pdf with additional information about Ecuador and the

Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador
This is a very informal effort to help you with
your travel preparations. First, you can fly to
either Guayaquil or Quito but Quito is closer
and more similar in elevation to Baños.
Climate
Shopping
Currency
Electricity
Costs
Safety
Language & Culture
Telecommunications & Post
Ticketing & Travel
Accommodations
What
to
Bring
Questions
Climate
Despite being on the Equator, temperatures are
really not that warm in the daytime. In fact,
you can expect that you will usually be wearing
a light sweater or jacket except if you are in
the direct sun. Nights are considerably cooler
so you will definitely want something warm
after sunset. Ecuador makes beautiful alpaca
products: sweaters, ponchos, shawls, and
blankets so if you want to go native, you can
leave your warm clothing at home.
Shopping
If you do go shopping, expect to bargain a
bit. Ecuadorians like to negotiate and can
sometimes start absurdly high. Negotiating
is obviously a game to see who drives the
best bargain, but walking away nearly always
results in a lower offer. If in doubt about the
fair price, ask an Ecuadorian who is not a
vendor. The interesting thing is that even after
a ferocious negotiation, the seller will give you
something extra, called a yapa, which tells you
the price was actually acceptable and there are
no hard feelings despite the complaints and
other tactics used to fetch a higher price.
procedure, but just an extra step that one may
or may not anticipate.
Electricity
Electricity is 110v and your U.S. appliances,
like hair dryers and cell phone chargers, will
work fine without any adapters.
Costs
Some things are quite inexpensive in Ecuador
but the moment you want something of higher
quality, the prices do go up and can be higher
than the U.S. Meals in good restaurants are
perhaps a little cheaper than the U.S. but not
nearly as low as one might expect. However,
this may be moot since you will be relying very
heavily on juice during much of your stay.
Currency
Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar but has its own
coins. It also accepts our coins. There are
ATM machines but they will charge a fee for
transactions. Regardless of the daily limit
allowed by your card issuer, the local banks
probably will not authorize any transaction
over $300. Cashing a traveler’s check will be
much more difficult than using an ATM.
Credit cards are accepted in some places, but
do not expect that the credit card can be used
as easily as in the U.S. Most people will not
have change for larger banknotes. Taxis are
very cheap, but the driver probably will not
even have change for a five dollar bill. In short,
bring currency in small denominations. Of
course, you can exchange a hundred dollar
bill for smaller denominations, but expect that
the paper is taken to a bank official where its
authenticity is verified. This is not a lengthy
Safety
Personal safety is not really a problem in
Ecuador, but one should use normal caution
when it comes to handbags, cameras, cell
phones, and such. If they are left unattended,
they could disappear.
If hiking or exploring, it is always advisable to
pair up with someone else who wants to go to
the same place. There are tourists from many
countries as well as Ecuadorians who vacation
in Baños.
Language & Culture
Do not expect that anyone speaks English.
It’s possible that some Ecuadorians speak
better English than native speakers, but the
vast majority of taxi drivers, waitpersons, and
hotel staff will hardly understand a word. The
owners of Sangay Spa Hotel speak excellent
English, but the same cannot be said of the
staff.
Ecuadorians are very friendly and are usually
eager to please. They are extremely curious
about foreigners but not invasive with their
questions. They like to ask where you are from
but after that, they respect your privacy.
Telecommunications & Post
Ecuador has an absolutely astounding
investment in cell phone technology and wifi
connections are generally good. Obviously, this
means there are wifi towers so there is clearly a
downside to this otherwise good news regarding
your ability to stay connected while away from
home. Hardwired connections are not easily
found, but the hotel business center has good
connections.
Getting an Ecuadorian sim card is another
matter. In theory, it is possible, but in reality,
the process is daunting. International sim
cards seem to work. We will see if we can get
some extra cards for temporary use. It will
definitely be a major effort to do this. However,
you can use Skype or some other VOIP method
of communicating.
Mail from Ecuador is reliable but often slow.
Sending a parcel by mail is a somewhat more
complex procedure. Receiving mail is possible
but expect it to take much longer than you
could possibly imagine.
Ticketing
and
Travel
So far as ticketing and travel go, Ecuador has
some very high seasons when excess baggage
is not permitted. The odd thing is that the
dates for the embargoes differ with each airline.
Whenever contemplating bringing more than
is normally allowed, check with your airline to
see whether or not there is an embargo. The
embargo is unique to the airport and airline
so one has to look up the details on the airline
web site.
There is no problem with customs in Quito.
Anything very bulky or conspicuous may
appear in a special section of the airport near
the baggage carousel, but the officials are
not intrusive. The bags will be x-rayed after
collection and you will probably be asked how
much money you are carrying. The purpose is
to be sure you have enough for your stay. You
can say you have credit cards and enough cash
for taxis and meals.
There are people available in the baggage claim
area to help you get a SmartCart, $2, and they
will also help you to lift your bags onto the
SmartCart and then escort you to the x-ray
machine and help you again to place your
things there and then reload the cart. A tip is
expected.
The easiest way to get around is by taxi.
Though some taxis are metered, most are open
to negotiation. They are also open to “shared”
versus “private” rates, the difference being the
cost. Having a shared taxi does not literally
mean that someone else would be using one of
the seats in the car. It is a rate negotiation and
is usually booked by phone in advance.
Taxis are usually very clean, comfortable, and
modern.
Accommodations
The Clinic operates entirely independently of
the Sangay Spa Hotel where it leases space.
However, the hotel offers special long-term
rates to our patients.
There are three types of rooms, the cabanas
which are just a little more rustic than the
main hotel. They have showers but no
bathtubs.
They rent for $320 per week for our patients.
The executive rooms are $380 per week and the
hotel plaza rooms are $480.
Reservations should be made directly with the
hotel, but please mention the clinic in order to
get the lower rate.
[email protected]
(593) 32 740490 - 2740902 - 0997509114
The hotel offers swimming pools, full spa
facilities, an organic juice bar, two restaurants,
and assistance with airport transport and
tours. There is also a business center with
state of the art Internet connectivity.
Questions
If you have other questions, please let us know.
We are here not only to assist your healing but
to make your visit to Ecuador as comfortable
and rewarding as possible.
Dr. Indunil Weerarathne and Dr. Ingrid Naiman
What
to
Bring
Though most items for daily use can be
found in Ecuador, there is always the matter
of favorite brands as well as cost. Where
personal care products such as shampoo
and conditioner are concerned, many people
traveling to Ecuador may want to bring a
supply of their preferred products.