuenca , in the highlands of Ecuador, to the Coast.

Trip from Cuenca , situated in the highlands of Ecuador, to the Coast.

If I get a nickel for every time I mention how beautiful and diverse Ecuador is, I could rival Bill Gates. So, I’m going to earn a few more nickels.

In a span of 4 ½ to 5 hours, we drove from Cuenca to Punta Blanca. We went from as high as 2 ¾ miles above sea level to 50 feet above sea level. Imagine the drastic change in the environment when one makes that transition. Let me  to describe the change.

In the highlands – called La Sierra - one experiences a windy, cold environment, the temperature and vegetation changes and adjusts depending on how high it is. At the highest altitudes, one sees almost a tundra-like environment, you might remember the pictures of El Cajas National Park. For the most part, in La Sierra, the vegetation is lush green.

As you approach the coast, the altitude drops significantly. The temperature and vegetation changes. Now one sees vast cocoa, banana and sugar cane plantations and it gets hot and humid. It is amazing, in less than 5 hours, it’s as if you’re in a different country. But it’s still Ecuador.

The people  and how they speak  look and are very different. In the sierra, one sees lots of indigenous people descendants of the Incas, when they speak, it’s a little melodic, like they are almost singing the sentences. It is quite charming. In the coast, the people look a bit darker, almost Caribean, and they speak fast and, almost, monotone. The difference is quite noticeable. 

Food is different. The sierra has  hearty vegetable soups, potatoes, pork, cui, chicken, breads, in the coast the food changes to fish stews, sea food of all types, ceviche, platanos ( plantains), mangoes, coconuts, pineapples, papaya and rice. All the food is very deliscious.

So, all this drastic environmental and cultural change in a matter of less than 5 hours.  Now we drive from beach to beach, from one village to another. The Pacific is just gorgeous to look at. We will enjoy the coast for a few days before we drive back to Cuenca, then Quito and, finally, the U.S.

The following images should be self evident, with regard to, where they are from. The Sierra or the Coast. Enjoy.