This day we went to the park with Leah and mum, so I decided to record our time in it! It was quite funny but great! 🙂

In the crab of the park 🙂

Name: Stephane Lefevre
Country: France
Period in Ecuador: 15/09/2012 to 06/10/2012
Age: 26 years old

I met Stéphane Lefevre on Interpals in 2010! At the beginning we werent good friends at all but with time our friendship started to grow up! and as everyone we had some ups & downs!
Finally He decided to visit Ecuador last year, I was in shock and really couldn’t believe it!! haha because he always said he wouldn’t come to this country just cuz he prefered big places. I’m really glad he came and I dont know the reasons of why decided to come or why he changed his thoughts, but I’m just happy he did it.
And as he knows it now, I really dont regret my decision to meet him face-to-face! I just can tell that thank you so much for the opportunity to meet such a wonderful person!
«Just cuz we have different parents and live in different countries doesnt mean you are not my brother»

Q: What was your first thought of Ecuador?
To be true, I didn’t know much about Ecuador before my coming, I knew it was a little country of the South America, that bananas and shrimps came from there, and that people from there looked to be nice at first sight.

Q: What was your best experience in this country?
To be true, it was to meet generous people and to make fantastic family, and friends on the other side of the world, that was an non-expectable experience for me, without forget my first experience in french class abroad as my first experience in club .

Host Family

Friends

Q: What places did you visit?
I visited Guayaquil (all main places as Malecon 2000, El Faro, El parque de las Iguanas, and so on…) I went to Milagro, I visited also Baños, Playas beach and the capital: Quito (Mitad del Mundo, Crater of Pululahua, Teleferico, Palacio de Carondelet, the Virgen of El Panecillo)

At Malecon 2000 with the view of Cerro Santa Ana

General Villamil Playas beach

In the Middle of the world! 🙂

Teleferico of Quito

Q: What do you think of their people?
People there are simply generous, more than European for sure, they are more smiling even if they speak so fast in spanish so for a french like me it was terrible at beginning, for sure at the end I understood better.

At Puerto Hondo

At Iguanas’ park

with Karlita

Q: Would you like to come back? Any advices for foreigners?
Sure I would love to be back and back every year because it stays me some places to visit (Cotopaxi, Cuenca, road of the sun). Some advices are to be open minded, to get good spanish skills and to practice it easily, to really have the desire to discover a great latin country and don’t be afraid by hot temperature outside.

At Carandolet Palace

Baños

Thank you so much for all the nice memories we could had together and with family, for being part of it.
Joselyn Espinoza.

Memories of all these years

Name: Johanna Katzmann
Country: Germany
Period in Ecuador: August 2011 /September – November 2012
Age: 19

Johanna visited Ecuador for the first time with her parents in 2011. They had a trip around Ecuador & Galapagos Islands. We could communicate and we had a dinner when they came to their only day in Guayaquil. It was such a great experience as I never thought that it could happen. I am so glad i met her with her parents! 🙂 They are such wonderful people!
So after a couple of months she told me that she would really come back and spend more time here, and sure it was but this time she came alone 🙂
Now you are able to enjoy this nice interview and her wonderful professional pictures of the places she has gone!

Q: What was your best experience? what did you like the most of Ecuador?
A: That’s really hard to say, because I’ve been to Ecuador for 3 months and had so many different but great experiences that you can’t really compare with each other. I really liked working in a kindergarten, because you could feel the love the children give back to you. I did also like that people, wherever you go, are helpful, open-minded and interested. And I learned to take things easy, Ecuadorian people always seem so relaxed about everything and this is something I really miss in my home country.

Johanna with her kids in the kindergarten 🙂

Host family

Barco Morgan with Maria Jose

Q: Did you like Ecuadorian food? And what was your favorite dish?
A: I loved Ecuadorian food! It’s so different from what I was used to. I loved all the fruits that I’ve never seen before, they were so tasty! And I really liked all the fresh juices. But my favorite dish was probably Ceviche.

Different Ecuadorian’s fruits

Ceviche with shrimps

Q: What were the activities you were doing in this country?
A: I came to Ecuador to have a Spanish course first. After that, I was volunteering in a kindergarten in the South of Quito. Every weekend I travelled to another part of the country, for example a trip to the rainforest, I had a surfing lesson on the coast, I did bungee jumping in Baños. I had so much fun and saw so many different things!

Canopy with friends

with the Llamas

Q: Can you describe Ecuador in one word?
A: That’s not easy, because Ecuador is so diverse! But I would say: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Cuyabeno

Quito at night

Malecon 2000 – Guayaquil

Q: What are your advices for the foreigners who want to come to Ecuador?
A: The best is to see all parts of the country, the “Costa”, the “Sierra” and the “Oriente” – nowhere else you have such a big variety just a few hours away from each other! You shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, like all the food and activities. Just be open-minded, try to talk with the people – they will really appreciate it!

Canoa Beach in Manabi (The Coast)

Cotopaxi volcano (The Highlands)

Cuyabeno – Sucumbíos (The Amazon)

Galapagos in 2011

Thank you so much Johanna for these wonderful pictures and for the great moments I could have with you<3 Love you so much and Im so glad for this friendship! A little memory of 2011.
Joselyn Espinoza.

Johanna and me 🙂

Name: Phillip Orange
Country: England
Period in Ecuador: 28th – 30th December
Age: 21 years old

I met Phillip a couple of years ago on the internet. Now he is living in Peru and it was great news to me when he told me he would visit Ecuador 🙂 I was so happy I could meet him even if it was only for few days! But we did a marathon going to the most tourist places of my city Guayaquil.

Q: Did you like the Ecuadorian custom of “New Year’s dummy”?
A: I found the New Year’s Dummy festival very interesting something I have not seen before. I was surprised to hear that they burn all their hard work.

We were visiting some New Year’s Dummies of the City.

Beauty and the Beast dummies

Ice Age dummies

El Chavo dummies

Q: What did you like the most in Guayaquil?
A: What I liked most about Guayaquil, that is a hard one there was many things but I must say I really liked the amazing environment in which it lies in, the many trees and the rivers that run by the city and the “Parque Histórico de Guayaquil” that is within the city.

We are at the Parque Historico 🙂

Parque Historico

Q: Is there anything that you like more of here that is not found or not common in your homeland?
A: In the city I come from there is many factories and old buildings but what my city lacked is the vibrant and lively atmosphere that I find here in South America. Also I liked the lizards that roam the parks in Ecuador and the mango trees that grow in the streets something that I would not see in my old hometown in a million years.

Looking at the Iguana 🙂

in the crab at the park 😀

Q: What do you find interesting about Ecuador?
A: What I find most interesting about Ecuador is the history and cultures something I would like to explore further in the future.

History of «Guayas y Kil, La leyenda de Guayaquil»

Dummies on the street of Guayaquil

Guayaquil

Q: Any advices to foreigners who want to visit Ecuador?
A: My advice to foreigners would be to visit Las Peñas and climb the steps to see the amazing lighthouse on top also I would recommend them to tour the city and visit the iguanas in the «Parque Seminario«.
One last tip which I would always give to anyone visiting Ecuador is just to remain vigilant and take care in their travels.

visiting the «Cerro Santa Ana»

Steps to the lighthouse

Las Peñas