Dear Mrs. Zwermann,

dear Galapagos PRO Team,

We would like to thank you for our wonderful time in Ecuador with a small report.

On 11.10.2016 we arrived after 15 hours travel time finally at the airport in Quito. There we were greeted directly by Alexander, who was already waiting for us. He accompanied us to our private taxi driver, which was very good after the long journey, as we would quickly fall for tricksters. Already on the way to the hotel we felt very comfortable. Alexander gave us water and told us a lot about Quito, its inhabitants and the topic of security and crime. Our hotel for the next 4 nights was „La Vieja Cuba“ which is located in the new town of Quito. The hotel is not very big, but very nicely decorated and the staff is very nice and accommodating. You feel very comfortable right away. Alexander explained to us where we can find the best food and what is in the area, and then let us recover from the long journey. We did not feel alone, because the next morning Alexander was already waiting for us at the hotel reception. Since the internet had broken down in his office, he had some extra time to show us the city, so we had breakfast with him at the hotel! The breakfast was very good, there were many fresh fruits and freshly made juice and the staff also fulfilled all other wishes.

After that we went to the old town of Quito with Alexander. We were very happy, right on the first day to have such nice company, because it can be difficult as a tourist alone ina strange city. Alexander gave us a rough overview of Quito, with its most beautiful squares, churches and parks. However, he did not want to give away too much, because we had booked an excursion for the next day. Thank you very much Alexander for this nice first impression of Quito. The next day we were picked up very early in the morning by Adrian, our tour guide in the hotel. Our tour started with a coffee at the Plaza Grande. This was followed by a visit to the Basilica (but only from the outside), the Plaza San Francisco, the market Santa Clara with a large selection of fruits and vegetables and a visit to the beautiful church La Compania de Jesus. Adrian told us a lot about the history of the indigenous people and the city of Quito. It never got boring, because he was a very good story teller and always lightened the mood with jokes or interesting conversations. We continued to Panecillo, the bread roll mountain with a view of Quito and then to the museum and monument Mitad del Mundo, on which runs along the Equatorial Line. Finally we went to Adrian with typical Ecuadorian food. Thanks to super nice and funny company and a great program, it was a very nice day for us.

Early Saturday morning we were picked up by Susana, the tour guide and our driver for the 6-day tour along the Avenue of Volcanoes. It would take too long to detail each activity as we have experienced so many great things these days, but we believe the pictures speak for themselves ;). In any case, Susana, like our first two companions, was very warm and open-minded and fulfilled every wish. A great luxury was, of course, that we were allowed to make the tour private, with only the three of us. Thus, we could design our trip according to our wishes. However, the best experience of this trip for us was a visit to a shaman in the Amazon. Together with Tzama (the Shaman), Susana and our driver we drove to Puyo, the gateway to the Ecuadorian rainforest. The driving time was very long (over 2 hours) and quite hot but it was definitely 100% worth it. In the afternoon we arrived at the people and family of Tzama, the Shuars. Immediately we were greeted with fresh pineapple juice and a delicious lunch. There was fish, with palm hearts and small plantains, very delicious. We were overwhelmed by the hospitality of the entire family. Everyone was happy that we were there. Then Tzama introduced us to the project of his community. A project that the Shuars have set up to protect the rainforest and thus our planet. They cultivate many different plants and thus want to counteract the threats to the rainforest. Tzama explained to us that many (even European companies) cut down special trees for a few euros, which take over 300 years to regrow to this size. This made us very thoughtful and concerned about the use of wood from the rainforest. The Shuars see this project as their life’s work and they do it from the heart. After that, Tzama introduced us to his remaining family, his wife, his father, and his countless children. These greeted us all more warmly than we had ever experienced before in Germany. They showed us their typical music with guitars, drums and vocals and we were asked to dance with them. You can not put into words the feeling that we had. We were simply touched by this feeling of belonging, even though we came from completely different continents and were only able to communicate thanks to Susana, who translated diligently. Unfortunately, the visit was over again due to the onset of darkness.

But the whole family of Tzama invited us for another visit, saying: „Our doors are always open to you, do not forget, it’s your rainforest and your people too“. An experience that we will never forget again and we can only recommend to anyone visiting the Shuars and supporting their project.

As you can see, even a few days after our trip, we are still overwhelmed by Ecuador and the people we met. Thank you Galapagos Pro for making this possible!

best regards

K., K., and J. Ziegler.

(translated from German)