Pictures of Ecuador

My first view of the Andes from the window of the MD11

The lobby of the Café Cultura in Quito

Just about everywhere was painted with election ads from the previous year

Another of the more unusual architectural features of Quito. Apparently it is a shopping centre - inside to get to the shops you walk round and round like on a slide (thanks to Sini Bodemer for this information).

Lunch at the Hilton Colón, Quito. Three course meal with coffee, plus a drink, service charge and tax for under £6! Oh, and live piano music, and more waiters than seemed strictly necessary.

The main square in Cuenca. Note the women in traditional dress on the left with brightly coloured skirts and Panama hats (de rigeur in this region of Ecuador).

The cathedral at Cuenca.

Inside the cathedral at Cuenca.

Flower sellers in Cuenca. More Panama hats!

A hardware stall in Cuenca.

Typical street scene in Cuenca.

A visit to the fruit and vegetable market is a delight to all the senses.

A demonstration of how Panama hats are weaved, at a factory in Cuenca. Of course, the indigenous Indians who make the hats are paid a pittance.

Some of the raw materials used in making the hats

One or two hats being laid out ready for washing

The blue domes of the cathedral in Cuenca are famous, apparently

One of the many scattered lakes in the Cajas National Park

A wide variety of plant life can be found, even at 12,000 feet

These little flowers look like buds about to open, but they never do

Spooky twisted branches in a Polylapis wood

This is the village of Ingapirca

Market stalls at Ingapirca

Look out, there are llamas!

The ancient Inca ruins at Ingapirca, partially restored. The sun may have been hot, but the wind was colder.

As we drove through the Andes, not all the views were as spectacular as this one. But some of them were.

Chimborazo, whose summit is the furthest point on the Earth's surface from its centre. And not Everest - can you work out why?

Yes, Mum, I really was there!

Amongst what seemed like the most barren of rocks, there were in fact quite a number of plants thriving.

At 16,000 feet (4,800 metres), walking downwards is the best direction to go unless you've spent time acclimatising.

If you look very, very closely, you can just make out some animals in the distance. These are vicuña, a relative of the llama and alpaca, but very shy.

Last updated 24 April 2002